Tag Archives: panama canal cruise

Holland America’s Noordam Resumes Service After Two Years

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The Noordam is reentering service for Holland America Line today in Florida.

After a 25-month hiatus, the 2006-built cruise ship is resuming commercial service with two repositioning cruises ahead of a summer program in Alaska.

First, the vessel is offering first a Panama Canal cruise. The 17-night voyage sails from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego and features visits to eight ports in Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico.

Once on the West Coast, the Noordam embarks on a four-night Pacific Coastal itinerary that links San Diego and Vancouver, with a stop in Victoria.

The vessel then starts its summer season in the Last Frontier, offering open-jaw cruises between Vancouver and Whittier.

Called “Glacier Discovery,” the vessel’s regular itinerary includes calls in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, in addition to cruising at the Glacier Bay and the Hubbard Glacier.

Concluding its Alaska program, the Noordam departs on a special 34-night repositioning voyage to the South Pacific in October.

The itinerary sails to Sydney and features calls in Hawaii, Kiribati, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Tonga and Australia – where the ship is poised to spend the next winter season.

The Noordam originally entered service in 2006 as the fourth ship in a series of four 82,000-ton cruise ships known as the Vista Class.

In 2019, the 1,900-guest vessel was subjected to a major refurbishment that included several upgrades to its cabins and public areas.

Additions comprise the Billboard Onboard to the Music Walk area, the Microsoft Studio in the Explorations Café and Fujifilm Wonder PhotoShop.

Suites were also refreshed with new soft goods, furniture and bathrooms and other areas such as the Pinnacle Grill, the Pinnacle Bar, the Greenhouse Spa and Salon, the Dining Room and Lido Market received extensive enhancements.

In addition to the Noordam, six cruise ships are currently sailing with guests for Holland America Line.

While the entire fleet is set to be in service by July, two additional vessels – the Oosterdam and the Zaandam – are returning in May.

Norwegian Bliss to sail from Miami in winter

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Norwegian Bliss to Cruise the Caribbean after a Alaskan season.

After spending its inaugural season in Alaska, the Norwegian Bliss will sail weeklong Caribbean cruises from Miami in winter 2017-18.

Beginning on Nov. 17, 2018, the Bliss will depart each Saturday on cruises that will call in St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau.

Norwegian Cruise Line will bridge the Alaska and Miami deployments with a five-day sailing from Vancouver to Los Angeles, four round trip Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles, and a 14-day Panama Canal cruise from Los Angeles to Miami.

A rendering of the Haven observation launge on the Norwegian Bliss.
A rendering of the Haven observation launge on the Norwegian Bliss.

The Bliss will journey through the Panama Canal’s new locks, along with calling in Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; and Cartagena, Colombia.

The Bliss is slated to enter service in June 2018, sailing Alaska cruises from Seattle.

Cruise lines cancel Puerto Vallarta port calls

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Civil unrest and violence around Puerto Vallarta led to cruise lines canceling ship calls there.

The Celebrity Infinity bypassed the Mexican port on May 10 for a day at sea, spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said. On May 12, Royal Caribbean International’s Jewel of the Seas will substitute a sea day for Puerto Vallarta.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (parent of Celebrity and Royal Caribbean) said the decisions were made “due to the recent episodes of violent civil unrest, stemming from criminal gangs that have engaged in armed conflict with local authorities.”

Disney Cruise Line distributed a letter to passengers on a 14-day Panama Canal cruise aboard the Disney Wonder explaining that the May 12 port call was being canceled, citing “several reports of unrest in the area around Puerto Vallarta.”

Disney said taxes, fees and port expenses associated with the visit would be refunded to the original source of payment used by the passenger to book the cruise.

The Carnival Miracle will continue with its scheduled May 12 stop, but some shore excursions have been canceled, a spokesman said.

The U.S. State Department issued an updated travel warning for Mexico on May 5 detailing the “risk of traveling to certain places in Mexico due to threats to safety and security posed by organized criminal groups in the country.”