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Monday, February 18, 2013

German Operator AIDA Cruises to Name New Ship - AIDAstella in Rostock-Warnemunde

AidaCruises' New Aidastella to be Christened in Rostock - Warnemunde

AIDAstella, the 10th member of AIDA Cruises fleet, will be christened in Rostock-Warnemünde on March 16, 2013. On the evening of the christening, however, Captain Nico Berg (38) will lead not one, but as many as 10 godmothers onto the stage for the ceremony. The company has invited its personnel and closest associates to be the guests of honor at the christening celebration.

The christening party on board AIDAstella will fully reflect the commitment of the companys staff. "Holding this fantastic event right on our doorstep gives us the opportunity to say a big 'thank you' to all AIDA personnel and their families", explains Michael Ungerer, President of AIDA Cruises. "Since our first new ship, AIDAcara, was commissioned in summer 1996, it has been our staff that have successfully built up the company with their enthusiasm, commitment and the proverbial AIDA smile."

The choice of the godmother is also a first, with AIDAstella being named by not one, but ten delightful ladies! Eight female staff from AIDA Cruises will represent the different countries and corporate divisions of the cruise company, and two godmothers come from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg und the architects Partner Ship Design respectively. With this gesture, AIDA Cruises would like to extend its thanks to the two companies that have made such a substantial contribution to the success of this new range of ships and the unique atmosphere of the AIDA ships.

There will also be lots on offer for the residents of Rostock, holidaymakers and AIDA fans on the day of the christening, with Karls Pier 7 organizing an extensive program for the opening of the season at the Warnemünde Cruise Center. Music, presenters and delicious delicacies will get visitors in the mood for the exciting event of the christening. On shore, all the guests will be able to follow the most emotional moment of the evening on 2 large LED screens when the 10 godmothers break the bottle of champagne over the bow of the ship. AIDAstella will then be lit up in the starlight atmosphere of a fabulous firework display.

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Thursday, February 14, 2013

First Steel Cutting for Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas


First Steel Cutting For Royal Caribbean's First Sunshine Class Ship the Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean International took a major step this week in the development of the cruise line’s next generation of cruise ships when the first piece of steel was cut for the first of two Project Sunshine ships. The steel cutting took place at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, where the two ships will be built.

            To celebrate the milestone, Royal Caribbean announced the names of the two new ships – Quantum of the Seas, set to debut in fall 2014, and Anthem of the Seas, which will follow in spring 2015. They will be part of the Quantum class of ships and will build upon Royal Caribbean’s legacy of revolutionary ship design and bold innovation.

            “We are extremely excited to celebrate this important milestone for our first Project Sunshine ship. After three years of design and advance planning this is the first step of the construction of the ship and I look forward to seeing it all come together in the coming months,” said Adam Goldstein, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “The new ship will be such a leap forward in terms of vessel design and guest experiences that we thought the name Quantum of the Seas was perfectly appropriate.”

            Royal Caribbean International’s legacy is built on introducing ‘at sea firsts’ such as rock-climbing walls, ice-skating rinks, surf simulators, zip lines and even a tropical park with over 12,000 live plants. The Quantum class of ships will continue to build on this legacy with unprecedented experiences and amenities. They will once again deliver on Royal Caribbean’s tradition of designing for ‘WOW’.

            “Throughout our history we have made huge strides in cruise ship design and innovation and the Quantum class will be no exception,” said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. “We look forward to introducing consumers to Quantum cruising."

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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Celebrity Cruises New Celebrity Reflection Exterior Glass Shower

Celebrity Cruises' New Celebrity Reflection Suite Features Exterior All Glass Shower.

Celebrity Cruises' fifth and final Solstice Class ship the Celebrity Reflection, is now sailing weekly Caribbean sailings from Miami. The 126,000 ton ship has a few new tweaks and additions.

Perhaps the newest addition getting the most attention is the 1,636-square-foot Reflection Suite, and it's all glass shower. You may say so what about a shower? - but the shower is all glass, which extends off the side of the ship. The shower glass, with the flick of a switch, can be changed from transparent to translucent so you can see out but others cannot see in. In addition, there is an automatic sensor setting which will automatically fog-up the glass if you should forget to click the switch.

High up above the ship, even those without a fear of heights may get a little woozie.

The Celebrity Reflection carries 3,030 passengers and offers an upscale experience.

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Friday, January 25, 2013

Royal Caribbean Reserving Names.

Media Sources state the Royal Caribbean has trademarked a number of names that could potentially be assigned to their two Project Sunshine Class ships and/or their new Oasis Class ship(s) currently under contract/construction.

The following names have been trademarked - Anthem of the Seas, Passion of the Seas, Vantage of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Pulse of the Seas.

The necessary paperwork was filed by Royal Caribbean on November 2, 2012.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Princess Cruises Adds 2 Short Cruises For The New Royal Princess

Royal Princess Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises has announced two preview cruises aboard Royal Princess, giving passengers a unique opportunity to get a taste of the new ship before its official inaugural voyage. The June 9 and June 14 cruises will sail roundtrip from Southampton on a two-night itinerary featuring a call in St. Peter Port, on the island of Guernsey.

Passengers on the short sailings will be able to sample Royal Princess’ many ground-breaking features, including the dramatic over-water SeaWalk, Princess Live! television studio, and plush new poolside cabanas before the ship’s inaugural sailing on June 16, 2013.

Both voyages will go on sale on January 29, with limited availability. Per person cruise fares start at $530 for an obstructed-view balcony stateroom.

The 3,600-passenger Royal Princess is a new-generation ship for Princess Cruises. Among the special features found on board will be a greatly expanded atrium, the social hub of the ship; a dramatic over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending more than 28 feet beyond the edge of the vessel; plush private poolside cabanas that appear to be floating on the water; the new Princess Live! television studio; a pastry shop; a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, a private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light; and balconies on all outside staterooms.

The ship’s 2013 maiden season will include cruises on the line’s signature Grand Mediterranean itinerary throughout the summer, followed by Eastern Caribbean cruises beginning in the fall.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Interesting Fact on the Lastest Royal Caribbean Oasis Order.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class Ship Ordered From STX France

As reported here earlier, Royal Caribbean has ordered a 3rd Oasis class vessel for delivery in 2016 and an option for 4th ship in 2017.

Intestesting enough, the first 2 Royal Caribbean Oasis Class ship were ordered from STX Europe's Finland Yard. The lastest one has been ordered from STX Europe's French Yard. The same yard that built French Line's France, Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and countless MSC Cruises ships.

It is reported that the Finnish Government did not come up with an attractive financing offer as their French counterparts. Sources close to the deal, say that the French Government financing assured Royal Caribbean that the pricing of the new ship(s) would be close to the price of the same they paid for the original 2 ships in 2009. The cost is estimated at 1.25 Billion dollars.

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Saturday, January 12, 2013

Carnival Corporation Orders New Ships For Holland America and Carnival Cruises

This event happened in October but was not featured here.

Carnival Corporation has announced that it has reached an agreement for the construction of two new cruise ships – a 99,000-ton ship for its Holland America Line brand and a 135,000-ton vessel for its Carnival Cruise Lines brand.

A memorandum of agreement has been signed with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of a 2,660-passenger ship for Holland America Line scheduled for delivery in fall 2015 and a 4,000-passenger ship for Carnival Cruise Lines scheduled for delivery in winter 2016. The total cost for the two vessels combined, which includes the U.S. dollar denominated contract price and all owner's costs, will be approximately $195,000 per lower berth. The memorandum of agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including execution of shipbuilding contracts and financing.

The Holland America ship, which will be a new class of vessel for the line, will enter service five years after the last Holland America ship, the ms Nieuw Amsterdam, delivered in 2010. The Carnival Cruise Lines vessel, also a new class of ship, will be launched four years after the introduction of Carnival Breeze, which debuted in spring 2012. The timing of capacity additions for these brands is similar to the five year span between upcoming new ship introductions for both Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises (UK), as previously announced.

"Today's order continues the company's strategy of introducing two to three ships per year across the corporation's 10 brands. We have strategically timed the introduction of these new ships to allow ample time for those brands to further grow their passenger base and absorb the new capacity while minimizing revenue yield dilution in the remainder of their existing fleets," said Micky Arison , chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

Including the newbuilds announced today, Carnival Corporation & plc currently has nine new ships scheduled for delivery – two for 2013, two for 2014, three for 2015 and two for 2016. Arison also noted that the addition of new tonnage is expected, to some extent, to replace existing capacity reductions from possible sales of older ships.

The memorandum of agreement with Fincantieri continues the company's longstanding and successful relationship with the Italian shipbuilder, which dates back more than 20 years.

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Friday, January 4, 2013

New Ships For 2013

AIDAStellar Under Construction at Meyer Werft Shipyard, Germany

Although the construction of new cruise ships has slowed - there are a number of new ship expected to be introduced in 2013.

Below is a brief listing of the ship expected to be introduced in 2013.

Company - Ship Name - Delivery - Builders

MSC Cruises - MSC Preziosa - March 2013 - STX Europe
AIDA Cruises - AIDAStella - March 2013 - Meyer Werft
Carnival Cruises - Carnival Sunshine - April 2013 (Major Refit Carnival Destiny). Fincantieri
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises - Europa 2 - May 2013 - STX Europe
Norwegian Cruise Line - Norwegian Breakaway - May 2013 - Meyer Werft
Princess Cruises - Royal Princess - June 2013 - Fincantieri
Compagnie du Ponant - Le Soleal - July 2013 -Fincantieri

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Norwegian Cruise Line Orders Norwegian Breakaway Plus

Norwegian Cruise Lines' New Norwegian Breakaway Plus From Meyer Werft

Norwegian Cruise Line today announced plans for yet another new ship — with an option for a second.

The Miami-based company says it has reached an agreement with Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard to build a 4,200-passenger vessel for delivery in October 2015, and it also has an option for a second new ship for delivery in spring 2017.

At 163,000 tons, the new ship will be about 10% larger than Norwegian's soon-to-debut Norwegian Breakaway and sister ship Norwegian Getaway, which also are under construction at a Meyer Werft shipyard.

Norwegian says the ship announced today, as yet unnamed, will incorporate many of the features that have been developed for Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. It'll be built under the project name "Breakaway Plus."

She will be designed to meet the new low-sulfur fuel emissions rules that take effect in 2015.

The new ship will cost approximately 700 million euros.

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