Rumour has it that Oasis will call in Southampton on Monday November 2nd. This call is being labelled as a ‘technical stop.’
So she will departs the Turku ship yard, in Finland, stop at the UK for a few hours and then cross the pond to Fort Lauderdale.
(Photographer unknown)
Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that some cabins on its much-ballyhooed next ship, the Norwegian Epic, will have a “love setting” for lighting that bathes the room in a red glow.
Studio Cabin in Blue Glow mode!
The specialized lighting option will be available in Epic’s studio cabins: a cluster of 128 interior rooms built around a communal, two-story living area.
The love setting is one of four mood-enhancing lighting options planned for the cabins. The others: blue for calm, white and a rainbow setting. The specialized settings will be controled from a panel on cabin walls.
The studio cabin concept is one of several innovations planned for the massive, 153,000-ton ship, which debuts in June. Aimed at a budget crowd, the cabins are just 100 square feet but boast an ultra-modern design and large, round windows that look out onto the corridor. The exclusive, key card-accessed communal area, called the Living Room, is designed as a place to unwind with lounge seating, a bar, two large TV screens and a dedicated concierge.
(USA Today)
Malcolm says: Red lights? Windows? Sounds like Amsterdam!
Norwegian Cruise Line today named the two seasoned captains who will serve on Norwegian Epic, the company’s largest and most innovative Freestyle Cruising ship to date.
Captain Trygve Vorren
In a live interactive online event, Norwegian also introduced the ship’s two hotel directors who will be responsible for all guest areas. The Norwegian Epic will enter service next June under the command of Captain Trygve Vorren, a 29-year seafaring veteran who is currently captain of Norwegian Jade, and Captain Hakan Svedung, at sea for 35 years and currently captain of Norwegian Dawn. Vorren, a native of Norway, joined Norwegian in 1980 as first officer on the SS Norway, then the world’s largest cruise ship. He has also served aboard Skyward, Southward, Sunward II, Dreamward, Leeward, Starward, Royal Odyssey, Norwegian Sea, Norwegian Crown, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Majesty. Svedung, who lives in Sweden, has served on Norwegian Dawn since 2006; prior to that he worked for Star Cruises, one of Norwegian’s shareholders, for 12 years. Both captains are looking forward to this exciting and challenging new role.
Klaus Lugmaier and Sean Wurmhoeringer will serve as Norwegian Epic’s hotel directors. Lugmaier, currently director of shipboard operations at the company’s Miami headquarters, began his career at Norwegian 21 years ago aboard Seaward and held a variety of positions before becoming one of the youngest hotel directors in the cruise industry at the age of 26. As hotel director, he has launched seven of the company’s new ships, including Leeward, Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem. He was also part of the team that launched Norwegian Dream and Norwegian Wind. Wurmhoeringer, with Norwegian since 2002, is currently serving as hotel director on Norwegian Spirit and has also served on Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky.
”We carefully chose these seasoned veterans to lead the on board team that will launch the most important project in the company’s history,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “We are confident that they have the expertise, dedication and passion to make Norwegian Epic’s launch and inaugural season extremely successful.”
(NCL)
Malcolm says: I don’t doubt that Epic’s hardware will be good, but I do wonder about the software (crew: quality of food and service etc.) NCL get some very inconsistent reviews (when compared to Royal Caribbean, for example) especially from Brits. Let’s hope that the experience officers above can make it happen. IF Epic’s initial reviews are poor, this mega ship could quickly sink like a stone in the middle of a recession. However, I do wish NCL susess as I like the way they think ‘outside the box’ .
A two-night inaugural cruise for the travel trade by Norwegian Cruise Line’s new ship Norwegian Epic is to run from Southampton next summer. The line’s largest vessel, which is currently being built, will visit the UK next June en route to the US where it will be christened in New York on July 2.
Norwegian Epic, which will offer 20 different dining options and multiple nightlife venues, will sail on June 19 to Rotterdam and will run an overnight cruise from the Dutch port back to Southampton on June 21. The ship will then depart on its transatlantic crossing to New York on June 24.
Following the christening celebrations in the Big Apple, Norwegian Epic will move to its home port of Miami prior to the start of regular seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises on July 10, 2010.
(Travelmole)
Malcolm says: Best make friends with a Travel Agent!
P&O Cruises can confirm that it has signed contracts for the sale of its 45,000 ton ship Artemis to Artania Shipping, for an undisclosed sum. The sale will be completed on October 6, 2009 but P&O Cruises will continue to operate Artemis and her series of cruises as published until April 12, 2011.
Formerly the 'Royal Princess'
Malcolm Says: Originally ’Royal Princess’, a Princess vessel which entered service in 1984. She joined the P&O fleet in 2005. Of course she was never designed with Brits in mind. At round 45,000 gt and approx. 1,200 pax, she was the smallest P&O ship. P&O are obviously thinking big these days and leaving Saga and Olsen to mop up the ‘intimate ship’ fans.
Two classic vessels at Dover (Black Watch and Princess Anne)
The Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ ship Black Watch will enter dry-dock in early December 2009 for an extensive programme of refurbishment. The work, to be carried out at the Blohm + Voss GmbH shipyard in Hamburg, is scheduled to start on 2nd December as Black Watch returns from a Canary Islands cruise. She will resume service on 14th December, with a five day European Christmas Markets mini cruise, departing from Southampton.
The work will include a major refurbishment of the ship’s public areas, including a new casual dining area, which will be created in the space where the Braemar Lounge and Garden Café are currently situated – midships on Deck 6, Lounge Deck. The transformed area will become the Braemar Garden, a casual dining area with seating for over 120 persons, and replaces the Garden Café which currently seats only 80. One section of this newly created dining area will be screened off, creating a 40-seat room that can be used for private dining. This new area will be completely refitted with new soft furnishings, a new bar, and buffet. Other areas of the ship will also have new soft furnishings as part of this programme, including the Neptune Lounge, Piper’s Bar, Glentanar Restaurant (one of the main formal dining areas), and the Observatory Lounge. In addition, many bathrooms will also be refitted.
The design of the new areas will be carried out by Space, which has previously worked on all the ships in the Fred. Olsen fleet.
Nigel Lingard, Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “This is a major refurbishment for the very elegant Black Watch, and will improve and enhance the facilities on board. The new casual dining area will be fresher and more contemporary, and will offer a more spacious option for those choosing this dining option.”
On the technical side, Black Watch will also have her last three open lifeboats replaced by two covered boats, which will be supplied by Fassmer Davit International.
Malcolm Says:The Black Watch is a charming vessel and a perfect size for an intimate and friendly cruise. BW was looking a little dated internally, compared to her sister, Boudicca, which had a more recent refit to Olsenize her. So great news for ‘real ship’ fans!
A major US cruise line is considering an overhaul of its on board tipping arrangements due to the reluctance of British passengers to pay gratuities to staff.
Independence of the Seas, Southampton Aug 09
Royal Caribbean International vice president and UK managing director Robin Shaw disclosed that the payment of gratuities to renumerate cruise ship employees had become a “significant issue”.
Speaking at the first Cruise Forum as part of the ABTA Travel Convention in Barcelona, Shaw said the company was experiencing a “huge cultural difference” between US passengers who are used to tipping for service and those from the UK who are not. He admitted that cruise ship staff received far less tips when British passengers are on board.
This comes at a time when the company is committing one of its largest ships, Independence of the Seas, to year-round ex-UK sailings from the end of next year and introducing the first summer season of Celebrity Cruises’ departures from Southampton on new ship Celebrity Eclipse in 2010.
Addressing the issue of paying gratuities – seen by UK consumers as a negative to taking a cruise – Shaw said: “We are evaluating what our options can be in the UK. This is certainly a challenge for us and one we have to address.”
His comments came as part of a wider discussion on add-ons cruise companies charge on top of the holiday price for items such as speciality restaurant meals and other extras.
Shaw said it was almost impossible to cost everything into the up front price, but it was a “commercial reality” that on board revenue was a key component for cruise lines to recover their return on investment .
Journalist Jane Archer, cruise writer for the Daily Telegraph, had pinpointed gratuities and on board add-ons as among the “turn-offs” for cruise passengers, saying that there was a perception that people were paying for more things as lines added optional extras to new ships.
She described cruise line tipping polices as “antiquated” and something that can lead to resentment and upset amongst travellers.
by Phil Davies (Travelmole)
Malcolm Says: About time! Thomson manage to make a no-tipping policy work very well indeed.
Carnival Corporation’s president and CEO Micky Arison confirmed today that he had no intention of building a bigger ship than rival Royal Caribbean’s 5,400 passenger, 225,282-ton Oasis of the Seas.
(Micky Arison - Photo Forbes)
In an interview with BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine at The Travel Convention in Barcelona — a gathering of 1,000 of the U.K.’s most senior travel industry executives — Arison was asked if he had “ship envy” over Oasis of the Seas. The Carnival boss replied: “Queen Mary 2 (150,000 tons) is probably the biggest ship we will ever build. Carnival Dream at 130,000 tons is probably as large as we will build for Carnival. We built a ship of 116,000 tons (Ventura) for P&O Cruises and I have no intention of going bigger. I think at these sizes, we can deliver the right level of service and value.”
Arison also hinted that the biggest mega-ships were too restricted in terms of where they could sail. “We try to build within a size that will give us the most flexibility,” he said. “We like to be able to access ports like Venice and to fit under certain bridges.”
Vine also pushed Arison on the issue of discounting, suggesting that a brawl on P&O’s Ventura last Christmas, much publicised in the U.K. media at the time, was the result of lowering prices to an extent that P&O was attracting “people who shouldn’t be on ships at all.”
But Arison was resolute that his policy of filling ships at any price was not related to the incident. “Each brand makes its own pricing decisions,” he said. “They do what they have to do. Whether someone starts a fight is not an issue of what they earn; it’s more to do with how much beer they’ve consumed and what their personal circumstances are.”
(Courtesy of Cruisecrittic)
The ship above was a ‘big ship’ concept Fincantieri was trying to sell Carnival. Now where have I seen that stern before? (Look at the image below!)
If you doubt me, just remember that Carnival spent at least a few years researching and designing the ‘Pinnacle Project’. I believe this was to be a mega-ship near in size to Oasis. The press later reported that the project was put on the ‘back burner’ because of “its prohibitively high price, due to the dollar/Euro exchange rate”. NOT because of the size of bridges or ports. If Oasis is a big hit, Carnival will want a slice of that pie too – trust me!
(From her sea trials: Photograper unknown)
A wonderful image. You can see the ‘Carousel’ below the and the ‘Aqua Theatere’ at the stern.
I have written a ‘textual’ tour of Norwegian Epic (Menu right) using deck plans, press releases and artists renderings.
Join me on a tour of this amazing ship, before it has even entered service.
