We’re receiving word of trouble onboard Spirit of Nantucket this morning. While transiting the Intercoastal Waterway near Virginia Beach VA, the ship began taking on water according to reports from MSNBC and WAVY-10. In order to keep the ship from sinking, the Captain decided to ground the vessel in 9 feet of water.
Units from the US Coast Guard, Viginia Beach Police, Virginia State Police, as well as a Chesapeake marine unit are responding to the incident. There are no reports of injuries, and while the situation is considered serious, passengers are not at risk. Passengers have been eating breakfast while waiting to be evacuated from the ship.
Spirit of Nantucket is sailing her final East Coast sailings before shifting to the West Coast next year. Before starting here West Coast Sailings, the ship will undergo a refit and be renamed Spirit of Glacier Bay.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Cruise West Posted by Michael on 11/06/07
The rumor coming from several of our cruise news sources is that Apollo Management Corp has purchased Regent Seven Seas Cruises from travel mega-conglomerate Carlson. The rumor is that Apollo bid $1 billion for RSSC. Apollo owns Oceania Cruises and a controlling share of NCL. The trouble is, nobody will confirm the rumor - and they’re not exactly denying it either.
The spokesman for Apollo has no comment, the spokesman for Carlson says that they won’t comment on market speculation, and Regent’s spokesman says that he’s not at liberty to discuss any possible transaction…
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Regent Seven Seas Cruises Posted by Michael on 11/06/07
Heart-felt anecdotes and historic artifacts related to Cunard Line’s three 20th century Queens are captured in Cunardia, the museum exhibit that is poised to become one of Queen Victoria’s most captivating features. Scheduled to launch this December, Queen Victoria is the first Cunard ship to carry a fully curated exhibit of Cunard memorabilia, artifacts and vintage souvenirs including Queen Mary’s log book and her historic Zig Zag clock - the vital timekeeping device that prevented World War II U-Boat attacks against the famed liner.
Masterfully created by the Open Agency, the same team of researchers and designers responsible for several other popular Cunard exhibits and publications, Cunardia tells the story of Queen Mary (1936), Queen Elizabeth (1940) and Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969).
The exhibit will feature 5 storylines, and you can learn about them by clicking on “more” below.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Cunard Cruise Lines Posted by Michael on 11/05/07
A year after The Yachts of Seabourn announced that it would build two new, ultra luxury ships, advance booking activity for the first, Seabourn Odyssey, has led to the line’s decision to exercise the option for another. The third sister ship will be built by T. Mariotti S.p.A. of Genoa, Italy for delivery in summer, 2011. Seabourn, a division of Miami-based Carnival Corporation & plc, has agreed to the project at an all in cost of approximately Euros 200 million.
Seabourn Odyssey will debut in June of 2009. Bookings for its maiden season are being accepted from the general public starting today, after a successful advance booking period reserved for past guests of the line. The second ship in the series is scheduled to enter service in the summer of 2010.
That formula is embodied in the new, 32,000-GRT ships, which will accommodate just 450 guests in 225 luxury suites, ninety percent of which will offer private verandas. The ships are specifically designed to achieve a balance between Seabourn’s small-ship signatures, such as its highly personalized service, truly fine dining and exceptional delivery of destinations, with the added spaciousness, features and amenities that a larger ship will allow. Seabourn’s guests will continue to enjoy an unmatched level of personalized service from a skilled and dedicated staff, and one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the industry.
The new ships will maintain the yacht-like onboard ambience that has won the loyalty of affluent travelers, who appreciate all-inclusive policies such as complimentary open bars, open-seating dining and a myriad of thoughtful touches the company calls its Signature Delights.
The design specifications call for hulls 650 feet long, with a beam of 84 feet and a draft of 21 feet. The ships will be powered by diesel-generated electricity and operate with twin screw propellers, with a service speed of 19 knots. They will be equipped with two bow thrusters to enhance maneuverability and two stabilizers. The ships will also be “green ships” employing advanced wastewater treatment technology.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: The Yachts of Seabourn Posted by Michael on 11/04/07
This week was another slow news week, with the few stories this week revolving around Hurricane Noel or things that we have discussed weeks ago.
We’re also getting ready to head off on yet another sailing. In a little over a week we’ll be onboard Carnival Freedom on her inaugural US sailing. While we plan on taking lots of pictures and also doing a review of the ship, we also plan on meeting a few senior executives with Carnival, and expect to have at least one of them on the show. With that in mind, do YOU have any questions for the folks at Carnival? Get them to us by the end of the week and we’ll do what we can to get them answered.
We’re also going to sit down with our insider at Carnival and propose a feature where she answer your questions about Carnival. This probably wouldn’t be an audio event, but if you have questions about the line that you would like to ask, let us know. We need to determine if there is interest in our pursuing this.
We actually did have a show, and this week we did a little mythbusting. This week we tackle some of the more common cruising myths that we hear. We talk about some of the myths surrounding pricing, alcohol and even about the ships themselves.
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