Azamara unveils details of 2014 evening programmes

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 18 November 2013 18 November 2013

Azamara Club Cruises, the upscale, destination focused unit in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group, says its passenger can treated like royalty at one of Russia’s oldest theatres, take part in an ancient Egyptian ‘Moulid’ festival or travel to the foothills of the Sierra Madre to learn about the culture of the local indigenous people – all are available from Azamara Club Cruises once-in-a-lifetime experiences included in the new AzAmazing Evenings 2014 programme.

"Azamara Club Cruises’ bespoke AzAmazing Evenings events were introduced for the first time in 2013 and have proved hugely popular with guests looking to immerse themselves in the customs and traditions of each destination. Guests onboard Azamara Club Cruises’ two ships are all able to experience one exclusive AzAmazing Evenings event per sailing (excluding transatlantic voyages) for no additional cost," the company said in a statement.

The dedicated 2014 AzAmazing Evenings brochure highlights the events available with each itinerary. Additional highlights of the programme include:

- The Spirit of Panama – an exclusive evening celebration at the National Theater of Panama, one of the country’s most beloved landmarks. Featuring music and dance performances, the show tells the story of Panama from early indigenous people through to the end of Colombian rule. Available onboard Azamara Quest’s 10-night National Parks and Canal cruise departing on 5 January 2014. Prices start from £1,829 per person based on two people sharing an inside stateroom, excluding flights.
- Ephesus: Back to Roman times – a private 12-piece orchestra performance in the Roman theatre at the ancient archaeological site of Ephesus. Performance includes music from Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and Brahms. Available onboard Azamara Journey’s 10-night Holy Lands Voyage departing on 2 May 2014. Price starts from £2,866 per person based on two people sharing an oceanview stateroom, including return flights from London Heathrow.
- Swan Lake – an exclusive private performance of one of the most famous Russian ballets, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, at the Odessa National Opera and Ballet Theater. Available onboard Azamara Quest’s seven-night Cruising the Black Sea cruise departing 1 September 2014. Price starts from £2,368 per person based on two people sharing an inside stateroom including return flights from London Heathrow.

Azamara Club Cruises offers distinct destination-immersive experiences for upmarket travellers. The cruise line features voyages with longer stays and more overnights at ports to provide guests the opportunity to experience night touring at some of the most compelling destinations of Europe, Asia, South America, West Indies, as well as Central and North America.

Royal Caribbean's first ship reported sold for scrap

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 18 November 2013 18 November 2013

Formosa Queen, the 22,945 gross ton cruise liner that started life in 1970 as Song of Norway, has been reportedly been sold for scrap in China, reports in the shipping media say. It was the first unit in a trio of ships that launched Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd's (RCCL) operation more than four decades ago.

The ship, which originally measured at 18,853 gross tons, was built at Wartsila in Helsinki, Finland. The design derived heavily on experience gained from the cruise ferry Finlandia that the same yard had built for a local owner in 1967.

Among the features adopted from Finlandia was the decision to locate the dining room amidships on the same deck with main public rooms, which also followed the layout adopted in the ferry. The ship's propulsion system that comprised four medium speed engines, coupled to two propellers, was another design feature adopted from Finlandia.

This arrangement allowed great deal of flexibility as the number of engines online could be adapted to power requirement at any given time. In addition, these engines were lighter and lower than slow speed engines that were used on many passenger ships at the time.

Song of Norway and Nordic Prince, the second unit of the class, which had been delivered in 1971, were lengthened from their original 168 metres to 193 metres at Wartsila at the turn of the 1970s to 1980s. The third unit, called Sun Viking that had entered service in 1972, was not lengthened.

All three ships have had a number of name and ownership changes after they were phased out from the RCCL fleet in the mid-1990s.

 

Costa Voyager reported to be up for sale

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 18 November 2013 18 November 2013

Costa Voyager, the 24,400 gross ton ship that is the smallest unit in the fleet of costa Crociere, is reported to be up for sale.

The ship, which was built in Germany as Olympic Voyager for the now defunct Royal Olympic Cruises in Greece, is to be sold as part of a three part strategy of Costa Crociere, according to Michael Thamm, CEO. The first part of this is to grow capacity by introducing new ships, the second one focuses on bringing existing ships in line with latest ones through upgrades, while the third one entails disposals of units that have reached the end of their life cycle, Thamm was cited by the cruisetricks.de website as saying.

Carnival Corp & plc, which is the parent company of Costa Crociere, said in its third quarter 2013 interim report that two units of its Italian contemporary market unit would either be sold or scrapped.

Norwegian Getaway reaches Eemshaven

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 15 November 2013 15 November 2013

Norwegian Getaway departed Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany late last night, for her approximately 24-hour long conveyance along the Ems River. Norwegian Getaway's river conveyance marks another key milestone in the ship's highly anticipated delivery.

Sailing backwards, Norwegian Getaway left Meyer Werft at approximately 10 p.m. (local time in Germany), and made a narrow passage through the ship yard's locks, with only 1.6 meters clearance separating the ship from the bumpers that were specially installed along the starboard side of the locks. This very tedious maneuver took approximately 1.5 hours at a maximum speed of only 0.2 knots. The precise navigation was led by a team of two located on the bridge, with one navigation officer in charge of overseeing the bow maneuvers and the other overseeing the movement of the stern. It was extremely important that not too much force was placed on the bumpers, which can only support a light touch by the ship, which measures 1063 feet long and 130 feet wide; therefore, minimum speed and minimum pressure on the bumpers was essential. After passing through the locks, Norwegian Getaway continued along the river, stern first. Due to the strong propulsion in the aft section of the vessel, traveling stern first helps with maneuverability which is a key component when navigating the vessel through such narrow passages.

Before reaching her final destination in Eemshaven, Germany at 5 p.m. (local time in Germany) today, heading toward the North Sea, Norwegian Getaway will pass through additional narrow passages including the locks in Papenburg, which allow only 1.5 meter clearance on either side; Weener Bridge in Weener; Jann-Berghaus Bridge in Leer; and Ems-Barrier in Gandersum.