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Viking named its newest ocean ship, the Viking Vesta, with a traditional ceremony in Split, Croatia, over the weekend. The vessel was recently delivered from Fincantieri to Viking.
Serving as ceremonial godmother of the Viking Vesta was the Norwegian journalist Lene Tangevald-Jensen, according to a press release.
The Viking Vesta will now continue her inaugural season sailing in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
“As we celebrate 10 years of ocean voyages in 2025, we are pleased to welcome the new Viking Vesta to our award-winning fleet of elegant sister ships,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking.
“We are also very grateful to Lene for serving as godmother. In addition to her personal and professional accomplishments, Lene embodies the values that are very important to me and to Viking—she is kind, honest, hardworking and, of course, curious. I am proud to count her as a friend and a valued member of the extended Viking family.”
In keeping with the naming tradition, during the ceremony, Lene used a Viking broad axe to cut a ribbon that allowed a bottle of Norwegian aquavit to break on the ship’s hull.
Guests also enjoyed performances by Sissel Kyrkjebø, one of the world’s leading crossover sopranos and godmother of the Viking Jupiter, and Norwegian violinist Tor Jaran Apold.
Piraeus Welcomes First Ship of the Year, Costa Deliziosa
The Port of Piraeus has welcomed its first cruise ship call of the new year with the arrival of the Costa Deliziosa on Tuesday, January 2, according to a press release.
To mark the occasion, the Management of Piraeus Port Authority hosted a special ceremony with the exchange of plaques and Christmas treats for all passengers.
The Costa Deliziosa arrived from Izmir, Turkey during its 14-night Mediterranean voyage sailing roundtrip from Trieste, Italy.
The ship then continued its trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia and will also call in Bari, Italy, before returning to Trieste on Saturday, January 6.
The port also reported historical records for cruise passengers in 2023, with approximately 1.5 million passengers, compared to 880,000 in 2022. Additionally, the total number of cruise ships that visited the port was 760.
Virgin Voyages’ third ship, the Resilient Lady, will make its debut on May 14, 2023, when it embarks on its inaugural Greek Islands Glow voyage.
The ship will sail a roundtrip from Athens with stops in Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum and an overnight call in Mykonos.
“Virgin Voyages’ delivers an amazing experience and has been recognized by hundreds of thousands of happy Sailors with the awards we’ve won for our service, food, design, entertainment and more,” said founder Richard Branson.
“We have shown the world all that we have to offer when it comes to having the holiday of your dreams, and I can’t wait to show off our lovely new Resilient Lady in one of the most magical places in the world as she sails around the Greek Isles, Croatia, Turkey and more.”
The ship will offer seven-night cruises to Greek Islands from May through October 2023. Upon completion of its inaugural season in Greece, the Resilient Lady will offer transcontinental voyages from Melbourne, Australia.
“I’m thrilled this day is finally here and that Resilient Lady has officially joined our award-winning fleet,” said Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages. “Since our launch just a few years ago, we have received the travel industry’s top awards and have experienced a very high rate of return with up to 40 per cent of our Sailors rebooking their next cruise while they’re still onboard with us. I know people are going to love voyaging with Resilient Lady as much as they have with Scarlet and Valiant Lady, and I look forward to sharing this five-star experience with even more Sailors this summer.”
Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling the first and second sailings of the new Norwegian Viva.
Citing construction delays, the company said the 3,215-guest ship won’t be ready in time for the cruises, which were set to depart on June 15 and June 24, 2023.
In a statement sent to booked guests, Norwegian informed that the cancellations were a result of “global supply chain constraints impacting industries worldwide and the related downstream construction delays at the shipyard.”
According to the company, impacted passengers will receive a full refund to the original form of payment, with no further actions required on their part.
“We are committed to always putting our guests first. This includes providing information regarding any changes to voyages with as much notice as possible,” Norwegian added.
Opening up the ship’s inaugural summer in the Mediterranean, the cancelled cruises included visits to several countries in Europe.
A one-way, nine-night voyage, the inaugural sailing was set to depart Portugal, calling in various destinations in Spain and France before arriving in Italy.
An open-jaw itinerary as well, the second cruise was set to sail between two Italian ports: Civitavecchia and Trieste.
The nine-night voyage also featured visits to other ports in the country, in addition to popular destinations in Croatia, Greece, Malta and Slovenia.
The Norwegian Viva is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Second, in a series of six ships known as the Prima Class, the vessel will be a sister of the new Norwegian Prima.
Set to debut this year, the 142,000-ton vessel is also entering service later than initially planned due to supply chain issues. Norwegian informed guests booked on the ship’s inaugural voyage that their cruise was no longer going ahead.
Also being built in Marghera, the Prima was set to depart on August 17, 2022. Ahead of a christening ceremony in Reykjavik, the vessel was offering an eight-night cruise from the Netherlands to Iceland.
Oceania Cruises has revealed its "largest itinerary launch to date"
Oceania Cruises has revealed its "largest itinerary launch to date", with more than 350 voyages on offer across seven ships in 2024.
The line will sail in Europe, Alaska, Canada, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, South America, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. The itineraries will open for reservations on 4 May.
Oceania will position six ships in Europe in 2024. Insignia, Nautica, Marina, and Sirena will spend the majority of the season in the northern part of the continent and the western wine countries. Riviera and Vista will base in the Mediterranean to offer voyages to Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Malta, Israel and Egypt.
Meanwhile, Regatta, Insignia, and Nautica will offer close to three dozen explorations of Alaska, New England, Canada, Bermuda, and the US colonial south.
The regatta will reprise its Alaska season with a series of voyages to Icy Strait Point, Kodiak, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka, Wrangell, Prince Rupert and Victoria. On the East Coast, Insignia and Nautica will offer sailings to Bermuda, New England, and Canada’s maritime provinces from New York City, Boston, and Montreal.
Marina will sail the entire of Latin America, as well as a diversion to Paradise Bay, Admiralty Bay, and Half Moon Island in Antarctica.
Riviera will chart its inaugural season in Asia, sailing from Arabia to India, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, South Korea, and Japan. Nautica will explore the Far East while also offering a range of voyages to South Africa, Mozambique, Mayotte, and Seychelles.
Oceania Cruises is also expanding its offerings in the South Pacific by deploying two ships in the region – Regatta and Nautica.
Caribbean, Panama Canal and Mexican sailings visit Bonaire, Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Saint Vincent along with Gustavia, Rodney Bay, Tortola, and Port Royal.
Howard Sherman, president and chief executive of Oceania Cruises, said: "Next to our reputation for serving the finest cuisine at Sea, Oceania Cruises is widely acclaimed for developing the most enticing and destination-rich itineraries in the cruise industry.
"With our 2024 collection, we have set a whole new standard for destination innovation with an astounding mix of marquee destinations and exotic new locales, blended together in creatively crafted voyage offerings."
Marella Launches its First Literature Themed Cruise Across the Atlantic
Marella Cruises is offering its first book lovers cruise with an all-inclusive 16-night Atlantic sailing on its adults-only ship, the Marella Explorer 2.
Sailing from Montego Bay, Jamaica on Apr. 19, 2022, this tailor-made cruise features guest talks and interactive workshops with authors and entertainers as it sails across the Atlantic Ocean before finishing in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Guests will be able to enjoy the usual Marella Cruises experience onboard with fully all-inclusive food and drink spots, evening entertainment including game shows and quizzes and daytime activities like dance classes and yoga.
“We have had successes with our Electric Sunsets themed cruises, and we are excited to introduce our first themed cruise for literature fans next year. It offers something different for guests onboard on a cruise where there are not as many days ashore as some of our other itineraries,” said Managing Director of Marella Cruises, Chris Hackney.
Authors and entertainers including Sarah Cruddas, famous for her knowledge of Space exploration, Tony Strange, known for his comic entertainment and impressions, and crime novelist Barbara Nadel, will all share their stories and some will run guided workshops for all guests onboard, at no extra cost.
Marella Cruises sets sail on international waters from Sept. 3 and the Marella Explorer 2 starts its Spanish sailings from Sept. 22, before heading to the Caribbean in November where it’ll homeport in Montego Bay for the winter season.
MSC Splendida Restarts Cruising and Welcomes Back Guests
The MSC Splendida has become the latest MSC Cruises ship to restart summer sailings with her seven-night itinerary to the Eastern Mediterranean from the northern Italian port of Trieste.
Calls are to Ancona, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Bari, Italy; the Greek island of Corfu and Kotor in Montenegro or Split in Croatia before the vessel returns to Trieste with embarkation available in each of the Italian ports, according to an MSC press release.
Four daily transfer shuttles for MSC Cruises guests will run from Venice’s Marco Polo airport and one from the city centre to the cruise terminal in Trieste offering a convenient service for embarking guests who have flown to Italy from Europe. Prices per person are Euros €25 one way and Euros €50 return, according to the company.
The MSC Splendida represents the company’s fifth ship to resume cruise holidays this summer. The MSC Grandiosa and MSC Seaside are sailing in the West Mediterranean, the MSC Orchestra is operating in the East Mediterranean and the MSC Virtuosa is cruising in the UK for British guests only.
The MSC Magnifica will resume sailings on June 20 from Italy for voyages in the East Mediterranean, the MSC Seaview will restart on July 3 from Kiel in Germany for sailings in the Baltic Sea to Sweden and Estonia followed by MSC Seashore making her maiden sailing from the end of July in the West Mediterranean.
Cruise lines' Dubrovnik deal seen as a way to combat overcrowding
Last year, Dubrovnik received 742,000 passengers on 538 ships.
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald said a new agreement in Dubrovnik, Croatia, illustrates how fears about crowding in favourite tourist areas can be managed by the cruise industry.
Speaking as part of a CEO panel at the Seatrade Cruise Global convention here, Donald took the occasion to disclose that major cruise lines have agreed to coordinate their schedules this summer in Dubrovnik.
That could mean some ships arrive later or depart earlier to keep their time in port from coinciding, or it could mean moving some ships to arrive during the week rather than on weekends.
The walled Old City of Dubrovnik was named a Unesco World Heritage site in 1979, but Donald said its mayor requested a meeting with cruise officials because it had been threatened with delisting by Unesco.
Donald and other cruise officials met several times with mayor Mato Frankovic, most recently in January when an agreement was apparently reached.
"In the end, our guests don't want to go to a place that's overcrowded," Donald said. "If the sites that everybody wants to see are being abused, our guests won't go. It's in our self-interest, but it's also in the interest of the places we go."
Last year, Dubrovnik received 742,000 passengers on 538 ships. The city recorded about 3.4 million overnight stays, with many visitors drawn by Dubrovnik's status as a filming location for the HBO series "Game of Thrones."
Donald said cruise lines need to "listen with empathy for the issue of what some would call over tourism, not necessarily driven by cruise companies but by the fact that we're a very visible symbol for it; our ships are large, and so forth. We have to listen with empathy to the ports that are out there and make sure we work with them to get the proper infrastructure."
Dubrovnik's over tourism concerns are shared by several other destinations in the Mediterranean, including Barcelona, Venice and the Greek island of Santorini.
Travel journalist Peter Greenberg, who moderated the CEO panel, said the World Travel and Tourism Council in a recent study listed "destination degradation" as one of three critical issues facing the travel industry.
Others on the panel took issue with the label "over tourism."
"I think it's a misnomer," said Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. chairman Richard Fain. "What we're really talking about is sustainable tourism."
Fain cited Royal Caribbean's development of Falmouth in Jamaica to offer an alternative to Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, as another successful response to crowding concerns.
After Falmouth opened in 2011, the number of cruise visitors actually rose, but they were more spread out.
"There were more people but less density," Fain said.
"The opportunity, really, is to work together in these communities," Fain said. "We work with them, and we find solutions that are to both of our benefits. And those we work with are very happy. You see that over and over again. Those who just want to make headlines, that's a different story."
The Celebrity Reflection in Dubrovnik.
Greenberg said that two cities where over tourism has been a hot-potato issue -- Venice and Barcelona -- are in the backyard of MSC Cruises, which has its headquarters in Geneva and its operations in Naples, Italy.
MSC executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said some perspective was in order.
"When you're talking about Venice's 30 million visitors a year, the cruise industry is 1 million of that," Vago said.
He added that unlike the general tourism population, which ebbs and flows individually, cruise tourists come in groups that can be managed.
"We can actually coordinate," Vago said. "We can actually ensure that there will never be an overflow, and we can control embarkation and disembarkation."
A 2015 Unesco report recommended that the number of cruise passengers at Dubrovnik should not exceed 8,000 a day, arguing that when more than 8,000 visitors are inside the walls of the old city "tourist blight" becomes inevitable.
Research from the Port of Dubrovnik found that in 2016, arrivals exceeded 8,000 on 18 out of 243 total cruise days and that arrivals exceeded 10,000 on four days that year.
MSC has been looking for new destinations in the Adriatic to supplement hot spots like Dubrovnik. Last year, for example, MSC began calling at the port of Sarande, in southern Albania.
"Nobody knew that in Sarande, there were 10 different Unesco sites," MSC CEO Gianni Onorato said in a recent interview. "This is the opportunity the cruise industry can give because there are options. That's the only way to solve this problem."
The new mayor of Dubrovnik said he is in favor of halving the number of cruise passengers arriving daily at the Adriatic port city in Croatia.
Mayor Mato Frankovic, elected in June, told London's Telegraph newspaper that the current soft ceiling of 8,000 passengers a day should be reduced to 4,000.
He also called for limits on tour operators running day trips to the walled medieval city, which has been a Unesco world heritage site since 1979.
A 2015 Uneco mission recommended that a cap on cruise tourism be developed, and that it should not exceed 8,000 passengers per day.
The Dubrovnik Port Authority said on its website that the cap was exceeded 18 times in 2016 out of the 243 days when cruise ships called. It also said it refused 40 cruise call requests for this year.
Dubrovnik has become one of the most popular stops on an itinerary from Venice to the Eastern Mediterranean, or the reverse route. Last year Dubrovnik had 639 ship calls and handled 831,730 passengers, up 0.1% from the year before, according to Med Cruise, an association of Mediterranean cruise ports. Of those, 763,561 were transit passengers, ranking Dubrovnik behind only six other ports of call in the Mediterranean region.
Frankovic said he would like to see a "reset" for tourism, and that ship calls need to be spaced more evenly so the weekend crush is reduced.
The Unesco report said 90% of cruise calls to Dubrovnik come between May and October. And although cruise visitors accounted for only 2.5% of all visitors in 2013, "they have a disproportionate impact on the World Heritage property due to their concentration in time and space," the report said.
The Scenic Eclipse is well on her way to a 2018 debut, and is currently under construction at a shipyard in Croatia. Scenic recently released new photos of the newbuild process.
"Currently, 60% of the ship's steel construction is complete and soon she will be taking shape on the slipway. Here we can see the retractable zero speed stabilizers being delivered to the shipyard. These stabilizers are a major innovation on Scenic Eclipse, which not only stabilize the ship but also allow safer entry and exit in isolated locations," the company said.
New Shipyards Entering Cruise Business Face Uphill Challenge
Two new shipyards have entered the cruise ship building business recently, while an additional yard with a surprise cruise order has some passenger vessel history, but all will be facing a set of staggering challenges when it comes to building customized ships for picky clients and pulling off a flawless hotel build.
The major players in the cruise-ship building business have been going at it for decades, and most specialize in passenger vessels.
Meanwhile, major cargo-ship building yards in South Korea have tried again and again to land orders without success.
In Japan, Mitsubishi has built for local companies along with Princess Cruises and AIDA Cruises, but late deliveries and cost overruns on the recent AIDA ships have not helped the cause.
Kleven
The last time a cruise ship was built in Norway, the shipyard went bankrupt. That was just over a decade ago with the ship being The World and the shipyard Fosen Mekaniske Verksted against a backdrop of an extremely expensive labor environment.
Earlier this year, Kleven entered into a contract with Hurtigruten to build a set of expedition cruise ships earlier this year, with an option for two more. The ship’s are being built on a Rolls-Royce technical platform.
Shipyard executives declined to speak on the record, but the yard’s website said Kleven was a family-owned operation dating back many decades.
The yard’s recent deliveries show no shortage of supply and platform vessels for the offshore industry, in addition to Coast Guard ships.
A log of ship deliveries back to 1961 shows everything from fish vessels to tug boats, with the last passenger vessel being the Finnmarken, which was built in 2002 for coastal service. The yard has only built three (coastal) passenger ships.
Uljanik Group
In Croatia, Uljanik Group will build its first cruise ship for a new entry to the cruise ship market in Scenic.
The agreement calls for a five-star level expedition ship to be delivered in August of 2018, with an option for a second vessel. The ship is 16,500 tons with capacity for 228 guests.
In 2015 the yard delivered a 3,311-ton ro/ro ferry, the second in a two-ship order. However, the yard mainly builds barges and other supply vessels, but did deliver a series of car carriers as recently as 2008.
The Croatian builder can trade its history back to 1856, when it started out building ships for the Austro-Hungarian Navy.
In 2013, the yard added another facility and building site, 3.Maj, to its portfolio, which has upped its capacity.
The group also owns an engine factory, ULJANIK Diesel Engines Factory Ltd, and has recently delivered a number of large tanker vessels.
Brodosplit
Another Croatian yard, Brodosplit, landed an order from Star Clippers for a sailing ship, and is believed to be working toward a separate order for smaller niche vessels.
Of note, the yard has built new motor vessel ships for Grand Circle Cruise Line over the years.
The shipyard is located in Split, Croatia, and was formed when several smaller ship repair facilities combined forces in 1922. The yard builds various types of ships including commercial, container and passenger vessels.
The new Royal Flyer for Star Clippers will be 162 meters long and 18.5 meters wide, and feature five masts and sails.
While it is a sailing ship, the vessel will have two fully independent electric propulsion engines and be compliant with Safe Return to Port rules with two engine rooms.
Star Clippers said it will build its first new ship in 15 years, a five-masted barque that will be the largest in its fleet and the largest such cruise sailing vessel afloat.
The ship will have more than 60,000 square feet of sail, which will be its primary motive power. It will be designed to carry 300 passengers, larger than the 227-passenger Royal Clipper that is the biggest of the three vessels now in Star Clippers’ fleet.
As yet unnamed, the 8,770-gross-ton ship will be modeled on the France II, a ship that was primarily a cargo vessel built in 1911. Nearly 500 feet in length, it was the largest tall ship of its time.
Star Clippers owner Mikael Krafft said it has long been his ambition to build a modern replica of the France II. "The ship’s rig will be identical to France II and dimensions will be very similar, although we have added various features that will make this the most magnificent passenger sailing ship afloat,” he said.
The ship will have three pools, including one that will funnel light into the atrium and main dining area.
Star Clippers said the ship, being built in Croatia, is scheduled to be delivered in the second half of 2017. Sales will open in 2016, Star Clippers said.
British holidaymaker, 64, drowns in Dubrovnik after falling off luxury cruise ship in the early hours of the morning
The tragedy happened in the early hours of Sunday morning
Crew members on ship The Emanuel saw the woman falling overboard
They pulled her to the shore but medics were unable to save her.
A British holidaymaker has drowned after falling off a tourist ship - The Emanuel (pictured) - in the ancient picture postcard city of Dubrovnik in southern Croatia
A British holidaymaker has drowned after falling off a tourist ship in the ancient picture postcard city of Dubrovnik in southern Croatia.
Crew members who spotted the woman falling overboard dived into the water and pulled the 64-year-old to the shore, but despite the fact that medics were quickly on the scene, they were unable to save her.
The tragedy happened in the early hours of Sunday morning while the boat, The Emanuel, was moored in the port of Gruz in Dubrovnik.
The mini cruise ship was recently refurbished as well as upgraded. It now has 18 cabins and seven crew offering two-day trips to tourists in the region.
A police spokesman said the woman had been fine before the incident. She was with her husband and friends enjoying a drink on deck when she fell.
An autopsy is due to be done today to find out the exact cause of the death.
Police have not yet named the woman as her relatives in the UK have not all been informed.
While it won't officially open until this autumn, the Gazenica cruise port in Zadar, Croatia has already welcomed its first visitors.
On Friday last week (July 11th), the Celebrity Equinox became the first ship to dock at the new 12-berth facility, on which construction commenced five years ago.
The government of Croatia has spent a total of €143.8 million (£114 million) on the project, Seatrade Insider reports. This includes construction of motorway links that provide access to Zadar Airport and Zagreb.
When the port becomes active, it will be able to accept vessels of any size - though only five berths will serve cruise ships, with the remaining seven reserved for local ferry traffic.
Zadar itself is currently proving popular with cruise operators, having registered almost 70 calls and 35,000 passengers in 2013 - a 70 per cent increase on 2012. It expects to host as many as 100,000 passengers per year by 2015.
Gazenica is set to enter operation in either late September or early October.
