Sea Cloud Spirit to homeport in Venice Grand Canal Summer 2025

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 25 October 2024 25 October 2024

Sea Cloud Cruises, one of the world's most storied names in cruise travel, will deploy its newest ship, Sea Cloud Spirit, for four new Venice roundtrip sailings during the Summer 2025 season. For the first time in the cruise line’s history, the line’s largest and newest ship will sail four, 9-night voyages that include an overnight in Venice, docking in the city’s exclusive Grand Canal. Titled “The Enchanting Croatian Coast,” the itinerary will include six ports of call along Croatia’s scenic coast and two days under full sail exploring the Adriatic Sea. The 2025 Venice roundtrip sailings are July 24-August 2, August 2-11, August 11-20, August 20-29.

A special addition to the August 2-11 sailing will be a special Cabaret Cultivated Journey headlined by feature cabaret, concert and recording artist Travis Moser. Moser has packed houses and won acclaim for his solo shows in New York City’s most intimate stages and around the country. His performances will mark the first Sea Cloud Cruises Cabaret Cultivated Journey with a planned set-list showcasing Travis’ personal inspirations of travel, sailing and accompanied on Sea Cloud Spirit’s iconic Steinway & Sons grand piano.

“So much of the musical experience is the venue, connecting the audience in an intimate space and I cannot be more excited to do just that onboard the beautiful Sea Cloud Spirit sailing the Adriatic Sea from Venice,” shared Moser regarding his 2025 Cultivated Journey performance. “I look forward to sharing this travel and musical experience with guests and will be counting the days until my accompanist and I board.

Historic Venice is limited to ships under 25,000 gross tons and Sea Cloud Cruises is one of the few cruise lines permitted to dock just steps from St. Mark’s Square, offering a dramatic arrival and departure in the heart of Venice’s Grand Lagoon. The full itinerary features Venice, a day under full sails, Sibenik/Croatia, Dubrovnik/Croatia, Korula/Croatia, Vis/Croatia, Hvar/Croatia, day under full sails, Rovinj/Croatia returning to Venice overnight. Shore excursion highlights include the waterfalls and wading pools of Krka, extra time in Dubrovnik until 11 p.m. after the large ships leave, the serene island harbor of Komiza known for wine making and fishing and opportunities for an evening stroll on Venice’s Rialto Bridge before retiring to Sea Cloud Spirit just steps from the historic sites.

“Sailing was a passion of Marjorie Merriweather Post, creator of the original Sea Cloud, and these special Venice roundtrip sailings have been meticulously designed to pay homage to her love for traveling in this region under full sail.” said Mirell Reyes, president of Sea Cloud Cruises North America. “Post was also passionate about music, and we are thrilled to have Travis Moser join us on our first of hopefully many special Cabaret Cultivated Journeys performing in such beautiful space with our Steinway & Sons grand piano.”

Moser’s most recent show, “Someday Soon: The Songs of Judy Collins,” recently completed a tour of across the country. His previous show, “Just One Look: The Songs of Linda Ronstadt,” paid homage to the legendary goddess of music and debuted at New York’s famed The Green Room 42. This will mark his debut onboard Sea Cloud Spirit and with Sea Cloud Cruises.

Upcoming voyages on Sea Cloud Spirit include open bar, all meals with exclusive wine and beer selections, water sports, port charges, gratuities and welcome bottle of champagne upon embarkation. Fall Sale Fares per person, based on double occupancy are from $8,545 with a $2,500 stateroom and a $3,500 suite credit when booked by December 20, 2024.

Mitsui Ocean Cruises signs culinary partnership with Chef Kiyomi Mikuni

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 25 October 2024 25 October 2024

MOL Cruises, Ltd., which operates under the brand name Mitsui Ocean Cruises, recently announced an exclusive cruise line partnership with award-winning Chef Kiyomi Mikuni, Japan’s proud master of Japanese French fusion cuisine. This premier collaboration will serve Chef Mikuni’s first-ever culinary experiences on a cruise ship – the new Mitsui Ocean Fuji – debuting Dec. 1, 2024.

Renowned for the stylistic beauty and delicate taste of cuisine onboard its Nippon Maru cruise ship, by adding Chef Mikuni’s expertise and one-of-a-kind dishes to its dining program, Mitsui Ocean Cruises now lays claim to having the best food and culinary experiences at sea.

One of Japan’s highest-rated chefs, owner of award-winning restaurants and best-selling author, Chef Mikuni is internationally known for creating his own “Japonese” while perfectly understanding and expressing traditional French cuisine. Chef Mikuni is the first-ever Japanese chef to receive the “Chevalier of the Legion of Honour” from the Republic of France in 2015.

Mitsui Ocean Fuji guests will have the exclusive opportunity to enjoy the delicate cuisine of Chef Mikuni at sea, tasting his curated French dishes that also combine traditional Japanese ingredients. His memorable dining experiences offer the heartfelt “omotenashi” service of Japan and the praise of delicious cuisine, as he oversees the following onboard dining menus:

HOKUSAI FINE DINING: Named after the famous Japanese Artist Katsushika Hokusai who created many famous renderings of Mount Fuji, Chef Mikuni will bring to the table the highest quality of presentation, service and local Japanese seasonal ingredients. The prix fixe, five-course dinner, includes the amuse-bouche, hors d’oeuvres, Japanese-French-inspired main dishes, desserts and petit fours. The menu will also feature vegetarian and gluten-free selections.

Menu offerings include Pacific Bluefin Tuna Tartare; Japanese Spiny Lobster and Truffle Salad; Brittany Blue Lobster Cabbage Wrapped with Caviar; Wagyu Beef Filet Rossini with Foie Gras and Truffles; and Passion Blancmange, Apricot Bavarois with Lychee Sorbet. Chef Mikuni has also hand selected a specially curated wine list.

Guests staying in the top 36 Unjo Suites will receive one complimentary dinner for two in HOKUSAI FINE DINING. A specialty dining cover charge applies for all other guests.

THE RESTAURANT FUJI: For the ship’s namesake main dining restaurant, Chef Mikuni will create a selection of main dishes rotating on the dinner menus, including Salmon Compote with Red Wine Sauce, Red Sea Bream with Escargot Butter Sauce and Vietnamese Rice Bowl with Japanese Vegetables. Mitsui Ocean Cruises’ famous roast beef and other delicacies that became favorites on Nippon Maru will continue to be served onboard.

Katsutoshi Nakayama, Executive Chef of Mitsui Ocean Fuji, remarked “As the most experienced and traditional cruise line in Japan, our culinary team has always been praised by our guests for their meticulous preparation and presentation of fresh ingredients from local purveyors. Partnering with Chef Mikuni to oversee our new specialty restaurant Hokusai and select dishes in the main dining room onboard our new Mitsui Ocean Fuji combines our heritage and commitment to serve memorable dishes with his expertise and unique style, with exquisite French and Japanese culinary fusion.”

Chef Mikuni added, “The culinary vision of Mitsui Ocean Fuji with a high standard to serve extraordinary dishes matches my one true passion of cooking. Partnering with the most experienced cruise line in Japan to bring my innovative flair to guests while they sail around Japan and beyond on the new Mitsui Ocean Fuji is a joy for me. Like the namesake of my first restaurant at sea, Hokusai, I also draw my inspiration from painting, crafting works of art on a plate, blending the right balance of Asian and European elements to create the perfect taste with each bite.”

Meyer Werft delivers Disney Treasure

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 24 October 2024 24 October 2024

Meyer Werft today delivered the Disney Treasure, to Disney Cruise Line. The Disney Treasure features some of the most complex and innovative entertainment facilities in the cruise industry. The ship has been completed earlier than contractually agreed and will set sail with guests in December.

“We are very happy to hand over the Disney Treasure to Disney Cruise Line today. She is the newest milestone in our longstanding partnership and everyone at Meyer Werft has put a lot of effort and passion into Disney Treasure”, says CEO Bernd Eikens. Together with Bernard Meyer and Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Signature Experiences, Eikens signed the handover papers.

“The Disney Treasure is yet another example of how we’re bringing the magic of Disney cruising to more fans than ever before – and today, we are one step closer to debuting this spectacular ship to the world,” said Mazloum. “We’re incredibly thankful for our work with Meyer Werft and look forward to our bright future together as we continue to expand the Disney Cruise Line fleet.”

New adventures await families aboard the Disney Treasure with imaginative experiences inspired by Disney’s rich portfolio of stories. These include theatrical dining inspired by Pixar’s “Coco,” an original Broadway-style adaptation of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, “Moana,” and an all-new collection of Disney Parks-inspired lounges for adults, like the first-ever Haunted Mansion-themed bar.

The Disney Treasure is the latest ship to join Disney Cruise Line’s fleet and the fourth Disney ship built by Meyer Werft. Meyer Werft and Disney Cruise Line have a longstanding relationship, that started with the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, which were delivered in 2010 and 2012. In 2022, the Disney Treasure’s sister ship, the Disney Wish, was handed over to Disney Cruise Line. The third ship in the class, the Disney Destiny, is currently under construction in Papenburg and will be delivered in 2025. In August, Disney Cruise Line and Meyer Werft announced that the German shipyard will build four additional ships that will join Disney Cruise Line’s fleet between 2027 and 2031.

Meyer Werft has contracted 10 cruise ships, a research vessel and four offshore converter platforms, which will be delivered until 2031.

Fincantieri and Viking sign contracts for two cruise ships plus four options

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 23 October 2024 23 October 2024

Fincantieri and Viking have announced that they have signed contracts for the construction of two new cruise ships, based on the successful features of the previous vessels, which Fincantieri has already built for this shipowner in its Italian yards. The units will be delivered in 2030. The value of this agreement, subject to financing and other typical terms and conditions, is considered as large.

Fincantieri and Viking have also reached an agreement for four additional ships in option with deliveries scheduled for 2031 and 2032.

The new ships will be built according to the latest environmental rules and navigation regulations and will be equipped with the most modern safety systems. They will boast all innovations made available by the ongoing cooperation between Fincantieri and Viking for the development of eco-friendly fuels and of sustainable zero- emission power generation systems.

The new vessels will be placed in the small cruise ship segment, the gross tonnage is about 54,300 tons and they will accommodate 998 passengers on board in 499 cabins.

The agreement reflects the strong and long-lasting relationship between Fincantieri and Viking dating back to 2012- and whose collaboration encompasses, as of today, a total of 22 ships, including the two purpose-built expedition units of the Norwegian subsidiary Vard.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, commented: “This new order represents another step forward in our collaboration with Viking, further consolidating Fincantieri as a global leader in naval engineering innovation. This agreement not only strengthens our order book, but it ensures further depth of work in our shipyards over the long term, positioning us at the forefront of driving the industry towards energy transition. Our ability to integrate cutting-edge technologies is a testament to our commitment to building ships for tomorrow, aligned with the climate challenges and opportunities in the cruise industry, as outlined in our Industrial Plan.”