Tauranga to the Rescue

A couple of weeks ago we told you how Royal Caribbean’s plans for part of the inaugural season of Ovation of the Seas may have been scuttled when the Port of Auckland decided they didn’t want to make modifications to a pier to accommodate the huge 168,666-ton ship. Without Auckland as the turnaround port, the entire New Zealand program may have had to be canceled, since other ports on the itinerary just didn’t have the international air lift necessary.

But yesterday it was revealed that the Port of Tauranga has stepped up and is making necessary modifications in time to handle the giant ship during the 2016/2017 (austral) summer season. Passengers will fly in and out of Auckland and sail from Tauranga.

The complete story appeared in the May 13 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Thanks, but No Thanks

Ports around the world are vying for the opportunity to host a cruise ship, and more than anything they’d like to host one for a series of turnarounds. Now imagine one of the world’s largest cruise lines coming to a port unsolicited and offering them that opportunity for what will be their newest ship, and second largest type in the world carrying 5,000 passengers. Who would turn down an opportunity like that?

Auckland, New Zealand. That’s who!

It seems Auckland has decided to tell Royal Caribbean they can't host four turnarounds of Ovation of the Seas during the 2016-2017 season.

The complete story appeared in the May 1 edition of Cruise News Daily.