It’s Cruising, Jim, But Not as We Know It – life on the 1,000-footers

The first 100,000-tonners were introduced when Carnival Destiny was named in Venice in 1996, with Grand Princess following in 1997.
While the first 100,000-tonners brought real economies of scale to cruising they were not that different from the modern cruise ships that had preceded them.
A dozen years later, however, and there will soon be fifty ships of more than 100,000 tons.
But now, for the first time since the two original Queens and  Normandie and France, ships are being built to exceed 1,000 feet (305 metres). With the arrival of these 1,000-footers, the whole nature of cruising is about to change in a major way.
It began in 1999, when Royal Caribbean’s 1,020-foot Voyager of the Seas brought us a Royal Promenade, rock climbing and and ice skating. And recently, the trade has been deluged with news and images of the next generation of 1,000-footers, Royal Caribbean’s 1,181-foot Genesis Class, NCL’s 1,120-foot F3′s, MSC’s 1,092-foot Fantasias and Celebrity’s 1,033-foot Solstices.
Twenty-four ships will soon form a new class that will be far different from the ships we have known so far.
The Genesis Class – Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas
The 1,020-foot Voyager class of five ships built between 1999 and 2003 were followed by three 1,112-foot Freedom class between 2006 and 2008, one of which,  Independence of the Seas, was based in Southampton this summer.
The Freedoms, a lengthened version of the Voyagers, upped the lower berth count from 3,100 to 3,600 and brought us the first FloRider surfing machines and boxing rings as well as rock climbing and ice skating. Plus a 445-foot long shopping, dining and entertainment boulevard.
But the new Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will be of a different order completely. Not only will they include the tree-lined Central Park area with 668 passengers enjoying inward views, but they will have the first amphitheatres at sea, called the AquaTheatre, at the stern end of the Royal Promenade, and 28 two-level Loft Suites high up in the ship.
The AquaTheatre pool area will be encircled by sun loungers by day and at night will become a stage for acrobatics, synchronized swimming, high diving and fountain displays.
The Loft Suites will be the highest accommodation at sea and will include floor-to-ceiling windows to emphasize the views. Each loft suite, measuring 545 square feet, will be decorated with modern art and will feature a veranda with stunning views.
NCL’s F3 Class
The first announcement on the F3′s was about its New Wave.Staterooms, with wavy walls And the latest NCL concepts include a champagne welcome as well as lobster twice a week and every night in the alternative restaurants.
As well as the additional levies for dining in the alternative restaurants, NCL seem to have come up with another way of making some on board revenue – charging admission to other venues.
Recent news is about lounges, bars and night clubs. The F3′s won’t have massive void spaces and rooms only used for one thing like the massive show lounges that sit empty twenty hours a day except for rehearsals. Each night club space will have multiple uses – sunning, bowling, dining and, of course, hip night club ambience. Here’s what NCL has in store:
The Ice Bar, a chill out and chat up venue inspired by the original ice bars and ice hotels of Scandinavia. In this frozen chamber of iced vodka the centrepiece will be a giant ice cube that glows and changes colours.
Ice Bar will accommodate 25 guests who will be given fur coats, gloves and hats as the room’s temperature will not rise above -8 degrees Celsius. To enter, visitors will pay a cover charge although NCL says it has not yet determined the price.
The members-only POSH Beach Club – With a Miami South Beach vibe by day and night the venue will include four unique cover charge experiences: (1) POSH Vive, from 6 to 9 am, when people can partake in yoga classes and treatments in private cabanas. (2) POSH Rehab till noon, with guests relaxing and recovering from a hard night with Bloody Marys and chill out music. (3) POSH Sol, from noon till 6 pm, when passengers  can lounge on day beds and enjoy a beach-themed atmosphere. (4) Pure POSH, echoing the Las Vegas nightclub at Caesar’s Palace, guests will drink and dance under the stars.
Halo, the Uber Bar, where garden and courtyard villa guests have exclusive access, although other guests will be able to pay a cover charge.
This bar sits on top of the ship on Deck 16 and will showcase art and jewelry (modeled by servers), which will of course be available for purchase.
Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub. Already popular on Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl, this bowling alley by day hot bed club by night will also feature on board the new F3 ships.
The Spice H2O will be an aft tiered pool complex for adults only. Like the POSH club, Spice will feature four unique experiences. A screen over the pool will provide a smaller version of RCCL’s AquaTheatre.
With all-day-long music and a huge video screen, different themes will prevail: (1) Sunny Spice from 8 am to 11 am, including spicy drinks and breakfast. (2) daytime Aqua Spice with sun and water and Chinese take-aways. (3) evening Sunset Spice, with a perfect sunset every day (4) All Spice at night, offering a show of aqua ballet and dancing.
Charges haven’t yet been announced for each venue, but NCL says it will offer a “Beyond the Velvet Rope” package for all clubs. 

As of this writing there is a dispute between the French shipyard and NCL so there is some question as to whether these vessels will be built.

MSC Fantasia
MSC’s contribution to this wave of change is not only its European on board atmosphere on board, enlarging industry choice, but with its MSC Fantasia and her sister, a new Yacht Club concept.that will include Butler service in the best suites on the ship.
The largest ship ever built for a European cruise line, MSC Fantasia will be the first to have an exclusive VIP area with 99 suites, a bar, solarium, two hydro-massage pools, a skydome swimming pool, a reserved observation lounge with bar, concierge and an observation lounge forward where huge clear glass windows will provide passengers with amazing forward views.
A forward view is now something that a lot of ships don’t offer as their owners’ concentrate on trying to get passengers to increase their on board spend.
Disney’s New Ships
Although not due for delivery until 2011 and 2012, the artist’s impressions of these two ships show a development of the present Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, but with two more decks.
While Disney have extended its terminal lease at Cape Canaveral to 2022, the new ships can also be expected to introduce new itineraries, possibly once more from Marseilles in connection with Disneyland Paris or from Los Angeles with Disneyland Anaheim, or even from Tokyo in connection with Disneyland Tokyo.
No further details have yet been announced but they will be 1,082 feet long.
Celebrity Solstice
The grass is greener on Celebrity as it introduces what it calls its Lawn Club, a half-acre country club-style venue featuring real grass on the top decks and a lounge called the Patio on the Lawn for those who enjoy quiet. Activities will include lawn bowling and a putting green,
Elsewhere, the ship will have its own new Aqua class, where, along with a Solarium and Persian Garden, guests will have access to the Aqua Spa included in their package, complete with assigned seating in their own dining room called Blu and an AquaSpa Cafe.
Carnival, Costa and Princess
Of the twenty-four 1,000-footers, only three will belong to the Carnival Corp: RMS Queen Mary 2 and the new Carnival Dream and Carnival Wonder, However, the rest of the world’s 100,000-tonners, which number twenty-six ships of between 892 and 952 feet in length, are owned by Carnival, Costa and Princess. Mickey Arison was once quoted when asked about RCCL’s huge new ships, “we’re comfortable with our size of ships,” and Bob Dickinson, then Carnival president, responded “we’re not in an arms race.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s biggest and newest ship, the 130,000-ton 1,004-foot Carnival Dream, due to enter service in September 2009, will be the first to join the 1,000-footers club.
Originally reported at 982 feet but now longer, she will cruise year-round from Cape Canaveral. Her claim to innovation will be a new entertainment concept called The Piazza, an indoor/outdoor café and live music venue.
However, in a fascinating quotation from a recent release, it seems that unlike RCCL and NCL who are going for more bells and whistles, Carnival is going more traditional.
“Carnival Dream will take the traditional cruise ship promenade to new heights with a half-mile, open-air promenade encircling the ship on Promenade Deck 5. Here, guests can take a stroll while enjoying spectacular ocean vistas, read a book, or just take in the sun from one of the many deck chairs that will line this unique open deck area.”
This sounds very unlike Carnival, whose Carnival Destiny, the first 100,000-tonner, had promenades with just two doors and no deck chairs at all.
Where The Market is Going
While RCCL have been heading the parade on hardware features, NCL has concentrated more on software, adding greater choice of venues.
RCCL’s Royal Parade, rock climbing, ice skating, boxing and surfing venues will compete with NCL’s array of clubs and restaurants, both attracting a much younger cruiser.
Meanwhile, RCCL, with its Loft Suites, NCL, with its Uber Bar, and MSC, with its Yacht Club, are all inventing a new class system in an effort to retain their higher-spending clientele as well.
Traditionalists will probably look in on these ships and go back to where they were, while younger first-time cruisers, the future lifeblood of the industry, will return, meaning more new customers.
And the lines hope to please families as well.
RCCL’s activities particularly are attractive to both the younger market and the family market – who will get the rock-climbing wall? The 17-year-old or the 30-year-old? At least we know there will be multiple routes.
Meanwhile, it is interesting that Carnival is not part of this sea change and in fact even seems to be getting a little more traditional in its approach.
But it is also interesting that, with its concentration on brands rather than gimmicks, Carnival remains the most profitable cruise organization in the world.

 

del.icio.us Tags: f3,oasis of the seas,msc fantasia,carnival dream,queen mary 2,new cruise ship building

(Source: By Mark Tré – Cybercruises.com)

It’s Cruising, Jim, But Not as We Know It – life on the 1,000-footers

The first 100,000-tonners were introduced when Carnival Destiny was named in Venice in 1996, with Grand Princess following in 1997.
While the first 100,000-tonners brought real economies of scale to cruising they were not that different from the modern cruise ships that had preceded them.
A dozen years later, however, and there will soon be fifty ships of more than 100,000 tons.
But now, for the first time since the two original Queens and  Normandie and France, ships are being built to exceed 1,000 feet (305 metres). With the arrival of these 1,000-footers, the whole nature of cruising is about to change in a major way.
It began in 1999, when Royal Caribbean’s 1,020-foot Voyager of the Seas brought us a Royal Promenade, rock climbing and and ice skating. And recently, the trade has been deluged with news and images of the next generation of 1,000-footers, Royal Caribbean’s 1,181-foot Genesis Class, NCL’s 1,120-foot F3′s, MSC’s 1,092-foot Fantasias and Celebrity’s 1,033-foot Solstices.
Twenty-four ships will soon form a new class that will be far different from the ships we have known so far.
The Genesis Class – Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas
The 1,020-foot Voyager class of five ships built between 1999 and 2003 were followed by three 1,112-foot Freedom class between 2006 and 2008, one of which,  Independence of the Seas, was based in Southampton this summer.
The Freedoms, a lengthened version of the Voyagers, upped the lower berth count from 3,100 to 3,600 and brought us the first FloRider surfing machines and boxing rings as well as rock climbing and ice skating. Plus a 445-foot long shopping, dining and entertainment boulevard.
But the new Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will be of a different order completely. Not only will they include the tree-lined Central Park area with 668 passengers enjoying inward views, but they will have the first amphitheatres at sea, called the AquaTheatre, at the stern end of the Royal Promenade, and 28 two-level Loft Suites high up in the ship.
The AquaTheatre pool area will be encircled by sun loungers by day and at night will become a stage for acrobatics, synchronized swimming, high diving and fountain displays.
The Loft Suites will be the highest accommodation at sea and will include floor-to-ceiling windows to emphasize the views. Each loft suite, measuring 545 square feet, will be decorated with modern art and will feature a veranda with stunning views.
NCL’s F3 Class
The first announcement on the F3′s was about its New Wave.Staterooms, with wavy walls And the latest NCL concepts include a champagne welcome as well as lobster twice a week and every night in the alternative restaurants.
As well as the additional levies for dining in the alternative restaurants, NCL seem to have come up with another way of making some on board revenue – charging admission to other venues.
Recent news is about lounges, bars and night clubs. The F3′s won’t have massive void spaces and rooms only used for one thing like the massive show lounges that sit empty twenty hours a day except for rehearsals. Each night club space will have multiple uses – sunning, bowling, dining and, of course, hip night club ambience. Here’s what NCL has in store:
The Ice Bar, a chill out and chat up venue inspired by the original ice bars and ice hotels of Scandinavia. In this frozen chamber of iced vodka the centrepiece will be a giant ice cube that glows and changes colours.
Ice Bar will accommodate 25 guests who will be given fur coats, gloves and hats as the room’s temperature will not rise above -8 degrees Celsius. To enter, visitors will pay a cover charge although NCL says it has not yet determined the price.
The members-only POSH Beach Club – With a Miami South Beach vibe by day and night the venue will include four unique cover charge experiences: (1) POSH Vive, from 6 to 9 am, when people can partake in yoga classes and treatments in private cabanas. (2) POSH Rehab till noon, with guests relaxing and recovering from a hard night with Bloody Marys and chill out music. (3) POSH Sol, from noon till 6 pm, when passengers  can lounge on day beds and enjoy a beach-themed atmosphere. (4) Pure POSH, echoing the Las Vegas nightclub at Caesar’s Palace, guests will drink and dance under the stars.
Halo, the Uber Bar, where garden and courtyard villa guests have exclusive access, although other guests will be able to pay a cover charge.
This bar sits on top of the ship on Deck 16 and will showcase art and jewelry (modeled by servers), which will of course be available for purchase.
Bliss Ultra Lounge and Nightclub. Already popular on Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl, this bowling alley by day hot bed club by night will also feature on board the new F3 ships.
The Spice H2O will be an aft tiered pool complex for adults only. Like the POSH club, Spice will feature four unique experiences. A screen over the pool will provide a smaller version of RCCL’s AquaTheatre.
With all-day-long music and a huge video screen, different themes will prevail: (1) Sunny Spice from 8 am to 11 am, including spicy drinks and breakfast. (2) daytime Aqua Spice with sun and water and Chinese take-aways. (3) evening Sunset Spice, with a perfect sunset every day (4) All Spice at night, offering a show of aqua ballet and dancing.
Charges haven’t yet been announced for each venue, but NCL says it will offer a “Beyond the Velvet Rope” package for all clubs. 

As of this writing there is a dispute between the French shipyard and NCL so there is some question as to whether these vessels will be built.

MSC Fantasia
MSC’s contribution to this wave of change is not only its European on board atmosphere on board, enlarging industry choice, but with its MSC Fantasia and her sister, a new Yacht Club concept.that will include Butler service in the best suites on the ship.
The largest ship ever built for a European cruise line, MSC Fantasia will be the first to have an exclusive VIP area with 99 suites, a bar, solarium, two hydro-massage pools, a skydome swimming pool, a reserved observation lounge with bar, concierge and an observation lounge forward where huge clear glass windows will provide passengers with amazing forward views.
A forward view is now something that a lot of ships don’t offer as their owners’ concentrate on trying to get passengers to increase their on board spend.
Disney’s New Ships
Although not due for delivery until 2011 and 2012, the artist’s impressions of these two ships show a development of the present Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, but with two more decks.
While Disney have extended its terminal lease at Cape Canaveral to 2022, the new ships can also be expected to introduce new itineraries, possibly once more from Marseilles in connection with Disneyland Paris or from Los Angeles with Disneyland Anaheim, or even from Tokyo in connection with Disneyland Tokyo.
No further details have yet been announced but they will be 1,082 feet long.
Celebrity Solstice
The grass is greener on Celebrity as it introduces what it calls its Lawn Club, a half-acre country club-style venue featuring real grass on the top decks and a lounge called the Patio on the Lawn for those who enjoy quiet. Activities will include lawn bowling and a putting green,
Elsewhere, the ship will have its own new Aqua class, where, along with a Solarium and Persian Garden, guests will have access to the Aqua Spa included in their package, complete with assigned seating in their own dining room called Blu and an AquaSpa Cafe.
Carnival, Costa and Princess
Of the twenty-four 1,000-footers, only three will belong to the Carnival Corp: RMS Queen Mary 2 and the new Carnival Dream and Carnival Wonder, However, the rest of the world’s 100,000-tonners, which number twenty-six ships of between 892 and 952 feet in length, are owned by Carnival, Costa and Princess. Mickey Arison was once quoted when asked about RCCL’s huge new ships, “we’re comfortable with our size of ships,” and Bob Dickinson, then Carnival president, responded “we’re not in an arms race.”
Carnival Cruise Line’s biggest and newest ship, the 130,000-ton 1,004-foot Carnival Dream, due to enter service in September 2009, will be the first to join the 1,000-footers club.
Originally reported at 982 feet but now longer, she will cruise year-round from Cape Canaveral. Her claim to innovation will be a new entertainment concept called The Piazza, an indoor/outdoor café and live music venue.
However, in a fascinating quotation from a recent release, it seems that unlike RCCL and NCL who are going for more bells and whistles, Carnival is going more traditional.
“Carnival Dream will take the traditional cruise ship promenade to new heights with a half-mile, open-air promenade encircling the ship on Promenade Deck 5. Here, guests can take a stroll while enjoying spectacular ocean vistas, read a book, or just take in the sun from one of the many deck chairs that will line this unique open deck area.”
This sounds very unlike Carnival, whose Carnival Destiny, the first 100,000-tonner, had promenades with just two doors and no deck chairs at all.
Where The Market is Going
While RCCL have been heading the parade on hardware features, NCL has concentrated more on software, adding greater choice of venues.
RCCL’s Royal Parade, rock climbing, ice skating, boxing and surfing venues will compete with NCL’s array of clubs and restaurants, both attracting a much younger cruiser.
Meanwhile, RCCL, with its Loft Suites, NCL, with its Uber Bar, and MSC, with its Yacht Club, are all inventing a new class system in an effort to retain their higher-spending clientele as well.
Traditionalists will probably look in on these ships and go back to where they were, while younger first-time cruisers, the future lifeblood of the industry, will return, meaning more new customers.
And the lines hope to please families as well.
RCCL’s activities particularly are attractive to both the younger market and the family market – who will get the rock-climbing wall? The 17-year-old or the 30-year-old? At least we know there will be multiple routes.
Meanwhile, it is interesting that Carnival is not part of this sea change and in fact even seems to be getting a little more traditional in its approach.
But it is also interesting that, with its concentration on brands rather than gimmicks, Carnival remains the most profitable cruise organization in the world.

 

del.icio.us Tags: f3,oasis of the seas,msc fantasia,carnival dream,queen mary 2,new cruise ship building

(Source: By Mark Tré – Cybercruises.com)

His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh to Visit QUEEN ELIZABETH 2

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh will make a farewell visit to Queen Elizabeth 2 in Southampton on Tuesday 11 November 2008 – the ship’s last day in the UK before leaving on her Final Voyage at 19:15 QE2 will depart for Dubai where she will become a first class hotel and entertainment centre.
The most famous ship in the world, and for 35 years the flagship of the Cunard fleet, RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 was launched by Her Majesty The Queen at Clydebank on 20 September 1967 – forty years ago last year. His Royal Highness was also in attendance.
Since then QE2 has travelled almost 5.9 million nautical miles, more than any ship ever; has carried 2.5 million passengers; has completed 25 World Cruises; and has crossed the Atlantic 804 times.
As well as being present at the launch, His Royal Highness has visited QE2 five times since her Keel Laying – on 14 July 1967 during construction; on 1 May 1969, immediately prior the Maiden Voyage; on 29 May 1969 for the Council of Industrial Design Awards; on 19 June 1991 for a Royal Ball in association with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and on 27 July 1990 to mark Cunard Line’s 150th anniversary.
Details of the visit on 11 November will be announced shortly, but Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Carol Marlow, comments:
“We are delighted and honoured that His Royal Highness has agreed to visit QE2 on her last day in the UK. The Duke of Edinburgh has taken a close interest in the ship over the last forty years, and I am certain this will be a memorable occasion for all involved”.

 

Technorati Tags: QE2,Queen Elizabeth 2,farewell voyage,Prince Philip,Southampton

Holland America Line Introduces New Martini Menu

Holland America Line has introduced a new menu of martini cocktails on board its fleet of 14 ships. Featured on
the menu are 19 Grey Goose martinis and a sampler platter of mini,
specialty martinis called the martini flight. Showcasing mixology at its
best, a new martini flight will feature six of the menus premier martinis.

    The martini flight includes Holland America Line's signature martini,
the Yellow Tulip, a mixture of Grey Goose vodka, lychee juice, pineapple
juice, guava juice, coconut cream and fresh lime juice. Other martinis
included in the flight are the Peartini, Cosmopolitan, Sunshine Martini,
Rum Sundae and High Tide Martini. A house specialty will be a signature
Martini for Two with aged Cognac served with a dish of caviar and
traditional garnishes. Holland America Line's new martini menu will be
featured in the Explorer's Bar on its newest ship, ms Eurodam, in the
Pinnacle Grill Bar of its Vista-class ships and in the Ocean Bar on ms
Amsterdam, ms Maasdam, ms Rotterdam, ms Ryndam, ms Statendam, ms Veendam,
ms Volendam and ms Zaandam.

    "We are constantly exploring new and inventive ways to enhance our
onboard offerings be that entertainment, culinary or with innovative
cocktails," said Richard Meadows, executive vice president, marketing,
sales and guest programmes. "The martini menu offers a wide variety of
imaginative, sophisticated cocktails that will appeal to our guests."

    Launched as a precursor to the highly anticipated Martinis that will be
a part of the upcoming Mix specialty theme bar area, Holland America Line's
new martini menu was inspired to infuse a new splash of sophistication to
its already popular bars and lounges. Mix incorporates three specialty
theme bars -- Martinis, Champagne, and Spirits & Ales. These enhancements
are part of a new $US200-million Signature of Excellence upgrade to ms
Statendam, ms Maasdam, ms Ryndam, ms Veendam and ms Rotterdam.

    For new Signature of Excellence upgrades, the first of the extensive
dry dock periods begins with Veendam in spring 2009 and the last will
be completed in Maasdam in late 2010. While in dry dock, ships will
expand the aft deck to create a new resort pool concept, The Retreat.
Enhancements will be made to all existing staterooms and additional
cabins will be added to the ships. The ships also will introduce 46
innovative lanai staterooms with direct access to the Lower Promenade Deck.
New spa staterooms near the Greenhouse Spa and Salon will offer special
in-room spa amenities. Overall, Holland America Line has committed $US525
million to its Signature of Excellence programme.

Technorati Tags: ship bars,lounges,marini bars

Holland America Line Returning to Bermuda Roundtrip Cruises from New York City to Start in 2010

Beginning in 2010, Holland America Line will once again sail on regularly scheduled cruises between New York City and Bermuda. Holland America is the only major cruise line that calls on both Hamilton and St. George’s. Passengers will have an opportunity to fully experience Bermuda’s charm and  unique island culture by day and by night with multi-day stays in each port.

When the 1,350-passenger Veendam sails in late August 2010 on the first of 10 roundtrips to the island, she will mark Holland America Line’s return to New York City as a home port and to Bermuda as a destination.

Holland America Line worked closely with the Bermudian government to form the partnership that takes Holland America Line back to the island that it first visited more than 70 years ago. In 1926, Veendam II, with a  capacity of approximately 500, left New York on the company’s first Caribbean cruise. During the summers of 1930 and 1931, Veendam II sailed on five-day roundtrip cruises between New York and Bermuda.

“We are thrilled to homeport a ship in New York City again and especially to be returning to Bermuda,” said Richard D. Meadows, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programmes, “and it’s particularly relevant to be doing so on a ship with the same name as the one that sailed to Bermuda so many years ago”.

“Veendam is ideal for this itinerary,” Mr. Meadows noted. “She is a premium mid-size ship, the perfect size to navigate the narrow entrances to the harbours in Hamilton and St. George’s. Veendam‘s guests are able to step off the ship right in the centre of each town. Ships larger than Veendam must tie up at the Dockyard facility a considerable distance from both towns.

“With overnight stays in Hamilton and St. George’s, guests will truly have the time to explore Bermuda and gain an appreciation of its culture, its people and its history as well as the time to relax on the island’s beaches, play a full round – or two – of golf on its world-renowned golf courses or partake of the many activities offered.”

The clean and friendly historic island, with its forts to discover, horses to ride, kayaks to paddle and oceans to explore, is an excellent destinations for families. “Cruising to Bermuda with Holland America Line is also an outstanding value when compared to staying in land-based resorts,” Mr. Meadows noted.

“We are looking forward to our new relationship with Holland America Line,” said Bermuda’s Premier, the Hon. Dr. Ewart F. Brown, JP, MP. “When Veendam‘s passengers disembark in Bermuda they will be treated as warmly as they are on board. We believe Bermudians are among the friendliest people in the world and we can’t wait to extend that hospitality to Veendam in 2010 and 2011. Holland America Line is one of the world’s most recognized and highly regarded cruise brands and we look forward to our partnership.”

In addition to the ten sailings between late August and October in 2010, Holland America Line will visit the island and its towns for a full season beginning in May the following year, with 20 or more sailings anticipated.

Founded in 1609, the town of St. George’s in the northeast area of Bermuda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second oldest settlement in North America. Only Jamestown in the United States is older. Narrow, twisting streets and pastel-painted houses create a European feel. The oldest Anglican Church in North America is in St. George’s and many other historic buildings, most made of stone, have been preserved. More than a dozen forts dating to the 17th century are scattered in the hills surrounding the town.

Hamilton, the major commercial hub and seat of government, is in the geographic centre of the island and is close to south shore beaches. Veendam will dock at the town’s front door just steps from Front Street and its colourful array of shops and restaurants. Hamilton is home to a massive 19th-century, neo-Gothic cathedral and the Georgian-style Sessions House dating to 1815.

John Lang of The Cruise People indicates Bermuda is his personal favourite cruise destination

For more information, consult The Cruise People on 1-800-268-6523

Technorati Tags: Veendam,Bermuda,St. George’s.Hamilton

Unknown Destination – the Great Lakes

So far, the lakes will see two new operators in 2009, with Pearl Seas Cruises bringing in its first newbuilding, Pearl Mist, and Travel Dynamics returning after an absence of five years, while American Canadian Caribbean Cruises will increase its 2009 capacity by 40%. In 2011, a third new operator, Ponant Cruises, will return with another newbuilding. Despite some setbacks, the iron is in the fire.
Size Limits
In the 1970s, the Georgian Bay Line (which was by then owned by the Arison family of Carnival fame) announced that it would bring Kloster’s 600-berth Sunward into the Great Lakes and in the 1980s there was a plan to bring the 760-berth Cunard Countess in under US flag. Neither project came about as there was too much business for the ships in the Caribbean. After that, cruise ships just got larger and larger and the possibility of finding one to cruise the lakes diminished each year.
However, in 1997, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises finally built the 420-berth Columbus, to a design that would allow her to cruise the lakes.  Columbus spent ten seasons cruising the lakes but recent changes in US security regulations have made it easier for her owners to charter her out in the Mediterranean during what was normally her Great Lakes season.  Columbus, the largest ship to have cruised the Great Lakes, usually offered some 1,260 berths on three 10 or 11-day Great Lakes cruises each autumn.
The maximum beam for any ship to navigate the St Lawrence Seaway’s 80-foot-wide locks remains 78 feet, or about 23 metres, which to-day, for all intents and purposes puts the Great Lakes firmly into the “small ship” market.
Passengers Carried
In the early 1960s, the Georgian Bay Line’s 450-berth North American and South American, Canadian Pacific’s 290-berth Assiniboia and Keewatin and Owen Sound Transportation’s 100-berth Norgoma carried close to 30,000 people a year on Great Lakes cruises. All were retired by 1967, with Keewatin and Norgoma surviving to-day as museum ships.
This summer will see the lowest passenger numbers on the Great Lakes for over a decade – about 3.800 on three small vessels of American Canadian Caribbean Line and St Lawrence Cruise Lines. By comparison, more than 40,000 people visit the Antarctic each year. Hapag-Lloyd’s 420-berth Columbus and Cruise West’s 102-berth Spirit of Nantucket, having left the Great Lakes at the end of 2007 have reduced Great Lakes cruising possibilities, but only temporarily.
This will change when Clelia II, Pearl Mist and a new Ponant ship enter service over the next couple of years, bringing passenger berth offerings up to 7,060 in 2009 and about 10,000 in 2010. In an area with a population of 180 million in its immediate vicinity this is still quite small, but the competition is the economies of scale offered by to-day’s huge cruise ships that can still charge the same fares as twenty-five years ago. On top of that, pilotage costs and tolls on the Great Lakes have to be spread over a much smaller number of passengers. Nevertheless, progress is being made. In essence, as well as being a small ship market, the Great Lakes is now turning into a luxury market.
American Canadian Caribbean Line
The longest-running operator of Great Lakes cruises, Rhode Island-based ACCL operates two 183-foot vessels,  Grande Caribe and Grande Mariner, each carrying 100 passengers under US flag. ACCL will be able to book up to 1,700 guests this year but additional cruises in 2009 will boost this to 2,400.
The line will offer 17 cruises in 2008 that include the Great Lakes at some point and this will increase to 24 in 2009. New for 2009 will be four 11-night “Canals of America” voyages between Warren RI and Buffalo via the Hudson River, Erie Canal and Welland Canal, at between $2,915 and $3,555 plus $150 in port charges.
The shortest cruise, at 6 nights, is from Chicago’s Navy Pier around Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island and back, from $1,645 to $1,920 plus $75 port fees. ACCL will offer five such departures this year and six in 2009. The longest is 14 nights from Warren RI to Chicago via the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the Great Lakes from Oswego to Chicago, with calls at Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Mackinac Island and other ports, for between $3,705 and $4,555 plus $150 port charges.
Other departures include a 12-night cruise from Warren to Montreal, Quebec and the Saguenay Fjord via Lake Ontario, an itinerary that ACCL has been performing since 1967, and a similar cruise that turns at Quebec City, all priced accordingly.
St Lawrence Cruise Line
Operating its 66-passenger Canadian Empress since 1981, St Lawrence Cruise Lines is the smallest operator but will carry more Great Lakes passengers this year than ACCL by virtue of its more frequent departures, although this will change in 2009.
The 108-foot Empress continues to offer a choice of three itineraries – 6 nights between Kingston and Quebec ($1,955 to $2,779) or 5 nights between Kingston and Ottawa ($1,629 to $2,316), both of which touch at Montreal, and a 3-night Thousand Islands Encounter ($995 to $1,411), round trip from Kingston. This seasons thirty-two cruises can accommodate about 2,100 cruisers, which is more than ACCL will offer for 2008.
Travel Dynamics
Meanwhile, the first of the new operators, Travel Dynamics, will be returning to the Great Lakes, where it operated the 100-berth Orion in 2004. This company’s most recent acquisition, the 100-guest Clelia II, will be managed by International Shipping Partners (ISP) of Miami, as is its fleetmate, the 114-berth Corinthian II.
June to September 2009 will see the 324-foot Clelia II perform eleven 7-night cruises between Toronto and Duluth. Visiting all five Great Lakes, ports will include Toronto, Port Weller (for Niagara Falls), Little Current (Georgian Bay), Mackinac Island (Lake Michigan), and Houghton, Thunder Bay and Duluth on Lake Superior. Rates will run from $5,595 to $10,695 per person.
As well, she will cruise from St John’s NF to Rochester NY in June and from Toronto to Halifax NS in September, for a total of thirteen Great Lakes cruises offering space for up to 1,300 passengers.
Pearl Seas Cruises
The second new operator, Pearl Seas Cruises, is the foreign-flag subsidiary of US-flag Connecticut-based American Cruise Lines, and will introduce its new Pearl Mist 210-berth all-balcony newbuilding into the Great Lakes in 2009. This ship will be delivered by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax this year and although further orders are likely to follow, no shipyard has yet been named. At 335 feet in length, she will have six lounges and 108 balcony staterooms ranged over six decks.
She will perform four cruises in June/July, reaching as far as Chicago, and two in September/October from Quebec to Toronto and back, as well as a number of St Lawrence cruises. These half dozen Great Lakes cruises will be able to accommodate up to 1,260 cruisers, or as many as the Columbus used to.
Fares will run from $3,955 to $7,140 for a 7-day Quebec to Toronto cruise via the St Lawrence Seaway and Thousand Islands, $5,605 to $8,105 for a 10-day Toronto to Chicago cruise and $6,165 to $8,915 for an 11-night Chicago to Toronto cruise, both the latter including Georgian Bay and Mackinac Island.
Ponant Cruises
Meanwhile Ponant Cruises, the new marketing name for Compagnie des Iles du Ponant, announced in March orders for two new 264-berth ships from Fincantieri for delivery in late 2010, at a total cost of $300 million.
One of these will sail the Great Lakes in 2011. Like Travel Dynamics, Ponant Cruises is returning to the Great Lakes, where it previously operated several seasons of lakes cruises with its 90-berth Le Levant.
Although she will carry only 264 passengers, at 466 feet the new Ponant ship will be the second largest to cruise the Great Lakes after the 473-foot Columbus. With 75% of her 130 suites including balconies, if the new ship offers a dozen cruises in a season this would add 3,000 berths to the Great Lakes inventory, which in turn could boost the total above 10,000 for the first time in decades.
A Future for the “Cape” Ships?
In addition to Travel Dynamics, Pearl Seas and Ponant Cruises, two ships that Great Lakes interests have been paying close attention to are the 224-berth Cape May Light, which cruised the Great Lakes in 2001 and her 286-foot sister ship Cape Cod Light, which lies uncompleted in the St John’s River in Florida. They have been laid up ever since their original owner, American Classic Voyages, went under in September 2001, and the US Maritime Administration, which had financed them, repossessed them. Since then, two groups with headquarters on the Great Lakes, Hornblower Marine Services and Hannah Marine, had attempted to revive the ships for Great Lakes cruising.
Earlier this month however the Clipper Group of Denmark succeeded in obtaining the pair at a reported price of $9 million each, compared to an original construction price of $42 million each. To be managed by ISP of Miami, they will reportedly remain under US flag for a minimum of three years. Although their foreign ownership will make them ineligible for trading under the Passenger Vessel Services Act between US ports this would not stop them from cruising Chicago/Chicago or Detroit/Detroit as long as they made a call in Canada, say in Georgian Bay.
ISP reportedly intends to spend about $10 million on the pair and report that “we expect that to take 6-8 months, and we will begin looking for charters, most likely for delivery for the 2009 summer season.”The intended area of operation thus far remains a mystery although it is known that one Florida-based operator was also interested in them.
The Future
As more ships come into the Great Lakes, the future is beginning to look brighter, and as ships get larger and the overall market grows, demand should continue to grow for more expensive cruises like those planned for the lakes. For years  Columbus treated the lakes as an autumn destination only but the new operators are thinking in terms of a full season from May or June through to September or October.
Although the ships may be smaller, a rising number of departures means that berth inventory on offer in the Great Lakes will finally begin to rise.

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(Source: By Mark Tré – Cybercruises.com)