Tag Archives: Miami Beach

Cruise lines to help evacuate Irma-ravaged St. Thomas

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A picture shows a wrecked car in the streets of Marigot,
Damage caused by Hurricane Irma

Two cruise lines on Saturday said they were diverting ships to the hurricane-ravaged island of St. Thomas to drop relief supplies and evacuate stranded travelers.

Norwegian Cruise Line said it was sending the 2,004-passenger Norwegian Sky to the island with the goal of retrieving as many as 2,000 vacationers who were unable to leave before Hurricane Irma hit on Wednesday. The ship currently is off the coast of Mexico and should arrive in St. Thomas by late Monday.

Royal Caribbean said it was redirecting its 2,350-passenger Majesty of the Seas to the island to similarly evacuate several thousand travelers and also to drop water, food, ice and other provisions that are needed. The ship is off the west coast of Cuba and expected to arrive in St. Thomas on Tuesday.

The two ships are based in Miami and Port Canaveral, Fla., respectively, and currently are sailing without passengers. The lines previously had canceled their weekend sailings due to the approach of Irma and sent the ships toward Mexico to seek shelter from the storm.

Royal Caribbean also plans to redirect its 3,114-passenger Adventure of the Seas to the hard-hit island of St. Martin on Sunday for an unscheduled stop to drop relief supplies. The vessel is departing San Juan, Puerto Rico late Saturday on a previously scheduled cruise to the Southern Caribbean and is loading on provisions that are needed for a mounting relief effort.

Richard Branson’s cruise venture named Virgin Voyages

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Richard Branson, accompanied by dancers, makes his entrance during Tuesday’s Virgin Voyages event. Photo Credit: Robert Silk
 

MIAMI BEACH — The Virgin Group cruise line will sail under the name Virgin Voyages, the company said Tuesday.

“I’ve never fancied going on a cruise ship but I do fancy going on a voyage,” said Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, shortly after making his characteristically flamboyant entrance to the press conference at the Faena Hotel Miami Beach.

The line had been going by the name Virgin Cruises since the venture was announced in the summer of 2015.

Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin said that the company remains on track to take delivery of the first of three 110,000-gross-ton ships that it has on order from Fincantieri in 2020, with the next two ships to follow in 2021 and 2022.

Fincantieri will begin cutting steel in February, he said, and keel laying will come toward the end of 2017.

Virgin didn’t reveal many details about the vessels, which are each slated to carry 2,700 guests and 1,150 crew members. But the company is promising a transformative product that will differentiate the Virgin Voyages experience from other cruise lines.

“It’s incredibly exciting. It’s under lock and key,” Branson said of the design specifics and ship offerings, noting that he didn’t want Virgin’s competitors to learn too much too soon.

One thing McAlpin did reveal is that Virgin Voyages is the first cruise line to enter into a partnership with Climeon, a Swedish green energy solutions company.

Together the companies will install a system on the Virgin vessels that will convert the heat the ships produce into clean energy. Each ship will have six Climeon engine units, which will save an estimated 5,400 tons of carbon dioxide annually per vessel.

“It would take 180,000 trees 30 years to absorb this much CO2,” McAlpin said.

He said that Virgin has all but completed a multibillion-dollar financing deal with lead lending partners CDP and UniCredit, backed by the Italian export agency SACE.

“We just need the final rubber stamp from the Italian government,” McAlpin said.

3 New, Hip Miami Hotels for Cruise Passengers

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The Miami Beach Edition, Thompson Miami Beach and Yve Hotel Miami are ideal for discerning cruise passengers before and after sailingBy: Jimmy ImPortMiami sees four million cruise passengers a year, with 15 cruise lines sailing away to tropical destinations. Considering Miami’s top hotels, buzzing restaurants and myriad attractions, cruise passengers spend several days exploring the city pre- and post-sail.

To help your clients plan the perfect Miami visit, we rounded up three of Miami’s newest properties, all very unique in the hotel landscape.

The Miami Beach Edition
Take three household names, give them a prime location on South Beach and prepare for the most game-changing hotel the destination has seen in 20 years: The Miami Beach Edition.

Hotelier Ian Schrager, who put Miami on the map with the highbrow crowd more than 20 years ago with the opening of Delano Hotel, returns with an over-the-top, outside-the-box, whimsical hotel that defies all expectations of a Miami luxury property.

For one, it’s the first hotel on the beach where you can see the sea from the lobby. It’s also the first hotel with a separate, exclusive wing featuring one and two-level, ocean-view bungalows. In the basement, there’s ice skating and a bowling alley. And two outdoor pools are linked to a sprawling lawn, separate on-site beach area with beach bags and, of course, a snazzy outdoor bar.

Additionally, the spa is a highlight with steam rooms, a sauna and a massive fitness center. The hotel is glitz and glam in all the right places, particularly for money-is-no-object, Instagram-bragging travelers. Standard rooms with no view and no balcony average $600. Internationally-acclaimed Yabu Pushelberg design firm was careful with the interiors, preserving architectural details from the historic building while staying true to Schrager’s vision.

Schrager also partnered with world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten to handle all food and beverage. Clients will enjoy getting all dolled up for the signature restaurant Matador Room, a scene-stealer thanks to the unique, oval-shaped dining room. Here, Vongerichten offers his modern take on Latin cuisine inspired by Spanish, Caribbean and South American flavors.

Rooms at The Miami Beach Edition start at $429.

http://www.editionhotels.com

Thompson Miami Beach
Thompson Hotel has been banging out cool properties across the country, and Thompson Miami Beach — opened November 2014 — is the company’s most ambitious. While Thompson typically panders to the hip, jet-set variety, Thompson Miami Beach is groovy for all types of travelers.

Young and old alike will appreciate the well-preserved art deco design for its unique, retro-modern allure. Most of the hotel is outdoors — from the rooftop spa to the Crown Room vista deck to the exclusive sunbeds on the beach — which ensures your clients will get loads of that famous Florida sun.

The 380 guestrooms are understated, artsy and comfortably spacious, but most visitors sprawl out at the hotel’s two outdoor (and heated) pools, where sunbeds on a tiered deck ensure that everyone gets a view of all the action. There’s also an open-air spa, which features six cabanas.

Another next-level on-property feature is the historic 1930s house. It’s an actual, vintage home that was moved across the street to the hotel and transformed into a swanky lounge for the perfect, craft-cocktail nightcap.

Foodies have raged in all the right ways at signature restaurant Seapgrape, helmed by Miami-born, celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein. The Florida brasserie has garnered massive attention from locals, who approve of Bernstein’s creative and refined spin on the locavore-friendly menu featuring local produce, fish and other ingredients.

Rooms at Thompson Miami Beach start at $359.

http://www.thompsonhotels.com

Yve Hotel Miami
Open since December 2014 in downtown Miami, Yve Hotel Miami (formerly B2 Hotel) is a terrific boutique hotel for travelers not looking to splurge. It’s also a preferred hotel for cruise passengers, considering its convenient location next to Port Miami.

This 243-room property truly stands out by plugging into Miami’s local culture as much as possible. It taps into the city’s strong Latin influence by placing a Cuban coffee cart in the lobby and offers a taste of Miami’s thriving art scene through a partnership with a local gallery, Art Bastion, to curate hotel installations. Guests especially enjoy Miami-raised restaurateur’s Jeffrey Chodorow’s Biscayne Tavern, which serves craft beers and elevated comfort food.

Chic, nautical-themed guest rooms (in seven categories) come equipped with bay and city views, high-end Nest toiletries and seriously cushy beds. But guests might spend little time actually at the hotel as some of Miami’s best attractions are literally steps away.

Yve Hotel Miami is easy walking distance to Adrienne Arsht Center for concerts, opera and Broadway shows; American Airlines Arena for sporting events; and Bayfront Park for leisurely strolls or work outs (Yve can provides a jogging route, and yoga mats are available upon request). The new, buzzing Perez Arts Museum is a 20-minute walk, and Wynwood Art District (chockfull of restaurants and galleries) is a short Uber ride away. Miami Beach is about a 10-minute drive.

Rooms at Yve Hotel Miami start at $130.

http://www.yvehotelmiami.com