SEABOURN
CRUISES released details of the design plan for the first
of the two $250 million, 450-passenger ships it commissioned from
Italy's T. Mariotti shipyard. Seabourn said the yard recently cut
the first steel plates for the ship, which is slated to enter
service in June 2009. The ship will have 13 categories of suites,
four dining venues and six bars; it was designed to mirror the
silhouette of the existing Seabourn ships but contain additional
facilities and amenities. At three times the size of current
Seabourn vessels but just double the passengers, Seabourn said the
ship would have one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the
industry. "We've been careful to incorporate Seabourn's signature
features while designing the next generation of ultra luxury ship
to satisfy the desires of a new generation of luxury travelers,"
said Pamela Conover, Seabourn president and CEO, in a statement.
MSC
CRUISES changed the name of one of its two post-Panamax
ships under construction from the MSC Serenata to the MSC
Splendida. MSC said the name Splendida was chosen because Raphaela
Aponte, who is responsible for every ship's interior design details
and is the wife of MSC owner Gianluigi Aponte, was so enthusiastic
about the ship's architectural designs. The 133,000-ton MSC
Splendida and MSC Fantasia, the largest ships commissioned by MSC
to date, are scheduled to join MSC's fleet in fall 2008 and spring
2009, respectively.
ROYAL
CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL said 200 of the 3,846 passengers
on its newest ship, the Liberty of the Seas, experienced
gastrointestinal illness on its seven-day, May 26 sailing from
Miami. The next cruise left Miami five hours late on June 2 so that
Royal Caribbean could carry out enhanced cleaning procedures and
protocols, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Twelve of the ship's 1,425 crew members were also
affected, Royal Caribbean said. It said that all affected
passengers and crew responded well to over-the-counter medication
administered onboard the ship. The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program
said that Royal Caribbean increased cleaning and disinfection
procedures, notified oncoming passengers about the illness, delayed
the subsequent voyage's embarkation to implement additional
cleaning and disinfection procedures and staffed the subsequent
voyage with additional crew to clean and disinfect the ship during
the voyage.
THE CRUISE
LINES INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION welcomed Majestic America
Line as its 22nd member last week, saying that "America's largest
river and coastal cruise company" adds diversity to its membership.
Majestic America operates seven U.S.-flagged vessels on the
Mississippi and Ohio and tributary rivers; the Columbia, Snake and
Willamette rivers in the Pacific Northwest; and Alaska's Inside
Passage. The addition brings CLIA's membership to 97% of the cruise
capacity in North America, CLIA said. Majestic America is a
division of Ambassadors Cruise Group, LLC, which also operates
Windstar Cruises. Majestic American will also remain members of the
Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance.
MAJESTIC
AMERICA cancelled three more departures on the Empress of
the North, whose hull was damaged after it ran aground on May 14 in
Alaska's Inside Passage. The ship's June 9, June 16 and June 23
sailings were cancelled. Majestic America said it was taking no new
bookings for cruises on the ship before July 14. The ship,
currently in drydock in Ketchikan, Alaska, is scheduled to be moved
on June 5 to another U.S. shipyard, because the Ketchikan yard has
prior ship repair commitments.
Cruise
E-Letter Editor: Johanna Jainchill
Phone: (201) 902-2065
[email protected]
For promotional
opportunities in the E-letters, contact [email protected].