Taking Koningsdam for a Spin

A sure since that delivery is nearing, Fincantieri took Holland America's Koningsdam out on its second set of sea trials in the Adriatic last week. It was the first opportunity to really look over the new class of ship.

The complete story appeared in the January 19 edition of Cruise News Daily.

By courtesy of FINCANTIERI S.p.A. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

First Born

Queen Mary 2 arrived at New York on Sunday morning from Southampton, at the end of the first leg of its world cruise, and it had an extra passenger aboard. It wasn’t some poor soul picked up along the way whose boat was sinking. That’s old hat for QM2. This was a brand-new occurrence for the giant ocean liner.

The complete story appeared in the January 19 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Australians Know How to Do It

Imagine going to a major sporting event, like the World Series, by cruise ship. Midway through the five-day cruise, it stops at the port for the games. You and a couple thousand other people spend two days at the games using the ship as your hotel, and then you sail home. You unpack once, you have wonderful dining and entertainment available just outside your door, and your tickets to the games and shuttles to the stadium are all prearranged. What could be simpler?

Just a dream? No. P&O Australia is doing that right now for the Australian Open Tennis matches.

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

Why the Ships Are Going Down Under

Most of the seasons are reversed between North America and Australia, but one that isn’t is Wave Season. It starts both places in early January and cruise lines are flooded with bookings. We often use term “exploding” to describe the Australian market, and it seems at the moment that term couldn’t be more accurate.

As we’ve been reporting, P&O Australia has just added two new ships, and they have energized their market even more, and P&O has broken a couple of booking records already this year.

Details appeared in the January 18 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Like a Quick Trip to Amsterdam

On of the major places to visit on any trip to Amsterdam is the Rijksmuseum. In April, a little bit of it will be coming to Holland America’s Oosterdam.

The complete story appeared in the January 18 edition of Cruise News Daily.