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News Stories Courtesy of
Cruiseone
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Royal
Caribbean's
Voyager Arrives in
Galveston
(01/15/08)
Royal Caribbean
International's
Voyager of the
Seas moved to
Galveston,
becoming the
largest cruise
ship ever to be
based in the Gulf
Coast. Voyager
will sail
seven-night
itineraries
calling on Cozumel,
Costa Maya and
Yucatan, Mexico;
Roatan, Honduras;
Montego Bay,
Jamaica; and
George Town, Grand
Cayman through
April 2008.
"Voyager's arrival
also marks the
first time a
Voyager-class ship
has been deployed
in Texas," said
Alice Norsworthy,
senior vice
president,
Marketing, Royal
Caribbean
International.
At a ceremony
held onboard
Voyager of the
Seas local
dignitaries,
travel agents and
media gathered to
celebrate the
arrival of the
ship, which was
adorned with
gigantic
longhorns, 140
feet long and
weighing 600
pounds. Following
the ceremony,
Royal Caribbean
kicked off a
week-long charity
auction on eBay
with proceeds
benefiting the
Starlight
Starbright
Children's
Foundation, which
helps seriously
ill children and
their families
cope with their
pain, fear and
isolation through
entertainment,
education and
family activities.
The highest bidder
will win the
longhorns and a
seven-night cruise
for two.
"In 2006, we
welcomed 617,000
cruise travelers,
making Galveston
the Gulf Coast's
most popular
cruise port," said
Steven Cernak,
port director for
the Port of
Galveston. "With
the arrival of
Voyager of the
Seas, the port
will undergo a
$3.3 million
upgrade to
accommodate a 50
percent increase
in Royal Caribbean
guests. Hosting
the most
innovative ship in
the Gulf will have
a significant
economic impact,
adding to the
success of 2006
when we saw $1.1
billion in direct
spending,
resulting in
19,341 jobs
created and $907
million generated
in new income in
the state of Texas
as a result of the
cruise industry."
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Carnival Fantasy Returns to
Service with Upgrades
(10/15/08)
Carnival Cruise Lines’
Carnival Fantasy has resumed
sailing from New Orleans
following a 28-day dry-dock
that added a new water park,
an adults-only area, a
redesigned main pool and a
new Circle C facility for
12- to 14-year-olds. The
suites and dining venues
were also renovated, and new
dining options such as a
Mongolian wok and rotisserie
were added. The new features
are part of the line’s $250
million “Evolutions of Fun”
refurbishment program for
its eight Fantasy-class
ships.
A signature element of
Carnival Fantasy’s upgrades
is Carnival WaterWorks, an
expansive aqua park towering
over Verandah Deck. The
open-air facility includes a
300-foot-long spiral water
slide along with twin
82-foot-long racing slides
and various water spray
apparatus. Located aft on
Promenade Deck is Serenity,
an exclusive adults-only
retreat. Serenity offers
plush chaise lounges and
chairs, oversized umbrellas,
and two large whirlpools.
Here, guests can sip icy
cocktails and frozen drinks
or enjoy a light meal or
snack from the nearby Lido
restaurant. The third
element of the top deck
upgrades is a totally
redesigned resort-style pool
located mid-ship on Lido
Deck featuring thatched
roofing and large faux palm
trees. The pool now has
oversized umbrellas,
comfortable deck chairs and
a tiled faux beach
encircling the pool’s edge.
The Celebration and
Jubilee main dining rooms,
as well as the causal
poolside Windows on the Sea
Bar & Grill, have been
renovated with new interiors
and updated carpeting, tile
work and furniture. Windows
on the Sea also features a
new Mongolian wok where
guests can select meat,
vegetables, and noodles and
have the dish prepared
before their eyes. A
rotisserie has been added
with roasted chicken, beef
and lamb, along with side
dishes and accompaniments. A
new Circle C facility
catering to 12- to
14-year-olds has also been
incorporated into Atlantic
Deck forward. The center
features a high-tech sound
and lighting system,
plasma-screen TVs displaying
movies and music videos, a
touch-screen jukebox, and
gaming pods with the latest
video games and consoles.
Cosmetic enhancements were
also made to other shipboard
areas, including renovated
guest corridors and public
bathrooms, new décor and
technical enhancements to
the Electricity dance club,
new artwork, and updated
furniture and fixtures in
many staterooms.
Additionally, all of the
ship’s 54 suites were
remodeled with updated wall
coverings, carpeting, tile
work and lighting fixtures,
as well as new bathrooms. A
number of connecting
staterooms were incorporated
as well.
The 70,000-ton,
2,056-passenger Carnival
Fantasy currently operates
four- and five-day Western
Caribbean cruises from New
Orleans. Four-day cruises
depart Thursdays and visit
Cozumel while five-day
voyages depart Mondays and
Saturdays and call at
Cozumel and Progreso.
Carnival Fantasy will sail
from New Orleans through
Nov. 5, 2009, then
reposition to Mobile, Ala.,
to operate year-round four-
and five-day cruises
starting Nov. 16. Carnival
Fantasy will be replaced in
New Orleans by the
2,758-passenger Carnival
Triumph in November 2009.
Carnival is accepting
reservations on the Carnival
Fantasy’s departures from
both New Orleans and Mobile.
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Two Galveston-Based
Carnival Ships Head to Houston (09/17/08)
Carnival
Cruise Lines’ two Galveston-based ships,
Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy,
are scheduled to operate their regular
cruise programs from the Port of Houston’s
Bayport Cruise Terminal effective with
this weekend’s departures. The Port of
Galveston is closed due to damage from
Hurricane Ike. The 2,052-passenger
Carnival Ecstasy will resume its four- and
five-day Mexico schedule from Houston
starting with a five-day cruise departing
Sept. 20. Beginning with the departure of
Sept. 21, the 2,974-passenger Carnival
Conquest will depart Houston on seven-day
cruises to the Western Caribbean. Both
vessels were sailing when Ike struck, and
headed to New Orleans instead. The
Conquest will arrive at the Port of
Houston on Sept. 18, and Carnival Ecstasy
on Sept. 19, to disembark guests who opted
to remain aboard the vessels following
their previous voyages.
“We are pleased to continue our Texas
operations from the Port of Houston, which
will be a convenient option for guests who
have already made travel arrangements for
previously scheduled Galveston
departures,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s
president and CEO. “We are especially
grateful to the Port of Houston for their
responsiveness. Many of their personnel
involved in making this happen were
dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane
Ike but set that aside to work with us on
very short notice to assure that these
vessels would continue to have a Texas
homeport and with minimal disruption to
our guests.”
Cahill said the company plans to return
to Galveston as soon as the necessary
repairs to the port facilities are
completed. Carnival’s two Houston-based
ships will operate the same itineraries as
they did from Galveston. Carnival Conquest
will sail seven-day Western Caribbean
voyages departing Sundays to Montego Bay,
Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Carnival Ecstasy
will depart Thursdays on four-day cruises
to Cozumel, and on Mondays and Saturdays
on five-day voyages to Cozumel and
Progreso. The Port of Houston’s newly
opened Bayport Terminal is an $81 million
facility with 96,000 square feet of space.
It is convenient from both of the city’s
airports, and a variety of restaurants and
shops are located nearby. The Carnival
Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy will be the
first cruise ships to utilize the new
facility.
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Disney Cruise Line Adds Two Eastern
Caribbean Itineraries (12/05/07)
Disney Cruise Line (DCL) announced two
new Eastern Caribbean itineraries for 2009 and special offerings
for 2008. Beginning in 2009, St. Croix will be the port of call on
one new seven-night itinerary, and Tortola will be featured on
another seven-night itinerary. Both islands are new to DCL,
increasing the seven-night Caribbean choices on the Disney Magic
to four itineraries. Disney's traditional Eastern and Western
Caribbean itineraries will continue. The Disney Magic will remain
in the Caribbean during summer 2009 because of pent-up summer
demand after it spent this past summer in Europe and will operate
Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles in summer
2008.
The new Eastern Caribbean itineraries will stop at St. Croix or
Tortola, St. Thomas and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay.
Also, for summer 2008, the four-night itinerary was changed to
offer two stops at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the
Bahamas, between May 11 and Aug. 24, 2008. These 16 sailings will
also visit Nassau. In another announcement, beginning in 2008,
Disney passengers can choose to add a meal plan to a seven-night
land-sea vacation. The new vacation package, the "Land and Sea
Package Plus Dining," includes a dining plan that provides guests
one sit-down meal, one counter-service meal and one snack per
person for each night of their Walt Disney World stay
Port of New Orleans
Welcomes Norwegian Spirit (11/19/07)
The Port of New
Orleans welcomed Norwegian Cruise Line's
1,966-passenger Norwegian Spirit, which
departed on its inaugural cruise from the
Crescent City on Nov. 18. The Norwegian Spirit
succeeds the Norwegian Sun, which sailed from
New Orleans last season. The Spirit sails
seven-day Western Caribbean itineraries, with
calls to Roatan, Honduras; Santo Tomas de
Castillo, Guatemala; Belize City, Belize; and
Cozumel, Mexico. The Norwegian Spirit will
sail from the port's Erato Street Cruise
Terminal and Parking Garage through March 30.
"It is great to welcome back Norwegian
Cruise Line to New Orleans and to continue to
build upon this valued partnership," said Port
President and CEO Gary LaGrange. "We are
encouraged by the swift return of cruising to
the port and proud of the economic impact it
has on the city's tourism industry and
rebounding economy." NCL was the first
home-ported cruise line to return to New
Orleans following Hurricane Katrina when the
Norwegian Sun began sailing seven-day cruises
from Erato Street Oct. 15, 2006. The Norwegian
Spirit joins the 2,056-passenger Carnival
Fantasy, which sails four- and five-day
Western Caribbean cruises year-round from New
Orleans.
Holland America to
Sail Down Under In 2009 (11/14/07)
Holland America Line will return to the
land Down Under in 2009 when the Amsterdam
sails a 67-day voyage to the South
Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. The
cruise is highlighted in a new "2009 Grand
Voyage" brochure, and also will be
featured in the "2009 Australia, New
Zealand, Hawaii and Asia" brochure to be
released next month. The 67-day voyage
departs Sept. 26, 2009, from Seattle, and
sails westward to Papeete, Tahiti; Bora
Bora; Pago Pago, Samoa; Port-Vila,
Vanuatu; Cairns and Sydney, Australia;
Christchurch, Napier and Tauranga, New
Zealand; Hawaii; and Los Angeles.
Highlights include scenic cruising
through New Zealand's Milford Sound, a
12-mile long incision through 5,000-foot
hillsides, and Fiordland National Park, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. The voyage
also offers more than 20 relaxing days at
sea. Holland America Line offers
departures from Seattle, Vancouver or Los
Angeles, and segments from 31 to 36 days.
Reservations are now open. Early-booking
bonus amenities for full-cruise guests
include airfare, prepaid hotel service
charges, shipboard credit, luggage
delivery service and limousine transfers
when booking select stateroom categories;
amenities vary by cruise and booking date.
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