* Silver Wind Returns
Silversea’s Silver Wind has returned to service following a two-week dry dock in Palermo partially remodeled, but everywhere freshened up.
* Did You Miss Something?
In case you hadn’t realized it, this is hurricane season, and it wraps up on Saturday.
Contrary to all the predictions of above-average storm activity this year, the Atlantic hurricane season was easy to miss because it had the fewest hurricanes in three decades.
* Engines Sold Separately
If you buy a car, it comes with an engine. You might have a couple of options to upgrade it, but it’s a given that some engine comes with the car. Most cruisers never think about it, but when a cruise line builds a ship, the engines are ordered separately and are chosen in conjunction with engineers from the shipyard.
What brings this up is that Carnival has just chosen the engines that will power Carnival Vista, the 135,500-ton ship that Fincantieri will deliver in the spring of 2016. More
The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Quick Look at Engines Carnival Chose for Carnival Vista
To power the 135,500-ton Carnival Vista, which will be the largest ship in their fleet, Carnival has chosen five 48/60CR engines from MAN Diesel & Turbo. An almost-identical version is shown below. Carnival Vista, which is the first of a new class, is expected to be delivered by Fincantieri in the spring of 2016.
Photo courtesy of MAN Diesel & Turbo. May not be used or reproduced without permission.
Photo courtesy of MAN Diesel & Turbo. May not be used or reproduced without permission.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 26, 2013
* Going Virtual
MSC has added a new virtual dimension to cruising aboard MSC Divina in the Caribbean. Passengers can download an app which they can use for free aboard the ship, and it will give them all sorts of information and services while aboard.
* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about moaning in Nassau ... "floating" through NYC (more) ... all talk (more) ... and now arriving in Bremerhaven (more)
The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.
MSC has added a new virtual dimension to cruising aboard MSC Divina in the Caribbean. Passengers can download an app which they can use for free aboard the ship, and it will give them all sorts of information and services while aboard.
* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about moaning in Nassau ... "floating" through NYC (more) ... all talk (more) ... and now arriving in Bremerhaven (more)
The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.
Sneak Peek Behind the Scenes Building Royal Caribbean's Float for Macy's Parade
What you didn’t know about this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
November 26, 2013 - It all started in 1924 with a small group of energetic Macy’s employees and live animals from the Central Park Zoo. Now, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a world-renowned holiday event, featuring huge, high-flying balloons and floats, performances by some of today’s most popular artists and over 8,000 volunteers.
Whether you brave the cold to attend the parade in person or catch it on TV while whipping up mashed potatoes and stuffing, you probably recognize that hours of creativity and planning go into it. Did you know that all 26 of the Macy’s Parade Studio staff work on any given float, or that each float must be dismantled pre-parade to fit through a toll booth?
John Piper, Vice President of Macy’s Parade Studio, is gearing up for his 33rd parade this Thanksgiving. The event will feature 30 custom-made and custom-designed floats, which means everyone on staff has had to wear multiple hats to get everything ready.
“Carpenters are also welders and the welders are also sculptors and the painters are sculptors or illustrators and the designers work on the production as well,” he said. “Everyone collaborates together.”
One of the biggest challenges for the Studio staff is ensuring the floats are built to be dismantled for their trip through the Lincoln Tunnel the night before the parade.
“Even though they are three bus lanes wide and three or three and half stories tall, they all have to be engineered so that they’re no more than twelve and a half feet tall, eight and half feet wide in their dismantled aspect,” Piper said.
Once the floats make it through the tunnel, the Studio staff and a team of volunteers work through the night reassembling all the floats to full size so they are ready for their debut on Thanksgiving morning.
In the video above, Piper talks specifically about the making of Royal Caribbean’s “A World at Sea” float, which is debuting this year. Crafted with 50 gallons of paint, three pallet loads of plywood, thirty-six inverted casters and more, the float features a giant turntable with three scenes from the cruise line’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas: the zip-line, rock wall and FlowRider surf simulator.
Riding on “A World at Sea” and singing Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York during the parade will be Quantum’s godmother, Kristin Chenoweth. According to Piper, Chenoweth already provided some help with the float – and kept his team organized in the process.
“She came to the studio and was here directing my team and making sure everything was shipshape and just the way she wanted it to be for this brand new float,” he said. “And the end of the day, I was like ‘Do you really have to go? We got an awful lot done today with you kind of cracking the whip…’”
To see Chenoweth and the Studio staff’s float handiwork WOW the crowd, tune into watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC-TV on Thursday, November 28, from 9 a.m. to noon, or head to Manhattan’s 6th Avenue for some in-person viewing. You’ll be the most float-savvy person there.
Source: Royal Caribbean International
November 26, 2013 - It all started in 1924 with a small group of energetic Macy’s employees and live animals from the Central Park Zoo. Now, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a world-renowned holiday event, featuring huge, high-flying balloons and floats, performances by some of today’s most popular artists and over 8,000 volunteers.
Whether you brave the cold to attend the parade in person or catch it on TV while whipping up mashed potatoes and stuffing, you probably recognize that hours of creativity and planning go into it. Did you know that all 26 of the Macy’s Parade Studio staff work on any given float, or that each float must be dismantled pre-parade to fit through a toll booth?
John Piper, Vice President of Macy’s Parade Studio, is gearing up for his 33rd parade this Thanksgiving. The event will feature 30 custom-made and custom-designed floats, which means everyone on staff has had to wear multiple hats to get everything ready.
“Carpenters are also welders and the welders are also sculptors and the painters are sculptors or illustrators and the designers work on the production as well,” he said. “Everyone collaborates together.”
One of the biggest challenges for the Studio staff is ensuring the floats are built to be dismantled for their trip through the Lincoln Tunnel the night before the parade.
“Even though they are three bus lanes wide and three or three and half stories tall, they all have to be engineered so that they’re no more than twelve and a half feet tall, eight and half feet wide in their dismantled aspect,” Piper said.
Once the floats make it through the tunnel, the Studio staff and a team of volunteers work through the night reassembling all the floats to full size so they are ready for their debut on Thanksgiving morning.
In the video above, Piper talks specifically about the making of Royal Caribbean’s “A World at Sea” float, which is debuting this year. Crafted with 50 gallons of paint, three pallet loads of plywood, thirty-six inverted casters and more, the float features a giant turntable with three scenes from the cruise line’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas: the zip-line, rock wall and FlowRider surf simulator.
Riding on “A World at Sea” and singing Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York during the parade will be Quantum’s godmother, Kristin Chenoweth. According to Piper, Chenoweth already provided some help with the float – and kept his team organized in the process.
“She came to the studio and was here directing my team and making sure everything was shipshape and just the way she wanted it to be for this brand new float,” he said. “And the end of the day, I was like ‘Do you really have to go? We got an awful lot done today with you kind of cracking the whip…’”
To see Chenoweth and the Studio staff’s float handiwork WOW the crowd, tune into watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC-TV on Thursday, November 28, from 9 a.m. to noon, or head to Manhattan’s 6th Avenue for some in-person viewing. You’ll be the most float-savvy person there.
Source: Royal Caribbean International
Cunard Sets "Insight" Speakers for Early 2014
Cunard Speaker Programme Celebrates 40 Years With Exciting Line-up for Early 2014
26 November 2013 - Cunard was the first cruise company to introduce speakers as a key part of its entertainment schedule on board and in the four decades since 1974, its award-winning speaker programme has featured eminent names with expertise ranging from gardening to astronomy. Such diverse personalities as Nelson Mandela, John Cleese, Baz Luhrmann and President Jimmy Carter have been just a few among the many luminaries featured in Question and Answer sessions on board. Captains of Concorde have discussed the marvels of supersonic flight while Captains of Industry have offered tips on how to make your first million.
The first four months in the 40th anniversary year of Cunard’s speaker programme – Cunard Insights - will see a number of leading lights join Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria as the Cunard fleet tours the world: celebrated authors Bill Bryson and Sir Max Hastings, award-winning TV writers Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais, eminent Professor of Science and Society Lord Winston, broadcaster and Royal commentator Jennie Bond, and Falklands and Counter-Terrorism expert Admiral Lord West.
“The quality of our ‘Insights’ speaker programme on board our ships is something which sets Cunard apart and we are delighted to welcome such pre-eminent and internationally respected figures to our 2014 world cruise speaker line-up,” said David Dingle, CEO, Cunard Line. “They will bring an extra dimension of interest and engagement to our passenger experience on board,” Dingle added.
Bill Bryson: Queen Elizabeth: 18 January – 5 February
New York – Fort Lauderdale – Aruba – Limon (Costa Rica) – Panama Canal – Puntarenas (Costa Rica) – San Francisco
Internationally renowned as a writer and broadcaster, Bill Bryson is the best-selling author of books such as “Notes from a Small Island” and “A Short History of Nearly Everything,” a science volume that won the Descartes prize. His latest work is “One Summer – America 1927.” His books have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Although American, Bryson is an honorary OBE and a noted anglophile who is President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Chancellor of Durham University and a former commissioner of English Heritage.
Sir Max Hastings: Queen Mary 2: 28 January – 19 February
Cape Town – Durban – Mauritius – Fremantle – Melbourne – Sydney
Sir Max Hastings is an author, journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in every British national newspaper. He now writes regularly for the Daily Mail and Financial Times, of which he is a contributing editor, and reviews for the Sunday Times and New York Review of Books.
He has written twenty-two books and his latest, “Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War,” has just been published to wide acclaim. He has received awards both for his books and journalism.
He was editor, then editor-in-chief, of The Daily Telegraph from 1986-1995, and of the Evening Standard 1996-2002.
Lord Robert Winston: Queen Mary 2: 2 – 29 March
Bali – Fremantle – Adelaide - Melbourne – Sydney – Brisbane – Cairns – Kota Kinabalu – Shanghai
Robert Winston first achieved prominence as an expert in human fertility. Now the first Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies there, he runs a research programme with a long-term aim of improving human transplantation. He is also Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, Chairman of the Royal College of Music and was voted “Peer of the Year” in 2008 by his fellow Parliamentarians for his expertise and work on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais: Queen Mary 2: 10 – 27 January
Southampton – Madeira –Tenerife – Walvis Bay, Namibia – Cape Town
Together, this comedy-writing duo have enjoyed a unique creative partnership spanning more than four decades. From “The Likely Lads” in the 1960’s, to the award-winning follow-up series, “Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?”, the team went on to create “Porridge,” starring Ronnie Barker. They wrote “The Prisoner of Zenda,” with Peter Sellers playing twin roles and worked extensively on “Never Say Never Again,” with Sean Connery in the role of James Bond. They scored another hit in the eighties with “Auf Wiedersehen, Pet,” and Ian also created the long-running series “Lovejoy,” starring Ian McShane.
In recent few years they have been as busy as ever, including adapting “The Rotters’ Club” and “Archangel,” starring Daniel Craig, for the BBC.
Jennie Bond: Queen Victoria: 12 – 28 January
Fort Lauderdale – Barbados – Fortaleza (Brazil) – Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) – Montevideo (Uruguay) – Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Jennie Bond has been broadcasting about Britain’s Royal Family for 25 years, through some of the most turbulent times the monarchy has known. For 14 years she was the BBC’s Royal Correspondent. She’s also well-known on British television as a presenter of the antiques show “Cash in the Attic” – along with a rich variety of other programmes such as “Rip Off Britain,” “Great British Menu” and numerous game shows. But it was probably her time in “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here,” when she was buried in a coffin full of rats in the Australian jungle, that made her a household name
Admiral Lord West: Queen Victoria: 28 January – 9 February
Buenos Aires – Puerto Madryn (Argentina)– Cape Horn – Ushuaia (Agentina)– Punta Arenas (Chile) – cruise by Amalia Glacier – cruise by PIO X Glacier – Puerto Montt (Chile) – Valparaiso (Chile)
Admiral The Right Honourable Baron West of Spithead, GCB, DSC, PC, ADC, DUniv, is a former First Sea Lord and Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism. He spent the majority of his naval career at sea. He took command of the frigate HMS Ardent, taking her south to the Falkland Islands in 1982. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his part in the action and led the Victory Parade through the City of London.
He became First Sea Lord in 2002. He led the Navy during its successful role in the initial invasion of Iraq. He has advised both Conservatives and Labour on defense and foreign policy and joined the government team responsible for national security and counter-terrorism as well as cyber and Olympic security.
He is currently Chancellor of Southampton Solent University, Naval Trustee of the Imperial War Museum plus a number of other appointments.
Source: Cunard Line
26 November 2013 - Cunard was the first cruise company to introduce speakers as a key part of its entertainment schedule on board and in the four decades since 1974, its award-winning speaker programme has featured eminent names with expertise ranging from gardening to astronomy. Such diverse personalities as Nelson Mandela, John Cleese, Baz Luhrmann and President Jimmy Carter have been just a few among the many luminaries featured in Question and Answer sessions on board. Captains of Concorde have discussed the marvels of supersonic flight while Captains of Industry have offered tips on how to make your first million.
The first four months in the 40th anniversary year of Cunard’s speaker programme – Cunard Insights - will see a number of leading lights join Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria as the Cunard fleet tours the world: celebrated authors Bill Bryson and Sir Max Hastings, award-winning TV writers Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais, eminent Professor of Science and Society Lord Winston, broadcaster and Royal commentator Jennie Bond, and Falklands and Counter-Terrorism expert Admiral Lord West.
“The quality of our ‘Insights’ speaker programme on board our ships is something which sets Cunard apart and we are delighted to welcome such pre-eminent and internationally respected figures to our 2014 world cruise speaker line-up,” said David Dingle, CEO, Cunard Line. “They will bring an extra dimension of interest and engagement to our passenger experience on board,” Dingle added.
Bill Bryson: Queen Elizabeth: 18 January – 5 February
New York – Fort Lauderdale – Aruba – Limon (Costa Rica) – Panama Canal – Puntarenas (Costa Rica) – San Francisco
Internationally renowned as a writer and broadcaster, Bill Bryson is the best-selling author of books such as “Notes from a Small Island” and “A Short History of Nearly Everything,” a science volume that won the Descartes prize. His latest work is “One Summer – America 1927.” His books have sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
Although American, Bryson is an honorary OBE and a noted anglophile who is President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Chancellor of Durham University and a former commissioner of English Heritage.
Sir Max Hastings: Queen Mary 2: 28 January – 19 February
Cape Town – Durban – Mauritius – Fremantle – Melbourne – Sydney
Sir Max Hastings is an author, journalist and broadcaster whose work has appeared in every British national newspaper. He now writes regularly for the Daily Mail and Financial Times, of which he is a contributing editor, and reviews for the Sunday Times and New York Review of Books.
He has written twenty-two books and his latest, “Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War,” has just been published to wide acclaim. He has received awards both for his books and journalism.
He was editor, then editor-in-chief, of The Daily Telegraph from 1986-1995, and of the Evening Standard 1996-2002.
Lord Robert Winston: Queen Mary 2: 2 – 29 March
Bali – Fremantle – Adelaide - Melbourne – Sydney – Brisbane – Cairns – Kota Kinabalu – Shanghai
Robert Winston first achieved prominence as an expert in human fertility. Now the first Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London and Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies there, he runs a research programme with a long-term aim of improving human transplantation. He is also Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, Chairman of the Royal College of Music and was voted “Peer of the Year” in 2008 by his fellow Parliamentarians for his expertise and work on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais: Queen Mary 2: 10 – 27 January
Southampton – Madeira –Tenerife – Walvis Bay, Namibia – Cape Town
Together, this comedy-writing duo have enjoyed a unique creative partnership spanning more than four decades. From “The Likely Lads” in the 1960’s, to the award-winning follow-up series, “Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?”, the team went on to create “Porridge,” starring Ronnie Barker. They wrote “The Prisoner of Zenda,” with Peter Sellers playing twin roles and worked extensively on “Never Say Never Again,” with Sean Connery in the role of James Bond. They scored another hit in the eighties with “Auf Wiedersehen, Pet,” and Ian also created the long-running series “Lovejoy,” starring Ian McShane.
In recent few years they have been as busy as ever, including adapting “The Rotters’ Club” and “Archangel,” starring Daniel Craig, for the BBC.
Jennie Bond: Queen Victoria: 12 – 28 January
Fort Lauderdale – Barbados – Fortaleza (Brazil) – Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) – Montevideo (Uruguay) – Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Jennie Bond has been broadcasting about Britain’s Royal Family for 25 years, through some of the most turbulent times the monarchy has known. For 14 years she was the BBC’s Royal Correspondent. She’s also well-known on British television as a presenter of the antiques show “Cash in the Attic” – along with a rich variety of other programmes such as “Rip Off Britain,” “Great British Menu” and numerous game shows. But it was probably her time in “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here,” when she was buried in a coffin full of rats in the Australian jungle, that made her a household name
Admiral Lord West: Queen Victoria: 28 January – 9 February
Buenos Aires – Puerto Madryn (Argentina)– Cape Horn – Ushuaia (Agentina)– Punta Arenas (Chile) – cruise by Amalia Glacier – cruise by PIO X Glacier – Puerto Montt (Chile) – Valparaiso (Chile)
Admiral The Right Honourable Baron West of Spithead, GCB, DSC, PC, ADC, DUniv, is a former First Sea Lord and Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism. He spent the majority of his naval career at sea. He took command of the frigate HMS Ardent, taking her south to the Falkland Islands in 1982. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his part in the action and led the Victory Parade through the City of London.
He became First Sea Lord in 2002. He led the Navy during its successful role in the initial invasion of Iraq. He has advised both Conservatives and Labour on defense and foreign policy and joined the government team responsible for national security and counter-terrorism as well as cyber and Olympic security.
He is currently Chancellor of Southampton Solent University, Naval Trustee of the Imperial War Museum plus a number of other appointments.
Source: Cunard Line
Norwegian Getaway Arrives at Bremerhaven
This isn't a major step in the process, but Meyer Werft has brought Norwegian Getaway to the Columbus Quay in Bremerhaven (Germany) for several days during its sea trials. The ship will remain here for several days before going to the North Sea.
Photos courtesy of Meyer Werft. May not be used or reproduced without permission.
Photos courtesy of Meyer Werft. May not be used or reproduced without permission.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 25, 2013
* More Tiers of Joy
Celebrity Cruises will expand the rewards in their Captain’s Club loyalty program with sailings beginning tomorrow.
The line has added two more reward levels to their program, meaning they have 50% more, and they’ve added some ways to achieve them faster.
* GT Government to Deal with Beach Vendors
Apparently there’s trouble in paradise. Beach vendors on Grand Turk have discovered they can just keep walking and selling - or offering to sell - their wares right across an invisible line that takes them from the public beach right into the private resort area owned by Carnival Corp at the Grand Turk Cruise Center - and there’s no one in authority there to shoo them away. Carnival had an interesting way of dealing with it, however.
* Let the Dancing Continue!
Holland America Line said today that they would continue their “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” program throughout 2014. More
The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.
Celebrity Cruises will expand the rewards in their Captain’s Club loyalty program with sailings beginning tomorrow.
The line has added two more reward levels to their program, meaning they have 50% more, and they’ve added some ways to achieve them faster.
* GT Government to Deal with Beach Vendors
Apparently there’s trouble in paradise. Beach vendors on Grand Turk have discovered they can just keep walking and selling - or offering to sell - their wares right across an invisible line that takes them from the public beach right into the private resort area owned by Carnival Corp at the Grand Turk Cruise Center - and there’s no one in authority there to shoo them away. Carnival had an interesting way of dealing with it, however.
* Let the Dancing Continue!
Holland America Line said today that they would continue their “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” program throughout 2014. More
The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.
"Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" to Continue on Holland America Cruises through 2014
Holland America Line Extends "Dancing with the Stars: At Sea" throughout 2014 Sailing Season
Six theme cruises with dance pros and celebrities from the hit ABC show, plus special “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” programming and guest dance competition on every sailing
Seattle, Wash., Nov. 25, 2013 — Holland America Line has extended its highly successful “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” program for another year. The hugely popular onboard experience brings the excitement of ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars” to all 15 premium ships of Holland America Line throughout 2014. Once again the program will culminate with a Champions Cruise guest dance-off competition on the Dec. 6, 2014, Caribbean sailing of ms Westerdam.
Like 2013, the 2014 schedule will continue to feature “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” programming on all sailings throughout the year, in addition to six special “Dancing with the Stars” theme cruises featuring the show’s professional dancers and celebrities. Currently scheduled to sail on all six theme cruises in 2014 are professional dancers Tristan MacManus and Kym Johnson and television personality Carson Kressley and actress Sabrina Bryan.
“Our collaboration with ‘Dancing with the Stars’ has been one of our most successful partnerships ever and we’re excited to be able to continue the experience through 2014,” said Richard Meadows, Holland America Line’s executive vice president, sales, marketing and guest programs. “Dancing in all forms is among our most popular shipboard activities so it’s no wonder that the ‘Dancing with the Stars: At Sea’ experience is getting rave reviews from guests.”
Six Theme Cruises Present the Chance to Sail with Dance Pros and Celebrities from the Hit ABC Show
The “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” 2014 theme cruises are: June 14 and June 21 aboard ms Zuiderdam, 7-day Alaska roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia; July 26 and Aug. 2 aboard Westerdam, 7-day Alaska roundtrip from Seattle, Wash.; and Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 aboard Westerdam, 7-day eastern Caribbean roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Each theme cruise features guest performances from the dance pros and celebrities who will dazzle the audience with routines from the television series. Additional events on theme cruises include dance lessons with the ship’s professional dancers, a special fashion show featuring glamorous show costumes and a chance to meet the dance pros and celebrities, ask questions and take photos with them.
“Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” Dance Competition for Guests
Beginning with cruises that depart on or after Nov. 26, 2013, every sailing on all 15 ships in the Holland America Line fleet including the theme cruises will feature an exclusive “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” program. Included are complimentary dance lessons with the ship’s dance professionals and a dance-off competition for participating guests to compete for a chance to represent their ship on the 2014 Champions Cruise on Dec. 6, 2014. There will be a total of 15 winners on the Champions Cruise. Competitions held on sailings departing on or after Nov. 26, 2013 and ending no later than Oct. 22, 2014 are eligible.
Following preliminary rounds on each cruise, finalists will be paired with a Holland America Line dance professional to perform one of the show’s routines and compete against their fellow guests center stage in the ship’s main show lounge. A judging panel — senior ship officers, shipboard professional dancers and other cruise staff — will score participants’ performances and combine those scores with audience appreciation scores for a total tally to determine the winning guest Cruise Champion for each cruise. Judges onboard the six theme cruises may also include some of the “Dancing with the Stars” dance pros or celebrities onboard.
Beginning Sept. 21, 2014, winners of the guest competitions with the highest scores from each of Holland America Line’s 15 ships will be notified they have won a free ocean view stateroom on the Dec. 6, 2014, Champions Cruise to compete for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy and title of Holland America Line’s “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” Champion.
Source: Holland America Line
Six theme cruises with dance pros and celebrities from the hit ABC show, plus special “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” programming and guest dance competition on every sailing
Seattle, Wash., Nov. 25, 2013 — Holland America Line has extended its highly successful “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” program for another year. The hugely popular onboard experience brings the excitement of ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars” to all 15 premium ships of Holland America Line throughout 2014. Once again the program will culminate with a Champions Cruise guest dance-off competition on the Dec. 6, 2014, Caribbean sailing of ms Westerdam.
Like 2013, the 2014 schedule will continue to feature “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” programming on all sailings throughout the year, in addition to six special “Dancing with the Stars” theme cruises featuring the show’s professional dancers and celebrities. Currently scheduled to sail on all six theme cruises in 2014 are professional dancers Tristan MacManus and Kym Johnson and television personality Carson Kressley and actress Sabrina Bryan.
“Our collaboration with ‘Dancing with the Stars’ has been one of our most successful partnerships ever and we’re excited to be able to continue the experience through 2014,” said Richard Meadows, Holland America Line’s executive vice president, sales, marketing and guest programs. “Dancing in all forms is among our most popular shipboard activities so it’s no wonder that the ‘Dancing with the Stars: At Sea’ experience is getting rave reviews from guests.”
Six Theme Cruises Present the Chance to Sail with Dance Pros and Celebrities from the Hit ABC Show
The “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” 2014 theme cruises are: June 14 and June 21 aboard ms Zuiderdam, 7-day Alaska roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia; July 26 and Aug. 2 aboard Westerdam, 7-day Alaska roundtrip from Seattle, Wash.; and Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 aboard Westerdam, 7-day eastern Caribbean roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Each theme cruise features guest performances from the dance pros and celebrities who will dazzle the audience with routines from the television series. Additional events on theme cruises include dance lessons with the ship’s professional dancers, a special fashion show featuring glamorous show costumes and a chance to meet the dance pros and celebrities, ask questions and take photos with them.
“Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” Dance Competition for Guests
Beginning with cruises that depart on or after Nov. 26, 2013, every sailing on all 15 ships in the Holland America Line fleet including the theme cruises will feature an exclusive “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” program. Included are complimentary dance lessons with the ship’s dance professionals and a dance-off competition for participating guests to compete for a chance to represent their ship on the 2014 Champions Cruise on Dec. 6, 2014. There will be a total of 15 winners on the Champions Cruise. Competitions held on sailings departing on or after Nov. 26, 2013 and ending no later than Oct. 22, 2014 are eligible.
Following preliminary rounds on each cruise, finalists will be paired with a Holland America Line dance professional to perform one of the show’s routines and compete against their fellow guests center stage in the ship’s main show lounge. A judging panel — senior ship officers, shipboard professional dancers and other cruise staff — will score participants’ performances and combine those scores with audience appreciation scores for a total tally to determine the winning guest Cruise Champion for each cruise. Judges onboard the six theme cruises may also include some of the “Dancing with the Stars” dance pros or celebrities onboard.
Beginning Sept. 21, 2014, winners of the guest competitions with the highest scores from each of Holland America Line’s 15 ships will be notified they have won a free ocean view stateroom on the Dec. 6, 2014, Champions Cruise to compete for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy and title of Holland America Line’s “Dancing with the Stars: At Sea” Champion.
Source: Holland America Line