The Carnival Horizon will be out of service longer than anticipated to fix a propulsion problem with the ship now set for a drydocking in Palermo for repairs.
This means sailings on the Horizon are cancelled until January 22 and Carnival is responding quickly, with the Liberty and Sunshine re-entering service to pick up the Horizon’s guests and itineraries from Miami.
Both those ships will sail from Miami in place of the Horizon for the Dec. 19, Dec. 26 and Dec. 31 departures. The Sunshine will then move north to Charleston for a Jan. 13 restart, while the Liberty will pick up the Horizon’s Miami-based Caribbean itineraries that sail on Jan. 8 and Jan. 22.
This was our first P&O cruise and was a bit apprehensive like everyone else I did the silly thing of reading reviews on the Britannia, even as an ex-travel agent/owner I know that the reviews need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but one of the recent moans was about the flow of the ship and no Aft Staircase and at first, the review seemed accurate, but being a bit qualitative we went looking and asked the crew a few discrete the reason was fairly obvious, the Aft 1/5th (20%) from just after the inside cabins were closed off due to there being a Covid-19 Quarantine area for the crew to do their 10-day isolation and in case of an outbreak, which is required in the ‘Return to Sailing Order’, mystery solved.
Due to the current climate of having Covid rules, Britannia could only sail at 70% capacity add to that all the legal flight and vaccination hoops we had to traverse (which I’ll cover later on) she was only about 45-60% capacity which was nice.
As with all the other 5 cruise companies we have sailed with the Crew members were Fantastic and could not serve us enough, the bar staff knew our drinks and names after the first visit and the Java Bar the tenders Jay and Bernard were two of the best so friendly and attentive and Jay actually spoke Welsh phrases which were nice being Welsh ourselves. This bar is a great place for pre or post Theater drinks with new or familiar friends.
All of the Bar’s had a lot of seating and we never had to go hunting for somewhere to sit, the live acts in the bars were very good and a couple were more than above the normal singers, in the Live Lounge we had a Rock night with the band Pulse and a male and female singer (sorry I can’t remember their name to many Gin and Ginger ales drunk), and they were the stars of the whole cruise, singing anthem hits from Bon Jovi, Metalica, Queen, Guns & Rose’s and a lot more and they had fantastic voices.
HeadLiners Theater.
The Main Theater act ‘HeadLiners’ are very good singers and dancers with high energy shows and even a magical show, with a great LED screen and lighting backdrops, the only problem was that the shows started to become repetitive with the same songs and dance moves, to be fair to them they did very well considering that P&O could not bring any fresh acts on to the ship due to the Covid restrictions and the 10-day isolation rules. The Poolside show they did was fresh with new music and great dancing under the Caribbean stars and there was a great atmosphere on the top deck.
The main restaurant is a very stylish area with glass-walled wine racks and well laid out tables, the table waiters were very attentive and always kept an eye on what you were doing, if they saw you weren’t keen on something they quickly came over and asked if a replacement or an alternative was wanted, on one occasion we were looking at the patterns on the breakfast cups and plates and commenting to each other how good they looked, the head waiter appeared for out of nowhere to ask what was wrong or if they were dirty and seemed confused when we said we were just admiring the patterns on the cups and plates, this is great service attentive but discrete.
Britannia’s Main Atrium.
The Food in the main restaurants was of the best quality we have ever had at sea and so well presented, the only slight complaint was the variation it was always meat and two veg, no pasta and only chicken once, but saying that there was Venison, various Fish, Quail, Guinea fowl, and great Steaks all served with veg and mash. The quality of the food was also there at Breakfast and Dinner times, the Canteen (Horizon Food Court) had a limited offering but was very well cooked, there was always a roast joint a vegetarian option and even a Gluten-free option. Cold cut meats, and salmon (or a different fish option) freshly baked bread and plenty of desserts were available, at 11pm a night time snacks were available but nearly the same as the dinner time offering, Pizza and burgers were only on the poolside and only for a few hours per day.
Formal Night
Friends of ours who had massages in Thailand and on other ships had a few Spa treatments and were very pleased saying that they were the Best Massages they have ever had, a bit pricey between £120-£170 plus but worth it, the masses did try to up-sell creams and bath salts which ruins the relaxed feeling and didn’t purchase.
There were 4 formal nights 2 of which had a special menu which was very tasty, on one occasion my son and I wore tailored waistcoats, a shirt and a black tie (I wore a hand made silk tie) and were refused entry to the crow’s nest bar lounge which did not impress us as my outfit must have cost a lot more than the cheap of the rail suits that were aloud in Conclusion- Would I cruise with P&O again? That would depend on the Itinerary and the price, we normally choose our cruise by the countries, cities being visited and if we have been there before, some cruise Itinerarys we would do over and over again, such as an Atlantic crossing (5 so far) because each one has been different, and the same as the Baltics, there so much to see on this cruise its worth doing a few times. Would I cruise on Britannia again? That’s a more simple answer and it’s a yes, one good reason was in Saint Maartin we birthed next to the Celebrity Edge and two Oasis-class ships and Britannias Hugh Union Flag painted on her Bow was amazing and made you proud to be British, See below image.
With the new flagship MSC Seashore recently named at its private island Ocean Cay, MSC Cruises is eyeing US expansion, sustainable innovations and “hidden” destinations in the Middle East. Tom Parry speaks to chief executive Gianni Onorato.
A Welsh journalist and an Italian cruise boss discussing Darwin on board a ship in Miami might sound to some like the set-up for a Christmas cracker joke – December is upon us after all.
But the reference to the famous naturalist by MSC Cruises chief executive Gianni Onorato neatly conveys the journey his line has taken in recent years, and the course it has plotted out of the pandemic and into the future.
“I love Darwin and his theory of survival,” says Onorato, relaxing in his chair in MSC Seashore’s Top Sail Lounge. “Covid has led us to do things we would never have thought about – we’ve adapted and evolved.”
Evolution is an appropriate label for Seashore. MSC’s new flagship is its first Seaside Evo-class vessel, larger than sisters MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview. In fact, it’s the largest ever built by Italian shipyard Fincantieri.
We’re speaking in mid-November, the day before Seashore is christened 65 miles east at Ocean Cay in the Bahamas, MSC’s private island and marine reserve.
A former aragonite sand mine and “industrial wasteland”, the island has undergone an environmental evolution of its own since it was acquired by MSC in 2015, one the line hopes will entice guests.
Bringing Seashore to Miami marks “the next phase” in the Italian-owned line’s stateside aspirations.
EXPANSION PLANS
Onorato says the brand is hoping to reach one million US guests across its fleet within the next two years, an ambition fuelled by plans to open a new PortMiami terminal in 2023 – the world’s largest – capable of housing three ships and welcoming 36,000 passengers a day.
British cruisers will be a vital source market, with Onorato of the belief that MSC is the “only truly international cruise company” able to adapt its offering to suit multiple nationalities on board.
Seashore is MSC’s seventh ship to launch in four years, with the line’s fleet due to growing to 23 ships by 2025. “Even the pandemic did not stop us – nobody is growing the way we are growing,” says Onorato.
Ocean Cay will be central to attracting new customers. A three-year restoration project has seen 7,500 tonnes of industrial waste and scrap metal removed from the island and 75,000 plants and shrubs planted, while 64 square miles of Ocean Cay’s waters are now protected. A marine research centre is also being built to support coral conservation.
It’s been a labour of love for MSC executive chair Pierfrancesco Vago. Speaking at Seashore’s christening ceremony, Vago said it was “a dream come true” to see Ocean Cay’s transformation come to fruition, six years after he conceived the plan.
Onorato says the Bahamian island “fits perfectly with UK expectations” of a Caribbean cruise; but with the destination marketed more on its environmental credentials than visitor attractions, MSC is taking a different approach to industry rivals.
“Everyone has conceived their islands differently – it depends on the DNA of the company,” he says. “In some cases, lines want to fill an island with waterslides [but] that wouldn’t be MSC and our love for the sea. In our case, we wanted to create a natural lagoon.”
At a press conference the following day, Vago adds: “We didn’t want to offer a theme park – the ship is already the theme park. We wanted natural authenticity [and] I think the island speaks for itself.”
Given its shipping heritage, the company having been founded by captain Gianluigi Aponte in 1970, sustainability – or more specifically love and desire to protect the sea – is an issue high on the agenda for MSC.
Several of the line’s upcoming ships will be fuelled by the more environmentally-friendly liquefied natural gas, while its future Miami home and the Horizon terminal opened in Southampton this summer offer plug-in shore power.
Other methods for cleaner cruising are also being developed, says Onorato, including better ways to store energy onboard and use it for hotel operations. MSC is already exploring hydrogen fuel, with testing taking place on its cargo ships.
So could a hydrogen-powered ship be a reality in the next decade? “It’s a long process,” he says. “We can’t do it alone, but we’ve got great partners to help us.”
Other efforts such as itineraries enabling ships to sail more slowly, using more environmentally-friendly silicone paint and developing air conditioning systems that adapt to the number of people in the room, will also play their part. “Each one of these measures is little, but they all add up,” says Onorato.
EYES ON THE EMIRATES
An important milestone, and further evolution, will come with the launch of its next-generation vessel – MSC World Europa – in December 2022.
Hailed by the line as its “most innovative and environmentally advanced ship”, World Europa will make its debut in the Middle East and sail its inaugural season in the Gulf, including a call to Dammam in Saudi Arabia to visit the Unesco World Heritage site of Al Ahsa.
The kingdom is a destination in which MSC has invested heavily and earmarked for future expansion, with MSC Bellissima due to spending the forthcoming winter season operating out of Jeddah, after a five-year agreement with Cruise Saudi for preferential berthing rights at the port.
But with this expansion into the region, both by MSC and other major cruise brands comes a level of scrutiny. Onorato, who insists Saudi Arabia possesses “hidden treasures” for cruise guests to explore, is candid about the reputation of the country and its leaders but believes Saudi opening up to tourism is “a sign they want help” and presents travel companies with the chance to help modernise things.
“They are open to being confronted by our world. They are offering us their hand and we need to take it,” says Onorato. “They’re trying to improve and we have a duty to help. We have a duty to support them. Tourism can change the culture.”
Closer to home, and after being the first line to restart the UK cruising in May, MSC delivered another brand first last month – ex-Southampton winter cruises to northern Europe on MSC Magnifica, which will run through to April.
Onorato returns to Darwin and the adaptability needed to first restart successfully, and then evolve its outlook.
“We’d never thought about domestic cruises in the UK; I think the success we had shown there is undoubtedly a market [for winter cruises from Southampton] and that there is a market for northern Europe.”
So much so, Onorato teases a ship “larger than Magnifica” will sail in Southampton next year. The line’s investment in Southampton’s Horizon terminal “means larger ships and more ships” too, Onorato smiles.
“We need to invest in travel agents’ and consumers’ minds,” he says. “We’ve seen a huge improvement in brand awareness from the trade – they have seen we’re seriously committed to the UK.”
It seems yet more evolution from MSC will soon be on its way.
Wetravel2u's Weblog 
