Home » Archive for May, 2011
Europe’s River Cruise Season Falling Low
The water levels on the Rhine, a major river in Europe, are supposed to be at their highest in the present months traditionally. However, commercial river traffic operators have been warned of water shortage and possible bottleneck formation at the narrow points of the Rhine as well as its various tributaries. The news website Bloomberg reported that the water levels on the Rhine and its tributaries have been at their lowest in seventeen months. The snow season was poor, and as a result the meltwater from the Alps Mountains that give water to the rivers of Europe has also been low, which has resulted in lower water levels. In addition to this the month of April was unusually dry. The situation is at the moment affecting only freight barges that have been traveling with lighter loads to prevent [...]
P & O Adonia Christened in Southampton
The newest ship part of the fleet of P & O Cruises, the Adonia, was named by Dame Shirley Bassey, singing legend, in Southampton, UK. The Adonia has a capacity of 710 passengers. The ship, formerly part of Princess Cruises and named Royal Princess was rechristened as Adonia part of P & O cruises. The ship underwent an over haul for three weeks at the Grand Bahama Shipyard, where a number of additions and refurbishments were made to fit in with the rest of the fleet at P& O. The theme for the christening ceremony, which was headed by Dame Shirley Bassey, a legend vocalist, was diamonds. The diamonds theme was placed in honor of the song “Diamonds are Forever”, which is one of the greatest hits sung by the diva. Adonia is now the smallest ship part of the P & O cruises fleet. [...]
Holland America Line Will Sail From Rotterdam Year-Round from Sept 2012
Holland America Line has announced that it will be deploying the cruise ship Rotterdam leaving from Europe on a number of extended itineraries that will start from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This will be with effect from Sept 2012. Rotterdam was chosen as a homeport as the HAL has a deep connection with the city and also because of its convenient situation in North west Europe. The Itineraries that are launched till spring 2013 will include two extended trips that will set sail for thirty four and ninety days and a number of regional sailings from 14 to 18 days. After concluding the European summer season that was previously announced, the Rotterdam will set sail on 15th Sept, 2012 for the fourteen day Portugal and Spain Explorer Cruise which will take the Strait of Gibraltar to Barcelona [...]
So Cal Dream turns Nightmare?
The list of cruise ships that have pulled out of the So Cal (Southern California) Market has another addition, and this time it is Holland America Line (HAL). The So Cal region is suffering under a depression of sorts with respect to the cruise ship market. A number of big cruise lines have deployed ships in the region on other destinations. The Holland America Line’s cruise ship Oosterdam, which was sailing on regular cruises on the ex San Diego Mexican Riviera region from Oct to Apr, has been announced to be redeployed to Australia in Oct 2012. However, Holland America Line has not declared all the deployments it plans to make beyond fall 2012 and it also has not commented whether Oosterdam would be replaced by a ship on the Mexican Route. According to the statement made by Holland America [...]
Voyages to Antiquity
‘Voyages to Antiquity’ Cruise Line was set up in 2010 by Gerry Herrod, famous cruise entrepreneur. Herrod is famous for heading such lines as Discovery Cruises, Orient Lines and Ocean Cruise Line. Voyages to Antiquity have passengers from countries such as United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia as their targeted passenger base. There is only one ship part of the fleet at Voyages to Antiquity. The cruise line entered the market with a number of cruises on the Mediterranean on the Aegean Odyssey, which was formerly named as Aegean I. Gerry Herrod is said to have been inspired to set up the concept for Voyages to Antiquity when he read the “Middle Sea” by Lord John Julius Norwich, who described the ancient civilizations of the central and eastern Mediterranean region. There [...]
Grand Princess Back in Action
Grand Princess was on a hiatus that was the most extensive dry dock ever in the history of Princess Cruises. The passengers set sail in the ship Fri 6th May, 2011. The dry dock transformed Grand Princess totally in the duration of the dry dock. The extensive revamp made it one of the most talked about ships in the media lately and the daily updates on video regarding the remodeling procedures carried out daily, attracted close to half million views. The Grand Princess Dry dock journal had posted twenty six videos as well as the three hundred photographs in total of the daily progress of the revamping procedure. The progress was watched by hundreds of thousands of fans while the ship was docked in Bahamas. The Skywalkers nightclub on the stern of the ship was removed, and the atrium of the [...]
European Cruising Scenario at a Low
North American Cruise brands were hoping to grow their European client base, and charge higher fares this year. This was the reason brands such as Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean International increased their presence in Europe this year. This was termed the great European cruise Migration of 2011, and attracted a good bit of attention in the recent months. For example, Carnival Corporation had almost twenty per cent of capacity of its North American brands in Europe, as opposed to 17 per cent last year. Royal Caribbean International has eleven ships, which is half their fleet, in Europe in 2011. The number of was eight last year. However, the demand for cruises has fallen down drastically in Europe. This was partly due to the rising costs of air travel, as also the period of unrest in ports [...]
Royal Caribbean Launching first direct connection from Stansted
Royal Caribbean International will shortly launch a direct cruise connection from the Stansted Airport in London. This is a first for the cruise line, and will prove beneficial for cruise passengers from the United Kingdom. From Stansted, BA charter planes will be used to connect to Venice. Starting in June, there will be flights that provide connections with Voyager of the Seas on seven night itineraries on the Adriatic Sea. It was stated by Jo Rzymowska, General Manager for UK and Ireland that this move was essential as cruise passenger feedback had proved that flight connections from convenient locations are a major deciding factor for people when choosing their cruise experience. The addition of direct connections from Stansted London will open the market up to millions of potential cruise [...]
Oceania Nautica
Ships that are part of the Oceania Cruises’ fleet have a feel that is reminiscent of the old English county Manors. Oceania Nautica is no different, and the décor in this mid size ships is totally elegant but casual. The abundance of flower arrangements, sweeping central stair cases contribute to the feeling of classiness, whereas the wing chairs, overstuffed sofas, toile and Brocade fabrics covering the windows, all of these contribute to the intimate and cozy feeling in the interiors. The effect is very much like a stay at an English Manor. Oceania Nautica Cabins: There are private balconies aboard the Oceania Nautica that have tables and chairs outfitted. The living spaces have seventy five per cent of all exterior cabins. The cabins come with a vanity desk as well as an area for seating, [...]