Keelung,Taiwan
The COSCO Star Passenger Ro-Ro Ship is berthed inside the Dabaiyu Port, prior to its maiden voyage to Keelung of Taiwan, at Taizhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 26, 2010. The direct sail route connecting Taizhou and Keelung is formally launched as of the day. The increasingly frequent direct transports across the Taiwan Straits further boost trade and economic integration between the two sides. more... 
A contract for the conversion of Color Line's SuperSpeed I - Video - was signed between STX Finland Oy and Color Line. The contract also includes an option for the sister vessel SuperSpeed II. The conversion, which contains some new structures to the vessel, will be carried out at STX Finland's shipyard in Helsinki. The works on board the vessel will start end 2010 and the value of the contract for the first vessel is approximately 12 million euros. The two SuperSpeed vessels were built and delivered from the STX Finland shipyard in Rauma in 2008. Since delivery the vessels have successfully operated between Norway and Denmark. The conversion will attend to the need for more passenger capacity and a greater offering of food services onboard. The conversion project is a result of 2 years of concept development, investigations and negotiations which have been conducted in close collaboration between Color Line and STX Finland's business unit which is specialized in retrofits, refurbishment and conversions – STX Finland Lifecycle Services. St.Nazaire/USA Today
Norwegian Cruise Line NCL will take delivery of the much-awaited new ship -- by far the line's biggest ever -- on Thursday from the STX shipyard in France where it has been under construction for several years. Epic then will head to Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Southampton, England for a series of short one- and two-night preview sailings for travel agents and media before setting sail on its maiden voyage -- a seven-night trans-Atlantic trip from Southampton to New York. Epic will be christened in New York on July 2 by country music's Reba McEntire and serve as the host venue for the 34th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks event (to be broadcast live on NBC-TV on July 4 beginning at 9 p.m. ET) before repositioning to Miami -- its home for the coming year. more.... Boca Raton, Fl.
On Friday, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office announced that Sandoval and her husband, John Lopez, were behind bars, accused of stealing from cruise-goers. Investigators said the pair orchestrated 24 burglaries in eight South Florida cities, from Coral Springs to Jupiter. The Sheriff's Office said some burglaries they conducted themselves. Some were handled by accomplices, according to detectives. The common thread: all victims used direct booking with Royal Caribbean handled by vacation planners. Royal Caribbean released a statement that reads, in part: "We regret this incident occurred and hope it does not overshadow the excellent work our more than 40,000 Royal Caribbean employees do every day." Investigators said the pair has a history of theft and forgery. Royal Caribbean said its background checks found no actual convictions. more... Rhode island, USA
American Canadian Caribbean Line, a family-owned small ship cruise line established in 1966, announces it has changed its name to Blount Small Ship Adventures. The new name is a tribute to ACCL founder Capt. Luther H. Blount, founder of the line, who passed away in 2006. Capt. Blount designed and built a fleet of one-of-a-kind vessels that could take him and his passengers to places no one else could get to. He coined the marketing slogan, "Go where the big ships cannot" to describe the small ship adventure that is perpetuated as the Blount brand. His ships feature patented innovations such as the bow ramps that allow passengers to disembark the vessel right onto the beach, and retractable pilothouses for sailing underneath low bridges and tropical overhanging vegetation. USA TODAY
Aboard RCI's Mariner of the Seas: Miss Cougar America is a no-show, signaling that her 15 minutes of fame are over. But 20 or so other so-called "cougars" have taken the bait and signed on for what is billed as the second-ever International Cougar Cruise, a week-long Mexican Riviera sailing out of Los Angeles in May. From the get-go, the more vocal among the 25 or so "cubs" along for the ride are grousing about the lack of "Demi-ness" among the cougar contingent. And the more snarly cougars shoot back that there isn't necessarily a lot of Ashton-ness on display, either. But this being harsh reality without benefit of Hollywood lighting to smooth crepe-y necks or strengthen weak jawlines, the group has no choice but to settle for what this theme cruise has wrought. Namely, a group of disparate individuals ranging in age from 25 (cub) to 72 (cougar) looking for love, sex, companionship, an inexpensive cruise, a little R&R — or some combination thereof. more.... SESTRI PONENTE,Italy
A keel-laying ceremony to mark the start of construction for Oceania Cruises’ 1,258-guest m/s Riviera >was held today at the Fincantieri shipyard near Genoa. At the ceremony Frank Del Rio, the line’s founder and chairman and CEO of its parent company, Prestige Cruise Holdings, and Oceania Cruises President Bob Binder, welded four U.S. silver coins onto the keel. The welding of coins into a ship’s keel is an age-old maritime tradition believed to solicit good fortune for the ship, its crew and its passengers.is a sister ship to Marina, which launches in February 2011. She will feature 10 dining venues – six of which are open-seating, gourmet restaurants – including one by Master Chef Jacques Pépin. Facilities will also include a Canyon Ranch SpaClub® and gym, Bon Appétit Culinary Center, swimming pool and hot tubs. Interior Miami
Norwegian Cruise Line today announced that its largest and most innovative ship Norwegian Epic is sold out on its June 24, 2010 seven-day transatlantic sailing from Southampton, England to New York City. The line has launched a wait list for those interested in sailing on the transatlantic should cancelations occur. The ship, the largest to berth in the Port of New York, will arrive at Manhattan Cruise Terminal's Pier 88 on Thursday, July 1. The company released a sneak peak video of Norwegian Epic sowcasing the finishing touches being made. watch here....
Norwegian Epic will sail alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from Miami beginning July 10, 2010 through April 2011. more... Three Princess Cruises ships -- Sapphire Princess, Sea Princess and Star Princess -- have just been named as gold-level winners of the Port of San Francisco 2009 Cruise Ship Environmental Award. The awards honor the ships' "outstanding record in safeguarding the environment and protecting the air and water quality of San Francisco Bay during their port calls." This is the fifth year Princess ships have earned this prestigious distinction. The San Francisco awards follow on the heels of other environmental honors earned from ports where Princess ships call, including the Venice Blue Flag, recognizing the line's commitment to reducing polluting emissions by burning cleaner fuels, plus the Port of Los Angeles Vessel Speed Reduction Recognition Flag for actions to reduce air emissions. |
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