Cruise
Carnival to increase capacity in San Juan
Carnival Cruise Lines will increase capacity on its seven-day Southern Caribbean itineraries from San Juan, as well as on its four- and five-day cruises from Miami, deploying newer, larger ships in both markets. The 2,974-passenger Carnival Valor will launch a five-port, seven-day schedule from San Juan beginning Feb. 10, 2013, becoming the newest and largest ship to operate year-round from that port. Carnival Valor will replace the 2,758-passenger Carnival Victory, which will reposition from San Juan to Miami to assume the Carnival Destiny's four- and five-day cruises beginning Feb. 4, 2013....
Paul Gauguin completes $7 million reno
Paul Gauguin Cruises reports that it has completed a $7 million renovation on its ship, the Paul Gauguin. It is the largest in the ship's history and took place during the ship's 10-night crossing from Tahiti to Brisbane, Australia, as well as during the 11-night dry-dock that followed, when extensive enhancements were made to both the interiors and exteriors of The Gauguin. Renovations throughout the ship include new flooring and replaced carpeting, elegant new furniture, new window treatments and decorative wall panels, and new signage, providing a lighter, brighter feel. Additionally, all...
Costa Concordia defueling operation continues
The Concordia Emergency Commissioner's Office and Costa Crociere report that the pumping of fuel from the cruise ship Costa Concordia has been continuing around the clock since 5 p.m. Feb. 12, in accordance with a plan devised by the Neri/Smit Salvage team. From the time defueling began until 7 a.m. Feb. 17, a total of 952 cubic metres (251,492 gallons) of fuel have been pumped out of four tanks located in the forward part of the ship. A total of 1,428 cubic metres (377,237 gallons) of fuel is still to be removed from 13 tanks, of which 576 cubic metres (152,163 gallons) is located in the...
Inaugural Royal Princess itineraries unveiled
Princess Cruises has unveiled the maiden season itineraries of its highly anticipated Royal Princess debuting in June 2013, as well as some additional features of the ship's signature, and greatly expanded atrium, the social hub of the ship. Preceding the ship's inaugural program of 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises between Barcelona and Venice beginning on June 23, Royal Princess will sail on its inaugural voyage, a seven-day Iberia cruise from Southampton to Barcelona departing June 16. The Royal Princess maiden season cruises will open for sale on March 15. There will also be two...
Celebrity uncorks enhanced wine program
Celebrity has expanded its wine program to illuminate an even more full-bodied slate of offerings representing the world's most robust wine-producing regions, offering guests the opportunity to taste and learn about more wine than ever before. The updated program presents a comprehensive selection of wines from diverse regions and grape varietals, and a variety of price points. With an aim of delivering an intuitive tasting experience for passengers who purchase wines by the bottle or by the glass, wine lists are now categorized by flavour rather than grape varietal or geographic region....
MSC set for May arrival of flagship Divina
The countdown is on for the May arrival of MSC Cruises' newest flagship Fantasia-class vessel - MSC Divina. Named in honour of MSC Cruises' "godmother,"Italian film icon Sophia Loren, and with decks named after the Gods of Ancient Greece, MSC Divina will feature several design enhancements that make her truly a "divine goddess,"as MSC Cruises continues its partnership with De Jorio Design International. Among the differences between Divina and sister ships Fantasia and Splendida are: !!! Increased capacity, with 1,751 staterooms hosting 3,502 guests (double occupancy) on the 139,400-ton ship,...
Carnival unveils special South America, Panama voyages
Carnival Cruise Lines has unveiled several new itineraries featuring South American and the Panama Canal for the 2013 season. Next spring, the company will reposition Carnival Miracle to the west coast following a special Panama Canal voyage, and bring Carnival Splendor to New York following three South America cruises. The 2,124-passenger Miracle will shift to the west coast to operate the line's Alaska and Hawaii cruises, currently offered on the Carnival Spirit, which is being repositioned to Australia to operate the line's first cruises from that country. Carnival Miracle will also...
Costa extends deadline for Concordia compensation
Costa Crociere has extended the deadline for acceptance of its compensation proposal for guests involved in the Costa Concordia incident to March 31. The decision was taken to offer passengers more time to evaluate the proposal and to exercise their claims with less urgency. While the date for acceptance of the proposal has been extended, the process to redeem the compensation package and its terms remain unchanged from when it was offered Jan. 27. The extension of the deadline will not impact the claim process, but is intended to satisfy the requests of some guests. The compensation package...