Carnival Splendor Godmother to Get Assist from Royal Navy Divers

Carnival Cruise Lines

 
When Carnival Cruise Lines’ new 113,000-ton Carnival Splendor is christened July 10 in Dover, England, classical musician, singer and presenter Myleene Klass will get an assist in her godmother duties from Royal Navy divers. Petty Officer Christian Rumming, assisted by a Royal Navy dive team led by Lt. Ian Richardson, will be underwater near the bow of the Carnival Splendor when he will hear a unique radio signal from Klass, playing live classical piano music on the ship’s Lido deck.

Rumming will let out some compressed air from his diving tanks and then personally climb, in wet suit, safety harness and flippers, a 60-foot ascent rope to reach the Carnival Splendor’s name on the top of the bow. Rumming will then break with tradition-instead of French champagne, he will smash against the hull a bottle of 1994 vintage Nyetimber English sparkling wine, chosen by Carnival to emphasize its selection of Britain to launch its largest ship. Immediately after the naming ceremony, Carnival Splendor sets sail for a three-day preview cruise to Amsterdam, returning to Dover on July 13, when it will depart on the same day for its official inaugural 12-day cruise to the Baltic countries, visiting Copenhagen, Warnemunde (for Berlin), Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Amsterdam.

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07/03/08 Seabourn Celebrates Double Keel-Laying Ceremony

 
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The Yachts of Seabourn welded coins onto two blocks that will become the hulls of two new ships due out in 2010 and 2011. The luxury line held a ceremony July 1 in San Giorgio Di Nogaro, Italy, to mark the occasion. The ceremony, which was officiated by Seabourn President and CEO Pamela Conover and Marco Bisagno, president of T. Mariotti shipyard, marks the beginning of the next stage in a three-vessel expansion project that will increase Seabourn’s capacity by over 217 percent in the next three years. The first of the three hulls, which will become Seabourn Odyssey, was delivered in late May to Mariotti’s shipyard in Genoa, Italy, where it will be finished and fitted out over the next year, prior to delivery in June 2009. It will represent the first newbuild in the ultra-luxury end of the cruise industry in over six years. Carrying 450 guests, the ship will feature ocean-view suites measuring from 295 to over 1,600 square feet, 90 percent of which will boast private verandas. Additional features include five dining venues, a concierge lounge called Seabourn Square, and an indoor/outdoor spa facility of over 11,400 square feet spread over two decks. The company said Seabourn Odyssey’s maiden season, which will start in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, has been selling briskly since it became available for booking in October 2007. The Seabourn Odyssey will also embark on a 108-day World Cruise in January 2010 from Fort Lauderdale to Athens, Greece. Reservations for that voyage are likewise available and selling well, the company said.

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07/02/08 Carnival Opens Reservations for Dream

 
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Carnival Cruise Lines began accepting reservations July 1 for European and Caribbean itineraries of the new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, which is scheduled to enter service in September 2009. The largest Fun Ship ever constructed, the 3,646-passenger Dream is set to debut Sept. 21, 2009, with a 12-day “Grand Mediterranean” cruise from Rome (Civitavecchia), calling at Naples, Livorno and Venice, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Messina, Sicily; Monaco; and Barcelona, Spain. Two additional 12-day “Grand Mediterranean” cruises will be offered on Oct. 3 and Oct. 15, 2009. Carnival Dream will then sail on a 16-day transatlantic crossing from Civitavecchia to New York Oct. 27-Nov. 12, 2009, with visits to Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, and Malaga, Spain; Las Palmas, Canary Islands; and King’s Wharf, Bermuda. From New York, Carnival Dream will operate two eight-day Bahamas/Florida cruises departing Nov. 15 and Nov. 23, 2009, with stops at Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport.  Carnival Dream then will reposition to Port Canaveral for year-round seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises beginning Dec. 5, 2009. On this program, Eastern Caribbean cruises will call at Nassau, St. Thomas/St. John, and St. Maarten, while the Western Caribbean route will include Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya and Isla Roatan, Honduras. 

Representing a new class of ship, Carnival Dream will offer a new concept in entertainment called The Piazza, an indoor/outdoor café and live music venue. Additionally, the ship will offer expansive play areas and a huge Carnival WaterWorks aqua park. Other features include scenic whirlpools that extend over the ship’s beam and a variety of new stateroom categories, including a two-bathroom configuration that should be particularly attractive to families.

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07/01/08 Haven Entertainment Promotes Smooth Music Cruise on Celebrity

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Haven Entertainment is promoting its Smooth Music Cruise on the Century as a venue for groups and meetings. As an added bonus, groups who book five cabins will receive a $375 onboard credit that can be used towards a variety of onboard activities. Each group will be assigned a manager who can arrange shore excursions, private receptions and other team activities. Performers include Norman Brown, Nick Colionne, Boney James, Mindi Abair, Larry Carlton, Heather Headley, Acoustic Alchemy, Greg Adams, Steve Cole, Marion Meadows, Michael Lington, Shilts, Steve Oliver, Chieli Minucci, Alan Hewitt and Althea Renè.  The 2009 Smooth Music Cruise is a full-ship charter on Celebrity Cruises’ 1,778-passenger Century ship. The cruise departs Miami Jan. 31 to Feb. 5.

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Cruise Vacation MSC Cruises Offers Shipboard Credits

 
 
MSC Cruises is offering shipboard credit of up to $200 per stateroom to guests who book a stateroom on select Caribbean sailings by Aug. 31. The amount of the shipboard credit will be determined by the type of stateroom. It is $25 per person for an interior stateroom for a maximum of $50 per stateroom, $50 per person for maximum of $100 per stateroom for ocean-view staterooms, and $100 per person for a balcony or suite up to $200 per stateroom. The shipboard credit offer is valid on the MSC Lirica’s 10-night Deep Caribbean itineraries, sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on March 4, March 24 and April 13. Rates begin at $899 per person, double occupancy. It’s also valid on MSC Orchestra’s seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale March 7. Rates begin at $549 per person. Children under the age of 17 sail free on all sailings when sharing a stateroom with two full-fare-paying adults. Guests need only place a deposit of $100 per person

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07/01/08 Crystal Ships to Debut New Fitness System

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Crystal Cruises is debuting Kinesis fitness equipment aboard the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity in July. The equipment uses cable resistance and simultaneously incorporates several areas of fitness: strength, flexibility and balance. Kinesis equipment comprises a series of panels, grips, weight stacks and cables that enable 360-degree movement, allowing for more than 250 possible exercises, with benefits. Designed for individual use with a personal trainer, the one-hour Kinesis personal training sessions are $100 or $254 for three sessions. Crystal’s fitness directors report a 77 percent increase in personal training on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity from 2006 to 2007.

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Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Names St. Thomas First Port Call for Oasis of the Sea’s

 

Royal Caribbean Newset Ship Oasis of the Seas

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Royal Caribbean International has announced that its new mega-ship Oasis of the Seas will make Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, its first port of call. The $1 billion liner will bring 5,400 guests to St. Thomas when it launches in December 2009. The 220,000-ton Oasis of the Seas will launch with 19 seven-night sailings to the Eastern Caribbean. In addition to St. Thomas, the ship will also call at St. Maarten and Nassau. The ship will homeport in Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

 

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08/08/08 Costa Cruise Lines Celebrates 100th China Sailing, Opens Shanghai Terminal

 
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Costa Cruises’ Costa Allegra arrived in Shanghai and celebrated the opening of the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal and the line’s 100th cruise in China. Costa was the first international cruise company to operate regular cruises in China and Asia. Operations began on July 3, 2006, from Shanghai with the 28,000-ton Costa Allegra. Since then, Costa has completed a total of 121 cruises in Asia, 100 of which were in China with nearly 40 percent of these from the Port of Shanghai. The Costa Allegra has brought more than 60,000 cruise guests to Shanghai. Given the success of the program, Costa will bring a second ship, the 53,000-ton Costa Classica, to Asia and China in March. In 2008, the Costa Allegra will operate 19 cruises, 14 from Shanghai and four during the Beijing Olympic Games, which will be broadcast on large screens in public areas and in cabins. For 2009, 34 cruises, representing an 80 percent increase, are planned for the Costa Allegra and 31 cruises for the Costa Classica. Since 2006, the Costa Allegra has completed 121 cruises in China and the Far East. Overall, nearly 75,000 guests have taken a vacation on board the Costa Allegra, including nearly 50,000 Chinese guests.
The new Shanghai terminal, which will become operational with the arrival of the Costa Allegra, was specially designed to dock international cruise ships. Located along the Huangpu River, it extends over four floors and can dock up to four cruise vessels at the same time. It will be able to complete immigration procedures at the rate of 48 seconds per person. The area will also include business centers, hotels, offices and art galleries. 

This summer, the Costa Allegra will offer four- to six-night cruises with departures from Shanghai, ng Kong and Tianjin. The itineraries include the new destination of Fukuoka, Japan; Cheju, South Korea; Sanya, China; Da Nang and Cai Lan, Vietnam; and Nagasaki and Kagoshima, Japan. These short voyages will be supported by 14- and 15-night cruises to the Far East, with calls to ports in Japan, South Korea, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam. These cruises are designed for Chinese and international guests. Beginning on March 27, the Costa Classica will offer 31 cruises ranging from four- to 14-night cruises, with departures from Singapore, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Hong Kong. The various itineraries will include visits to some of the best destinations in Asian countries.

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08/08/08 Fred. Olsen to Feature The Drifters

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Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has secured The Drifters for a cruise to the Canary Islands this winter. Pop music enthusiasts can join Balmoral as she sails from Dover, England, on Jan. 4 for a 13-night cruise and be entertained by The Drifters. The Drifters have been in existence since 1953, founded by ex-Dominoes singer Clyde McPhatter and Ahmet Ertegun, who also started Atlantic Records. Despite a constantly changing lineup, the band has retained its distinctive sound and enjoyed a series of hit records over the years, such as “Come on Over to My Place,” “Saturday Night at the Movies” and “Under the Boardwalk.” The cruise visits Lisbon, then the islands of Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and la Gomera in the Canaries, with Madeira the last port before returning to Dover. Prices currently start at $1,749 per person.

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08/07/08 Carnival Sensation to Receive Upgrades

 
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Carnival Cruise Lines’ Sensation will undergo a multi-million-dollar refurbishment that will include the installation of an expansive water park, an adults-only retreat and tropical-themed mid-ship pool area, as well as renovations to nearly 1,000 staterooms and cosmetic enhancements to a wide range of public rooms and areas. The makeover, which represents the next phase of the line’s “Evolutions of Fun” product enhancement initiative for the eight Fantasy-class vessels, will take place during a scheduled 35-day dry-dock in January. Carnival Sensation-which operates three- and four-day Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral-will be the fourth Fantasy-class ship to receive the makeover. Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Imagination were completed late last year and Carnival Fantasy is scheduled to receive the upgrades during a scheduled dry dock this fall.

The new WaterWorks aqua park will be located on Verandah Deck and feature a 300-foot-long spiral water slide along with twin 82-foot-long racing slides and various water spray apparatus. The dry dock will also add the adults-only retreat called Serenity, located aft on Promenade Deck. Serenity will offer plush chaise lounges and chairs, oversized umbrellas and two whirlpools. Another component of the “Evolutions of Fun” upgrades is a resort-style pool located mid-ship on Lido Deck that will feature thatched roofing, faux palm trees and umbrellas. Deck chairs and a colorful tiled “beach” will encircle the pool’s edge. The renovations to nearly 1,000 staterooms will feature flat-screen televisions and an updated décor with new carpeting, wall coverings and light fixtures, as well as renovated bathrooms. The 35-day dry-dock will also include cosmetic enhancements to virtually all public rooms and areas, including the main dining rooms, the poolside bar and grill, piano bar, library and dance club. Many of Sensation’s live music and dancing venues have already received new high-tech sound and lighting systems during a previous dry-dock. Also previously added to Sensation were a nine-hole miniature golf course, a renovated 12,000-square-foot spa, new art and photo galleries, an atrium lobby bar, and a 1,200-square-foot conference center. A number of family friendly amenities-including expansive new facilities for children, tweens and teens and more than 50 interconnecting staterooms-have been added, as well

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