Other Things You'll Want to Know - February 5, 2019

CND subscribers also read about:

• Passengers allegedly intending to sell drugs aboard Allure of the Seas arrested
• New Orleans sets passenger record

Details appeared in the February 5 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Big Meeting

Meanwhile, today, off the coast of Florida, there was probably the biggest meeting in the cruise industry.

The three largest cruise ships in the world met for a photo op on the eve of Harmony of the Seas' first arrival in the US.

This story appeared in the November 4 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Harmony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas lined up today off the south Florida coast.

Harmony's crew turns out on the bow to see the event. Allure of the Seas can be seen ahead.

The ships are beginning to line up for the family photo. Here the other two ships are seen from the bridge of Harmony of he Seas. 

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

Allure's New Suite Facilities

Last week we told CND subscribers about the new facilities added to Allure of the Seas during its recent dry dock. Several of them were expanding and enhancing Royal Caribbean's suite product. These are two of them.

The new suite lounge aboard Allure of the Seas

The Coastal Kitchen restaurant exclusively for suite passengers aboard Allure of the Seas

Photos courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

The Allure of a Birds Eye View

This photo, showing Allure of the Seas at the end of its dry dock last week in Cadiz (Spain), was tweeted by Royal Caribbean. It's a still from a video by UAV Aerials, which is a company that specializes in video productions shot with drones for very unique perspectives.

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International and UAV Aerials. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

Allure of the Seas Returns to Service

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas returned from its routine dry dock this week to begin its Mediterranean program. It is shown below at Civitavacchia (the port for Rome) during its first call today (center ship). It is seen alongside Costa Fortuna (left) and CDF's Zenith (right).

Allure of the Seas (center) at Civitavecchia today.

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

When the World's Largest Cruise Ship Is in Dry Dock

Only when Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas is in dry dock can they take pictures like this one.

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without permission.

Royal Caribbean to Have 3 Oasis-class Ships in the Caribbean

Royal Caribbean released their Caribbean deployment plans for the winter 2016-2017 season this morning, and the biggest news to come from it is that during the winter they will have all three of their Oasis-class ships in the Caribbean.

The new Harmony of the Seas will join Allure of the Seas at Port Everglades for seven-night eastern and western Caribbean itineraries.

Oasis of the Seas will sail alternating 7-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral. Royal Caribbean clearly indicated that the Central Florida port is Oasis' "winter home," so the speculation continues where it will go at the end of the season.

The complete article about Royal Caribbean's Caribbean deployment will appear in today's edition of Cruise News Daily.

What to Do with That Drone You Got for Your Birthday

Allure of the Seas taken from a drone at St. Thomas.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for March 21, 2014

* Costa Expands Slow Cruise with Classica
Costa will expand their “slow cruising” program to include a third ship, Costa Classica. The 51,000-ton ship will join the program after an extensive refit this fall, when it will be renamed Costa neoClassica.

* Pulling the plug
Several lines have finally decided to pull the plug in the Black Sea. No, that doesn’t mean Black Sea drained; it means they are they have decided Ukranian (or former Ukranian) ports aren’t the place to take tourists right now. Other lines are still mulling over the situation.

* Something Not Often Seen Dry

One of the propulsion pods from Allure of the Seas as it was being replaced during dry dock last
month at Grand Bahama Shipyard.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

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

Cruise News Daily Headlines for February 14, 2014

* Britannia Floats
While much of the world had its attention on flowers and romance today, Britain’s attention was on the Italian port of Monfalcone and a ship. This was the day P&O’s future flagship, Britannia, was being floated for the first at the Fincantieri shipyard.
   The 141,000-ton Britannia may be a sister ship to Royal Princess and Regal Princess, but Britannia’s interior design and features will be all her own and reflective of modern British tastes through and through.  (More)

* Passenger Assaulted on Nieuw Amsterdam
A female passenger was allegedly assaulted by a crew member early this morning aboard Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam.

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about the big business of Allure ... and a rogue wave claiming the life of a cruise passenger.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for February 5, 2014

* Royal Caribbean Raises the Stakes in the Med
Royal Caribbean International made a “big” move this morning when they announced Allure of the Seas would be going to the Mediterranean for a full summer season next year. It will be the first time one of the Oasis-class ships will be based in Europe for a full season, and for that matter, the first time one has been based anywhere other than Port Everglades.
   Allure will be based in Barcelona for 22 five-port, seven-day cruises in the western Mediterranean.

* Steel Cut for the Largest Dam Ship in the Fleet
It’s still two years from the delivery date, but Fincantieri yesterday cut the first steel for Holland America’s new-class of ship, the Pinnacle class. That even marks the first actual step in the construction of a ship. More

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth transited the Panama Canal last week as part of its world cruise

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

Giant Allure of the Seas to Operate Full Mediterranean Season

Royal Caribbean International has scheduled Allure of the Seas to operate a full summer Mediterranean season in 2015. Allure will be based at Barcelona for a series of 7-night cruises beginning May 24, 2015, marking the first time one of the 225,282-ton vessels in Europe - or anywhere other Port Everglades.

Full coverage will be carried in today's edition of Cruise News Daily.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 14, 2013

* Allure Repair Will Cancel One Sailing
Ten days ago we told subscribers that Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas was experiencing propulsion problems which had necessitated sailing slower on its eastern Caribbean itinerary while company management considered how to fix the problem.

Lots of rumors have swirled about how Royal Caribbean would make the repairs and when, but the company put and end to those today when they said the ship would be taken out of service for a week next February for a repair in Freeport. More

* The Search Continues
Grand Princess continued to search today for the passenger who was seen jumping overboard yesterday while the ship was en route from San Francisco to Hawaii.

The incident occurred on Day 3 of the cruise when Grand Princess was 750 miles northeast from Hilo. The remote location is making the search extremely difficult.

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about Carnival being "two" perfect ... and more ships mean more office space.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Allure of the Seas to be out of Service for Repairs

Updated 5:46pm - Royal Caribbean International announced that Allure of the Seas would be taken out of service for a week to perform repairs on the propulsion system, resulting in the cancellation of the February 23, 2014 sailing. The repairs will be performed at the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport.

The propulsion problem has manifested itself in the ship having to sail at reduced speeds over the last several weeks on its eastern Caribbean itinerary. (The weeks it sails to the western Caribbean are unaffected because of shorter distances.) On those weeks, the itinerary is modified to reduce port times in Nassau and St. Thomas, thus giving the ship more sailing time to cover the distances. Allure of the Seas will continue to operate that modified itinerary on sailings to the eastern Caribbean through February when it will be repaired.

Passengers booked on the canceled February 23 sailing will receive a full refund or the option to sail on select itineraries at the same rate.

Complete details will be in today's issue of Cruise News Daily.

Hurricane Isaac Reschedules Allure of the Seas Turnaround

Even though Hurricane Isaac will not be hitting South Florida directly, tropical storm force winds are currently extending out 205 miles from the center, so they will be affecting operations at Port Everglades. Royal Caribbean has, therefore, rescheduled next week's sailing of Allure of the Seas.

Sunday's turnaround has been delayed until Tuesday, August 28.

Passengers on that sailing are asked not to arrive at Port Everglades until 11:30am on Tuesday. Check-in and boarding will be between 11:30am and 4:00pm.

The shortened cruise length will necessitate a change of itinerary. Allure of the Seas will spend Wednesday at sea, and call at Cozumel on Thursday, August 30. Friday will be another sea day, and on Saturday, September 1, Allure will visit Nassau. Allure of the Seas will then return to Port Everglades as scheduled on Sunday.

Customers who are on the shortened cruise will receive an onboard credit, the amount of which will be based on their stateroom category. (The amount will cover both the refund for the shortened cruise and provide a small compensation for the inconvenience.) They will also receive a future cruise credit of 10% of the price they paid for the August 26 cruise. The details of the offers will be explained in a letter delivered to the stateroom.

Passengers who are currently aboard Allure for the current cruise which departed Port Everglades on Sunday, August 19, will remain aboard the ship for a couple bonus days and arrive in Port Everglades Tuesday morning, August 28.

Royal Caribbean is automatically adjusting return air flights for passengers who purchased air arrangements from them. The line is also opening their phone and internet lines to other passengers who need to contact airlines to adjust their return flights.

Last update Saturday, August 25, 2012, 12:10pm

Minor Fire aboard Allure of the Seas

There was a minor engine room fire aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas last night (April 20, 2012). Allure of the Seas is one of the two largest cruise ships in the world.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:45pm as the ship was sailing from St. Maarten to Ft. Lauderdale. The blaze was quickly contained and extinguished by the ship's high fog system. Overall, the incident lasted about 15 minutes. Passengers were alerted via an announcement, but were not mustered.

A passenger reported the ship changing course to prevent the wind from blowing smoke from the fire over the ship, but Royal Caribbean is not confirming that.

Neither propulsion nor hotel services were affected by the fire, and the ship is continuing on its way to Ft. Lauderdale where it will arrive as scheduled Sunday morning. No repairs will be necessary.

The Life of an "Aqua Captain"

As cruise lines evolve and offer new features, new positions, never imagined a decade or two again, are created. I remember a few years back interviewing the gardener on the first ship to introduce live shrubbery and plants. Just a few years, I talked with professional ice skaters who told me when they were doing competitive skating, and they considered where their careers could take them, they never imagined they would be skating in an ice show on a cruise ship.

Just thee or four years ago, the position of "aqua captain" didn't even exist. Dance captains had been around for years, but there was no need for anyone to be in charge of the divers and swimmers until Oasis of the Seas came along.
Now Royal Caribbean has two of them, and this week, one of them was a guest blogger for Royal Caribbean.

Nicholas James Thomas McMahon is the Aqua Captain of the Aqua cast aboard Allure of the Seas, and his blog takes readers behind the scenes at the Aqua shows on the giant ships:

The three levels we have in our aqua shows, “Ocean Aria” and “Let You Entertain Me”, are a 3 meter springboard, and a 10 and 17 meter platform. All of the divers in our cast dive from the 3m springboard, and the 10m platform. However, only our two featured high divers can dive from the 17m high dive.

Before each Ocean Aria performance, we have a half hour warm up period where the lifts and boards are down so we can do a few dives. At 8 o’clock the stage staff presets the props underwater, so we have to get out of the pool. After this we have an hour to stretch and warm up until the show starts at 9:00 PM. In between shows we usually grab a bite to eat, and if necessary, fix any problems that occurred in the first show. During the course of a regular week, we have two “Ocean Aria” performances on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, and two “Let You Entertain Me” shows on Saturday.
More

Dreamworks' Puss in Boots 3D Debuts aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

Dreamworks Animation pulled out all the stops for the debut of Puss in Boots aboard Allure of the Seas. Of course the premier was a red carpet event, complete with the shows stars which included Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek.

New Menu aboard Allure of the Seas' at 150 Central Park Restaurant

Chef Molly Brandt has created a new fall menu for the upscale 150 Central Park restaurant aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas. This is what is looks like as it's coming together.



Chef Molly Brandt on Allure of the Seas has just presented her new seasonal Fall menu featuring dishes made with fresh ingredients, served together in balance and harmony evoking a unique symphony of elements served in an elegant, fine dining scene in Central Park.

Some of Chef Molly's gastronomical delights include an Apple Cider Marinated Veal Tenderloin, Cornbread Parisienne Gnocchi, fresh Autumn Salad, and Smoked Confit Hamachi paired with award winning wine selections.

Cunard's exclusive club, Sourcing for passengers on Oasis & Allure, Growth in Baltimore, Shrinkage in Malta, New photos from Allure

CND subscribers also read about an exclusive club that meets aboard Queen Elizabeth ... where passengers are coming from for Oasis & Allure ... steady cruise passenger growth in Baltimore ... sudden shrinkage at Malta ... and latest photos from Allure.


Details of these items appeared in the "Other Things You'll Want to Know" column in the November 5, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily..