Have You Voted Yet?

This has nothing to do with early voting. Actually, you're very late and just about to miss your opportunity to cast your ballot. The election we're talking about is the election of a godmother for Harmony of the Seas, and voting closes October 14.

As you may remember, Royal Caribbean is seeking an educator from the South Florida area to name the largest cruise ship in the world. They are looking for “an educator who is inspiring the next generation to dream big, think differently and challenge the status quo.”

Details appear in the October 11 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

A Matter of Perspective

Carnival Legend arrived at Sydney this morning after a 17-night South Pacific cruise from Hawaii. The strange thing is that the Australians think she is home, but when she returned to the US this summer, Americans welcomed her home.

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

Royal Caribbean “Gassing Up” for New Class of Ships

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said today they have signed a memorandum of understanding with Meyer Turku to build two new ships for the Royal Caribbean brand, and they will be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG).

The ships will be delivered in the second quarters of 2022 and 2024 and represent the beginning of a new class for the company with a project name of “Icon.”

The Project Icon ships will introduce the use of fuel cell technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Until the first Icon ship is built in 2022, Royal Caribbean will be testing fuel cell technology on other ships. The tests will begin on an Oasis-class ship next year.

Details appeared in the October 10 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Cleaning up after Matthew

Once it left North Carolina, Hurricane Matthew dissipated and never made that predicted turn toward the Bahamas or back to Florida leaving the cruise industry in the Southeast US to get back to normal. Still many ships are sailing modified itineraries this week to compensate for turning around a day late while they waited for ports to reopen.

Some of the most popular ports of call in the Caribbean are the cruise lines' private islands and several are in the Bahamas, and we are starting to get reports in about their conditions.

Details appeared in the October 10 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Royal Princess Shows Off New Livery

Royal Princess was seen leaving the Fincantieri dry dock in Palermo on Friday, the first of the Princess ships to get the new livery. The iconic white hull is out, replaced by a large, blue, flowing Princess logo on the bow. Stunning.

Royal Princess was headed to Civitavecchia to begin her 14-day crossing on Saturday from there to Port Everglades, where she will be homeported for her winter Caribbean season.

This story appeared in the October 10 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Photos courtesy of Princess Cruises. All rights reserved. May not be copied o used without permission.