Sapphire Princess to Southampton as part of Princess Cruises' 2018 European programme

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 20 November 2016 20 November 2016

Princess Cruises, which is part of the Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it has published its Europe itineraries for 2018, which include the basing of Sapphire princess in Southampton – the first time the ship has left the Pacific.

“Highlights from Princess Cruises 2018 cruise vacations to Europe, include the maiden call of Sapphire Princess to this region, as well as round trip British Isles voyages aboard Royal Princess departing from Paris (Le Havre),” the company said in a statement

The 2018 season features five ships sailing to 115 destinations from the corners of the Mediterranean to the northernmost tip of Europe. Guests can choose from 57 unique itineraries on 168 cruise departures, visiting 35 countries.“We’re proud to continually earn awards for the best cruise itineraries around the globe and we’re sure to live up to our reputation with the 2018 Europe season,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “We’ve worked hard to not only showcase the famous sites of Europe to our guests but also provide them authentic local experiences to immerse themselves in the culture, food, landscape and charm of these iconic destinations.”

Highlights of the April - December 2018 Europe season include:

Sapphire Princess makes her maiden call to the British Isles, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean out of London, in addition to a 38-day maiden voyage between Singapore and London. The cruise ship will also make the cruise line’s first port call to Skagen (Denmark).

New 12-day British Isles cruises, round-trip from Paris/Normandy (Le Havre) will be offered aboard Royal Princess, christened by The Duchess of Cambridge in 2013.

As part of the cruise line’s More Ashore program, offering more time in port, a 12-day European Capitals voyage aboard Pacific Princess features an overnight stay in Amsterdam and a late departure from Antwerp.

Cruises to the Mediterranean

Crown Princess will depart on 55 cruises, featuring 13 unique itineraries, including 27 destinations in the Mediterranean and Aegean. All seven-day departures from Rome to Athens include visits to Salerno, Kotor, Corfu, Crete and Mykonos. The ship’s 11-day cruises from Barcelona to Rome visit Marseille (for Provence), Florence/Pisa, Katakolon (for Olympia), Mykonos, Santorini, Kotor and Naples (for Capri and Pompeii).

Sapphire Princess will also offer 14-day cruises from London (Southampton) to the Western Mediterranean, with later departures from Barcelona.

With 12- to 28-day voyages on Pacific Princess, guests will visit a variety of destinations throughout the Mediterranean such as Croatia, Greece, Malta and Monte Carlo, with overnight stays in Venice on all 12-day voyages between Rome and Venice.

Northern Europe cruises

New for 2018, Royal Princess will offer 12-day roundtrip British Isles Voyages from Paris/Normandy (La Havre), in addition to roundtrip cruises from London (Southampton). Select sailings on this itinerary will feature overnight stays in Dublin and all cruises will include late a departure from Belfast.

Guests will have an opportunity to attend the notable Edinburgh Military Tattoo on select eight-day Pacific Princess sailings and 12-day Royal Princess cruises, with overnight stays in Edinburgh on Pacific Princess.

Sapphire Princess makes her maiden call to Northern Europe, along with returning ships Regal Princess and Pacific Princess for 11- to 14-day Scandinavia & Russia sailings from either Copenhagen or London. All cruises feature overnight stays in St. Petersburg.

Pacific Princess also offers round trip cruises from London (Dover), visiting a variety of remote Northern Europe destinations in Iceland, Norway and the Shetland Islands, in addition to a special Summer Solstice sailing visiting Spitsbergen.

More ashore

Offering guests more time to explore local cultures and culinary offerings, select itineraries in Europe provide overnight stays in 32 ports including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Venice and late evening departures from Belfast, Berlin and Oslo.

MV Werften selects MAN engines for two Global Class cruise ships

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 17 November 2016 17 November 2016

MV Werften and MAN Diesel & Turbo have concluded a contract to equip two Global Class cruise ships for Star Cruises. With a gross tonnage of 201,000 each, the ships will be some of the largest on the market and will each be equipped with six type 48/60CR engines with a combined output of 96,000 kW. The ships are scheduled for delivery in 2020 and 2021.

The customer and recipient of these ocean-going giants, which will operate in China and all over Asia, is the Star Cruises brand of Genting Hong Kong. Genting Hong Kong has been active in the cruise business for 23 years and recently launched its new up-market cruise line brand Dream Cruises with two 150,000 gross ton ships – the Genting Dream delivered this month and the World Dream to be delivered next year, both equipped with MAN engines.

This year, the company bought German shipyards in Wismar, Rostock and Stralsund and now operates them as the shipyard group MV Werften. This strategic step was taken to secure the company’s expansion plans in the growth markets of South-East Asia and China and in the global market for luxury cruise ships.

“The cruise business is globally experiencing strong growth. This has led to very long lead times of up to ten years for new large cruise ships, since only few shipyards are specialized in the very challenging construction process of cruise ships. We want to change this by having earlier delivery and incorporate the latest design as the ships are being built”, comments Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, Chairman and CEO of the Genting corporation.

“The MV Werften sites have a long-standing tradition in shipbuilding and are in close proximity to the cluster of industries supporting cruise shipbuilding in Northern Europe,” adds Jarmo Laakso, Managing Director at MV Werften. “We have the experience and know-how for the construction of cruise ships, and are delighted to have gained an equally experienced and leading global specialist partner for maritime propulsion solutions in MAN Diesel & Turbo.”

“We are looking forward to working together with MV Werften and Genting Hong Kong, who have been established players in the cruise business and a MAN customer for many years,” says Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Diesel & Turbo. “Experienced companies have come together to establish a fourth player in the tight global cruise liner shipyard market. And it has been done right here on the German Baltic sea coast, a region with a long shipbuilding tradition. We are contributing to this with modern propulsion concepts, based on state of the art ‘Made in Germany’ engine technology.”

MAN Diesel & Turbo is one of the world’s leading suppliers of propulsion systems for cruise ships and has been able to significantly extend its own market share within this segment in recent years. In total, the company has already equipped more than 80 cruise ships with engines or complete drive systems.

Seabourn names Gerald Mosslinger Vice President Hotel Operations

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 16 November 2016 16 November 2016

Seattle-based, ultra-luxury cruise line Seabourn has named Gerald Mosslinger as the new vice president of hotel operations.

In the role, Mosslinger will be responsible for the line's overall marine hotel operations, including culinary, guest services and administration, and entertainment. He previously spent more than seven years at Seabourn, both ashore in Miami, Fla., and aboard the line's ships.

"We are pleased to welcome Gerald back to the Seabourn team as we continue our leadership role in the luxury travel segment in 2017 and beyond," said Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn. "I'm looking forward to his influence and expertise, which will continue to drive our award-winning guest experience along with innovative new ideas that deliver a rich travel experience."

Mosslinger most recently served as vice president, food and beverage, for Holland America Line. His professional career includes a stint with Joachim Splichal's Patina Restaurant Group based in Los Angeles, where he served as regional vice president.

MSC Magnifica to operate eight months from Southampton in 2018, company aims position among top three in UK

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 15 November 2016 15 November 2016

MSC Cruises, the world’s fourth largest cruise shipping company, said it would return to the UK by operating MSC Magnifica from Southampton from April to November 2018, Travel Weekly reports.

The company wants to establish itself among the three major cruise operators on the UK market. “We have created itineraries that make the most of the British Isles and the best of what are customers can experience out of their own country. I am really excited, this is game on for us. I want us to become one of the top three cruise lines in the UK,” MSC Cruises’ UK Managing director Antonio Paradiso was quoted as saying.

“We are coming back to the UK with our ship (MSC)Magnifica for a whole season, it is a big comeback for us and we are very excited. It marks a new dedication from MSC to the UK market and how we want to be one of the most popular cruise lines in the country.”

There will be five new itineraries out of Southampton including a 14-day sailing calling at Le Havre, La Coruna, Leixoes, Lisbon, Malaga then Amsterdam and Hamburg. A North Sea sailing will travel to Stavanger, Bergen, Olden and Alesund in Norway plus a round-UK sailing calling at Southampton, Newcastle, South Queensferry in Edinburgh and Invergordon. Following the UK sailings, the Magnifica will then host the company’s first ever world cruise from January 2019, the report said.