Silversea Debuts 19 New Overland Tours in 2012

For the cultural traveller who strives to achieve intimacy with far-off places, your ship has come in. In 2012, ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises is adding 19 new mid-voyage land adventures.

In total, the company will offer more than 50 specially tailored overland excursions next year. Unlike a partial-day shore tour, these single- or multiple-day inland adventures offer inquisitive travellers more time to enjoy an interactive and immersive experience with the people, history, wildlife and natural attractions that lie just beyond the ports of call.

Darius Mehta, Silversea’s vice president of air and land programmes, said: "These extended off-ship programmes are life-enriching opportunities that enable our guests to spend more time discovering the true culture, heritage and uniqueness of the places they visit."

From the Amazon to Zululand, glaciers to deserts, ancient ruins to modern wonders, Silversea offers an eclectic collection of overland adventures. You can witness the spectacular sand dunes of the Namib Desert, climb the steps of the Potala Palace in Tibet, or observe a passing herd of elephants while you sip tea on the veranda of a colonial manor house in South Africa. A small selection of the many new mid-voyage land adventures offered in 2012 follows.

"Venture into Amazonia" — Immerse yourself in the ecological heart of the planet, home to the world’s largest collection of birds, freshwater fish and butterflies. Visit exotic and bustling Manaus surrounded by a lush green wall of jungle and witness the amazing natural phenomenon of the Meeting of the Waters, the point where the dark-coloured waters of the Rio Negro converge with the sandy-coloured Solimoes River. This five-day sojourn, priced at US$3,899 per guest, includes two nights at the Amazon Ecopark Jungle Lodge and is offered from Belém on Silver Whisper’s 7 January voyage (#4202), sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Rio de Janeiro (a segment of World Cruise 2012). Guests rejoin the voyage in Salvador de Bahia.

"Gorah Elephant Camp" — Experience an authentic safari adventure during your stay at the exclusive Gorah Elephant Camp. A member of Relais & Châteaux, the luxurious tented camp is located in the middle of the Addo Elephant National Park, a sanctuary for over 450 elephants, the highest density of elephants on Earth. The three-day package, priced at $3,199 per guest, is offered on Silver Wind voyages of 14, 24 January and 3 February (#2202, 2203 and 2204), sailing roundtrip from Cape Town. Guests depart from Richards Bay and rejoin the ship in East London, South Africa.

"Perito Moreno & El Calafate" — Glaciers National Park covers a staggering 8,500 square miles (22,015 square kilometres) in Patagonia. Of its 47 major glaciers, the giant Perito Moreno is one of the world’s few remaining advancing glaciers. Explore this glacial wonderland and glimpse nature’s spectacular display of a thousand blue tones. Thrill to the experience of infinite peace, pure air and tranquillity, only interrupted when immense blocks of ice break off the glacier with a tremendous roar. Silver Spirit‘s 27 January voyage (#5203), Santiago to Buenos Aires, offers guests the chance to embark from Punta Arenas on this eleven-and-a-half-hour adventure, priced at $2,157.

"Sossusvlei Desert Lodge" — Discover one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia — the sand dunes of Sossusvlei (pronounced SOSS-oo-vlay) in the Namib Desert. The overnight stay at the deluxe Sossusvlei Desert Lodge affords the best time to view the beauty of the dunes at sunset and sunrise. Priced at $1,599 per guest, this two-day adventure is offered during the overnight stay in Walvis Bay on Silver Wind‘s 13 February voyage (#2205), sailing Cape Town to Las Palmas.

"Chengdu Pandas & Tibet" — China’s giant pandas are not only a national treasure, they are beloved the world over. Only about 1,000 pandas remain in the wild and at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Centre, you can observe these endearing animals close up. Then fly to Lhasa, capital of the Himalayan Kingdom of Tibet, to explore the fabulous Potala Palace, the Drepung Monastery and more. This five-day package, priced at $3,999 per traveller, is offered from Hong Kong to in-transit guests on Silver Whisper‘s 3 March sailing (#4206), Hong Kong to Shanghai. Guests depart from Hong Kong and rejoin the ship in Shanghai to continue on the following voyage (#4207), all part of World Cruise 2012.

"Greeks, Romans & The Pharaohs" — Immerse yourself in the culture of ancient and modern Egypt. In the bustling metropolis of Cairo, visit the Royal Mummies Room and admire King Tut’s gold mask in the Egyptian Museum; at Giza, marvel at the wonders of the Great Pyramids. Discover the relics of Greek and Roman civilisation in Alexandria, and learn about the past at the New Bibliotheca Alexandrina, built on the site of the original great library of the ancient world. This two-day package, priced at $999 per passenger, includes an overnight stay at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel and is offered on Silver Wind voyages of 27 March, 19 and 31 October (#2208, 2233 and 2234). Guests depart from Port Said and rejoin the ship in Alexandria, or the reverse, depending on the itinerary that commences/concludes in either Athens or Istanbul.

"A Tale of Three Cities" — Explore three of Germany’s most historical and celebrated cities – Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig. Travel to Berlin, widely acclaimed as a city of culture and politics; historic Dresden, once the royal residence of the Kings of Saxony and site of the famous Semper Opera House; and Leipzig, whose musical roots go back to the 13th century. Priced at $2,799 per guest, the three-day programme is offered on Silver Cloud‘s 10 July voyage (#1218), sailing Copenhagen to London. Guests depart from Warnemünde and rejoin the ship in Hamburg.

"Ayers Rock & The Red Centre" — Venture into one of Australia’s most remote areas, the Red Centre, famous for its rugged beauty and the iconic monolith of changing colours, Uluru (Ayers Rock). Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is the spiritual heart of the Outback and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore this living museum and one of the world’s last frontiers during a two-night stay at the Longitude 131˚ luxury wilderness camp. This four-and-a-half-day adventure, priced at $7,199 per guest, is offered on Silver Shadow‘s 20 December sailing (#3237) from Singapore to Sydney. Passengers depart from Darwin and rejoin the ship Cairns.

The prices listed above are per person, U.S.$, based on double occupancy. The optional mid-voyage land programmes feature deluxe accommodation (if overnight stays are required), all transportation, transfers, guided sightseeing and some meals.

About Silversea Cruises
Silversea Cruises is recognised as an innovator in the luxury cruise line industry, offering passengers large-ship amenities aboard its intimate, all-suite vessels: Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper and Silver Spirit — all designed to offer an atmosphere of conviviality and casual elegance. With the inclusion of Silver Explorer, Silversea Cruises’ itineraries encompass all seven continents and feature worldwide luxury cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, both polar regions and over 400 fascinating destinations in between.

In the US, Silversea has been voted "World’s Best" by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler (nine times) and Travel + Leisure (seven times), and rated Number-One luxury cruise line by high-net-worth consumers in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI). International awards include "Best Innovation in Products and Services" from the Italian Innovazione Marketing Oggi Awards (2009); "World’s Leading Small Ships Cruise Line" from World Travel Awards (2009); "Five Star Diamond Award" from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (2010); "Number One" small-ship line in the Readers’ Choice survey conducted by Britain’s Condé Nast Traveller magazine (2010); "Best Luxury Cruise Line" Excellence Award by Spain’s Cruise News Media Group (2009); "Best Luxury Cruise Line" by Australia’s Luxury Travel & Style Magazine (2011); and "Best Luxury Cruise Operator" according to Travel Weekly China (2010).

The Cruise People has information on these programmes.

Antarctic Cruise Numbers in Decline

by Kevin Griffin writing in cybercruises.com

The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) has recently released its final passenger numbers for 2010-11, with the total number of visitors to the region travelling with IAATO members coming to 33,824.

This includes those travelling on traditional expedition ships, yachts, larger cruise-only vessels and visitors participating in land programmes. The overall seasonal results reflect a decrease of 8.3% from last year’s total of 36,875.

Traditional small and medium-size expedition ships, which carry 500 or fewer passengers and conduct landings, accounted for 18,534 passengers, a decline of nearly 13% from 2009-10.

There were a total of 14,373 passengers in the cruise-only category, vessels that carry more than 500 passengers and only travel through the area without disembarking their guests ashore in Antarctica. This represented a decline of just over 4%. Of these lines, only Holland America and Azamara will still visit Antarctica in the future, while Crystal, Oceania and Princess will remove the Antarctic from their itineraries. This is a result of new regulations that require ships to carry only light diesel oil when visiting the area, and not the heavier bunker oils that can cause the worst spills in case of an accident.

A much smaller air-sea category that includes a combination of air transportation to Antarctica and small-ship cruising tallied at 531 visitors, while land tourism accounted for only 386.

More than 100 different nationalities were represented last season. The United States (at 37%), Australia (10%), the UK (8%), Germany (7%) and Japan, the Netherlands and China (at 3% each) topped the list.

With the ban on heavy fuel oil imposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take place this August, IAATO projects a significant decrease in the cruise-only category from 14,373 passengers to less than 5,000 for 2011-12. The number of voyages by 500-plus passenger vessels is expected to decrease from twelve last season to just five in 2011-12.

Because of this, as well as the lingering effects of a slow economy, the overall number of visitors travelling with IAATO operators for 2011-12 is now projected at 25,319, fully a 25% drop from last season.

Steve Wellmeier, executive director of IAATO, noted “the decline to date has largely been the result of the effects of the economic slowdown worldwide. While we expect this to continue playing a role, there is little question that the more significant factor in next year’s lower numbers is the consequence of the heavy fuel oil ban. The result will be visitor numbers overall that mirror those of a decade ago.”

Princess Cruises Announces Special Speakers to Appear During World Cruise

Princess Cruises passengers will be joined by a variety of special guests aboard Pacific Princess during its 107-day World Cruise departing January 13, 2012. Whether they want to hear about the golden age of Hollywood, get the scoop on modern-day filmmaking, or find out what it’s really like in outer space, world cruise travellers can get first-hand stories throughout the sailing.

Among the celebrated speakers scheduled to appear onboard are screen idol Tab Hunter; "Leave it to Beaver" star Jerry Mathers; "The Love Boat’s" Gavin MacLeod; legendary Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump; Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter of silent film star Harold Lloyd; Oscar-nominated Filmmaker Leslie Iwerks and Space Shuttle Astronaut Robert C. Springer. In addition, a variety of expert lecturers will join the cruise to inform passengers on topics such as World War II history and computer forensics.

The special guest appearances are part of an enrichment programme designed especially for the Ft. Lauderdale to Venice cruise, which will visit 38 destinations in 28 countries, with calls on six continents as it sails through Latin America, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and Egypt, finally ending in the Mediterranean.

Special guests scheduled to appear aboard Pacific Princess include:

Rolly Crump — Disney Imagineer (January 13-28: Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego)
One of the original Disney Imagineers, Crump joined Disney in 1952, first in animation, contributing to legendary films such as "Lady and the Tramp," but soon moved to the new group of designers who were creating Disneyland’s groundbreaking latest attractions. Crump worked alongside Walt Disney himself to create the Haunted Mansion, Enchanted Tiki Room and other attractions, and later designed projects for Disney’s EPCOT Center. Crump will talk about Walt Disney the man and the early days of designing iconic Disneyland rides.

Gavin MacLeod — TV and Film Actor (January 28-February 10: San Diego to Pago Pago)
Perhaps best known as "Captain Merrill Stubing" from the long-running television show The Love Boat, MacLeod also earned acclaim for his role in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as well as numerous film roles. A long-time fan of cruising, MacLeod has served as an ambassador for Princess Cruises since 1986. He will present a selection of his favourite episodes from these classic series for passengers, and will reminisce about his career and famous co-stars.

Colonel Robert C. Springer — Space Shuttle Astronaut (February 10-18: Pago Pago to Auckland)
A two-time space shuttle astronaut, Springer has spent more than 237 hours in space. After joining NASA in 1981, Springer served as a mission specialist on shuttle flights in 1989 and 1990. Now retired from NASA and the U.S. Marine Corps, Springer currently works for The Boeing Company as director of quality systems, Integrated Defense Systems. Springer will talk about the shuttle programme, his adventures in space, and the future of NASA.

Jerry Mathers — Former Child Star (February 18-26: Auckland to Sydney) Although best known for his role as "Beaver" Cleaver in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver, Mathers also had roles in films such as Hitchcock’s "The Trouble with Harry" and "The Seven Little Foys" with Bob Hope. More recently, he made his Broadway debut with a starring role in the Tony Award winning play "Hairspray." Mathers will screen favourite episodes from his TV series, plus several of his films, and will talk about working with legends such as Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Hope and Shirley MacLaine.

Suzanne Lloyd — Granddaughter of Harold Lloyd (March 12-20: Tokyo to Hong Kong)
The granddaughter of one of Hollywood’s founding fathers and silent film legend Harold Lloyd, Suzanne Lloyd will screen a mini film festival of her grandfather’s silent comedy classics and talk about growing up on her grandfather’s legendary Bel Air estate: Green Acres.

Leslie Iwerks — Oscar Nominated Filmmaker (March 29-April 12: Singapore to Dubai)
A noted documentary filmmaker, Iwerks is also the daughter and granddaughter of Disney legends. Her first feature documentary, "The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story," chronicled the life of her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, the animator who designed Mickey Mouse. Her 2006 Academy Award-nominated film, "Recycled Life," documents the lives of Guatemalans who live and work on a landfill. In addition, her 2007 film, "The Pixar Story," was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. Onboard, Iwerks will introduce a showing of "Recycled Life," and discuss her work with George Lucas’ special effects company, and the computer animation work of Pixar Entertainment.

Tab Hunter — Actor, Screen Idol (April 12-30: Dubai to Venice)
A screen idol from Hollywood’s golden age, Tab Hunter starred in more than 50 major films, including the Academy Award-nominated "Damn Yankees." Hunter also reached the top of the music charts with the hit song Young Love, and starred in his own television series. In the 1980s and ’90s, Hunter starred in several John Waters films as well as the comedy Western "Lust in the Dust." The ship will screen several of Hunter’s films, and he will talk about his career, his famous co-stars, and his autobiography.

In addition, World Cruise passengers will also have the benefit of a variety of expert lecturers who will share their knowledge on diverse topics, including:

Concorde Pilot – A former British Airways Concorde pilot will speak about the glamour and technology of the Concorde. (January 13-28: Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego)

World War II Historian – Bruce Petty, the author of several books about World War II in the Pacific, will talk about topics such as Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and aircraft carriers in the Pacific. (January 28-February 18: San Diego to Auckland)

South Pacific Naturalist — Ann Burgess, an expert on the natural history of the South Pacific region, will talk about a variety of related topics including Polynesian explorers and indigenous wildlife in the area. She will also host animal spotting sessions on the top deck to help passengers catch a glimpse of sea life such as dolphins and whales. (February 18-March 12: Auckland to Tokyo)

Ambassador/Diplomat – Douglas Hartwick, a former ambassador to Laos and State Department diplomat, will talk about the life of a diplomat living abroad. (March 12-29: Tokyo to Singapore)

Computer Forensics Expert – Mark Harrington, computer forensic company executive, will lecture on how computer footprints can find terrorists and criminals. (March 20-29: Hong Kong to Singapore)

Astronomer – An astronomer will join the ship to teach passengers about the night sky, the solar system and the latest space exploration from NASA, plus will host stargazing sessions on deck. (March 29-April12: Singapore to Dubai)

United Nations Official – John Renninger, a UN official and adjunct professor at NYU, will talk about the UN’s peacekeeping role and Middle East topics. (April 12-30: Dubai to Venice)

"World cruise passengers will not only get to experience amazingly diverse parts of the globe, they’ll also have access to a wide range of knowledgeable special lecturers," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. "Our goal is to enrich and entertain passengers throughout their entire time onboard with us."

All special guests and expert lecturers are currently scheduled to appear, but modifications may be made subject to changes in speaker availability.

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through The Cruise People, Ltd. at 1-800-961-5536.

LiveJournal Tags: Disney,Rolly Crump,Gavin MacLeod,The Love Boat,Mary Tyler Moore Show,Rober C. Springer,Jerry Mathers,Leave It to Beaver,The Trouble with Harry,The Seven Little Foys,Harold Lloyd,leslie Iwerks,Tab Hunter,Bruce Petty,Ann Burgess,Douglas Hartwick,John Renninger

Cruise Ship Design – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

by The Cruise People’s Kevin Griffin writing in cybercruises.com

With all the new ships that have been delivered in the last decade and new orders that are starting to return to the shipyards, there is no question but that we are living in a time when we are lucky to have such a huge selection of ships to choose from when it comes to taking a cruise.

But there is also no question that there is a lot of controversy over some aspects of cruise ship design. Some lines insist on walk-around teak promenade decks, real steamer chairs and forward-facing lounges, whilst others completely ignore these traditional requirements, placing gyms and work-out rooms in the best space on the ship with a view forward, inaccessible promenade decks (those on the Carnival Destiny class have only one door on each side and have no chairs to sit on) and aluminum and plastic-framed deck chairs on the top decks. Just who thought up the idiotic idea of putting the gym at the forward end of the ship and robbing the best views from the rest of the passengers?

Take a line like Holland America Line, for example, which prides itself on making sure that every one of its ships has a completely walk-around promenade deck and forward-facing lounge, the Crows’ Nest, in which to enjoy the sea’s horizon and vistas of the way ahead.

All three of Cunard Line’s Queens have that forward-facing lounge (RMS Queen Mary 2 actually has a group of them) and all three also have wrap-around promenade decks. Public rooms that recall earlier eras are also an attraction on these ships. All three ships are an improvement on RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 in that the only public forward-facing lounge on that ship had been replaced early on in her career by a galley. Over at sister line P&O Cruises, meanwhile,  Oriana and Aurora are two of the better-looking cruise ships ever built, and also benefit from walk-around promenades and forward-facing Crow’s Nest lounges, as does the more recent Arcadia.

When it comes to good-looking cruise ship classes, probably two of the most attractive classes of ship are the eight original almost identical “R” ships and the eleven “Vista” class ships, which differ in their details so that some are better looking than others.

The “R” ships were built for the now-defunct Renaissance Cruises and are now operated variously by Oceania, Azamara, Princess, P&O and soon Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. This class of eight “smaller” cruise ships, accommodating 684 guests each, was built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, who later built Queen Mary 2.

While their original dark-blue hulls made them rather heavy looking, to-day they all carry white hulls and do have a look a elegance about them, especially at the forward end, where balconies and windows replace what is often a solid blank of white-painted steel at the forward end of a cruise ship superstructure. Their one short-coming is that they do not have wraparound promenade decks, just one to each side of the ship, although they do have forward-facing lounges.

The “Vista” class cruise ships are all products of Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy. They were built to a Panamax design that sees them reach the maximum dimensions allowable in the present Panama Canal (which is now being enlarged). These ships benefit from walk-around promenades and forward-facing lounges.

The best looking of the “Vistas” must be the “three” Queens – Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Arcadia, the latter having actually been intended as the Queen Victoria for Cunard but then transferred to P&O when it was decided to build a slightly longer Queen Victoria instead. A “Vista” class cruise ship in Cunard colours is very striking from almost any angle. And Arcadia in P&O colours is almost as attractive.

Next would come the “Vistas” operated by Costa, two of whose ships, Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea, are actually “Spirit” class Panamax ships built by Aker Yards (now STX Europe) of Finland and have gyms up forward on top instead of lounges. The Marghera-built sisters Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa have been delivered to a hybrid “Spirit/Vista” design and Costa Deliziosa will undertake Costa Cruises’ first world cruise since the days of  Danae and Daphne.

The 99-night cruise departs on December 28 and is being sold either as a full world cruise or in three sectors – 29 nights from Savona to Los Angeles, 38 nights from Los Angeles to Singapore or 31 nights from Singapore to Savona. Costa Deliziosa will thus join three other “Vistas” class ships that offer world cruises, the two Cunard Queens and the Arcadia. What marks out the Costa ships is their yellow and blue “tin can” funnels.

Least handsome of the “Vistas” must be those operated by Holland America, which carry two funnels in line aft, one of which appears to have been mounted backwards. These are the “directional sisters” Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam and Noordam (for south, east, west and north), plus the more recent “Signature” class ships Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam, making up a class of half a dozen ships for Holland America Line. Like all Holland America ships, they all maintain the walk-around promenade decks and forward-facing Crow’s Nest lounges.

The “Spirit” class ships that we mentioned earlier number half a dozen and in addition to the two Costa ships named above, include Carnival Spirit, Pride and Legend, which for some reason took their names from the original trio of Seabourn ships and are probably the best-looking of the Carnival ships, with their whale-tail funnels. A fourth was Carnival Miracle of 2004, which will go south to Australia next year to become Carnival’s first ship to be based year-round outside the United States.

The only problem with these ships is that every single Carnival ship has its gym mounted on top of the ship forward and this concept was also applied to the “Spirit” class ships. Not only that, but this forward positioning of the gym has also passed over to Costa Cruises, whose ships are now all built on Carnival platforms. Even on the world cruiser Costa Deliziosa a Samsara Spa has taken up this prime forward location.

Elsewhere, many are the fans of the ships of Royal Caribbean, whose sterns have traditionally been round and whose bows are more graceful than the run-of-the-mill cruise ships operated by some other lines. Probably the best-looking of the Royal Caribbean ships are the four “Radiance” class Panamax vessels, Radiance of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas, which have been completed to similar dimensions to the “Vistas.” But while some of these ships may have a walk-around promenade, many miss the forward-facing lounge, which seems to have been supplanted by the Viking Crown lounge with a view over the midship decks.

Princess Cruises has been known for having unusual designs, dolphin’s heads, platypus bill bows, bird’s nest funnels and “shopping trolley handles,” as most people like to call the Skywalker bar in the aileron aft on the Grand Princess sisters. Two of their ships, Coral Princess and Island Princess, even have hair curlers in their bird’s nest funnels. But things are starting to change, in some ways anyway.

Grand Princess was modified at Grand Bahama Shipyard this spring with the removal of her shopping trolley handle and the installation of some gracefully tiered decks aft, which had previously been in the shade of the Skywalker bar, which had to be removed because of problems of metal fatigue. And many are saying they like the appearance of the new Royal Princess and Regal Princess, which haven’t yet been built, but also that they like the appearance of the third of this class, the new ship intended for P&O, even more because she has two more traditional funnels.

MSC Cruises, the best present client for STX France at St Nazaire, began with two quite handsome ships with MSC Opera and MSC Lirica, but as its ships got larger they became less attractive. The MSC Poesia class, for example, has too much tophamper forward while the MSC Fantasia class somehow seem to have got around this problem and are slightly better looking ships. The only problem with the latter is that while her forward-facing lounge has not been supplanted by a gym, it is only available to passengers booked in MSC Yacht Club, which is just First Class by another name.

When it comes to the ugly, you can say what you want about shopping trolley handles but there have to be two clear winners here, and unfortunately Norwegian Cruise Line owns them both. Pride of America, started at Pascagoula, Mississippi, and completed in Bremerhaven in 2005, has such a long superstructure that she appears to have almost no bow at all. And last year’s Norwegian Epic, with her blue carbuncle of suites above the bridge, is positively ugly. This is a shame, as NCL had been known for better-looking ships with their first newbuildings.

Designed originally for Star Cruises and built with extra length (and speed) for longer passages over the Pacific, the earlier ships’ length gave them a sleeker and more streamlined appearance. However, the application of so-called “hull art” to every ship in the fleet does somewhat detract from their appearance, at least to some. And more recently, in order to make more money, NCL has been installing balcony cabins in what used to be these ships’ forward-facing lounges.

Will we see better-looking ships? The two new NCL ships ordered from Meyer Werft will be vastly better looking than Norwegian Epic. The new Royal Caribbean ship (or ships) from the same yard, to be called Project Sunshine, will probably be graceful as well. But the larger these ships get the more tiered rows of balconies the ship designers and shipyards have to deal with, often as many as seven storeys at a time. Meyer Weft has never built an ugly ship, but nevertheless, overcoming the problems of size and multiples decks of balconies on the Celebrity Solstice class has been quite an achievement.

Basically, the bigger the ships get the more difficult it seems to be to keep them pretty, case in point the great hulking giants called Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, looking like whales that have eaten too much. Set against these of course we also have some more handsome ships of a more modest scale, viz. Oceania’s new Marina and Seabourn’s latest trio. But even here mistakes can be made. The ten-year-old Silver Whisper, for example, is a much better looking ship than Silver Spirit, which appears to be all heaped up forward with extra gills.

What I have said here is completely subjective of course, and very general, but it makes for an interesting discussion, even if you disagree, and one that people should worry about. It all comes down to choosing your ship wisely so that you will not be disappointed.

Non-Stop Cargo-Passenger Service from New York to Tanger Med

by thecruisepeople

Using the Round-the-World ships of its Pacific Express 3 fleet, CMA CGM The French Line now offers a regular non-stop service from New York to Tanger Med, the state-of-the-art Moroccan ferry port that opened just last year. CMA Blue Whale, CMA CGM Florida, CMA CGM Kingfish and CMA CGM Tarpon, each of 65,890 deadweight tons, can carry six passengers each in three double cabins, as can the CMA CGM Amber, which has now also been added to this service.

The crossing from New York takes ten days and fares from New York are €1,000 per person double, or €1,200 for sole use of a double. The ships are equipped with swimming pool and deck chairs as well as table tennis and a ship’s library.

Once in Tanger Med passengers can avail themselves of regular ferry services by Balearia to Algeciras in Spain, Comarit and Comanav to Sète in France, Grande Nave Veloci to Barcelona and Genoa and Grimaldi Lines to Barcelona and Livorno.

With the present absence of other direct cargo-passenger services to Med ports, this is a super way of travelling to Spain, France or Italy and getting a look at a bit of Morocco on the way. The service can also be boarded at Houston, Mobile, Miami, Jacksonville, Savannah or Charleston but New York is the last American port of call. Fares from other embarkation ports are calculated at €100 per person per day double and €120 per day single.

For further information on this or any other CMA CGM service please call Miri Lopusna at The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk and in North America contact Fred Cherney at 1-800-961-5536 Ext 22 or email fcherney@thecruisepeople.ca

For further details on the various ferry services from Tanger Med please consult aferry.co.uk.

Avalon Waterways to Use Victoria Cruises’ Exec Suites

by : Meagan Drillinger in Travel Agent Central

Following the launch of its Executive Deck programme, Victoria Cruises‘ Executive Suites will be used by Avalon Waterways for its 2012 Yangtze River programmes, exclusively.
Three comprehensive China journeys starting at $3,079 per person and ranging from 11 to 16 days will be offered aboard Victoria Anna and Victoria Jenna. A highlight of each of Avalon Waterways’ China programmes is the Yangtze River Cruise experience, which includes excursions to the "Ghost City" of Fengdu and passage through the Three Gorges.

Avalon Waterways’ 11-day Magical China & Yangtze River program features components in Beijing, Xi’an, Chongqing and Shanghai. The package includes hotel accommodations at Westin properties in Beijing and Shanghai as well as the Shangri-La Golden Flower Hotel in Xi’an, daily American breakfast, eight lunches and dinners, as well as intra-China air transportation and transfers.

For travellers with more time, a 15-day Cultural China & Tibet with Yangtze River Cruise itinerary is available, as well as a 16-day Heart of China & The Yangtze River programme, which includes stops in Guilin and Hong Kong.

Norwegian Epic Featured on Discovery Channel Canada

Image via Wikipedia

Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship Norwegian Epic will be featured on the season premiere of Discovery Channel Canada’s popular show “Mighty Ships.”  For the premiere of its fifth season, “Mighty Ships” will air its Norwegian Epic episode on Wednesday, July 20 at 8 p.m. ET (10 p.m. PT) on Canada’s Discovery Channel. During the programme, viewers will have a chance to look at the new 155,873 gross ton ship, including a look the laundry facility, ballast tanks, galley and the bridge.

LiveJournal Tags: Norwegian Epic,Discovery Channel

Detroit Opens Its New Cruise Terminal To-day

by Kevin Griffin of The Cruise People, Ltd.

 

With the arrival of the 100-passenger Grande Mariner, the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority will open its new Public Dock and Terminal today. Grande Mariner, which is operated by Blount Small Ship Adventures, arrived from Cleveland on Sunday and will sail for Windsor after the ceremony to-day.

This new $22 million facility will be available for use by cruise ships, visiting naval vessels, tall ships and perhaps even by a new ferry service to Windsor, Ontario, across the Detroit River in Canada. The last ferries disappeared with the opening of the present bridge.

Part of a 5&1/2-mile redevelopment of the whole Detroit waterfront, called River Walk, in addition to customs and border patrol facilities for the clearance of incoming cruise ships the 30,000-square foot Public Dock and Terminal will house new offices for the port authority.

Blount has introduced two new itineraries recently, between New York and Toronto and between Toronto and Georgian Bay. Another cruise line newcomer, yet to be announced, is planning six departures and six arrivals from Detroit between June and September of 2012, handling a dozen passenger loads to and from Chicago, Duluth and Quebec City.

Meanwhile, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ 14,903-ton Columbus, a candidate for which the terminal was originally developed, is to become Plantours’ Hamburg in the spring of 2012. The largest ship to cruise the Great Lakes in recent years, she first came into the Great Lakes in 1997. Nevertheless, while she will change operators, it is hoped to attract her back to the Great Lakes under her new name in 2013.

Cunard’s World Cruises in 2013

 The Cruise People, Cunard certified experts

from the London office

Cunard Line will send all its three of its ships on world voyages in 2013.

The 148,528-ton RMS Queen Mary 2 will leave Southampton on January 10 on a 106-night voyage to Australia, which will include overnight stays at Dubai, Hong Kong and Cape Town. The itinerary will include five ports in New Zealand, which will also be sold as a Round New Zealand cruise in Australia and the UK. In all, Queen Mary 2 will call at thirty-four ports in eighteen different countries.

Marking a return to line voyages, the 90,901-ton Queen Elizabeth will sail to and from New Zealand in 2013, leaving Southampton on January 6. She will sail both ways via the Panama Canal and visit twenty-eight ports in fifteen different countries.

The 90.049-ton Queen Victoria will leave Southampton on January 10 on a 105-night cruise that incorporates both the Panama and Suez Canals. She will call at thirty-four ports in twenty-four different countries.

BuzzNet Tags: Queen Mary 2,Queen Elizabeth 2,Queen Victoria

Havana To Get Another Cruise Ship

by Kevin Griffin – The Cruise People, Ltd.

Mark Tré last wrote about Cuba in “The Cruise Examiner” of November 23, 2009, under the heading “Cruising to (and from )Cuba” (www.cybercruises.com/cruisecolumn_nov23.htm). But news coming from Canada last week of a new Havana-based ship leads us to ask when will Cuba really be opened up for cruising?

 

Since the Cuban Revolution, an American ban on its citizens travelling to Cuba and US-based companies trading with Cuba has prevented cruise lines from developing this largest island in the Caribbean as a market. And under the terms of the Torricelli Act and the Helms-Burton Act, no ship of any flag calling on Cuba will be allowed to trade into a US port for a period of six months after making a call in Cuba.

Before the US ban, all the important cruise lines had called regularly on Cuba, mainly at Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The Florida-based Peninsular & Occidental Steamship Company also ran a three-times-a-week service between Miami and Havana, leaving Miami every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with its 4,923-ton Florida. The Monday and Wednesday sailings also accommodated round trip mini-cruisers, who would get a full day (but no lunch on board) in Havana. After the ban, no further ships from the US could call on Cuba and Florida went to the Miami-Nassau trade instead.

 

In September 1962, after the Cuban Revolution, the last ship to leave Havana was the cruise-ferry City of Havana, and for almost a half-century now, only European-based ships or ships sailing from Canada have been able to make calls at Cuban ports, and even then only if they do not intend to call on the US immediately thereafter.

There have been several attempts by European lines to start cruising from Cuba. One of the most serious was by Costa Cruises, who began cruising from Havana with the 8,583-ton Costa Playa, ex- Pearl of Scandinavia, in 1995. But when Carnival Corporation bought a half share in Costa in 1997, along with Airtours of the UK, the Cuban cruises had to be dropped. Carnival, although a Liberian corporation, was based in the US and was thus prohibited from trading with Cuba. Costa Playa was sold in 1998 to owners in China.

Costa had gone further than just basing a ship in Havana though. It also had to dispose of a 50% interest it had acquired in Silares Terminals del Caribe, a joint venture with the Cuban Government that was formed to operate three cruise ship terminals in Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. This interest had to be sold to other interests, but in 2005 the Cuban Government under Fidel Castro, terminated its agreement with Silares after criticism of the cruise shipping industry by the Cuban dictator. Silares had been working with fourteen cruise lines, primarily from the UK, France and Germany.

 

A second Italian attempt to offer cruises from Havana was made by the tourism group Valtur in 1999-2000, using the 15,614-ton Italia Prima, renamed Valtur Prima to cruise from Havana. This ship ended up laid up in Havana in 2001 and then Festival Cruises took her over in 2002 to run Cuba cruises under the name Caribe. For a while, Festival also used its own 47,276-ton Mistral, built in 1999, on a seasonal basis from Havana, with flights provided from Milan, Paris, London, Madrid and Frankfurt. In 2004, however, Festival went under and  Valtur Prima went to Classic International Cruises and now traded in Europe and Australia as Athena.

In 1999, Airtours of the UK also began operating cruises that called on Cuba, with its 37,773-ton Sunbird, the largest cruise ship yet to call on Havana. She set a record for Havana, with 1,414 passengers, in January 2003. Eight years later, in January 2011, Thomson Cruises’ 53,872-ton Thomson Dream caused the latest stir when she became the largest yet to call on Havana, which was scheduled into several of her 2011 cruises. Ironically,  Sunbird is now also a Thomson ship, trading today as the Thomson Destiny.

Spain’s Pullmantur Cruises then began a series of cruises from Havana in late 2004, with its 37,301-ton Holiday Dream, but had to cancel the programme in 2006 after Pullmantur came under the control of the other large US cruise operator, Royal Caribbean Cruises. Every cruise to Cancun, Isla de la Juventud, and Jamaica, another programme that had to be terminated because of American control.  Holiday Dream now trades as Bleu de France and will no doubt return to Havana as Saga Sapphire after she joins Saga Cruises in April 2012.

As part of this particular deal, Pullmantur also had to terminate the employment of all Cuban nationals working on its ships. Cuban chefs, bartenders, stewards and waiters were not eligible to work for a US-controlled company as its government prohibited commercial relations with that country. Two hundred and thirty Cuban employees were let go. About half the Holiday Dream’s passengers had come from Spain, with the rest largely from Latin America, especially Mexico and Brazil. And while in 2005, Cuba had seen 102,440 cruise passengers on 122 calls, this dropped almost 90%, to just 11,000 on 23 calls in 2007, after the forced withdrawal of Pullmantur.

Earlier this year, there was talk of a new cruise-ferry line being formed. To be called United Caribbean Lines, the idea was to put a European car ferry into service between Tampa and Havana, on the original Peninsular & Occidental route. Proposed fares would be $350 round-trip based on double occupancy in a cabin, or $150 in an airline-style seat, with an 18-hour voyage in each direction. With the liberalization of travel arrangements for Cubans, more than 400,000 Cuban-Americans flew to Havana in 2010, and the cruise-ferry idea has been offered as a substitute. As of yet the US Government has issued no permits for such an operation but United Caribbean Lines is examining a start-up cruise-ferry service between Florida and Mexico that could later add calls in Cuba.

A travel license application has also been submitted for the 24,318-ton Explorer, which, under the auspices of the Institute for Shipboard Education, proposes to visit Havana between December 9 and 11 this year in the course of her Autumn 2011 World Cruise from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale via Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean and Panama. If the permit is granted, this will be a first visit to Havana by any US-based passenger ship for almost half a century.

In the meantime, since earlier this year, Tropicana Cruises, a Russian-owned company based in London, has been operating the 4,490-ton Adriana as part of a 13-night holiday itinerary, tying in with Cubana Airlines flights from Gatwick on Wednesdays, and returning from Havana on a Tuesday. The package includes three nights in Havana, a 7-night cruise in  Adriana from Havana and three nights post-cruise at Varadero Beach. Adriana’s weekly cruises leave Havana to visit Nueva Gerona, Trinidad de Cuba, then Montego Bay and Ocho Rios in Jamaica, before returning to Havana by way of two more Cuban ports at Santiago de Cuba and Cayo Saetia.

While no formal announcement has yet been made, the news from Toronto indicates that a Canadian organisation called Cuba Cruise, located the same address as the Merit Travel Group and Exclusive Tours, wholesale cruise specialists, as well as Cruise North Expeditions, a small ship operator, will run a series of fifteen weekly Round Cuba cruises from Havana this winter.

Starting on December 4, the 25,611-ton Louis Cristal, operating as  Cuba Cristal, will offer a series of fifteen weekly cruises from Havana to Cayo Guillermo, Bahia Nipe, Santago de Cuba, Cayo Caguama, Cienfuegos and Isla de la Juventud. Although Louis has started posting shore excursion information to its own web site, it appears that the operation will depend largely on Canadian tourists escaping their northern winter.
The new cruise operator’s site at http://www.yourcubacruise.com, is about to go live with dates and fares and a reservation system for the upcoming winter season, with the final departure of the season set to leave Havana on March 11, 2012.

The story first came to light about six months ago, when the Cuban tourism ministry indicated that it was working to attract a cruise line that will offer round-Cuba cruises for Canadian tourists over the winter of 2011/12. José Manuel Bisbé, commercial director at the Tourism Ministry, didn’t specify the line, but made the statement on the event of the first Montreal-Havana flight of Canadian airline Sunwing. This was the first time Sunwing had offered a city destination to Canadian tourists travelling to Cuba, as opposed to beach destinations such as Manzanillo de Cuba and Varadero. Traditionally, Air Canada has been the only Canadian carrier to serve Havana (as well as three other Cuban airports) while Cubana serves both Montreal and Toronto.

In 2010, Cuba received about 2.5 million tourists a year, with Canada supplying the largest number of these, or 941,000. It is only natural, therefore, that any significant increase in the numbers of cruisers travelling from Cuba might come from there as well, especially in the absence of Americans. Europe and Latin America supply the balance of Cuba’s tourist trade, a very small number of whom arrive by cruise ship from outside Cuba.

While  Tropicana carries about 300 passengers, Cuba Cristal is three or four times as large, with 966 lower berths and 1,278 berths in all. This ship is best known in North America from the five years between 1994 and 1999 when she operated on charter to NCL as its Leeward. This new series of cruises will mean that two cruise ships will now be sailing from Havana, with  Adriana departing on Saturdays and Cuba Cristal on Sundays. Even if just for the winter season, this is truly an important development.

But while two ships sailing from Havana will be a great advance for that port, it will not be until the Americans lift their total ban that real numbers will come, and then they will easily number between one and two million a year, but at first as cruise ship calls rather than embarkations. There is berthing space for five or six cruise ships in Havana, and many British, French, German and Norwegian ships have also called on Cuban ports, but the real expansion will come with the American return, which cannot now be that far off.

LiveJournal Tags: Cuba Cristal,Tropicana,Leeward,Florida,Adriana