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Pool deck redesigned to face outward on Celebrity Edge class

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 March 2017 13 March 2017

All sunbeds on the Resort Deck, which is the new name of the pool deck, look out to the sea rather than the middle of the deck, where the pool is.

The Celebrity Edge class is the first series of shops the Royal Caribbean group has designed by using 3D technology. Fain said that customers of Celebrity Cruises had required a better connectivity with the sea, which is why it was considered important to completely redesign the pool deck on the new class of ships.

The Resort Deck will feature a 25 yard long pool and further up, there will be Rooftop Garden, which indicates evolution from the Lawn Club on the Solstice class ships. There will be film shows and barbecue in the rooftop garden in the evening.

Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd that owns Celebrity Cruises said the redesign of cabins and public areas required a major structural change whereby the structural frame of the vessel was moved in the area between the cabin blocks from both sides of balcony doors and windows, i.e. the outside of the vessel.

The Celebrity Edge class vessels could be compared to an iPhone: the technologies pre-dated the handset, but in Apple employed these technologies in a new way that transformed the mobile handset market, said Fain.

The use of 3D technology has allowed the designers of the new class of ships to make virtual walks on board the vessels, which has helped to introduce several innovations on board, he said.

Carnival opens fleet operations center in Seattle

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 March 2017 13 March 2017

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise shipping company, announced today that it is expanding the commercial maritime industry’s first and most technologically advanced Fleet Operations Centers with the opening of a new facility in Seattle.

The company’s first Fleet Operations Center is located in Hamburg, Germany, with both centers providing real-time support for its 102-ship fleet, the largest in the cruise industry. A third center will be added to the global network later this year when construction is scheduled to be complete on a facility in Miami at the company’s headquarters.

The new Fleet Operations Centers utilize a state-of-the-art tracking and data-analysis platform that enables real-time information sharing between Carnival Corporation ships and specialized onshore teams designed to support fleet operations.

The proprietary system significantly improves communication from ship to shore, providing new capabilities for enhancing the safe passage of ships at sea while improving operational efficiencies and supporting overall environmental initiatives at Carnival Corporation.

The advanced system, which initially captures thousands of data points and provides real-time analytics for 28 distinct parameters for navigational safety from each ship, focuses on the following strategic areas to optimize safety, efficiency and overall fleet performance:

Nautical Operations & Safety – including the capability to see real-time radar visuals, stability conditions, automation, the Safety Management and Command System, and webcams from each ship, along with GPS location, routing, ship conditions and weather data.
Procedural Optimization & Efficiency – including speeds, navigational data and engine conditions.
Sustainability – including fuel and energy usage, emissions levels, water and waste management.

Utilising cloud-based technology from Microsoft, this new system – dubbed “Neptune” – has been in use at the Carnival Maritime Fleet Operations Center (FOC) in Hamburg, Germany, as announced in October 2015. Carnival has been piloting the system with its European cruise line brands in Hamburg and Southampton, England. Based on the system’s success, the company will continue rolling out the system this year to further increase the monitoring capability of its ships sailing in the U.S. and Caribbean, through its Fleet Operation Centers in Miami and Seattle.

The new FOCs will provide an additional layer of support, where the shore-based analytics system will automatically generate alerts to help provide support in addressing any potential safety or weather-related issues across the fleet. Moving forward, the system’s ability to process and analyze “big data” in real time will enable Carnival Corporation and its brands to do predictive analysis with the potential to further improve safety and operations.

German deep sea cruise market grew 11.3% to 2.02 million passengers 2016

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 March 2017 13 March 2017

The German deep sea cruise market has surpassed the two million passenger mark for the first time in 2016, when it expanded by 11.3% to 2.02 million passengers, figures released by CLIA Deutschland show.

The turnover of the industry increased by 17.8% to €3.38 billion and the growth figures were the strongest since 2010 and the growth was driven by additional supply of berths. The average price of a cruise holiday the Germans booked rose by 6.0% to €1,675 and the average daily rate rose by 2.8% to €187.00.

Germans preferred slightly shorter cruises last year as the average duration fell to 8.69 nights from 8.94 in 2015, CLIA Deutschland said in a statement.

Carnival and Fincantieri celebrates Carnival Horizon's coin ceremony

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 March 2017 10 March 2017

In a time-honored maritime tradition dating back centuries, a ceremony was held earlier today aboard Carnival Horizon at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, during which a commemorative coin was welded to the ship’s mast to mark a significant construction milestone.

The coin ceremony – whose origins can be traced back to the ancient Romans who believed that attaching coins to a ship provided divine protection – signifies the successful completion of Carnival Horizon’s exterior outfitting.

Fabrizio Timossi of Carnival’s corporate shipbuilding department represented Carnival at the ceremony with Clementina Zecchin of Fincantieri’s Marghera yard serving as godmother.

The 133,500 gross ton Carnival Horizon – a sister ship to the Carnival Vista introduced last year – is set to debut in Europe April 2, 2018.

Carnival Horizon will offer many of the innovative indoor and outdoor dining, bar, entertainment and activity options that debuted on Carnival Vista.

Among those is a groundbreaking bike-ride-in-the-sky attraction called SkyRide, an IMAX Theatre and a massive WaterWorks aqua park with corkscrew slides, a tipping bucket and other attractions promising lots of splash-tastic fun.

A wide range of accommodations will also be offered, including spa cabins with exclusive privileges at the luxurious Cloud 9 Spa, extra-roomy staterooms in Family Harbor, and tropical-inspired Havana staterooms and suites with exclusive daytime access to a Cuban-themed bar and pool.

A variety of unique dining and bar concepts and spectacular outdoor spaces found only on Carnival Horizon will also be offered and revealed in the near future.

Carnival Horizon is scheduled to make its maiden voyage April 2, 2018, with a 13-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona – the first of four round-trip departures from this port. Carnival Horizon will reposition to the U.S. with a 14-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York May 9-23, 2018.

Following its summer schedule of four-day Bermuda and eight-day Caribbean departures from the Big Apple, Carnival Horizon will shift to Miami and kick off a year-round schedule of six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises beginning Sept. 22, 2018. Carnival Horizon will also offer a special two-day cruise to Nassau from Miami Sept. 20-22, 2018.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises names its two new expedition ships

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 March 2017 09 March 2017

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is putting its trust in the strong HANSEATIC brand name and has named the two new ships in its 5-star expedition segment HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration. The company unveiled the names of the two, new members of the fleet and released various other details at a press conference held Wednesday at ITB Berlin. The expedition ships, which are planned to launch in April and October 2019, respectively, are an investment by the TUI Group on behalf of its Hamburg-based subsidiary. In terms of its growth strategy, the world’s largest tourism group is increasingly focusing on its own hotels and cruise ships. The new expedition ships – both of which feature an identical design – will each accommodate up to 230 passengers (or up to 199 passengers on Antarctic expeditions). Alongside the highest ice class for passenger ships, they each boast three restaurants and an extensive wellness and fitness area. There is also a marina for water sports.

Karl J. Pojer, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, said: “The potential in the expedition ship segment is more than three times higher than supply. By virtue of the comfort and luxuriousness of our state-of-the-art new vessels, we will appeal to even more customers in the luxury segment in future. At the same time, authentic, natural spectacles that convey the feeling of a personal expedition have always been the basis for our decision-making. With our choice of names, we are continuing the success story of today’s HANSEATIC – the only 5-star expedition ship according to Berlitz – retaining the popular and well-known brand name and establishing a new and separate class within our fleet.”

The design concept, “inspired by nature”, reflects the expeditionary spirit and is the creative idea underpinning both ships. Nature is not only experienced outside, but also is reflected in the interior design. This comes to the fore in the choice of materials, colours and forms, as well as in the contours and lines of walls and surfaces, the lines of sight and therefore the interplay between the interiors and the world outside.

The on-board design highlights include the two extendible glass balconies. Passengers standing on these balconies can experience the unique feeling of floating over the ocean. The all-round deck in the upper deck forward (bow) ensures a genuine expeditionary feeling. Here, passengers can experience the action at close quarters – closer even than the captain. This contributes to the expeditionary character, especially when the ships embark on journeys to the Arctic, Antarctic, or Amazon.

HANSEATIC nature and HANSEATIC inspiration have been fitted with cutting-edge equipment and environmental technology. In a highly complex process, the hulls of the two ships have been optimised to achieve the maximum reduction in fuel consumption for the propulsion system and cut overall bunker consumption. The new vessels are fitted with an SCR catalytic converter, which reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by almost 95 per cent. Additionally, each of the two ships features a PROMAS rudder with a special propeller. This also helps reduce fuel consumption and therefore lower emissions. The IR ice detectors are a further highlight, with the infrared camera making it possible to spot ice at night and in misty conditions. Cold ironing is also envisioned.

The new expedition ships are being built by Norwegian company Vard Holdings Limited, which is a subsidiary of the Italian Fincantieri Marine Group. The current and successful route concept, which focuses on untouched and unspoilt regions, will be continued and expanded. PC6, the highest ice class for passenger ships, makes it possible to conduct expeditions far into Polar waters, with tropical destinations such as the South Seas and the Amazon remaining on the itinerary. 16 on-board Zodiacs and E-Zodiacs with eco-friendly electric drive systems allow for landings in remote expedition areas, regardless of the vicinity to a port.