Regent Seven Seas Cruises will provide its guests with a rare opportunity to witness the world-famous Winner’s Parade at Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Carnival celebration, in conjunction with a 17-night South America voyage aboard 700-guest, all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner. The cruise departs February 4, 2008 from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Regent’s South America journey aboard Seven Seas Mariner will call at ports in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, including a visit to Rio de Janiero on February 9, 2008. There, guests will have the opportunity to visit the world-renowned Winner’s Parade in the Sambadromo (known as the “stadium of samba”). The Winner’s Parade, also known as the “Champions Parade,” is the highlight event of the Carnival celebration.
The Winner’s Parade takes place on the first Saturday after Carnival is complete, and features the top six samba schools from the five-day celebration. Each school presents several hundred dancers, huge percussion sections, and elaborate floats showcasing the world’s best and most beautiful samba dancers in action. “The rare opportunity to enjoy Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Carnival celebration in the legendary Sambadrome is another example of Regent’s dedication to providing guests with unique travel experiences,” said Darius Mehta, Director of Land Programs for Regent.
Unfortunately this post may also need a subhead of “When Good Cruiselines Go Bad.”
The latest update on Windjammer Barefoot Cruises is not promising. The line, which had hoped to resume operations with one ship by the middle of last month has instead canceled sailings until at least December 8. Windjammer is hoping to resume sailing Legacy – and use the profits from Legacy to resume sailing it’s three other ships in the Spring of 2008.
Before Legacy can return to service, Trinidad’s Maritime Services Division must first conduct an audit of Windjammer’s management company – and that audit has not taken place yet.
While the line vows to process refunds for those affected quickly, some would be Windjammer clients are being told that they might not see refunds until April. Adding to the trouble is a lawsuit filed by credit card processor NCMIC who is looking to be reimbursed for chargebacks from customers seeking refunds from canceled sailings. The lawsuit alleges that Windjammer is continuing to sell cruises but is unable to provide those cruises.
Also of concern is that Windjammer’s website (which was down when we posted our update in October) makes no mention of the line’s financial difficulties, legal troubles, or even that sailings have been canceled. The site is still accepting bookings – with payment via PayPal…
We recognize that Windjammer needs to take in deposits in order to have any hope of restarting operations, but if you’re considering a booking with the line we STRONGLY advise that you look in to third party travel insurance in the event that Windjammer is unable to return their fleet to operation.
MSC Lirica should have just completed repairs to her hull in a Genoa drydock before sailing to the US on November 17 for the start of her winter Caribbean season.The ship was damaged during Lirica’s last call in Civitavecchia on November 2 when strong winds during the unmooring operation caused it to scrape the pier. An area between the bow and portside bulwarks was damaged, reports the line. The company advised the Italian Coast Guard and classification society, and both inspected the vessel to guarantee its seaworthiness before sailing from Civitavecchia.
The day after, Lirica called Genoa and undertook another 10-day cruise terminating, again, in Genoa on Monday. The 2003-built ship will now be repaired before sailing Saturday for her winter home base of Fort Lauderdale. Due to the drydock work, the last cruise of the Mediterranean season was cancelled.
Norwegian Majesty’s arrival into Charleston this weekend has been delayed by one day. The ship will now arrive Sunday, November 18, 2007 because of several factors.
On her return to Charleston, Norwegian Majesty was called by the Bermuda Rescue Command Center to come to the aid of a person in a sailboat who needed immediate medical attention. The passenger is currently being treated on board the ship. Also on the return, high winds and heavy seas necessitated the ship to operate at a reduced speed. In addition, planned maintenance during the ship’s stay in Bermuda included the overhaul of a cylinder head on one of the main engines. Unfortunately, after departure, a seal on the new unit developed a minor leak and required remedial work to correct it. Even if the engine had not had this issue, the ship would not be able to go any faster than the speed she is presently doing because of the heavy seas and strong wind conditions.
As a result, the ship will now arrive in Charleston on Sunday, November 18, 2007 and sail a six-day revised itinerary. Embarkation on Sunday, November 18 will be from 12 noon to 3 p.m. The revised itinerary is as follows:
| Day | Port |
Arrive |
Depart |
To compensate guests for the missed cruise day, NCL will refund one-seventh of the cruise fare paid, issued as an on-board credit. In addition, we are extending a $50 per person on-board credit ($100 maximum per stateroom) as a gesture of goodwill. We are also offering guests the option to cancel their cruise. In the event that guests decide not to sail, NCL will waive the cancellation fees and provide a full refund.
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and the Bermuda Government announced today that they have reached a comprehensive, long-term agreement that calls for two of NCL’s newest and largest ships to be deployed to Bermuda for the next 10 years, commencing 2009 and running through 2018. These ships will predominantly depart from New York and Boston and will each sail at least 22 cruises per season, making extended calls in Bermuda. The combined itineraries of the two vessels will provide for overnights in Bermuda from Sunday through Friday. The agreement also calls for NCL to continue through the 10-year term its tradition of being the exclusive line to sail from Boston to Bermuda.
In 2009, Norwegian Spirit, with a double occupancy capacity of 2,000 guests, will sail from Boston to Bermuda, departing on Fridays, calling in Bermuda from Sunday through Wednesday. Norwegian Dawn, with a guest capacity of more than 2,200, will sail from New York on Sundays, calling in Bermuda from Wednesday through Friday. Also in 2009, Norwegian Majesty (the ship which has served NCL’s Boston-Bermuda business for 15 years) will sail to St. George’s, Bermuda from Charleston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
As part of the agreement, NCL will partner with Bermuda’s Department of Tourism and Chamber of Commerce to contribute to the Bermuda experience. This includes becoming one of the sponsors for the annual Bermuda Music Festival, supporting the St. George’s Foundation and the Bermudian Heritage Association, and developing a new program to continue encouraging cruise guests to dine in restaurants ashore.
This 10-year agreement follows NCL’s announcement In May 2007 of its largest deployment to Bermuda in the company’s history with its 2008 itineraries from five East Coast cities. The 2008 Bermuda itineraries include: Norwegian Dawn sailing from New York, featuring the city’s only seven-day cruise to Bermuda; Norwegian Dream replacing Norwegian Majesty sailing from Boston offering Boston’s only Bermuda cruise; and Norwegian Majesty sailing to Bermuda from three cities: Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston.
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