Two Veterans Sail On, Another Is Not So Lucky

The Cruise News in the April edition included news that the splendid 22,080gt/1965 built Marco Polo was to be retired from CMV’s fleet in 2018. At that time information was being circulated by a Broker concerning the ship being sales listed, her 2018 schedule was not shown beyond spring 2018 and another respected publication had already run a story of the ship’s sale. However, 2+2+2 did not make 6 on this occasion! Happily the Marco Polo remains with CMV and will sail on into 2019 and hopefully beyond.

Although updated in the May issue, the April issue also referred to the 16,144gt/1948 built Astoria leaving the CMV fleet in May 2017, as was still the case at the time of writing. For summer 2017 she has another charter to Rivages du Monde and, equally happily, she is back with CMV for spring 2018 due to popular demand. She is a fine ship and, hopefully, has several years of frontline service left in her.

Alas the 24,492gt/1973 British built favourite Saga Ruby, now named Oasia for a failed hotel scheme, was anchored off Gujarat, India, on 4th April awaiting the next suitable tide to be beached and scrapped. Following the failure of All Leisure Group, which saw the cruise lines Voyages of Discovery and Swan Hellenic cease trading, the former’s vessel, the 15,396gt/1990 built Voyager, found herself laid up at Singapore. From new she had operated as Crown Monarch, a casino ship in Hong Kong named Neptune in 2001 and was Phoenix Reisen’s Alexander von Humboldt II and Alexander von Humboldt 2008-2009 before passing to Voyages of Discovery. Now she is named Vidanta Alegria and has reportedly been purchased by a Mexican airline company, Hoteles Dinamicos.

AIDA Cruises’ 69,203gt/2008 built AIDAbella became the first ship to call at Shanghai when she arrived on 2nd April. Two days later she departed for Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore. After her season in Asia, the AIDAbella will spend the summer offering cruises from Kiel. On 5th April the 42,289gt/2002 built AIDAvita departed from Hamburg’s Steinwerder cruise terminal on a short cruise following her refit at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH 25th March-4th April. In addition to regular safety and maintenance work, many areas of the ship were remodelled or upgraded. The Waikiki Teens Lounge on Deck 10 has been transformed into a chilled-out Beach Lounge, where AIDAvita’s guests will now be able to relax with ocean views. The Seaside Lounges on the stern have been equipped with windbreaks and heaters for all-weather enjoyment. The neighbouring outdoor areas of the Anytime Bar and the Ocean Bar on Deck 7 have also been refurbished. The former gourmet restaurant Rossini has been transformed into the new Selection Restaurant where guests can enjoy regional specialties and delicacies from around the world. In addition, 2,500 m² of new carpet has been laid in the public areas and the exterior of the ship was treated to 9,000 litres of paint.

Belfast Harbour announced on 3rd April that almost 90 cruise ships are expected to visit Belfast this summer, bringing with them 150,000 passengers and crew to mark a new tourism high for the city. Belfast’s record cruise schedule for 2017 marks an unprecedented period of growth for city tourism and investment which has underlined the city’s soaring appeal among cruise tourists from around the world, but particularly the UK, Europe and North American markets. By the end of this year almost 600 cruise ships will have visited the city since the first arrival in 1996. This year 88 ships are scheduled to arrive with the first arrival, the 22,080gt/ 1965 built Marco Polo, due on 21st April, while Princess Cruises, one of the world’s leading cruise operators, which operates the Caribbean Princess, has strengthened its commitment to Belfast scheduling a record 14 stops this year.

Celestyal Cruises will begin cruising from Havana, Cuba, every Friday as from 1st January 2018. The 37,773gt/1982 built Celestyal Olympia will open the company’s Cuba itineraries but will then be replaced by the 41,662gt/1992 built Celestyal Majesty. This ship currently operates as the Thomson Majesty but will conclude her charter to Thomson on 26th November 2017 to then begin work for Celestyal on 15th January 2018 followihg a refit. This will allow the Celestyal Olympia to return to her Mediterranean schedules.

CroisiEurope, inaugurated their new vessel, the Miguel Torga, in Porto as March came to an end. Attending the event included Ms Isabel Ferreira de Castro, godmother and director of tourism in Porto and Northern Portugal, and Mr Domingos Carvas, godfather and mayor of Sabrosa. This three-deck ship measures 80 metres long and 11.4 metres wide and can accommodate 132 passengers in 66 double-occupancy cabins, including four suites and one cabin for guests with reduced mobility. There is also a spacious lounge, panoramic restaurant, boutique, vast sun deck with sun loungers and a large 24m² pool. Furnished and decorated in Strasbourg, the Miguel Torga has a contemporary feel and features plenty of natural lighting and open spaces as well as designer furniture and stylish, sleek décor. Built in 2016 at the Sambre and Meuse Shipyard in Namur, the vessel is the fifth to join CroisiEurope’s fleet on the Douro and the company’s second premium rated ship on the river. The ship is named after Miguel Torga, a famous author and poet who was born in the Sabrosa region in 1907 and is considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. From April 2017, the Miguel Torga will cruise the Douro and cross Portugal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Spanish border on six and 8 day cruises.

Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ 20,704gt/1987 built Astor will return to Australian waters for a fifth season in December 2017 this year. Homeporting in Fremantle, a total of 14 voyages will be on offer including two visiting Bali before wrapping up the season in Adelaide with a final three itineraries in February 2018. CMV has added 4 cruises from Poole and 4 from Portsmouth in August/ September 2018 ranging from 1 to 14 nights using the Astoria.

Crystal River Cruises will fully compensate passengers and agents affected by the delay of its next new river cruise vessels, the Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler. Guests who had already booked on the newbuilds, which have been delayed until August/September, will be reimbursed for the cruise and their airfare cancellation fees. It is the second time these vessels have been delayed, as they were originally planned for deployment in France from June and August 2017. Affected Clients will also receive a free cruise and “generous credit” towards future Crystal experiences. The Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler will now sail their maiden voyages along the Rhine and Danube rivers on 13th August and 30th September, respectively.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Balmoral will be offering cruises from Edinburgh (Rosyth) for the first time ever on 18th May 2018 on the first of nine itineraries for 2018/2019.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises announced the names of its two new ships on 8th March. The newbuilds will carry the names Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration and will be delivered in April and October of 2019 respectively, from VARD in Norway. The ships will have the highest ice class for their hulls, and interior designs have been inspired by nature. The ships will serve both German and English speaking markets. Each 230-passenger vessels will have three restaurants and a large spa.

Noble Caledonia operated 4,200gt/1991 built cruise vessel Caledonian Sky ran aground on an unchartered reef shoal off Kri Island, Indonesia, on 9th March. The vessel was on a 16-night cruise from Papua New Guinea to the Philippines with 102 passengers and 79 crew members aboard. During the accident there were no injuries and no requirement to evacuate the ship. The ship was refloated on the next high tide with tug assistance. The 90.6m long Caledonian Sky was then anchored nearby for a special survey and underwater inspection. It was reported that the damage sustained during grounding was minor and did not affect the seaworthiness or stability of the vessel. The amount of damage sustained by the reef will be a topic of discussion for some time to come.

P&O Cruises’ (Australia) 70,285gt/1991 built Pacific Dawn sailed into Brisbane in mid-March fresh from a two-week drydock in Singapore. The ship has been fitted with two 80m long slides and a waterpark, while a new virtual reality entertainment experience is available in HQ and HQ+. The vessel now features The Pantry, redesigned public spaces and the cruise line’s new livery which includes the Southern Cross.

Ponant Cruises has changed the name of one of its four Explorers sister ships from Le Kerguelen to Le Dumont d’Urville. The new vessels will be fitted with “a multi-sensorial underwater lounge”, which the line has promised to be an exclusive design & a world first. The first two ships are under construction, with the first block having been laid for Le Laperouse and the first sheet of steel cut for Le Champlain.

Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) has embarked upon the construction of a £10 million pier, the South Quay, which is due for completion by the end of 2017, that will enable the port to take advantage of the UK’s cruise market. The new facility will allow the port to accept ships accommodating over 1,000 passengers. Civil engineering company BAM Nuttall will use around 1,800 tons of steel piles, all of which will be delivered by sea. The majority of the material reclamation fill is to be taken directly from the port’s maintenance dredging scheme, removing the need for road deliveries. In addition, all marine plant has been sourced from suppliers in Poole and Southampton.

Royal Caribbean’s newest Oasis Class ship, the 230,000gt Symphony of the Seas will debut in April 2018 as the 26th ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. She will spend her inaugural summer season in the Mediterranean serving ports such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Provence, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Naples. She will then transfer to Miami in early November 2018 to begin seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries on Saturday 17th November from the state-of-the-art Terminal A, dubbed the ‘Crown of Miami’. The groundbreaking ceremony for the latter took place on 8th March. The Symphony of the Seas will claim the title of the world’s largest and most adventure filled cruise ship, offering 28 more staterooms than her newest sister ship, the Harmony of the Seas.

Saga Cruises will make 15 scheduled calls at Portsmouth International Port in 2018. The Saga Pearl II will be based at Portsmouth International Port between January and April, with eight cruises starting and ending there and the vessel will then return in the autumn with another six turnaround calls between October and December.The company’s larger liner, Saga Sapphire, also makes a return trip to Portsmouth International Port. Following a successful visit last year, Sapphire’s 2018 schedule sees a Port of call visit in June. Portsmouth’s 2017 cruise season opened on 22nd April with Phoenix-Resien’s 22,496gt/1998 built Deutschland. On 29th March Saga Cruises announced that their 55,900gt, 234m long/ 30.8m beam and 1,000 passenger (approx.) capacity newbuild will be named Spirit of Discovery. The ship will be delivered in Summer 2019 from the Meyer Werft shipyard and will have more than 100 cabins for solo travellers, 20% of the ships capacity. This year Saga Cruises celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Sunstone Ships and China Merchants Industry Holdings (CMIH) have signed a framework agreement to build four expedition cruise ships, with an option for an additional six vessels. The order positions SunStone as the largest tonnage provider of expedition vessels to the cruise and travel industry, with an existing fleet of ten ships on charter to companies including Quark Expeditions. To be built at CMIH’s yard, the 104m long vessels will offer between 80 and 95 passenger cabins and will be constructed to Polar Class 6 standards, enabling them to sail in Polar Regions. The Bahamas-flagged ships will sail at a speed of 15 knots and will be classed by Bureau Veritas. Ulstein Design & Solutions will supply the vessel’s design and equipment package, as well as the supervision for the building of the vessels. Tomas Tillberg Design International will provide interior hotel design services while Finland-based turnkey contractor Mäkinen will be responsible for building all cabins and public spaces.

To ensure on-time delivery, Mäkinen will move a project team to China and set up a cabin assembly plant and interior workshop at CMIH’s shipyard. Norway-based Ulstein Design & Solutions will supply the vessel’s design and equipment package, and supervise the building process.

Thomson Cruises has announced that its latest addition to the fleet will be named TUI Explorer (currently the 76,998gt/1996 built Mein Schiff 1) and will join the TUI Discovery and TUI Discovery 2 in offering an all-inclusive product to the British market. The ship will be based in Palma, Majorca from May 2018 onwards and will be the largest ship in Thomson’s fleet. The company will also get the 77,302gt/1997 built Mein Schiff 2 in 2019. New cabin types on the TUI Explorer include 14 family balcony cabins that measure 20m², sleep up to five people and have a balcony of up to 9m², and a balcony cabin with more external space. Standard inside cabins onboard TUI Explorer are 16m², bigger than any other standard cabin in the fleet. Meanwhile TUI Cruises’ 99,500gt Mein Schiff 6 began sea trials during the first week of April from the Meyer-Turku yard.