Friday, June 2, 2017

Not So Fast

At MSC Meraviglia's handover on Wednesday at the STX France yard, newly-elected French president Emmanuel Macron, said he wants to review (and possibly renegotiate) the agreement to sell a 48% stake of the yard to Fincantieri before the sale is finalized.

Macron is concerned that French jobs could be lost or that business that would have been won by the French yard will be diverted to Fincantieri's multiple Italian yards.

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

Other Things You'll Want to Know - June 2, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:
  • Mein Schiff 6 being christened in Hamburg. 
  • Adonia wrapping up its cruises for Fathom and returning to P&O
  • AIDAperla has arrived at its home port
  • Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas will operate a cruise that will put it right under the path of a total solar eclipse.
Details appeared in the June 2 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Mein Schiff 6 christening at Hamburg
Photo courtesy of TUI Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Thursday, June 1, 2017

MSC Grows Again with Another Ship Order

When MSC officials were at the STX France yard in Saint-Nazaire on Wednesday, they didn't just pick up their new ship. They ordered two more with options for two additional ones. These won't be Meraviglia clones; they will be the latest in cruise ships: the 2022 World-class model - with the high-tech engine - and whitewalls.

As you may have noted by the model year, MSC (and passengers) will be waiting awhile to ride these beauties. The two under firm order will be delivered in 2022 and 2024, with the options being for 2025 and 2026.

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

MSC World-class
Rendering courtesy of MSC Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - June 1, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:
  • Oprah taking more friends with her to Alaska
  • The Carnival brands in China now accepting China's most popular mobile method of payment
  • Just in time for hurricane season, Royal Caribbean has their own meteorologist, as seen in the video below:

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

This Is the Big One, Elizabeth

STX France officially delivered MSC Meraviglia to MSC Cruises today at the STX yard in Saint-Nazaire (France), and the handover is marked by the changing of the flags on the ship. The flags of the yard are lowered and replaced by those of the cruise line and the country where the ship is registered.

The importance of this handover was elevated because, at 171,598 gross registered tons and a capacity of 4,488 double occupancy (5,714 total), MSC Meraviglia is the largest cruise ship ever built by a European ship owner. (Translation: Royal Caribbean's Oasis- and Harmony-class ships are still larger.)

The complete story appeared in the May 31 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Just in Time

Last week we told you about AIDA's next generation ship which will be powered by LNG and will enter service in December 2018. As we noted, AIDA will begin taking reservations for the inaugural season tomorrow (June 1), but its name had yet to be revealed.

AIDA took care of that detail this afternoon when it was revealed during a presentation aboard AIDAperla, which just entered service in the Mediterranean. It was revealed when a banner was unfurled at Meyer Werft in Papenburg (Germany) where the new ship and a sister will be built. The new ship will be named AIDAnova.

Details appeared in the May 31 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Getting Bigger in Italy

Costa and its parent, Carnival Corp, are major brands in Italy, and therefore both major employers and impact the country's economy in several ways. And Costa is set to grow in Italy becoming an even larger employer.

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

What If the Ship Isn't Ready?

That's something cruisers would often ask when they had booked the first cruise after a dry dock. Lately, it's hardly been an issue because the shipyards have become much more reliable. But passengers booked on Sunday's sailing of Celebrity Constellation found out what happens.

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