United Kingdom
USACruises news covers a lot of ground this week with a wealth of major cruise lines sharing important updates on new ships and developments.
Cruises news covers a lot of ground this week with a wealth of major cruise lines sharing important updates on new ships and developments.
Marella Cruises has announced the Captain for upcoming newest ship Marella Voyager. Captain Steve James will be taking the helm of the vessel which will enter service in June 2023.
The British captain, who began his career working on submarines in the Royal Navy and has worked for Marella Cruises for six years, previously captained Marella Explorer and Marella Dream, before the latter was retired.
Voyager will make her first sailing from Palma De Mallorca on June 3, 2023, for Marella’s Highlights of the Mediterranean itinerary, where Captain James will bring the ship out of port to begin its inaugural summer cruises.
The 1,912-passenger vessel will then reposition for winter 2023, with the Paradise Islands itinerary setting sail in November 2023 from Barbados, where holidaymakers can enjoy the Caribbean Sea, exploring Barbados, Tortola, St Maarten, St Kitts, Antigua and Dominica.
Princess Cruises has unveiled the expanded entertainment onboard UK-based ship Sky Princess as it sails from Southampton this season, catering to sports fans and theatre lovers alike.
Major sports events including Wimbledon, the Champions League Final and the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be broadcast live onboard on large screens in the ship’s public areas, as well as on the top-deck ‘Movies Under the Stars’ screen.
Globetrotters will also enjoy a variety of entertainment onboard including an interactive game based on ‘Deal or No Deal’, with the TV show soon returning to TV screens in the UK. The live, hosted experience debuts on Sky Princess for the first time in the Princess Theatre and offers guests the chance to win prizes ranging from a free cruise to $1,000 cash.
Sky Princess will offer a range of production shows plus live screenings on top-deck cinema screens across the whole fleet of this year’s Eurovision song contest, held on May 13 in Liverpool.
Live entertainment will be provided by singer Andy Abraham, who previously represented the UK at Eurovision and was runner-up in the second series of TV talent show The X Factor in 2005.
In further Princess Cruises news, the brand is adding British-inspired beverage options to UK-based ships. A host of ales, wines and other British favourites such as Pimm’s will be served as part of an enhanced drinks selection on Southampton-based ships, Sky Princess and Regal Princess.
Available on sailings departing Southampton from April to October 2023, guests onboard the Royal Class ships can take advantage of a range of newly-introduced drinks, with Pimm’s on offer during select sailaway parties, Ketel One espresso martinis on tap, and a new cocktail menu with flavours including rhubarb and custard, Bakewell tart and Liquorice Allsorts.
An extended range of beers, based on British favourites, will include San Miguel and London Pride, as well as new handpicked, locally-sourced British wines.
Holland America Line has revealed it will sail what is believed to be the first ever Grand Voyage “Pole-to-Pole” roundtrip from the United States in 2025 as the line shared details of the new 133-day sailing along with a simultaneous 124-day 2025 Grand World Voyage.
The Grand Voyage: Pole-to-Pole aboard Volendam enables cruisers to visit five continents on a journey that travels south-to-north, while the Grand World Voyage aboard Zuiderdam covers six continents on an east-to-west route, each conveniently sailing roundtrip from a U.S. homeport.
The two cruises mark the first time Holland America Line is offering two Grand Voyages of more than 120 days simultaneously. “This will be a truly historic pair of voyages,” said the line’s President. Booking for both is now open.
Viking has announced it has taken delivery of the company’s newest ocean ship, the Viking Saturn, which will be officially named in New York City on June 6, 2023, by her ceremonial godmother, Ann Ziff, a philanthropist and Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera.
Following the naming ceremony, the ship will spend her inaugural summer sailing two new Viking voyages: Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada, between New York City and Reykjavik, and Iceland & Norway’s Arctic Explorer, between Reykjavik and Bergen.
Viking Saturn is the newest ship in Viking’s award-winning ocean fleet of identical sister ships. Considered “small ships,” Viking’s ocean vessels have a gross tonnage of 47,800 tonnes, with 465 staterooms that host 930 guests; the ships feature all veranda staterooms, Scandinavian design, light-filled public spaces and abundant al fresco dining options.
A more technical update comes from MSC Cruises this week. The line’s second liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship MSC Euribia has successfully completed her deep-water intensive systems tests during a four-day trial in the Atlantic Ocean.
The latest flagship will next receive her finishing touches at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France before being officially delivered to MSC Cruises on May 31.
MSC Euribia will be MSC Cruises’ 22nd ship to join its fleet and will accommodate up to 6,327 passengers. The ship will be officially named on June 8, in Copenhagen, Denmark before sailing a maiden inaugural season in Northern Europe from her homeport in Kiel, Germany.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has unveiled five brand new Grand Voyages for its 2025-2026 collection across four of the fleet’s ships. Regent’s new itineraries span five continents and 194 ports of call with destinations including Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Europe and North America.
Prices start at £34,829 per guest with travellers able to enjoy truly immersive exploration with up to 589 included shore excursions to choose from and up to nine overnight port stays.
The Grand Arctic Adventure on board Seven Seas Mariner departs from New York and takes guests on an 83-night voyage to Barcelona. On Seven Seas Mariner’s Grand Cultural Quest – which at 117-nights is as long as some world cruises – guests will sail from New York to Barcelona visiting myriad destinations in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Travellers on the Grand Continental Sojourn will embark on an 84-night Barcelona to Sydney voyage through Africa, Asia and Australia on board Seven Seas Navigator.
On Seven Seas Explorer’s Grand Asia Exploration, guests will experience a 61-night adventure from Auckland to Tokyo. The final voyage is the Indian Ocean Odyssey which will take intrepid travellers on a 64-night voyage from Mauritius to Rome visiting Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Reservations open on May 3, 2023.
Emerald Sakara, the latest luxury yacht from Emerald Cruises, has successfully floated out in Ha Long Bay as it undergoes its final fit-out in preparation for its upcoming sea trials.
Work is on schedule to complete the yacht’s stylish interior before it welcomes guests onboard. There is now just three months to go until the luxurious vessel makes its debut sailing – an eight-day Ionian Sea Adventure, cruising from Athens to Rome, departing August 5, 2023.
Boasting just 50 luxurious suites and staterooms, the majority featuring their own private balcony or terrace, Emerald Sakara carries a maximum of 100 guests per journey.
The ship is the second luxury yacht to join the Emerald Cruises fleet, following quickly in the wake of identical sister yacht, Emerald Azzurra, which launched in March 2022.
River cruise operator, CroisiEurope, has launched a brand new hotel barge cruise through France’s beautiful Oise Valley which takes in numerous historic sites and provides an in-depth look into the country’s vibrant culture.
The six-night cruise operates between Pont-l’Évêque and Paris and visits Compiegne, Point-Sainte-Maxence, Saint-Leu-d’Esserent, Auvers-Sur-Oise, Pontoise and Bougival.
The sailing will operate between May and October 2023 and 2024 with prices from £2,640 per person for the cruise with all meals and drinks onboard, excursions, use of onboard bicycles and port fees. Fly/cruise prices are also available.
It takes place on the MS Raymonde which features just 11 en-suite outward-facing cabins, a restaurant, lounge bar, sun deck and relaxation area with Jacuzzi.
SeaDream Yacht Club has announced the addition of a variety of vegan menu options onboard its yachts, catering to the growing demand for plant-based cuisine among eco-conscious travellers.
Over time, the company has expanded its cuisine to offer unique vegan dishes on every menu, and now guests can enjoy these – including vegan eggs, vegan bacon, vegan prawns and vegan chicken – at every meal, if they so choose.
The new vegan dining options are available now on SeaDream II and from May on Sea Dream I in all onboard dining venues, including the Dining Salon and al fresco Topside Restaurant.
Guests can expect a wide range of creative and flavoursome vegan dishes such as freshly prepared salads, hearty soups, tasty stir-fries and delectable desserts, all made with high-quality, locally sourced and sustainable ingredients, many of which are sourced from local farmers’ markets.
