Tag Archives: France

Royal Caribbean Welcomes The World’s Largest Cruise Ship

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Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas
PHOTO: Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean)

Royal Caribbean International took delivery of Symphony of the Seas today at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Building the world’s largest ship took some 36 months, involving 4,700 shipbuilders and crew. The line’s president and CEO Michael Bayley and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain took part in the traditional flag-changing ceremony. The maritime ritual symbolizes the change of hands from the shipbuilder to the line.

“Symphony of the Seas is the latest example of how our people work to push the envelope of innovation with each new ship,” said Fain. “The Oasis Class has been a trend-setting design, but the team has evolved the design to build on that success to provide even more incredible family adventures. We’re thankful to have a partner in STX France that is every bit as ambitious as we are about building technologically advanced ships.”

The 25th ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, Symphony of the Seas is 228,081 gross registered tons, measuring 238 feet tall and spans 1,188 feet long. She can accommodate 5,518 guests in 2,759 staterooms. Foremost among them is the Ultimate Family Suite. The two-level, 1,346-square-foot suite features an in-room slide, private cinema, floor-to-ceiling LEGO wall and a 212-square-foot balcony outfitted with a table tennis and a full-size whirlpool.

Other notable distinctions include seven different onboard neighbourhoods, the tallest slide at sea with the Ultimate Abyss and a glow-in-the-dark laser tag game.

New culinary options debuting on Symphony of the Seas include Hooked Seafood, an upscale eatery atop the ship. It will serve New England-inspired seafood. El Loco Fresh will serve made-to-order “street food” tacos and burritos in freshly-made tortillas.

Symphony of the Seas departs on March 31 for five-night preview sailing. Her maiden seven-night Mediterranean voyage departs Saturday, April 7 from Barcelona. The ship will homeport in Barcelona for the summer, visiting Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Provence, France; and Florence/Pisa, Rome and Naples, Italy. Miami becomes her year-round home port as of November 10. Her seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises will call on Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s new destination in the Bahamas.

STX France reveals newly-christened MSC Meraviglia’s ‘advanced’ propulsion

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Exclusive: STX France reveals newly-christened <i>MSC Meraviglia</i>’s ‘advanced’ propulsion
MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia, built by STX France, has been christened

MSC Cruises’ 171,598gt MSC Meraviglia has been christened at Le Havre, France. As well as being the largest ship belonging to a European shipowner, it has an advanced, “very ambitious” propulsion plant and is the first of MSC Cruises’ fleet to debut digital innovation programme ‘MSC For Me’.

STX France vice president of projects Stéphane Cordier told PST: “From a building efficiency standpoint, the construction of this prototype was extremely smooth; the overall design and architecture of ship developed very efficiently and according to schedule.”

One of the main standout features is MSC For Me, which will be rolled out across the fleet and debuts on MSC Meraviglia.

MSC Meraviglia will be powered by an all-electrical plant consisting of four 12-cylinder diesel engines. Mr Cordier said this arrangement was “very ambitious”. Usually ships of this size have five or six engines.

Singling out the benefits of MSC Meraviglia’s engine arrangement, he said: “The limited number of machines allows them to run at higher power, contributes to the general efficiency and is a more compact arrangement.”

“We have an ambitious vision for the future and MSC Meraviglia marks the start of the second phase of growth for our company,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ executive chairman in a statement. “For this reason, this evening is an extremely proud moment for all of us at MSC Cruises as we see the first of our next-generation ships being named.”

“The new ships that we are building — between 2017 and 2020 alone, we will receive six new ships — are purpose-built, featuring innovation in both product and design, as well as the very latest-cutting edge marine and consumer-facing technology to create unforgettable holiday experiences at sea for guests of all ages. MSC Meraviglia is the first to make this vision come to life, as it sets a new standard for cruise ships as a destination in itself.”

Disney river cruises to have ‘Beauty and the Beast’ theme

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Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” river cruise features a tour of Riquewihr, a French village that evokes Belle’s hometown from the movie. Photo Credit: Yoshihiro Takada
 

Adventures by Disney is amping up its themed river cruise experiences for 2018, adding “Beauty and the Beast” themed sailings along the Rhine River.

On six departures in 2018, Adventures by Disney will pay tribute to the villages and culture that inspired Disney’s Beauty and the Beast films. The sailings will feature a Beauty and the Beast-themed dinner as well as other culinary experiences inspired by the film.

There will be screenings of both the live-action and animated versions of the film on the ship and a tour of Riquewihr, a French village that evokes Belle’s hometown from the movie.

Adventures by Disney is also offering two epicurean Rhine cruises during the fall. Hosted by chefs and sommeliers, these adult-only sailings will highlight food and beverage experiences both on and off the ship. Activities will include winetasting, gourmet food and wine demonstrations and workshops, culinary walking tours in several ports, a French patisserie class, local beer and wine pairings, and craft cocktail seminars.

Adventures by Disney’s eight-day Rhine river cruises will sail on AmaWaterways’ 158-passenger AmaKristina, cruising through France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.

For 2018, Adventures by Disney will also offer six Danube sailings aboard AmaWaterways’ 170-passenger AmaViola.

The departures will include a new adults-only Oktoberfest sailing in September 2018, which will visit Germany during the annual Oktoberfest celebration, and will include themed parties and festive culinary offerings both on and off the ship.

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The eight-day Danube cruises sail through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. They include visiting scenes from the movie “The Sound of Music” in Salzburg, exploring Devin Castle in Bratislava, and taking a traditional Austrian folk dancing lesson in Melk.

Adventures by Disney entered the river cruise market last year when it partnered with AmaWaterways on family-focused river cruise itineraries. AmaWaterways thus has designed its newest vessels to better accommodate families, including providing sets of connecting staterooms and suites.

Adventures by Disney worked closely with AmaWaterways to reimagine shipboard spaces and activities to offer programming for kids, teens and adults.

Bookings for Adventures by Disney’s 2018 river cruise vacations open on March 2.