Explora II Floats Out and Steel Cut For Explora III

Posted on by
Reply

Explora Journeys today celebrated two maritime milestones at builder Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard near Genoa in Italy with the float out of the Explora II and the steel cutting of Explora III

The new Explora II will enter service in summer 2024 and spend her first season operating in the Mediterranean Sea, the company said in a press release, as construction of the ship began in October 2021 at Fincantieri’s Castellammare di Stabia yard in Naples, Italy where the ship’s keel was laid in May 2022.

The Explora III will launch in the summer of 2026 and be the first of Explora Journeys’ four luxury vessels to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world’s cleanest maritime fuel available at a scale that plays a key role towards the decarbonization of international shipping.

Construction of the Explora IV, also powered by LNG, will start next year with a completion date of early 2027.

The double ceremony today was witnessed by Michael Ungerer, Chief Executive Officer, of Explora Journeys, Pierroberto Folgiero, Fincantieri’s CEO and General Manager and the Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci.

Michael Ungerer, Chief Executive Officer, of Explora Journeys, said, “The double event today marks another major step forward on our mission to redefine ocean travel for today’s discerning luxury travellers.  Following the successful launch of Explora I and the incredibly positive feedback from the first guests, travel advisors and media, who had a chance to experience the Ocean State of Mind, the story continues, and we are now beyond thrilled to witness the next important construction milestones for both Explora II and our first LNG powered ship Explora III. We are proud that our four ships are built by Fincantieri, further underlining our commitment to Italy.”

Royal Caribbean Cancels Cruises Onboard Radiance of the Seas

Posted on by
1

Royal Caribbean International is cancelling a second sailing onboard the Radiance of the Seas.

Facing propulsion problems, the 2001-built vessel remained docked in Seward since Sep. 1 and is no longer going to sail as scheduled on Sep. 8.

“As you may know, Radiance of the Seas’ propulsion system experienced a technical issue. Our crew started working on restoring the system immediately and we deployed the best experts,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement sent to booked guests.

“Despite our efforts, we were unable to complete the needed repairs to make it in time to Vancouver. As a result, we’ll be cancelling our Radiance of the Seas September 8th, 2023 sailing,” the company added.

Spending the summer in Alaska, the 2,000-guest vessel was scheduled to offer a seven-night cruise on that date.

Sailing from Vancouver to Seward, the open-jaw itinerary included visits to Juneau, Sitka, Skagway and Icy Strait Point, in addition to scenic cruising at the Hubbard Glacier.

“We know how much time and effort go into planning your cruise, and we’re truly sorry for this disappointing news,” Royal Caribbean said.

Affected passengers will receive a full refund of the fare paid for the cruise, in addition to a 100 per cent Future Cruise Credit (FCC) to be used towards a future sailing departing within one year.

The reimbursement will be processed within 14 business days, Royal Caribbean said and will include taxes and fees, pre-paid packages and gratuities, amenities, shore excursions and any flights purchased through the company.

Royal Caribbean will also reimburse guests for non-refundable pre-purchased travel fees incurred, including flight, hotel, train ticket or rental car. The company is set to cover up to $250 per guest for domestic changes or up to $500 per guest for international changes.

Citing propulsion problems, Royal Caribbean had already cancelled the Sep. 1 sailing onboard the Radiance of the Seas.

Celebrity Cruises Reschedule Apex’s Drydock

Posted on by
Reply

Celebrity Apex arriving into Liverpool photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

According to a statement sent to booked guests, Celebrity Cruises is rescheduling Celebrity Apex’s 2024 drydock.

“At Celebrity Cruises, we are passionate about providing award-winning vacation experiences. With this goal in mind, and in accordance with global safety guidelines, Celebrity Cruises will be revising Celebrity Apex’s season schedule to include drydock or routine inspection in 2025, instead of 2024 as originally planned,” the company said.

As a result, sailings onboard the ship which were scheduled to embark on November 9 and 21, 2024, and March 8, 2025, through April 26, 2025, have been cancelled.

Cancelled sailings included a 12-night transatlantic crossing and a nine-night Caribbean cruise in November, in addition to a series of seven-night cruises to the Caribbean between March and April.

For any payment made toward the cancelled sailings, passengers will automatically receive a 100 per cent refund to their original method of payment, Celebrity said.

Pre-booked shore excursions, beverages, internet, speciality dining, or other onboard packages will also be fully refunded to their original method of payment, the company added.

Guests with hotel reservations booked through Flights by Celebrity will also be refunded automatically, the statement said.

“As we never wish to complicate your vacation planning, we sincerely appreciate your understanding. In hopes you’ll discover an alternative bucket-list vacation with Celebrity Cruises, we are happy to offer you $200 onboard credit per stateroom, $400 onboard credit for Retreat accommodations, to be redeemed on a future cruise,” Celebrity concluded.

The second ship on the company’s Edge Class, the Celebrity Apex was delivered to Celebrity Cruises in April 2020.

Following several months of lay-up due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 129,500-ton ship finally entered service in June 2021, offering summer cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean.

During the 2024-2025 winter, the 2,900-guest ship is set to offer new itineraries in the Caribbean departing from the Celebrity’s homeport in Fort Lauderdale.