MARCH 2020 PAGE 26 AFLOAT


HAL Bookings have opened for Holland America’s new Ryndam cruise ship, currently


under construction at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy and set to join the fleet in May 2021.


AMADEUS River Cruises will build a new riverboat set to debut in 2021 along the


Danube and the Rhine in Europe.


CELEBRITY Cruises cut steel on the third of its revolutionary Edge-class ships at a ceremony in France today. Celebrity’s presi- dent and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s chairman and CEO Richard Fain both attended the event.


FRED OLSEN Cruise Lines has announced a series of dedicated whale-watch-


ing cruises including the 16-night “A Voyage to Remote Spitsbergen,” round-trip Liverpool on Black Watch, departing June 25 and the 16-night “Fjords & Icebergs of Remote Green- land” round-trip Dover sailing on Boudicca departing August 11.


LANDBLAD Expeditions’ new polar expedition ship, National Geographic Endur-


ance, completed its first sea trials in Norway, near the entrance to the country’s famed Geirangerfjord.


THE RIVER Cruise Line is changing its name to Arena River Cruises in the run up


to launching a new premium vessel and ex- panding its cruise programme.


UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruise Collection has unveiled two new itineraries


that combine one of the company’s river cruises with a journey by land and rail in 2021. The company has partnered with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains to create journeys that will travel through Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.


P&O Cruises’ new ship, Iona, “floated out” at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papen-


burg, Germany, for the first time today.


CELEBRITY Cruises’ forthcoming Celebrity Apex passed another milestone as it completed its sea trials off the coast of France. The ship, will enter service on April 1, 2020, went through its sea trials in the Bay of Biscay and was overseen by more than 50 specialised crew members,


AMSTERDAM’s decision to impose a tax just on cruise passengers led to a 40pc


reduction in calls to the city in 2019.


CMV Cruise & Maritime Voyages acquired Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria from P&O Cruises Australia in 2021.


ROYAL Caribbean is advising passengers booked on its Southern Caribbean voyages


calling on Martinique that as of 2020, all pas- sengers will require a valid passport.


MSC Cruises introduced custom, accessible shore excursions designed for passengers with


all types of mobility in 20 destinations includ- ing 11 ports in the Caribbean and nine ports to come in the Mediterranean.


P T


Stena Estrid launched in a storm Stena adds capacity on Dublin-Holyhead corridor Estrid arrives


he newest addition to the Stena Line fleet started service on the Dublin to Holyhead


route on January 13, braving the ele- ments of Storm Brendan to complete her maiden voyage. Despite a chal- lenging introduction, customers have been taking to social media to praise the new ship and her staff. The three-


hour and 15 minute crossing Will give passengers a chance to


explored facilities including Estrid’s spectacular Sky Bar, two Happy World children’s play areas, a relax- ing Hygge reclining lounge, Stena Plus lounge, two movie lounges, bigger Truckers lounge, Taste res- taurant, and a bigger better shopping


C


LONG JOURNEY TO APEX REACHES CLIMAX


elebrity Cruises’ forthcoming Ce- lebrity Apex has


passed another mile- stone as it completed its sea trials off the coast of France last week. The ship, which will


enter service on April 1, 2020, went through its sea trials in the Bay of Biscay and was overseen by more than 50 spe- cialized crew members, including engineers and


&O Cruises has con- firmed Azura will head to the shipyard


nautical experts. Despite strong winds and heavy seas, the ship performed admirably, the company said today in a state- ment.


“The purpose of a sea


trial is to test the func- tionality of the ship, but this wasn’t just any sea trial -- and Celeb- rity Apex isn’t just any ship,” said Lisa Lut- off-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity


experience. The ship also has 175 onboard cabins, including six deluxe cabins with double beds and balcony access. A sister ship Stena Edda is due to


start service from Belfast to Liver- pool in March this year, with a third next generation ferry Stena Embla due on the same route in early 2021.


Cruises. “In typical Edge Series-fashion, the ship absolutely ex- ceeded our expectations, performing perfectly in line with our above-and- beyond operating stan- dards.”


Celebrity Apex is the


sister ship to Celeb- rity’s groundbreaking Celebrity Edge, which debuted at 2018.


the end of


Lisa Lutroff-Perlo and Richard Fain cutting steel


P&O PLAN REFURB OF AZURA


pean repositioning. The 12-day dry dock


in Ferrol, North Spain, for a multimillion-pound up- date from April 3, 2020, following the ship’s Euro-


will see Azura get open deck areas reworked to improve outdoor dining venues, new canopies and deck furniture will be


added and swimming pools and the poolside areas will be refreshed. entertainment venues


and children’s space H20 will be upgraded; Blue bar, Brodie’s, Malabar and the


poolside Terrace Bar will offer draught beer on tap and The Retreat and The Oasis Spa will offer new treatments and spa experi- ences.


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