Names Trademarked

Royal Caribbean International, along with other operators, is no stranger to placing a trademark on potential ship names so as to safeguard them for future use. Names such as Quantum, Ovation, Anthem and Symphony of the Seas were all trademarked well ahead of their use. The next Quantum Class ship has been allocated the name Icon of the Seas whilst the latest names that Royal Caribbean have placed their mark on are Spectrum of the Seas, Apex of the Seas and Joy of the Seas. The latter two were trademarked on 27th June having previously been earmarked but cast aside in September 2015. Royal Caribbean’s 225,282gt Symphony of the Seas was floated out at STX France during the week beginning 5th June ahead of her April 2018 debut. The Symphony of the Seas will spend her inaugural summer season cruising the Mediterranean prior to arriving in Miami in early November to begin 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

Carnival Newbuild

On 7th July the steel cutting ceremony of the third ‘Vista class cruise ship, which Fincantieri is building for Carnival Cruise Line, took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. She will be delivered in autumn 2019. The new unit will be a sister ship of the Carnival Vista, delivered in Monfalcone in April, 2016, as well as the Carnival Horizon, also currently under construction at the shipyard in Marghera with delivery scheduled at the beginning of 2018. At 133,500gt and 323m long these ships are the largest that Fincantieri has ever built for Carnival Cruise Line. The 6,500 guest & crew capacity ships have 1,987 passenger cabins and a crew of 761. Aboard the newbuild, as with the first two ships, there will be the Havana Area, a themed private and exclusive zone, with cabins, open bars and an Infinity Pool.

Majestic Ceremony

On 21st June Princess Cruises announced that Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li, would serve as Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors for Princess Cruises in China and officially name the new 144,216gt/2017 built Majestic Princess during a ceremony and gala celebration on 9th July.

The inaugural festivities took place aboard the Majestic Princess in Shanghai on as the culmination of weeks of celebrations, upholding maritime traditions, as well as featuring traditional Chinese, contemporary Chinese, and western-inspired cultural performances that took place between Rome and Xiamen. Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li, were both born in Shanghai and were both team members of China’s national basketball teams. Yao Ming is an icon, one of the world’s best-known athletes, a global ambassador of basketball, an eight-time NBA All-Star, and most recently, an inductee into the NBA Hall of Fame. The ship embarked upon her first homeport season in Shanghai from 11th July. Meanwhile, Princess Cruises’ 30,312gt/1999 built Pacific Princess emerged from a two-week dry dock in June complete with 700 Princess Luxury Beds, refurbished dining venues and 336 refreshed staterooms. The vessel now features the new livery hull design and a new premium stateroom category, Club Class Mini-suites, featuring VIP amenities & exclusive dining. Sterling Steakhouse, Sabatini’s Restaurant, The Club Restaurant and The Panorama Buffet have all been enhanced, while the pool deck has been transformed with a garden-like atmosphere. The ship returned to Fort Lauderdale prior to sailing to Europe for the summer.

From Princess To Explorer

On 19th June, after a 12-day refurbishment, the newly renamed 77,441gt/1997 built Pacific Explorer entered Sydney Harbour to mark a new era in the history of P&O Cruises Australia (above). The former Dawn Princess becomes P&O’s largest Australian based ship with a total capacity of 1,998 passengers. During the dry docking she was repainted in P&O’s new Southern Cross livery. The ship’s first cruise departed Sydney on 22nd June for a 10-night Discover Vanuatu itinerary with calls including Noumea and Port Villa. The Pacific Explorer was officially named in an event held on board in Sydney on 2nd July. Cartoon character Dora the Explorer acted as godmother, christening the ship by breaking a pinata while P&O president Sture Myrmell was “slimed” by four honorary junior ‘minime’ crew members who had won a competition to lead the festivities.

New Operator Emerges

The Barreras Shipyard at Vigo in Spain is set to build three new 298-passenger ships for The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection. The luxury ships are expected to be costing around $220 million each, with a letter of intent and financing package agreed to earlier this year. The first delivery is in 2019, followed by two sister ships in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The new luxury cruise brand was announced on 22nd June, created by The Ritz-Carlton and maritime experts Douglas Prothero and Lars Clasen, in collaboration with funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. The Ritz-Carlton will provide luxury hospitality service under a long-term operating agreement. Named The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, this venture represents a unique foray into the cruise industry for a luxury hotel operator. The specially designed small capacity 190m long vessel will accommodate up to 298 passengers, and feature 149 suites, each with its own private balcony. The yacht will also feature two 138sqm lavish duplex penthouse suites, with modern craftsmanship and interior finishes jointly designed by The Ritz- Carlton and leading cruise ship design firm, Tillberg Design of Sweden. The vessels will feature a restaurant by Sven Elverfeld of Aqua, the three Michelin-starred restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg, a signature Ritz-Carlton Spa, a Panorama Lounge and wine bar, offering a wide variety of on-board entertainment.

A Ceremony Of Joy

Norwegian Cruise Line’s 167,725gt/2017 built Norwegian Joy, NCL’s first custom-designed ship for the Chinese cruise market, was christened on 27th June in a ceremony that featured an overthe- top performance by the ship’s Godfather, singer songwriter, music producer, actor and film director, Wang Leehom aboard the vessel in Shanghai. The christening marked the end of a monthlong grand inaugural tour where the ship has been showcased through events at the ports of Singapore, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, as well as cruises from the ship’s homeports of Shanghai and Tianjin. In homage to Norwegian Joy’s eye-catching hull art, designed by famed Chinese artist Tan Ping and featuring a majestic phoenix, the christening ceremony began with a performance by renowned dancer and choreographer Yabin Wang, with her interpretation of the spirit of the phoenix through dance. Tan Ping, who also made a special guest appearance at the ceremony, selected the phoenix as the focal point for the ship’s hull artwork, as the iconic bird represents beauty and good luck in Chinese culture. The pinnacle moment of the christening ceremony came as Wang Leehom, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings executives and local Chinese government officials simultaneously smashed bottles of champagne against the side of a replica ship hull, which released an oversized bottle of Veuve Cliquot that shattered against the ship’s actual hull (above), signifying the maritime tradition of bringing good luck to all who sail on her. The 3,883 passenger capacity and 333m long/41m beam Norwegian Joy was built by the Meyer Werft shipyard of Papenburg, Germany. The ship is the second of NCL’s Breakaway-Plus class.

The Bridge 2017

Cunard Line’s 149,215gt/2003 built Queen Mary 2 departed from her birthplace of St. Nazaire, France, on 25th June to cross the Atlantic in a once-in-a-lifetime Transatlantic “Race” against four of the world’s most famous trimarans in ‘The Bridge 2017.’ The Bridge 2017 is a series of events commemorating the centenary of the first landing of American soldiers in France during WWI in June 1917. It is also a celebration of 100 years of friendship between France and the U.S.A ever since that landing. The Queen Mary 2 arrived in New York from St. Nazaire on 1st July. The four multi-hulls that accompanied the ship across the North Atlantic were helmed by award-winning skippers Thomas Coville for Sodebo Ultim, Francis Joyon for Idec Sport, and the two fastest around-the-world sailors, Franois Gabart for Macif, who has won the most races, and Yves Le Blvec for Actual.

Her younger fleetmate, the 90,901gt/2010 built Queen Elizabeth, then had her own show stopping event when she met the Royal Navy’s brand new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (70,600t displacement) on the evening of 6th July in the Moray Firth. Both ships saluted each other in the traditional manner.

I Name This Ship……

P&O Cruises announced on 7th July that its guests and the general public were being invited to be part of the historic occasion of the arrival of the new 180,000gt ship by suggesting a suitable name for the vessel. The competition to name the ship ran on the P&O Cruises website and through social media channels from 10th July and a panel of experts will consider all entries with the winning name being announced next year. Not only will the winner earn their place in history with their chosen name being proudly emblazoned on the ship for everyone to see for years to come, but they will also be given two VIP places at the ship’s naming ceremony in spring 2020. The new ship will accommodate approximately 5,200 guests (lower berths), will boast a striking new exterior and interior design and will comprehensively embrace the company’s classic and iconic features.