Adding a Little Variety to the Christening

German model and TV host Lena Gercke christened AIDAperla tonight at Palma de Mallorca in a ceremony that offered a touch of the unexpected. In the end, though, AIDA's twelfth ship was officially named, there was champagne running down the side of the ship, and a ton of fireworks overhead. The party aboard may still be going on.

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

Tweet a Burger

Here's something you can do to appropriately celebrate the holiday, and support the US military via Operation Homefront and Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival and Operation Homefront are holding the first “social media-powered BBQ” for military members.

Your role is to post messages of thanks or support to our military members on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #ThankYouBurger

Carnival will put your message on a bun with a laser and they'll then put a burger on that bun and hand it to a service man or woman at a giant barbeque on July 5 on the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. As the cruise line that sails the most military personnel, Carnival will also donate $1 (up to $25,000) for each post received with the hashtag.

So what are you waiting for? Tweet a burger or two to a Marine with a message of support. It's another great way to celebrate the Fourth.

This story appeared in the June 30 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

There Is Now Fun in Cuba

In case you didn't have your calendar marked, today was the day Carnival's first ever cruise sailed to Cuba, and probably by the time you're reading this, Carnival Paradise will be docked in Havana. The FunShips have arrived!

This is the first of 12 four- and five-night cruises Carnival has scheduled from Tampa. The four-night cruises, like today's, are simple round trips to Havana, while the five-night itineraries add a call in Key West or Cozumel. They will operate approximately twice a month.

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

Colder Than a Reindeer's ....

Viking Ocean Cruises has chosen an unusual program to show off their “Vikingness” that will give passengers an opportunity to sail into the Arctic Circle in the early months of 2019.

The 12-night cruises aboard Viking Sky will sail from London (Tilbury) to Bergen (or the reverse).

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

Ritz-Carlton Contracts with Yard

Things are moving along for Ritz-Carlton's Yacht Collection. Yesterday, the line announced the choice of a yard to build their three yacht-like vessels. Ritz-Carlton has signed a contract with the Spain's Hijos de J. Barreras yard (at Vigo) to build the first ship, with options for two more.

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

Crystal River Captains Going for a Virtual Voyage

Crystal River Cruises' captains will soon be polishing their training in something of the virtual world. With a new agreement between Crystal's parent company, Genting Hong Kong, and Netherlands-based Simwave, Crystal's captains will be training at Simwave's brand new simulators in the Netherlands once the facility is completed in November.

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

A Long Way to Go

A 14-year-old boy and his grandmother got an experience Tuesday afternoon few other cruise passengers get, although they had to trade most of their cruise for it. They were hoisted from the bow of Norwegian Breakaway to a Coast Guard helicopter when the ship was 303 miles off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland.



The video was shot from a Coast Guard HC130J fixed-wing aircraft which accompanied the helicopter to provide support.

The introductory title card in the video is incorrect. According to the Coast Guard correction, the ship was 303 miles off the coast of Ocean City MD at the time, which is nearing the limits of the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter.

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

Video courtesy of the US Coast Guard.

There Was Joy in Shanghai Today

Norwegian Cruise Line (and their parent) took that first actual step into China today when Norwegian Joy was christened in Shanghai.

The 167,725-ton ship was christened by its godfather, Chinese entertainment personality Wang Leehorn. He was joined in a gang christening by a number of NCL and Chinese officials. The method was rather unusual.

The complete story appeared in the June 27 edition of Cruise News Daily.

The unusual method of christening Norwegian Joy started here.

But the christening ended up the same way

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

Other Things You'll Want to Know - June 27, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• A race between Queen Mary 2 and four boats from France to New York. 
• A man with a problem

Details appeared in the June 27 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Queen Mary 2 and one of the trimarans it is racing to New York

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

Port Canaveral Considering New Terminal

Once again, Port Canaveral is preparing to go down the path of building another new cruise terminal. At this week's board meeting, they are set to decide if they want to move forward with the first step in the bidding process, which is the first step in constructing the new buildings.

The complete story appeared in the June 26 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Princess Announces Expansion of Ocean Medallion

Princess announced the next three ships that will support Ocean Medallion, which will bring a new level of personalization to Princess' customers. And it includes another ship in the Australian market, indicating the importance of Australia to the line.

Details appeared in the June 26 edition of Cruise News Daily.