My, my, a field day for the yellow press.
Another Great Western story unfolding?
When Cunard's £300million MS Queen Victoria was officially launched by Camilla in Southampton three weeks ago, the bottle of champagne failed to smash against the bow, prompting superstitious speculation that the ship was cursed.
Now, 78 passengers have been confined to their cabins after being hit with Norovirus, the "winter sickness bug", which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea. Read more if you care >>>>>>
London
More than 30 companies have expressed an interest in buying parts of the troubled Gloucester-based holiday firm Travelscope.The company went into administration just before Christmas affecting 40,000 holidays and putting 250 jobs at risk.Administrators said it had been approached by 32 firms potentially interested in taking on some of the holidays already booked. But passengers for Travelscope Holiday's cruise on the MV Van Gogh, due to leave Falmouth on 4 January have been told their world trip will go ahead after Abta (Association of British Travel Agents) stepped in.
BBC >>>> Frances' ten-year old satellite channel "Fashion TV" announced plans to hold a fashion show and party on board its cruise ship F-DIAMOND (ex TOR HOLLANDIA, ARIADNE, OURANOS) in Ho Chi Minh City for New Year. F-DIAMOND is expected to return to Vietnam in late February to continue promoting Vietnam's tourism.
by Martin Cox
Amsterdam
New Flamenco has been sold by her South American owner Ultrapetrol to Holland’s Club Cruise. This 1972-built vessel (ex Spirit of London) had been operating for Ultrapetrol’s cruise subsidiary Elysian Cruises and more recently on charter to Spanish tour operator Globalia, operating for its cruise arm Travelplan. With the sale of this vessel Globalia is expected to cease cruise operations, especially in the light of competition from Pullmantur and Iberojet in the Spanish speaking market.
New Flamenco is expected to son start a three or five year charter to Japan’s Peace Boat, replacing the ageing 1956-built The Topaz.
Ultrapetrol’s other cruise ship, the 484 passenger capacity Blue Monarch is also up for sale. This 1966-built vessel (ex World Renaissance) is currently on charter to Greece’s Monarch Classic Cruises. In 2008 Blue Monarch will operate seven-day and 14-day cruises to Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, the Greek Islands and Turkey. Juneau, Alaska
A building fight in the Hawaii cruise industry has spurred a possible addition of new criteria to a 121-year-old law, commonly known as the Jones Act, that has local cruise industry folks, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce and the city worried. The Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 could be reinterpreted by the Department of Customs and Border Protection in a way that requires all foreign ships sailing the lucrative Seattle to Southeast Alaska routes to stop longer in Canada and effectively reduce the number of cruise passengers who ultimately visit the stores and vendors associated with the cruise industry. More >>>
Monaco
Silversea Cruises president Amerigo Perasso has signed an agreement with the government of French Polynesia to position a ship in Papeete.The company’s recently acquired expedition ship, the 6,072gt Silver Dawn, is expected to operate an inaugural season of cruises from the French Polynesian capital in 2009. Itineraries will include the Marquesas islands, the Australes and Tuamotu. Silver Dawn, which was most recently operated as World Discoverer by Society Expeditions, is undergoing a multimillion-dollar conversion and upgrade at Fincantieri’s Trieste shipyard.Her capacity is being reduced from 175 to 132 passengers and improvements will include large veranda suites, a speciality restaurant and cigar room.The ship is expected to enter service this May and will likely operate in both polar regions during its first season before redeploying to Tahiti. Boston
Alan E. Lewis, chairman and CEO of Grand Circle Corp., said Tuesday that he and his wife, Harriet, have signed a deal to sell their company and have Alan step down as CEO.
The sale is to Court Square Capital Partners, a New York based private equity firm, for an undisclosed amount. The Lewis family will retain 30 percent ownership in the deal that was brokered over the weekend. The sale is expected to close in February 2008.
Singapore
Work on a second Singapore cruise ship terminal is likely to start next year, the chief of the city-state's tourism board said Monday.
Lim Neo Chian said on local radio that plans call for a second terminal to be built in the Marina South district, where Singapore's first casino complex is expected to open in 2009.
Tallin
Tallink confirmed sold mv Meloodia to Equinox Offshore Accommodation of Singapore for conversion work. Tallink’s 1,600-passenger ferry set for conversion into an offshore accommodation and repair (ARV) unit in Singapore. The Estonian owner announced last month that its subsidiary, Tallink Swedish Line, was selling the 1979-built ship to interests in the Lion State and confirmed on Friday that Equinox Offshore Accommodation is the buyer. Washington, D.C.
Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. he did sound quite differently when he was Vice President tough: "It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
--Al Gore, Vice President
"We are ready for an un foreseen event that may or may not occur."
-- Al Gore, VP
....says renowned Arthur Fromm. Proudly announced Pier Luigi Fischi that his Cruise lines was the first to receive an exclusive licence from bejing, to sell cruises in China. Billion of Chinese would full up the ms Costa Allegra. The vessel was refurbished to suit the Asian taste. A big fiaso turned out to be the Sushi Bar, as well as missing a Pizzeria. The cruises were now opened to an international clientele, which is not amused by the few Chinese still onboard, who are spitting on the carpets. In order to increase the load factor by Chinese travellers, Costa is offering on selected sailings free cruises. The 100 persons arrving at the Pier are given a free cruise and $100 for gambling. This picture was taken at the first such sailing in Shangai >>>>>
Dover
A flamboyant entrepreneur who boasted he would create 700 port jobs in Dover and mastermind a high-speed fleet to change the face of ferry services has been declared bankrupt.
John Paul Airs, of East Cliff, planned to spend an estimated £300 million on a fleet of revolutionary super-fast ferries, but his scheme has been sunk by a Canterbury County Court judgement.
Airs' firm Chikara Shipping hoped to use new Bateau Grande Vitesse vessels to carry passengers and cargo between Sheerness and Boulogne as part of a motorway-style European shipping network. more >>>>
People familiar with the Antarctic tourism industry weren't surprised that a cruise ship sank there.
What stunned them was that the ship in question was the MS Explorer, a veteran of the polar cruise ship trade, purpose-built to operate in extreme polar environments, and manned by an experienced crew. That it sank during what appears to have been the most routine of circumstances – cruising through young pack ice in mild weather – has experts scratching their heads.
"I'm totally shocked and surprised," says Leif Skog, who was captain of the Explorer for six years in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. "She was just outstanding in her design, perfect for ice navigation. It's very unlikely that pack ice caused this."
Jim Barnes, executive director of the Washington-based Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, which monitors tourism and other activities, concurs. "To think [the Explorer] could sink in less than 20 hours from a relatively modest incident is very surprising," he says. "It makes you wonder if something else happened, because it really doesn't add up."
Read entire article here >>>> To top Luxor
A cruise ship fire killed five Egyptians and wounded two others on Sunday near the ancient city of Luxor in southern Egypt, a security official confirmed.
The fire broke out at the ship's engine room and quickly spread throughout the rest of the ship, which resulted in the evacuation of 43 French tourists on board the M/S Aurora cruise ship, according to the security official who would not like to be identified.
The ship was on its way from Luxor, site of the ancient city of Thebes located some 700 km south to Cairo, to Egypt's southernmost city of Aswan. The cause of the fire was under investigation, the security official added. Luxor and Aswan are famous tourist sites in southern Egypt with the King's Valley and Queen's valley as well as the ancient temples, which attract tens of thousands of foreign tourists every year.
Buckingham Palace, London
Royal sources say it has been noted at Buckingham Palace "with
slight surprise" that when its latest ship is named later this month,
the Duchess of Cornwall will take centre stage.
n the latest indication that she is increasingly viewed as a Queen
Consort-in-waiting, Camilla will become "godmother" of the 90,000-ton
Queen Victoria - the second-largest ship ever built by Cunard.
It is the first time one of the company's "Queen" ships has not been
named by a Queen. In 1934 Queen Mary launched the original Queen Mary
liner and in 1938 Queen Elizabeth - later the Queen Mother - named the
QE1. The current Queen launched the QE2 in 1967 and the Queen Mary 2 in
Dear Micky! what on earth were you thinking of! Two Gents in heat
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