The Ultra-Luxury Segment Grows

On 30th June the 54,200gt Seven Seas Explorer, the newest ultra-luxury ship of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a brand of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, was delivered at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Sestri Ponente (Genoa). The ship owner has already ordered a sister ship, which will be delivered in 2020.

The 223m long ship can accommodate 750 passengers in 375 spacious suites. The ship has been built using the most advanced environmental protection technologies whilst the interiors are particularly sophisticated, with every attention paid to passenger comfort. The following day Silversea Cruises’ own ultra-luxury ship, the 40,700gt Silver Muse, was launched at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Genoa Sestri Ponente. The interior fitting out process then commenced ahead of a scheduled delivery in April 2017. The launching was introduced by the traditional and well-wishing “coin ceremony”, consisting, according to an ancient shipbuilding custom, of welding a silver commemorative coin on the upper deck of the ship. The Godmother of the ceremony was Costanza Lefebvre d’Ovidio, daughter of the Chairman of Silversea Cruises, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, who, among others, attended the ceremony together with Fincantieri’s CEO, Giuseppe Bono. The Silver Muse will be able to accommodate 596 passengers on board, with the vessel representing an evolution of the Silver Spirit, delivered in 2009 by Fincantieri in Ancona. The new build will expand Silversea’s fleet to 9 ships.

A Sparkling Sapphire

The 37,049gt/1981 built Saga Sapphire set sail on a 4 night Gallic cruise in mid-June following two months at the Blohm and Voss shipyard in Hamburg. The ship underwent an extended maintenance period where work included the overhaul of her main engines in order to ensure continued reliability for the years of service ahead. Whilst in the yard the opportunity was taken to complete a range of other maintenance including the freshening up of some passenger and crew areas. In particular, regular passengers will notice the introduction of a brand new deck covering around the exterior swimming pool area and the creation of an extension to the popular Aviators Bar in order to provide more space for passengers. In 2019 Saga Cruises will also take delivery of their brand new 55,900gt and 1,000 passenger capacity ship. Following in the wake of the Saga Ruby and Saga Pearl II, the Saga Sapphire made her first visit to Portsmouth on 1st July for an overnight stay as part of her Maritime Heritage Cruise. Before 06.30 the next morning (earlier than scheduled) she departed for Saltmead Anchorage west of Cowes, IoWight, to anchor and observe the start of the annual Round Island Yacht Race. The ship later repositioned to Alpha Anchorage east of Cowes to watch the yachts complete the course before she sailed for Guernsey.

Debut Odyssey

Voyages to Antiquity’s 12,094gt/1973 built Aegean Odyssey made her first call to Falmouth on 22nd June, marking the first time the company has visited the UK in its seven-year history. The 350-passenger ship arrived at the Cornish port as part of her 24- day Grand European Voyage that began in Nice and was due to finish at Dover on 25th June. A call to Dartmouth was made after Falmouth.

On 27th June the ship set out from Dover bound for Honfleur. Alas a small fire on board saw her divert to Cherbourg with minor disruption to the 27-day itinerary concluding in Civitavecchia. The ship returns to the UK in 2017 for a new programme featuring 17 itineraries, four ex-UK sailings and maiden visits to the Orkney and Shetland Islands, as well as Iceland and Olbia in Sardinia. On 29th June and 8th August 2017, the ship will sail a 15-day Iceland, Faroes and Shetland Islands roundtrip from Tilbury. The itinerary features visits to Rosyth, the Orkney Islands and Lerwick (Shetland Islands) as well as calls to Torshavn in the Faroe Islands and the Icelandic ports of Heimaey, Reykjavik, Isafjordur, Akureyri and Husavik. In July 2017, guests will also be able to enjoy a 16- day ‘England, Ireland and Scotland’ cruise, which departs from Tilbury and includes calls at Guernsey, Douglas, the Isles of Scilly, Falmouth, Liverpool and an overnight in Dublin. The ship will also visit various Scottish ports, including Isle of Arran, Stornoway in the Hebrides, Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, Scrabster, Oban and Greenock in Edinburgh, where guests will enjoy a two-night hotel stay before flying home.

Seaside Seaview

MSC Cruises has announced the second of its Seaside-generation smart cruise ships which is set to take to the water in mid-2018 will be named MSC Seaview. She will sail the Western Mediterranean with calls at Genoa, Marseille and Barcelona during her inaugural season. The ship is currently being built by Fincantieri and will feature a 360° promenade with glass balustrades that runs around the entire ship featuring bars, restaurants and shops. Her maiden voyage departs Genoa 10th June 2018.

Known as the “ship that follows the sun”, the design of Seaside-generation ships embodies MSC Cruises’ passion for the sea and features, amongst other things, the highest ratio of outdoor space per guest at sea. Inspired by a Barcelona pioneering beach condo concept, MSC Seaview will bring guests and the sea closer, with special design elements that allow them to make the most of the warmer weather. For example, guests will be able to enjoy their time on board eating, drinking and relaxing outdoors in the Mediterranean sunshine with some of the best sea views in the world. They will also benefit from an increased number of balcony cabins and public areas. The MSC Seaview is the second of her class, the first being the MSC Seaside and employs the latest and the best technology available at sea to enable guests to customise their onboard and onshore experience. In partnership with technology leader Samsung, the next-generation technology will include everything from the latest displays and mobile solutions to products for enhanced reality consumer retail experiences.

Enhanced Pride

After a grounding incident in December 2015, the 9,975gt/1988 built Star Pride resumed service in June after a six-month enforced break from the Windstar Cruises fleet. The company took the opportunity to make $4.5 million worth of enhancements aboard the 212-passenger ship including a complete renovation of two owner’s suites featuring enrichments to a private deck. Also included were nautically-inspired remodelling of public spaces, dining venues and more throughout the vessel.

The 2016 Star Pride transformation echoes that of sisterships Star Breeze and Star Legend. Total investment in refurbishing the three yachts is over $21.5 million over the last two years. In addition, all guest suites on the ship received stylish new coffee tables, and new flat screen televisions. Comfortable sofa beds were added in the living rooms of 12 select suites now offering triple accommodations.

A New Dawn

The 92,250gt/2002 built Norwegian Dawn returned to Boston on 20th June as a new ship for the summer season after an extensive month-long renovation that virtually rebuilt the vessel, adding new restaurants, bars and lounges, including the popular O’Sheehans Bar & Grill, Sugarcane Mojito Bar, Bliss Lounge and The Cellars, a Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar, along with new upscale Mexican dining venue Los Lobos Cantina.

The ship’s extensive renovation is a part of The Norwegian Edge programme, a $400 million investment that sets a new standard of excellence for the Norwegian brand. A new concept for the Norwegian fleet, Los Lobos Cantina, opened on 1st July. Los Lobos Cantina is an upscale Mexican restaurant that offers a modern take on traditional favourites. A guest favourite, O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill is making its debut on the Norwegian Dawn, and features signature sports bar décor while offering favourite pub fare and beers on tap.

Wine lovers now have a chance to savour their favourite vintages at The Cellars, a Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar as the former Pearly King Pub has been completely transformed into a modern wine bar offering tastings and engaging educational events. The Sugarcane Mojito Bar will serve up more than 15 varieties of mojitos in a modern lounge area on Deck 13 adjacent to the new location for Moderno Churrascaria. Finally, the Spinnaker Lounge was transformed into the Bliss Lounge, offering a larger space for guests to relax and enjoy a cocktail.

The dining experience aboard the ship is further enhanced with extensive renovations to all of the existing complimentary dining venues. The Venetian, Aqua, Bamboo Asian Restaurant and Garden Café all have completely new looks following enhancements, redesigns and refurbishments and the same applies to the speciality restaurants. Le Bistro and La Cucina have exchanged locations, with each space presenting a premium dining experience that is brought to life with new décor including updated carpet, furniture, decorative lighting and signage. Moderno Churrascaria resides in a new location on Deck 13 and features all new décor, as has Cagney’s Steakhouse. The Teppanyaki restaurant was completely renovated and has doubled in size with two additional tables, new flooring and décor.

The ship’s pool deck was completely refurbished to create a brighter and livelier atmosphere for sun-seekers with new decking and new awnings to give the open deck a sleek, yacht-like feel. Additionally, the main pool deck received new exterior showers, upgraded pool loungers, and a fresh look to all exterior corridors.

Entertainment venues such as the Dawn Club Casino and Stardust Theatre were also touched by this extensive renovation. Guests sailing aboard the Norwegian Dawn will now be able to enjoy headlining shows Band on the Run, Showdown and Elements in a revamped Stardust Theatre with reupholstered and recushioned seating, as well as new carpets and drapery throughout the expansive theatre.

UK Cruise Passenger Numbers Dip

The number of British passengers taking an ocean cruise has dropped for the first time since records began in 1993 according to research in June by the Cruise Lines International Association. Approximately 1.64 million British holidaymakers took a cruise in 2014, down from 1.73 million the year before. This means that the UK has a 25.7% share of the total European market in terms of passenger numbers, a drop from its 27.2% share a year ago. However, the CLIA believes the fall is just a blip and that numbers will bounce back this year. Additional capacity, be it temporary or permanent, has come in the shape of the Anthem of the Seas, Britannia, Royal Princess and Magellan with 2015 figures expected to be strong from several UK ports. Southampton remained Europe’s largest embarkation and disembarkation cruise port even though fewer passengers passed through it. The port carried 1.57 million cruise passengers in 2014, down from 1.68 million in 2013. But the CLIA said numbers are expected to jump 11% to 1.75 million this year.