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American Harmony, second modern riverboat launched four weeks ahead of schedule

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 November 2018 26 November 2018

American Cruise Lines announced on November 20 that it successfully launched its second new modern riverboat American Harmony at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD, on Saturday, November 17th. American Harmony is the second modern riverboat in the U.S. and the second of five planned ships in American’s revolutionary new series. The first ship in the series, American Song, began cruising a sold out inaugural season on the Mississippi this October 2018 and was the first modern riverboat in U.S. history. American Harmony is four weeks ahead of schedule and was launched exactly one year to the day of its sister ship American Song. Construction has also begun on the third ship in the modern riverboat series.

American Harmony will have the same sophisticated modern design and state-of-the-art technical features of its sister ship American Song, including the very unique opening bow and retractable gangway. The second ship in American’s modern riverboat series will have six decks, huge all-balcony cabins and a gorgeous 5-story glass atrium in the center of the ship.

Immediately after the launch, the ship was positioned in Chesapeake’s East Outfitting Basin where it will receive its upper decks and outfitting. Chesapeake Shipbuilding has a long history of designing and building new ships for American Cruise Lines.

The Inaugural season aboard American Harmony will begin in Summer 2019 on the Mississippi River. Sister ship American Song will reposition out West for 2019 sailing American’s Columbia & Snake River itineraries March through October 2019

Celebrity Edge arrives in Port Everglades

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 November 2018 19 November 2018

The game-changing Celebrity Edge has arrived at the new home of modern luxury – Port Everglades’ Terminal 25 (T25) in Hollywood, Fla. – following the ship’s first-ever, 15-day transatlantic crossing.

Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Richard D. Fain, said: “The arrival of Celebrity Edge today book-ends a major chapter in the growth of Celebrity Cruises. It’s the culmination of years of dreaming, designing and dedication to bring this magnificent ship to life. A new era is truly upon us.”

Viewing this momentous occasion from the bridge of Celebrity Edge with Fain, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, added: “The completion of her first-ever transatlantic crossing and arrival at T25 marks such a historic moment for Celebrity Cruises. This has been more than four years in the making. The collaboration and effort between teams across the world all comes together in this incredible moment. I can think of no better place to be than with Captain Costas and the crew of Celebrity Edge knowing that we are sailing into the future, literally and figuratively, with this beautiful ship.”

Adorning the decks as Celebrity Edge entered the channel for the first time, more than 1,400 excited crew members waved to a sea of shoreside colleagues who gathered to welcome the ship and her crew to their new home at an exclusive welcome event hosted at the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center — a fitting debut for Celebrity’s first new ship in six years and the first of a new class in more than a decade.

After the arrival of Celebrity Edge at T25, Lutoff-Perlo and Fain then hosted a grand opening ceremony in the revolutionary new terminal. Attended by key brand executives and esteemed Broward County and City of Hollywood officials, the dramatic ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official grand opening of the first terminal designed exclusively for the Celebrity brand, dubbed the new home of modern luxury.

Brought to life in collaboration with Broward County’s Port Everglades, Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc. and Moss Construction, T25 melds a stunning, warmly inviting design with unique technology, such as Expedited Arrival, which will make the check-in process absolutely seamless, as well as an interactive light wall art installation. T25 will also offer The Retreat guests a singular experience along the path to The Retreat, with an exclusive lounge, elevator lobbies, screening areas and even a private rooftop terrace.

Celebrity Edge embarked on the more-than 4,000-mile transatlantic voyage from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, on November 4, 2018, with more than 1,400 crew members on board. Along the way, the cutting-edge new ship visited ports in both Azores, Portugal, and Freeport, Bahamas.

Celebrity Edge begins her inaugural season sailing alternating seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruise itineraries, with her Maiden Western Caribbean voyage departing on December 9, 2018, and her Maiden Eastern Caribbean voyage departing on December 16, 2018. Then, in spring of 2019, Celebrity Edge crosses the Atlantic again to offer guests stunning vistas of the Mediterranean with a range of seven- to 11-night sailings visiting iconic cities, including Barcelona and Rome.

Bookings for Celebrity Edge are now open at www.celebritycruises.com/edge or through a travel advisor. Celebrity Edge will be joined by her sister ship, Celebrity Apex, in 2020, and two additional ships in the Edge Series will follow in 2021 and 2022.

V.Ships Leisure to manage Chilean expedition cruise ship

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 November 2018 19 November 2018

V.Ships Leisure, part of V.Group, the leading global marine and offshore vessel management and support services provider, has been awarded a contract by Antarctica21, the Chilean expedition cruise operator, for the technical management of the expedition vessel, Magellan Explorer, the firs named company said in a statement.

The 100-guest Magellan Explorer is currently under construction at Asenav in Chile and due to be delivered in October 2019. The vessel, which is being built to the new polar code and is uniquely customised for fly-cruises in Antarctica, will join Antarctica21's fleet as the first newbuilding for the Chile-based cruise brand, with their current fleet on charter agreements.

Antarctica21’s President and Chairman Jaime Vásquez stated: "Partnering with V.Ships Leisure, the leading provider of ship management and related services in the cruise industry, we can focus on our distinctive core business which, unlike most of our peers, avoids the Drake Passage by flying our guests to King George Island, thus allowing better comfort and more quality time in Antarctica."

Per Bjornsen, V.Ships Leisure Director said: “We are delighted to be able to bring our unique experience with start-ups and expedition vessels to support Antarctica21 as it welcomes its first newbuild. The combined experience of V.Ships Leisure and the whole of V.Group will deliver a bespoke solution for this unique fly-cruise concept.

“The award of this contract demonstrates how V.Group’s scale and flexibility allow us to compete and win across any region or sector. While we have the capacity and global reach to cater to the major cruise groups, independent operators and start-ups can leverage the same scale and systems to compete with these large groups. Because of our breadth of services, we can tailor our value proposition depending on location and size of business.”

Growth in the diversifying cruise market is a key part of V.Group’s strategy. V.Group was the first ship management company to set up a dedicated cruise brand and team, and is building on this expertise to drive market share in the rapidly developing expedition cruise niche.

V.Group is actively tackling the challenge of developing the skills needed to meet the growing demands of the polar code. V.Group’s e-learning expert, Marlins has developed an interactive e-learning tool for Polar Code which is approved by the Bahamas flag for training deck officers in the initial stages of the code.

Delays haunt three cruise ship newbuildings

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 November 2018 19 November 2018

Three cruise ship newbuildings are facing delays to entry into service – two of them for the second time.

AIDAnova, the world’s first LNG powered cruise ship, will not be able to operate its maiden voyage from Hamburg to the Canaries two cruises from 12 to 22 December, AIDA Cruises said on its website.

The Carnival Corporation & plc group member had to cancel previously announced pre-inaugural short cruises already earlier as the 184,000 gross ton ship, which is built by Meyer Werft in Germany, would not be ready to receive passengers.

The Carnival group is building units of the same class to four different brands under its umbrella.

Meanwhile, also last week, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours announced that the first sailing date for Scenic Eclipse, the World’s first discovery yacht, has been postponed to 13 April 2019.

“Due to the continuing financial issues at Uljanik shipyard in Croatia and the resultant strike by specialist engine and systems commissioning workers, this part of the ship’s completion has been delayed,” Scenic said in a statement.

The delivery of the roughly 17,000 gross ton ship was postponed by five months to the new year 2019 in the summer.

Finally, the WestSea Viana do Castello shipyard in Portugal has told Mystic Cruises that the delivery of the 9,300 gross ton Mystic Explorer, the first in a series of similar ships to the same client, would be delayed to the summer of 2019 from this month, Shippax, the Swedish cruise and ferry information company, said in its newsletter on Friday.

Regent Seven Seas announces two guest experience enhancements

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 November 2018 15 November 2018

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has announced two guest experience enhancements that reflect guest recommendations and emerging luxury cruise trends: the opening of its pool grills to serve relaxed, gourmet dinner al fresco fleetwide, and the ability for guests to use shipboard credits toward ship-based purchases prior to departure.

Luxury cruises traditionally serve guests gourmet cuisine and fine wines in award-winning dining rooms on board. However, Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests have suggested also creating an alternative casual dinner experience that is more relaxed after a day of immersive shore excursions. The cruise line is now serving dinner at its pool grills on all four ships every evening. Despite the casual ambience, there is nothing simple about Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Pool Grill fare, which features delectable grilled-to-order steaks, chops and burgers, fresh seafood, sandwiches, and salads, with table-service. Guest favorites include Provençal Marinated Lamb Chops, Striploin Minute Steaks, Thyme & Garlic Roasted Chicken and, for dessert, Caramel Popcorn Éclair. The Pool Grill is open-air, yet abundantly shaded for comfortable dining. Attire is relaxed.

“Every guest has a slightly different definition of luxury,” says Regent Seven Seas Cruises President and CEO Jason Montague. “For some, the ability to relax and enjoy the finest cuisine in a casual setting, while watching the sunset from the pool deck of our ships and seeing the ocean waves go by, is luxurious. Our goal is to deliver a personalized experience to all our guests and serving dinner at the pool grill is one more step in delivering this customized guest experience.”

Also based on guest recommendations, Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests now have early access to use any new or existing Shipboard Credit. Beginning with voyages departing on or after May 1, 2019, guests may apply their available Shipboard Credits prior to boarding toward a variety of experiences like Regent Choice Shore Excursions, and Executive Collection Private Car Tours available fleetwide or Culinary Arts Kitchen Classes aboard Seven Seas Splendor and Seven Seas Explorer. Advance access to shipboard credit will help guests and their travel advisors more conveniently plan preferred activities prior to sailing, again leading to a more personalized experience.