2012
– Royal Caribbean’s third Oasis-class vessel will be built by STX’s shipyard in France and will be delivered summer 2016. The cruise line has also opted for a second ship with a potential delivery of mid-2018.
– Costa Cruises’ Costa Pacifica hit a pier in Marseilles on the morning of December 11, leaving an eight-meter/24-foot gash in the side of the ship above the waterline. According to Costa Cruises strong winds caused the accident and no passengers or crew were injured.
– Celebrity Reflection, the final vessel in Celebrity Cruises’ five-ship Solstice class, was named in a ceremony on December 1 in Miami. The ship was christened by four Godmothers: women who, for deep personal reasons, are determined to fight breast cancer.
– Carnival Destiny will return as Carnival Sunshine in April 2013, after a 49-day, $155 million makeover. The water park, part of Carnival’s Fun Ship 2.0 initiative, will differ slightly from other ships with its racing theme. Its 334-foot long Twister water slide features a clear turn that extends over the edge of the ship and will display “racers’ ” times on a scoreboard while special lighting effects will add to the racing sensation. The new full-service Asian restaurant will offer an open kitchen for passengers to watch the chefs at work. Other facilities will include the Havana Bar, Shake Spot serving milkshakes and the Java Blue Cafe, a coffee bar. The top deck also will feature Sport Square with its rope course, including a new zipline feature and a two-level miniature golf course.
– NCL has announced it is building a third new ship, due for delivery in October 2015. The ship, codenamed Breakaway Plus, will be larger than Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, measuring 163,000-gross tons and carrying 4,200 passengers. Breakaway Plus will be built at Meyer Werft GMBH shipyard in Germany
– Four ships in the Classic International Cruises (CIC) fleet have now been arrested, due to company debts. Princess Daphne, on charter to Germany’s Ambiente Kreuzfahrten, was arrested in Souda, Crete, on Oct. 2 The 17,000-ton, 580-passenger Athena and 800-passenger Princess Danae were detained in Marseille on September 17 for failure to pay crew wages and fuel costs. The 6,000-ton Arion is detained in Montenegro.
– The All Leisure Group (A.L.G.) – which owns the Discovery, the 12,500-ton, 352-passenger Minerva and the 2,112-ton, 49-passenger Hebridean Princess – wants to target the budget end of the cruise market by entering into a joint venture with C.M.V,Cruise & Maritime Voyages . Meanwhile, C.M.V. is returning one of its two ships, the 17,000-ton, 800-passenger Ocean Countess, to its owners Maximus Navigation.
– P&O Cruises has confirmed it will start refurbishing three of its seven vessel fleet before the start of 2014. The Oceana, Ventura and Arcadia will be drydocked and refurbished in the coming year.
– Saga Ruby, the last cruise ship built in the U.K., will be retired from the Saga Cruises’ fleet at the beginning of 2014. The ship will celebrate its 40th (ruby) anniversary with one final round the world cruise in 2013 .Quest for Adventure will revert back to its former name of Saga Pearl. Then, Saga will be back to a two-ship fleet in 2014. However,the line revealed plans for a new ship.
– Silversea has acquired a new expedition cruise ship. The luxury line has bought the 100-passenger, 4,077-ton expedition ship Galapagos Explorer II and upmarket Ecuadorian tourism company Canodros with it. The ship will be refurbished to Silversea standards and renamed.
– P&O Cruises’ Grand Event on July 3, when all seven of its ships will be in Southampton together to celebrate its 175th anniversary, will enjoy royal patronage. The line has announced today that Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, is to conduct a fleet review, the term for the historic tradition of a gathering of ships for a special occasion to be observed by the reigning monarch or their representative. The procession will be spectacular. Each ship will depart the quayside with a deck party onboard and a display of daytime pyrotechnics, forming a line in Southampton Water to sail in convoy past the 2,541-ton Patricia, saluting HRH The Princess Royal before dispersing to sail onwards to their various destinations.
– Saga Cruises’ Saga Sapphire has finally sailed on her much-delayed maiden voyage after two previous attempts at an inaugural cruise had to be scrapped due to engine trouble. At the same time, 18,591-ton Saga Pearl II was rapidly converted into Quest for Adventure. Quest for Adventure replaces the old Spirit of Adventure, a smaller, aging ship that, after six years of service for Saga, has been sold to a German company.
– An Australian billionaire has announced plans to build a replica of Titanic, called Titanic II. Clive Palmer, one of Australia’s richest men, estimated at $5 billion U.S., has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese state-owned company, CSC Jinling Shipyard, to build the Titanic II, a Titanic 1912 replica, with construction due to start at the end of next year. Titanic II is to be as close a replica to the original as possible, even keeping the same dimensions and measuring just 40,000 tons (roughly the same as the original). The new ship is being designed with the assistance of a historical research team who have reportedly been instructed to maintain historical accuracy while integrating selective modernisations in design, technologies and navigation. Swimming pools, libraries, high-end restaurants and 840 luxury cabins mimicking the design of the Titanic era are all part of the proposed plans. The four funnels on Titanic II, for example, will be purely decorative and, in addition to an Internet cafe, will house a restaurant and theatre.
– Viking River Cruises has launched four ships during a single ceremony The festivities marked the debut of Viking’s new series of riverboats, the Longship-class. These, 190-passenger sister ships have been built together in Germany, although a delay at the shipyard meant that two, Viking Odin and Viking Idun, were named in Amsterdam and two, Viking Freya and Viking Njord, by live video link at the yard in Rostock. Four godmothers christened the ships: Joanna Lumley, star of “Absolutely Fabulous,” christened Viking Odin, Gail Wiswedel named Viking Njord, she was chosen because she’s Viking’s most travelled customer, Dr Lisa Randall Viking Idun’s godmother, is a respected theoretical physicist and award-winning TV producer Rebecca Eaton, served as godmother for Viking Freya.
– The former Cunard luxury linerQE2 has been anchored in Dubai’s Port Rashid since it retired in November 2008. First the current owners, Istithmar World, planned to turn the vessel into a floating hotel. Those plans were postponed because of the economic crisis not only in Dubai, but worldwide. Then, on this past New Year’s Eve, the ship was used as a luxury party space. Guests paid up to $1,633 for a VIP ticket to the event Since then, QE2’s owner has received a lot of rquests for parties and other events aboard, but say they are picky to whom is allowed on board. At the moment a crew of 40 is looking after QE2.
– Recently, Queen Mary 2 has been plagued by power outages. Twice even during her latest world cruise. According to Cunard: “After experiencing brief power interruptions, when backup systems immediately kicked in, full power was swiftly restored to Queen Mary 2 on each occasion. Hotel services were restored to the ship within 15 minutes, there was virtually no impact on guests and the ship is continuing on her voyage as normal.” Cunard has not announced any plans for additional maintenance on Queen Mary 2.
– Norwegian Cruise Line has revealed details on their upcoming Norwegian Breakaway. The vessel, the first of two 144,000-ton, 4,000-passenger Breakaway-class ships, will have her inaugural voyage in April 2013, sister Norwegian Getaway, will start sailing in spring 2014. Breakaway will introduce two novelty spaces: The Waterfront, an outdoor “boardwalk” with eight al fresco dining venues and lounges, will be located on an open promenade on deck 8; there will also be 678 Ocean Place, a three-deck atrium running the length of the ship featuring restaurants, bars, the casino and shops.
– Costa Allegra, which suffered from a power breakdown was drifting in the Indian Ocean following an engine room fire, but there was no danger for passengers and crew. Allegra’s Capt. Giorgio Moretti told the press that the ship was being “pushed by the current” some 20 miles from Alphonse Island, near the Seycelles of the coast of eastern Africa. Tugs are set to arrive on the scene soon and then it will be decided where to tow the ship.
– On the Royal Princess, Princess Cruises’ most recent new-build, the line’s signature, the gold-and-marble atrium, will be presented in a far more impressive and dramatic way. This central spot for dining and lounging will be some 50 percent larger compared with those found on other Princess ships. Royal Princess’s three-deck space will host a number of new venues, including a gelateria, an Italian-themed cocktail bar called Bellini’s, a gift shop and a seafood bar, Ocean Terrace, serving sushi and caviar. The atrium will feature a pair of marble spiral staircases. There will also be added an adults-only pool; and Princess’ first private cabanas. Expanded versions of the adults-only Sanctuary and Movie Under the Stars, both Princess features, will be back.
– In a joint statement, the Cruise Lines International Association, European Cruise Council, and the Passenger Shipping Association have stated they have voluntarily agreed to exceed current legal regulations regarding laws outlined by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Instead of simply holding a muster drill within 24 hours of embarkation, cruise lines will conduct the drills for all passengers before their ships even leave port.
– At least thirty people are believed to have died after Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy, began taking on water and then capsized. More than 4,000 passengers and crew were evacuated from the vessel; about 40 injured survivors have been hospitalized.
