We start off with a fun story this week that Guy Black left on our Facebook page… Go check out the page when you get a chance.
This week – NCL announced the dates of Norwegian Epic’s Trans-Atlantic crossing, and Holland America made changes to their Mariner Society benefits.
You’ll be able to try Nordic Walking on Crystal starting in October – and there some environmental controversies going on.
Queen of the West has been sold. Carnival is moving ships again – and they’ve taken delivery of Carnival Dream.
This week we also take a look at onboard butlers…
In a traditional maritime handover ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, Carnival Cruise Lines officially took delivery of its newest and largest ship, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream.
Following the ceremony, Carnival Dream departed for Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, for its inaugural cruise, a 12-day Grand Mediterranean voyage departing Sept. 21 – the first of three voyages within the region.
The ship will then sail a trans-Atlantic crossing from Rome to New York followed by a special two-day cruise and two eight-day Caribbean voyages from the Big Apple. Carnival Dream will then reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., for a special one-time nine-day voyage Dec. 3 before launching year-round seven-day Caribbean service Dec. 12.
Representing a new class of vessel for the line, the 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream offers a host of innovations, including Ocean Plaza, a stunning indoor/outdoor café and live music venue; The Lanai, an outdoor area featuring a wrap-around promenade and cantilevered whirlpools that are suspended over the ship’s side; a host of new accommodation categories, including two-bath, five-berth staterooms that appeal to families and cove balcony cabins located closer to the water line; a sprawling Carnival WaterWorks aqua park featuring the longest water slide at sea; and a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, the largest in the fleet.
Exciting new entertainment choices, including a comedy club offering 24 performances per voyage and outdoor laser shows on Lido Deck, are also featured. Also new is the “Fun Hub,” a comprehensive intranet portal and the first shipboard social network that provides a variety of helpful information on the vessel and allows guests to interact and connect with their fellow passengers on board.
Dining options include two formal restaurants with extensive menus and wine lists nightly, an expansive Lido-area eatery featuring a 24-hour pizzeria, Indian tandoori and new Italian pasta bar, an elegant steakhouse serving USDA prime dry-aged beef, a sushi bar, a patisserie and complimentary 24-hour stateroom service.
A host of bars, lounges, nightspots and live music venues – all bearing the unmistakable design stamp of Carnival’s renowned interior architect Joe Farcus – are also featured.
Carnival Dream is the 23rd vessel in Carnival Cruise Lines’ fleet, which operates three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda and Europe.
A sister ship to the Carnival Dream, the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, is scheduled for delivery in June 2011. It is also being built in Italy by Fincantieri.
Carnival Cruise Lines, will introduce the first year-round cruise schedule from Charleston, S.C., with the deployment of the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy in May 2010.
Carnival Fantasy will operate five-, six- and seven-day voyages to The Bahamas and Key West, Fla., from the Passenger Terminal in historic downtown Charleston beginning May 18, 2010.
On Carnival Fantasy’s new Charleston-based cruises, Carnival is expected to carry more than 140,000 passengers annually from the port. Including Charleston, Carnival Cruise Lines will operate from 20 North American homeports in 2010, with 12 year-round departure points – the most in cruising.
The new year-round departures from Charleston dramatically expand upon Carnival’s decade-long relationship with the port. Previously, Carnival has operated seasonal voyages from Charleston, including two five-day departures on the Carnival Triumph this year and two on the Carnival Glory next year.
Charleston’s centralized location within the southeastern U.S., as well as the city’s strong appeal as a tourist destination, were key factors in the decision to launch year-round service aboard the Carnival Fantasy.
New Year-Round Departures from Charleston On its new Charleston-based program, Carnival Fantasy will operate five-, six- and seven-day voyages on a variety of departure days beginning May 18, 2010. Five-day voyages departing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will call at Nassau and Freeport, The Bahamas. Six-day voyages departing Saturdays will visit Freeport, Nassau and Key West, Fla. Seven-day voyages depart Saturdays and will feature Grand Turk, the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.
Each of these tropical destinations has a character all its own and offers a wide range of snorkeling, fishing and water sports opportunities, as well as beautiful beaches and a distinctive island ambiance.Carnival Elation to Mobile Carnival Fantasy is currently based in New Orleans and is scheduled to transfer to Mobile for a program of four- and five-day cruises that will operate from that port from Nov. 10, 2009 through May 10, 2010.
Replacing the Carnival Fantasy in Mobile will be its sister ship, the 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation, which will reposition from San Diego to launch year-round service from that port May 15, 2010. In addition to four- and five-day cruises from Mobile, Carnival Elation will operate a series of seven-day Western Caribbean voyages in spring, summer and fall 2010.
Prior to the start-up of its new Mobile-based program, Carnival Elation will sail on a 15-day Panama Canal cruise departing from San Diego April 30. Guests will have the option of debarking the vessel in Tampa on May 14 or in Mobile on May 15. Featured ports will include Cabo San Lucas and Acapulco, Mexico; and Puntarenas, Costa Rica; followed by a Panama Canal transit; and visits to Cartagena, Colombia; and George Town, Grand Cayman.
According to a study by Han van Midden, senior consultant of the Policy Research Corp, shoreside electricity for cruise ships could provide greater social benefits than costs in a number of European ports but, for most destinations, the costs outweigh the gains. The study was conducted for the European Commission.
Van Midden presented his findings at a Seatrade Europe session on regulatory challenges.
Cost-benefit calculations found that 38 ports could see higher social benefits than costs from shore power if the average emissions reduction potential of EU electricity is considered. In addition the study found that shoreside electricity is ‘relatively unattractive’ from an economic perspective and has ‘several inefficient aspects’ from an environmental perspective, including that it reduces emissions while in port only.
Emissions in port account for only around 10% of cruise ship emissions, and connection time in ports is only 85%, van Midden outlined. Further, cruise ships represent only a small and highly seasonal portion of port activities.
‘Shore electricity is more expensive than ship-generated electricity,’ van Midden concluded, ‘and shore-generated power creates significant emissions, especially in the busiest cruise regions.’ The study found that key centers for cruising, including Spain and Greece, generate most of their electricity from emission-intensive coal.
Countries like France and Sweden produce high amounts of electricity from renewable sources or nuclear power, and in such regions shore power could contribute to a reduction of harmful air emissions.
Ambassadors International said it signed a definitive agreement to sell Queen of the West to Blue Spruce LLC, an affiliate of American Cruise Lines.
The 142-passenger Queen of the West most recently operated seven-night cruises on the Columbia and Snake rivers round-trip from Portland, Ore. The vessel features 71 staterooms, four decks, a dining room, a show room, a lounge and a bar and grill.
With this sale, Ambassadors continues to execute the plan announced in February to focus all capital and efforts on Windstar Cruises and the small ship luxury segment.
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