Major Revitalizations

Major Revitalizations

Independence of the Seas in Drydock.

Among the big out-of-water projects for Royal Caribbean Cruises, this year are revitalizations of the Adventure, Mariner and Independence of the Seas, plus the complete refurbishment and transformation of the Adonia into the Azamara Pursuit.

The company’s large-scale drydocking projects are overseen by the newbuild and innovation department, headed by up Kevin Douglas, vice president, who joined Royal in 2004 as a project manager overseeing a large-scale revitalization on the Sovereign of the Seas.

While smaller dry dockings (known as a “shave and a haircut”) are generally run by the brands, Douglas said his group comes together to plan the big changes, working closely with the operations teams to craft a program vision, whether it’s the Royal Advantage or Celebrity’s recent $400 million Edge-upgrade scheme.

With a schedule that calls for dry dockings every five years, the planning starts with a holistic look at each ship, and how they fit into the class and the brand

“The principal goal is how we improve the guest experience, offering a more meaningful product,” said Douglas. That ranges from stateroom upgrades to new restaurants and other features like the FlowRider surfing simulator. “We look at how we can add in IT and the smart ship concept, upgrading the technical experience and entertainment.”

Projects are evaluated not only on cost but in the number of containers and raw materials needed.

“We know how much material we can deal with on a daily basis, and that determines how much time we need,” Douglas said.

The technical scope of jobs is increasingly complex.

“Then we look at the stability of the ship with the increase in weight and the increase of the centre of gravity, and whether we have to add a ducktail to the stern.”

Another major technical project has been installing scrubbers (the company prefers to call them Advanced Emissions Purification Systems).

“They are about the size of a school bus,” Douglas noted.

Royal Caribbean has had its scrubber program going for five years, with some 20 ships outfitted with various systems from a number of suppliers with the project being overseen directly by Matti Heikkinen, vice president of newbuild.

“He and his team have done an awesome job,” added Douglas.

Under the waterline, the company has an on-going initiative to study hull coatings, with a new direction expected to be announced in early 2018.

“There is a massive benefit on fuel efficiency on drag and resistance,” Douglas said.

That project is being spearheaded by Captain Patrik Dahlgren, senior vice president of global marine operations, and Anshul Tuteja, director of energy management.

“We are looking at every type of paint, and which coatings work best in what areas,” Douglas explained. “Patrick and Anshul are looking very carefully, and we can actually track the performance of a hull coating relating to efficiency and how much fouling they are getting.

“We probably have every type of paint coating in the fleet, and are now starting to review final recommendations for future coatings.”

Royal Caribbean has also grown the scope of its drydocking work along with its shipyards, continually working to get leaner and manage bigger projects.

“Twelve years ago we were doing 12 to 16 containers a day and thought ‘wow.’ Now we are doing 50 containers a day and think nothing of it.”

And the spending is skyrocketing.

“We used to be at $800,000 per day, and now its $2.8 million; and we want to go even higher,” Douglas said.

The next hurdle may come in Asia, with a number of company ships in China. One of those ships has already been in a Chinese drydock for a repair, which Douglas said went well. SkySea also recently drydocked at a yard in China for a small refit.

Years of planning, million-dollar decisions and executing on a tight schedule, Douglas said it all came down to partnerships, whether internal, whether with the shipyards or with turnkey suppliers.

“It’s about how we do these projects in a short period of time, minimizing the risk and maximizing the planning.”

Azamara Pursuit to be christened in Southampton

Azamara Pursuit to be christened in Southampton

Azamara Club Cruises’ new ship Azamara Pursuit will be christened in Southampton after agents helped to double the usual sales from the UK market.

It will be the first time the brand has christened a ship, as both Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest went straight into service after refit when purchased.

Neither ship has a godmother.

The decision to christen Azamara Pursuit in the UK comes after the ship received double the demand of bookings from the UK market than its sister ships achieve.

The brand put the success down to the “speedy response of the trade” in pushing marketing messages to their customers and to a surge of interest from fans of P&O Cruises’ Adonia (the name of the ship before it changes hands to Azamara).

Azamara chief operating office Carol Cabezas said there would be “strong representation from UK agents and media” at the christening and two-night celebratory cruise.

She said: “This ship has a very strong British heritage and it has a fantastic following here. Plus we have seen a tremendous amount of demand from the UK audience – the general sourcing has doubled in Pursuit against the normal UK contribution.”

“We’ve never had a christening in our brand’s history and we want to do that in Southampton.”

After being revamped, the ship will leave the dry dock for Barcelona on August 3 to sail to Southampton. When it reaches the British port, it will sail on an Icelandic itinerary before returning to Southampton to be christened on August 28.

UK managing director Richard Twynam applauded how quickly key partners “jumped on board” with Pursuit. He particularly referenced the work of Bolsover Cruise Club and Reader Offers.

“Bolsover had a huge Adonia base and that’s been brilliant,” he said. “And Reader Offers has created some beautiful and extremely clever print marketing campaigns around our deployment announcements.”

The search for the ship’s godmother is underway, but Cabezas said it would be a woman who embodied the line’s love of destinations and travel.

On a Fathom cruise, a sea day like no other

Impact guide Gil Lang tells Fathom passengers how to improve their storytelling skills. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

Travel Weekly cruise editor Tom Stieghorst is sailing on the first cruise for Fathom, Carnival Corp.'s new social-impact line.

ABOARD THE ADONIA — Fathom’s cruise to the Dominican Republic begins with a day-and-a-half at sea, and the activities onboard really set it apart from any other cruise I’ve been on.

Like all the sessions I would attend on our first day at sea, it was participatory, interpersonal and a bit confessional. This is not a cruise for someone who wants to be left alone.Fathom has a philosophy to impart. After breakfast, everyone was asked to attend the "Being a Fathom Traveler" workshop, where an "impact guide" briefed passengers on the Fathom way.

To organize, Fathom grouped passengers into cohorts of about 10 to 12. The guide asked us each to name a favorite travel destination. Then we were all asked to sit next to someone we don’t know.

Paired off with a stranger, we had five minutes to describe to each other something bold we had done, an interesting fact about ourselves, and what we think the key to happiness is.

Our guide, Jeff, then told us about himself and what Fathom is – transformation through travel.  If Fathom has a motto, it is “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

We were introduced to some of the buzzwords that Fathom employs, such as "alongsidedness," which describes how Fathom passengers and Dominicans work together on the land part of the trip.

Fathom is a cruise with substance, a chance to take stock of who you are and where you’re going.

Some of the workshops are more practical. One teaches phrases in Spanish and another called “Empowering English Tutoring” is for passengers who will spend time helping Spanish-speaking students at school.

Later in the day, I attended “The Story of You,” a workshop meant to strengthen storytelling skills. We paired off again and did five exercises. The first one, creating a secret handshake together, was fun and helped break the ice. We told each other a story about our names and then spent the better part of an hour crafting a story about a dramatic moment in our lives.

We told the story three times to three different people, each time getting some techniques from our impact guide, Gil, to make the stories stronger, more vivid and memorable.

I caught part of another workshop, “The Curiosity Advantage,” about looking at things differently and staying open to fresh ways of doing things.

Impact guide Greg Shapiro with a slide showing the progress of a land-mine removal enterprise in Angola. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

My final workshop for the day, “Social Innovation in Action,” was another group exercise. Four groups competed to create a social enterprise that would solve a big problem — overfishing and clearing land mines were the two we worked on.

Afterward, we saw videos of actual solutions created by social entrepreneurs, including the ingenious application of mine-sniffing rats in Angola to speed the de-mining process.

If this is your thing, there’s probably no better cruise than Fathom. It requires an open attitude and a willingness to contribute. The return is learning something about yourself and a jump-start toward knowing your fellow passengers.

Fathom is a cruise with substance, a chance to take stock of who you are and where you’re going. It might not be the cruise you want to do every time, but it won’t be the same old, same old, that’s for sure.

Five of P&O’s Weirdest Cruise Cabins

Cruise cabins.
Pretty bog standard stuff aren’t they, with their narrow twin beds and just about enough room to swing a stowaway cat (or your glad rags for the black tie nights)?

If this is what you think then you haven’t cruised with P&O!

Not only does it have six classes of comfortable cabins to cater for those with modest budgets but high expectations right through to the money’s-no-object cash splashers; they also understands that not everyone’s part of a cosy couple (or a gruesome twosome)!

Lofty Heights

For the ultimate onboard (and offboard!) bragging rights, opt for a fabulous dual-level suite onboard Aurora – but don’t blame us at www.CRUISE.co.uk when you get dirty looks from other passengers when you oh-so-casually drop going ‘up’ to bed into the dinner conversation (although it’s probably worth the extra money for this alone, just to see them try to hide their jealousy!)

 Single and Sorted

Instead of making single passengers cough up for a bed they don’t need with the dreaded ‘single occupancy fee’, P&O prides itself on providing a wide selection of single cabins.

These aren’t in forgotten, hard-to-get to parts of the ship as if to underline your sorry singleton status mind!

There’s a choice of inside, outside or balcony cabins where you’ll have plenty of space to sit with a glass of bubbles and toast how fabulous freedom is!

P&O’s fantastic new floating fun palace Britannia has more single cabins than any other cruise liner – take that smug couples!

And it’s not just solo travelers who want their own space.

You may love your cruise companion to bits but it certainly won’t feel like it at 2am on the first night when you find out your bestie is a secret snorer!

Connect Four

Or two, or three. No we’re not saying the cabins come with board games.

Aurora, Adonia and Azura all have interconnecting cabins which are perfect for groups of friends who want to be together but not too together – they’re perfect for ducking in and out of each other’s spaces for a glass of wine, a gossip and a look at what you’re planning to wear that night but when it’s time for bed the doors can be firmly locked (yes, that’s right –we’re respectable Brits abroad!)

Plus, most of the interconnecting balcony cabins can also be joined up outside – who’s up for a private deck party?

 Hubble Bubble

Is there anything more magical than enjoying a celebratory glass of champagne than in your own private bubble bath?

Baths are something we Brits take for granted but on cruise ships they’re as rare as a passenger who doesn’t overfill his plate at the buffet!

On P&O however, not only do the mini suites and suites have full-sized whirlpool baths, some of the best value inside cabins have baths too!

P&O, we salute you for your bath time democracy!

All Hail the Accessible

All P&O’s accessible cabins feature wide doors, plenty of inside space to maneuver wheelchairs or mobility scooters and ramped access to balconies.

There are also wet room style bathrooms with grab rails and pull down shower chairs, meaning your cruise will be smooth sailing even if the weather’s rough!

Disabled cruisers should note that Adonia’s accessible bathrooms are smaller than the rest of the fleet.

On P&O there’s a cabin to suit everyone but remember, just as the early bird catches the worm, the early cruiser catches the cabin, so if your heart’s set on one of these more unusual options, book as soon as you can!

Seven of P&O’s Weirdest Cruise Cabins

Cruise cabins.

Pretty bog standard stuff aren’t they, with their narrow twin beds and just about enough room to swing a stowaway cat (or your glad rags for the black tie nights)?

If this is what you think then you haven’t cruised with P&O!

Not only does it have six classes of comfortable cabins to cater for those with modest budgets but high expectations right through to the money’s-no-object cash splashers; they also understands that not everyone’s part of a cosy couple (or a gruesome twosome)!

Lofty Heights

For the ultimate onboard (and offboard!) bragging rights, opt for a fabulous dual-level suite onboard Aurora – but don’t blame us when you get dirty looks from other passengers when you oh-so-casually drop going ‘up’ to bed into the dinner conversation (although it’s probably worth the extra money for this alone, just to see them try to hide their jealousy!)

Single and Sorted

Instead of making single passengers cough up for a bed they don’t need with the dreaded ‘single occupancy fee’, P&O prides itself on providing a wide selection of single cabins.

These aren’t in forgotten, hard-to-get to parts of the ship as if to underline your sorry singleton status mind!

There’s a choice of inside, outside or balcony cabins where you’ll have plenty of space to sit with a glass of bubbles and toast how fabulous freedom is!

P&O’s fantastic new floating fun palace Britannia has more single cabins than any other cruise liner – take that smug couples!

And it’s not just solo travelers who want their own space.

You may love your cruise companion to bits but it certainly won’t feel like it at 2am on the first night when you find out your bestie is a secret snorer!

Connect Four

Or two, or three. No we’re not saying the cabins come with board games.

Aurora, Adonia and Azura all have interconnecting cabins which are perfect for groups of friends who want to be together but not too together – they’re perfect for ducking in and out of each other’s spaces for a glass of wine, a gossip and a look at what you’re planning to wear that night but when it’s time for bed the doors can be firmly locked (yes, that’s right –we’re respectable Brits abroad!)

Plus, most of the interconnecting balcony cabins can also be joined up outside – who’s up for a private deck party?

Hubble Bubble

Is there anything more magical than enjoying a celebratory glass of champagne than in your own private bubble bath?

Baths are something we Brits take for granted but on cruise ships they’re as rare as a passenger who doesn’t overfill his plate at the buffet!

On P&O however, not only do the mini suites and suites have full-sized whirlpool baths, some of the best value inside cabins have baths too!

P&O, we salute you for your bath time democracy!

Image credit

All Hail the Accessible

All P&O’s accessible cabins feature wide doors, plenty of inside space to maneuver wheelchairs or mobility scooters and ramped access to balconies.

There are also wet room style bathrooms with grab rails and pull down shower chairs, meaning your cruise will be smooth sailing even if the weather’s rough!

Disabled cruisers should note that Adonia’s accessible bathrooms are smaller than the rest of the fleet.

Practical Magic 

“Go on then, I’ll iron your shirt if you make me a cuppa.”

This is usually a pretty humdrum sentence but on a cruise it’s actually a pretty special one!  As irons are a fire hazard they’re generally banned on all cruise ships but P&O is alone in trusting their mini-suite and suite customers to wield one!

OK, it’s not the most exciting perk but it sure is a handy one when it comes to getting those smart togs gala ready - as are the tea and coffee-making facilities that we Brits so desperately need when we wake up before we can even think about anything as complicated as getting dressed!