Seabourn announces new Alaska shore excursions

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 30 December 2016 30 December 2016

Seabourn Cruise Line is headed back to Alaska for the first time in 15 years, and guests are guaranteed an adventure with many new optional shore excursions and Ventures by Seabourn guided kayak and Zodiac tours exploring the natural beauty of The Last Frontier. The up-close explorations will be featured on Seabourn Sojourn's series of 11-, 12- and 14-night itineraries sailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, and Anchorage (Seward), Alaska starting June 2017.

"Exploring at sea level in the company of qualified guides and experts is a great way for guests to experience Alaska intimately, and we're pleased to offer many incredible and exclusive opportunities aboard Seabourn Sojourn over the season ahead," said Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn. "With the goal of providing the utmost enrichment for guests, each optional shore excursion and Ventures by Seabourn offering will present an authentic view of Alaska with guidance from experts in the field. Even travelers who have sailed in Alaska before will find something new to experience with Seabourn."

A variety of shore excursions will be available at ports and destinations along the way, including dog sledding, floatplane trips, wildlife viewing, and fishing for some of Alaska's abundant supply of salmon. Ventures by Seabourn is another optional for-charge program offering an informative and exhilarating way for guests to enhance their cruise experience through excursions guided by knowledgeable and articulate teams of scientists, scholars, naturalists and more. A glimpse of the Ventures by Seabourn tours in Alaska can be viewed here.

There will be a wealth of shore excursions and Ventures by Seabourn offered during the 2017 season of Seabourn Sojourn in Alaska. Highlights for the 2017 season ahead include:

Featured shore excursions

– Exclusive St. Lazaria Wildlife Cruise & Lunch at Dove Island Lodge (Sitka) - Exclusively developed for Seabourn, guests will indulge in world-class bird- and wildlife-watching on a catamaran excursion to St. Lazaria National Wildlife. A heated cabin offers a comfortable boat ride to the summer home of thousands of seabirds from tufted puffins to rhinoceros auklets nesting on sheer volcanic cliffs surrounded by waters swimming with whales and sea otters.

– Dog Sledding on Mendenhall Glacier by Helicopter (Juneau) - Guests will have a ride to remember with the oldest operating dog sled tour company, following a thrilling flightseeing tour of Mendenhall Glacier. Professional mushers will be along for the ride to help guests drive the team or let them relax in the sled amid awe-inspiring scenery. Guests will get to talk with the mushers and snap photos with the dogs before returning to the luxurious comforts of the ship from this authentic Alaskan experience.

– Alaska Fishing & Wilderness Dining (Ketchikan) - Glide into breathtaking scenery aboard an open-air skiff and cast a line for the main dish of a gourmet campfire meal. After fishing, a wilderness campsite welcomes guests with a crackling fire surrounded by ancient cedar and spruce. The freshly caught seafood from the day will be served atop a saffron-infused, bouillabaisse-inspired stew with side dishes to satisfy Alaska-sized appetites.

– Burro Creek Waterfall Retreat & Crab Boil (Haines) - Nestled along the mystical coastline of Lynn Canal - America's longest and deepest fjord - the Burro Creek Lodge Waterfall retreat beckons with breathtaking waterfalls, stunning viewpoints and an elegant off-the-grid wilderness dining experience. Following a boat transfer, guests can come face-to-face with Burro Creek's most spectacular waterfall or join the onsite naturalist for a moderate hike to more along a 1,400-foot pipeline that feeds the Lodge's hydroelectric system.

Featured ventures by Seabourn

– Rudyerd Bay (Misty Fjords National Park) - Misty Fjords inspired explorer, John Muir, proclaimed the national park among the most beautiful places he had ever seen. The Zodiac and flight adventure offers the chance to see remote parts of Misty Fjords at sea level, complete with the spray of the waterfalls. A short flight from the Misty Fjords showcases the best of this 2 million-acre national treasure, while articulate naturalist/qualified Zodiac drivers lead each boat.

– Davidson Glacier Hike (Haines) - A Zodiac ride from Letnikof Cove to Glacier Point leads to a guided hike through the temperate Alaskan rainforest, with the Ventures team and specialist local guides interpreting an incredible variety of fauna and flora. Upon reaching the base of Davidson Glacier, guides will help guests gear up with helmet, crampons and more to step out onto the glacier.

– Kayak Exploration of Holgate Fjord (Holgate Glacier) - Paddle along in a double kayak and discover the wildlife-rich environment of Holgate Fjord, amid backdrops of dramatic waterfalls, ice and glaciers. A qualified Ventures kayak guide will lead this Alaskan experience with a Zodiac following just behind to enrich the experience.

– Scenic Cruising of Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm (Sawyer Glacier/Endicott Arm) - Legendary scenery, abundant wildlife and boundless beauty await via Zodiac through Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier. Waterfalls and wildlife - including birdlife, mountain goats, sea lions and harbor seals - are everywhere, and the Zodiac allows guests to get in close proximity to view face of the glacier.

Seabourn Sojourn's season in Alaska launches with the 11-DAY Ultimate Alaskan Sojourn, departing from Vancouver, B.C., on Jun. 1, 2017, priced from $4,999 per person.

Norwegian Pearl and Gem retrofitted with scrubber technology

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 24 December 2016 24 December 2016

In conjunction with Norwegian Cruise Line’s commitment to its Eco-Smart Cruising program and excellence in environmental practices, Norwegian announced recently the successful completion of the retrofitting of new Exhaust Gas Cleaning systems on Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem, aimed at significantly reducing air emissions and the ships’ environmental footprint.

“Safeguarding the protection and preservation of the environment is a paramount core value at Norwegian Cruise Line,” said Robin Lindsay, Executive Vice President of Vessel Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. “With three vessels successfully retrofitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems in 2016, Norwegian Cruise Line is proud to see this new technology in place to help maintain a clean environment for our guests to enjoy for generations to come.”

Norwegian Cruise Line was the first cruise line to retrofit a vessel with a Scrubber Hybrid system while it is in service with the installment of Norwegian Jewel’s system, which was completed in early September. The new lightweight in-line scrubbers installed on all three ships this year are a hybrid technology developed by Yara Marine Technologies that are able to operate in Dry mode, Open loop and Closed loop. Five scrubbers were installed, one per engine, covering the whole propulsion system. Collectively, they are capable of reducing the emission of sulfur to air up to 99 percent and also reduce 85 percent particulate emission to the air.

Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl’s new technology will reduce the equivalent of approximately 1,500 tons of Sulfur Oxide, SOx, gas in the years to come as a result of this new technology. A lengthy two year project, retrofitting for each ship featured more than 100,000 man hours between numerous partner organizations to be completed.

Norwegian Cruise Line introduced the Eco-Smart Cruising program to help preserve the oceans and to be an environmental steward, fulfilling its core company value of Environmental Protection. Eco-Smart Cruising practices and policies can be seen implemented across the guest experience and in Norwegian’s private destination experiences on Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas and Harvest Caye in Belize. Each ship has a dedicated environmental team who ensure that the operations of the ship uphold the highest standards environmental consciousness by recycling as much waste as possible, ensuring safe disposal of garbage, monitoring fuel efficiency and more.

Norwegian now has five ships outfitted with Exhaust Gas Cleaning System technology, with Norwegian Gem and Pearl joining their sister ship Norwegian Jewel as well as Norwegian Escape and Pride of America. Norwegian Joy, Norwegian’s upcoming new build that is currently being custom built for the Chinese market at Meyer Werft, will feature hybrid scrubber technology as well when the ship is delivered in April 2017. Norwegian Cruise Line is on track to meet its MARPOL Annex VI compliance goal of reducing its global sulfur cap from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent by 2020. All Jewel-class vessels will soon be outfitted with scrubber technology, with Norwegian Jade slated to round-out the class’ installment in early 2017. Norwegian Sun will also complete her retrofitting in the second quarter of 2017.

STX France and two owners sign firm contracts for eight ships

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 December 2016 21 December 2016

STX France, the French cruise ship builder, and two of its customers have signed firm building contracts to cover eight ships that have been under a preliminary contract so far.

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd (RCCL), the world's second largest cruise shipping company,  will receive the fourth Oasis class unit, which has been designated the hull number B34, in the spring of 2018. A fifth ship of the 227,000 gross ton type (C34) will follow in the middle of 2021.

The same customer will take delivery of the first 117,000 gross ton Edge class unit (J34) in the autumn of 2018 and the second ship will follow in the beginning of 2020 (K34). Third and fourth units are due in the autumn of 2021 and 2022, respectively, and these ships have been designated the hull numbers L34 and M34.

Furthermore, the French shipbuilder has signed a firm contract with MSC Cruises, the world’s fourth largest cruise ship operator, to build two Meraviglia Plus class vessels of 177,000 gross tons and the vessels are due for delivery in 2019 and 2020 respectively, STX France said in a statement.

Shakira to star on Costa Cruises’ commercials

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 16 December 2016 16 December 2016

Costa Cruises, part of the Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it is launching a new international advertising campaign, to be aired on TV, social media and the Internet, with superstar Shakira back in front of the cameras.

It will start with a teaser trailer on 18 December in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The full-length advert will instead be broadcast from 25 December, the company said in a statement.

Shakira will star in a mysterious love story with a twist, set in Amalfi. The style will be very film-like, with clear allusions to Italian arthouse cinema, in particular Federico Fellini. In a dreamlike atmosphere, the images will show some typical elements associated with the Italian lifestyle, such as elegance, beauty, charm and joy, evoking the emotions that you can experience on a Costa cruise. The music will also be an explicit reference to Fellini, using the most famous theme from the soundtrack composed by Nino Rota for the film Amarcord.

Luca Casaura, SVP Global & Strategic Marketing of Costa Cruises, explains: “With this new campaign we have introduced highly innovative features compared to the communication methods used in the tourism industry up until now. We have created a fully-fledged short film with a very distinctive Italian style, drawing on the emotions and the dream aspect our cruises offer, in an evocative, playful way. Of course, there are elements that carry on from the last campaign, which was a great success. This explains why we chose a great star like Shakira to take the leading role and why we decided to continue with the slogan: “Benvenuti alla Felicità2”, which accurately conveys the promise we make to people choosing to go on holiday with Costa”.

 The film, which will be shown in 120", 60", 30", 20" 15", 10” formats, was directed by Jaume de Laiguana, who has created some of Shakira’s most famous music videos in the past. The launch will be extensive, using mainly TV (in Italy, France and Spain) and social media (in all countries), as well as the Internet, digital advertising and DEM. The campaign will also be adapted for point of sales materials at the cruise line’s main travel agency partners, with themes drawing on the new creative concept.

Costa Cruises’ new communications campaign was mounted in partnership with creative agency Young & Rubicam Spain, and was led by executive creative director Manu Diez. The Global & Strategic Marketing Department contributed on behalf of Costa Cruises