The new Wonder of the Seas from Royal Caribbean Internationals which, according to a press release, is the largest cruise ship in the world, is marking its debut reaching Port Everglades, where it arrived on Feb. 20.
The ship will spend her first few months in Florida offering five- to seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries which also includes CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island.
In May, the ship will head back to Europe, sailing seven-night Western Mediterranean voyages with passengers able to embark either at Barcelona, Spain or Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy.
In November, the ship will return to the U.S., to Port Canaveral, to offer six- and seven-night Caribbean itineraries.
“The Wonder of the Seas will energize cruising in a bolder and bigger way. Adding this ship to our already best-in-class fleet elevates the company is continuing to lead the industry with new features and innovation,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group.
The Wonder of the Seas was escorted by fireboats and welcomed with ship horn greetings.
The resumption of global cruise operations is keeping drydock busy around the world. With more cruise ships restarting service, cruise companies are rushing to get necessary work done before welcoming the passengers back onboard, as predicted by Cruise Industry News earlier this year.
In Europe some drydocks have seen a dramatic increase in the number of cruise ships projects, almost seemingly overnight.
Popular among several cruise lines, the Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz, Spain, has been one of the busiest facilities.. Working on vessels from brands such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Marella and Azamara, the yard currently has five ships in Cádiz, with two more on the way.
According to the local press, Navantia plans to work on18 cruise ship projects through the end of the year. the year.
The work performed by the facility includes necessary classification society inspections, technical maintenance and modernization. Recent work included the Liberty of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Celebrity Constellation, which underwent repairs and revision of propulsion and steering equipment, hydro blasting and application of silicone paint.
Marseilles, has also been a the hotspot, working closely with Carnival Corporation, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group’s Silversea.
Carnival completed four drydocks in the facility recently, with all vessels undergoing regular maintenance and a change of hull colors. A fifth Carnival vessel – the Carnival Legend – is currently at the shipyard, along with Silversea’s Silver Spirit.
Also recently,, the Palumbo Malta Shipyard worked on several MSC ships for their restart operations. Located in Valletta, the yard was partly acquired by the MSC Group in 2020 and currently has the MSC Preziosa docked there.
Bigger Projects Making a Comeback
While most of the current drydock projects are limited to mandatory and technical work, some vessels are also seeing significant refurbishment and conversion projects in 2021.
After virtually all those projects scheduled for 2020 were cancelled or postponed, a few are now being carried out.
Work on Carnival Victory was also resumed recently. The vessel is set to be transformed into the Carnival Radiance with all new interiors and revamped cabins in a $200 million project.
Another big project confirmed for the year is the conversion of the Silver Wind into an ice-class expedition vessel. Previously scheduled for 2020, the project is now set to be completed by the end of 2021.
ALMACO has announced the completion of a catering project for P&O Cruises’ new vessel, the Iona.
“Completing a project like this in the middle of a pandemic brought some unforeseeable challenges. Still, the project proceeded according to the plan and the co-operation with Meyer Werft run smoothly throughout the process. We are very proud of the end result,” ALMACO’s Project Manager at the building site, Valerie Maes, said.
According to a press release, ALMACO was contracted by Meyer Werft in January 2018 to provide catering solutions for the ship. Its scope of work consisted of the turnkey delivery and installation for all the cold rooms and freezer rooms – an area of around 1,900 sq. meters.
The Iona was delivered to P&O Cruises on Oct. 9, 2020. The vessel is the first British cruise ship to be powered by LNG, ALMACO said. It is also the largest, greenest, and most innovative ship in the P&O Cruises fleet.
ALMACO said that it is “very proud to have been a part of building this green, sea-friendly ship.”
The Iona will be sailing in Northern Europe, Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands.
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