The world’s largest cruise ship just hit the water in France

Harmony of the Seas

It’s 50 meters longer than the Eiffel Tower.

Royal Caribbean’s “Harmony of the Seas” — the world’s largest cruise ship — entered the water in France on Friday. It’s expected to take its maiden voyage in 2016.

The ship has been under construction since 2013, according to an Agence France-Presse report on Yahoo  YHOO -0.98% . The ship will carry 6,360 passengers along with 2,100 staff. It weighs 227,000 tons and measures 1,187 feet — that’s 50 meters longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower.

The second biggest cruise ships are also owned by Royal Caribbean  RCL 0.23%  and are named “Allure of the Seas” and “Oasis of the Seas.” Both weigh 225,000 tones.

Construction on the new Royal Caribbean ship has required over 2,5000 people.

The boat is expected to set sail in mid-February on test runs. The first voyage could take place in May and will be from the United Kingdom to Spain, according to AFP.

Cruise Ship Crashes Into Wall, Smashes Hole In Bow, Traps Hundreds Of Passengers Onboard

Eisenhower Lock Interior

A cruise ship crashed into a wall in a lock on the St. Lawrence Seaway in upstate New York Thursday night, injuring 30 people on the ship and blowing a hole in its bow, according to authorities.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the 286-foot Saint Laurent was headed from Montreal to Toronto when it hit a wall in the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, New York, near the Canadian border, around 9:45 p.m. Thursday. There were 273 passengers and crew aboard, most of them French or Swiss nationals, the Associated Press reports.

"When the ship hit the lock, it suffered a hole in its bow and water started coming in," Coast Guard spokeswoman Lauren Laughlin told The Huffington Post.

Lock workers lowered the level of the water below the hole, Laughlin went on, so "the ship is still floating but it's not flooding."

Rescue workers took 30 injured passengers and crew off the ship, according to Laughlin. Twenty-eight of them were treated for their injuries and returned to the ship. Two people are still being treated for serious injuries.

Marine inspectors and salvage inspectors are currently aboard the ship assessing the damage and working out a salvage plan. Because the ship and the lock are on different levels, passengers can't just walk off the ship, Laughlin said. They may have to clamber down ladders to escape, or be lifted off by cranes.

Laughlin said the passengers trapped on the ship are probably comfortable where they are. "They have all the amenities, they have food, they have water, they have air conditioning," she said. "The power is on, they're just not driving."

In a statement early Friday morning, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the U.S. government-owned corporation that manages the lock, said that "the ship is stable and no pollution is reported." According to the SLSDC, the ship is holding up seven commercial vessels waiting to pass through the lock.

The Saint Laurent is owned by International Shipping Partners, and the crash remains under investigation.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

Carnival Breeze’s Galveston deployment moved up

Carnival Breeze

Carnival Cruise Line will reposition the Carnival Breeze to Galveston next May, seven months earlier than originally planned.

The 3,690-passenger ship will sail seven-day cruises from the Texas port, with the first departing on May 8, 2016.

The Breeze will replace the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, which will shift to Port Canaveral, Fla., and assume the Carnival Valor’s seven-day cruise schedule, beginning April 23, 2016.

The 2,980-passenger Valor will offer a new series of five- and eight-day cruises from Port Canaveral, beginning June 4, 2016.

The Breeze’s current six- and eight-day Caribbean cruise program from Miami will be taken over by the 3,002-passenger Carnival Splendor on May 1, 2016.

Reservations are open for the new itineraries.

With ships, green begets green

By Tom Stieghorst

It’s logical to think that the EPA bid to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from will raise costs for airlines and their customers. That’s the usual side-effect of more regulation.

In the long run it may be true. But in the short run, judging from what’s happened in the cruise industry, it may not be.

Tom Stieghorst

Efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions from ships at the International Maritime Organization have largely focused on making vessels more fuel-efficient. Less consumption of fuel equates to fewer greenhouse gases.

True, cruise companies have had to invest in new ways of saving energy, from hull coatings to LED and compact florescent lighting. Energy efficiency has also become a bigger factor in itinerary planning and ship speeds.

But the end result has been a reduction in fuel expense that companies can use to pad profits, invest in new ships and technologies or even hold the line on price increases.

To take one example, Carnival Corp. last fall said it had saved at least $2.5 billion in fuel costs over the last seven years as a result of a fleet fuel conservation program that has reduced carbon emissions by 12 billion kilograms over the same time frame.

In part, the program is an effort to comply with IMO rules on energy-efficient ship design and IMO’s development of a template for energy-efficient ship operations - amendments to the MARPOL convention that became effective in 2013.

Cutting fuel consumption is likely to be the main approach to reducing marine greenhouse gases for years to come.
Unlike sulfur dioxide emissions, which several cruise lines are reducing through the use of catalytic scrubbers in the exhaust stream, greenhouse gasses aren’t currently practical to scrub.

The main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, is hard to separate from other gases for treatment. And scrubbing by current methods is energy-intensive and costly. It adds between 50% and 84% to the cost of electricity produced by a power plant compared to plants that don’t have carbon capture technology, according to a U.S. Department of Energy study.

So reducing greenhouse gases from cruise ships may not only be sound for the environment but at the same time may be a good development for the bottom line. It’s always nice when doing right and doing well coincide.

On the Danube, a sneak peek at Disney river cruising options

Baron Peter von Wethelm, a Salzburg tour guide and relative of the Von Trapp family on which "The Sound of Music" was based, points out a fountain featured in the "Do-Re-Mi" scene.

SALZBURG, Austria — In one of its most ambitious product launches since Adventures by Disney was founded 10 years ago, the tour brand earlier this year announced that it would introduce river cruises in 2016 in partnership with AmaWaterways. And not more than a month after unveiling the river cruises, Disney was adding departures to meet what has clearly been a strong response to its new offering.

The travel industry won’t know until next year, when the first Adventures by Disney river cruises set sail, exactly how the operator’s family-friendly take on river cruising will look, feel and fare compared with existing river cruises.

But to get a sneak peek at some of the land experiences Disney will offer along its Danube itineraries, I joined an Adventures by Disney Central Europe tour last week, which includes several of the same stops in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic that will either be visited on upcoming river cruises or offered as pre- or post-cruise extensions.

One of the main Disney differentiators quickly became apparent in the first city on the tour, Prague, which will be offered as an extension on Disney cruises: youthful fun.

It’s not that river cruising isn’t infused with plenty of adult-style fun, often in the form of wine and cheese and dancing in the lounge after dinner. But as a global leader in family travel, Disney has a knack for finding experiences that truly engage children. In Prague, that meant not just attending one of the popular marionette shows (that would come later in Vienna), but actually making our own marionette dolls, bringing to life an old Czech tradition for kids on the tour.

Many of us adults also had a blast making marionette dolls. Likewise, I thoroughly enjoyed the trick fountains at the Hellbrunn Castle in Salzburg and making pretzels. In fact, I took delight in all the activities that were geared to the younger tour participants. There’s something really refreshing about having permission to be a kid again.

Adventures by Disney tour participants make marionette dolls in Prague.

Take the “The Sound of Music” tour in the Austrian town of Salzburg. When else can you get a pass on singing your heart out to the movie’s iconic sound track while riding a motorcoach to visit sites from the film?

If Adventures by Disney runs its river cruises in a fashion similar to how it executed the Central Europe tour (and I was assured there will be a fair amount of overlap) participants can expect plenty of fun activities for kids and for any adult’s inner child, as well:

• Active experiences, such as our rigorous hike to and through the ice caves of Eisriesenwelt Werfen in the Austrian Alps.

• Relevant movies and music.

• Well-trained Adventures by Disney guides who ensure that the program caters to both adults and children.

• Accessible information about the culture and history of the destinations provided by local guides.

Clients on the river cruises also will have a high-class, floating hotel to return to at the end of each adventure-filled day.

Adventures by Disney will be chartering AmaWaterway’s 170-passenger AmaViola, a custom-built river cruise ship launching in 2016. There will be five Adventures by Disney sailings along the Danube in summer 2016 and two holiday-themed sailings in December 2016 through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

17 Hurt When Cruise Ship Hits Seaway Lock Wall in Upstate NY

17 Hurt When Cruise Ship Hits Seaway Lock Wall in Upstate NY

Cruise Ship Saint Laurent.

Authorities say a cruise ship has crashed into a wall in a lock on the St. Lawrence Seaway in upstate New York, injuring 17 people and forcing the draining of the lock.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the 286-foot Saint Laurent was headed from Montreal to Toronto when it hit a wall in the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, near the Canadian border, around 9:45 p.m. Thursday. There were 274 French passengers and crew aboard.

St. Lawrence County emergency officials say none of the injuries are serious. Officials tell WWNY-TV in Watertown that all 17 were treated at the Massena hospital and released.

Officials say the water has been drained from the lock, and the ship will remain there with both lock doors closed until it can be moved.

The Saint Laurent is owned by International Shipping Partners.

The crash remains under investigation.

Silversea makes free WiFi available to all guests

Starting with voyages departing in January, every Silversea Cruises guest will get at least one free hour of WiFi per day, and guests staying in high-end accommodations will receive unlimited WiFi.

The policy applies to all cruises, including expedition sailings. Silversea called its offer unprecedented in the industry.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises, for example, offers complimentary WiFi on some voyages, to gold-level Seven Seas Society members, and to suite passengers, with the amount of wireless access dependent on the category. 

Seabourn also offers complimentary WiFi packages to Seabourn Club members at and above the Silver level and in some suite categories.

Crystal Cruises will offer free WiFi to Crystal Society members starting this fall.

Passengers in Silversea's Owner's, Grand, Royal, Silver and Medallion suites on the line's ocean ships will receive unlimited WiFi. On expedition ships, unlimited WiFi applies to the following accommodations:

• Silver Explorer: Owner's, Grand, Silver, Medallion and Expedition suites.
• Silver Galapagos: Silver, Deluxe Veranda and Veranda suites.
• Silver Discoverer: Medallion, Veranda and Vista suites.

Carnival Corp unveils new generation 'green ships'

By Phil Davies

The first giant cruise ships to be powered at sea by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) – claimed to be the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel – have been ordered by Carnival Corporation.

The four new vessels – part of a previously-announced multi-billion dollar order for nine new ships between 2019 and 2022 - will also feature a revolutionary ‘green cruising’ design.

Each of the four next-generation ships will have a total capacity of 6,600 passengers, feature more than 5,000 lower berths, exceed 180,000 gross tons and incorporate an extensive number of ‘guest-friendly’ features.

A major part of the innovative design involves making much more efficient use of the ship's spaces, creating an enhanced onboard experience.

Each new ship will be specifically designed and developed for the brand and the passengers it will serve.

Two of the ships will be built for German line AIDA Cruises at Meyer Werft's shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

Additional information about the ships, including which new ships will be added to each brand, will be made available at a later date, the group said.

The four new ships will be the first in the cruise industry to use LNG in dual-powered hybrid engines.

LNG will be stored onboard and used to generate 100% of power at sea. Using LNG to power the ships in port and at sea will eliminate emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides.

Meyer Werft will build the other two ships at its yard in Turku, Finland.

Carnival Corporation chief executive, Arnold Donald (pictured), said the contract is consistent with the company’s measured capacity growth strategy to replace ships with less efficient capacity with newer, larger and more fuel efficient vessels over time.

"We are looking forward to executing on the next step in our fleet enhancement plan," he said.

"At a cost per berth in line with our existing order book, these new ships will enhance the return profile of our fleet.

“These are exceptionally efficient ships with incredible cabins and public spaces featuring a design inspired by Micky Arison and Michael Thamm and developed by our new build teams."

Arison is chairman of the board of directors for Carnival Corporation and Thamm is chief executive of the Costa Group, which includes AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises.

Donald added: “It will be exciting to see our shipbuilding team bring these new ships to life. Every step of the way, our focus is on designing state-of-the-art ships that provide a vacation experience our guests will love, and we are putting all of our creative energy and resources into making sure we achieve that goal.”

Thamm said: “These ships will expand our leadership position for the Costa Group, the market leader in all the major European markets.

“These will be spectacular ships designed specifically for our guests who sail on our Costa Group brands.”

Bernard Meyer, chief executive of Meyer Werft, said: “In past years, we have built seven highly successful ships for AIDA Cruises. We are honoured that Carnival Corporation has entrusted us with the implementation of this ambitious shipbuilding program, and we look forward to building these four magnificent ships.”

Disney Magic makes inaugural calls at Norwegian ports

Disney Magic makes inaugural calls at Norwegian ports

Disney Magic's Inaugural Visit To Norway

By Rebecca Gibson

Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic made inaugural calls at the Norwegian ports of Stavanger, Alesund, Geiranger and Bergen on 27 May, and 9, 10 and 11 June respectively.

Disney Magic visited the ports as part of her first-ever Norwegian Fjords itinerary, enabling guests to visit the destinations that inspired the kingdom of Arendelle in Disney’s animated movie Frozen. While in Alesund, guests also had the opportunity to meet with Anna, Elsa and Kristoff, characters from the film.

The ship will return to Bergen on 27 June and make two further visits to Stavanger on 22 June and 2 July. 

Disney Magic will return to Norway in summer 2016, making three calls at Stavanger.  

Norwegian introduces flexible dining packages

Norwegian Getaway

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering a new version of its restaurant package that lets guests select nights in alternative restaurants for a single price.

The cruise line's current package for specialty restaurants, the Ultimate Dining Package ($59 per person for a three- to six-night cruise and $119 for a seven-night cruise), allows diners to eat in a specialty restaurant every night of the cruise, but doesn’t have an option to select some nights.

The flexible Specialty Dining Package offers a savings over a la carte dining in specialty restaurants that carry a cover charge. Diners can choose how many nights to dine in specialty venues, with a minimum of three days. The three-day package is $59 per person when bought online prior to embarkation.

The packages are good in specialty steakhouses, Brazilian churrascarias, French, Japanese Hibachi and Italian restaurants.

To dine in specialty restaurants where items on the menu are priced individually, or in entertainment-based restaurants, holders of a specialty dining package pay an upcharge. The upcharge is $15 for Ocean Blue; $10 for general seats and $15 for premium seats at Cirque Dreams and the Illusionarium; $10 for Bayamo; and $7 for the Raw Bar, Pincho Tapas Bar and all sushi bar restaurants fleet wide.

A restaurant called For the Record: Dear John Hughes, coming when Norwegian Escape debuts in October, will carry a $15 upcharge.

The packages can be pre-ordered online (at greater savings) or bought in the first two days of a cruise, beginning in early August, depending on the ship.

Coast Guard Medevacs Man From Carnival Cruise Ship

Coast Guard Medevacs Man From Carnival Cruise Ship

It was the Coast Guard to the rescue when a man suffered a stroke on a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Palm Beach. (Source: Coast Guard)

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — A 71-year-old man was medevaced from a cruise ship Saturday by the Coast Guard, approximately 22 miles east of Palm Beach.

The crew of the Carnival cruise ship Sensation, requested the medevac around 7pm and reported the man was suffering from symptoms of a stroke.

A Coast Guard flight surgeon was briefed on the situation and recommended the man be medevaced immediately.

A crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Miami was launched to hoist the passenger. Once hoisted, the 71-year-old man was taken to Broward General Hospital.

His condition is unknown at this time.

Carnival brand Fathom placed on same commission set-up as sister lines

By Hollie-Rae Merrick

Carnival Corporation’s new cruise brand Fathom will be placed on the same commission structure as sister lines P&O Cruises and Cunard.

Fathom was launched last week and will offer seven-night ‘social impact’ cruises, from Miami to the Dominican Republic, allowing passengers to work on community projects in the Caribbean destination.

The line’s first sailing will be in April 2016. It will launch with one ship, Adonia, which will be transferred from the P&O Cruises fleet.

Tara Russell, president of Fathom, confirmed that UK agents would be able to make bookings from next week. Speaking to Travel Weekly, she said: “Initially we are targeting [customers from] North America, but from June 15 agents in the UK will have all the tools and resources they need to book people with Fathom.

“Bookings will have the same commission structure as Cunard and P&O Cruises.

“Our intention is to marry Fathom into the P&O Cruises commission structure as they are a very important partner with Fathom.”

Russell, who set up social enterprise Create Common Good and has been working on the Fathom project since 2013, said she expected interest from customers in the US, UK, northern Europe and Australia.

She believes Fathom’s fleet will grow to between four and six ships within 15 years.

“I would love us to have a ship homeport in Europe, Asia and Australia because that way we would be able to impact a lot of communities,” she said.

Cruise-only fares start at $1,540, with an unspecified proportion to be donated to local projects.

The brand is targeting people in their 20s and 30s, the family market, and those over 50

Photos: Inside China’s capsized cruise ship

A picture is seen on the wall of a crew member dormitory inside the capsized Eastern Star cruise ship.(Reuters/China Daily)

Eleven days after a cruise ship capsized on China’s Yangtze River, killing at least 434 people, the country is still grappling with angry relatives and outraged citizens. Today, officials announced that a 60-member team is being formed to investigate the accident, which has left many questions unanswered.

Focus has turned to commemorating the victims, many of them elderly parents and grandparents, and compensating families. Mourners have been praying and burning incense and paper money along the Yangtze for the past week and a half—in Chinese funeral tradition, the first seven days is the most important period for honoring the deceased.

Rescuers have been working to recover bodies carefully from the ship, which was turned upright and lifted from the water last Friday, in hopes of returning them in a respectful state to their relatives. Perhaps in hopes of alleviating anger, have released photos of those efforts inside the ship.

Rescue workers stand on the river bank as the capsized cruise ship Eastern Star is pulled out of the Yangtze River.(Reuters/China Daily)

The control room of the Eastern Star cruise ship, which capsized on June 7th.(Reuters/China Daily)

Clocks at the passengers’ hall are seen inside the Eastern Star cruise ship, which capsized on the Jianli section of the Yangtze River, Hubei province, June 7, 2015. The Chinese characters on top of the clocks read “Voyage Schedule”, “Arrival” and “Departure.”(Reuters/China Daily)

A control panel is seen inside the Eastern Star cruise ship.(Reuters/China Daily.)

Hand marks, reportedly left by the rescue workers, are seen inside the Eastern Star cruise ship.(Reuters/China Daily)

Rescue workers search the capsized cruise ship.(Reuters/China Daily)

Searchers stand and bow to another body is found.

Carnival limits bottled beverages at embarkation

Carnival Cruise Line said it will put new limits on the type and quantity of beverages that passengers can bring with them when boarding a cruise.

Effective with cruises departing July 9, passengers will no longer be able to bring beverages packaged in bottles, with the exception of a single bottle of fine wine or champagne.

Beverages packaged in cans or cartons, including sodas, waters and juices, will be permitted but limited to 12 or less brought aboard in carry-on luggage. 

Carnival said it was making the change because bottled beverages have become a main method for smuggling unauthorized alcohol onto ships.

In recent years, some passengers have started bringing multiple cases of bottled water onboard. Inspecting the contents of the bottles is slowing down embarkation, Carnival said. Passengers who smuggle liquor are more difficult to monitor for excess consumption, Carnival said. 

Incidents of bad behavior on cruises have often been traced back to smuggled alcohol, the cruise line said.

Concurrent with the policy change, Carnival said it will lower the price of bottled water on its ships to $2.99 per 12-pack if pre-ordered and $4.99 once the cruise begins. Current prices are around $12 per 12-pack, with higher per-bottle prices for individual bottles.

The pre-ordered 12-packs will be delivered to a customer’s stateroom, Carnival said.

Carnival will also restrict the size of coolers that can be brought aboard to 12x12x12 inches.  It said screening and movement of large coolers through embarkation is an impediment to the boarding and security process.

Carnival said it doesn’t expect the changes to result in any net new revenue.

The policy change has been under consideration and review for many months, and Carnival said that it was confident it had arrived at a permanent solution.

"We sincerely apologize for any disappointment these changes may cause,” wrote senior director of solutions and special services Arlene Marichal in a letter that will go out to booked passengers explaining the change. “However, we firmly believe this will result in a safer environment while also improving the embarkation process and the overall guest experience. "

Virgin Cruises seeks dismissal of Veitch lawsuit

Virgin Cruises has asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed in March that alleges it misappropriated the basics of its cruise strategy from Colin Veitch, a former cruise line CEO turned consultant.

In a motion filed June 1, Virgin argues that any agreement between Veitch’s consulting firm and Virgin Management USA falls short of a working partnership that could form the basis of a lawsuit.

In addition, the response says communications between the two parties indicated that a preliminary agreement on how income would be allocated between the partners was subject to later revision. In filing suit, Veitch said that Virgin unilaterally revised the financial terms of the partnership once it realize the potential for profits. At that point, the partnership fell apart, the lawsuit said.

Virgin also asks that the Veitch lawsuit be dismissed because it names a number of Virgin entities as defendants but fails to say what misconduct is attributable to each defendant.

Virgin, which is associated with Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, said in December it will enter the cruise business by building two new “world-class cruise ships."

The Veitch lawsuit contends that the business outlined by Virgin was based on a plan for “ultra ships” that he presented to Virgin in 2011.

Veitch was Norwegian Cruise Line's CEO from 2000 to 2008.