ABP Southampton has been named as the UK’s best cruise departure port for the eighth year running by Cruise Critic, the world’s leading reviews site and online community. The port welcomed over 1.8 million cruise passengers in 2016 and over the last 12 months, ABP Southampton, together with its partners, has invested heavily in its cruise terminals. The refurbishment of the QEII Terminal is the most recent of these developments and has improved passenger flows, access arrangements and crew facilities across all four cruise terminals. The award winners were announced on 12th October and were selected by a global panel of impartial cruise experts from Cruise Critic to highlight the best in the industry across a number of categories.

AIDA Cruises’ 125,572gt/2016 built AIDAprima became the venue for an ice show on 12th November in Hamburg. A first for the German cruise market, the 200m2 ice rink is around 40m high on Deck 16 and was formally inaugurated by skating duo Salomé Casabona Studer and Peter Turner, who are known from the latest Holiday on Ice show, Believe. The live performance is also the start of a long-term partnership between the two market leaders. The rink was, as is tradition, inspected and approved by ice master Peter Koschmieder, production director. Until mid-March 2017 guests aboard the AIDAprima can look forward to all kinds of winter fun and exclusive Holiday on Ice workshops.

Australis’ new ship, the 210-passenger Ventus Australis will make her maiden cruise from Patagonia on 2nd January 2018. The cruise will be part of the 2017/18 “bottom of the world” voyages to Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego. During her maiden season, Ventus Australis will operate 22 four-night sailings between Ushuaia in Argentina and Punta Arenas in Chile while the Stella Australis will offer fifty four 3,4 and 7-night sailings from Ushuaia and Punta Arenas.

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