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

CND subscribers also read about:

• Meyer Werft delivering Norwegian Joy
• Holland America Line's new Navigator app
• AIDA taking delivery of AIDAperla from Mitsubishi
• Carnival Fantasy finding a man floating in the ocean and then losing him again

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

It Was Worth the Wait

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries delivered AIDApima to AIDA on Sunday at Nagasaki.

The ship is already on the way to Hamburg.

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

AIDAprima leaving Nagasaki

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

Mitsubishi Delays AIDAprima again

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has again notified AIDA they won’t be able to meet the delivery date for AIDAprima, and instead of entering service in October from Dubai, AIDA is now planning for the ship to enter service in April 2016 from Hamburg.

This, of course, changes AIDA’s inaugural programs again.

Details appeared in the August 4 edition of Cruise News Daily.

My, What Big Lips You Have

Ships have several milestones when they are being built, such as the float out, or the installation of the funnel, but AIDA ships have another milestone - the day they get their artwork on the bow - the trademark lips, eyes and waves.

AIDAprima is under construction at the Mitsubishi yard in Nagasaki, and it has passed just such a milestone.

The complete story appeared in the April 10 edition of Cruise News Daily.

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

Cruise News Daily Headlines for May 5, 2014

* A Star Is Born - or Christened
Windstar Cruise sailed into a new era for the brand today when their new Star Pride was christened today in Barcelona.  More

* AIDAprima Floats for First Time
Saturday was a big day in Japan. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries floated AIDAprima for the first time at the company’s Nagasaki facilities.  More

* Getting the Whole Story
Norwegian Breakaway was delayed returning to New York on Sunday because it spent several hours sitting in the Hudson River. It was a minor story, but due to lack of information, it seems the news media made it into a larger one.

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

Mitsubishi Floats Out AIDAprima

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries floated out AIDAprima from their shipyard at Nagasaki this afternoon.

The 124,500 - GRT ship was towed from the MHI Tategami shipyard to the Kojagi Dock during a one-hour operation. During the journey AIDAprima demonstrated its stability and buoyancy.

There will be extensive testing of various technical systems before fitting out begins at the Kojagi facility.

Delivery is scheduled for September 2015.

Photos courtesy of AIDA. All rights reserved. Photos may not be copied or used without express permission.

Cruise News Daily Headlines for April 8, 2014

* Southampton Is Only a Stopover
It was just a few days ago we told you that Royal Caribbean had decided to send Explorer of the Seas to the UK for the summer of 2015, homeporting it at Southampton. Today, they said where Explorer will go at the end of the season.
   During the 2015-2016 season, Explorer will be used to expand capacity in Australia for their peak summer season.

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about bad news for AIDA from Mitsubishi ... Norwegian joins the FIFA club ... and the milestones keep coming.

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

Quantum of the Seas was floated up for the first time at Meyer Werft on Monday.

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

Cruise News Daily Headlines for March 25, 2014

* Another Piece of Silver
Silversea added a third expedition ship to their fleet today. It was officially named Silver Discoverer in Singapore by Elda Turco Bulgherini, professor of navigation law at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
   Silver Discoverer isn’t a newbuild copy of Silversea’s other expedition ships. It’s the former Clipper Odyssey, freshly back from a refit that made it into what Silversea passengers expect.

* Houston Ship Channel Reopens, Cruise Ships Leave
The Coast Guard opened the Houston Ship Channel on a controlled basis, and three of the four cruise ships that had been trapped in their turnaround ports left as soon as they could. Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, having removed the indecision yesterday and canceled this week’s sailing, remained in Galveston with customers aboard enjoying the ship at the pier.

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about a crew member arrested in Palm Beach ... lower demand in Japan ... and more trouble in Japan.

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

First Look at AIDAprima's Top Deck

Carnival's German brand, AIDA, began releasing details yesterday of AIDAprima which will be delivered by Mitsubishi in March 2015. Some of their most innovative passengers features will be on the ship's top deck.

One thing to note in this rendering is that most of the top deck is covered by a retractable dome of a thin membrane which is UV-penetrable, making the facilities warm and usable year round, even during the inclement weather of winter in Northern Europe. This is important since AIDAprima will be homeported at Hamburg year round.

The Beach Club will take up the midships part of the top deck. AIDA has a beach theme around their pools as can be seen in the rendering. Note the large Beach Club Bar in the lower left. The area will also be used for beach parties at night, and when the dome is closed, a virtual starry night can be projected on the membrane, or it can be used as a screen for a laser light show.

The fun in the sun under the UV-penetrable dome will continue on the aft part of the top deck where passengers will find a climbing wall, sports court, and large LED screen for sporting events. One of the innovative features on AIDAprima will be the Lazy River which winds through the area allowing passengers to float along with the current at their own pace.

AIDAprima will also give passengers a thrill on a Skywalk that extends out over the sea about 145 feet below.

The complete story appeared in yesterday's edition of Cruise News Daily.

Renderings courtesy of AIDA

Cruise News Daily Headlines for July 3, 2013

* Mitsubishi Resumes Building Cruise Ships
After a ten-year absence from the market, Mitsubishi has resumed building cruise ships. The company worked hard to get their foot in the door to the industry, building a pair of ships for Carnival Corp’s Princess brand in 2004, but then the cargo boom hit, and they became so heavily booked building various types of cargo vessels, their lead time to get a cruise ship scheduled was too long for cruise lines to consider.

But now construction has begun on the first of two ships for Carnival’s AIDA brand. These will be even more technologically-advanced than the two stunning Princess ships they built in the last decade.  More


* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about a Baltic ferry passenger going overboard ...  Zenith repairs are being extended to two weeks ... and funding for Piraeus.



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

Mitsubishi Lays Keel for First AIDA Vessel

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries laid the keel for the first of two ships Carnival's AIDA brand has on order from the Japanese yard. The event took place at Mitsubishi's Nagasaki yard last Sunday (June 30, 2013) with top Carnival, AIDA and Mitsubishi executives in attendance.

The first block of the new ship is lowered into place in the dry dock at Mitsubishi's Nagasaki yard.

The ships will each carry approximately 3,300 passengers and be sized at 124,500 gross tons, making them the largest ever constructed for AIDA. The ships are scheduled for delivery in March 2015 and March 2016.The ships are still unnamed.

A rendering of the Mitsubishi vessel.

New AIDA Vessels to Utilize "Air Lubrication" System to Save Fuel

The two 125,000-ton vessels being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for Carnival's German AIDA brand will incorporate MHI's Air Lubrication System to achieve a 7% fuel savings. The MALS system will force air bubbles under the ship's hull to create a cushion of air flowing under the ship which will allow it to move through the water with less friction resulting in lower fuel usage and less CO2 emission.

The system has been in use for several years on cargo vessels built by MHI, but the AIDA vessels, set for delivery in 2015 and 2016, will be the first cruise ships to employ the MALS system.

The animation below from Mitsubishi shows how the system works.

Carnival Dividend, Bermuda Welcome, Mitsubishi Ready to Build Cruise Ships, AIDA Planning Way Ahead

* Other Things You'll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about Carnival again declaring a dividend for investors ... Bermuda putting out the welcome mat hoping to mend fences for a special group ... Mitsubishi readying a return to building cruise ships ... and AIDA planning way in advance for a christening extravaganza.

Details appeared in the "Other Things You'll Want to Know" Column in the June 2, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.