Ruby Princess has completed another major milestone in preparation for her November 8 debut, with the completion of her sea trials. The new ship set out to sea from her construction dock at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, and was put through her paces with a series of maneuvers to test her propulsion, steering and navigational equipment. After a successful four days of trials, the ship is now back in the shipyard for further exterior and interior finishing. Ruby Princess will be ready for her maiden voyage from Ft. Lauderdale, a seven-day Western Caribbean sailing taking passengers to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Princess Cays.
Ruby Princess is a sister ship to Emerald Princess and Crown Princess, and will feature the same dramatic piazza-style atrium that have become so popular on those ships. Other ship highlights include Princess’ signature adults-only retreat called The Sanctuary, an Italian trattoria, a seafood and steak house, a “Movies Under the Stars” giant outdoor movie screen and 900 cabins with private balconies.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Princess Cruises Posted by Michael on 07/01/08
I’ve been struggling with hoarseness this week so we’re just doing another news show, amazingly enough I managed to keep some semblance of my voice throughout the entire show.
Last week Carnival had their big reveal, releasing a lot of information about Carnival Dream.
Crystal’s 2009 Experiences of Discovery (aka theme cruises) have been announced. You can find the full list of cruises here. Cunard is partnering with the Royal Astronomical Society for a variety of astronomy programs that will be offered on select sailings.
NCL is rolling out shore excursions geared to smaller groups, and Princess is rolling out the Wii Fit to all of their ships.
Fincantieri floated out two new ships for Costa which will be named together next year.
Finally, California’s “Ocean Ranger” bill dies in committee.
We’ve got three Deals of The Week, which Patricia promises to post this week - we’ll see…
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Filed under: Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Podcast, Princess Cruises Posted by Michael on 06/30/08
Princess has lowered the cabin deposit requirements for new bookings on summer 2009 voyages and beyond.
Effective immediately, all bookings* will require a deposit of just 20% of the cruise or cruisetour fare, reduced from the previously announced 30% requirement.
The World Cruise deposit will remain at 10% for the initial deposit.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Princess Cruises Posted by Michael on 06/26/08
After the much-anticipated Wii Fit system debuted across the country last month, Princess unveils this fitness innovation at sea this week after shipboard staff completed special onboard trainings with Nintendo team members. Princess is the first cruise line to offer passengers the chance to get their hearts pumping with the headline-grabbing new release on Wii.
All Princess ships, which have long featured Nintendo’s popular Wii systems onboard, add the revolutionary Wii Fit balance games, challenging passengers of all ages to put their athletic skills to the test with active video game tournaments such as the ski jump, Hula Hoop or heading soccer balls. Exciting family competitions will be held onboard — including on the dramatic Movies Under the Stars poolside screens. Youth and teen centers will also offer younger cruisers the opportunity to participate in Wii Fit activities throughout their vacation.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Princess Cruises Posted by Michael on 06/09/08
There were some issues with the original file. I’ve re-encoded it and re-uploaded it. Everything should be better now.
A bit of news this week and a quick packing tip-
Silversea names their newest ship, and fuel supplements are going up.
Carnival homeports a ship in Baltimore, and keeps Carnival Freedom in Florida.
Holland America expanding their onboard enrichment programs, while Royal Caribbean has a new fundraising partnership with Make-A-Wish.
Finally, a strange collision in Dubrovnik….
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