Star Kicks Off Norwegian’s 2023-24 Season in South America and Antarctica

Posted on 28 December, 2023 by Spacejunkie2

The Norwegian Star recently arrived in South America to kick off Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2023-24 in the region.

Extending through April, the local program features different itineraries to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, Chile, and Antarctica.

After concluding its summer program in Northern Europe, the 2,200-guest vessel arrived in Brazil in early December.

Before concluding its repositioning cruise in Rio de Janeiro, the Star visited several destinations in the country, including Recife, Maceió, Salvador and Búzios.

Continuing its way to the Southern tip of the continent, the ship also offered a ten-night cruise to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in mid-December.

The one-way cruise sailed from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires and featured visits to Búzios, Ilha Grande, Ilhabela, Santos, Balneário Camboriú, Punta del Este and Montevideo.

Once in Buenos Aires, the Norwegian Star kicked off the first sailing of a regular series of cruises to Argentina, Antarctica, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.

The 16-night cruise features visits to several destinations in the region, such as Puerto Madryn, Punta Arenas, Port Stanley and Punta del Este.

Before returning to Buenos Aires, the Norwegian Star is also scheduled to spend a few days cruising around Elephant Island and other parts of Antarctica.

After additional itineraries in the region, the 2001-built vessel is scheduled to return to Europe in mid-April, via a transatlantic crossing that starts in Rio de Janeiro and ends in Lisbon, Portugal.

In addition to the Star, Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2023-24 program in South America also includes the Norwegian Sun.

Between January and early March, the vessel is scheduled to offer a series of cruises to the Andes, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego that include visits to destinations in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and the Falkland Islands.

Carnival Cruise Line Announces New Enhancements

Posted on 27 December, 2023 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Cruise Line announced a series of new enhancements in time for the new year, from a revamped Chef’s Table and a dedicated cooking class to online improvements.

Dedicated Cooking Class with Chef Lagasse’s Favorites

Debuting onboard the Carnival Jubilee as part of the Carnival Kitchen offerings, the Carnival Culinary Center features a dedicated cooking class curated by Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse. Guests will learn to create a three-course meal with recipes selected by Emeril, including his New-New Orleans Pasta, Shrimp and Okra Gumbo with Filé and Strawberries Romanoff.

Chef’s Table Revamps with New Menu and Wine Selections

Carnival launched a new option for its Chef’s Table, a VIP culinary experience featuring a multi-course dinner hosted by the Executive Chef onboard. The experience starts with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for a group of 14, followed by a tour to see the galley in operation and a dinner of appetizers, entrees and desserts. The Chef’s Table 2.0 menu offerings are available fleetwide.

“Behind The Fun” Ship Tours Now Available Online

Carnival’s “Behind The Fun” tours will now be available for bookings pre-cruise on Carnival.com starting Jan. 1.

The new option will be rolled out fleetwide. To book, guests need to select the tour as a shore excursion under their ship’s homeport. An accessible, abbreviated tour is also now available for guests with disabilities.

New HUB App Feature

To simplify debarkation, the cruise line added a new feature to the HUB App. Guests no longer need to pick up zone tags for their luggage but can indicate a debarkation time via the app. Guests should list the number of bags to be placed outside their stateroom so the tags can be delivered directly to them.

VIFP members and suite guests will still receive special tags with priority debarkation as normal, and travelers who prefer not to use the app can still follow the traditional debarkation process.

Tourism Trinidad Welcomes MSC Seaside

Posted on 19 December, 2023 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Cruises’ Seaside made its inaugural visit to the Port of Spain in Trinidad on Thursday, December 14, just as passenger arrivals this season reached the 20,000 mark.

The arrival of the MSC Seaside marks the 18th call for the port so far for the 2023-24 season.

The ship arrived in Trinidad while sailing its 14-night Southern Caribbean voyage which departed from Fort de France, Martinique on December 9.

MSC Seaside’s visit brings passenger arrivals to 21,011 since the start of the 2023-24 season in October. Among these, an estimated 13,800 passengers have disembarked, with 25 percent opting for curated organized tours.

After leaving Trinidad, the MSC headed towards St Georges, Grenada. The itinerary also includes calls in Pointe A Pitre, Guadeloupe; Roseau, Dominica; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St Johns, Antigua; and Basseterre, St. Kitts before returning to Fort de France.

The port’s projections indicate that approximately 88,000 passengers and 30,000 crew will visit Trinidad’s shores during the 2023-24 season, representing an estimated 81 percent increase in passengers from last season.