I think it goes without saying that this was one of those weeks. Things looked good Monday – but as you are probably well aware they got much worse as the week progressed…
This week – NCL gave us more details about their Studio cabins – most importantly they’re going to be singles and shouldn’t include a single supplement!
NCL also announced a partnership with Nickelodeon to bring Nick themed entertainment to some ships.
The keel of Carnival Magic was laid this past Tuesday, and Royal Caribbean and Rolls Royce have kissed and made up over Celebrity’s Mermaid Pods.
The situation in Haiti also touched the cruise industry and we talk about Royal Caribbean’s aid efforts and their return to Haiti as well as some of the other things going on to help out those in need.
What are your thoughts about Royal Caribbean’s quick return to Labadee? We want to know, and you can leave your thoughts over on the Facebook page…
Seatrade Insider is reporting that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has reached an amicable settlement with Rolls-Royce in its long-running lawsuit over the Mermaid pods on Celebrity’s Millennium-class ships.
When first designed and implemented, podded propulsion was a significant technological advance over traditional shaft propulsion, but there were a number of technical issues in the early years of use.
Mermaid pods are installed on four Celebrity ships, Millennium, Summit, Infinity and Constellation. Over the years, a number of cruises were disrupted or canceled due to pod issues.
Royal Caribbean filed a $300m lawsuit against Alstom and Rolls-Royce in 2003, alleging pod defects. Alstom subsequently settled with RCL for $38m.
In late 2008, Carnival Corp. & plc sued Rolls-Royce and Converteam (Alstom Power Conversion) seeking $100m in alleged damages related to the Mermaid system on Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2.
By now you’ve probably heard of the incredible devastation caused by the massive earthquake that struck Haiti. At this time there is no word on the status of Royal Caribbean’s private area of Labadee. The next call for the line is Friday’s scheduled visit of Independence of The Seas. That port call is currently pending clearance from the Government of Haiti.
We’re also seeking information on the status of Agent Edelette Methelus, of the Haitian Coast Guard. She may have been in either Gonaive or Port Au Prince.
UPDATE:
“All is fine in Labadee. No one is hurt and we believe there are no issues with our new pier,’ RCCL’s Craig Milan, svp land operations, told Seatrade Insider. He added that Cap Haitien is, by all accounts, in relatively good shape, too.
Engineers will assess the pier today, ‘but we do not think there are any issues,’ Milan said.
Monday saw thick fog in the Gulf of Mexico close ports and delay cruise ships from Tampa FL all the way to Galveston TX.
Carnival Conquest and Voyager of The Seas were stuck in Galveston, Carnival Fantasy’s arrival in Mobile AL was delayed, and Carnival Inspiration’s arrival in and departure from Tampa was delayed.
How thick was the fog? Voyager of The Seas was stuck in Galveston for TWO DAYS!
We are back! And to thank you for bearing with us during the extended break we bring you a LONG show this week…
Before we dive in to our recap of Westerdam though we give you a quick recap of the news while we were gone…
First up was some new build news – Disney revealed that Sorcerer Mickey would ride the stern of Disney Dream, Carnival ordered a third ship for their Dream class, and Princess may be get a new ship too…
Mahogany Bay is welcoming visitors, and Labadee’s upgrades are ready in anticipation of Oasis of The Seas arrival. Speaking of Oasis of The Seas the ship has been officially named…
Finally Norwegian Dawn has been repaired and has returned to service after a experiencing a power failure off San Juan PR.
Even though we run long this week – you’re getting an abbreviated run down of our thoughts and experiences onboard Westerdam. There were some unexpected high points on the trip and sadly some pretty dismal low points as well. Don’t forget to watch the photo gallery – we’re still posting pictures from the trip – and also the pages here as we post more video from the trip as well.
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