Crystal Cruises to build polar yacht

FORT LAUDERDALE — Crystal Cruises will add to its growing stable of luxury travel options by building a 200-passenger yacht with polar capabilities.

The 600-foot, 25,000-gross-ton Crystal Endeavor is scheduled to debut in August of 2018.

Crystal said the vessel will be the first purpose-built Polar Code-compliant yacht in the world with a PC6 Polar Class designation. As such, it would be able to cruise in polar regions during the summer and autumn in “medium first year ice which may include old ice inclusions,” Crystal said.

Crystal, which plans to build three 1,000-passenger ocean ships starting in 2018, already has a 62-passenger cruising yacht called Crystal Esprit.

Company president Edie Rodriguez announced the new yacht at the Seatrade Cruise Global conference here. She said Crystal Endeavor will come with a complete range of “toys” that are not commonly found on today’s mega-yachts, including two helicopters and two landing pads for flightseeing expeditions as well as two seven-person submarines, eight electric amphibious Zodiacs, personal watercraft, kayaks, fishing facilities, paddleboards, snorkeling and scuba equipment, a recompression chamber, a dive support tender and a multi-person ATV

Oasis of the Seas to have new Florida home

Oasis of the Seas

For the first time, an Oasis-class ship will be based in a port other than Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. The Oasis of the Seas will remain in Florida but sail from Port Canaveral for the 2016-17 winter season, Royal Caribbean revealed on Thursday.

The Oasis of the Seas, which entered service in 2009, will alternate seven-day eastern and western Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral.

The Harmony of the Seas, an Oasis-class ship currently under construction, will take Oasis of the Seas’ place in Port Everglades, sailing from the Fort Lauderdale port along with sister ship Allure of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean announced the cruise line’s entire Caribbean deployment for the 2016-17 winter season, which will open for booking this month.

Port Everglades opens renovated terminal

T0112PORTEVERGLADES

Port Everglades said it officially opened an upgraded Terminal 4 that will accommodate cruise growth in Fort Lauderdale.

The $24 million project moved the passenger drop-off for the 140,000 square foot terminal to the east side from the west to eliminate traffic conflicts with Terminal 2.

The terminal also added 172 surface parking spaces, replaced an old escalator with two new escalators and two new elevators, installed 50 new check-in counters, a new loading bridge and a 4-by-40-foot ceramic mural entitled “Pelican Path” that will be used to guide cruise guests from the arrival area onto their ship.

The Fort Lauderdale port next plans to lengthen the adjacent slip by 250 feet, for a total 1,150 feet of berth length. The $18 million slip extension is slated to be completed by the end of 2016.