Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ newest ship EUROPA 2 was named in a ceremony in Hamburg coinciding with the port’s 824th anniversary on May 10, 2013. From May 9th to 12th, 2013, more than a million people are expected to be at one of the largest maritime festivals in the world. At around 7:00 pm…
A GRACEful Ferry Tale, part 2 by Kalle Id MaritimeMatters’ Helsinki correspondent Kalle Id continues his Ferry Tale from onboard Viking Line’s new, liquid natural gas -powered VIKING GRACE. All photographs are copyright © 2013 Kalle Id, except where otherwise noted. Friday, 15 February 2013 Sleeping onboard the VIKING GRACE,…
NCL’s NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY, the largest ship ever constructed in Germany, was floated out of Meyer Weft’s covered building dock II this morning in Papenburg, Germany. The 146,600-ton ship has been under construction since September 2011. Starting about 7 am (local time), the massive 4,000 passenger ship departed building dock II. NORWEGIAN…
A GRACEful Ferry Tale, Part One by Kalle Id MaritimeMatters’ Helsinki correspondent Kalle Id returns with another Ferry Tale from the Baltic Sea with a report from a ferry cruise onboard Viking Line’s new, futuristic Turku-Stockholm ferry VIKING GRACE that might – just might – define the future of passenger…
Cover Photo: While aboard Silversea Cruises deluxe SILVER SHADOW at Nha Trang, Viet Nam, we watched as cable cars swung high overhead on their way to Vinpearl Land, an amusement park island some two miles offshore. Needless to say, we ended up on one of those cars an hour or…
At 702 pages, Berlitz’ Complete Guide To Cruising and Cruise Ships 2013 is an opus work by industry veteran Douglas Ward, who has been rating cruises for some 45 years. Available for USD $24.99 or UK £17.99 at www.berlitzpublishing.com, the guide includes reviews of 284 ocean-going passenger ships that span…
On September 27, Silversea Cruises gathered three of its ultra-luxury ships in the Ionian port of Corfu, marking the first such event in the line’s 18 year history. Silversea’s newest, largest ship, the 36,000-ton SILVER SPIRIT (built in 2009) and its classic 17,400-ton SILVER WIND (built in 1995) were on…
The first in a new generation of ships built for the Carnival Corporation, the 3,600 passenger ROYAL PRINCESS was floated out of its graving dock at Fincantieri’s Monfancone, Italy shipyard on August 16. A “pre-christening” was officiated by “madrina” Victoria Nash, daughter of veteran Princess Captain Nick Nash. Ms. Nash,…
Silversea Cruises captured some stunning views of their ultra-luxe, 296 passenger cruise ship SILVER CLOUD when she visited the Port of London last week. The 16,800 ton vessel sailed under the Tower Bridge and its display of Olympic Rings (which were temporarily hoisted to provide clearance) before berthing alongside the…
Two new cruise companies have announced that they will begin operations early in 2012. After Carnival Corporation previously stated that they would be unable to sell the COSTA MARINA (ex AXEL JOHNSON, REGENT SUN, ITALIA) at book value, their Costa Cruises division has bareboat chartered the 25,558 gross ton, 776-passenger ship, to…
