Video- Norwegian Sky cruises into Liverpool

Norwegian Sky arrives into the Historic Port of Liverpool, on a misty morning. Sky is on her farewell tour before she leaves the fleet in 2027.

The Norwegian Sky is a 77,104-ton Sun-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Launched in 1999, she is a more intimate ship compared to modern mega-ships, carrying just under 2,000 guests.

Ship Overview & Highlights

The Norwegian Sky is designed for a laid-back, traditional cruising experience. Despite its age, it underwent comprehensive refurbishments to keep up with modern amenities, including the addition of high-speed Starlink internet.

Guest Capacity: ~1,944 guests (double occupancy).

Crew: 899 crew members.

Length: 258 meters (846 feet).

Decks: 9 passenger-accessible decks.

Onboard Dining

NCL’s signature “Freestyle Cruising” means there are no assigned seating times or rigid schedules, letting you dine whenever and wherever you choose. The ship features a mix of complimentary and specialty dining options:

Complimentary Venues: The Palace and Crossings (Main Dining Rooms), the Garden Cafe (Buffet), and The Local Bar & Grill (casual pub fare).

Specialty Venues: Le Bistro (French), La Cucina (Italian), and Cagney’s Steakhouse.

Bars, Entertainment & Activities

With numerous bars and lounges, there are plenty of spots to unwind or keep the party going.

Nightlife: Champs Bar, Sugarcane Mojito Bar, and the Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar. The Bliss Lounge serves as a venue for trivia and games during the day, transforming into a lively nightclub late at night.

Relaxation: The ship boasts an award-winning Mandara Spa and Thermal Suite, as well as a central pool deck featuring jacuzzis and a stage for live music.

Family Features: The Splash Academy, a kids’ pool/jacuzzi, a video game room, and teen hangout areas.

I have sailed on her sistership Norwegian Star and they are wonderful, friendly, and with a great crew, we wish Sky and the crew all the best in the Indian cruise market for Cordelia Cruise.

Iglu swoops for rival Planet Cruise

By Lee Hayhurst

Cruise and ski specialist online travel agent Iglu.com has acquired rival Planet Cruise claiming the deal makes it the UK’s number one cruise retailer.

The deal, for an undisclosed sum, comes just over 12 months after Iglu secured venture capitalist funding from Growth Capital Partners (GCP) in a deal which valued the firm at £19 million.

That deal saw GCP take a “significant minority stake” in Iglu buying out previous investors Matrix Private Equity Partners.

GCP backed the planet buyout and the annual turnover of the combined business was said to be £135 million.

Both Iglu’s and Planet’s offices in Wimbledon and Portsmouth respectively will be retained as will all staff. Planet employs 75 people.

Iglu claimed the deal means customers will be the first in the country able to research their holidays via either its website, its mobile App, on a tablet or on television.

Iglu chief executive Richard Downs said: “This acquisition means we are going to be delivering the future of travel retailing today.

“With the convergence of TV and the web our customers will have access to the richest and most informed content whichever way they chose to access it.

“Iglu has long been the number one independent ski retailer in the UK and this deal makes us the number one retailer in cruise.”

Portsmouth-based Planet Cruise, which was founded in 2005 by husband and wife team Gary and Jenny West, launched a cruise show on the Ideal World Shopping Channel in January 2008.

It sells cruises on regular TV slots which on all digital platforms such as FreeView, Virgin, Sky and Freesat.

Planet Cruise managing director, Gary West, said: “Combining Iglu’s online capabilities and our strength on television is an exciting prospect.

“There is a natural fit in the two businesses coming together and we as a team here at Planet Cruise look forward to creating a new market leader.”

Iglu managing director, Simone Clark, added: “This is an extremely exciting chapter for Iglu – we’ll be keeping on all the staff and both offices as we plan to continue to grow both the Iglu and Planet Cruise businesses and we now have an even stronger team to take us forward.”

Iglu was founded by Downs in 1998 during his final year of an MBA at London Business School. It expanded into cruise in 2006 and now employs a team of 150.

Simon Jobson, partner at GCP, said: “This acquisition will make Iglu the largest cruise agent in the UK and the market leader in its field.

“We initially invested in the business having seen how brilliantly it capitalised on the huge increase in the popularity of online travel, especially in the cruise sectors and we recognised the potential for developing its online presence and growth by acquisition.”