About Spacejunkie2

I love all things Cruise and add that to my hobby Photography I'm in dreamland, I'm an exTravel agency owner with the inside contacts, so I will try to keep you updated in all things travel related with a side serving of images and other maritime stories.

AIDAsol Arrives in Mauritius; Begins Last Leg of World Tour

Posted on 21 January, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

AIDA Cruises’ AIDAsol arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius on Friday, Jan.19, starting the last leg of its world cruise.

Having sailed on October 2023 when it departed from Hamburg, the AIDAsol has so far crossed each of the major oceans once during this world voyage.

Mauritius serves as the last port of transfer for guests on the 2023-24 world cruise.

After leaving Port Louis, the ship will head for Saint-Denis, Reunion, before exploring several ports in South Africa including Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. Other ports of call on the last leg of the journey are Walvis Bay, Namibia; Praia, Cape Verde Islands; Tenerife, Canary Islands; Funchal, Madeira; Lisbon, Portugal; Porto, Portugal; and Portland, England. The ship is scheduled to arrive back in Hamburg on Feb. 21.

In October 2024, the AIDAsol will again embark on a world tour with some destinations in New Zealand that have not previously been visited by AIDA Cruises.

World’s Largest Cruise Ships Meet in CocoCay

Posted on 18 January, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas and the Wonder of the Seas met in the Bahamas earlier this week.

Currently serving as the world’s largest cruise ships, the vessels docked simultaneously at the company’s private island destination Perfect Day at CocoCay.

After assuming the title in 2023, the Icon of the Seas is currently the largest cruise ship in the world at over 250,000 tons.

Part of a new ship class, the vessel was delivered to Royal Caribbean last November. Visiting CocoCay during one of its short preview cruises, the Icon is being prepared to kick off its maiden season later this month.

Starting on Jan. 27, the 365-meter-long ship is scheduled to offer a series of week-long sailings to the Caribbean departing from PortMiami.

In addition to weekly visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Icon’s schedule includes many popular ports in the region, including St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and St. Kitts.

At 250,800 tons, the Icon of the Seas was built by the Meyer Turku in Finland, and can accommodate over 5,610 guests at double occupancy, in addition to 2,350 crew members.

Previously serving as the largest cruise ship of the world until 2023, the Wonder of the Seas is offering week-long cruises departing from Port Canaveral.

Slightly bigger than its sister ships, the 227,627-ton vessel is part of the Oasis Class and entered service in early 2022.

Sailing from its Florida homeport every Sunday, the 5,448-guest vessel offers different itineraries to the Western and the Eastern Caribbean.

The recent arrival in CocoCay was part of a seven-night cruise to the Western Caribbean that also features visits to Cozumel and Costa Maya, in Mexico, as well as Isla de Roatán, in Honduras.

During its year-round program in the region, the Wonder of the Seas also sails to Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Labadee, and more.

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/

Carnival Vista Crosses the Atlantic for Drydock in Spain

Posted on 18 January, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

The Carnival Vista just arrived in Europe for its upcoming routine drydock.

After leaving Port Canaveral on Jan. 8, the Carnival Cruise Line ship crossed the Atlantic on its way to Spain.

The 2016-built vessel is now set to undergo a two-week drydock at the Navantia shipyard in the Bay of Cádiz.

Work expected to be carried out onboard the Carnival Vista includes the addition of Carnival’s new hull livery, in addition to scheduled maintenance, class surveys and technical work.

The 135,000-ton vessel is also poised to see upkeep of its common areas and staterooms, as well as updates to facilities and venues.

Following the work, the Carnival Vista is set to cross the Atlantic on its back to North America before resuming service on Feb. 15.

On that day, the vessel sails from Port Canaveral for a three-night cruise to the Bahamas that features a visit to Nassau, in addition to a full day at sea.

After repositioning from Galveston in late 2023, the Carnival Vista kicked off a year-round program out of its new Central Florida homeport.

The ship’s regular schedule features six- and eight-night cruises to the Southern and the Eastern Caribbean.

Itineraries include popular ports of call in both regions, such as Half Moon Cay, Princess Cays, Aruba, Curaçao, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau.

First in a series of three ships known as Vista Class, the Carnival Vista offers a series of features, including SkyRide, a suspended open-air cycling experience, and the Dreamscape, a three-deck-high LED sculpture located its main atrium.

The 4,000-guest cruise ship was later followed by the 2018-built Carnival Horizon, and the 2019-built Carnival Panorama.

Originally built for Costa Cruises, the 2019-built Carnival Venezia and the 2020-built Carnival Firenze are also considered part of the Vista Class.