MSC Armonia reaches dry dock in Renaissance Programme start

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 03 September 2014 03 September 2014

MSC Cruises’ Renaissance Programme to renew and enlarge four ships of its 12-strong fleet has started after MSC Armonia arrived in Sicily. “On Sunday 31 August MSC Armonia entered the Fincantieri shipyard, in Palermo, Italy, where she will remain for 11 weeks, until resuming service on 17 November with a one-off inaugural Mediterranean cruise from Genoa to the Canary Islands,” the company said in a statement.

Over the next two and a half months, Fincantieri’s team of world-class shipbuilders will lengthen the ship by inserting a prebuilt 24-metre section containing 194 extra cabins. In addition, they will refit and renew many other parts of the ship, upgrading the level of comfort, entertainments and services available on board.

Before MSC Armonia’s arrival on Sunday, Fincantieri had begun preparations for the massive project both on board and in the shipyard. On 28 August, the new midship section was floated into the shipyard, and towed into the drydock area, where MSC Armonia will undergo her Renaissance.

Finally, on Sunday morning, MSC Armonia stopped inside the drydock, where the midship section was waiting. Work immediately started on her hull, as the cutting line was marked. The midsection will be inserted mid-September and the maiden journey out of the shipyard will be on 17 November.

In addition to new cabins, the ship will boast new areas for the Baby Club built in partnership with Chicco; also a new Mini Club and Young Club for kids to play, as well as a Teens Club. Food lovers were not forgotten as the buffet will be open 20 hours per day and exciting features will be available for an even better food experience. She will also feature a new lounge area as well as an extended restaurant.

MSC Armonia will in addition be fitted with a library for MSC travellers to enjoy their time on board even more. MSC Aurea Spa will also benefit from enrichments to please our guests. A completely new spray park will also be added, with an exhilarating pathway of water features and water cannons.

The Renaissance programme will follow the below schedule:

•           MSC Armonia: 31 August to 17 November 2014

•           MSC Sinfonia: 12 January to 16 March 2015

•           MSC Opera: 2 May to 4 July 2015

•           MSC Lirica: 31 August to 9 November 2015

The four ships were built between 2003 and 2005 at the STX yards in Saint-Nazaire, France. They are currently 251 metres long, weigh 60,000 tons and carry 2,069 travellers. After the “renaissance programme”, the ships will be 275 meters long, weigh 65,000 tons and carry 2,680 travellers, boasting 193 additional cabins (plus 59 new cabins for crew members).

Costa Diadema's modern art to complement its innovative design

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 02 September 2014 02 September 2014

Costa Diadema, Costa Cruises' new 132,500-ton flagship, will feature 7,671 pieces of specially commissioned modern art that perfectly complement the ship's innovative interior design. The art will be on display when the ship is delivered Oct. 30, 2014.

Costa Diadema, the Regina del Mediterraneo or Queen of the Mediterranean, will exhibit a wide array of original art, reproductions and silk-screen prints by 41 artists -- 38 of them Italian. The artists were commissioned by Costa to interpret the theme of regality, as in belonging to or befitting a monarch, through painting, sculpture, photography, graphics, architecture and design.

"We are trying to evoke different feelings through the ambiance of the interiors on Costa Diadema," said Joseph Farcus, the architect on Costa newbuilds since Costa Atlantica, which debuted in 2000. "The art and design elements are essential to achieving the emotional dimension we want guests to experience."

Curator and artistic duo Casagrande & Recalcati selected both recognized and emerging artists to take inspiration from contemporary culture. Among them are well-known artists Sam Havadtoy and Mario Donizetti, as well as rising Italian artists Vanni Cuoghi, Resi Girardello, Andy, Roberta Savelli and Claudio Prestinari.

Among the art pieces are 190 original works, including paintings hung in suites and in the stairwells, and other mixed-media works placed at the entrance to the theater. Public areas such as the Corona Blu Restaurant, Costa Diadema Club Restaurant, Eliodoro Atrium and Lido Diana will feature 260 works of digital art and 26 sculptures. On the open-air Promenade, which encircles the ship from stern to bow on Deck 5, Roberto Bixio's two large glass mosaics titled "Riviera Ligure" showcase imagery from the Mediterranean coasts on both port and starboard sides, covering a total area of 1,442 square feet.

Italian artists who worked on the Costa Diadema project include Piero Addis, Andy, Davide Avogadro, Bixio, Manuela Carrano, Casagrande & Recalcati, Cuoghi, Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, Donizetti, Titti Garelli, Girardello, Eloisa Gobbo, Marco Grassi, Riccardo Gusmaroli, Cristina Iotti, Vittorio Locatelli and Carlo Ninchi, Tiziana Lorenzelli, Flavio Lucchini, Francesca Marzorati, Francesco Merletti, Alberto Nodolini, Matteo Piazza, Annalisa Pirovano, Prestinari, Elisa Rossi, Savelli, Luisa Valentini, Antonella Piro, Virgilio Rospigliosi, Augusto Vignali and Toni Zanussi.

Artists from outside Italy include Roger de Montebello and Nathalie du Pasquier from France, and the Hungarian-American Havadtoy.

The 132,500-ton Costa Diadema is being built at Fincantieri's shipyard in Marghera, Italy, at a cost of US$745 million.

Costa Diadema's monthlong debut will include a preview cruise from Trieste, Italy, Nov. 1, the christening overnight Nov. 7 in Genoa, Italy, and a trio of seven-night inaugural cruises Nov. 8, 15 and 22.

Beginning Nov. 29 and for the rest of the 2014-15 winter season and through summer 2015, Costa Diadema will depart Savona, Italy, on seven-night western Mediterranean cruises calling weekly at Marseille, France; Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; and Naples and La Spezia, Italy.

Princess Cruises unveils hip Night Sky Lounge aboard Regal Princess

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 02 September 2014 02 September 2014

A new, cool nighttime experience will debut on Regal Princess in November, enabling guests to enjoy a chic and contemporary outdoor nightclub under the stars. The new nightclub, Night Sky Lounge, will debut in November when the ship begins her inaugural Caribbean season.

The top-deck Retreat Pool will transform into the new Night Sky Lounge one night during each cruise, inviting guests to enjoy an upbeat and modern, South Miami-style nightclub vibe, including atmospheric pool and furniture lighting, glowing drinks and a DJ spinning tunes on a state-of-the-art audio system. Cruise guests will sip sophisticated cocktails, even in the two Jacuzzis, enjoy a flair bartending demonstration, dance the night away, and can even reserve a cabana with hosted bottle service.

“The Retreat Pool aboard Regal Princess is such an inviting space, and so transforming it into a cool lounge that offers an entirely new evening experience will be sure to delight our guests,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “We think the lounge’s great location, beautiful lighting, specialty cocktails and music will be a winning entertainment experience.”

Guests will pay a nominal charge to enter the Night Sky Lounge.

Regal Princess begins her Caribbean cruise season on November 6 with a short preview sailing, followed by a schedule of seven-day cruises to ports in the Eastern Caribbean including St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Princess Cays in the Bahamas.

P&O Cruises Australia to introduce restrictions on beverages brought on board

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 02 September 2014 02 September 2014

P&O Cruises Australia, the Australia and New Zealand focused contemporary market unit in Carnival Corp & plc group, says it will introduce restrictions to beverages that passengers can bring on board its three ship fleet, which will grow to five next year.

“To maintain the safety and security of all of our guests in line with the Responsible Service of Alcohol guidelines, we have introduced some new safety measures. These apply to cruises departing on or after 1 November 2014:

* Plastic or glass bottled soft drinks (including water) and slab packs of canned soft drinks are not permitted to be brought onboard.

* Each guest may bring onboard a maximum of 12 cans of soft drink loosely packed.

*Alcohol is not permitted to be brought onboard,” the company said on Facebook.

“The safely of all of our guests and crew is crucial to us and was our main consideration in introducing the new measures. We want to ensure that everyone has the best time possible onboard, and this includes everyone keeping secure and well.” The company said.