Protests in Egypt Prompt More Cancellations

Egyptian Sphinx - Courtesy Azamara Club Cruises

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Cancellations

Protests in Egypt - March 18, 2011  Update

Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises have been closely monitoring the situation in Egypt. The safety and security of our guests and crew members is always foremost in our minds. Due to the uncertainty in Egypt, and in an abundance of caution, we have decided to cancel additional port calls to Egypt for Royal Caribbean International through November.     Click here to view itinerary changes.

UPDATED: March 8, 2011

 Costa Cruises today extended its previously announced cancellation of calls in Tunisia and Alexandria, Egypt through the end of the year and also dropped calls in Israel, blaming the uncertainty in the region.

Revised Costa Cruises itineraries can be found on their website:  Situation in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain

 
As protests continue in Egypt, Royal Caribbean International has cancelled calls to Egyptian ports through June, 2011.   They released the following statement:

Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises have been closely monitoring the protests currently taking place in Egypt. In an abundance of caution, we have decided to cancel our upcoming port calls to Egypt through June. The sailings that have been modified are :

AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES
Azamara Quest, which sailing begins in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday, April 24, 2011 will no longer call on Alexandria, Egypt on Wednesday, May 4. Instead, the ship will now spend Wednesday, May 4 at sea and call on Santorini, Greece on Thursday, May 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Azamara Quest, which departs Athens (Piraeus), Greece on Friday, May 6 will no longer stay in Alexandria, Egypt overnight from Thursday, May 12 to Friday, May 13. Instead, the ship will now overnight in Rhodes, Greece from Tuesday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m. until midnight on Wednesday, May 11, spend Thursday, May 12 at sea, and call on Paphos, Cyprus on Friday, May 13 from 7:00 a.m. to midnight.

Azamara Quest, which departs Haifa, Israel on Monday, May 16 will no longer stay in Alexandria, Egypt overnight from Thursday, May 19 to Friday, May 20. Instead, the ship will now spend call on Paphos, Cyprus on Thursday, May 19 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., overnight in Rhodes, Greece from 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 20 until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 21.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL
Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Monday, April 18 will no longer call on Alexandria on Sunday, April 24. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, April 24 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 25.

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Wednesday, May 11 will no longer call on Alexandria on Wednesday, May 18. Instead, the ship will now spend Monday, May 16 at sea, stay overnight in Istanbul, Turkey from 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 17 until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 18 and call on Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey on Thursday, May 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Saturday, June 4 will no longer call on Alexandria on Saturday, June 11. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday, June 11 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.

Mariner of the Seas, which departs Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy on Tuesday, June 28 will no longer call on Alexandria on Wednesday, July 6. Instead, the ship will now call on Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, July 6 and stay overnight until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 7.

Brilliance of the Seas, which departs Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Thursday, April 12 will sail a modified itinerary. 

The cost of any shore excursions in a cancelled port, which were purchased through Royal Caribbean International, will be refunded to the form of payment used. Guests who booked shore excursions whose call date has changed, through Royal Caribbean International, will have those reservations transferred to the new day of the port call. Our shore excursion staff onboard can assist guests regarding activities in any new port of call.

We will continue to closely monitor the changing situation in Egypt and will contact guests or their travel agents should we make any additional modifications to upcoming itineraries.

Related Posts:
Egypt Travel Alert Impacts Cruises

Greetings from Azamara Club Cruises Journey

Azamara Journey Port of Miami

After disembarking Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas pre-inaugural, we transferred from Fort Lauderdale to Miami where we spent the night at the Marriott Biscayne Bay.   From our bay view balcony, we watched the sunrise as the ships pulled into port.

Hidden behind the Celebrity Cruises building is Azamara Journey, which will be our home for a West Indies cruise.  For those that haven't heard of Azamara Club Cruises before, we'll be telling you all about the company, the cruise experience, and the ports of call we visit over the next 12 days.

Azamara Club Cruises reinvented itself in April of this year, adding new amenities and destinations.   It is part of the Royal Caribbean Ltd. family of cruise lines but it does operate as an independent business unit.  

Azamara Club Cruises is a luxury cruise line which strives to bring you a different experience than on the larger ships in her sister cruise lines.   You'll be immersed in the destinations you visit with more time spent in the destinations than on most cruise lines.  

The ship has just come across from sailing in Europe this summer so this is the first opportunity for us to experience the ship after the program changes.    Be sure to check back here and on our Facebook fan page for pictures and more details.

Allure of the Seas Arrives in Fort Lauderdale

Allure's Captain Zini about to Sail into Port Everglades

ALLURE OF THE SEAS

ARRIVES IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

Thursday, November 11, 2010

For those in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, area, your chance to see the largest ship afloat for the first time occurs today.  Head over Thursday morning to John U. Lloyd Beach State Park at 6503 N. Ocean Drive in Dania Beach.

From the jetty there, Allure is expected to come into view starting at around 8:00 am. By around 8:30 am, it is set to arrive at the mouth of the inlet, and at around 9:00 am, it is scheduled to pull into Terminal 18 at Port Everglades.

We have been following Allure of the Seas journey from Finland to its homeport in Port Everglades.   The ship behaved flawlessly.   Despite the massive hurricane, Tomas, which stood in its path, the ship made record time and was even able to make an unscheduled stop in the Bahamas to pick up a technician to do some early maneuverability testing.

In the following video the two captains that had the privilege of  sailing these new wonders across from Finland compare notes.  We learn from Captain Zini that the Allure is actually 5 mm (or about 2 inches) longer than the Oasis.    That being the case, the Allure of the Seas therefore becomes the largest ship afloat.

Video:  Two Views from the Bridge: Captains Tour Allure

The take out Captains of the two largest cruise ships in the world share their experiences as Allure of the Seas prepares for her Transatlantic Crossing.

I hope you have enjoyed the journey of the Allure's crossing along with us. We are counting the days until we will actually be onboard the largest ship afloat. Keep watching our Blog and Sign up for our Facebook page for more exclusive information about the Allure of the Seas.

Oasis of the Seas - Almost Home

Safety Command Center - Courtesy Royal Caribbean International

Oasis of the Seas Near Bermuda

Oasis of the Seas crossing of the Atlantic is nearing completion. As we continue our coverage of this historic event, we get an insiders look at the Safety Command Center, a first for the cruise line industry.

What is unique isn't the fact that the ship monitors safety, but rather that there is a separate facility, manned 24 hours a day, that is dedicated to keep the ship, passengers, and crew safe. Using state of the art equipment, the safety officers monitor everything on board and are able to respond to any unexpected condition. Even mustering is taken to a new level with electronic tracking of the mustering progress.

In the following video, take a closer look at the Safety Command Center. You can be rest assured that safety is the number one concern on all cruise ships, but safety monitoring has never been implemented using technology like that employed on the Oasis.

Captains Log Day 12 Video: Expecting the Unexpected (click here)

Final preparations are underway as the Oasis of the Seas gets closer to her home port of Miami. In this video, the Hotel Director shows us around the ship and describes what it takes to put the finnishing touches on the ship.

Captains Log Day 13 Video: Staterooms To Stageshows (click here)

Related Blog posts:

Welcoming Oasis of the Seas to Fort Lauderdale

Oasis of the Seas - Entertainment

Oasis of the Seas vs North Atlantic
Oasis of the Seas Continues Journey
Oasis OTS Ducks Under Great Belt Bridge
Oasis of the Seas - Crossing the Atlantic
Oasis of the Seas Heads for Home
Oasis of the Seas Takes to Water

Watch Additional Oasis of the Seas Videos Here!

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER
November 15th at midnight (EXTENDED!)

Book a 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Oasis of the Seas by November 15th and receive $100 Onboard Credit Learn more about Oasis of the Seas and applicable sail dates.

Welcoming Oasis of the Seas to Fort Lauderdale

JOIN US FOR A CELEBRATION

TO WELCOME

OASIS OF THE SEAS

FEATURING A LIVE BROADCAST OF

THE PAUL AND RON YOUNG SHOW ON BIG 105.9

Friday, November 13, 2009, Oasis of the Seas is scheduled to arrive at its home port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM

Place: Jetty Pavilion at John U Lloyd Park 6503 N.Ocean Drive, Dania, FL 33004

Time: Park opens at 7:00am, Oasis of the Seas scheduled to arrive between 7:30 and 8:30 AM

Parking: Complimentary parking for private cars will be at the PelicanPavilion (just south of the Jetty Pavilion). http://www.floridastateparks.org/lloydbeach

Related Blog posts:

Oasis of the Seas Back to the Bridge

Oasis of the Seas - Entertainment

Oasis of the Seas vs North Atlantic
Oasis of the Seas Continues Journey
Oasis OTS Ducks Under Great Belt Bridge
Oasis of the Seas - Crossing the Atlantic
Oasis of the Seas Heads for Home
Oasis of the Seas Takes to Water

Watch Additional Oasis of the Seas Videos Here!

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER
November 15th at midnight (EXTENDED!)

Book a 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Oasis of the Seas by November 15th and receive $100 Onboard Credit Learn more about Oasis of the Seas and applicable sail dates.

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.