Carnival ship’s transformation put on hold

The Carnival Victory will become the Carnival Radiance, but not in late April as previously planned.
The Carnival Victory will become the Carnival Radiance, but not in late April as previously planned.

Carnival Cruise Line is suspending work on the Carnival Victory’s refurbishment in Spain. After a $200 million overhaul, the ship is to be renamed Carnival Radiance.

The ship is drydocked in the city of Cadiz. Carnival said that travel restrictions have made it difficult to secure workers.

The Carnival Radiance’s four European sailings and transatlantic crossings have been cancelled and guests are being notified. The Radiance had been scheduled to make its debut on April 29 with a 10-day Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona.

Carnival said affected guests will receive a refund or can rebook and receive a $600 onboard credit.

Carnival has not cancelled a naming ceremony currently scheduled to take place on June 24 in New York City, followed by a four-day cruise to Bermuda.

The Destiny-class vessel is to get 115 additional cabins and new bars, restaurant and kids clubs. The ship will accommodate 2,998 passengers at double occupancy when the work is done.

Cunard releases details of upcoming QM2 refurb

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The Queen Mary 2 is getting 30 solo cabins.

Solo cabins and extra Britannia Club balcony staterooms being added to Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 will pay tribute to the liner’s art deco heritage while adding luxury touches, Cunard said in releasing details about the ship’s refit.

Fifteen solo cabins and 30 more Britannia Club rooms will be added to the ship in a 25-day refit scheduled for June 2016.

The designs will include softer color tones to enhance the feel of space and new contemporary carpet patterns inspired by the geometric diamond designs on the original Queen Mary, Cunard said.

Nine of the 15 solo cabins will be on Deck 2. Six larger single staterooms to be built on Deck 3L will feature two circular windows with bench seat cushions and a central console table.

“Catering to the changing tastes of our guests is a priority at Cunard,” said Richard Meadows, president of Cunard North America. He cited U.S. Travel Association figures showing that solo travelers comprise about 23% of all leisure travelers.

Meadows said Cunard was seeing strong demand for the Britannia Club accommodations, as well.