Hebridean Island Cruises’ river programme to start 9 June
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 07 June 2012 07 June 2012
Hebridean Island Cruises which operates the small luxury cruise ship Hebridean Princess, embarks on its first ever River Cruise programme on 9 June 2012 on board Royal Crown, the company said in a statement.
"Making its maiden voyage with Hebridean Island Cruises on the Rhine, guests can expect the same comfort and style synonymous with the five-star Hebridean experience. Replicated in a 1930’s style, key features include 42 Art Deco cabins, glass mosaics and mahogany panelling. Complimented with the excellent service from the dedicated crew, guests will experience an unprecedented level of service and cuisine," Hebridean said.
Offering cruises to the Rhine and Danube, Hebridean Island Cruises still has limited availability on 16 June departure, Castles of the Rhine cruise from £2,995 per person. Guests can look forward to visiting the Cologne Cathedral, sampling fine wines in Schloss Johannisberg and discovering the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.
All Hebridean River Cruises are fully inclusive, including alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, shore tours, taxes and gratuities, a guest speaker programme and return travel to and from the UK. Accompanied by Hebridean Island Cruises’ experts, Royal Crown provides the highest degree of comfort and offers a luxurious lounge, a fine dining restaurant, library, sundeck with bar, personal concierge and a choice of suites across three grades; Royal Suites, Premium Suites and Deluxe Suites.
Colin Stone, Managing Director, Swan Hellenic and Hebridean Island Cruises commented: “We could never have anticipated the high occupancy levels we’ve achieved through the programme, seeing many of our existing customers extending their Hebridean experience to visit Europe’s finest waterways. We have confidence that our success can be attributed to our efforts to transfer the brands ethos into this second product, reflected by the intimate size, elegant interiors and on board ambiance of Hebridean’s Royal Crown.”
Norwegian Cruise Line introduces “Cabanas on the Cay”
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 07 June 2012 07 June 2012
Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that “Cabanas on the Cay,” exclusive private cabanas with VIP service and amenities, are now available on Great Stirrup Cay, the line’s 250-acre private island in the Bahamas. The launch of “Cabanas on the Cay” marks another significant addition to the island as part of a $25 million dollar enhancement project. Located to the west of the island’s main beach, these perfectly-appointed private Cabanas boast exclusive service and amenities to provide guests with the ultimate island escape and total relaxation, the company said in a statement.
Available for $249 per day, each Cabana accommodates up to six guests and is fully furnished with lounge chairs, tables, cooler, beach towels and a shower. Cabana rental also includes a $50 food and beverage credit; up to six all-day passes to the Hippo Waterslide, a $120 value; and one large float, a $25 value; for guests to enjoy during their time on the island.
Guests who reserve one of the 10 “Cabanas on the Cay” will enjoy priority tender service to the island and, upon arrival to their private cabana, will receive six complimentary bottles of water and a refreshing fruit basket. As they relax on one of the comfortable lounge chairs, guests will have the opportunity to use their $50 food and beverage credit towards pre-ordered “Cabanas on the Cay” food and beverage selections.
Norwegian has prepared an exclusive menu for Cabana guests consisting of delicious seafood, charcuterie, sushi and fruit platters. Guests who choose to dine at the Island’s BBQ can use their credit towards one of the many beverage packages available exclusively for Cabana guests, or towards other beverage purchases on the island.
Each of the 10 Cabanas on the Cay are available on a first-come-first-serve basis and can be pre-booked as a shore excursion on www.ncl.co.uk/prebook or through the Shore Excursion Desk on board. Norwegian was the first cruise line to offer an uninhabited tropical island experience exclusively for its guests. Great Stirrup Cay offers magnificent white sand beaches, majestic palms and calm, pristine waters where an abundance of colourful marine life inhabits the surrounding coral reefs. Activities on the island include snorkeling; Waverunner® tour; eco boat tour; kayaking; parasailing; shopping at the straw market; and more.
Norwegian Sky makes year-round stops at Great Stirrup Cay on her three and four-night cruises from Miami. Norwegian Gem visits Great Stirrup Cay during her seven-night Bahamas & Florida itinerary from New York. Beginning in October 2012, Norwegian Jewel will also stop at Great Stirrup Cay on her seven-night Bahamas & Florida cruises from New York. Norwegian Pearl will also visit Great Stirrup Cay this winter on her seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary from Miami. Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian’s newest ship launching next spring, will visit Great Stirrup Cay on seven-night cruises from New York to Bahamas & Florida beginning in mid-October 2013.
Expanded offerings planned for Viking River Cruises in 2013
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 06 June 2012 06 June 2012
With diverse and scenic cruise itineraries in Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, China and Southeast Asia, Viking guests experience the heart of a destination along its waterways and during culturally rich shore excursions. And with the world's largest fleet of river cruise ships, Viking offers guests the most stateroom choices – with the new Viking Longships featuring the largest suites sailing Europe's waterways.
Flexible scheduling options allow Viking guests to sightsee at their own pace. Comprehensive guided tours are included each day for those who want to immerse themselves in the culture and history, and Viking's onboard Program Directors can provide all the information and maps guests need to explore port cities independently. Additionally, Viking's complimentary onboard Concierge Service, which launched in 2012, is an industry exclusive and allows guests an unmatched level of vacation personalization. With a vast network of contacts and an intimate understanding of each port city, Viking Concierges can reserve a table at the best restaurant, recommend specialty shops, order theater tickets and even arrange for a private guide and car service.
The 2013 River Cruise Atlas, Viking's award-winning brochure, is available for order or PDF download at www.vikingrivercruises.com/brochure. Also for the first time, the 148-page brochure has been converted to an interactive ebrochure that is optimized for computers and tablet devices and features more than 40 imbedded videos about the Viking River Cruises experience. New additions for 2013 include:
New cruise itineraries for 2013
* European Sojourn (23 days; Amsterdam to Bucharest) – See the canals of Amsterdam, the castles of the Rhine Valley, great Danube cities like Vienna and Budapest and many colorful capitals of Eastern Europe on an incredible cruise tour that traverses from the North Sea to the Black Sea, via the engineering marvel of the Main-Danube Canal.
* Grand Rivers of Europe (22 days; Basel to Budapest) – From the stunning scenery of Switzerland to the historic castles and cathedrals of Germany, this spectacular itinerary combines the one-week Rhine Getaway cruise, from Basel to Amsterdam, with the two-week Grand European Tour, from Amsterdam to Budapest.
* Portugals River of Gold (10 days) – During this journey along the pristine and unhurried Douro River, guests will explore the unique cultural, historical and aesthetic sights of Portugal and Spain.
* China Explorer (18 days) – Explore some of China's many faces, including six astonishing UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Highlights include a tour of Beijing's Forbidden City, a visit to the excavation site of the famous Terra Cotta Warriors and a tour of a giant panda sanctuary in Chengdu.
New land extensions for 2013
* Oxford & Highclere Castle (The Real Downton Abbey ) – Spend three days in the rolling hills of England's countryside as a pre- or post- extension to Cities of Light or Paris & the Heart of Normandy. Highlights include a tour of Highclere Castle, known to television audiences worldwide as Downton Abbey, with a special champagne welcome for Viking guests, and a visit to the historic town of Oxford.
* Barcelona – Before traveling along the Rhône and Saône, guests are invited to extend their trip by three nights in Barcelona. Highlighted sights include the whimsical architectural masterpieces of Antoni Gaudí and the Miró and Picasso museums.
New Viking Longships
In addition to the six state-of-the-art Viking Longships launching in 2012, Viking will continue expansion in 2013 with the launch of six additional Viking Longships – Viking Bragi, Viking Forseti Viking Rinda, Viking Skadi, Viking Tor and Viking Var. Designed by celebrated maritime architects Yran & Storbraaten – the team behind the Disney Dream and the Yachts of Seabourn – the new ships integrate patent-pending technology and innovations such as diesel-electric hybrid engines, solar panels and onboard organic herb gardens.
Russia refurbishments
Next year will also mark the completion of bow-to-stern refurbishments of Viking's owned and operated Russian fleet, which set a new standard as the best river cruise ships in Russia and are the only entirely Western-managed Russian fleet. In addition to redefining the interior space to create significantly larger staterooms, all four of Viking's Russian ships will feature full, private verandas added to all staterooms on the Upper and Middle decks, which house four Suites, two Junior Suites and 60 Veranda Staterooms. The revamped Russian fleet will sail the Waterways of the Czars 13-day itinerary, traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg, or the reverse.
Booking details
From now until July 31, 2012, Viking is offering a 2013 Early Booking Discount with up to 2-for-1 pricing on cruise departures and international air. Viking's all-inclusive pricing covers accommodations, all onboard meals, daily guided shore excursions, port charges, complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with onboard dinner and lunch service, and more.
Cunard hosts largest Diamond Jubilee celebration outside of London
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 05 June 2012 05 June 2012
In what is believed to be the largest Diamond Jubilee celebration outside London, all three ships of the Cunard Line fleet – flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth – sailed up Southampton Water in formation for the first time today, Tuesday 5 June, in preparation for a day of special tributes, celebrations and displays to mark Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Her Majesty The Queen has long been associated with Cunard, being the only person to have attended the naming of all three Cunard Elizabeths, beginning in 1938 with the original Queen Elizabeth, then in 1967 when she launched Queen Elizabeth 2 and 2010 when she named Queen Elizabeth.
This is the first time that the three Queens – the largest Cunarders ever built – have been seen arriving and departing together in formation at their home port of Southampton, England.
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 approached the port soon after first light today, sailing in single file up Southampton Water, where a flotilla of small boats welcomed them.
Queen Mary 2 turned in the upper swinging ground as Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria tied up close to City Terminal. Queen Mary 2 then slowly passed each ship in turn, creating a three ship formation and revealing a Congratulations Maam message by her funnel. With crew lining the foredecks of all three vessels, the ships' whistles sounded in salute of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee.
Cunard is delighted to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's Diamond Jubilee in a way that gives everyone, especially our guests, a truly remarkable day that they will feel proud to talk about for years to come, taking part in history and marking the sixty glorious years of Her Majesty's reign in fitting, legendary and memorable Cunard style, said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line.
Events are planned through this evening to create both an outstanding guest experience and a fitting commemoration of Her Majesty's reign. The celebrations will culminate in an evening spectacular when all three ships will again be brought within close proximity of each other, and from 10.20pm GMT, a fusillade of fireworks and special effects will light up the evening sky beyond them.
Queen Mary 2 will then lead Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth in single file down Southampton Water as all three ships set out on their celebratory Diamond Jubilee voyages.
Construction of Savona Palacrociere expansion begins
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 05 June 2012 05 June 2012
June 5 marks the official commencement of the work to double the capacity of the Savona Palacrociere thanks to the building of a second passenger terminal. The finishing touches have been made to the detailed design, and on June 1 the Savona Port Authority gave Costa Cruises a concession on the site where it will build the new facility with an investment worth around 9 million euros.
The tender process for the project was completed on May 24, 2012 and the outcome was subsequently announced: the contractor is a consortium led by Project Managers PDR Bianchi –De Rege S.p.A. of Genoa and Aza-Aghito- Zambonini S.p.A. of Fiorenzuola.
The building site will operate for about 15 months and the new satellite terminal is expected to open its doors for business at the beginning of September 2013, in time for next year’s peak cruise season in Savona. For safety reasons the worksite will be fenced off from the existing cruise terminal, while the tensile structure currently used whenever three cruise ships are in port at the same time will be moved to a location opposite the third quay. This happens on a regular basis: three Costa Cruises ships will be docking on the one day forty times in the next few months.
The second terminal will cover a total area of 3500 m2. It will be a satellite terminal, functionally connected to the existing Palacrociere, so that it can use its services, but also able to operate as a free-standing facility with its own waiting, transit and baggage handling areas. There will also be separate policing by the various authorities (police, Guardia di Finanza and customs).
The firms behind the design of the new facility are all Ligurian: Studio Vicini Architetti (architects Luigi Vicini and Andrea Piazza), who also contributed to the designs of the original Palacrociere and the Barcelona “Palacruceros”; Studio Tecnico Ingg. Montaldo e Canale; and C.V.D. Progetti Srl.
The presence of Costa’s ships generates an important economic impact for the region. According to a study conducted by MIP, the Milan Polytechnic Business School, Costa Cruises generated more than 5.5 million euros of direct economic impact in the Port of Savona in 2010 and almost 230 million euros in Liguria as a whole, the latter figure largely accounted for by work carried out on the ships in the fleet.
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