Tag Archives: British Virgin Islands

Marine wildlife artist Guy Harvey to paint Norwegian Escape hull

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By Tom Stieghorst
Norwegian Escape hull artMIAMI BEACH — Norwegian Cruise Line’s next ship will feature a giant sailfish, stingray and other marine creatures on its hull, painted by conservation artist Guy Harvey.

Harvey unveiled his design in at a news conference Wednesday at the Cruise Shipping Miami event, saying he was “honored indeed” to be chosen for the job.

Norwegian’s detailed and colorful hull paintings have become a defining feature of the brand. The two most recent vessels, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, have stylized representations of New York and Miami, respectively.

Escape will be based out of Miami when it debuts in November 2015. The port agreed to provide Norwegian with marketing support in exchange for a commitment to homeport the ship there.

Harvey is a marine wildlife artist and fisherman who has in recent years turned his efforts to preservation of the ocean and sea creatures. He has licensed many of his images for apparel and other uses and his name is used to co-brand resorts in Florida, the Bahamas and the Galapagos.

He lives in the Cayman Islands and is most closely linked to the Caribbean and Bahamas. “The maintenance of the ecology and aesthetics of the region are of the highest importance,” Harvey said.

Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan said fees from apparel and other licensed goods to be sold on Norwegian ships will be channeled back to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which supports scientific research and education.

Sheehan said the 4,200-passenger Escape will sail seven-day eastern Caribbean itineraries that include Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas; and Nassau, Bahamas.

Bookings open March 19 for agents with groups and March 26 to the general public.

Free mobile roaming to change the game for cruise holidays?

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Free mobile roaming to change the game for cruise holidays?

T-Mobile has announced ambitious plans to free its customers of international roaming charges in more than 100 countries.

The provider, part of the EE group, claimed that it is currently too expensive for people to stay connected with one another while travelling over international boundaries.

While Europeans have benefitted by an assault on the worst excesses of roaming charges within the EU, the rest of the world remains something of an expensive wilderness for UK mobile phone users.

The current T-Mobile offer is available to US customers through its Simple Choice payment plan, launching on October 31st, and ensures that data and text costs are capped at local (US) rates, while call costs will also be capped.

John Legere, president and chief executive of T-Mobile US, said: “Today’s phones are designed to work around the world, but we’re forced to pay insanely inflated international connectivity fees to actually use them.”

For people cruising in North America and the surrounding region, it could well be worth purchasing a US sim card on the plan from T-Mobile before boarding your cruise.

This is particularly useful for those cruising to the Caribbean, with Cruise Fever reporting that Aruba, Bermuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Grand Cayman, Curacao, Jamaica, St Maarten, St Kitts, Turks & Caicos, and Mexico are all covered.

In the meantime, holidaymakers on this side of the Atlantic who wish to roam outside of Europe will need to wait and see if T-Mobile (and others) bring similar payment plans to the UK.