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AIDAsol supplied for the first time with low-emission electricity from LNG

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 01 June 2015 01 June 2015

On May 30, 2015, AIDA Cruises and Becker Marine Systems celebrated a world premiere in the Port of Hamburg. Upon successful completion of the final technical tests, AIDAsol was provided during its lay time in Hamburg’s HafenCity for the first time with low-emission electricity from liquefied natural gas (LNG) via the LNG Hybrid Barge.

"With this pilot project for the energy supply of cruise ships using LNG while being berthed in ports, which is thus far unique worldwide, we have opened a new chapter for environmental protection in the port of Hamburg," said AIDA President Michael Ungerer.

After successful test operation of individual board systems, AIDAsol is to be supplied with energy for the first time completely via the LNG Hybrid Barge with the next call of port in Hamburg (June 9, 2015).

The LNG Hybrid Barge functions as a floating power plant. In the gas processing plant, the cryogenic (-163°C), liquid gas is heated and then passed on to the generators, which produce electricity for the operation of the ship while in port. The power provided by a total of five gas motors on the LNG Hybrid Barge is 7.5 megawatts.

Thanks to the use of liquefied natural gas in the energy supply of ships, emissions and particle discharge will be significantly reduced. Compared to the use of conventional marine diesel with 0.1 percent sulfur content, no sulfur oxides and no soot particles are emitted. Nitrogen oxide emissions will be reduced by up to 80% and carbon dioxide emissions by 30%.

Becker Marine Systems was honored recently with the GreenTec Award 2015 of the DRV (German Travel Association) in the category "Travel" for the LNG Hybrid Barge project developed together with AIDA Cruises.

In the spring of 2016, the first ship of the new AIDA generation, AIDAprima, will call for the first time its future home port Hamburg. AIDAprima is the first cruise ship with a shore power connection, a comprehensive system for exhaust gas aftertreatment, and a dual fuel engine. This can also be operated with LNG, depending on availability.

Deutschland to become seagoing university World Odyssey

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 May 2015 31 May 2015

Deutschland, the 22,496 gross ton cruise liner formerly operated by Peter Deilmann Kreuzfahrten that failed last year, will become a floating university.

“The Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE), parent organization to globally renowned study abroad program Semester at Sea, has secured a new shipboard campus—its sixth in the program’s storied 51-year history,’ ISE said in a statement.

The new ship, like its predecessors, will serve as a traveling home and campus that brings approximately 600 undergraduate students to the farthest reaches of the globe every semester, giving deeper meaning to education, experiential learning, and community.

This August, the program’s new vessel will be renamed the World Odyssey for her role as the Semester at Sea campus. Currently named the Deutschland, she has been meticulously maintained since her construction in Germany in 1998 and will undergo routine dry-dock maintenance this summer.

The World Odyssey meets the International Maritime Organization’s SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea), U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Public Health requirements, as well as all other statutory standards to operate throughout the world.

“The World Odyssey marks a new chapter for Semester at Sea—a chapter that will allow us to progress, but maintain our traditions,” said T. Kenn Gaither, ISE President and CEO. “We will continue to provide an invaluable experience to new students, who, like our 60,000 alumni, are eager to embrace the world around them, see with new eyes, and make an impact. The World Odyssey will help us educate a new generation of global citizens.”

Costa Cruises to celebrate Italian Republic Day

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 28 May 2015 28 May 2015

Costa Cruises will celebrate Italian Republic Day June 2 onboard its Italian-flagged ships with celebratory events organized by Italian embassies and consulates in four Nordic destinations. The first event will be held May 30 in Copenhagen, Sweden, on Costa Favolosa, followed by May 31 in Kiel, Germany, on Costa Pacifica. An event will be held June 9 on Costa Fortuna in Stavanger, Norway, and June 11 in Oslo, Norway, on Costa Favolosa.

Italian gastronomic culture will be spotlighted during the events, with luncheons featuring tastes of the Italian culinary tradition and "made in Italy" brands of excellence, such as Caffè Illy, spumante Ferrari, and the Maitre Chocolatier Guido Gobino. In Oslo the company will offer a typical Italian breakfast with the best traditional Italian pastries.

"Our ships, all flying the Italian flag, have been the ambassadors of Italy's finest on seas around the globe for the last 67 years, allowing thousand of guests, mainly from abroad, to discover the excellence of our country in terms of style, hospitality and enogastronomic specialities," said Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises. "Each year during the festivities celebrating the birth of the Italian Republic, we renew the celebration of June 2, so that all our guests, and not only Italians, can share the values that distinguish the Italian spirit, an unmistakable lifestyle, that we are proud to express and represent around the world."

In addition to the events to be held in northern European countries, Costa Cruises will celebrate June 2 with all guests on its ships. The Italian Republic Day program includes special menus and cocktails inspired by the Italian flag, and the playing of the national anthem.

Costa Cruises also will provide support to the general consulate of Dubai for organizing the festivities celebrating the birth of the Italian Republic to promote the excellences of Italy with local communities.

Seven Seas Explorer's spa unveiled

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 May 2015 27 May 2015

A lavishly appointed spa devoted to relaxation and personal enrichment awaits guests sailing aboard the newest Regent Seven Seas Cruises ship, Seven Seas Explorer. Situated on deck five, the soothing, state-of-the-art Canyon Ranch SpaClub will rival the finest land-based spas and exude luxury befitting Seven Seas Explorer, the most luxurious ship ever built. Debuting at Canyon Ranch SpaClub will be a selection of ultra-luxurious treatments developed by Canyon Ranch in partnership with lifestyle and beauty experts, Red Flower, and premiering exclusively on Seven Seas Explorer before expanding across the fleet.

“With a sophisticated design and featuring exquisite, one-of-a-kind treatments, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub will provide our guests with a tranquil haven for personal enrichment and relaxation,” said Jason Montague, president and chief operating officer for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “We’re building the world’s most luxurious ship and wanted to establish a new standard for spa elegance, and once our vision is complete, the spa aboard Seven Seas Explorer will be the most luxurious at sea.”

Upon entering the Canyon Ranch SpaClub guests transition to a retreat exclusively dedicated to complete relaxation and renewal. The cocoon served as the overarching inspiration for the team at RTKL, interpreted not only abstractly in the spa’s aesthetic details, but also envisioned as a metaphor for the rejuvenation guests experience during their spa visit.

The reception area helps ease guests into a place of greater relaxation, decorated with crisscrossing light-grained wooden bands that evoke the silk wrappings woven into a chrysalis and radiating a warm and welcoming softness. Decorative light fixtures cast small twinkling lights off an abstract Swarovski crystal sculpture, forming dappled reflections on the marble floor to evoke an aura of woodland twilight.

Treatments provide ultimate relaxation and renewal

Guests enter the treatment foyer which offers heated loungers with seating surfaces perfectly contoured to promote ergonomic relaxation and to warm the skin and tissue into a deep state of relaxation.

Guests are beckoned into one of eight fully equipped treatment rooms where stress and toxins are purged and washed away with one of Red Flower’s signature treatments designed exclusively for Seven Seas Explorer. Inspired by the seven seas of the modern world, the following are examples of the Red Flower therapeutic body treatments:

– Red Flower Naturally Nourishing: A Ritual of the Arctic Sea, a 100-minute experience inspired by the spirit of the icy sea with ingredients rich in antioxidants and omegas 3, 6 and 9, sourced directly from the Arctic Circle. Muscle tension is released with a deep tissue massage using Arctic berry and evergreen oils after relaxing in an organic birch mineral hydrotherapy soak.

– Red Flower North Atlantic Journey, an 80-minute body-exfoliating ritual with organic sea salts harvested from the Atlantic Ocean, enriched with sea algae and aloe vera, and scented with Icelandic Moonflower. The body is then enveloped in a toning and hydrating wrap of Italian Blood Orange before a restorative massage with balancing French lavender.

– Red Flower Japan: A Revitalizing Ritual of the North Pacific, a 100-minute, six-part massage body ritual perfected in Japan that takes the therapeutic properties of delicate flowers and invigorating citrus oils and pairs them with traditional techniques for caring for the body. The treatment begins with a ginger grass and bamboo scrub followed by a nutrient-rich rice bran wrap and acupressure facial massage. A mineral soak infused with hinoki and chlorophyll oils and a shiatsu-inspired massage creates balanced energy.

– Red Flower Hammam: A Detoxifying Ritual from the Indian Ocean, a 100-minute ritual of deep detoxification. Guests are vigorously scrubbed with a blend of coffee, olive stones and fresh lemons, and wrapped in a rich rhassoul clay to draw deep impurities out of the body. This is followed by a float in Dead Sea salts and a cleanse with Moroccan mint tea and silt. Then guests are recharged with a Turkish massage using essences of cardamom, jasmine, bergamot, amber and clove.

After a luxurious treatment, guests migrate to a thermal suite where a variety of hot-to-cold experiences await. A state-of-the-art infrared sauna soothes muscles more deeply than traditional steam saunas. An aromatic steam room eases muscles into a sense of healing and relaxation. A cold room maintains a constant temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit, mimicking cold plunges that stimulate circulation and are believed to improve health.

In the soothing shower room, guests can choose from a menu of preset shower treatments with various distributions of water flow, chroma-therapeutic lighting and audio effects that mimic natural sounds such as thunderstorms or waterfalls.

Luxury continues with spa amenities

Part of the spa, but located on a private outdoor deck, is an inviting teak-deck terrace filled with plush, partially covered lounge chairs that surround an infinity-edge plunge pool. The pool serves as a dramatic focal point as it contours to the stern of the ship. Guests are treated to incredible views across the sea to the horizon as they soak in the therapeutic waters of the pool.

Adjacent to the spa is a full-service salon with four hair, two manicure and two pedicure stations where guests can receive a little extra personal pampering in preparation for an elegant dinner at one of Seven Seas Explorer’s gourmet restaurants or for a night out on the town during a shore excursion.

From the spa, a dramatic circular staircase transports guest to the fitness center on the deck six. Guests immediately encounter a center with free-weights and weight-lifting machines, along with an impressive collection of cardio workout equipment. The center of the facility offers ample space for cycling, yoga and Pilates classes.

Seven Seas Explorer will sail its maiden voyage July 20, 2016 and spend an inaugural season in Europe before heading to Miami for a series of Caribbean voyages.

New South Wales produced four of 10 Australian cruise passengers 2014

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 May 2015 27 May 2015

The Australian cruise market was heavily driven by business from the state of New South Wales while the South Pacific remained the favourite destination and river cruise passenger numbers soared by 60% in 2014, figures release by CLIA Australasia show.

New South Wales produced 41% of Australia's 1.00 million cruise passengers last year. The state has a population of about 7.5 million, which equals to about one third of the entire population of the country.

The most popular cruise destination for Australians is the South Pacific, attracting more than 390,000 passengers (39% of the market). Cruises from domestic ports to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific accounted for 67% of Australian passengers in 2014 (671,030 cruisers)

The continuing popularity of Europe saw the region become Australians’ third most popular ocean cruise destination accounting for 93,529 cruisers, while river cruising numbers surged by more than 60% to 79,530 passengers.

The arrival of new ships in Asia prompted a 25% increase in Australian passengers cruising in the region, with numbers rising to more than 55,000.

Cruises of 8-14 days duration remain the most popular attracting 54% of passengers, although shorter cruises of up to four days experienced a 59% surge in numbers. Australians spent an estimated 10 million days at sea in 2014, cruising for an average 9.7 days on ocean cruises and 13 days on river cruises.