An Early Peek at Arvia

Construction is barely underway on P&O's second Excel-class ship, Arvia, but already the line is giving us a sense of what it will be like to sail aboard the ship and a glimpse of some of its special features. Sailing aboard any P&O ship is always a distinctly British experience, because the brand sells only in the UK and everything aboard is geared to the current British trends and taste, so this is a unique preview for our US readers. 

P&O says Arvia will be the "epitome of a sunshine resort," and you can see it from some of the renderings. 

The Swim-Up Bar

SkyDome

The 6th Street Diner

The Limelight Club

Atrium

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

The Time Is Right

It was a full moon over the weekend, and that meant the tides and the depth of the Ems River were right for Royal Caribbean's new Odyssey of the Seas to leave Meyer Werft at Papenburg, Germany, for its conveyance down the Ems River for its sea trials in the open sea. 

The second of the Quantum Ultra-class ships, it's packed with features, many of which carried over from the original Quantum-class, but one of the things most interesting about this ship is where it will debut and the conditions surrounding its launch which are a product of the times. 

Royal Caribbean has put together an especially good video with lots of graphics that illustrate the challenges. You may have to watch it a couple of times to catch all the figures and illustrations that fly by that aren't referenced in the narration. 

The complete story appeared in the March 1 edition of Cruise News Daily.

  

Meyer Lights Their Torch

Construction began last week on P&O's 184,700-ton Arvia when the first steel was cut at the Meyer shipyard in northern Germany. 

The complete story appeared in the February 23 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Rendering of Arvia when it is delivered in late 2022

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

The Future Becomes a Little More Human

The future is aboard MSC Virtuosa. MSC has the world's first humanoid robotic bartender at sea and he works in the futuristic MSC Starship Club.

The complete story appeared in the February 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

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

A New Place for Pizza

If you're always on the lookout for a new place to have pizza. There will be a new one, but not quite yet. When Carnival's new Mardi Gras boards its first passenger on May 29, one of Carnival's favorites will be aboard, Pizzeria del Capitano, the home to Carnival's famous pizza.

Pizzeria del Capitano will be in La Piazza, one of six themed-zones on Mardi Gras.  

The complete story appeared in the February 9 edition of Cruise News Daily.

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