Tag Archives: hamburg

Hapag Lloyd takes delivery of new cruise ship

Posted on by
Reply

Hapag Lloyd takes delivery of new cruise ship

By Tom Stieghorst
The Europa 2 was transferred from the STX France shipyard to Hapag Lloyd Cruises, which will sail the new ship in the Mediterranean this summer.

The 516-passenger Europa 2 is the first newbuild for the luxury German operator in over a decade.

The $360 million cruise ship will be christened in Hamburg on May 10 and sail a 14-day maiden voyage to Lisbon.

Royal Caribbean set to upgrade Independence of the Seas

Posted on by
Reply

Independence of the Seas

Royal Caribbean set to upgrade Independence of the Seas

24Jan2013

As part of Royal Caribbean’s Revitalization program to upgrade all of its cruise ships to include amenities first introduced on the Oasis of the Seas, Independence o the Seas has recently been scheduled to have its upgrade take place in April 2013.

Independence of the Seas will receive

  • Outdoor movie screen

  • Cupcake Cupboard

  • Digital Signage

  • Pervasive Wi-Fi

  • Nursery

  • Giovanni’s Table specialty restaurant

The $7 million refurbishment will take two weeks, at which point Royal Caribbean will deploy Independence of the Seas to Southampton, England where on May 2, 2013 she will begin her summer season.  Some of the itineraries offered include some new shorter sailings such as a two-night cruise to Le Havre for Paris and three-night cruises to Le Havre for Paris and Zeebrugge for Bruges.

UPDATE; Independence has just left Southampton, and is on her way to Hamburg to start her refit. 

Cunard to celebrate 10th anniversary of QM2 in 2014

Posted on by
Reply

Cunard to celebrate 10th anniversary of QM2 in 2014

By Tom Stieghorst
Cunard Line announced its 2014 deployments, and said its Queen Elizabeth ship will spend the second half of the year in the Mediterranean.

This year, it is spending most of the summer in northern Europe before transitioning to the Med in late August.

Cunard said it will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Queen Mary 2 with two May commemorative crossings that include special events and celebrations.

QM2 will also make 10 crossings between New York and Hamburg that feature two-night tours of Hamburg and Berlin.