Transformation of Mein Schiff 1 to Marella Explorer begins

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 19 April 2018 19 April 2018

Marella Explorer, the latest addition to the Marella Cruises fleet, is now on the blocks in Cadiz, Spain as the refurbishment process begins. The ship is due to depart from Cadiz on 13th May before embarking on her first customer sailing around the Mediterranean, leaving from Palma, Majorca on 19 May.

Marella Cruises is part of TUI UK & Ireland, a fully owned subsidiary of TUI AG, the Hannover based and London listed travel company. As Mein Schiff 1, it belonged to TUI Cruises, a German company jointly owned by TUI AG and  Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd (RCCL). The 76,998 gross ton ship was built as Galaxy for Celebrity Cruises, part of RCCL, in 1996.

With just a four-week stint in dry dock before she takes to the seas, around 1,600 people, from partners, contractors and the Marella Cruises team, will provide over 200,000 man hours to deliver a dramatic multi-million pound makeover. A total of 45 square kilometres of carpet will be laid, along with over 60km of data cabling and 650 Wi-Fi access points.

Ten tonnes of Marella-branded items, including uniform and 1,000 show team costumes are already enroute to Spain. Not to mention the tens of thousands of litres of paint, 3km of bathroom trims and mile-upon-mile of fabric that go into giving the ship a facelift.

At 265.5 meters long and 32.2 meters wide Marella Explorer is the biggest ship to be welcomed into the Marella Cruises fleet. The 1,924 capacity ship (double occupancy) boasts 962 cabins, nearly 40 per cent with balconies, and spans 13 decks.

Entering the fleet as Marella Cruises’ biggest ship yet, Marella Explorer is getting the full top-to-bottom treatment. Two of the biggest new features will be Indigo – the ship’s new flagship bar, club and casino – and the first Champneys Spa at sea. Indigo will be home to the longest bar on the ship – making the most of its top-of-the-ship spot and wraparound sea views.

Champneys Spa, will offer a full-service thermal suite, treatment suites with their own showers and mini saunas, a Finnish sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows, and spa cabanas on the adults-only Veranda that come complete with thermal suite access.

Marella Cruises have also announced their chosen Godmothers today, recognising two outstanding employees who have contributed significantly to Marella Cruises. Hotel Operations Manager Sue Stewart and TUI retail agent Mandy Galloway have been chosen for their commitment to and passion for cruise, particularly around their focus and dedication to customer experience. It’s tradition for Marella Cruises to invite team members to become Godmothers, which illustrates how integral their staff and crew are to the service excellence they continue to demonstrate.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ guests raised £25,000 for Caribbean disaster relief

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 17 April 2018 17 April 2018

Generous guests across the Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ fleet have joined together to raise nearly £25,000 to help the Caribbean relief effort – following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017 – and support the rebuilding of an area of the world that is so close to their hearts, the company said in a statement.

Fred. Olsen guests have raised £12,100 since November 2017, which has been donated to the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s ('CTO') ‘Hurricane Relief Fund’. From there, it will be disbursed directly to the Ministries of Tourism in the impacted Caribbean member states, to enable them to rebuild their devastated communities and provide financial relief to those most in need.

Carol Hay, Director of Marketing UK & Europe at the Caribbean Tourism Organization, said: “The support from Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has been fantastic! We can’t thank the staff and guests enough! It’s heart-warming to know that so much time and effort was taken to raise funds to support the CTO Hurricane Relief Fund. 100 percent of the funds go to help those affected; and most importantly goes towards the Sustainability of the Caribbean Tourism Product. “We look forward to continually welcoming Fred. Olsen to our shores; and thank them for helping us to build back better!”

In addition, Fred. Olsen guests have also raised a separate sum of over £11,000 to help the island of Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, specifically. This was one of the worst-hit areas of the Caribbean, and Fred. Olsen’s Braemar – which is the ship that operates its popular Caribbean fly-cruise season – chose to donate directly to the British Virgin Islands Red Cross, to benefit the people and communities of Tortola, where the ship has been calling for a number of years.

Sharon Flax-Brutus, Director of Tourism at The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board & Film Commission, said: “On behalf of the people of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Red Cross, I am overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support for our islands from Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and the Braemar. It is heartfelt gifts like these that continue to encourage and inspire us to work even harder at rebuilding our beautiful BVI.”

Fred. Olsen guests across its fleet of four ocean cruise ships – Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch – have been taking part in a number of fun and lively onboard activities to raise funds, such as raffles, crew ‘Tug of War’ competitions, an ‘International Street Market’, ‘Human Fruit Machine’, quizzes and art auctions, all organised by the ships’ Entertainment teams.

Rachael Jackson, Public Relations Manager for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We would like to thank the thousands of guests and crew across our fleet who have given so generously to raise nearly £25,000 to help the people of the Caribbean rebuild their lives and their glorious region. We have been working with the Caribbean Tourism Organization – of which we are a long-standing member – and the British Virgin Islands Red Cross, to support their hurricane relief efforts and provide assistance to those destinations most badly affected."

“We look forward to seeing the Caribbean get back on its feet and we know that this year's Braemar fly-cruise programme will receive the usual warm and friendly welcome from the people of this amazing destination!”

Fred. Olsen has also assisted the Caribbean hurricane relief effort by donating brand new crew uniforms, worth £33,000, to a further two badly-impacted islands – Barbuda and Dominica. Fred. Olsen donated 1,465 new uniform items to the islanders before Christmas last year, including shoes, trousers, shirts and skirts, along with 2,263 used uniform items.

 

Silversea and Rocco Forte Hotels enter partnership

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 17 April 2018 17 April 2018

Silversea Cruises, the Monaco based luxury cruise line and Rocco Forte Hotels, the London based company headed by Sir Rocco Forte that operates a portfolio of luxury hotels, announced a partnership that brings the two privately owned Italian heritage hospitality companies together for the first time, giving guests an ultra-luxury experience, both by land and by sea. 

Silversea’s ships are small enough to sail up narrow waterways, right into the heart of a city, to the very doorsteps of Rocco Forte Hotels. There will be regular opportunities for guests of both companies to take advantage of this special alliance with sensational benefits. Silversea are offering exclusive benefits to guests of Rocco Forte Hotels including savings on rates, VIP treats at embarkation, a private culinary event for two and a dinner invitation at the Captain or Senior Officers table. Silversea guests staying at any Rocco Forte hotel will enjoy upgrades, transfers and unpacking services at the hotel as well as VIP amenities.

Sir Rocco Forte, Chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels says, ‘Having known Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio for many years it is a particular pleasure to enter into a partnership with a company with such similar roots to our own. Together, we will share the best of land and sea whilst providing our guests with the exceptional personalised service that is common to both our brands.’

‘I am extremely happy to welcome Rocco Forte Hotels as a partner of Silversea,’ comments Mr Lefebvre, the cruise company’s chairman. ‘Sir Rocco Forte and I share a personal friendship that was formed long ago. Now, it is with shared values that we cooperate to bring extraordinary service to our guests.’

 

American Constitution completes sea trials 

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 17 April 2018 17 April 2018

American Cruise Lines said that its first new ship of 2018, American Constitution, successfully passed Sea Trials last week in Chesapeake Bay.

With the US Coast Guard aboard, the 175 passenger capacity American Constitution underwent speed trials, an endurance run, and was thoroughly tested in all areas of safety and maneuverability. “The American Constitution passed with flying colors,” said Paul Taiclet, Vice President of Hotel Operations, who was aboard for the SeaTrials.

“The ship performed exceptionally well and has a number of enhancements that further American’s tradition of innovation in small ship cruising.” One of the new advanced features noted by Taiclet are new acoustical treatments and vibration dampening systems throughout the ship, which make it extremely quiet even when running at full speed.

Now that American Constitution’s sea trials are completed, the Line looks forward to the ship’s inaugural cruise from Baltimore on April 18th. The first cruise will also be the Line’s first American Revolution Cruise—a new 10-night cruise around Chesapeake Bay that features ports central to our nation’s history.

For the remainder of 2018, the new ship will stay on the East Coast, where it will run a series of trips in summer and fall from Boston, MA and New York, NY.