Carnival Cruise Lines – which operates Mobile’s only year-round cruise program – will increase capacity at the port by 42 percent when the 2,056-passenger Carnival Fantasy replaces the 1,452-passenger Holiday on year-round four- and five-day cruises beginning in November 2009.
With the Carnival Fantasy’s departures from Mobile, the company expects to carry approximately 170,000 passengers annually from that port.
Carnival Fantasy will offer a new “Fun Ship” cruise experience with a larger vessel that will include a number of exciting new features. This fall, the ship will undergo the next phase of the line’s Evolutions of Fun enhancement program. During an extended dry dock period, the open decks will be completely transformed to include the Carnival WaterWorks aqua park, Serenity adults-only retreat, and a new resort-style pool area.
“Mobile has been a terrific homeport for us since we began service there in 2004 and we’re absolutely thrilled to be able to expand capacity from this port with the deployment of the Carnival Fantasy,” said Terry Thornton, Carnival’s senior vice president of marketing planning. “The support of the local community, particularly city and port officials and our travel agent partners, has been nothing short of exceptional and we are very pleased to continue operating Mobile’s first and only year-round cruise program,” he added.
“Mobile is one of the nation’s most progressive cities, a quality we attribute to our partnership with Carnival Cruise Lines and our ability to build coalitions united around one goal – a better Mobile,” said Mobile Mayor Sam Jones. “We are truly grateful to welcome the larger Carnival Fantasy ship, and look forward to the future opportunities this partnership will bring to our city, state and region,” he added.
(more…) (0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Carnival Cruise Lines Posted by Michael on 08/18/08
We may have missed a week, but we’re back now. Taking the week off allowed us to collect a whole show’s worth of cruise line news too.
Carnival Sensation will be getting her Evolutions of Fun upgrades in January, while Carnival Fantasy will be staying in Mobile until she heads to the shipyards for her own Evolutions of Fun upgrades.
MSC will be sending their two newest ships to the Caribbean for the 2009/10 season and orders two new Musica class ships from Aker Yards.
Carnival will be recategorizing their staterooms and we get some insight into how Joe Farcus designs ships for Carnival and Costa.
Cabo San Lucas is getting some infrastructure updates and is considering an actual cruise ship pier.
Princess has selected the Godparents for Ruby Princess and we get a look at some of what’s planned for Seabourn Odyssey.
Be sure to check in next week when I’ll be talking about a different sort of cruise that I’m taking this week.
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Filed under: Carnival Cruise Lines, MSC Cruises, Podcast, Princess Cruises, The Yachts of Seabourn Posted by Michael on 08/16/08
It’s taken an incredible amount of time to happen, but the prosed changes to the Passenger Vessel Services Act have been rejected by the Office of Management and Budget. The proposed changes, put forth by US Customs and Border Patrol had called for foreign flag ships sailing between US ports to spend at leat 50% of their voyages calling at foreign ports.
The controversial rule change was aimed squarely at the Hawai’i market, and was an attempt to protect the struggling NCL America which has faced significant competition in recent years. By requiring foreign flag lines to make longer foreign port calls instead of the token stop in Ensenada Mexico or a similar port, NCL America and their supporters were hoping to make it more difficult for lines to compete directly with NCLA.
As originally worded the proposal was extremely broad and state and city governments in Hawai’i, Alaska, California and Florida all expressed opposition to the proposal. Eventually a compromise was reached that limited to proposal to just Hawai’i.
OMB said Customs and Border Protection’s proposed rule for the Passenger Vessel Services Act ‘presents no market failure or compelling public need, omits a statement of the costs and benefits of the rule-making, and does not include a discussion and analysis of regulatory alternatives, significant distributive impacts or uncertainties.’ However, OMB’s ruling does not prevent the proposal from being re-worded and re-submitted.
NCL is encouraging a redraft that addresses OMB’s points. The company noted a compromise had been reached that limited the rule to Hawaii and imposed no minimum stay in a foreign port. NCL said that means foreign-flag ships could offer ‘bona fide international voyages built around Hawaii port calls from any port in the United States, while making clear that only U.S.-flag cruise ships are permitted to offer truly domestic Hawaii itineraries.’
The company also cited a study by the state of Hawaii that found Pride of America provides more than triple the economic benefit of the entire foreign-flag fleet calling on the state.
The American Association of Port Authorities however thinks that the OMB rejection should be the end of the line. They feel that the OMB gave ‘a pretty definitive answer’ that indicates Customs and Border Protection ‘haven’t made a good business case for why this rule-making is a necessity.’ AAPA opposed the proposals out of concern they could drive away the international cruise business, harming ports and costing jobs.
U.S. labor unions and Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye were among the supporters of the rule-making, but scores of other senators, mayors and ports warned that it could have a wide-ranging negative economic impact on the cruise business as a whole.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: General News Posted by Michael on 08/14/08
In celebration of National Romance Week,* Princess Cruises announced that celebrity couple Trista and Ryan Sutter will christen the newest cruise ship in the Princess fleet, Ruby Princess, on November 6 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Sutters, who met on ABC’s hit reality series, The Bachelorette, the most romantic franchise on TV since the Love Boat, will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary this fall, and will mark this milestone event during the Ruby Princess inaugural, which will be themed around “romantic moments and milestones.”
Trista and Ryan are one of the best-known romantic duos in recent broadcast history, as they are the first and only couple from the The Bachelor and Bachelorette franchises who have actually gotten married. The Sutters also recently celebrated the first birthday of their son, Max.
Trista and Ryan Sutter met in 2002, when she was America’s first Bachelorette. The Bachelor and The Bachelorette on ABC-TV were the first and are still the most popular reality dating shows in which one man or woman searches for their soul mate out of 25 potential suitors. Over the course of the show, the bachelorette bestows roses on those bachelors she wishes to continue dating. Trista presented Ryan with her final rose and he then proposed on the show’s finale in November 2002. The couple wed on December 6, 2003 in an elaborate television ceremony watched by 26 million viewers, making it one of the most widely viewed episodes in the history of reality TV and one of ABC’s top rated shows of the year. After their highly visible courtship, Trista and Ryan moved to Vail, CO, where they currently reside with their son, Max. In addition to frequent TV interviews and promotional appearances, he is a firefighter and she is a stay-at-home mom and designer for her new diaper bag line, Trista Baby.
The 3,070-passenger Ruby Princess includes a dramatic piazza-style atrium featuring small-bite eateries and an ever-changing array of performing street entertainers. Passengers will also enjoy Princess’ other array of dining venues including the signature Sabatini’s Italian trattoria and the Crown Grill steak and seafood restaurant, plus a relaxing oasis just for adults called The Sanctuary.
The new cruise ship will also offer the many other innovations that define the Princess experience, including the popular Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen, Personal Choice Dining featuring traditional or Anytime seating, multiple entertainment venues, a relaxing Asian-style Lotus Spa with fitness center, an extensive children and teen’s center, a wedding chapel and nearly 900 staterooms with private balconies – perfect for enjoying a scenic Caribbean islands cruise.
During Ruby Princess’ inaugural season she will make seven-day weekly sailings from Fort Lauderdale, FL to the Western Caribbean. Calls include Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico and Princess Cays in the Bahamas. Next spring the ship will move to Europe for 12-day sailings in the Mediterranean and Greek Islands.
(0) Comments (Leave a Comment)Filed under: Princess Cruises Posted by Michael on 08/12/08
Norwegian Gem, takes center stage in Fine Living Network’s new one-hour special: The Ultimate Cruise Guide. The special was filmed during a seven-day Western Mediterranean cruise aboard Norwegian Gem and will premiere on Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 10 p.m. EST.
The show presents a complete guide to everything a viewer needs to know about cruising, featuring insider tips from Norwegian Gem’s officers and a first-hand look at cruising through the eyes of the Walkers, a family of four from New York with children ages six and 10, and Joey and Joy, a young, professional couple on a romantic getaway, as they explore the ship’s on-board amenities and NCL shore excursions.
Viewers will vacation alongside the Walkers and Joey and Joy as they set out on their European cruise on Norwegian Gem. During the cruise, Joey and Joy use the time to unwind and relax from their busy lifestyle with a romantic brunch in the ship’s French restaurant Le Bistro; a private training session with a personal trainer in the Body Waves Fitness Center; and total relaxation on the ship’s pool deck with Evian mists and cold towels from poolside attendants.
The Walkers maximize their time to the fullest with a family bowling tournament in Bliss Ultra Lounge; a relaxing couple’s spa treatment in the Yin & Yang Spa while the children are playing in the Treetops Kids Club; an entertaining family dinner in the Teppanyaki restaurant; and a performance by the famed Second City comedy troupe in the Stardust Theater.
While off the ship, they visit unforgettable ports of call including Barcelona, Spain; Valetta, Malta; Naples, Rome and Florence, Italy; and Nice, France. The Walkers opt to explore Rome via an educational experience for their children with NCL’s Ultimate Touring, allowing them to customize their own private tour of the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, while Joey and Joy decide to take in Malta’s scenic beauty on their private tour of the island’s beaches.
The Ultimate Cruise Guide is scheduled to air again on Fine Living Network (FLN) August 27 at 4 p.m.; August 30 at 11 p.m.; September 12 at 4 p.m.; September 14 at 11 p.m.; and September 24 at 10 p.m. From the makers of HGTV and Food Network, FLN is available nationwide on DirecTV channel 232 and DISH Network channel 113, and on local digital cable. To sample FLN programming, visit www.fineliving.com/TV.
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