Fincantieri delivers Mein Schiff Relax in Monfalcone

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 09 February 2025 09 February 2025

Fincantieri and TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, have celebrated the delivery at the Monfalcone shipyard of Mein Schiff Relax, the first of two InTUItion class new concept cruise ships dual-fuel powered (Liquid Natural Gas - LNG and Marine Gas Oil - MGO) that Fincantieri is building for this shipowner. The sister ship will set sail in mid-2026.

The ceremony was attended by the Italian Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Ciriani, welcomed by Biagio Mazzotta and Pierroberto Folgiero, respectively Chairman, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, and by Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of the Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division. Present for the shipowner Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises, Frank Kuhlmann, Chief Financial Officer of TUI Cruises, and Captain Tom Roth.

With approximately 160,000 gross tons, this unit forms the backbone of TUI Cruises’ new fleet, based on a first-in-class project developed by Fincantieri enhancing the modernity and sustainability characteristics that TUI Cruises, a company with one of the most advanced fleets from an ecological point of view, is known for. Featuring an innovative product configuration, the project places energy efficiency at its core, aiming to reduce operational consumption and minimize environmental impact, in compliance with the latest regulations. The ship is able to use LNG and is future-proof with the ability to utilize low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG, marking a significant step towards climate-neutral cruising.

Over the past few months, more than 3,000 people, including Fincantieri staff and partner companies, have worked tirelessly onboard Mein Schiff Relax. The ship features catalytic converters meeting Euro 6 standards, a generative turbine, using the residual heat from the diesel generators, as well as an electrical shore-power connection. All this ensures almost emission-free operations while in port (about 40% of operating time). The unit is also equipped with an innovative and highly efficient waste treatment system capable of transforming organic materials into recyclable components through a thermal process.

Transcend marks major milestone with keel laying ceremony

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 06 February 2025 06 February 2025

Transcend Cruises, the charter-only river cruise company, has reached a major milestone earlier this week, as the latest phase of hull construction has been reached on its first state-of-the-art, purpose-built vessel for the B2B group market. The keel laying ceremony hosted by Den Breejen Shipyard in Orsova, Romania marks this key construction phase as the company readies for the introduction of its first vessel to the group market in 2026.

At the ceremony, Transcend Cruises executives: Hans Rood - CEO, Matthew Shollar - Chief Visionary Officer, Kimberly Daley - Chief Revenue Officer, and Carmen Mladenovic - Ship Operations Manager commemorated the progression in construction for the company. Joining Transcend’s leadership team at the ceremony from their Board of Directors was Gregg Marston. From Den Breejen Shipyard: Wouter Henstra, CCO and from their partner for the hull building scope, RensenDriessen: Edwin Diepeveen, Director Operations and Thomas de Bree, CFO.

The ceremony opened with comments from Transcend’s leadership and key stakeholders, a viewing of the hull and as part of the longstanding maritime tradition, executives from Transcend and the shipyard placed a newly minted coin on the hull of the vessel. The company chose to design a custom coin for Transcend Cruises to commemorate the first ship in the purpose-built fleet that will cruise the European rivers focused exclusively on the group and private event markets. The coin captures the beauty of the ship on one side with the phrases, “Group Travel. Redefined” and “Building the Future”. The other side showcases the elegant symbol of the company with the date of the Keel Laying Ceremony: February 4, 2025.

“After years of planning and design by our Transcend team alongside our partners from Den Breejen Shipyard and RensenDriessen, it is truly thrilling to see our vision come to life and for us to get even closer to delivery,” said Hans Rood. “What we are creating is truly ground-breaking in the group travel space and our dedicated team looks forward to the next construction phase when the completed hull is brought to Den Breejen’s shipyard in the Netherlands this summer for the final outfitting and commissioning phases before we launch next year.”

After the ceremony, the participants took part in a tour of the shipyard and an overview of the next stages to come at this Orsova shipyard. This summer the ship will transition up the Danube to complete the interior construction at Den Breejen’s shipyard in the Netherlands.

"The keel laying of Transcend Cruises' new vessel marks the beginning of an exciting journey. This ship embodies innovation, luxury, and sustainability—crafted with precision and passion by our dedicated team. We are honored to partner with Transcend Cruises in bringing their vision to life and look forward to seeing this vessel set sail on unforgettable voyages,” said Wouter Henstra.

Following the keel laying ceremony, the executive team of Transcend Cruises will travel to Hoganas, Sweden to meet with the leadership at Tillberg Design of Sweden to continue the process for the interior design of the ships.
Transcend is currently accepting charter bookings for 2026 and beyond although space is becoming limited in the launch year.

The Bazaar to debut on Celebrity Xcel

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 05 February 2025 05 February 2025

A transformational experience awaits on Celebrity Xcel. Introducing The Bazaar, a brand-new multi-level, multi-sensory space unlike anything else at sea. The new experience will be an epicenter of excitement on board and will introduce authentic experiences that extend guests’ time “on shore” to enjoy destinations in an unconventional way. Offering non-stop exploration, The Bazaar invites guests to get swept away in the sights, sounds, flavors, and traditions of the places they visit, and the festivals made famous by those destinations, all while on board Celebrity Xcel.

A first of its kind concept, no two days at The Bazaar are the same. Each day, the three-story space will transform, introducing new ways for guests to immerse themselves in the destinations called on throughout their sailing. The Bazaar comes alive to blend guests’ on board and in port experiences in an elevated, authentic and unique way throughout sailings; from a market featuring local artisan products and hands-on craft experiences, to destination inspired festivals specific to each itinerary, regionally inspired culinary experiences, and unforgettable entertainment.

“The Bazaar is a truly one-of-a-kind space designed to seamlessly blend ship and shore and transform the way guests experience destinations,” shares Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises. “Celebrity Xcel intentionally extends the destination experience onboard through a continued authentic offering between ports of call, allowing guests to take the destination with them.”

Four unique Caribbean destination-inspired festivals – each linked to a destination where the ship is sailing – will immerse guests in the cultures of ports they visit. Every festival will bring a destination to life in a myriad of ways, including local food and beverage offerings, crafting experiences, retail enrichment activations, destination-inspired cooking and dance classes, pop-up entertainment, performances from local musicians, and other Caribbean-inspired activities. As Celebrity Xcel heads to Europe in 2026, The Bazaar will transform to feature festivals, markets and culinary experiences inspired by Mediterranean destinations.

On sea days, Market at The Bazaar invites guests to take the cities they visit with them. Guests can excite their senses with unique and engaging displays from local artisans who will come onboard to showcase their crafts, skills and traditions, and even teach guests how to make their own local creations. As with all experiences at The Bazaar, the offering at the Market will change throughout sailings to reflect each of the four festival themes. Depending on the festival theme, guests can expand their palate with activities including rum and chocolate pairings and local hot sauce tastings, dive deep into the destination’s culture with experiences like live basket weaving demos, and find one-of-a-kind keepsakes from local vendors such as an authentic Caribbean mask shop, traditional Mexican leather hats, embroidery stations, and more.

For those happiest when connecting to new cultures through food, new destination-inspired dining options in The Bazaar will delight palates with local cuisines. An open kitchen concept, Mosaic, will serve reimagined and elevated dishes, inspired by the regions Celebrity Xcel is sailing, enhancing guests’ appreciation of the incredible places they have visited.

For something extra special, guests can delight in an industry-first Chef’s Table experience at Mosaic. Celebrity’s global culinary leadership team will each develop a dish inspired by their native cuisine, plated and presented in an elevated way. The Chef’s Table experience at Mosaic serves a diverse, multi-course tasting menu of childhood favorite dishes representing all continents, each perfectly paired with wines from Celebrity Cruises’ award-winning selection.

Adventurous foodies can learn to cook regional delicacies at Chef's Studio at Mosaic. Celebrity’s first-ever destination inspired cooking school. Chef’s Studio invites guests to discover their inner chef as they learn to prepare new dishes from each destination they visit. Throughout the sailing, the cooking school repertoire will change to reflect the destination-inspired festival themes, allowing guests to master local favorites and add to their recipe books alongside creating new memories.

For guests on the go, a new casual dining concept, Spice, will offer a daytime selection of rotating bites with special items inspired by the ports visited on the itinerary. A breathtaking café on the water’s edge, the inviting new seating area at Spice features floor-to-ceiling windows where guests can take in spectacular sea and port views.

Vacationers can have their say and determine how The Bazaar experiences will come to life onboard Celebrity Xcel. Celebrity Cruises’ Xcel ‘Dream Makers’ is offering cruisers a first of its kind chance to help make key decisions across culinary, entertainment and interior design to finalize the cruise line’s newest ship. Open to all who wish to join, Dream Makers is a global community of vacationers who will test, try and vote on new experiences they would like to see onboard Xcel. For The Bazaar, Dream Makers will shape how the festivals come to life, choose entertainment and activities in Market at The Bazaar, select menu items at Mosaic, and more. Those interested in joining Xcel ‘Dream Makers’ can register at https://www.celebritycruises.com/xceldreammakers.

Fincantieri secures Norwegian Cruise Line's large megaship order

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 05 February 2025 05 February 2025

As first announced in April 2024, the new units will represent the pinnacle of the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet and will be the largest ever built for this brand.

Fincantieri today announced that the Letter of Intent signed with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) and announced on April 8, 2024 has been transformed into a firm order for the construction of four new cruise ships, destined for the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) brand. The value of this agreement, subject to financing and other typical terms and conditions, is considered very important.

With a gross tonnage of approximately 226,000 tons, the new units will be the largest ever built for NCL. The ships will be built at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard, with the first unit to be delivered in 2030 and the others to follow in 2032, 2034, and 2036. With over 5,100 berths, the ships will be able to accommodate over 8,300 people, including crew. Designed according to the highest standards of comfort and technology these ships will also include sustainability features.

Fincantieri has already built two ships for the NCL brand, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, while Norwegian Aqua, the first unit of the Prima Plus class, will be delivered in the coming months. In addition, three other units are in various stages of design and construction.