Odyssey Delivered to Royal Caribbean Virtually

Royal Caribbean Group is known for their Tradition, Innovation, and Revolution. Today all three of those traits were observed when they virtually took delivery of their newest Quantum class ship, Odyssey of the Seas from German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in a ceremony that was held virtually on Zoom with dignitaries in various locations, live from Odyssey bridge and deck, along with performances live from Quantum of the Seas. As far as I'm aware this is a first for the cruise industry.

After introductions of the VIPs from Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft, the traditional lowering of the flag of the country of the shipbuilder (German flag) and the raising of the country the ship sails under (Bahamas flag) was done. 

Then the Royal Caribbean and U.S. flags were raised while the anthem was sung by Whitney Drake from the Royal Theater onboard Quantum of the Seas. It was a very stirring rendition of the anthem.

Next was the traditional blessing of the ship done by Father Sanford Sears of Seafarers' House in Fort Lauderdale. The ceremony concluded with a live performance from Two70 on Quantum of the Seas.

The broadcast concluded with a Q&A session with President & CEO, Michael Bayley responding to a few questions. 

More than 10,000 people worked together to turn dreams of this new ship into reality. Odyssey is the 25th ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. She will begin sailing to Greece from Israel and when the U.S. ports reopen she will homeport from Fort Lauderdale, FL. sailing to the Caribbean. 

Watch this video to see the entire ceremony. Congratulations to Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft for this great accomplishment during a pandemic.

 

View Odyssey Of the SeasSailings

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Costa Fascinosa Delivered

Costa Fascinosa 

A New Beginning 

Click for Video & Images

It has been a tough year for Costa Cruises and their passengers, but as the line launched its latest flagship over the weekend, officials hoped the 3,800-passenger Costa Fascinosa will mark a new chapter for the line following the Concordia disaster. They have released a video (click image above) that reflects on Costa's history since 1948 marking various milestones - primarily new ship launches.

"The delivery of Costa Fascinosa is an important stepping stone on our company's road to recovery," said Costa Chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi during a ceremony marking the formal delivery of the new ship.  He continued "It is confirmation that the long-term fundamentals of our business remain strong, and we will continue to work for our customers, offering them even better cruises on fantastic ships like Costa Fascinosa."

Shipbuilder Fincantieri officially handed Costa Fascinosa over to Costa Cruises at the Venice Passenger Terminal. Along with sister ship Costa Favolosa, it is the largest Italian-flagged cruise ship afloat.  The delivery ceremony was attended by Italy’s Minister of Tourism Piero Gnudi, and his daughter Elsa served as godmother of the new 114,500-ton, 3,800-guest flagship.

Costa Cruises invested US$668.8 million (510 million euros) in Costa Fascinosa. Construction of the ship at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard involved the labor of approximately 3,000 yard workers plus 7,000 more people employed by about 500 contracted suppliers, most of them Italian firms.

“Costa Fascinosa is the living proof of the progress and the results achieved by two great
Italian industries jointly contributing to spread a positive image of ‘Made in Italy’ around the
world,” said Giuseppe Bono, chief executive officer of Fincantieri. “We are most pleased to
have contributed to the success of Costa, an Italian company which proudly flies the Italian flag.”

Costa Fascinosa sets sail from Venice on a preview cruise May 6, bound for Slovenia, Trieste, Italy, and Croatia, and will host the 19th edition of the “Champions of the Sea,” an annual event celebrating Costa Cruises’ best travel agent partners from around the world. On May 11 the ship departs Venice on its inaugural cruise, a 10-day itinerary to Greece, Israel and Turkey. 

For the 2012 summer season until the end of November, Costa Fascinosa will operate seven-day cruises from Venice and Bari, It flagship will be in South America on cruises calling at Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

For summer 2013 the ship will return to the eastern Mediterranean, sailing weeklong vacations to Greece and Turkey with departures from Venice and Bari.

We'll bring you more information about the new flagship in futures articles.  We wish Costa Cruises well as this new ship takes to the seas.  We hope that it can be a new beginning following the tragic events earlier this year.

Introducing Celebrity Silhouette

Celebrity Silhouette courtesy Meyer Werft & Celebrity Cruises

Meyer Werft 

Does it Again

Celebrity Silhouette

Delivered

Fourth in a Series

Celebrity Silhouette^SM joins her sisters, Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, and Celebrity Eclipse as another success story for shipbuilder MEYER WERFT.

The new122,000 gross ton Celebrity Silhouette^SM was delivered on schedule to Celebrity Cruises (Miami, USA) in the Dutch port of Eemshaven.  The shipyard in Papenburg, should be quite proud of this accomplishment.

Celebrity Silhouette^SM is the fourth ship out of a series of five cruise ships the shipyard in Papenburg is building for Celebrity Cruises. The series began with the delivery of Celebrity Solstice in October, 2008.  The second ship, Celebrity Equinox, was delivered in July, 2009 followed by the Celebrity Eclipse in April, 2010.  Meyer Werft has been building ships for Celebrity Cruises since 1995.

The Solstice® Class ships have a total length of 315 meters, which is almost three times as long as a soccer ground, making them the biggest ships built to date for Celebrity Cruises. 

MEYER WERFT and Celebrity Cruises have developed and built another extremely eco-friendly ship. Highly energy-efficient  systems, a solar power system, optimised hydrodynamics, a very efficient underwater hull coating and an energy-saving lighting system using LEDs cut back the ship's energy demand considerably.

The Celebrity Silhouette can accommodate 2,886 passengers, who are taken care of by a crew of 1,271. Following her naming ceremony in Hamburg on 21 July 2011, she began her maiden voyage to Barcelona via Civitavecchia/Rome on 23 July 2011.

  Ship Profile | Itineraries & Pricing | Deck Plans   Dining Menus | Wine Lists | Ship Reviews | Photos   

Now that Celebrity Silhouette^SM has joined the Celebrity Cruises fleet, you have another outstanding option for cruising Europe and the Caribbean. She's impressive, with all the best-loved Solstice® Class features - and some new ones.  We will take a closer look at some of the new features in future posts.

Disney Dream Delivered

Meyer Werft Delivers Disney Dream
Photo courtesy Meyer Werft and Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line Takes the Helm of Newest Ship

Delivery Ceremony celebrates final milestone

Disney Dream set to depart for Florida 

The final chapter has been written on the Disney Dream's construction as shipbuilder MEYER WERFT turned over the keys of the new ship to Disney Cruise Line December 9th in Bremerhaven, Germany. Following maritime tradition, the MEYER WERFT flag was lowered, while the Disney Cruise Line flag was raised, transferring ownership from the shipbuilder to Disney Cruise Line.

Construction began nearly two years ago in Papenburg, Germany.  The delivery  signals its readiness to welcome guests on its maiden voyage, set for Jan. 26, 2011, from Port Canaveral, Florida.   The Disney Dream will depart for Florida on December 19th after crew and provisions are loaded on the new ship in Germany.

DCL Commenting on the Disney Dream

“The Disney Dream is an extraordinary ship, in part because of the collaboration of the superb shipbuilders at MEYER WERFT and the innovative technology and storytelling that our Disney team has developed and implemented aboard,” said Karl Holz, president of Disney Cruise Line.  “I cannot wait for our guests to experience this newest addition to our fleet, a ship that will delight and surprise all ages.”

From a water coaster at sea called AquaDuck, and inside staterooms with virtual views, to Enchanted Art that immerses guests in stories, and fine dining at Remy’s, the Disney Dream will deliver family cruise experiences like no other.  The shipboard experience remains focused on the legacy and heritage of The Walt Disney Company’s most known assets – master storytelling, world-class entertainment and legendary guest service.

Our Thoughts

Those of us in the travel business call this the "Disney Difference".  The Disney Dream adds to the list of completed vessels in 2010.   We believe this will be one of the years that stand out in cruise industry history as a year of innovation that takes cruise vacationing to a new level.

Meyer Werft's Thoughts

“It gives me great pride to deliver the Disney Dream, which is the largest ship that MEYER WERFT has ever built,” said Bernard Meyer, managing partner of MEYER WERFT.  “Over the last few years, I have seen this ‘dream’ transform from the design phase to a magnificent reality, which guests will soon be able to enjoy for years to come.  To make this dream come true, it takes a special partnership.  The collaboration among Disney Cruise Line, MEYER WERFT and its suppliers has been excellent and very creative.”

Disney Dream Schedule

The Disney Dream is scheduled to depart on Dec. 19, for its transatlantic voyage to the U.S., with an expected arrival on Jan. 4, 2011. Captain Tom Forberg will officially take the helm of the Disney Dream for Disney Cruise Line.  As part of the Disney Cruise Line ship construction team, Captain Forberg has been with the company for 15 years and was responsible for launching Disney’s first two ships, the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.

The Disney Dream is scheduled to sail three-, four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas, from Port Canaveral.  Sister ship Disney Fantasy is currently in production at the MEYER WERFT shipyard and is scheduled to set sail on its maiden voyage on April 7, 2012.  It will sail seven-night alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries, also from Port Canaveral.

Congratulations Disney Cruise Line on another family vacation choice which will continue Walt Disney's legacy for many years to come.  It's hard to believe it all started with a mouse.

Norwegian Epic Delivered to NCL

Photo by Bernard Biger

Do you remember your first car when the dealer handed over the keys to you?  You opened the door and smelled that new car smell - you were in heaven.

If you were in  St. Nazaire, France on June 17, 2010, you would have witnessed a similar event but on a much grander scale.    Norwegian Cruise Line today accepted delivery of its largest and most innovative ship to date, Norwegian Epic, from STX FRANCE SA. Norwegian Epic at 153,000 gross tons is the largest ship ever constructed in St. Nazaire and therefore represents a major milestone for STX.

“Norwegian Epic represents the next level of Freestyle Cruising with branded entertainment, more than 20 dining options and a wide range of accommodations including the largest suite complex at sea,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s Chief Executive Officer. “Following more than four years of development and construction, we are pleased to take ownership of this beautiful ship and introduce her to the world. We are confident that Norwegian Epic will amaze our guests.” 

Epic: Spider Web

Schedule

9 PM June 17 -  depart St. Nazaire en route to Rotterdam
June 19 - travel agents & media - two-day inaugural cruise.

June 21 -  one-night preview cruise to Southampton, arriving on
June 22 -  two-day inaugural sailing
June 24 - depart Southampton on 7-day transatlantic crossing
July 1 - arrive in New York
July 2 - christened by legendary entertainer Reba McEntire followed by a two-day inaugural cruise
July 4 - host venue for the 34th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

Beginning July 10, Norwegian Epic will sail alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami through April 30, 2011. 

Ports of call on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary include Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas. The Western Caribbean cruises visit Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico. The 2011 cruise season from May-October will have Norwegian Epic sailing a series of seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona. When she returns to Miami on November 5, 2011, she will sail a series of seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises through April 7, 2012. 

Additional Blog Posts for Norwegian Epic  (click here)

Link for more information about Norwegian Epic and Itineraries

We will be onboard Norwegian Epic for our 2010 National Conference.   We are looking forward to sailing on this latest ship in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet.

Celebrity Eclipse to the Rescue

Celebrity Eclipse Delivered

MEYER WERFT delivered the new passenger cruise vessel Celebrity Eclipse to Celebrity Cruises on April 15th in the Dutch port of Eemshaven. The Celebrity Eclipse is the third ship out of a series of five cruise ships the shipyard is building for Celebrity Cruises.   This Solstice-Class ship weighs in at 122,000 gross tons and has a capacity of 2,852 passengers.

This event was overshadowed by the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland.   Celebrity Eclipse was delivered just in time to be put to use in an unplanned rescue voyage.  The first leg of her launch celebrations, scheduled to begin on April 22, was cancelled in order to assist stranded U.K. travelers returning from their Easter break. 

As I write this column, Celebrity Eclipse is sailing from Southampton, where she arrived on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, to Bilbao, Spain, where she is scheduled to arrive in the early hours of  Thursday, April 22. Stranded travelers will join the ship throughout Thursday morning. The ship will return to Southampton, arriving late Friday evening. This sailing replaces the activities planned during the two-night, round-trip launch celebration cruise from Southampton.

On her new operation, Celebrity Eclipse will collect the delayed vacationers - some delayed by up to seven days - who were on package holidays with major U.K. tour operators. Over 2,000 travelers are currently expected to join Celebrity Eclipse in Bilbao.  Read More

We applaud Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. for once again quickly reacting to natural disasters and putting the full resources of the line to good use. 

As Earth Day approaches, it is significant to note that Celebrity Eclipse is an extremely eco-friendly ship. A total energy saving of about 30% compared to similar ships is achieved by highly energy-efficient components such as a photovoltaic system, optimized hull design (hydrodynamics), a very efficient underwater coating, and an energy-saving lighting system using LEDs.

For more information about Celebrity Eclipse and itineraries,  click here

Oasis of the Seas Heads for Home

Oasis of the Seas photo Courtesy STX Europe

OASIS of the SEAS

HEADS for HOME

28 October 2009, Royal Carribbean International's latest ship, Oasis of the Seas, was delivered by STX Europe's Turku Shipyard

The ship has begun it's journey to it's new home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she will begin cruising the Caribbean.

A marvel of Engineering ....

According to details released by STX Europe, the Oasis of the Seas is 361 meters long and 66 meters wide at its widest point and, at the highest, it rises 72 meters above the sea level. The gross tonnage is 225,000. At the best, the vessel can accommodate 6,360 passengers and 2,100 crew members. The ship features 16 passenger decks and 2,704 staterooms. The total power output of the ship's engines is 97,000 kW and the cruise speed is 22.6 knots.

A boom to Economy ...

In this economic times, Royal Caribbean International's new ship orders for the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas (which will debut in 2010) provided some 12,000 man hours of work to complete this project.

A new destination to be Explored ...

When I speak with clients about their cruise vacation plans, one of the first questions that I ask is "What destination(s) are you interested in seeing?".

Oasis of the Seas is a destination of it's own. Stroll through Central Park, ride the carousel on the Boardwalk, enjoy a show in the AquaTheater or dine on the Royal Promenade. There are so many things to do and places to explore onboard, you might forget to go ashore. More Details .... Brochure...

VIDEO: Oasis of Seas Officially Turned over to Royal Caribbean International

Watch Additional Oasis of the Seas Videos Here!

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER

Book a 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Oasis of the Seas by November 2nd and receive $100 Onboard Credit Learn more about Oasis of the Seas and applicable sail dates.