November 6th, 2009 – Richard Fain’s Blog: (RCI CEO & Chairman)

OASIS continues to make her way across the Atlantic but the weather has been anything but cooperative. In fact, far from diminishing, the storm has gotten worse and they are now facing significant wave heights of up to 35 feet. Some peak waves exceed 60 feet.  Nature is certainly impressive.

Captain Bill chose to take the southerly route to Ft. Lauderdale. However, it turns out that when you start in Finland, even the “Southerly Route” requires you to spend time in the North Atlantic. He is constantly adjusting his course and speed to accommodate what will probably be the only time in OASIS’s life that it will face such a storm.

Notwithstanding the weather, the entertainment department continues to prepare.

•The ice skaters are rehearsing in Studio B and that appears to be going very well.

•In the main theatre, they are putting up all the staging and scenery, etc. Unfortunately, this prevents the performers from rehearsing on the stage and it looks like the cast won’t even get access until early next week. In the meantime, they are rehearsing in other areas onboard.

•For some reason or another, the divers are reluctant to rehearse in the AquaTheatre with 70 mph relative winds. Apparently, massive waves, heavy rain and 70 mph winds have put a damper on their activities.

(RCI)

(ship spotting.com)

(ship spotting.com)

(Images from ship spotting.com)

Richard D Fain’s blog  (Chairman & CEO of RCI):

(RCI Image)

The ship is underway and has been making good progress. Here in Miami, it feels a little bit like the calm before the storm. All the plans have been finalized, the ship has been completed, and the implementation/training/rehearsals are under way. After so long, it’s a little hard to sit back and just watch while everything comes together. But it is inspiring to see how smoothly it is coming together.

Over this long preparation time, it was agreed that a whole series of preparatory actions would be undertaken and they are now in place and under way. There are so many different people and functions responsible for so many different activities and each seems to be doing their thing just as it was planned. I feel like I should be doing something more, but there is nothing for me to do now but watch and applaud. Bill Wright, Lisa Bauer and others are sending out information from the ship. Mostly it is going as planned including some 1,200 separate training sessions above and beyond the general familiarization that needs to be done.

Crossing under the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark was an unexpected highlight. The bridge is one of three bridges all of which are about 65 meters above mean high tide. (The other two are the Golden Gate and the Verrazano Narrows.) The ship was designed with those three bridges in mind and Oasis has a telescoping funnel to accommodate. There was, therefore, no doubt in our mind about it. Nevertheless, the novelty of being so close apparently created an enormous interest which even infected those onboard. The ship navigated under the bridge without difficulty, but there was still a great cheer as she did so.

The one thing you can never count on, though, is the weather. It seems that we have managed to time our crossing perfectly to coincide with the worst of a north Atlantic winter storm. That storm has resulted in relative wind speeds of 60-70 mph (a hurricane starts at 74 mph). It has also resulted in significant wave heights of up to 30 feet (significant wave heights essentially means consistently over a period of time). Some individual waves reach even higher. Capt. Bill is considering now what is the best course and speed for the ship to minimize the impact of the storm. I’m told that the ship is so stable that the crew can barely feel the storm. But on deck it is a different story and the storm is preventing us from doing the work on the outdoor decks that we had hoped including rehearsing in the AquaTheatre.

We’re told the storm could last another 24 or 36 hours but we’re hoping that these forecasts are as unreliable as the ones I look at to plan my vacation.

Malcolm Says: There is some great information, videos, images etc. about Oasis’s delivery and crossing on the official  Oasis web site:

www.oasisoftheseas.com

Above: Photographer ‘Andrew’, Hythe, Southampton (Thanks Travelserver/Cruisetalk)

Departing (Image: S'hampton Web Cam)

16:45 – 17:35 pm – This must be a record for the shortest call of a new ship.

Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=njOHaQ7V0j4

The Youtube poster said:  “I am on the Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in history, as it is being delivered to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida from Turku, Finland. Last night we passed under the Oresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark, missing the bridge by mere meters, due to the ships enormous size! With thousands of cheering crew members on deck to watch the spectacle, the moment was amazing!”

Malcolm Says:  I assume the telescopic funnels were fully retracted.

Image By: Andrew, "Ocean Voyager" Hythe, southampton

The charaming ‘Saga Rose’ (1964, formerly Cunard’s ‘Sagafjord’) sets out on her farewell cruise on 30th October 2009, from Southampton, heading for the Mediterranean before her retirement.  Unfortunately, she does not fullfill the requirements of the new SOLAS 2010 (safety)  regulations.  It is claimed that she has done 44 world cruises, but this is in dispute*!

Saga purchased the ‘Astoria’ earlier this year and will be re-named Saga Pearl II – in homage to the original Saga Pearl, which sailed under the Saga flag until 2004 when she was replaced by Saga Ruby.

Saga Pearl II will match the classic style of Saga Rose and will build on the success of the Saga cruising brand. Her inaugural cruise will be on 15th March 2010 departing Southampton and heading for the magic of the Norwegian cost and the northern lights in the high arctic.

Andrew Goodsell, Executive Chairman, Saga Group commented:

“I am very excited that we at long last have Saga Pearl II. She is a lovely a mid-sized ship true to the Saga tradition and a perfect addition to our fleet. In her traditional Saga livery she will carry no more than 446 passengers. The ship will have an intimate atmosphere and a personal service with the attention to detail that our passengers have come to expect. Regular Saga cruise passengers will find many familiar faces on board, as the officers and crew of Saga Rose will transfer to the new ship.

A multi-million pound refit will ensure that the ship is fabulous throughout. What’s more, there will be many new features including the addition of new balcony cabins. I am sure that Saga Pearl II will win the hearts of Saga cruisers, just as Saga Rose did a decade ago.”

The ship will undergo a comprehensive £14m refit in Europe over the winter. The refit will include the creation of balcony cabins and the superior classical Saga ambiance that our customers enjoy; upgrading the show lounge, spa and two swimming pools; creating one of the best libraries afloat; and, new kitchens to support the gourmet dining experience in the stylish single-sitting dining rooms – including a new elegant Veranda Restaurant

She will also have a special coating applied to her hull which will enable her to travel with greater ease through the sea and will significantly reduce fuel consumption and lower her carbon footprint.

(Saga)

*Malcolm Says:  If one defines a World Cruise as a complete world circumnavigation, Saga Rose has done possibly 39 or 40, open to discussion/argument.  One year she didn’t do anything, 2 years were Grand Cruises rather than a circumnavigation and one year her World Cruise was aborted. (thanks PamM)

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!