Saturday 6th Sep 2008
Today's opening times:
9.00am to 5.00pm
Cruise News - July 2008
Carnival Extends Flexible Dining Trials. (16-JULY-2008)
Carnival Cruise Lines, one of the last holdouts for the traditional dining system last May decided to test out flexible dining by offering the option on a trial basis aboard just one ship.
Proving so popular with guests, Carnival has already announced it will implement a flexible dining option on a second ship: Carnival Liberty, giving passengers the option to forego assigned tables and preset dining times and chow down onboard when and with whom they want.
Passengers who select flexible dining on either ship may arrive in the designated seating area during scheduled dinner hours and request a table. The average wait for a table is under 10 minutes. Cruisers who go for flexible dining may also make a reservation. Once the flexible dining program is selected, it is in effect for the duration of the cruise and cannot be changed.
So will Carnival implement flexible dining fleetwide? Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen says "Carnival is still testing out the program and no final, far-reaching decisions have been made as of yet, but we'll keep you posted".
Flexible dining, which exists in some form on lines including Royal Caribbean, NCL, Holland America and Princess, is a controversial topic among cruisers. Some suggest that diners who select flexible dining options sacrifice service for a system that isn't all that "flexible", after all, you often have to wait for a table and you must arrive within a pre-set time frame. Others welcome the chance to avoid adhering to a rigid schedule or mingling with strange tablemates.
Mylene Klass to christen Carnival Splendor. (13-JUNE-2008)
Myleene Klass will christen the largest passenger ship to sail from Dover.
The former Hear’Say singer turned classical musician and TV presenter will name the Carnival Splendor at Dover Cruise Port on July 10.
Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise president and chief executive, said: “Myleene is the perfect Godmother to name Splendor, with her many talents complementing the many features on the ship.”
At 113,000 tonnes and carrying up to 4,914 passengers, the Splendor will be the largest passenger ship ever to sail from Dover.
A bottle of Nyetimber English Sparkling Wine is being used to christen the ship, as opposed to the traditional champagne. It will then set sail for a three-day preview cruise to Amsterdam before returning to Dover on July 13. It will then immediately embark on its main inaugural voyage – a 12-day Baltic cruise.
Fred. Olsen Extend Ship. (06-JUNE-2008)
Work on extending Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ ship Braemar to create space for 250 more passengers is taking place at a German ship yard.
A 31.2 metre mid section is being inserted, increasing the total passenger capacity from 727 to 977. Work to cut the vessel in half is completed and the new section has been moved into place and is being connected.
Much of the additional accommodation will include balconies, bringing the total number of cabins and suites with this facility to 70, including the Owner’s Suite. Deck 8 of the ship will see the biggest addition to passenger facilities with a new Observatory Lounge, Grampian Restaurant, and pool area with two pools and a children’s pool.
Cruise News - May 2008
Celebrity Solstice to have @Lawn Club'. (30-MAY-2008)
All matches in the Euro 2008 football tournament this summer are to be screened live across the Costa Cruises fleet.
Games will be shown on 12 ships in the Italian line’s fleet from the European Championships being staged in Austria and Switzerland on June 7-29.
The line’s two flagships - 3,780-passenger Costa Serena and Costa Concordia – will broadcast games on big 18m² screens on the central lido decks.
The area will be turned into an exclusive ‘arena’ with seating capacity for thousands.
Fans will also be able to see all of the tournament on the plasma screens in the ‘Bar Sport’, which is a feature of both ships.
Costa ships to screen all Euro 2008 matches. (20-MAY-2008)
All matches in the Euro 2008 football tournament this summer are to be screened live across the Costa Cruises fleet.
Games will be shown on 12 ships in the Italian line’s fleet from the European Championships being staged in Austria and Switzerland on June 7-29.
The line’s two flagships - 3,780-passenger Costa Serena and Costa Concordia – will broadcast games on big 18m² screens on the central lido decks.
The area will be turned into an exclusive ‘arena’ with seating capacity for thousands.
Fans will also be able to see all of the tournament on the plasma screens in the ‘Bar Sport’, which is a feature of both ships.
Celebrity Schedules First Antarctica Cruises (15-MAY-2008)
The mean summer temperature is below zero and there's nary a diamond store in sight, yet Antarctica is a cruise destination growing in popularity. Case in point: Celebrity has just announced its first ever cruises to the White Continent, scheduled for early 2010.
Next year marks Celebrity's 10th season in South America, and in honor of that milestone, the cruise line is branching out with two new 14-night Antarctica cruises on January 31 and February 14, 2010. Celebrity Infinity will depart Buenos Aires for Antarctica, visiting Port Stanley, Falkland Islands; Ushuaia and Puerto Madryn, Argentina; and Montevideo, Uruguay, along the way.
New Wave Staterooms (09-MAY-2008)
Norwegian Cruise Line claimed its new F3 ships are a revolution in cruising.
The line unveiled mock-up of the new-look staterooms in advance of the keel-laying ceremony at the Aker Yards shipyard in northern France.
NCL president and chief executive Colin Veitch declared that the line had torn up the 40-year template governing the design of cruise ships to start afresh.
“We have taken everything about cruise ship design and thrown it over the side and started again,” he said.
The first glimpse of the “New Wave Staterooms” for the F3 ships shows a dramatic new approach with the current box-style layout replaced with curved lines, higher ceilings and – most radically – no bathroom.
This has been replaced with a shower cubicle and a separate toilet cubicle, while the wash basin is set in a vanity unit within the main cabin.
NCL chiefs claimed getting rid of the internal “box bathrooms” has given them added flexibility to come up with a more adventurous and spacious design.
Veitch said NCL had taken its inspiration from hotels that have introduced increasingly contemporary rooms with more open-plan bathrooms.
Cruise News - March / April 2008
Mega Ship Park Life (24-APR-2008)
A cruise ship with a park the length of a US football field is being developed by Royal Caribbean International.
The US line today unveiled Central Park as the first new feature on its 5,400-passenger Project Genesis ship due to enter service by the end of 2009. With 16 decks, the ship will sail from its home port in Fort Lauderdale in Florida and be joined in 2010 by a sister vessel.
The new concept is the first of seven ‘neighbourhoods’ to be unveiled on the giant vessel.The area will be lined with balcony cabins rising six decks high with views of the park below rather than having a sea view. Two arched-glass domes called Crystal Canopies, one with a bar, will be a focal point and provide sunlight into the ship’s inner public spaces.
Dame Helen Mirren names Ventura (17-APR-2008)
Dame Helen Mirren last night named P&O's latest Liner "Ventura", the largest cruise ship designed for the British market. Ably assisted by a crack team of Royal Marines, champagne bottles were well and truly smashed against the ship's hull.
The 3,600-passenger P&O Cruises vessel will host 1,500 guests for the naming ceremony in Southampton.
Dame Helen signaled for the Marine Commandos to absail off the bridge of the £300 million ship to smash champagne against the side.
Celebrities and industry guests were among those invited to the official naming followed by dinner on board.
Ventura, which has been in port for two weeks of trade and consumer showcase events, will sail on its maiden voyage to the Mediterranean on Friday.
Queen Victoria to be based in UK (11-APR-2008)
Demand for ex-UK cruising has persuaded Cunard to operate its newest ship Queen Victoria from Southampton for a full season next year.
The ship has this year operated ex-UK sailings and Mediterranean fly-cruises. But Cunard president Carol Marlow has decided to base the ship in Southampton for the whole of its second season.
With the QE2 retiring from the fleet at the end of this year, Queen Victoria will take over its ex-UK cruises to the Mediterranean, fjords, Atlantic Isles and the Baltic.
Cunard will base a ship in the Mediterranean again when new-build Queen Elizabeth joins the fleet in 2010
Ventura Ready for Service (04-APR-2008)
P&O Cruises’s Ventura has been officially handed over to the line and is making its way to Southampton ahead of its official naming ceremony.
Construction of the 3,000-passenger ship, the largest ever built for the UK market, at the Fincaniteri shipyard in Monfalcone near Venice in Italy has been completed. Speaking at the handover ceremony, P&O Cruises managing director, Nigel Esdale, said: “This is a very exciting day for us as we prepare to cast the ropes aside and head for home. "Ventura’s maiden season is almost upon us and this ceremony is the culmination of many months of hard work, creativity and innovation.
“Ventura marks a new era in contemporary British cruising and great attention to detail has been spent designing each and every bar, restaurant and cabin."
Celebrity to base five ships in Europe (27-MAR-2008)
Sailings from Southampton and Harwich feature as part of an expanded 2009 European cruise programme by Celebrity Cruises. Five ships, including the yet to be delivered Celebrity Equinox and Solstice, will be deployed from six homeports next summer.
Departures from Harwich and Southampton, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Rome and Venice are scheduled.
Celebrity Equinox to make debut in Southampton (21-MAR-2008)
The second of Celebrity Cruises' new generation ships, Celebrity Equinox, is to make its maiden voyage from Southampton next year.
The vessel will enter service on August 8, 2009, with a 10-night voyage from Southampton to Rome. The ship will then run a series of six 13- and 14-night Eastern Mediterranean itineraries taking in Haifa and Ashdod in Israel as new ports of call. Solstice-class Celebrity Equinox will then transfer to Fort Lauderdale in Florida to sail a winter season of aternating 11- and 10-night Caribbean cruises.
New MSC ship to get royal send-off (19-MAR-2008)
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are to attend the naming of MSC Cruises new ship MSC Poesia.
They will be among dignitaries invited to the launch in Dover in April 5 along with the 2,550-passenger ship’s godmother, actress Sophia Loren. MSC Poesia is the ninth ship in the Italian line’s fleet and will be a sister vessel to MSC Orchestra and MSC Musica.
CEO Pierfrancesco Vago said: “MSC Poesia is the first of our new builds to be christened abroad.” “Dover was chosen as a venue for her christening to highlight the importance of the English market for the cruising industry. “The steady growth of the UK market has urged us to invest significantly and strengthen our brand on this market. More and more British people will come to Italy to experience a truly Italian cruise.
“The christening event will be spectacular thanks to the presence of the timeless Italian actress, Sophia Loren and the talented Maestro Andrea Bocelli and now, the presence of their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.”
Popularity of cruising confirmed (11-MAR-2008)
The number of British people taking cruises last year rose by 11% to 1.3 million and is due to go up to 1.5 million in 2008, official figures have confirmed.
The latest statistics from the Passsenger Shipping Association reveal that the number of Brits cruising today is double that of a decade ago with accelerated growth predicted over the next couple of years.
Those choosing to sail from a UK port grew by 2% to 460,000, while the biggest growth was in the fly-cruise market, up by 17% from 2006 to 879,000.
The Mediterranean retained its position as the number one choice for UK cruise passengers with a 21% increase on visitors to the region.
The Caribbean also remains a popular choice with a 6% increase and 17% share of the cruising market.
The Far East and Australia also showed a 51% increase.
PSA director Bill Gibbons, speaking at the Seatrade convention in Miami, said this year is poised to be even better with the launch of 12 new or refurbished ships.
“The launch of Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas and Ocean Village 2 along with increased capacity from Princess Cruises has resulted in an increase in passenger figures in 2007,” he said.
“We can expect this trend to continue in 2008 with a huge increase in cruising capacity in the UK from news ships including Fred Olsen’s Balmoral, P&O’s Ventura, Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas, Cunard’s Queen Victoria, NCL’s Norwegian Jade, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Splendor and MSC’s Armonia.
“This is in addition to Swan Hellenic reintroducing its brand to the UK market and Transocean increasing their capacity with cruises from Tilbury with Marco Polo.
“With the number of new and refurbished ships specifically aimed at the UK market we can expect to see an increase to 1.5 million British passengers in 2008.”
P&O Cruises Welcomes Extra Special Guest... (06-MAR-2008)
Children onboard P&O’s child friendly ships will have an extra special guest onboard.
None other than Mr. Bump is to take to the seas along with Noddy this summer. While Noddy will be joining the two to four year olds, the four to seven year olds will have the chance to meet the one and only Mr. Bump from the timeless classic, The Mr. Men Show, which is making a come back on Channel 5 this month.
The already popular on board children’s clubs on the P&O Cruises family friendly ships Aurora, Oceana, Oriana and Ventura, have been given a new identity and one unified brand across all ships. Around an ocean theme ‘The Reef’ will be the friendly and familiar base for all children and teenagers for the duration of their P&O Cruises holiday. Those aged 2 to 4 years old will be able to enjoy fun and games whilst being known as ‘Splashers’, 5 to 8 year olds will be playing around as ‘Scubas’, 9 to 12 year olds will be able to act out their radical side as ‘Surfers’ and uber-cool 13 to 17 year olds will enjoy the sophistication and independence of being part of H2O.
P&O Cruises head of brand marketing, Philip Price said, “Younger passengers have always been eager to join in all the fun that clubs have to offer but this will be even more evident now that they have their own dedicated group names and some well known faces to join them. Mr. Bump and Noddy will be on board playing games and joining families for breakfast.
“We know that our mini cruisers will be delighted with their new clubs and we are sure that they will look forward to progressing through the groups as they return to our ships on their next holiday.“
Children and teenagers will be able to experience distinctive new identities as soon as Ventura sets off on her maiden cruise and if travelling on board any of P&O Cruises family friendly ships they will be able to take on their new personas from July.
Noddy will be on board Ventura from April and will join the other family friendly ships, along with Mr. Bump, in July.
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