Tag Archives: Grand Classica

Meet 5 New Cruise Brands

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While the major corporations continue to dominate the cruise market, there are several new brands entering service over the next few years. With their new products and ships, they’re adding a fresh perspective to the business. Cruise Industry News has looked at the plans of five of the new cruise lines.

Swan Hellenic
First ship: SH Minerva
Built: 2021
Capacity: 152
Inaugural Cruise: December 29, 2021
Region and Itinerary: Antarctica and South Shetland Islands

Swan Hellenic is returning to the market after a four-year hiatus with new management at the helm. The new cruise line is about to launch service in Antarctica and will be operating in the expedition cruising niche.

It aims to offer “cultural expedition cruising” to remote parts of the globe with its three new purpose-built expedition ships. Sailing areas include the polar regions, where the first ship Minerva will debut on Dec. 29.

According to the company, the vessel and its sister ships were designed with “state-of-the-art features” meant to provide “guests with an elegant, intimate and personal onboard experience delivered by 120 warm, friendly and knowledgeable staff.”

The SH Vega will follow the Minerva, entering service next April, while a third – yet unnamed – vessel will debut in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Ambassador Cruise Line

First ship: Ambiance
Built: 1991
Capacity: 1,590
Inaugural Cruise: April 6, 2022
Region and Itinerary: Northern Europe

Ambassador Cruise Line claims to be the first new British cruise line since 2010. The brand launched in 2021, announcing its plans to offer a “premium-value, authentic cruise experience, sailing for the British market from its homeport of London Tilbury.”

With a program of no-fly itineraries, Ambassador is focusing on the over-50s market looking for a traditional cruising product.

Ambassador’s first ship, the 1,590-guest Ambiance, was built in 1991 and is currently undergoing a major refurbishment in Croatia. Among the vessel’s main features are five restaurants, nine lounges, a swimming pool and a spa.

After the refit, the Ambiance is set to debut on Apr. 6, with an inaugural short-break cruise to Hamburg, before embarking on a mixed itinerary program with sailings to the Norwegian Fjords and the British Isles planned throughout spring.

Margaritaville at Sea
First ship: Margaritaville Paradise
Built: 1991
Capacity: 1,308
Inaugural Cruise: April 30, 2022
Region and Itinerary: Short cruises to Freeport, Bahamas

After doing a deal with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, the Margaritaville Resorts & Hotels group will operate a new cruise brand in 2022.

Called Margaritaville at Sea, the company will operate the Margaritaville Paradise on short Bahamas getaways beginning Apr. 30.

Currently sailing as the Grand Classica, the 1991-built vessel is expected to undergo an extensive refit at Grand Bahama before entering service for the new brand.

Margaritaville at Sea will sail from the Port of Palm Beach and is set to offer two-night cruises to Freeport in Grand Bahama Island. The product will provide guests with Margaritaville’s authentic culture, entertainment and food, the company said.

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
First ship: Evrima
Built: 2022
Capacity: 298
Inaugural Cruise: May 6, 2022
Region and Itinerary: Western Europe and the Mediterranean

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is launching its luxury mega yacht service in 2022. The brand is planning an upscale boutique product, focusing on dining and wellness features, onboard its purpose-built first ship Evrima.

The vessel – set to enter service in 2022 – will offer 10 different dining experiences. Those range from steaks and seafood to fully customized lunches and dinners. Other features on the ship include spa treatments and a marina-style platform with sundecks ensuring direct access to water.

The Evrima also has some of the nicest accommodations at sea, including duplex suites and a 160-square-meter Owner’s Suite with its own private terrace and whirlpool.

The ship’s first cruise is scheduled for May 6 and departs from Lisbon, Portugal. The 11-night itinerary visits seven ports in the region – including Tangier in Morocco – before it arrives in Barcelona, Spain.

Explora Journeys
First ship: Explora I
Built: 2023
Capacity: 922
Inaugural Cruise: May 31, 2023
Region and Itinerary: Europe – Western and Eastern Mediterranean

When it launches service in 2023, Explora Journeys will mark MSC Group’s debut in the luxury market. The new brand will sail global itineraries on mid-sized purpose-built vessels and currently has four ships on order.

According to MSC, Explora Journeys will offer the “highest level of service and amenities,” while utilizing the latest technology to provide “journeys of discovery” through destinations “on and off the beaten path.”

The brand’s first ship Explora I’s first cruise is scheduled to depart on May 31, 2023. For its debut season, the 922-guest vessel is offering a program in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe before crossing the Atlantic for a series of itineraries in North America, the Caribbean and South America.

Margaritaville To Operate Cruise Brand; Does Deal with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line

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Margaritaville Resorts & Hotels will operate a cruise brand in 2022, and announced a partnership with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line.

The Margaritaville Paradise, the former Grand Classica, will launch service on April 30 after what is expected to be an extensive refit at Grand Bahama.

The Florida-based hotel group has long been rumoured to be looking at entering the cruise industry and now gets in with an existing marine and hotel operations base that can be mixed with its hotel and resorts brand and client database.

The vessel will sail under the Margaritaville at Sea brand, and the hotel group anticipates adding more ships, referring to the Margaritaville Paradise as its first vessel.

The company said the Margaritaville Paradise will continue operating two-night sailings from the Port of Palm Beach to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island.

“To me, the only thing better than being on a beach by the ocean is to be on the ocean. Now you can follow in our wake,” said singer, songwriter and best-selling author, Jimmy Buffett, in a prepared release. 

“Margaritaville at Sea will be a new, exciting, and fun way for guests to escape and vacation in Margaritaville,” said John Cohlan, CEO of Margaritaville. “From oceans to lakes, Margaritaville has an organic tie to the water and with Margaritaville at Sea, we’re able to put our iconic lifestyle, resort experiences, and elevated service directly on the sea. We look forward to seeing guests on, and in, Paradise.”

“We’re excited about this new partnership as we launch Margaritaville at Sea out of the Port of Palm Beach. We are incredibly proud of what we’ve built at Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line and are appreciative of our loyal customers and trade partners who have stood by us through so much. We’re excited about this next phase of our evolution, rebranding as Margaritaville at Sea. The collaborative concept will add a different dimension to the cruising industry, appealing to a new audience of travellers,” added Oneil Khosa, CEO of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, who will serve as CEO of Margaritaville at Sea.

“Margaritaville at Sea will provide guests with Margaritaville’s authentic culture, entertainment, and food en route to a beautiful destination in Grand Bahama Island. The experience will be complemented by an unmatched, personalized approach to guest service from start to finish via valet service and exclusive cruise terminals for smoother embarkation and disembarkation. It’s the perfect partnership in paradise,” Khosa said.

While multiple sources in the industry told Cruise Industry News earlier this week that Margaritaville bought the cruise line, Bahamas Paradise denied this and in a statement said the ownership was “100% still the same.”

Bahamas Paradise’s Grand Celebration Likely Getting Scrapped

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Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Celebration is likely heading to the end of her cruise career as the ship is rumoured to have been sold for scrap and is currently sailing toward India, where the 1987-built vessel is expected to arrive in early January.

Company officials did not return a request for comment, while a separate Facebook post from the cruise operator reassuring guests they would return to service soon has since been removed.

The cruise line’s website has also been simplified recently, while its booking engine has been offline for at least three weeks.

“Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is pleased to announce that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lifted the no-sail order and provided new guidelines for cruises to resume sailing. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is now working to comply with all requirements to ensure a safe return for guests to Grand Bahama Island,” the company said, on its website, noting it will “be accepting reservations very soon.”

With the Grand Celebration presumably exiting the fleet, it leaves the company with the more modern Grand Classica under its banner, offering two-night cruises to the Bahamas from Palm Beach.