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Carnival Fascination to receive new food and beverage venues in major refit

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 December 2017 15 December 2017

Carnival Cruise Line said that it would send its 1994 built Carnival Fascination for an extensive multi-million-dollar dry dock that will add a variety of popular food and beverage innovations to the 70,367 gross ton ship that is a member of the eight strong Fantasy class of ships.

The new venues comprise Guy’s Burger Joint developed by Food Network star Guy Fieri, the cocktail pharmacy-themed Alchemy Bar, BlueIguana Cantina Mexican eatery, Cherry on Top sweets shop, the poolside RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar, and a Bonsai Sushi Express venue.

The spaces will be added during a two-week dry dock taking place 4-17 February 2018, in Freeport, The Bahamas, prior to the ship resuming its year-round schedule of seven-day southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan, Puerto Rico, beginning Feb. 18, 2018. Carnival Fascination is currently being chartered to FEMA to house relief workers in St. Croix.

“We can’t wait for our guests to experience these exciting new features aboard Carnival Fascination when she returns to her year-round homeport of San Juan early next year,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, adding that other Carnival ships began visiting San Juan as a port of call Nov. 30.

The new F&B options aboard Carnival Fascination include:

Guy’s Burger Joint: a free-of-charge poolside venue developed in partnership with Food Network personality Guy Fieri serving hand-crafted burgers and fresh-cut fries enjoyed amidst a décor that celebrates the chef’s California roots and love of car culture.
RedFrog Rum Bar: a poolside watering hole offering the quintessential Caribbean vacation vibe with refreshing Caribbean rum-based frozen drinks and beers, including Carnival’s own private label draught brew, ThirstyFrog Red.
BlueIguana Cantina: a complimentary poolside Mexican eatery where guests can enjoy authentic freshly made burritos and tacos on homemade tortillas, as well as an elaborate toppings and salsa bar.
BlueIguana Tequila Bar: a fun and festive outdoor bar offering a laid-back Mexican-themed atmosphere and tequila-based frozen drinks and beers, perfect for chillin’ by the pool.
Cherry on Top: The “sweetest spot on board,” Cherry on Top is the gateway to the joys of simple indulgences with bins of bulk candy, fun-and-fanciful gifts, just-because novelties, colorful custom apparel and more.
Alchemy Bar: a vintage-themed cocktail “pharmacy” that’s the go-to spot for guests seeking a unique experience with mixologists who “prescribe” concoctions from different elixirs and ingredients or guests’ own custom-created cocktails.
Bonsai Sushi Express: the success of the full-service Bonsai Sushi restaurants has spawned this casual, convenient yet equally tasty offshoot featuring a mouth-watering array of sushi, sashimi, rolls and more.

These new options complement popular attractions like a WaterWorks aqua park featuring a 300-foot-long Twister slide, Seuss at Sea operated exclusively with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and myriad entertainment choices including the Punchliner Comedy Club, Playlist Productions shows, and Hasbro, The Game Show, with larger-than-life adaptations of the company’s iconic games.

Carnival Fascination’s year-round schedule from San Juan encompasses week-long sailings to five Caribbean islands: St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

Royal Caribbean’s GoBe unit and Umapped in strategic alliance

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 December 2017 14 December 2017

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s (RCCL) GoBe digital travel company unit and Umapped, the Canadian collaborative B2B2C itinerary and experience platform for the travel industry, have announced a key partnership to integrate GoBe tours and activities as part of the Umapped collaborative itinerary and experience platform.

Through the strategic alliance, Umapped and GoBe will work together to enable travel providers and advisors using the Umapped platform to optimize their service and revenue potential. In addition to standard tours, GoBe is unique in providing tailor-made, curated activities for travelers in-destination, the two companies said in a joint statement.

Responding to travelers' growing desire to uncover authentic local experiences, iconic attractions, and off-the-beaten-path adventures, GoBe draws from decades of connections and expertise. With 8,000 tours and activities in 97 countries today, all of them day trips ranging from inexpensive walking tours to lavish helicopter excursions, GoBe plans to more than double its offerings in 2018.

Billy Campbell, Managing Director, GoBe.com said, "Tours and activities represent the last frontier in travel to embrace electronic distribution. With Umapped delivering timely communication in advance of trip departure, the capability for travelers and their travel -providers to book online tours will be a real breakthrough."

With tours and activities making up a $129-billion annual business, the partnership between Umapped and GoBe brings together cutting-edge technology, high touch service, and enhanced monetization opportunities. Based on data collected from all elements of the trip, Umapped's proprietary technology consolidates and analyzes traveler information in real-time to promote personalized content and recommendations. In a recently released eBook titled, Untapped Opportunities: How Mobile Itineraries Bring Travelers Curated Tours and Activities at the Right Time and Place, Umapped provides important insights for travel providers into leveraging collaborative mobile and itinerary technology to drive a better travel experience and incremental sales with attractive margins.

Lisa Israelovitch, CEO of Umapped explains, "Traveler engagement is no longer a series of one-off transactions—it's an ongoing dialogue and interactive experience. Our integration with GoBe will provide easy and automated options to sell GoBe tours and activities and generate increcremetal revenue. GoBe's curated experiences are a natural fit for our partners and we are proud to be aligned with them."

The official launch of the pioneering integration of GoBe and Umapped is slated for early 2018. To learn more, please visit umapped.com and gobe.com.

Bahama Paradise names second ship Grand Classica, to refit Grand Celebration

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 December 2017 14 December 2017

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, which operates two-night cruises departing year-round from the Port of Palm Beach in florida, has renamed its second vessel Grand Classica and will send iuts existing ship, the Grand Celebration for a refit, the company said in a statement.

Grand Classica, the 52,900 gross ton former Costa Classica,is set to arrive in April, and will also sail two-night cruises to Grand Bahama Island. “With this second ship, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line will become the only Line to offer daily departures to the Bahamas from the Port of Palm Beach. The company signed a three-year agreement with the Bahamas to bring both of its ships to Grand Bahama Island for two-night cruises, as well as its signature Cruise & Resort Stay packages,” the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the 1,900 passenger Grand Celebration will set sail on December 23 with the following upgrades:

Expanded, Enhanced Casino – For those seeking lady luck at sea, Grand Celebration’s Par-A-Dice Casino has doubled in size, offering more slot machines, video poker and enhanced table games. Nearly 70 of the most popular slot games have been added to the casino, bringing the total number of slots to 125, in addition to several new video poker machines.

The casino’s table games area, which include Roulette, Blackjack, Craps, Three Card Poker and the Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, have been divided into two comfortable areas and now also include raised maximum betting limits, the ability to make additional wages while playing blackjack, and the addition of electronic roulette machines for those who like to play without a crowd watching.

New Adult-Only Area – The forward sun deck at the top of the ship has now become The Oasis – a complimentary adult-only area for those ages 18 and over that want to relax and unwind in serenity. The expansive area includes a bar, a large hot tub, all new sun loungers and several outdoor daybeds.

Specialty Coffee Bar and Juice Bar – Baristas will prepare specialty coffees and offer delectable gelato and pastries at the new Grand Café on Deck 9. Menu items feature a variety of hot or iced specialty coffees, teas and other beverages, including smoothies and freshly squeezed juices. In the morning, guests can indulge in chocolate croissants, Viennese pastries, muffins and quiche. Throughout the day, the Grand Café will offer delectable sweet treats, including delicious homemade gelato, sorbet, cakes, tarts, cupcakes and chocolate truffles.

MSC Cruises unveil MSC Seaside naming ceremony star line up

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 December 2017 13 December 2017

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise company, has announced the line-up for the official launch and naming ceremony of MSC Seaside, which will be held on 21 December in PortMiami.

Headlining entertainment for the event will be international superstar, Ricky Martin, who will perform some of his most popular hits. Renowned for bringing Latin music to the forefront of popular music, Ricky Martin is a worldwide star who has recorded in many languages, and truly encompasses the international spirit of MSC Cruises and the city of Miami, the company said in a statement.

Also taking to the stage will be world-famous tenor, Andrea Bocelli, whose dazzling classical career has taken him all over the world – including performances for four U.S. presidents, three Popes, the British Royal Family, and several Prime Ministers, to name just a few.

Making a guest appearance at the event will be Miami football legend and Hall of Fame quarterback, Dan Marino, who played for the Miami Dolphins for 17 years. MSC Cruises signed a partnership with the Miami Dolphins in October of this year, becoming the official cruise line for the team and further strengthening its relationship with the South Florida community. Fans and guests will have the chance to experience the Miami Dolphins at sea and meet team alumni on a themed cruise aboard MSC Seaside in 2018.

In charge of it all will be actor and popular American TV host, Mario Lopez, who will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Lopez will welcome guests to the star-lit festivities on MSC’s “Blue Carpet,” where celebrities will give interviews, take photographs, and meet the crowds. Lopez will then take to the stage to host the evening’s entertainment.

An MSC Cruises’ Naming Ceremony would not be complete without the ship’s Godmother, Sophia Loren, who has played the leading role in this time-honored tradition since 2003. As one of the most celebrated Italian actresses of our time, the glamorous Sophia Loren will christen the ship with a ribbon-cutting and officially

Viking Line raised €50,000 for the University of Helsinki

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 December 2017 08 December 2017

To celebrate the centenary of Finland’s independence, Viking Line has raised funds to support Baltic Sea research. In 2017, the company has raised €50,000 through various activities for the Tvärminne Zoological Station, which is the largest centre for Baltic Sea research and education in Finland, the listed ferry company said in a statement.

The long-term work to improve the condition of the Baltic Sea has begun to yield results, but a great deal of basic research is still needed.

The University of Helsinki conducts important research on the Baltic Sea. This donation supports maritime research at the Tvärminne Zoological Station, which is run by the university. The station conducts research on topics such as biodiversity and the ecosystem as well as the effects of human activity on the Baltic Sea.

In 2016, Viking Line donated €100,000 to the station. Combined with its €50,000 contribution this year, Viking Line’s donations have enabled the university to hire another researcher for three year.