Anniversary Surprise

2017 is going to be the twentieth anniversary of Holland America's private island in the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay. To celebrate, the line has opened the Lobster Shack, a new premium outdoor restaurant on the island.

Details appeared in the December 2 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Surprise! The Lobster Shack serves only lobster.

Additional photos on our Pinterest board

Photo courtesy of Holland America Line. All rights reserved.

Not Everything that Pops aboard Celebrity Is a Weasel

Just in time for the holidays, there's a new shopping experience aboard a couple of Celebrity ships. Online shopping retailer Gilt.com is opening pop-up shops aboard Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Reflection. The shops will be operating from December 3 to January 29.

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

Other Things You'll Want to Know - December 2, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• The first steel being cut for MSC Bellissima
• The keel being laid for Seaboun Ovation

Details appeared in the December 2 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Employee Actions Cost Princess $40 Million Fine

Princess Cruises has agreed to plead guilty to seven felony counts related to Princess crew members deliberately polluting and then covering it up. Princess will pay a $40 million fine, but all Carnival brands calling at US ports (eight lines) are being required to take remedial action to ensure it won't happen again, and they will be monitored by the government for five years.

The fine is the largest ever imposed for intentional polluting by maritime vessels. The acts were performed by crew members apparently believing they were being directed by other mid-level management employees to save the company money. Carnival had policies in place prohibiting the practices in which the employees were engaging, and there were procedures in place to monitor what was being discharged from the ships. The problem for Princess and Carnival was that the employees were circumventing these, and management's actual oversight was insufficient to catch the violations.

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

Readying a Home

Earlier this week we told you that Fincantieri had floated out MSC Seaside over the weekend. Now MSC and PortMiami have begun expanding and upgrading what will be the ship's new home at its Miami home port.

In a major event today, ground was broken at PortMiami today for the new construction.

This video shows a bit of the construction of MSC Seaside as well as last weekend's float out, a bit of the ship and some of the plans for the new Terminal F at PortMiami.

The complete story appeared in the November 30 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Warning: This video contains several flashes and fast cuts to other scenes. Those who are sensitive to such things should consider this before viewing it.

Other Things You'll Want to Know - November 30, 2016

CND subscribers also read about:

• Fincantieri delivering Seabourn Encore
• Carnival Corp sponsoring the two-part finale or the New Celebrity Apprentice hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger
• P&O Australia inviting their passengers to "have one for the Reef."

Details appeared in the November 30 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

There's Something You Haven't Seen in a Long Time

If you've been sittin' on the dock of the bay, as the song says, and that bay is in the Caribbean, it's been a long time - four years - since you've seen a big, white Princess ship in the summer. But in the summer of 2018, you'll keep seeing Caribbean Princess coming over the horizon all summer long.

With many Americans wanting to vacation closer to home, this is the time for Princess to stay in the Caribbean year round again.

Details appeared in the November 29 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Checking Things Out

It's only a few days until delivery of Seabourn Encore, and Carnival Chairman Micky Arison was spotted aboard yesterday checking things out.

One of the places he saw was the recently-announced restaurant named Sushi. It's Seabourn's first dedicated sushi restaurant. (What are the chances?)

The complete story appeared in the November 29 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Carnival Chairman Micky Arison congratulates Seabourn President Rick Meadows on the completion of Seaboun Encore.

Sushi will be Seabourn's first dedicated sushi restaurant.

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

Fathom Ending Cuba Program

Last Wednesday, Carnival Corp let it be known that there are going to be changes coming to their highly touted Cuban cruises, but Carnival isn't ready to put all the details out there yet. The main point they put out there is that the Cuban cruises will be operated by another Carnival brand beginning in the second half of 2017, subject to Cuban approval. Adonia will return to P&O and resume programs for them similar to what it was doing before it was “loaned” to Fathom.

That's about all Carnival was willing to say on the record, but it tells us lots, and it shouldn't be that surprising, because it seems to have been setting up for months.

The complete story appeared in the November 28 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

MSC Seaside Floated Out

Fincantieri floated out MSC Seaside at their Monfalcone yard on Saturday. The event marks the end of the construction phase of the 160,000-ton ship.

When the valves were opened in the dry dock, the ship touched water for the first time. Once it was floating, it was towed to finishing dock where it will remain until it goes on sea trials.

Details appeared in the November 28 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Additional photos are on our Pinterest board. 

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