Looking around Spectrum of the Seas

Royal Caribbean International's Spectrum of the Seas is the first of the new Quntum Ultra Class. Since it's dedicated to the Chinese market and based in Shanghai, most Westerners won't have an opportunity to see it. Take this opportunity to take a quick look around Spectrum and see her unique features as well as some of her familiar ones.

And Another Ship You Won't Be Sailing

Knowing that none of our subscribers are in China, it's a safe bet you won't be sailing aboard Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas as it is dedicated to the local market in China.

It has arrived at Shanghai, and was named today in a “grand naming ceremony.” Chinese celebrities, Xiaoming Huang and Angelababy, who also happen to be Royal Caribbean brand ambassadors, also became godparents of Spectrum of the Seas. At the ceremony today, they named the ship and bestowed a blessing of safekeeping over all those who sail on Spectrum.

Details appeared in the June 3 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Carnival Continues Push into China

The contract creating CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Ltd has been finalized between China State Shipbuild Corp (CSSC) and Carnival Corp. The joint venture was first announced in 2015. The purpose of the new company is to launch the first multi-ship cruise brand specifically designed to serve the Chinese cruise market.

The new company will be launched with two ships that will be built in China and two ships purchased from Carnival's Costa Group.

The complete story appeared in the November 6 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Fincantieri to Keep Cooperating

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri signed an MOU with the China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) to extend their agreement and continue cooperating on all segments of merchant shipbuilding.

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

Such a Nice Day, the Crew Thought They'd Get Some Sun

Majestic Princess celebrated a milestone of its 100th voyage, and 300 of the crew members came up to the Pool Deck to mark the occasion with a photo.

The milestone voyage is a round trip from Shanghai to Japan.

Of course that means it's also less than two months (September 15) until the start of Majestic Princess' Summer (there) Cruise Season in Australia. Majestic will be the largest ship Princess has ever operated in Australia.

During the Australian season, the 16 cruises will take Majestic Princess to Fiji, New Zealand and Tasmania as well as two Asia voyages between Shanghai and Sydney, and Sydney and Hong Kong.

This story appeared in the July 24 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

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

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. 

More Expansion for MSC in Asia

If you are the type who tracks where ships are, then you know that the 138,000-ton MSC Splendida arrived in China today to begin its season there sailing mostly from Shanghai, with several sailings from Yokohama.

The line used the occasion to announce that MSC Bellissima will be deployed to Asia in the spring of 2020. Like MSC Splendida, MSC Bellissima will sail most from Shanghai, but will have a number of sailings from Yokohama.

Details appeared in the April 24 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - March 19, 2018

CND subscribers also read about:

• Royal Caribbean and China's CTrip are ending their joint venture SkySea Cruise Lines this fall. 
• In May, Adam Goldstein will be promoted to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd Vice Chairman.

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

A One-Time Opportunity

Costa's next ship, the 135,500-ton Costa Venezia, is under construction at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard, and it will be delivered in the first quarter of 2019. The ship is being built specifically for the Chinese market.

Once built in Italy, it still has to get to Asia, and Costa will sell the ship's positioning cruise from Italy to Asia as a spectacular 53-day inaugural, the only time the ship will be available for sale to western passengers. Once in China, it will be limited to local sale only.

Details appeared in the March 2 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Let's Go to the Video

Last weekend Majestic Princess was named in Shanghai by international basketball superstars Yao Ming and Ye Li. The Royal-class ship will sail most of the year in the Chinese source market from Shanghai. The ship is Princess' first to feature customization for the Chinese market.

The Silk Road Reaches China

On May 21 Majestic Princess set off from Rome for her new homeport in China along the traditional sea route of the ancient Silk Road, and Monday it arrived in China.

The route took the ship and more than 7,000 passengers to ports in Greece, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Singapore to Xiamen, where the ship was welcomed to China. The voyage is continuing to Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and Shanghai where the ship will be based when it arrives on July 9.

The object of the voyage obviously was to reposition the ship from Italy, where it was built, to China, but during the trip, the focus was on promoting Chinese culture and tradition.

Details appeared in the July 5 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

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 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:

Other Things You'll Want to Know - May 24, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• Holland America Line is adding Cuban ports of call to eleven Caribbean itineraries this winter from Ft. Lauderdale. 
• Majestic Princess has begun its 37-day positioning voyage from Rome to China. 

Details appeared in the May 24 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

And Aren't There Supposed to Be 40 Thieves in the Deal?

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has partnered with China's Alibaba Group to market Norwegian Cruises in the Chinese market.

Alibaba is the world's largest online and mobile commerce company.

The complete story appeared in the May 5 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Royal Caribbean Sets 2018-2019 Asian Programs & Quantum Ultra Deployment

On Wednesday, Royal Caribbean announced their 2018-2019 program for Asia and the Pacific, meaning primarily China, Singapore and Australia.

At the same time they announced that their first next-generation Quantum-class ship, called the Quantum Ultra-class, will join her two sister Quantum-class ships in China in early 2019.

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

When “Year Round” Doesn't Necessarily Mean All Year

Majestic Princess was just delivered, and hasn't even yet arrived at its year round home port in China. It was purpose-built for the Chinese market with features aboard that will specifically appeal to the market and lots of other customization they will love.

Breaking with previously-announced plans, Princess has just decided, Australians will love them too, and the line announced today that the ship will be based in Sydney for the 2018-2019 Austral summer season (peak there, off-peak in winter China).

The complete story appeared in the April 12 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - April 3, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• Carnival's first customers to sail 200 cruise with the line
• Jamaica is upgrading their Dunn's River Falls attraction as part of an effort to improve cruise passengers' satisfaction with the country.
• AIDAbella has made the brand's first call in China. 

Details appeared in the April 3 edition of Cruise News Daily.

AIDAbella's maiden call at Shanghai April 2-4

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

Other Things You'll Want to Know - March 3, 2017

CND subscribers also read about:

• China vs South Korea and cruise lines caught in the middle
• Princess is inviting UK agents to visit their ships and bring their kids. 
• Records were broken in Auckland

Details appeared in the March 3 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Here We Go!

Carnival Corp announced finalization and updating of the terms of the MOU they signed last September to build two 133,500-ton cruise ships with the Fincantieri/CSSC (Chinese State Shipbuilding Corp) joint venture for Carnival's j/v Chinese cruise line. This MOU also made the agreement binding.

One of the updates was that the number of options for additional ships was doubled from the original MOU from two to four. Another update was that the first ship's delivery date has slipped a year to 2023.

The complete story appeared in the February 22 edition of Cruise News Daily.