Carnival Boosting Fleet Capacity

Regal Princess

Regal Princess

 The world’s largest cruise ship operator Carnival Corporation & plc  said it would increase fleet capacity by nearly 10 percent from 2014 through 2016, fueled largely by the addition of four new ships across four brands in less than 18 months.

This week, Carnival Corporation is christening two new ships in the span of three days as its Princess and Costa brands host official naming ceremonies for Regal Princess and Costa Diadema, the latest new vessels to join the company’s  fleet of more than 100 ships across nine cruise brands.

Additionally, in 2015, the company’s P&O Cruises UK and AIDA brands will each debut a new ship, giving Carnival Corporation a total of four new ship additions by October of next year.

In addition, Carnival Corporation continues to expand its upgrades and refurbishments to existing ships. In 2015, the company plans upgrades or refurbishments on 17 ships across six of its brands.

The 2015 refurbishment plans include two former Holland America Line ships transferred to P&O Cruises Australia that will undergo complete refurbishment before sailing as Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden starting in November 2015.

The renovated ships will be tailored for Australian and New Zealand passengers.

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Carnival Corporation’s four new fleet additions in 18 months are part of the company’s plan to introduce nine new ships across seven of its brands between 2014 and 2017.

AIDA, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises UK, Princess Cruises and Seabourn are all expected to debut new cruise ships between now and the early part of 2017.

In 2016, Carnival Cruise Lines will debut Carnival Vista, a 133,500-ton ship that will be the largest ever in its fleet — with the ship being unveiled in a sneak preview in New York in January 2015.

Holland America Line will launch its newest ship, the 99,500-ton ms Koningsdam, a new Pinnacle Class ship that can carry 2,650 passengers.

Also in 2016, AIDA will introduce a new sister ship to the 2015 AIDAprima with capacity for 3,250 passengers, while Seabourn will unveil its newest luxury ship, expected to be the biggest ever built by the brand with the ability to serve 604 passengers.

Looking forward to 2017, Princess Cruises is working with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build a 143,000-ton vessel featuring the highly popular design elements introduced by the brand’s two newest ships, and sisters, the Royal Princess and sisters, the Royal Princess and Regal Princess.

Crew Member Dies in Life Boat Accident on the Coral Princess

A crew member on the Coral Princess was killed last Friday in a tragic accident involving a lifeboat while the cruise ship was in Colon, Panama.  The incident was first reported by Cruise Law News.

 

Two crew members were in a lifeboat doing maintenance work on the hull of the Coral Princess when a cable snapped dropping the boat into the water.  Both of the workers were sent to a local hospital for treatment but one of the men died from injuries.

Reports are stating that the cable snapped as the lifeboat was being raised back onboard the ship.

The crew member that passed away was Husnan Fauzan, a 10 year veteran who served as a SCP1 for Princess Cruises.  The other worker was Bosun Steven Bagshaw who is currently still in the hospital in stable condition.

Cruise Fever reached out to Princess Cruises and received the following statement:

“On October 24 two of our crew members were in one of the ship’s rescue boats doing some maintenance work on the hull of the Coral Princess.  When the boat was being raised back onboard the ship, one of the cables that raises and lowers the boat parted, and the boat dropped back into the water with our two crew members inside.

We immediately responded and discovered that these crew members had, unfortunately, sustained injuries which necessitated their transfer to a shoreside hospital for evaluation and treatment.

It is with an extremely heavy heart that we confirm that one of our crew members subsequently passed away from his injuries. This has devastated everyone across the entire Princess Cruises organization.

We are, and will continue to support his family during this difficult period.”

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Husnan Fauzan and the crew of the Coral Princess as they deal with this tragedy.

The Coral Princess is a 2,000 passenger cruise ship that has been in service since 2003. The ship was on a 12 night cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida that was sailing to the Southern Caribbean and Central America at the time of the incident.

– See more at: http://cruisefever.net/1101-crew-member-dies-in-life-boat-accident-on-the-coral-princess/#sthash.qDgLDNkx.dpuf

4 Reasons A Balcony is a Good Choice

Departing Cozumel

1) The Sights

Imagine waking up in the morning to a whale breaching the surface or a tropical port city approaching on the horizon. Yes, while these sights can also be seen through a standard porthole, you’ll be amazed at how these sights will leave you in awe or transport you to your “happy place” as you stand there and watch these sights in their true element – in the open air.

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2) Sailing Away

While similar to the aforementioned sights, soaking in the excitement of sail away from your private balcony is truly the way to enjoy the sail away experience. You’ll find this exciting time of your cruise much more relaxing and fun as you enjoy your own reserved space along the rail sailing away from Miami or Cozumel. It’s truly hard to beat.

Nieuw Amsterdam Day 1 149

3) Suntanning (Well, kinda)

This one can be tricky as it depends on your balcony’s actual design. Many cruise ships feature balconies that are partially covered or fully uncovered. This unique design practically creates a private suntanning area reserved just for you and your fellow cabin mates. Many of these “sunning” balconies may even feature full sun loungers depending on the stateroom’s design or category. Many “sunning” balconies aboard Princess’ Grand Class ship feature not only two sun loungers, but a table and chairs as well.

Lanai Stateroom (Room 333 Cat CA- Deck 6 MidshipVeendam - Holland America Line

4) Extra Space

One of my favourite reasons I sail with a balcony is the extra space it provides. Let’s be honest, most cruise ship staterooms aren’t exactly generous in space, so having some extra room to stretch out, take a nap, or even to just escape the indoors can be priceless. Plus, many families can take advantage of this extra space for changing before dinner or getting ready for the day. Rather than wait turns to use the bathroom to change, families can use the bathroom, stateroom, and balcony to change simultaneously.