MSC Cruises Celebrates Grandiosa’s Maiden Season in Brazil

MSC Cruises Celebrates Grandiosa’s Maiden Season in Brazil

The MSC Grandiosa arrived in Brazil for its first winter season in South America.

Repositioning from the Western Mediterranean, the 4,888-guest vessel docked at its new homeport in Santos on Nov. 25.

To mark the occasion, MSC Cruises invited over 2,800 guests for a celebration onboard the 177,100-ton cruise ship, which also became the largest ever to operate in Brazil.

“It is a great source of pride to have a ship like this here, bringing passengers to travel within our country,” said the company’s Brazil Country Manager Adrian Ursilli.

He also noted that the Grandiosa is MSC’s 17th new ship to arrive in Brazil since the debut of MSC Armonia in 2004.

The event included a symbolic christening of the Grandiosa that saw Marlene Ribeiro – the longest-tenured employee of MSC Cruises in Brazil – serving as godmother.

“MSC Cruises is a family company. Everyone is always together and in good spirits. The choice of the MSC Grandiosa godmother is a demonstration of this,” said Fabio Gatti, the company’s Global Director of Entertainment.

Part of a six-ship program in the region, the MSC Grandiosa is now offering a series of cruises to different Brazilian destinations.

In addition to Santos, the ship’s regular seven-night itineraries feature visits to Salvador, Maceió and Búzios.

Set to be repeated through late March, the cruise can be started at any of the ports of call, with the exception of Búzios.

The MSC Grandiosa was built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France and originally entered service in 2019.

Part of MSC Cruises’ five-ship Meraviglia Class, the vessel offers several different amenities, including the Galleria Grandiosa, a 112-meter-long central promenade that features a huge LED dome.

The Grandiosa also offers a selection of bars and lounges, as well as a complete water park, and over ten dining venues.

Explora I Makes Maiden Call to Barbados

Explora I Makes Maiden Call to Barbados

Explora 1 photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr Photographs)

Barbados welcomed Explora Journeys for its inaugural call to Bridgetown on Monday, Nov 27.

Captain Diego Michelozzi and his 630-member crew were welcomed by a delegation led by the CEO of Barbados Port Inc, David Jean-Marie; Chief Product Development Officer of BTMI, Marsha Alleyne; Director of Marketing, BTMI, Anderson King; Divisional Manager, Operations, Barbados Port Inc, Ian Stewart; members of Foster & Ince Cruises and Barbados Port Inc.

The vessel arrived in Barbados from Castries, St. Lucia and will be sailing to Roseau, Dominica. The Explora I will make seven calls this season to Barbados.

MSC World Europa Makes Maiden Call to Valletta

MSC World Europa Makes Maiden Call to Valletta

The MSC World Europa arrived at the port of Valletta on April 19 as part of the ship’s inaugural seven-night West Mediterranean itinerary, according to a statement.

Angelo Capurro, executive director of MSC Cruises, said: “Malta has been an integral part of our operation for nearly 25 years, and we have brought hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers to visit this wonderful island.  We will continue to bring even more guests to Valletta in the future, and we are very proud that MSC World Europa, an ultramodern metropolis at sea, will be a weekly visitor for at least the next 18 months at her port of registry.” 

MSC Cruises also welcomed almost 200 guests onboard the MSC World Europa including government officials, Malta’s Minister for Tourism Clayton Bartolo and local tour operators and agents. 

 The ship, which can accommodate up to 6,762 passengers, will visit Malta’s capital city weekly throughout summer 2023, winter 2023-24 and summer 2024 while sailing seven-night voyages to Italy, Spain and France.

Stephen Xuereb, COO, of Global Ports Holding and CEO, of Valletta Cruise Port, said: “We are proud today to welcome another splendid MSC Cruises’ ship for the first time to our scenic grand harbour, MSC World Europa.  Valletta Cruise Port will host her this year on a further 36 calls as part of her inaugural Mediterranean season until May 2024 and throughout next year she will call Malta on another 52 occasions. 

MSC Cruises is the key cruise line calling Valletta, and it is our pleasure to collaborate continuously with MSC, a relationship which has, over the years, left an enduring mark on an evolving cruise industry.  On behalf of both Valletta Cruise Port and Global Ports Holding, we congratulate MSC Cruises on its achievements and look forward to many more years of fruitful joint cooperation.”

The World Europa is the ​​largest ship in the cruise line’s fleet and the first to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Port of Southampton to Host Seven Maiden Calls in 2023.

Port of Southampton to Host Seven Maiden Calls in 2023.

The Port of Southampton is set to host seven maiden calls in 2023 after it hailed 2022 a "successful and significant" year.

This year, the port is due to welcome 492 cruise calls and will host maiden calls from a further seven cruise ships, including new builds MSC Explora 1 and Silversea Cruises’ Silver Nova.

 

In 2022, the port saw 600 cruise days and eight plaque and key ceremonies for Azamara Onward, Celebrity Beyond, Silver Moon, Norwegian Prima, Aida Perla, Aida Cosma, Enchanted Princess and P&O Cruises’ Arvia.

Continuing its work to promote air quality initiatives, in spring the port switched shore power on at two of its five terminals – Horizon and Mayflower – and since then has supported 15 ships to plug in a total of 42 times for zero emissions at berth.

Rebekah Keeler, head of the cruise at Associated British Ports, said: "We’re proud to provide award-winning cruise operational support year-round to the world’s biggest and smallest cruise ships.

"Supported by our port-based cruise services providers, we look forward to another successful year in 2023."

Carnival Celebration Visits Mahogany Bay for the First Time

Carnival Celebration Visits Mahogany Bay for the First Time

Continuing its first cruise to the Western Caribbean, the new Carnival Celebration arrived at the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center for its maiden call on Thursday.

The call also marked the first time the new Carnival Cruise Line vessel visited Honduras.

After entering service with a transatlantic crossing in early November, the Celebration started its debut season on Nov. 21.

Following a special christening ceremony in Miami, the LNG-powered kicked off a series of week-long cruises to the Caribbean. After leaving Miami on Nov. 27, the ship’s current sailing also included the maiden visits to Mexico’s Cozumel and Costa Maya.

The 5,200-guest ship is now set to make regular visits to Mahogany Bay as part of its year-round schedule of Caribbean cruises.

Departing from Port Miami every Sunday, the itineraries also include visits to ports in the Eastern Caribbean.

Developed by Carnival Corporation in partnership with a local businessman, the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center opened in 2009.

A popular cruise destination in the Western Caribbean, the facility serves the Roatan island in Honduras Bay Islands.

In addition to a two-ship cruise pier, the cruise terminal offers a welcome centre and a variety of retail outlets, including two themed bars, a restaurant and several shops.

A chair lift system takes guests from the welcome centre to Mahogany Beach, a 10-acre private island featuring an 825-foot-long white-sand beach with a beach volleyball court and water sports opportunities.

Along with the new Celebration, the Carnival Pride also visited Mahogany Bay on Dec. 1. The vessel is presently offering a seven-night cruise to Mexico, Belize and Honduras departing from Tampa.

A third ship, the Norwegian Breakaway, was also docked at a different cruise terminal in Roatan. The Norwegian Cruise Line vessel is offering week-long Western Caribbean cruises departing from New Orleans.

Port of Hamburg Sets a New Record with 280 Calls

Port of Hamburg Sets a New Record with 280 Calls

Cruise Gate Hamburg (CGH) set a new record with 280 calls in the 2022 cruise season, ending it with a positive outlook.

According to a press release, so far Hamburg has received 280 calls by 49 different ships from 20 cruise lines, ten maiden calls, one christening and roughly 750,000 passengers as well as 41 calls by river cruise ships.

“After two years of pandemic-related restrictions, cruise shipping in Hamburg has made a strong comeback,” commented Simone Maraschi, managing director of CGH.

“At 280 calls the 2022 cruise season has seen the most calls ever at Hamburg, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels (2019: 210 calls). We are very happy about the high demand for cruises departing from Hamburg. For us, it is proof that the enormous efforts and the adaptability demonstrated by the entire industry during the COVID-19 pandemic are truly appreciated.”

CGH is expecting an even better cruise season in 2023. The port expects another record number of calls (283) and a further 37 calls by river cruise ships.

Apart from that, cruise fans in Hamburg can look forward to multiple entertainment events including eight maiden calls scheduled for 2023 as well as a celebration of the 834th port anniversary. 

Hamburg is also working on strengthening its position as one of Europe’s most sustainable ports. 

Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority AöR, said: “Ports play a crucial role in decarbonization and keeping the air clean. Shore-side electricity enables us to significantly reduce ships’ emissions while they are docking at the Port of Hamburg.

“By rapidly expanding its shore power facilities, the Port of Hamburg shows its commitment to protecting the environment and takes account of the expectations Hamburg’s citizens have of a city port. We are looking forward to being one of Europe’s first ports to offer both cruise ships and container vessels shore-based power at the berth in 2025.”

In 2022, 30 cruise ships relied on the Altona shore power station. In 2023, 12 more ships will undergo integration tests so they can become certified and use the shore power station while they’re docked.