The Lady in Red

The cutting of the first steel for a new ship is always a big deal because it is the very first concrete step in actually building the ship, but visually, there really isn't much to see. Cruise lines, therefore, usually couple it with something else they can announce or show at the same time to garner more attention.

So it came as no surprise when Fincantieri cut the first steel at their Sestri Ponente yard (near Genoa) for Virgin Voyages' second ship, Virgin had some other things they wanted to say and do.

The complete story appeared in the July 20 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

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

Just Head North

To celebrate their 10th Silversea Expeditions will be going someplace they've never been before, and you probably haven't either. Silver Explorer will cross the Northeast Passage in 2019.

Details appeared in the July 20 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Refreshed Sun Princess Returns to Service

Sun Princess is back from a two-week multi-million-dollar dry dock and sailing in Asia at the moment. She came back with several major new features.

The complete story appeared in the July 19 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Carnival Is in a Giving Mood

Carnival Corp announced two cash disbursements coming up, one to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation in South Africa and the other was a quarterly dividend to shareholders.

Details appeared in the July 19 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Built for China, Sailing in the US of A

Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that next summer Norwegian Joy would be moving from China to Alaska to operate alongside Norwegian Bliss. After the Alaska season it will move down the coast to the Mexican Riviera.

According to Norwegian it sounds as if the tremendous demand in Alaska, coupled with the success of Norwegian Bliss, is behind the decision to reposition the ship. But we suspect conditions in the Chinese market have as much to do with it.

The complete story appeared in the July 18 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Not Just a Ship, It's a Revolution

Until today, you probably thought the Edge was just a ship - or a class of Celebrity ships. But today, Celebrity revealed it is actually the model for a $500 million revolution that will bring the other nine ships of the fleet “to the Edge.” In other words, Celebrity is spending a half billion dollars bringing elements of the Edge-class to the rest of the fleet. Celebrity is billing it as “a game-changer.”

The complete story appeared in the July 17 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Overboard in Glacier Bay

A 69-year-old man went overboard from Holland America's Westerdam in Glacier Bay early Friday morning, but was not reported missing by his wife until approximately 3:50pm.

The complete story appeared in the July 16 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Around the World in Luxury

Seabourn has scheduled an ultra-luxury world cruise in 2020 aboard Seabourn Sojourn. The 146-day cruise will depart Miami on January 4, 2020, sailing eastward, with the cruise ending in San Francisco on May 28.

 Along the way, the itinerary will include 62 ports in 36 countries on five continents which will include marquee ports as well as hidden gems. Those port calls will include 16 overnights and 18 late evening departures.

Details appeared in the July 16 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

All in a Day's Work

Today we have a short video shot high over the bow of Adventure of the Seas Saturday night. The US Coast Guard performed a medevac of a 53-year-old man from the ship when it was 80 miles east of Charleston (SC).

Even though there's an incredible amount of expertise necessary to coordinate the helicopter with the ship, the pros and the Coast Guard always make it look so easy. This video is no exception, but what struck us in this one was the nonchalance of the rescue swimmer (the person who is lowered to the deck on cruise ships) as he hangs there outside the helicopter waiting for it to get into position over the ship, and the same as he comes back up.

It just seems like for most of us, it's a typical day at the office waiting for the page to come out of the printer.

This story appeared in the July 16 edition of Cruise News Daily.