First Peek at Norwegian Prima

Fincantieri has floated out Norwegian Prima at their Marghera shipyard near Venice. 

The 149,500-ton ship is the first of a six-ship order for a new class based on a prototype project developed by Fincantieri.  

Delivery is set for next year. 

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

Wonder What's Happening in France?

This construction update (August 2021) on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas shows the progress toward the March 2022 delivery of the 236,857-gross ton ship with 2,867 staterooms and suites.  

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

It's Mardi Gras Time in Old San Juan

Carnival's new Mardi Gras made its first-ever call at San Juan today which was significant for the ship, but it was even more significant for the port because it was the first cruise ship to call at San Juan in 16 months. 

   This called for Governor Pedro Pierluisi, Mayor Miguel Romero and other local government officials to join Carnival brass for the event at the port. 

The complete story appeared in the August 3 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

With Mardi Gras serving as a dramatic backdrop, Carnival and Puerto Rico officials pose for a photo – from left Mardi Gras Hotel Director Pierre Camilleri, Captain Giuseppe Giusa, San Juan Port Authority Executive Director Joel Piza, Carnival Cruise Line President, Christine Duffy, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi and San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero.
Have you ever seen people having more fun?

Rotterdam Rides Again

The seventh Holland America ship to bear the Rotterdam name (named in honor of the line's very first ship) was delivered today by Fincantieri at their Marghera shipyard. 

   The 99,800-ton ship is the third Pinnacle-class ship delivered, and the 17th Fincantieri has constructed for Holland America Line. 

The ship will enter service with a transatlantic crossing from Amsterdam to Ft. Lauderdale on October 20, 2021. 

The complete story appeared in the July 30 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Sea Trial Video:
This is raw video from the sea trials earlier this month. It's b-roll that's meant to be cut up and used in other productions and in news stories, so there is no sound, but it does give you ariel views and a look at construction of the ship from every angle. 

Please note: Fincantieri knows how to build wonderful ships, but from the titles on each section of the video, they don't seem to understand the importance of getting the letters in the right order in English. Yes, we know it's "sea trials." Those i's and a's can be tricky. Maybe that's why they call these "prove a mare."

Interior Walk-Through Video:
This is b-roll, showing many of the public areas of the ship just before delivery to Holland America, so there is no sound.

Construction video:
Again, this is b-roll, so again, there is no sound: Note that in the early scenes of putting the bow in place, it has the ship's original name, Ryndam, on it before it was redesignated as Rotterdam. 

It's Mardi Gras Time!

It's finally time for Carnival's new 181,808-ton Mardi Gras to set sail from Port Canaveral on Saturday, and today they had a “Sip & Sea” party aboard her to let visitors look around for the first time.  Visitors were excited to see the new BOLT rollercoaster and the new specialty restaurants. 

You can make believe you were there by watching the b-roll below from the event. 

The complete story appeared in the July 30 edition of Cruise News Daily.