Overboard from Oasis of the Seas

A 35-year-old Brazilian man was seen going overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas shortly after midnight this morning. Despite an all-day search by the ship and the US Coast Guard, he had not been found.

Royal Caribbean said he was spotted by crew members “intentionally going over the side of the ship” 17 miles east of Turks and Caicos Islands.

The complete story appeared in the November 6 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - November 6, 2015

CND Subscribers also read about:

• MSC's Renaissance Program being completed with four ships stretched at Fincantiei shipyards. 
• AIDAdiva achieves a perfect score on it US Public Health inspection

Details appeared in the November 7 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz Honored as 2015 Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (November 6, 2015) – Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz was honored as a 2015 Woman of Distinction at the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles annual ToGetHerThere luncheon on Nov. 5, which celebrates female leadership and inspires Emerging Leaders – high school Girl Scouts who are making a difference in their communities.

Addressing more than 600 influential women leaders and high school Girl Scouts, Swartz offered inspiring advice and shared her own story of selling cookies as a young Brownie in her home state of Texas - her first successful business experience.

“I consider myself something of a patchwork quilt of everyone I’ve worked with—I’ve learned from listening to them and…hopefully….others are taking ideas that I’ve shared and will use it as they grow in their careers,” said Swartz. “Because the great ideas—the ones that can truly transform things—don’t just come from one person, or one group. They come from anywhere and from anyone, so it’s important to value everyone’s input.”

Swartz also participated in a mentoring session with the participating Girl Scouts to offer guidance and answer questions about her career path.

She added, “no matter what you do, you should always watch closely to see what works and what doesn't. Don’t be afraid to change your mind when the facts change. We should always strive to improve.”

The event is part of a national effort by Girl Scouts to address the confidence gaps today’s girls face. For more information about the ToGetHerThere campaign and luncheon, visit girlscoutsla.org.

Swartz, the first female president of Princess Cruises and Girl Scout alumna heads one of the best-known brands in the cruise industry, overseeing a worldwide cruise and tour company featuring a fleet of 18 modern cruise ships that carry more than 1.7 million guests a year. The third largest cruise line in the industry, Princess has more than 25,000 employees and operations in more than 60 countries around the globe.

Swartz was appointed to her current role in November 2013, after more than 15 years working with the cruise line. Prior to this, she served as executive vice president overseeing the line’s sales, marketing and customer service operations, a position she held since 2009. In this role, she directed many of the line’s key operations including domestic and international sales efforts, consumer and trade marketing and communications initiatives, market planning and yield management functions, and customer service activities for both travel agents and consumers. She has been at the forefront of the industry in developing innovative educational programs and business-building tools for travel agents, through whom the majority of the company’s cruises are booked.

About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 18 modern cruise ships renowned for their innovative design and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, all provided in an environment of exceptional customer service. A recognized leader in worldwide cruising, Princess carries 1.7 million guests each year to destinations around the globe ranging in length from three to 111 days. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL; NYSE:CUK).

Deja Vu

Is it Anthem? Or is it Quanum?

Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas arrived home today to New York (actually Cape Liberty Cruise Port). The ship is coming to New York from a summer season based at Southampton. It will now be homeported at Cape Liberty year round.

But does this all seem strangely familiar? That’s right. Quantum of the Seas was homeported there last winter until it ran away from home to China earlier this year. Anthem is a duplicate of Quantum.

The complete story appeared in the November 5 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission. 

Hold That Pose

We told you this was going to catch on when we wrote about it on AIDA a couple weeks ago. Now Costa has become the second cruise line to offer to immortalize their passengers in their own action figure, or as Costa is calling them, statuettes.

Details appear in the November 5 edition of Cruise News Daily.

We Meet Again

Holland America’s now-former Ryndam and Statendam have met one last time in their old identities. They were in the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore together over the weekend as they were being transformed into Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden, respectively.

The complete story appeared in the November 5 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Ryndam and Statendam in a double dry dock becoming Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden.

The transformation will be stunning. The photo below shows the trompe l’oeil artwork being installed in one of Pacific Eden's elevators. To orient yourself, note the lights on the ceiling and the railing around the walls at waist height. The dirt at the bottom in the foreground is a floor covering. You can see where it is not cut yet to fit on the sides.

Elevator on Pacific Eden

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

Norwegian Talks China

At yesterday’s conference call to discuss NCLH’s third quarter earnings with financial analysts, most of the talk seemed to be about China, which isn’t surprising since the company announced the Norwegian brand would be sending their next new Breakaway Plus-class ship there right from the yard. It will be designed specifically for the Chinese market. Both the ship and China have the potential to be huge moneymakers for Norwegian.

Sure we’ve heard how the Chinese market is huge and yields are good, but in yesterday’s call, NCLH CEO Frank Del Rio said some interesting things that really put China in perspective. It makes you wonder why there isn’t a steady stream of new ships to China. Oh yeah, there will be over the next few years.

The complete story appeared in the November 4 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Holland America Suites to Receive Upgrades

A significant amount of Holland America’s $300 million fleet enhancement budget is going toward updating their ships’ top end accommodations on the Signature-, Vista- and R-Class ships.

The work will be done as the ships cycle through upcoming dry docks over the next several years.

The complete story appeared in the November 3 edition of Cruise News Daily

Rendering of refurbished Neptune Suite aboard M/S Eurodam

Rendering courtesy of Holland America Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission. 
 

RCI Orders Additional Quantum-Class Ship

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said this morning they have ordered a fifth Quantum-class vessel from Meyer Werft for their Royal Caribbean International brand for delivery in the fall of 2020.

Details appeared in the November 3 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Crystal Orders Ships for River Cruise Operation

Crystal River Cruises has taken a step toward reality, and it’s a bigger reality than they originally said it would be. The line bought a river vessel - allowing them to enter the market a year sooner - and ordered four newbuilds - two more than they originally anticipated.

The complete story appeared in the November 2 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Artist's rendering of Crystal Mozart

Rendering courtesy of Crystal Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission. 
 

Duck!

P&O Australia’s Pacific Dawn became the largest ship to sail under Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge when it arrived there this morning. The ship is 47.6 meters high, and the bridge has a clearance of 50.1 meters.

Pacific Dawn becomes the largest ships to pass under Melbourne's West Gate Bridge

Photo courtesy of P&O Cruises and James Morgan. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

HRH Princess Anne Visits Queen Mary 2 in NYC

The Princess Royal, HRH Princess Anne, was a special guest at a luncheon sponsored by Cunard aboard Queen Mary 2 in New York last Thursday (October 29). The luncheon was for the American Friends of the National Museum of the Royal Navy (AFNMRN), a not‐for‐profit organization that furthers the special relationship between the British and American navies and supports the NMRN’s collections and educational programs. The Princess Royal is a Patron of the UK’s National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN).

The luncheon was one of the early events in the organization's international campaign to secure the long term future of the HMS Victory, the centerpiece of the National Museum and the only 18th century ship of the line in existence. Proceeds from the event will go to the ship's preservation.

The video below shows the Princess' visit aboard Queen Mary 2.