Silversea to take Silver Wind for a second extensive drydocking in summer 2020

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 20 December 2018 20 December 2018

Silversea Cruises announces plans for a second extensive refurbishment of Silver Wind, completing the major refurbishment project started in December 2018. The second dry dock period, which is scheduled for summer 2020, will give the ship ice-class classification and improved cruising versatility, as well as a number of improvements to the vessel’s interior. As a result, Silver Wind will unlock a broader range of deep travel experiences for guests in ultimate comfort, cruising both classic and expedition itineraries.

Part of Project Invictus – a long-term plan to grow and improve Silversea’s already luxurious fleet of ships – the second extensive refurbishment of Silver Wind will begin in August 2020. As well as benefitting from a strengthened ice-class hull, new state-of-the-art equipment for cruising in remote regions, a fleet of Zodiacs and kayaks for on-water exploration, and an upgraded theatre, the second extensive refurbishment will enhance the ship’s comfort and Silversea’s hallmarks of luxury: all suites will undergo another full upgrade; the Spa & Salon will each be completely refurbished; the Reception/Atrium will be overhauled; and additional improvements will be made to La Dame, La Terrazza, the Main Bar, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, the Pool Bar, public bathrooms, and the Theatre, among other spaces. Accommodating fewer guests (just 254) and retaining her characteristic sense of small-ship intimacy, Silver Wind will offer higher space ratios, a higher crew-to-guest ratio, and more upper suites, among other enhancements.

Silver Wind will continue to take guests closer to the authentic beauty of the world’s iconic destinations, such as the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. In the Caribbean, the ship will continue to visit renowned ports, such as San Juan, Barbados and St. Barthelemy, while her intimate size will also enable her to unlock smaller ports, including Bequia, Anguilla and Les Saintes. Mediterranean favourites, such as Venice, Monte Carlo and Barcelona, will also continue to feature on the ship’s sailed itineraries, along with more secluded destinations like Syros, Mljet, and Antibes.

Silver Wind will also journey to extraordinary expedition destinations, including the Arctic and Antarctica. The enhanced ship will resume service on November 10, 2020, embarking on her inaugural season in Antarctica.

Carnival Corporation's newest ship, AIDAnova arrives in the Canary Islands

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 20 December 2018 20 December 2018

Carnival Corporation & plc has celebrated the start of its operation of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cruise Terminal in the Canary Islands with the maiden call of AIDAnova. The newest ship from Carnival Corporation's AIDA Cruises brand, Germany's leading cruise line, AIDAnova is the world’s first cruise vessel to be powered at sea and in port by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel.

In advance of the celebration, Carnival Corporation recently announced an agreement with the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to be the first concession-holder to operate the Canary Islands’ and Mid Atlantic's newest cruise terminal.

Directly following the arrival of AIDAnova on the afternoon of Dec. 18, AIDA Cruises’ president, Felix Eichhorn, welcomed Fernando Clavijo Batlle, president of the Canary Islands, and Pedro Suárez López de Vergara, president of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife as one of the first guests on board to participate in the cruise industry’s traditional plaque exchange, marking a ship’s first visit to a port.

“We are looking forward to a successful premiere season in the Canary Islands,” said Eichhorn. “AIDAnova is a milestone for our company and the entire cruise industry by offering entirely new vacation experiences. With our new ship, we will contribute to further economic growth of the local tourism and maritime industry. With an extraordinary variety of individual vacation options on board and ashore, we are providing new and exciting reasons for people to enjoy a cruise vacation, one of the vacation industry's fastest-growing sectors. Furthermore, with our pioneering LNG technology, we start a new era of even more environmentally friendly cruising."

The new Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cruise Terminal concession in the Canary Islands operated by Carnival Corporation offers passengers a comfortable experience and modern conveniences, and can accommodate next-generation "green" cruise ships powered by LNG, including AIDAnova. The first LNG supply for AIDAnova at the port took place upon its arrival, made possible by a supply agreement signed in 2016 between Carnival Corporation and Shell Western LNG B.V. (Shell) to contribute to a robust and reliable LNG fuel supply chain.

"We at Carnival Corporation are strongly committed to leading the way in the implementation of innovations to help protect the environment and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and we are proud to be on the forefront of advancing LNG as a fuel source for the cruise industry," said Tom Strang, senior vice president of maritime affairs for Carnival Corporation. “One of the keys to establishing LNG as an industry standard for powering cruise ships is building an extensive, safe and reliable infrastructure for the fuel across the globe, and we look forward to working closely with Shell to support that effort. The first LNG supply of AIDAnova here in the Canary Islands, only achieved with the active support of the local port authorities, is the start of building a strong foundation for the future of LNG fuel supply for cruise ships across the globe."

In total, following AIDAnova, Carnival Corporation has an additional 10 next-generation "green" cruise ships on order that will be powered by LNG in port and at sea, with expected delivery dates between 2019 and 2025, leading the cruise industry's use of LNG to power cruise ships.

“We are proud to be supplying LNG for the world’s first LNG-powered cruise ship,” said Tahir Faruqui, general manager, Shell global downstream LNG. “This milestone is a further demonstration of our strength in providing the expertise and infrastructure required to encourage greater use of lower emissions fuels in marine transport. Carnival Corporation has led by example and put itself at the forefront of the sector by using LNG. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the industry to demonstrate a robust and reliable LNG fuel supply chain in the years to come.”

AIDAnova today welcomed its inaugural guests in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, for the first seven-day holiday cruise around the Canary Islands and Madeira.

Carnival Corporation guests who visit Tenerife can take advantage of a variety of popular shore excursions, including whale and dolphin watching, visiting the historic district of La Laguna – the only UNESCO World Heritage City in the Canary Islands – and exploring natural attractions such as the Gardens of La Orotava Valley, the Anaga Biosphere Reserve or the Mount El Teide in the National Park, home to Spain's highest peak and the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

‘’We have a long history of working with Carnival Corporation and its cruise line brands," said Clavijo. "We appreciate their strong commitment to our great port, city and the Canary Islands, and we are pleased about the new concession in the cruise terminal and the maiden call of AIDAnova, which is already establishing new ground as the first LNG ship. We appreciate the opportunity to work closely with Carnival Corporation and its leading cruise brands, including AIDA Cruises, and we look forward to growing this partnership further in the years to come.”

“The arrival of Carnival Corporation and its cruise lines to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the materialization of a momentous advancement to bring the city to the port,” said Suárez. “The tourist development of Santa Cruz will be possible during the next years thanks to the activity of her port. In this sense, thanks in part to Carnival Corporation ships, the cruise market generated an economic impact to the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the city of Santa Cruz of €24 million ($27.1 million) in the 2018 cruise season, an increase of €6m from the 2017 cruise season.”

Suárez continued: “The policy of environmental respect is one of our pillars and the arrival of next-generation ‘green’ cruise ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) is among the priorities of our roadmap for the next years.”

Welcoming 617,987 cruise passengers in 2017, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of the busiest cruise ports in the Canary Islands, the seven-island Spanish archipelago off the coast of Africa and Spain, and the first to attract an investment by a major cruise company. The Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) member, is a very active member of MedCruise, the leading cruise port association worldwide, and it has been a Cruises Atlantic Islands founding member since 1994.

Seven brands from Carnival Corporation – AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises UK – make port calls to Tenerife during the course of the year. Carnival Corporation expects to bring more than 300,000 passenger visits to the port in 2018 – half of all cruise passenger visits – with 130 calls by 31 different ships from the company's cruise line brands.

Carnival Cruise Line to offer first-ever series of voyages from San Francisco aboard Carnival Miracle in 2020

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 19 December 2018 19 December 2018

Carnival Cruise Line has announced that for the first time, it will offer a series of cruises from San Francisco, with Carnival Miracle operating a diverse schedule that includes 4- to 15-night voyages to Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico in 2020.

Following strong reception to a previously announced program from San Diego in 2019, Carnival Miracle will also return to the port for a winter 2020-21 schedule of 3- to 15-night voyages.

These deployments further bolster Carnival Cruise Line’s position as the West Coast cruise leader, carrying more passengers than any other cruise operator. That number will continue to increase with the debut of Carnival Panorama from Long Beach in December 2019, the first new Carnival ship on the West Coast in 20 years.

With the addition of San Francisco, Carnival operates from 19 North American homeports, providing a convenient and cost-effective means for its guests to get to and from their cruises. Roughly half of the U.S. population is within a five-hour drive of a Carnival homeport.

“Carnival is the number one cruise operator from the West Coast, and these new programs from San Francisco and San Diego, as well as the deployment of the brand new Carnival Panorama from Long Beach, speaks volumes to our confidence in growing this important market,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival’s inaugural schedule from San Francisco

Carnival’s first-ever schedule from San Francisco kicks off March 19, 2020, aboard Carnival Miracle, and will include four-day long weekend voyages to Ensenada departing Thursdays and returning Mondays throughout the spring and summer, as well as five-day and six-day cruises to Ensenada, Catalina Island and San Diego in the spring.

The ship will also offer a summer schedule of 10-day Alaska cruises round-trip from San Francisco featuring a variety of popular destinations throughout the Last Frontier, including Juneau, Skagway, and Icy Strait Point as well as opportunities to visit Sitka and cruise Tracy Arm Fjord. There’s also a special one-time 11-day Alaska cruise departing Aug. 9, 2020.

Longer length voyages

A 15-day Carnival Journeys Hawaii cruise round-trip from San Francisco departs April 16, 2020, calling at awe-inspiring destinations across the Aloha State, including Maui (Kahului), Honolulu, Hilo, Kona, and Kauai, as well as a stop in Ensenada.

Prior to its West Coast deployment, Carnival Miracle will offer a 17-day Carnival Journeys Panama Canal transit March 2-19, 2020, calling at Santa Marta and Cartagena, Colombia; and Limon, Costa Rica prior to the Panama Canal transit followed by calls at Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Carnival Journeys cruises offer unique local culinary and entertainment experiences as well as special activities, including a 1980s-themed Throwback Sea Day.

Winter schedule from San Diego

Carnival Miracle will operate a winter schedule of voyages from San Diego beginning Oct. 4, 2020. The program includes convenient three-day getaways to Ensenada, four-day sailings to Ensenada and Catalina Island, and five-day departures that spend two full days in the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas.

Also offered are four 15-day Carnival Journeys Hawaii cruises round-trip from San Diego departing Oct. 16 and Nov. 28, 2020, and Jan. 9 and Feb. 20, 2021. Featured ports include Hilo, Kona, Kauai (Nawiliwili), Maui (Kahului) and Honolulu, as well as stop in Ensenada, providing guests with a variety of landside experiences in this tropical Polynesian paradise.

Genting Cruise Lines celebrates 25th anniversary in Singapore

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 19 December 2018 19 December 2018

Genting Cruise Lines celebrated its silver anniversary with a special event held on board Genting Dream in Singapore on 14 December to commemorate the very first sailing of Langkapuri Star Aquarius from Singapore in 1993, beginning 25 years of supporting Singapore to become the premier cruise hub in Asia, handling the most international passengers in Asia.

Among the nearly 500 guests representing government, travel agents and business partners, notable attendees at the 25th Anniversary celebration included Guest of Honour, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, who congratulated Genting Cruise Lines on its silver anniversary and long-standing relationship with Singapore. Genting Cruise Lines representatives at the event included Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Colin Au, Group President of Genting Hong Kong and other senior executives and staff members from the company.

Originally founded a quarter of a century ago as Star Cruises, Genting Cruise Lines has been an integral force in establishing the ASEAN as an important region and introducing innovative ships designed specifically for the more relaxed Asian cruise market where guests can enjoy a variety of leisure activities and dining options unrestricted by the rigid schedules commonly found on other cruise ships.

Over the past 25 years, the company has welcomed more than 6.5 million guests on board its fleet through over 7,500 ship calls in Singapore. In the last 12 months, Genting Dream, the only ship on a year-round deployment in the city, welcomed about 400,000 cruise passengers, of whom 60% were tourists, helping Singapore become the port with the most number of international cruise passengers in Asia. With the majority of guests flying in to Singapore, the transformation of the city as a turnaround port has had substantial economic benefits not only for airlines and airports, but hotels, as visitors normally stay pre or post cruise, shopping and other sectors of the tourism industry.

“Genting Cruise Lines is honoured to have played a part in the evolution of Singapore to become one of the leading cruise hubs in Asia and we remain committed to the future growth of the city and the ASEAN region to become one of the most important and vibrant cruise regions in the World,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay. “And we are proud of our latest milestone in Singapore with the arrival of our world-class, 150,695 gross ton Genting Dream, which has been named one of the top 10 Large Resort Ship by the esteemed Berlitz Cruise Guide.”

“Cruise is one of the key pillars of Singapore’s tourism strategy….In the area of marketing and promotion, the Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport Group and Genting Cruise Lines embarked on a S$28 million collaboration in 2017 to promote Genting Dream’s Singapore sailings. The three-year partnership is expected to bring in 600,000 overseas visitors and more than S$250 million in tourism receipts,” added Mr. Chee Hong Tat.

With the completion of the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore and clear Chinese policy to promote cruising, Genting Cruise Lines ordered two 150,000 gross ton ships for delivery in 2016 and 2017 to create “Dream Cruises”, specifically catering to the growing premium segment in Asia. With just 3,350 lower berths, the Dream Class was designed to be the most spacious megaship in the world at 45 gross tons per lower berth. Catering for the luxury segment, Dream Cruises also introduced an all-inclusive “luxury ship-within-a-megaship’ enclave, called The Palace, featuring a collection of 140 suites, private amenities including a swimming pool, restaurants, gym and other facilities and boasting the largest luxury passenger space ratio of about 100 gross tons per lower berth. Guests of The Palace will also enjoy the highest crew to passenger ratio in the world highlighted by private butler service and refined Asian dining with a complementary menu of herbal soups, seafood, bird nest and other delicacies. Western options will feature caviar, wine and other items found on international luxury cruise ships.

The acquisition of Crystal Cruises in 2015 also helped Genting Hong Kong capitalize on the growing global demand in the luxury cruise market. Through significant investment by Genting Cruise Lines, Crystal has embarked on the most ambitious brand expansion in the history of luxury travel and hospitality, introducing two new cruise options – Crystal Expedition Yacht Cruises and Crystal River Cruises – and reaching new heights with Crystal Luxury Air.

Genting Cruise Lines is built upon three pillars of excellence – a “Made in Germany” cruise fleet synonymous with the highest in quality, safety, comfort and reliability, legendary Asian service standards and uncompromising North European safety standards. Genting Cruise Line is also the first cruise line to install surveillance equipment on the bridge of all its ships and the first cruise line to build its own ship simulator for the regular training of ship officers.

Looking forward to the next 25 years, Genting Cruise Lines has bought its own shipyards in Germany, called “MV Werften”, and will be building a fleet of technologically advanced cruise ships for its three brands. The first of a fleet of luxurious 20,000 gross ton “Endeavor Class” expedition vessels will be delivered to Crystal Cruises in 2020, followed in succession by the first of a fleet of 200,000 gross ton “Global Class” ships for Dream Cruises in 2021, 67,000 gross ton “Diamond Class” ships for Crystal Cruises in 2022 and innovative “Contemporary Class” ships for Star Cruises in 2023.

Accommodating up to 9,500 passengers, Dream Cruises’ “Global Class” will be the largest cruise ships in the world by passenger capacity and will consist of mainly large, family-friendly cabins featuring two bathrooms bringing affordable cruising to all middle class passengers while also retaining its signature 150-suite “The Palace” enclave for luxury guests.

“The last 25 years have passed quickly and we are looking forward to our next 25 years to provide our cruise option to the 150 million Asian tourists who travel all over the world. By the end of the next quarter century, we will have the most modern fleet in the world for our three cruise brands, offering the most variety of itineraries and destinations, providing best-in-class service and, most important of all, maintaining our uncompromising safety culture developed over the past 25 years,” concluded Tan Sri Lim.