CARNIVAL
CRUISES will put its newest ship, the Carnival Freedom, on
the Carnival Liberty's six- and eight-day Caribbean cruise route
from Fort Lauderdale in November 2008. The Liberty will launch a
seven-day Caribbean cruise schedule from Miami beginning in May
2008 and sail year-round, alternating seven-day eastern and western
Caribbean cruises. The Freedom is under construction at Italy's
Fincantieri shipyard and is slated to debut in Europe on March
5.
THE CARNIVAL
FREEDOM will be in the Mediterranean from March until
November and then will operate seven-day cruises from Miami from
November until April 2008, followed by a return to Europe for
another Mediterranean/Greek isles season from May 2008 to October
2008. At the end of that season, the Freedom will reposition to
Fort Lauderdale via a transatlantic crossing and assume the six-
and eight-day cruises beginning Nov. 22, 2008.
THE COSTA
CLASSICA became the first international cruise ship to
homeport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when it sailed from the
port on Dec. 23. Costa CEO Pier Luigi Foschi said that the move
"establishes our place as a truly international operator on the
world stage"; Costa already owned the distinction of being the
first international cruise line to homeport a ship in Shanghai. The
53,000-ton Costa Classica will sail seven-day itineraries starting
with two nights in Dubai and making one-day stopovers in Muscat,
Oman; Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, United Arab Emirates; and Bahrain.
The sailings will be marketed to Europeans, North Americans and the
local population. Thanks to a strong response, Costa will homeport
two ships in Dubai in the 2007-08 season.
THE PORT OF
MOMBASA will not get a multimillion-dollar cruise terminal
as the Kenya Ports Authority had hoped, due to a failure to attract
a strategic partner to invest about $30 million in the project. The
Kenyan government scrapped the plan and said it will instead
improve the existing cruise terminal, at a cost of about $3
million, and will refurbish the landing facilities and upgrade the
road from the port to the town, according to a report in the East
African, a Nairobi newspaper. Eight cruise ships called in Mombasa
last year, the Kenya Ports Authority said, far below the 18 annual
calls the port received six years ago.
HOLLAND
AMERICA LINE will offer 15 10-day cruises in Mexico's Sea
of Cortes in 2008, four more than in 2007. The 1,258-passenger
Ryndam will operate the itineraries from San Diego in the spring
and fall of 2008 and will visit Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan,
Topolobampo, Loreto, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. The Ryndam will
also sail three Mexican Riviera cruises in 2008, and the Oosterdam
will continue running seven-day Mexican Riviera voyages, sailing a
total of 28 in 2008. In total, HAL said it will offer 46 Mexico
cruises from San Diego in 2008.
Cruise
E-Letter Editor: Johanna Jainchill
Phone: (201) 902-2065
[email protected]
For promotional
opportunities in the E-letters, contact [email protected].