Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines wraps up Normandy landings commemorations

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 19 June 2019 19 June 2019

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the destination focused UK based cruise line, have played its part in hosting 250 D-Day veterans – plus their carers and companions – on a poignant pilgrimage around the UK and Normandy, France, on The Royal British Legion’s ‘D-Day 75 Voyage of Remembrance’ aboard Boudicca, from 2 to 9 June 2019, the company said in a statement.

Fred. Olsen’s Boudicca – resplendent in The Royal British Legion’s recognisable red poppy décor – set sail from Dover on 2nd June 2019, taking the veterans to Dunkirk, Poole, Portsmouth and Le Havre, where they attended a series of commemorative events to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings on 6th June 1944.

Suffolk-based travel specialists, Arena Travel, partnered with The Royal British Legion on the historic Voyage – with whom they have been an official travel partner since 2013 – and contacted local Suffolk cruise line Fred. Olsen, due to the number of veterans to be transported and the high costs and lack of availability of hotels in and around Normandy.

Mike Rodwell, Managing Director of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines – who joined Boudicca for the Voyage – said: “It has been an incredible honour to play our part in The Royal British Legion’s commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy. It has been a very moving and emotional experience for all concerned, and our staff have thoroughly enjoyed having these courageous D-Day veterans on board and sharing in their stories and memories.

 

Azamara drops “Club Cruises” from name and revamps logo plus  land programme offering

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 19 June 2019 19 June 2019

Azamara Club Cruises, the destination focused luxury market unit in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group, has renamed itself Azamara, introduced a new logo  and revamped its land programme offering, the company said in a statement.

“As of today, the destination-focused brand offers a total of over 1,700 land program offerings, which complement the brand's immersive voyages and further enhances its commitment to bringing guests closer to the heart of a destination,” the company said.

Larry Pimentel President and CEO of Azamara  continues, "Now available on every single voyage starting October 2019, and available throughout future deployments, we will provide a variety of unique curated products, which emphasize our Explore Further identity through benefits such as longer stays, more overnights and night touring.”

“These bucket-list type experiences are all made possible in collaboration with reputable, independent travel experts to show the Azamara traveler "a whole new world."

To ensure travelers receive first-class service delivered by a specialised independent team, Azamara has collaborated with some of the world's most renowned luxury travel companies, including Cox & Kings, which will operate over 75% of the land programming. Other renowned luxury travel companies include:  Micato, PerryGolf™, Aloschi Bros®, COLTUR Peru, Furlong Incoming amongst others. 

Propelling the brand's reputation as "the no cruise, cruise," these independent travel experts will help expand Azamara's portfolio of Land Programs by providing guests with the opportunity to visit over 40 countries and six continents in the next two-years.

From behind the scenes to exploring with locals, Azamara's new selection of land programming will offer an extensive collection of experiences designed to bring guests deeper into the heart of local life, offering exclusivity and insider access from local guides and experts around the world.

Ponant fleet grows to nine ships as Le Dumont-d'Urville enters service

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 18 June 2019 18 June 2019

Ponant, the French expedition cruise specialist, took delivery of Le Dumont-d’Urville, the ninth ship in the fleet from Vard in Norway on 14 June. The ship left the port of Søvik in Norway for Bergen, ready to depart on her maiden cruise.

“Such a delivery rate is a first in the history of the French merchant navy: this is the fourth ship in the Ponant Explorers series delivered in the last 12 months. The substantial expansion of our fleet allows us to offer our guests an increasing number of destinations, exceptional voyages and high-quality services. Market feedback is indeed excellent with very high levels of bookings.” said Jean Emmanuel Sauvée, CEO of Ponant

With just 92 rooms and suites, all with balconies or private terraces, sleek and elegant exterior lines and a refined design, Le Dumont-d’Urville, is the perfect example of the new generation of ships flying the French flag.

The Dumont-d’Urville’s maiden season will start at the beginning of August, when the Baltic Sea reveals the splendours of Saint-Petersburg and the Baltic capitals. The ship will then head for the French coasts and the Mediterranean. With a rich programme of themed cruises, fine dining, wine tasting, music and more, guests on board will be able to combine cultural passions and love of travel.

Assembly of Carnival Mardi Gras’ hull begins at Meyer Turku

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 18 June 2019 18 June 2019

The hull assembly phase of Carnival Mardi Gras, a 180 000 gross ton cruise ship of Carnival Cruise Line, was celebrated with a traditional coin ceremony at Meyer Turku shipyard today. The coin set on top of the keel blocks will be placed into the ship for good luck after the float-out of the ship, the shipbuilder said in a statement.

The ship’s technical design is shared with a numberof newbuildings of Costa Crociere, P&O Cruises and AIDA Cruises that are all built at Meyer’s shipyards at Turku in Finland and Papenburg in Germany. All four are Carnival Corporation & plc group brands and each ship's interiors will be designed in accordance to the requirements of the brand they will operate for.

This time the assembly of the ship hull had already began few weeks before by the arrival of floating engine room unit from another Meyer shipyard, Neptun Werft, in Rostock, Germany.

“Mardi Gras is the second LNG powered cruise ship being built at Meyer Turku and will have many interesting attractions, including six themed zones.  Ultimate Playground will have water slides, a ropes course and the first in the world roller coaster onboard a ship. The French Quarter will have New Orleans-inspired cocktail bars and restaurants, at Lido pool area passengers are able to enjoy fun in the sun,” Meyer Turku said .

At the heart of the ship there is Grand Central, a large open three-deck space for entertainment and relaxing. A special feature of Grand Central, one that will really connect the passengers to the sea, is its floor-to-ceiling glass front, a complex feat of design and engineering skill.

Carnival Mardi Gras is already benefiting from some of the investments of Meyer Turku’s €200 million investment programme. The steel halls at the shipyard are going through a major rebuilding with new machines and IT-systems, but also new processes to build the ships with newly trained employees.

“We are seeing the benefits already and will continue to see more benefits later this year. Already our automated steel pre-treatment facility and storage have been up and running for some time now and supporting the steel construction of Mardi Gras”, Jan Meyer tells.