November

Miami
Royal Caribbean International today announced Princess Fiona as the godmother of Allure of the Seas during the naming ceremony of the cruise line's newest and world's largest and most revolutionary cruise ship. Video of the event is available on the ship's dedicated website. Picture above from left to right are: Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International; Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Princess Fiona; and Captain Hernan Zini, master of Allure of the Seas.

Cobh,Cork,Ireland
More investment is planned for the Cobh Cruise Ship Berth by the Port of Cork in the Irish Republic. Cork Port Commercial Manager, Captain Michael McCarthy, is working on the preparation of the visiting cruise ship programme for next year. This year has been very successful with 100,000 passengers aboard 53 vessels which called to Cobh. “We are keen to grow the business even more over the next five years,” he says. “This will mean further investment in what is Ireland’s only dedicated cruise berth, to handle even larger ships and increase the number of overnight stays. Following investment over the past five years, some of the largest liners in the world can berth in Cobh."

Miami
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain says the 225,282-ton Allure of the Seas, being unveiled this weekend to travel agents and the media in Florida, is doing just as well as its one-year-old sister Oasis of the Seas. The two cruise ships, in development for more than six years, are the largest ever built. "The second ship in the series usually attracts less attention and gets a lower price than the first ship," Fain mused to cruise writers this weekend during a press conference on board the vessel. "But this ship actually is getting essentially the same price as Oasis today."
In fact, says Fain, "right now Allure is just a little ahead." more...

Port Everglades
The world's biggest cruise ship — four football fields long, 16 passenger-decks high and featuring a tree-lined park, Starbucks Café and 3D movie theatre — has arrived at Port Everglades. 
The just-built Allure of the Seas is the sister to the year-old Oasis of the Seas, which also calls Port Everglades its home base. But according to its captain, Allure is almost two inches bigger. Allure will sail weekly from Port Everglades to the eastern and western Caribbean starting next month, alternating the same routes with Oasis. It will sail out Sundays and Oasis on Saturdays, because even the new $75 million terminal built at Port Everglades for the super-sized ships can't hold both at the same time, said Adam Goldstein, chief executive for cruise-line Royal Caribbean International. more...

Bristol
The paddle steamer 'Medway Queen' is the last estuary pleasure steamer surviving in the United Kingdom. She was built in 1924 on the River Clyde in Scotland but sailed in the estuary waters of the River Thames and River Medway. She spent all her war years as requisitioned minesweeper sweeping the shipping lanes in around the English Channel. Follow the rebirth of the paddle steamer Medway Queen at Bristol, on the website as well as on the live Webcam...

London
All Leisure Group has announced that it expects a pre-tax profit of around £3.4 million for the year to October 31, in line with analysts’ expectations. Overall winter 2010/11 cruising capacity is 73% sold versus 66% this time last year, while summer 2011 cruising capacity is 37% sold versus 29%.  The group said growth was being driven by charter-based rather than more expensive bespoke two-centre holidays.  Interesting development: perhaps in the making a purchase of the Greek vessel ms Aegean Odyssey belonging to British Entepreneur Gerry Harrod. Mr. Roger Allard and his family was seen recently on board the vessel. Gerry had in the past bought older vessesl refurbished these, commenced operation only to then sell the entire operation, such as Orient Line, Voyages of Discovery (which was bought by All Leisure Group), Orient Lines, Ocean Star Cruises. Voyages of Aniquity maybe next?

Miami/Toronto
On November 2 a charter contract was signed with Quark Expeditions, Toronto, for the Sea Spirit to operate in Antarctica for this winter season. The vessel will be delivered in Ushuaia in December and will operate up until March 6, 2011. Thereafter, the vessel will be available for long-term charter. For further details on theSea Spirit and other vessels available for charter such as Sea Discoverer, Sea Voyager, Scotia Prince, Quest and Clipper Adventurer see ISP. Some of these vessels are available for year-round charter and others only seasonally.

Miami
In the latest sign that cruise lines remain cautious about the future, there's word this week that Oceania Cruises has decided not to exercise an option to build a third ship in its new Oceania Class series. Oceania already is building two ships in the series. The 1,258-passenger Oceania Marina debuts in February; the 1,258-passenger Oceania Riviera arrives in 2012. The Marina and Riviera will be the three-ship line's first new vessels since its founding in 2002 and will more more than double the company's capacity.

Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries Co. has completed model testing of the hull and propellers of the $1.1 billion residential ship that it sees as its entry way into the cruise ship market. Samsung is to build the ship under an agreement with Utopia Residences of Beverley Hills, California, that was announced in November 2009. "We have completed the core technical testing for this luxurious ocean liner," said the Chairman of Utopia, Mr. David Robb. "The ship's hull will be wider than hulls on most passenger vessels, which will give our residents on this ocean liner smoother sailing. The hull was also modified to be more environmentally friendly. As a result, we have a more fuel efficient hull and propellers that will move through the ocean more quietly and sensitively."