12 | CRUISE NEWS
www.nitravelnews.com Princess Cruises Announces 2024 Alaska Season
PRINCESS Cruises has announced its summer 2024 Alaska cruises and cruisetours are now on sale. When visiting Alaska, guests choose Princess Cruises more than any other cruise line to set their sights on untamed wilderness, majestic glaciers, close-up wildlife and Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. Moreover, Princess Cruises takes more guests to Glacier Bay National Park than any other cruise line. The 2024 season marks the 55th anniversary for
Princess Cruises sailing in Alaska and seven ships are scheduled to depart from four home ports - San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and Anchorage (Whittier). In addition, guests can experience more of Alaska by combining the line’s signature “Voyage of the Glaciers” cruise itinerary with various land tour options, staying at exclusive Princess Wilderness Lodges. “As the leading cruise line in Alaska, we deliver
unforgettable holidays and we’re also the most recommended line by travel advisors to their trusted clients,” said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president. “We’re celebrating our 55th anniversary in 2024 cruising to this must-see destination, so whether it’s your first or fifth time visiting Alaska, we are ready to help guests make inspiring memories to last a lifetime.” Highlights of the 2024 Alaska season include: Cruises •
The Alaska 2024 season includes
158 departures on 14 unique itineraries with 17 destinations, including five glacier viewing experiences on seven ships. •
National Park. •
The season features 86 visits to Glacier Bay Three ships – Royal Princess, Sapphire
Princess (departing Saturdays), and Grand Princess (departing Wednesdays) - sail the “Voyage of the Glaciers” itinerary featuring two glacier-viewing experiences on each cruise. In addition, northbound
voyages include a “More Ashore” late-night stay in Juneau.
• Two ships – Discovery Princess
(newest Princess ship) and Majestic Princess – depart from Seattle on Saturdays and Sundays for seven- night “Inside Passage” cruises and include “More Ashore” late-night stays in Juneau. •
Crown Princess departs from San Francisco
on 11-night “Inside Passage” cruises and offer guests the unique opportunity of sailing under the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. •
Ruby Princess sails roundtrip from
Vancouver on seven-night “Inside Passage” cruises, with many departures including sailing Glacier Bay National Park. Cruisetours •
For guests looking to explore more of
Alaska, Princess Cruises offers a variety of cruisetours combining a seven-night “Voyage of the Glaciers” cruise with an extended three to 10 nights on land, staying at the cruise line’s exclusive Princess Wilderness Lodges. All cruisetours include a visit to Alaska’s top-two attractions – Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park. •
Cruisetours also offer the scenic
opportunity to experience Princess’ “Direct-to- Wilderness" rail service, departing directly from the ship in Whittier all the way to the Denali area for more time in the wilderness. •
Back by popular demand, the 17-night
Ultimate Princess Connoisseur cruisetour, features two nights at each one of the five Princess Wilderness Lodges, on the doorsteps of legendary national parks including Kenai Fjords and Wrangell St. Elias and Denali National Park. More information about Princess Cruises in Alaska can be found at
www.princess.com/alaska.
Sail Along The Seine as Viking Announces Additional River Ship
VIKING announces it will welcome a new Viking Longship, purpose-built for the Seine River, to its fleet in 2025. Sailing the company’s popular eight-day Paris and the Heart of Normandy itinerary, the new sister ship will join four Viking Longships that were officially named in 2022, the Viking Fjorgyn, the Viking Kari, the Viking Radgrid and the Viking Skaga. All five ships are designed specifically to navigate the Seine River and bring guests to the heart of Paris, just a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. “France continues to be among the most
popular destinations for our guests, and we are pleased to expand our fleet on the Seine River to meet that demand,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “With our exclusive docking location at Port de Grenelle, even more guests will soon be able to explore the ‘City of Light’ in the Viking way.” Hosting 168 guests in 84 staterooms, the
Viking Longships on the Seine River feature an Aquavit Terrace and a wide variety of stateroom choices, as well as Viking’s signature Scandinavian design aesthetic. The vessels feature a hybrid propulsion system with batteries and are also equipped for shore power to reduce reliance on fuel while in port. Onboard solar panels further contribute to the ships’ energy efficiency. Sailing roundtrip from Paris, guests on
Viking’s Paris & the Heart of Normandy itinerary explore Giverny and visit the beautiful gardens and charming farmhouse where Claude Monet lived and worked; trace the footsteps of Joan of Arc in Rouen; walk hallowed ground at Normandy’s American Military Cemetery and World War II beaches; and savour Normandy cuisine. This eight-day voyage along the Seine River celebrates history, art, food and customs in the country’s most dazzling urban and pastoral settings. To make a booking or for more information about Viking go to
www.viking.com
COIN CEREMONY FOR EXPLORA II TAKES PLACE AT FINCANTIERI SHIPYARD
THE coin ceremony of EXPLORA II, the second of up to six ships planned by the Cruise Division of MSC Group for its luxury brand Explora Journeys, took place at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard near Genoa in Italy. The time-honoured maritime ceremony saw commemorative coins placed inside the ship as a sign of blessing during construction and good fortune in the future by the newbuilds’ Godmothers, Feliciana Maresca, Executive Assistant to Explora Journeys’ Chief Executive Officer Michael Ungerer represented the owners and Martina Mosca, Supervisor of Hull Fabrication Department, for Fincantieri represented the ship builder. The event was attended by key executives including Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, Cruise Division, MSC Group, Michael Ungerer and Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO, Fincantieri. Michael Ungerer, Chief Executive Officer, Explora Journeys, said, “The event today is another major step forward on our mission to redefine ocean travel for today`s discerning luxury travellers. EXPLORA II – and her sister ship EXPLORA I, due to perform her inaugural journey in mid-July from Southampton, UK - will blend renowned destinations seen through a different lens and unique off-the-beaten- path ports, offering the next generation of luxury travellers highly curated,
transformative and
immersive experiences.” Between August 2024 and April 2025 EXPLORA II
will sail in the Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean and Africa and feature 82 ports in 26 countries.
February 2023
Uncover the Mediterranean this year with Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours
SUN-SEEKERS and cultural buffs in search of new adventures can enjoy new sights, tastes, and experiences – in six-star luxury – courtesy of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours (
www.scenic.
co.uk). This summer the azure blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea will welcome new ultra-luxury ship Scenic Eclipse II for its inaugural sailing. The hotly anticipated launch will see Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours’ new ship dock right into the heart of some of Europe’s most luxurious coastal towns and ancient cities allowing guests to immerse themselves in all the region has to offer. Those booking before 28 February can
take advantage of generous Super Earlybird savings* of up to £2,000 per person (or £4,000 per couple) and enjoy the added luxury of business class flights to enhance the trip.
Guests aboard Scenic Eclipse II are invited to join private excursions, not offered by any other cruise line. These ‘Enrich’ excursions take guests behind the scenes,
offering
private access to spellbinding experiences such as an exclusive flamenco show and private concert in Croatian Baroque church.
Antigua and Barbuda Welcomes P&O Cruises Arvia Homeporting Call
ANTIGUA and Barbuda have welcomed Arvia, the largest cruise vessel to ever visit the destination. The new vessel, owned by P&O Cruises, has a
5,200 passenger and 1,800 crew member capacity. The grand ship made its inaugural call at the Fifth Berth where it also conducted homeporting operations. During the official welcome ceremony held
by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and Antigua Cruise Port, to mark the momentous occasion, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, The Honourable Charles Fernandez remarked that the visit signifies a major development for our cruise sector. Of future homeporting arrangements, the tourism minister remarked, “We look forward to continuing homeporting
operations with great anticipation as it forms part of the plan to expand Antigua and Barbuda’s cruise tourism platform. We anticipate that this activity will reap significant rewards for several of our stakeholders including our taxi operators.” Arvia will be homeporting in Antigua and
Barbuda every other Saturday until March 11 2023 during this season. Arvia will also return for more homeporting operations in November 2023. Saturday’s (January 28) homeporting
exercise was coordinated by the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, Antigua Cruise Port, Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority, the Antigua & Barbuda Airport Authority, Customs & Excise Division, and the Immigration Department.
EXPLORA I is currently being built at Fincantieri’s
shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy and will launch Explora Journeys’ fleet in July 2023 with her inaugural sailing in Northern Europe. EXPLORA III will join Explora Journeys’ fleet
in 2026, and EXPLORA IV in 2027. If the options are confirmed, EXPLORA V and EXPLORA VI will join Explora Journeys’ fleet in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Emerald Cruises Unveil New 2024 Europe River Cruise Collection
STRONG demand for longer holidays has prompted Emerald Cruises (
emeraldcruises.co.uk) to add extra focus to its range of ‘Epic Voyages’ in the operator’s new 2024 Europe River Cruise brochure, out now. The
2024 collection of Epic Voyages includes the 15-day ‘Discover the Rhine and Rhône Rivers’ sailing and the 23-day Discover the Rhine, Main & Danube voyage capitalising on a growing trend for extended, feature-
packed itineraries which has become clear since the 2024 programme went on sale in November 2023. Andrea Stafford, director of trade
sales for Scenic & Emerald Cruises, said “We’re thrilled to say that
we’ve enjoyed really solid levels of sales since the preview of our 2024 programme went on sale. “ “What is clear is that there is a
real appetite among consumers for taking longer holidays again.”
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