NCL Cruise Line: The Norwegian Star added the Five O’clock Somewhere bar during a two-week drydock. This is part of their new exclusive partnership with Margaritaville. Other changes to the Star include O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill, new carpeting, updates to the pool deck and touch-screen signage throughout. the 5 O’Clock Somewhere bar will also be on the new NCL Escape cruise ship as well as on NCL’s new island destination, Harvest Caye, Belize set to open in the fall of 2015 and at Great Stirrup Cay NCL’s private island in the Bahamas. The partnership will eventually include other ships in the fleet.
Disney Cruises 2016 will introduce its first British Isles cruise. The Disney Magic will visit Scotland, England, Ireland and France in the summer of 2016. She will depart Dover, England on June 5th for a 12 day cruise. She will also return to Norway with a seven-day fjord cruise and two 12-day sailings combining Norway and Iceland.
Weddings at Sea:
Norwegian Cruise Lines can now offer legal weddings at sea performed by the ship’s captain. Originally, legal wedding ceremonies were offered while the ship was docked. The new wedding package includes the service of a wedding planner and on-site coordinator. Priced from $2199 the new wedding package includes the ceremony performed by the ship’s captain, bouquet and boutonniere, cake, champagne, a bistro dinner for two, three bottles of wine, chocolate-covered strawberries, canapes’ delivered to the stateroom, priority tendering and debarkation and one hour of photography services. Norwegian also offers an onboard symbolic ceremony conducted during days at sea including the ceremony conducted by the captain, bouquet of 12 ivory roses and matching boutonniere, pre recorded music, cake, bottle of sparkling wine, champagne toast, one 8 x 10 photo in engraved frame, keepsake certificate, canapes’ and chocolate covered strawberries delivered to the stateroom starting at $1799.
Norwegian also offers a renewal-of-vow ceremnoy from $499, which includes the ceremony performed by a ship’s officer, a single red rose, cake and champagne toast, an 8 x 10 framed photo, certificate and bottle of sparkling wine with chocolate covered strawberries and canapes in the stateroom.
Seabourn Cruises: Announced the Names of Two New Ships:
The award-winning ultra-luxury, small ship cruise line Seabourn has unveiled the names of its two new ships, both inspired by its current fleet. Announcing Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation – the first will launch in late 2016 and the second in spring 2018.
Expanding on the line’s popular and highly acclaimed Odyssey-class ships, Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation will build on the success of the Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Quest. This award-winning class of ships revolutionized ultra-luxury cruising with enhanced accommodations and innovative amenities when they were introduced between 2009 and 2011. Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation will maintain the line’s high ratio of space per guest, enabling highly personalized service by close to one staff member for each guest on board. With the addition of the two new ships, Seabourn will have the youngest and most modern ultra-luxury fleet in the industry.
Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation will be configured with one additional deck, newly expanded public areas, and modern design elements and innovations consistent with Seabourn’s reputation for understated elegance. The new 40,350-GRT vessels are expected to carry 604 guests each, based on double occupancy, and every suite will feature a private veranda.
Crystal Cruises Debuts two new entertainment productions:
Crystal Cruises’ award-winning Crystal Symphony may be thousands of miles from the glitz of Hollywood, but beginning April 1 on the luxury cruise leader’s 10-day sailing from Beijing to Hong Kong, the ship will debut not one, but two glamorous premieres worthy of the famed red carpets. Crystal Symphony is adding two new shows to its entertainment lineup inside the posh Galaxy Lounge: concert production “Rocket Man: A Tribute to Elton John” and “5-6-7-8,” a brand new dance production that pushes the limits of choreography with a unique twist on the classic song-and-dance shows of old.
“5-6-7-8” features the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers in a stunning display of jazz, jive, modern, hip hop, tango, tap, contemporary and salsa dancing, set to equally exhilarating musical and vocal performances. “Rocket Man,” which was previously featured on Crystal Serenity, spotlights the impressive talents of stage and screen’s Craig A. Meyer, who pays tribute to the great Elton John as he belts out the superstar’s biggest hits at the grand piano, as Crystal’s own Galaxy Orchestra and Crystal Ensemble complete the adrenaline-filled, rock-and-roll vibe for which Sir Elton John is acclaimed.
Both shows will offer guests a thrilling aesthetic adventure, with spectacularly designed lighting effects and a floor-to-ceiling video wall that draws the audience into the center of the rhythm-packed action.
“The latest and greatest to grace Crystal’s stages highlight the extraordinary caliber and broad range of talent that is featured on board,” says Edie Rodriguez, Crystal’s president. “The two newest shows on Crystal Symphony are stylistically distinct, with production components and quality that will thrill virtually any type of theatergoer.”
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is also offering weddings at sea. The government of the Bahamas has cleared the line’s Royal Romance weddings program to recognize ceremonies in international waters. A recently enacted Marriage Act in the Bahamas allows for new legal marriages at sea if the ship is registered in the Bahamas.. With the addition of legal weddings at sea, the company is launching a new Sweethearts at Sea promotion that offers a ceremony performed by the captain and photography, as well as a reception with hors d’oeuvres.
River Cruise News:
Avalon River Cruises christened its newest 128 passenger river cruise ship on March 25 in Andelys, France. The Tapestry II features extra-wide Panorama Suites and the unique design of no balconies. It offers floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall panoramic windows that stretch 10 feet wide and open up seven feet wide. The width of a river ship is limited by the size of the locks it travels through. Some of the locks are so narrow that they do not allow for large cabins and balconies. The Tapestry II is built with the larger cabins giving the benefit of a balcony cabin without the cost of cabin space. The cabins are configured so the beds face the wall-to-wall windows, offering passengers a panoramic view when lying in bed. The Avalon concept is all about engaging the cruiser with the passing scenery of the river. She will be sailing along the Seine from Paris with seven night trips stopping in Rouen and Caudebec.
Ama Waterways and tour operator Backroads are creating river cruise itineraries that include Backroads biking, walking and hiking excursions. Look for the alliance on Danube River sailings this year and in 2016 Ama and Backroads will introduce a number of new cruise/tours along the Rhone, Rhine, Seine, Douro, Garonne and Mekong rivers.
Uniworld is introducing a new itinerary, “India’s Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges, which is a 13 day journey delving deeply into the spirit of the country including 7 nights on the 56 passenger, all-suite Ganges Voyager II and five nights onshore in New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
