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.
MSC Cruises MSC Meraviglia arrived at its new homeport in New York at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal from where it will sail year-round cruises, according to a press release.
This marks the first time that MSC Cruises has deployed a ship in New York for year-round sailings as part of efforts to strengthen its presence in the North American market.
The MSC Meraviglia will offer sailings ranging from six to 11 nights. Itineraries include:
The Bahamas and Florida – Seven to 11-night cruises with calls in Miami and Port Canaveral, Florida; Nassau and the cruise line’s private island Ocean Cay, The Bahamas; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico.
Bermuda – Five and six-night voyages from Kings Wharf in Bermuda starting in August.
Canada and New England – 10 and 11-night sailings with calls in Newport, Boston and Portland in the U.S. and Saint John, Halifax, Charlottetown, and Sydney in Canada.
For international guests, MSC Cruises offers “Stay & Cruise” packages with an option to stay up to three nights in the city before embarking on the cruise. Guests can choose among several hotels including the Hotel Riu Plaza Manhattan, Hotel Riu Plaza Times Square and the Park Central Hotel.
Additionally, guests can look forward to a free guided tour through Manhattan before embarking on the ship.
Ambassador Cruise Line has unveiled a wide range of dining experiences for guests onboard the Ambition, set to depart on its inaugural voyage on May 12, 2023.
Bob McGowan, head of the guest experience at Ambassador Cruise Line, said: “Onboard Ambition, there are dining venues for every mood – from traditional afternoon teas to gala dinners alongside the ship’s Captain – providing ample opportunity for guests to be surprised and delighted throughout their journey.
“Carefully designed by our Executive Chef Team, the dining concepts and menus have been created with guest experience at the heart. Following a strong food and beverage customer satisfaction score of 92 per cent onboard Ambience we have ensured that we’ve taken on valuable guest feedback and learnings when conceptualizing the offerings on Ambition.
“We can’t wait to welcome guests onboard to experience our superb dining offering, and we look forward to hearing their feedback.”
On the Ambition, guests can dine at Buckingham Restaurant & Holyrood Restaurant, offering a la carte dining experiences. Buckingham Restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch buffet style, while Holyrood is open for dinner only. Both restaurants will serve popular dishes of British cuisine including Sunday roast and shepherd’s pie.
Among the new dining venues is Borough Market, a self-serve style eatery, featuring flavours from around the world so guests can choose between Italian pasta, Asian stir-fries and more.
Another new restaurant onboard the Ambition, Lupino’s, will serve Mediterranean specialities. The place pays homage to Ambassador’s colleague Michelle Lupino who passed away in 2022.
Saffron is an Indian dining venue serving dishes such as Thali, curries, specialist bread, and desserts. There is also Chef’s Table, offering an exclusive dinner experience featuring multi-course a la carte dining with nine courses. Here, guests can also look forward to paired wines but reservations are needed.
For guests looking for a casual meal, there is the Alfresco Grill that serves burgers, hot dogs, pizzas and chips.
AIDA Cruises has expanded the use of shore power in its fleet, reaching a significant milestone in its decarbonization efforts, according to a press release.
The AIDAsol was recently connected to shore power in nearly all ports during its recent voyage from April 16 to 21, 2023.
The ship was supplied with green energy from shore in Rostock-Warnemünde, Aarhus (Denmark), Kristiansand (Norway), and Hamburg.
The growing shore power infrastructure in Northern Europe has made it possible for AIDA Cruises to achieve this milestone.
AIDA President Felix Eichhorn stated that the company’s goal is to use shore power in all ports where port infrastructure is available. He added that the company’s investments in clean technology are actively supporting the goals of the EU’s “Fit for 55” program to build a corresponding infrastructure in all major EU ports by 2030.
During its recent voyage, AIDAsol made history by being the first cruise ship to conduct shore-side and shipboard integration tests on a newly built facility in Aarhus, Denmark. The official opening of Denmark’s first shore power plant for cruise ships is scheduled for later this year.
The AIDAsol was also supplied with energy from shore during its stop in Kristiansand, Norway, which it already did in 2022.
AIDA Cruises has been investing in sustainable cruising for many years, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral ship operation for its fleet by 2050.
The company has been considering the use of environmentally friendly technology since 2004, and more than ten years have passed since it was able to start the usage of shore power in regular operation with an AIDA ship in Hamburg Altona in 2017. The company signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2022 with Cruise Baltic, a network of 31 ports and destinations, to use shore power in the ports of the Baltic Sea region.
AIDAsol’s arrival in Hamburg, its home port for this year’s summer season, marked another significant moment in AIDA Cruises’ decarbonization efforts. The ship was connected to Europe’s first shore power plant for cruise ships and switched off its main engines shortly after docking at the Cruise Center Altona.
The expansion of the use of shore power is part of AIDA Cruises’ efforts to use low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other alternative energy sources such as batteries and fuel cells. The company is working with various partners to find solutions for the use of regenerative and synthetic fuels.
“AIDA Cruises shows what can already be possible today,” said Eichhorn. “We can only achieve the energy transition together.”
