The previous week within the cruise business has been busy, so Cruise Hive is right here to ensure don’t miss a factor. We’ve obtained cruise information updates on a number of new ships, together with from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages, together with a worth hike from Norwegian.
Cruise Information Replace
It was one other busy week of cruise information, however no worry as we’ve you coated. It was dominated by new cruise ship information with Royal Caribbean’s new mega-ship floating out onto the water on the shipyard for the primary time, the world’s largest cruise ship celebrating its naming, Carnival’s third excel-class vessel being delayed, Virgin Voyages taking supply of its third new ship, the naming ceremony for MSC’s new vessel and NCL climbing the value of gratuities.
Icon of the Seas Floats Out
Icon of the Seas has formally touched water for the primary time, because the ship was floated out on the Meyer Werft shipyard in Turku, in southern Finland. This marks the completion of the ship’s exterior hull, and the vessel now strikes to the subsequent part of development.
To proceed constructing the already extremely anticipated vessel, the ship will likely be moved to the outfitting dock, the place inside work will proceed to carry the ship, with its eight distinctive neighborhoods, to life.
“The float out of a brand new ship is a defining second, and within the case of Icon of the Seas, it marks the subsequent step within the begin of a brand new period of holidays,” mentioned Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Worldwide. “That’s now a actuality greater than ever as Icon touches water for the primary time.”
At 1,198 toes lengthy and weighing in at roughly 250,800 gross tons, she would be the largest cruise ship ever constructed – however curiosity in her debut can also be breaking information. When reservations for the ship opened in late October, the cruise line noticed the highest single-day reserving information ever in its 53-year historical past.
Icon of the Seas will set sail in January 2024, and is scheduled to be homeported from PortMiami.
Surprise of the Seas Naming Ceremony
Royal Caribbean Worldwide has lastly named the road’s latest ship, Surprise of the Seas, in a “Caribbean Stylish” ceremony at Port Canaveral, with cruise line executives, VIPs, and media in attendance for the momentous event that has formally christened the brand new ship.
Festivities onboard the vessel included previews of the brand new, high-energy, tech-infused manufacturing exhibits, spectacular excessive dives within the AquaTheater, aerialists, and stay music for the assembled visitors.
Conventional components, in the meantime, included the bagpipe efficiency all the time seen at Royal Caribbean’s ceremonial christenings. For Surprise of the Seas, the Mount Dora Pipe Band did the honors for the godmother procession.
The ship’s godmother, Marie McCrea, was chosen by way of a TikTok problem, #SearchForWonderMom, that was launched on Mom’s Day to search out the ship’s “WonderMom.” Greater than 16,000 nominations had been submitted.
Additionally readily available for the naming ceremony had been numerous finalists for the #SearchForWonderMom contest. The occasion continued with a singular choral rendition of the US nationwide anthem, conventional spiritual blessings for the ship, crew, and everybody who will sail on her, and remarks from completely different cruise line executives.
Most of the remarks thanked the shipbuilding group, cruise line management, and most of all, the ship’s crew. “Surprise of the Seas brings collectively the easiest that Royal Caribbean may give,” mentioned Bayley. “This actually is the easiest household trip at present.”
To conclude the ceremony, McCrea launched the biggest champagne bottle on the planet – equal to 12 common champagne bottles – to interrupt on the ship’s bow in a time-honored second each Royal Caribbean cruise ship has loved in its historical past.
Since Surprise of the Seas set sail on her maiden voyage in March 2022, greater than 180,000 visitors have already sailed on the vessel – all with out an “official” christening. Now, the world’s largest cruise ship will supply Japanese and Western Caribbean sailings, the vast majority of that are 7-night sailings, and all of which can embody calls on CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s personal island in The Bahamas.
Carnival Jubilee Delayed
The third within the largest ship class for Carnival Cruise Line and sister ship to Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, Carnival Jubilee will not debut as deliberate in October 2023.
Delays on the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and compelled the cruise line to set again the ship’s maiden voyage, which was to have been a transatlantic crusing from Southampton to Galveston, in addition to cancel six further sailings from the ship’s Texas homeport.
“That is disappointing information, however with the notification from the shipyard, we’re advising our visitors as rapidly as we are able to,” mentioned Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
The impacted sailings are all voyages from October 30, 2023, by way of and together with the December 16, 2023 crusing – all of those sailings are actually canceled. The cruise line is reaching out to journey advisors and visitors booked on the now-canceled sailings with further particulars and choices.
“International provide chain logistics and different issues make it clear that further time is required in order that the ship may give our visitors the holiday expertise they anticipate,” the letter to Carnival Jubilee visitors states.
Due to the delay, Carnival Jubilee‘s maiden voyage will now be crusing from Galveston on December 23, 2023. Additional particulars of that crusing will not be but accessible.
From Galveston, the ship will likely be providing 7-night, Saturday departure, roundtrip sailings that go to Roatan, Honduras in addition to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.
Virgin Voyages Take Supply of Resilient Girl
New cruise traces sometimes develop slowly, maybe first utilizing older ships purchased from extra established traces as they construct their model and ultimately have their first newbuild ship constructed. Virgin Voyages, nonetheless, is displaying that it will possibly break that expectation, with the third newbuild ship for the brand new cruise line now delivered to Virgin possession.
Constructed by the famend shipbuilder Fincantieri at their Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, in northwestern Italy, Resilient Girl has accomplished development and now joins Virgin Voyages for provides and ending particulars earlier than her deliberate debut in Might 2023.
Like her sister ships Scarlet Girl and Valiant Girl, the “ladyship” weighs in at 110,000 gross tons and may welcome as many as 2,700 visitors per crusing, with 93% of her cabins providing an impressive ocean view and 86% of her cabins that includes spacious balconies.
Resilient Girl will set sail on her “mermaiden” voyage on Might 14, 2023, a 7-night roundtrip crusing from Athens, Greece, exploring all through the Greek Isles with calls in Santorini, Rhodes, and Mykonos, in addition to a cease in Bodrum, Turkey.
The ship, which accomplished her sea trials in April, was initially deliberate to set sail in August 2022, however was delayed as a consequence of a number of challenges, together with provide chain points and staffing issues.
Norwegian Cruise Line Hikes Gratuities
Gratuities, or suggestions, are customary follow within the cruise business and are given to the crew members onboard. Norwegian Cruise Line has determined to lift gratuities to higher align with business requirements and to supply their crew members with a extra aggressive compensation package deal.
The Haven and Suite visitors, who e book the very best degree of lodging on the ship, will now be charged $25 per day per individual. This can be a $5 improve from the earlier gratuity cost of $20 per day.
Membership Balcony suite visitors and all different visitors will now be charged $20 per day per individual. A $2 improve from the earlier gratuity cost of $18 per day for Membership Balcony suite visitors and a $4 improve for visitors staying in all different cabin classes.
Norwegian Cruise Line emphasizes that gratuities are elective and could be adjusted or eliminated at any time by the visitor. Nevertheless, the corporate strongly encourages visitors to go away gratuities for his or her hardworking crew members who present distinctive service all through the cruise.
The brand new pricing is just for bookings made on or after January 1, 2023. For any bookings made earlier than that date however crusing after January 1, visitors will pay the previous pricing so long as they’ve pre-paid their gratuities.
The value improve is already the second time in eight months that Norwegian Cruise Line has elevated gratuities. Nevertheless, at the moment, the rise was considerably much less, at $0.50 to $1.50, relying on the cabin class.
MSC Seascape Naming Ceremony
MSC Cruises’ latest cruise ship, the 170,000 gross-ton MSC Seascape, arrived in New York Metropolis’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal, forward of her naming ceremony on December 7. The cruise ship accomplished a 17-day transatlantic cruise from the shipyard and can quickly begin her inaugural season crusing to the Caribbean.
MSC Seascape is the cruise line’s new US Flagship and will likely be primarily based in Miami year-round. The ship was named on the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on December 7 by none apart from Sophia Loren. The Hollywood star is not any stranger to being a godmother to the MSC cruise ships, having carried out the ceremony for a lot of the MSC fleet.
The selection of New York Metropolis as the situation for the naming ceremony of MSC Seascape comes from the growth that MSC is planning in the US. Not solely will MSC Seascape act as the brand new flagship crusing from Miami, however MSC Mereviglia will likely be primarily based in New York Metropolis year-round.
Following her naming ceremony, MSC Seascape set sail towards Miami, her new dwelling. She is scheduled to reach in PortMiami, the largest cruise port on the planet, on December 11 and kick off her inaugural Caribbean cruise season with a seven-day japanese Caribbean cruise.
Extra Cruise Headlines
These had been only a handful of the cruise headlines from the previous week and we’ve obtained all of the protection on Cruise Hive, together with new areas revealed on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, Disney Cruise Line tightens a short lived refund coverage, Jewel of the Seas begins cruises out of Port Canaveral, a busy two days on the Nassau cruise port within the Bahamas, Royal Caribbean testing a service change on one ship, Norwegian Cruise Line reserving information and rather more.
