Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling the first and second sailings of the new Norwegian Viva.
Citing construction delays, the company said the 3,215-guest ship won’t be ready in time for the cruises, which were set to depart on June 15 and June 24, 2023.
In a statement sent to booked guests, Norwegian informed that the cancellations were a result of “global supply chain constraints impacting industries worldwide and the related downstream construction delays at the shipyard.”
According to the company, impacted passengers will receive a full refund to the original form of payment, with no further actions required on their part.
“We are committed to always putting our guests first. This includes providing information regarding any changes to voyages with as much notice as possible,” Norwegian added.
Opening up the ship’s inaugural summer in the Mediterranean, the cancelled cruises included visits to several countries in Europe.
A one-way, nine-night voyage, the inaugural sailing was set to depart Portugal, calling in various destinations in Spain and France before arriving in Italy.
An open-jaw itinerary as well, the second cruise was set to sail between two Italian ports: Civitavecchia and Trieste.
The nine-night voyage also featured visits to other ports in the country, in addition to popular destinations in Croatia, Greece, Malta and Slovenia.
The Norwegian Viva is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Second, in a series of six ships known as the Prima Class, the vessel will be a sister of the new Norwegian Prima.
Set to debut this year, the 142,000-ton vessel is also entering service later than initially planned due to supply chain issues. Norwegian informed guests booked on the ship’s inaugural voyage that their cruise was no longer going ahead.
Also being built in Marghera, the Prima was set to depart on August 17, 2022. Ahead of a christening ceremony in Reykjavik, the vessel was offering an eight-night cruise from the Netherlands to Iceland.
As the first major U.S. cruise line with its full fleet back in guest service since the industry’s restart in 2021, Carnival Cruise Line has now reached the milestone of welcoming two million guests, according to a press release sent out on Thursday.
The milestone was commemorated today in Port Canaveral, Fla. aboard Carnival Freedom as the Gibbs family – Daniel and Kristi with son Mason and grandmother Theresa Campbell – from Ocala, Fla. boarded the ship. They were surprised with fanfare from Carnival Freedom’s Captain Mario Imbimbo, Hotel Director, Cruise Director and team members.
In addition, during this time, guests have taken more than 1.3 million shore excursions in Carnival’s destination ports, and two million Carnival-branded items have been sold in the gift shops fleetwide, including 150,000 items from the line’s 50th Birthday collection.
“We are so pleased to have sailed two million guests since our restart, providing much-needed vacations featuring our signature fun to an array of destinations in the Caribbean, The Bahamas, the Mexican Riviera, Alaska and Europe,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “All the while, providing an economic boost to those destinations and providing our crew members with opportunities to support their families.”
Carnival will restart in its 14th homeport of New York City in June with Carnival Magic and has announced plans that Carnival Splendor will restart in Australia following its Alaska season with a three-day cruise departing Sydney on October 2, 2022.
And in November, Carnival’s newest ship, Carnival Celebration, featuring a roller coaster and powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), will debut in Miami.
MSC Cruises has opened sales for the MSC Euribia, the line’s most environmentally advanced ship in its fleet and its second LNG-powered ship currently under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France, due to launch in early June 2023.
The ship will spend her inaugural season in Northern Europe from the German port of Kiel.
The Euribia will offer seven-night itineraries sailing to the Norwegian fjords with calls including Copenhagen, Denmark; Hellesylt, Norway for the Geirangerfjord; as well as Alesund and Flam, also in Norway, among others.
According to a press release, Euribia will look different from her sister ships in the Meraviglia-Plus class, thanks to “an exclusive artwork designed as a commitment by MSC Cruises to the sea.”
The cruise line held an exclusive international design competition through Talent House to create a “unique artwork” for the ship’s hull, inspired by the sea and its important marine ecosystem.
The design highlights “the steps that the company is taking towards a greener future” and will be featured on the ship’s hull permanently.
MSC said that it had designs from 59 countries worldwide submitted. The winner was German artist Alex Flaemig whose artwork will adorn the ship’s exterior.
Five finalists will have their designs displayed onboard the ship in a new art gallery, MSC said.
Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, Pierfrancesco Vago, said: “In response to the growing need to protect the ocean for future generations, we have made it our mission to equip our ships with the latest and most advanced environmental technologies and solutions, with MSC Euribia showcasing the best of them to-date.
“The contest to design the hull for our latest LNG ship was launched to help us communicate our unwavering commitment to the environment as this ship sails the world.
“Flaemig’s design perfectly captured this message of passion and dedication to preserving the marine environment and its complex ecosystem and delivers a strong call to action to everyone who sees this ship to save the seas.”
Competition winner Alex Flaemig added: “In order to make people even more aware of this unique underwater world with its precious life, I have graphically placed a small section of this ecosystem on the hull of the MSC Euribia. What was important to me was not only the representation of the underwater world but also a message about how it should be preserved.“
I also want to express that an intact sea is also the basis for a healthy ecosystem on land. I want to emphasize this with the representation of birds, insects and leaves, and last but not least with the globe. It is still important to me to inspire people and encourage them to participate.”
Flaemig is a native of Dresden, Germany, and was inspired by “the opportunity to transform the hull of the MSC Euribia into a giant, floating canvas to highlight the importance of respect for the environment.”
His #SaveTheSea design features an underwater world with its precious life and weaves together the colours of the MSC Cruises and MSC Foundation logos, the cruise line said. This blending creates a gradient effect that paints sea fauna and flora across the hull.
The winning artwork was selected from entries from around the world by a panel of international judges including sand artist Jben, known for his large-scale sand frescoes that wash away with the tide, architect Martin Francis and Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, Pierfrancesco Vago.
Euribia will come into service in 2023 and become the second LNG-powered ship in the MSC Cruises fleet. The cruise line said that LNG plays a “key role” in the journey towards climate change mitigation and will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 25 per cent on the Euribia compared to standard fuels while also virtually eliminating other air emissions.
As bio and synthetic fuels become available, Euribia’s emissions will be further reduced, according to the press release.
LNG is key to the development of low carbon solutions for shipping as emerging technologies such as fuel cells can be operated with LNG until zero emissions bio-LNG or green hydrogen become available at scale.
MSC Cruises said it is “actively involved” in several projects to develop and make these technologies viable in partnership with regulators, academia, shipyards and industry. This includes a project to study the use of hydrogen fuel in cruise ships in partnership with Fincantieri and SNAM, as well as a pilot project for the development of solid oxide fuel cell technology for cruise ships with Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Bloom Energy.
Euribia will utilize an advanced wastewater treatment system, as well as an underwater radiated noise management system to minimize the effects of vibrations on marine life. Multiple energy efficiency features help reduce and optimize engine use.
MSC Cruises stated it was committed to powering at least three upcoming ships with LNG, representing a total investment exceeding 3 billion euros.
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