Top Headlines

St Peter Line says new EU border checks may force closure of circle route

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 05 March 2012 05 March 2012

St Peter Line, which operates two cruise ferries in the Baltic out of St Petersburg, has sent a letter to the prime ministers of Sweden, Finland Estonia, Malta and Cyprus to express its concerns about the imopact of new border checks in the EU.

The new rules affect the St Petersburg-Helsinki-Stockholm-Tallinn-Srt Petrsburg service of the compabny’s 38,000 gross ton Princess Anastasia, which flies the flag of Malta.

"The Finnish Border Guards have sent us a letter on 17.2.2012 saying that as from 1.3.2011 and as of 1.5.2012 some new rigorous border procedures will take place,” the company that is domiciled in Cyprus but managed from St Petersburg in Russia said in the letter.

“Earlier, external border checks were carried out only when the vessel was coming in to EU and Helsinki, as well as when the vessel was leaving EU and going out from Tallinn. However, these new procedures will force all passengers (whether EU citizens or not) to external border checks in and out in all EU ports Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn, even if the ferry is in traffic within EU.”

“This will be so time consuming and unnecessary within the EU borders that it will in practice destroy the idea of free movement within Schengen area. We truly fear that the passengers will not because of the time consuming procedures have enough time ashore and therefore abandon the possibility to travel with us. This would certainly mean the closure of the line,” the company said.

Disney raises the curtain on Fantasy

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 02 March 2012 02 March 2012

Brightly lit in neon red and electric blue, and with searchlights crisscrossing in the night sky, the Disney Fantasy made its official debut on New York’s Hudson River waterfront in showbiz style. The ship had arrived at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on February 28 – the line’s first ever call in New York City – and after two days of media previews was christened on the evening of March 1.

The pre-christening entertainment in the ship’s 1,340-seat Walt Disney Theatre featured big-name entertainment worthy of the ship’s berth just a few blocks from Broadway: Actor Neil Patrick Harris hosted the song-and-dance extravaganza highlighting performances from the ship’s regular production numbers, and comedian Jerry Seinfeld made a very funny special-guest appearance. Other celebrities on hand were Alan Cummings, Tim Gunn, and Ty Pennington. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg even made an unexpected cameo. Also in the audience were company officials, including Disney President and CEO Robert Iger and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Thomas Staggs.

And for the main event, singer Mariah Carey – godmother of the Fantasy – made the traditional maritime blessing of the ship as it was christened by Minnie Mouse. The Disney Fantasy begins a schedule of 7-day Caribbean cruises on March 31 from its homeport in Port Canaveral, Florida.

By M.T. Schwartzman

Disney Cruise Line makes inaugural call in New York

Details: Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 29 February 2012 29 February 2012

In a photo taken Feb. 28, 2012, the Disney Fantasy, newest ship of Disney Cruise Line, sails past the Statue of Liberty Tuesday after traveling nearly 3,800 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from Bremerhaven, Germany. The 4,000-passenger Disney Fantasy will be christened in New York on March 1, then sail to her home port of Port Canaveral, Fla. With a maiden voyage on March 31, the Disney Fantasy will sail seven-night cruises to the Caribbean and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.

(Kent Phillips/Disney, photographer)

RCCL takes up option to build second Sunshine class ship

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 29 February 2012 29 February 2012

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd (RCCL) says it has exercised its option to build a second Sunshine-class cruise ship to be delivered in the Spring 2015. The 158,000 gross ton ship will be built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft on substantially the same terms as the first Sunshine ship. “This confirms our continued confidence in the success of this new generation of ships and our strong conviction about the Royal Caribbean International brand,” said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO RCCL. The fiirst ship was ordered in February last year at a cost of 170,000 euro per berth. It will be delivered in 2014

Argentina escalates Falklands row by cruise call ban

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 28 February 2012 28 February 2012

Argentina has escalated the row over the ownership of the Falklands Islands as two British flag cruise ships were banned from calling at Ushuaia on Monday after they had called the Falklands earlier.

Princess Cruises 109,000 gross ton Star Princess and P&O Cruises 30,000 gross ton Adonia were both banned from calling at the Argentine port following an earlier visit at Port Stanley in the Falklands Islands, which belong to the UK. Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises are both parts of the Carnival Corp & plc group.

No explanation was given to the ban. Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the UK foreign ministry, said in a statement the ban was unacceptable interference with free commerce. Both ships in question are registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, a British overseas dependency. They fly the Red Ensign of the British merchant navy.