Seeing Spots?

Passengers who were aboard the August 6 sailing of Norwegian Jewel from Vancouver to Seward (disembarking August 13) are being warned to look out for symptoms of measles. A passenger aboard the sailing was found to have measles and was quickly isolated, but officials are warning all passengers and doctors in the area to watch for signs of measles.

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

There's Going to Be a New Little Crystal

MV Werften will lay the keel for Crystal Endeavor on Tuesday (August 21), but readers in the US will have to get up early to see it live. The event will take place at the yard in Germany at noon (local time), meaning the live broadcast will be at 6am Eastern time in the US.

Details appeared in the August 17 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Doggone from Royal Caribbean

Fido (as well as Kitty, Porky and Mr Ed) is going to have to stay home. Even though you might be an emotional wreck sailing without him, Royal Caribbean has decided they have enough animals aboard their ships if you count service animals (like Seeing-Eye dogs) and the ones at the bar.

They have changed their policy and no longer allow passengers to bring emotional support animals of any kind. Animals which are “trained to perform a function for a person with a disability” are still allowed, of course, with proper documentation and arrangement.

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

Almost Ready

In less than a week, AIDAnova should be “out the door” at Meyer Werft in Papenburg. The yard has scheduled the ship to leave the covered building dock next Tuesday, August 21.

It's a big deal because AIDAnova is a big ship, 180,000 gross tons, and the first of class, powered with LNG.

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

There's No Time to Enjoy the View

Oasis of the Seas is one of the world's largest cruise ships. On its eastern Caribbean itinerary, one of the ports of call is St. Thomas. With a very narrow channel, sailboats anchored in the harbor, a tight turn and just six feet of water below the keel, it's very challenging to maneuver the giant ship into “everyone's favorite port.” In the video below, the master explaining just how it's done every time the giant ship arrives.

New Terminal to Increase Quebec's Capacity

Quebec is set to scoop up a lot of business, especially large-ship business, within two years' time. The port announced they will build a second cruise terminal, this one 100,000 square meters, to handle simultaneous embarkation and disembarkation (for turnarounds) of ships carrying 4,000-5,000 passengers.

The complete story appeared in the August 15 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

P&O Reveals Refurbished Pacific Aria

Pacific Aria is on her way back from dry dock in Singapore to her home port in Brisbane. During her time in dry dock, she received her new P&O Southern Cross livery as well as refurbishment to a number of areas of the ship.

Details appeared in the August 15 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Pacific Aria in its new Southern Cross livery

The Dome

The aft Oasis Pool

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

The Theatre and Other Places to be Entertained

Celebrity Cruises has released the first details of The Theatre, the main entertainment venue aboard Celebrity Edge. This is noteworthy because The Theatre is so different from the conventional theater, and also with its state-of-the-art equipment, “sets the stage” for some very unusual productions.

Celebrity says the goal in The Theatre is to blur the line between the audience and the performance and immerse the audience in the experience.

The complete story appeared in the August 14 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

The Theatre aboard Celebrity Edge

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

Next!

Oceania's four Regatta-class ships are about to get a completely new look. It will be part of a $100 million transformation called OceaniaNEXT, which the line says is the NEXT chapter in the Oceania story.

Fans needn't worry, though. The designers, Miami's Studio DADO, spent time aboard the ships talking to regular customers. “The guests we spoke with kept telling us how dearly they loved the ships,” said Yohandel Ruiz, founding partner of Studio DADO, “so it was important that we kept the intimacy and warmth in the redesign. What we landed on provides a modern and airy atmosphere, similar to what you would find in an elegant estate home."

The complete story appeared in the August 13 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Grand staircase on Regatta-class

Grand Hall

Main restaurant

Concierge Veranda Stateroom

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