The Time Is Right

It was a full moon over the weekend, and that meant the tides and the depth of the Ems River were right for Royal Caribbean's new Odyssey of the Seas to leave Meyer Werft at Papenburg, Germany, for its conveyance down the Ems River for its sea trials in the open sea. 

The second of the Quantum Ultra-class ships, it's packed with features, many of which carried over from the original Quantum-class, but one of the things most interesting about this ship is where it will debut and the conditions surrounding its launch which are a product of the times. 

Royal Caribbean has put together an especially good video with lots of graphics that illustrate the challenges. You may have to watch it a couple of times to catch all the figures and illustrations that fly by that aren't referenced in the narration. 

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

  

Meyer Lights Their Torch

Construction began last week on P&O's 184,700-ton Arvia when the first steel was cut at the Meyer shipyard in northern Germany. 

The complete story appeared in the February 23 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Rendering of Arvia when it is delivered in late 2022

Photos and renderings courtesy of P&O Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

The Future Becomes a Little More Human

The future is aboard MSC Virtuosa. MSC has the world's first humanoid robotic bartender at sea and he works in the futuristic MSC Starship Club.

The complete story appeared in the February 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

 Photos courtesy of MSC Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

A New Place for Pizza

If you're always on the lookout for a new place to have pizza. There will be a new one, but not quite yet. When Carnival's new Mardi Gras boards its first passenger on May 29, one of Carnival's favorites will be aboard, Pizzeria del Capitano, the home to Carnival's famous pizza.

Pizzeria del Capitano will be in La Piazza, one of six themed-zones on Mardi Gras.  

The complete story appeared in the February 9 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

A Viking Is Born

Fincantieri laid the keel for Viking Mars at their Ancona yard on February 4. It will be the eighth ship in the Viking Ocean Cruises' fleet, and the eighth sister that the Italian builder has built for the line. 

The complete story appeared in the February 8 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Photos courtesy of Fincantieri. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.