New cruise port at Dominican Republic’s Amber Cove to open in October

Posted on 24 February, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

An aerial view of Amber Cove.

Cruise passengers will have a new stop in the Caribbean in October when ships pull into Amber Cove port in the Dominican Republic.

The new port facility is expected to revive interest in the north coast of the Dominican Republic, which hasn’t been a regular cruise stop since the 1980s, Carnival Corp. announced Wednesday.

Amber Cove adds more cruising cachet to the Caribbean, already the world’s largest cruising market. It accounts for more than a third of the cruise business globally.

The Carnival Victory will be the first ship to visit the $85-million port on Oct. 6. Other lines in the Carnival family — Carnival, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, German line AIDA and British-based P&O Cruises — will follow suit later this year and in 2016.

Carnival Corp. was a partner in developing the new port facility. Ships (it was built to accommodate super-sized cruise ships) are expected to bring more than 250,000 cruise passengers to Amber Cove in its first year of operation, the announcement says.

The port is near the city of Puerto Plata (it made Travel + Leisure’s Best Places to Travel in 2015 list) where there’s an Amber Museum that displays insects and flowers trapped in the ancient resin and a marine park called Ocean World.

The new stop allows Carnival brands to offer more than 40 new shore excursions — including beaches, water sports, culinary and cultural tours — as well as new itineraries in the central Caribbean.

Thirteen ships across six Carnival brands are expected to make 57 port calls between October and April 2016.

Upcoming visits include Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 on Nov. 22, the Costa Deliziosa on Dec. 31 and Holland America’s ms Eurodam on Jan. 19.

Plans to revamp a cruise ship terminal in Southampton have been unveiled.

Posted on 15 December, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

Plans to revamp a cruise ship terminal in Southampton have been unveiled.

In a bid to ensure Southampton remains the UK cruise port of choice, Associated British Ports (ABP) has announced its £6 million investment into renovating the Mayflower cruise terminal.

The work follows ABP signing an agreement with Carnival Cruise Lines – the operator of P&O Cruises and Cunard.

It will include a complete redesign of the check-in, departure, security and passenger lounges, as well as the drop-off and pick-up areas.

Not only this, but the internal space of the terminal will also be revamped by undergoing an expansion. This will involve the removal of 100 tonnes of blockwork walls and floors, and the installation of 500 tonnes of steelwork frames to create a reception area of 35,000 sq ft.

Furthermore, a 46-person capacity lift, ten new toilet facilities and heating ventilation will benefit the thousands of passengers who enter the terminal each hour.

The renovation will be carried out by more than 200 staff, who will have a time period of 22 weeks to complete the project between the last ship departing from the terminal and the first vessel returning.

Steven Young, director of port services and government affairs at Carnival Cruise Lines, said: “Cruising out of Southampton forms the core part of our offering to the UK cruise market which in terms of volume is second only to the US.

“This particularly appeals to those who prefer not to fly and who appreciate the ability of being able to drive to the terminal door, hand their keys to a valet parker and then have their luggage delivered to them, for a stress-free travel experience.”

The turnaround of each cruise ship is estimated to deliver around £2 million to the economy.

Nick Ridehalgh, director of ABP Southampton, believes that the new improvements will not only serve frequent and new cruise passengers, but will also benefit groups and businesses across the city, including taxis, hotels and restaurants.

The renovation is due for completion by April next year, in time for the start of the summer cruise season.

Queen Victoria Cruise Ship To Get Multi-Million Upgrade

Posted on 29 October, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

Cunard Line is continuing its fleet upgrade with a multi-million refurbishment scheduled for January 2015.

The Queen Victoria will have a dry-dock at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. The shipyard is also the same place where sister ship Queen Elizabeth recently had its upgrade.

Queen Victoria’s multi-million dollar refit will ensure this much-loved ship remains in tip-top condition for her World Cruise in 2015 and beyond, said David Dingle, CEO for Cunard Line.

The refurbishment will include 9 brand new single staterooms which will offer an even wider range for cruisers sailing single. More shade will be offered by new sun awnings near the ships open deck pool. Another large part of the refit will be new environmentally friendly filters for the ships propulsion systems.

When a cruise ship gets a major upgrade it usually includes all the hotel spaces which the Queen Victoria will receive. New carpets and flat TV’s will be installed to freshen up the vessel. Also hotel departments including the gift shops will get a new fine jewellery and watches sections along with a new layout.

Queen Victoria’s dry-dock was originally scheduled for December 2015 but due to a propulsion unit bearing problem the dry-dock has had to be brought forward to January 2015. The propulsion issue has caused Cunard to cancel two cruises in January, a 12-day cruise to the Canaries departing January 3rd and a five-day cruise to Amsterdam departing January 15th. Passengers booked on those cruises have been informed and the cruise line is offering a $175 onboard credit. Passengers can choose another cruise or get a full refund of their booking.

While we are sorry to be cancelling the two cruises, we are looking forward to welcoming all those affected back aboard a Cunard ship in the near future, perhaps on Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth, both of which will be sailing in 2015 fresh from their make overs, Dingle said.

The Queen Victoria will be all set for its world cruise starting on January 20th 2015. The ship will offer guests all the latest onboard features which will be added during the upcoming dry-dock in Hamburg.