Carnival Cruise Lines will introduce a new one-of-a-kind schedule from San Diego encompassing five- and nine-day Mexican Riviera voyages aboard the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit beginning Dec. 10, 2010.
On this unique program, five-day cruises will visit the popular resort town of Cabo San Lucas for two full days, while nine-day cruises will also feature a two-day call in Cabo San Lucas in addition to visits to the stunning seaside destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and La Paz, the first time this port has been featured as a regular stop on a Carnival itinerary.
The two-day visits to Cabo San Lucas were selected based on guest feedback requesting more time to enjoy this popular destination which is highlighted by its distinctive rock formations, lush landscape and aqua-blue waters teeming with tropical fish.
Nine-day cruises depart Friday and return Sunday so guests can enjoy a longer cruise with more time in the spectacular ports of call, all within a typical weekend-to-weekend vacation period. Five-day cruises depart Sunday and return Friday, offering the ideal short cruise vacation at an attractive price.
Nine-day cruises will also call at Puerto Vallarta, a charming city where guests can relax on gorgeous white-sand beaches or stroll along the famed Malecon, a seaside walkway lined with restaurants, art galleries, and shops. Also featured is Mazatlan, known as the Pearl of the Pacific for its beautiful beaches, abundant marine life, and myriad fishing and diving opportunities. Rounding out the itinerary is La Paz, a sun worshippers’ paradise famous for its excellent sportfishing, snorkeling and scuba diving, with white-sand beaches stretching the length of its magnificent waterfront.
Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of the Netherlands will name Holland America Line’s new Signature-class ship, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, in a ceremony in Venice, Italy, July 4, 2010. The 2,106-guest ship is the fourth to carry that name for the line and is being built by Italian shipyard Fincantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. in Marghera, Italy.
“The Dutch Royal Family is continuing a long and proud tradition of naming Holland America Line ships that started more than 80 years ago, and we are truly honored that Princess Máxima will name Nieuw Amsterdam,” said Stein Kruse, president and chief executive officer of Holland America Line. “The naming ceremony will mark a signature moment in our company’s 137-year history as Princess Máxima becomes godmother of Nieuw Amsterdam, which, with her sister-ship Eurodam, will share the distinction as the largest passenger ships ever to fly the Dutch flag.”
Nieuw Amsterdam IV will be the 11th Holland America Line vessel launched by a member of the Dutch Royal Family. Previous ship dedications include ss Statendam III in 1929 by Prince Hendrik and ss Nieuw Amsterdam II in 1937 by Queen Wilhelmina. Then-Crown Princess Beatrix christened ss Statendam IV in 1957 as well as the ms Prinses Margriet in 1964. The ss Rotterdam V was launched in 1958 by Queen Juliana. Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet dedicated ms Prinsendam in 1973, ms Nieuw Amsterdam III in 1983, ms Rotterdam VI in 1997 and ms Oosterdam in 2003. Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands served as ms Eurodam’s godmother in 2008.
The naming ceremony will feature gala festivities in Venice, where an audience of special guests will witness an extravaganza of entertainment, the blessing of Nieuw Amsterdam and the traditional breaking of a champagne bottle across the ship’s bow as the finale.
Princess Máxima was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 17, 1971, as Máxima Zorreguieta. She was engaged to His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange, March 30, 2001. On Feb. 2, 2002, Máxima wed Prince Willem-Alexander, who is Her Majesty Queen Beatrix’s eldest child and first in line of succession to the throne. Upon her marriage, Máxima received the title Princess of the Netherlands.
Since October 2004, Princess Máxima has been a member of the Council of State, the Netherlands’ most important government advisory body. Princess Máxima represents the Royal House at official occasions, often accompanying Prince Willem-Alexander. She also accompanies Her Majesty Queen Beatrix on state visits. The princess passed her baccalaureate examinations at Northlands School in 1988 and graduated with an economics degree from Universidad Católica Argentina in 1995.
In 2009, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designated Princess Máxima as his Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.
Princess Máxima advises the Secretary-General on access to financial services and works to ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to all forms of financial service. At the invitation of the United Nations, Princess Máxima was involved in the Advisors Group to the International Year of Microcredit 2005. Throughout 2005 the Group met on a regular basis to discuss progress towards achieving universal access to financial services.
She has worked at Boston Securities SA in Buenos Aires, the European Union Representative Office of Deutsche Bank in Brussels and in New York at Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and HSBC James Capel Inc.
Sorry we’re late with the show – for once Patricia admits “it was her fault!”
You didn’t miss much though, it was a quiet week for cruise news…
Celebrity’s newest becomes a ferry, Royal Caribbean deserts California, Carnival Ecstasy makes a quick dodge in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Alaska Legislature makes a modest cut to the hated head tax…
Sixty passengers were treated for minor injuries after Carnival Ecstasy maneuvered to avoid a large buoy adrift in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday afternoon.
The ship returned to Galveston this morning as scheduled.
Carnival Cruise Lines said the injured passengers were treated in the infirmary. The line also reported ‘some minor damage to merchandise and unsecured objects.’
‘The object was a large buoy which was adrift and mostly submerged thereby preventing it from being detected by the ship’s radar,’ Carnival said.
In maneuvering to avoid the object, Carnival Ecstasy listed sharply to the port side for several minutes.
The US Coast Guard was notified of the incident.
The ship was on the final leg of a five-night cruise that sailed Saturday and called at Cozumel and Progreso.
Royal Caribbean International today announced the redeployment of Mariner of the Seas, which will take effect in January 2011. Mariner of the Seas will offer a short South America season before debuting in the Mediterranean as Royal Caribbean’s record-setting 11th ship in the region for summer 2011. Mariner of the Seas will homeport at Rome (Civitavecchia) from March through October 2011, replacing Splendour of the Seas, which will now homeport in Venice, offering 10- and 11-night Greek Isles and Turkey itineraries for the season. Mariner of the Seas will then return to North America for the 2011-12 winter season, offering seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries from Galveston, Texas, replacing Voyager of the Seas. As a result, Voyager of the Seas will herald Royal Caribbean’s return to New Orleans in winter 2011-12, offering vacationers another Gulf Coast port to embark on a memorable seven-night Western Caribbean cruise.
The Mexican Riviera has traditionally been an important market for Royal Caribbean International, with the Port of Los Angeles and Mexican local, state and federal government agencies, and their private sectors playing a supportive role as valued partners. While Royal Caribbean International looks forward to returning to the region in the future, Mariner of the Seas will sail its final round-trip Mexican Riviera itinerary from Los Angeles on January 9, 2011.
Guests currently booked on Mariner of the Seas’ Mexican Riviera sailings from January 16, 2011, and onward will be contacted with the following offer. Until May 6, 2010, affected guests can opt for a full refund of any fares paid, or enjoy $200 onboard credit per stateroom ($400 per suite category stateroom) when they rebook their vacation, at the same fare or lower prevailing fare, on a Mariner of the Seas sailing before January 16, 2011, or on the same 2011 departure date aboard Voyager of the Seas, sailing from Galveston.
On January 16, 2011, Mariner of the Seas will reposition from Los Angeles on a 16-night itinerary to Valparaiso, Chile, followed by a 14-night voyage that cruises the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America to Sao Paulo (Santos), Brazil. The ship will then offer a short Brazilian cruise season, before crossing the Atlantic to debut in Europe at its new seasonal homeport of Rome (Civitavecchia), where Mariner of the Seas will sail seven-night Western Mediterranean and 12-night Mediterranean Holy Land and Mediterranean Egypt itineraries. In November 2011, Mariner of the Seas will debut at Galveston to offer Texas vacationers two roundtrip seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries through April 2012. Mariner of the Seas’ new 2011 Europe and South America, and 2011-12 Western Caribbean itineraries, Splendour of the Seas’ new 2011 Europe itineraries, and Voyager of the Seas’ new 2011-12 Western Caribbean itineraries will be opened for booking in the near future.
Guests aboard Mariner of the Seas’ new 2011 Holy Land itineraries can choose a variety of shore excursion options, at an additional charge, that visit some of the most sacred sites in Israel, including Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and many others. “Grand Overland” takes guests on the most comprehensive overview of this fascinating region with an overnight stay in Jerusalem. On the Egypt cruises, “Grand Egypt Tour” offers guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the awe-inspiring Pyramids and mysterious Sphinx at Cairo, and the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. Guests also should not miss the largest collection of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean and the iconic Library of Celsius on “Best of Ephesus.”
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