Ambassador Cruise Line Charters Ship to the Scottish Government

Ambassador Cruise Line Charters Ship to the Scottish Government

Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed it's chartering of the Ambition to the Scottish Government. Formerly known as AIDAmira, the 1,428-guest vessel will be used to house Ukrainian refugees in the country.

“We have agreed to a joint arrangement with the Scottish Government that means we can help the Scottish resettlement program for the Ukraine population, many of whom are fleeing the country,” the company said in a prepared statement.

Currently sailing to Scotland, the cruise ship is set to arrive in Glasgow at the beginning of September, Ambassador explained.

“We are proud to be supporting such an important humanitarian cause,” it added.

Acquired by Ambassador Cruise Line in January 2022, the Ambition was scheduled to launch a service for the brand in March 2023.

While the duration of the charter agreement has not been disclosed, no changes to the inaugural timeline have been confirmed so far.

“We are still finalizing the details with the various parties concerned, but we will be communicating with guests in due course to explain this agreement and we hope you are able to understand our wishes to help with this cause,” Ambassador noted.

Docked in Montenegro for the past four months, the Ambition has been out of service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Launched in 1999 as the Mistral, the 48,200-ton vessel was built for Festival Cruises.

After the collapse of its original operators, the ship was acquired by Iberojet for further service in Europe as the Grand Mistral.

In 2007, it joined Carnival Corporation when the Spanish tour operator, along with its fleet, was acquired by the U.S.-based cruise conglomerate.

Before being sold to its current owners, the vessel also spent time sailing for Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises.

As the second ship of Ambassador, the Ambition is now set to provide departures from regional UK ports such as Newcastle, Dundee, Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol and Falmouth.

Former Costa neoRomantica To Be Scrapped

The Antares Experience – formerly known as the Costa neoRomantica and Celestyal Experience – is getting scrapped, according to Gadani Ship Breaking Yard.

The Pakistani shipyard posted several photos and videos of the former Costa Cruises ship on its Facebook page.

The ship was originally launched as the Romantica in the 1990s and renamed as the neoRomantica after Costa gave it a 90-million-euro upgrade in 2011-2012 adding two half decks, new staterooms and additional balcony-equipped accommodations.

Celestyal Cruises took delivery of the ship in summer 2020 and renamed it as the Celestyal Experience, according to the Secondhand Market Report by Cruise Industry News. The 1,800-guest ship immediately became the largest ship in the company’s fleet but, sadly, never sailed for the cruise line.

Celestyal CEO, Chris Theophilides, previously said that the purchase of the Experience allowed the cruise line to see “many more destinations.” It was expected to sail on March 5, 2022, with the seven-night Three Continents itinerary, calling in Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Cyprus. The ship’s sales price was not disclosed.

However, those operational plans were quickly scrapped as the pandemic showed no signs of stopping, and Celestyal published a statement on selling the ship – at the time to an undisclosed buyer. The vessel shortly reemerged as the Antares Experience.

New Celestyal Ship Gets Smart New Livery

Celestyal Cruises has wasted no time on its latest addition as the former Costa neoRomantica has become the Celestyal Experience.

Celestyal added the name to the ship while the vessel was docked in Greece, having taken delivery from Carnival Corporation's Costa brand earlier in the summer.

With the new name added, Celestyal's next move was to add a new livery to the 1993-built vessel as the trademark yellow Costa funnels are now Celestyal blu. Next up the logo has also been added to the ship.

Celestyal has yet to announce the ship's 2021 deployment, but it is expected to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean as the company grows capacity alongside the Olympia and Cristal.

Carnival Corp. shedding two more ships

Carnival Corp. recently sold the Costa neoRomantica to Celestyal Cruises.

Carnival Corp. will dispose of two additional ships in the next 90 days, on top of the 13 that the company had said it would sell. 

The company did not say what two ships would go.

Carnival said earlier this month that it would shed 13 ships and defer five of the nine newbuilds it was scheduled to receive this year and next, representing a nearly 9% reduction in current capacity. 

Since June, the company has sold or agreed to sell two Carnival Cruise Line Fantasy-class ships, four Holland America Line ships, two Costa Cruises vessels and one P&O Cruises ship. 

“These decisions are intended to align the fleet with the expected phased restart of guest cruise operations while also generating cost savings,” Carnival said.

Costa neoRomantica to Host Fashion Show

Costa neoRomantica to Host Fashion Show

The Costa neoRomantica will host Jessica Minh Anh's latest fashion show on Feb. 6, 2018 from Hong Kong.

The supermodel will host her sky-high ocean catwalk on the sundeck of the Costa cruise ship overlooking Hong Kong’s picturesque skyline, according to a statement.

Previous ocean editions, which successfully combined art, architecture, culture, and fashion, took place in Sydney, New York, and Dubai.

The J Winter Fashion Show 2018 will premier innovative haute couture and pret-a-couture collections from 4 continents, according to a press release.

Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Group Asia said “Jessica Minh Anh has continuously made history at symbolic locations on a global scale. We are very excited to have her on board of one of our finest ships, providing an “Italy at Sea” experience to this important event and for another breath-taking showcase.”

Anh officially visited Costa neoRomantica and produced the pre-show fashion series on Victoria Harbour, Sky100, Dukling boat, and Park Lane's SKYE rooftop in Hong Kong last week.

Cruise Ship Affected By Strong Winds In Mediterranean

Photo By: LiveBoat.it

Thanks to CruiseHive.com

A Costa Cruise ship sailing in the Mediterranean has been affected by bad weather conditions including strong winds.

Apparently according to local Italian media the neoRomatica which is operated by Costa Cruises had a scary ordeal during a Mediterranean cruise. The ship sailed into a storm on Thursday night March 5th near the vessels last port of call at Trapani, Sicily. The storm was producing wind gusts of around 60 mph which also caused strong waves to hit the 57,000 gross ton cruise ship.

The neoRomantica was forced to let go one of its anchors so the strong conditions wouldn’t knock it out of action. The anchor was apparently hitting the ship’s bow very strong which has done some damage as seen in the featured image. An Italian forum has messages from passengers who were onboard the ship at the time:

” Moments of panic !!! staff on board certainly very prepared to deal with the situation! We were forced to stay almost a full day in the hallway without eating almost had it not been for some apple and a few bottles of water !!! ”

“My boss is on board, I confirm cabins flooded (including that of my head, not accessible to virtually all day yesterday, the water is coming down from the ceiling, wetting the bed and carpet, you name it) and the black out” .

Here is one video posted by a YouTube user who was a passenger onboard neoRomantic as the storm was just starting to get more intense:

So it seems some Cabins had been flooded but this could have been from water pipes inside the ship. With the heavy rocking and banging of the waves against the ships hull it’s possible that pipes could burst. As a result of the damage the ship diverted to Savona, Italy instead of sailing back to its home port of  Marseille, France. Passengers were taken back to Marseille by bus.

Cruise Hive has requested further details from Costa Cruises and will update this report once we get a response.

Costa Classica set to re-join fleet after €22m overhaul

Costa Classica set to re-join fleet after €22m overhaul

After a complete redesign to the sum of a €22.5 million, the Costa Classica will join the Costa fleet as part of the Costa neoCollection that offers slow cruises to unique destinations.

Costa Classica – at 53,000 gross tonnage and 654 cabins - will join Costa neoCollection, alongside Costa neoRomantica and Costa neoRiviera, offering some of the most stunning and unique Costa neoCollection itineraries with a “slow cruise” style that use smaller ships.

The redesign took place at San Giorgio del Porto yards in Genoa, one of the international leaders for ship repairs and refitting.

The process began on November 8th and involved 600 technicians and 400 crew members.

The process included work on the hull and engine sections as well as a complete repainting of the hull.

Public areas and guests cabins were totally renewed, with a new design by Partner Ship Design, reproducing the atmosphere of the more intimate Costa neoCollection ships and providing the same type of unique cruise experience.

Fitness lovers will be able to take part in Total Body Resistance Exercise training sessions.

Features and services throughout the ship will reflect the brand’s ethos of providing “Italy’s finest”.

The ship will offer a broad selection of food and wine options including restaurant menus that will be inspired not only by Italian cuisine but also by regional foods local to the destinations being visited.

The Al Fresco Café has been transformed into a shipboard natural oasis, decorated with trees to create a peaceful park-like environment to relax.

The space includes a balcony area overlooking the sea as well as an indoor space for those wanting to enjoy an aperitif or a glass of Ferrari sparkling wine.

At the Dolce Amore Bar, guests can enjoy an array of specialty coffees from around the world throughout the day and then return in the evening to enjoy a selection of pizzas.

When in their cabins, refitted with bright, luminous colours, guests will be able to wake up to authentic espresso thanks to Illy coffee pod machines installed throughout.

There will also be Elemis amenities and beauty products to keep guests feeling pampered.

Sun-lovers will enjoy the renovated lounge areas on the open deck where they can enjoy a drink by the pool all day and into the evening.

Costa neoClassica will also offer a “Stargazer” experience, an original Costa neoCollection entertainment activity that will allow guests to admire the skies through high-quality telescopes, assisted by Costa experts.