Norwegian Bliss Completes Drydock in Europe

Posted on 5 February, 2025 by Spacejunkie2

Norwegian Bliss arriving into Southampton port, photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr account,

The Norwegian Bliss is currently returning to the United States following a drydock in Europe.

With the project done, the Norwegian Cruise Line vessel embarked on a trans-Atlantic crossing in England on Feb. 2, 2025.

Sailing from Southampton to Miami, the 13-night cruise is scheduled to make visits to destinations in Spain, France and Portugal before arriving in Florida.

The ship is then set to offer a weeklong cruise in the Caribbean before repositioning to the West Coast ahead of a summer deployment in Alaska and Canada.

As part of its two-week refurbishment project in Damen at Brest, the Norwegian Bliss underwent technical updates and routine maintenance, as well as class work.

The 2018-built ship also saw the creation of new public areas and venues onboard, including the Horizon Park.

Making its fleetwide debut onboard the Bliss, the new outdoor area serves as an entertainment and gathering space that offers lawn games, giant Jenga, reclining loungers for sunbathing and more.

The vessel underwent updates to its food and beverage offerings as well, with the expansion of two popular speciality dining restaurants: Cagney’s Steakhouse and Teppanyaki.

Palomar, which is described by Norwegian Cruise Line as an elevated seafood specialty dining venue, also made its debut on the ship.

After being first introduced on the Norwegian Prima in 2022, the restaurant replaced Ocean Blue onboard the Norwegian Bliss.

Other changes include updates to the vessel’s stateroom offerings, with the introduction of three-bedroom Premiere Owner’s Suites created in The Haven ship-within-a-ship complex.

These top-tier suites now include three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths and a separate dining room, in addition to fully refurbished living areas, master bedrooms and outdoor balcony furnishings.

Similar to its sister ships, the Norwegian Encore and the Norwegian Joy, the Norwegian Bliss also saw part of its Observation Lounge being replaced with 26 new balcony cabins.

Queen Anne Departs Southampton for Maiden World Voyage

Posted on 11 January, 2025 by Spacejunkie2

Queen Anne arrives at Historic Liverpool, photo credit Spacejunkie2 – Flickr

The Queen Anne set sail on her 107-night maiden world voyage from Southampton on January 9, 2025.

Spectators gathered to witness the ship’s 9 p.m. departure, highlighted by a fireworks display.

The 3,000-passenger ship will make its first stop in New York on January 17, 2025.

Over the course of 107 nights, the Queen Anne will visit 30 ports across 18 countries. Destinations include Miami, San Francisco, the Panama Canal, Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney, and Hong Kong. Guests will also cross the International Date Line on February 12, experiencing the rare event of “jumping through time.”

The itinerary also includes overnight stops in New York, Honolulu, Sydney and Singapore, with Queen Anne returning to the south coast on April 27, 2025.

Katie McAlister, president of Cunard, said: “This is a significant moment for Cunard as Queen Anne begins her maiden world voyage. Her first visit to the USA should be to New York, a city that has long been at the heart of Cunard’s story. This voyage celebrates our heritage while offering guests the opportunity to explore the world in the style and luxury only Cunard can provide. Queen Anne truly reflects the evolution of our brand, and this journey will be an unforgettable experience for all on board.”

MSC Cruises: Building New Technologies and Features

Posted on 6 May, 2024 by Spacejunkie2

To introduce new technologies to ships, the cruise industry needs to simplify access for guests as much as possible, said Francesco Pugliese, vice president of mobile and onboard digital technology at MSC Cruises.

While new developments pile up ashore, cruise lines need to be careful in the way they are implemented onboard, he said.

“We call it ‘keep it simple,’ which means simplifying access as much as possible for our guests. You need to consider all the scenarios and make sure they have a smooth experience,” Pugliese said, mentioning MSC Cruises’ MSC for Me mobile app.

While some guests will embark with the app installed on their phones, others will download it onboard, which can lead to different experiences.

“So, you need to ensure there’s always a smooth path but, of course, not forgetting the cybersecurity issues and challenges that we have,” Pugliese added.

The digital ecosystem onboard also needs to focus on the features that the guests are looking for, he said.

In addition to training crew to help passengers deal with the new technologies, cruise lines also need to ensure that they are communicating with guests in the right way, Pugliese said.

“It’s very important. That’s why we work in close collaboration with our marketing colleagues to explain to the guests, for instance, that the app is for free, which is something that they don’t always realize.”

Pugliese also said that, with new features on ships, the vessels are becoming one of the reasons why guests choose to embark on a specific sailing.

“They are not selecting their cruise based on itinerary anymore, they want to focus on the attractions and experiences that a ship can offer,” he explained.

“That’s why we developed a series of concepts that we implemented on our new ships, which are basically immersive,” Pugliese continued.

One of the new attractions is Starship Club, which is a bar that features a robot bartender who can make cocktails and entertain guests.

The venue was introduced onboard the MSC Virtuosa in 2021 and was later rolled out to other new buildings.

“You order your drink on a list of pre-defined cocktails and, while you wait for it to be prepared by the robotic bartender, you get immersed in a kind of experience that brings you to outer space,” Pugliese explained.

Pugliese highlighted the uniqueness of the cruise industry, which allows cruise lines to collect more data than other companies.

“We start collecting data from the very beginning when passengers purchase their cruise and want to personalize it. Once they get onboard, they usually stay seven days with us, so this means you can collect a huge amount of data,” he explained.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help in the process of understanding and analyzing this information, Pugliese added.