United Kingdom
USACruise news is back with a bang as January gets well underway and boy do we have a lot to share this week, from godmothers to gorgeous new ships.
Cruise news is back with a bang as January gets well underway and boy do we have a lot to share this week, from godmothers to gorgeous new ships.
Sailawaze was thrilled to be at an exclusive event in London last night where the new Godmother of second Ambassador ship Ambition was announced. Taking on the role is… British sailor and double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson OBE.
Shirley (pictured, centre, with Ambassador’s Gordon Nardini and Phil Gardner) will name Ambition at an official ceremony in Newcastle on May 11 before joining the new ship’s first cruise, departing Newcastle on May 12, for one night only. The Olympian will then disembark in her home town of Dundee as Ambition continues on her inaugural 14-night Hidden Gems of France and Spain sailing.
The sailor and broadcaster truly brings the ship’s name alive – the ambition she has shown and the accolades she has achieved!
She was appointed MBE in 2000 and OBE in 2005, making history when becoming the first British woman to win Gold Medals at two consecutive Olympic Games (Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004) and Shirley was named World Sailor of the Year by the International Sailing Federation in 2000.
These days she is considered one of the sport’s most successful broadcasters but continues to sail – the sportswoman recently took up double-handed offshore sailing and last year took on the marathon of the Round Britain and Ireland race.
The new Ambassador Godmother told Sailawaze she was first drawn to sailing as a child after her father, who was in the Navy, began making model boats at home sent via a scheme by The Mirror newspaper – perhaps Sailawaze could inspire some young minds thus, hey!
In further Ambassador news, the cruise line has partnered with 50+ dating app, Ourtime which offers British singles over 50 the opportunity to meet new people.
To celebrate the launch of the new partnership, Ambassador is giving away two £1,000 vouchers to Ourtime members. Following the prize draw on February 3, two lucky winners will be able to put these vouchers towards any 2023/24 cruise itinerary, with a wide variety of destinations on offer. To enter the competition, members can visit here.
In a bumper week of socialising for Sailawaze (dry January not going so well, guys), the team also joined a London event with small-ship cruising brand Windstar Cruises where it was shared that holidaymakers heading to Tahiti next year will be even better catered for when the all-suite, 312-passenger Star Breeze replaced 118-passenger classic sailing yacht Wind Spirit in February 2024 to create more guest capacity.
It was also revealed that a new vegan, plant-based menu will be rolled out across Windstar’s six yachts. The dishes have been prepared without salt, oil, sugar or flour (maybe there is hope for new year, new me?).
What’s more, the line is expanding to the Middle East from November 2023 on all-suite, 312-passenger ship Star Legend.
In further cruise news, two speciality suites (inspired by Windstar’s Forbes Five-Star sister companies The Broadmoor and Sea Island) will be rolled out to Windstar’s two other Star Plus Class yachts next: Star Breeze in spring 2023 and Star Pride in 2024.
Shiny new interiors are also the order of the day over at Silversea which this week revealed full details on the public venues aboard its new ship Silver Nova, including the largest array of bars, lounges, and restaurants of any ultra-luxury cruise ship.
The 728-guest Silver Nova will host 10 bars and lounges, eight distinct restaurants, and an array of additional public venues when she launches in August 2023.
The new ship will boast an asymmetrical design, as well as a horizontal layout, which will heighten the ship’s sense of spaciousness and provide a natural flow between venues on entire decks.
Among the brand new venues for Silversea onboard Silver Nova, the Shelter will be a sophisticated evening-only bar, accommodating just 32 guests in a chic setting, welcoming guests for pre-dinner aperitifs and post-dinner cocktails.
The Panorama Lounge (a peaceful spot by day and a lively bar by night) will feature a new layout when compared to Silversea’s Muse-class ships, as well as a new design and colour palette while the S.A.L.T. Bar will also enjoy a premium position aboard Silver Nova when compared to Silversea’s previous class of ships, relocated to deck 10. Expect regionally inspired drinks in warm, elegant interiors, with a dark colour palette and comfortable armchairs for an intimate atmosphere.
Furthermore, the neighbouring S.A.L.T. Lab will be greatly enhanced aboard Silver Nova with a fresh layout—enlarged and accommodating 28 guests. It will comprise cooking stations and a larger, redesigned central workstation aboard Silver Nova—at which participating guests will be able to sit to view demonstrations.
The Otium Spa will also benefit from a more spacious interior. The thermal area will be larger than ever, with a steam room; sauna; and pool, complete with a travertine water fountain and floor-to-ceiling windows. Soft lighting and natural stones, including hints of red marble, will create an elegant, relaxing setting.
New ship news does not stop there. At the weekend Viking’s newest ocean ship, Viking Neptune, was named in Los Angeles by NASA astronaut and aquanaut Nicole Scott who offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for the ship.
The ship is currently sailing the 2022-2023 Viking World Cruise, an epic voyage from Fort Lauderdale to London that spans 138 days, 28 countries and 57 ports, with overnight stays in 11 cities. Sounds like those guests are nailing the start of 2023.
Viking Neptune is uniquely equipped with a small hydrogen fuel system, making it the cruise industry’s first ship to test the use of hydrogen power for onboard operations.
In April this year, Viking will also welcome another new ocean ship, Viking Saturn
Last year we learned that new cruise line Riverside Luxury Cruises (part of German luxury hotel brand Seaside Collection) had acquired MS Mozart, formerly owned by Crystal Cruises.
This week it was announced that the line is also welcoming MS Bach, MS Ravel, MS Mahler and MS Debussy – all ex-Crystal vessels – to its fleet of luxury river ships.
The new cruise line will begin operations in April 2023, with guests able to cruise in style on Riverside Mozart, Riverside Ravel and Riverside Debussy.
Riverside Mozart will embark in Vienna, Budapest and Passau; Riverside Ravel will include sailings on both the Rhône & Saône and Riverside Debussy will sail along the Rhine.
Starting this month, for the first time ever, Variety Cruises will be sailing world-famous French Polynesia’s Society Islands onboard Panorama II, a 50-meter, two-masted motorsailer with a maximum capacity of just 49 guests.
The vessel arrived at Papeete, Tahiti on January 6, 2023, just in time for the inaugural sail on January 13.
Variety Cruises showed commitment to its Clean Oceans of All pledge by transferring the beautiful Panorama II with the ‘boat on a boat’ method thereby guaranteeing the safer delivery of the ship with less wear and tear as well as playing an important role in the company’s continuous efforts to reach a carbon neutral status by 2050.
This week Sailawaze curated a whopping round-up of all the best cruise deals unveiled by cruise lines during what the industry dubs Wave Season.
It turns out the holidaymakers are very much pouncing on the fabulous opportunities to save money, bag reduced deposits and fares, drinks packages and more.
Indeed P&O Cruises has reported its strongest booking day during the Wave period in P&O Cruises’ history, with four of its five biggest booking days ever falling in Wave 2023.
The most popular itineraries booked were the Caribbean, the Western Mediterranean and the Norwegian fjords.
Holland America Line yesterday shared details of its 2024 European season in the latest cruise news for the brand. The cruise line is adding several new itineraries that combine regions, increasing the number of voyages of 14 days or longer and enhancing Northern Europe with new departure ports.
From April to November dozens of unique itineraries — ranging from seven to 35 days — will be offered on two of the line’s Pinnacle Class ships, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam, along with Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.
The four Holland America Line ships will cover the entire region on voyages designed for cultural immersion. Itineraries will include nine overnight ports and 33 late-night departure cities, providing more time ashore while the ships explore the Baltic, British Isles, Canary Islands, French and Spanish rivieras, Israel, Mediterranean and Northern Europe, including Iceland, Greenland and Norway.
Last night, Cunard celebrated the 100th anniversary of its first round-the-world voyage with an impressive firework display in Southampton as ships Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria departed on their global circumnavigations.
In celebration of the anniversary, both ships have unique itineraries mirroring many ports of call from those first sailings on ships RMS Laconia and RMS Samaria.
