Choosing Cruising Blog

Cuba could become a Caribbean destination for the various American Cruise lines in the future.

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The ports of Dublin and Cork are scheduled to receive a record 139 cruiseships in total this year, bringing 180,000 visitors and crew. Many more of these cruiseships are due to visit over the next two months and stretching into late Autumn. Between €35-55m is expected to be generated into the Dublin region from high-spend cruise visitors while a further €5m is predicted for the local economy at Cork.

At sea the wedding business has increased by as much as 60% in the last decade, reports Cruise Lines International Association. A Royal Caribbean International survey noted a whopping 95% of holidaymakers rated cruises as “extremely or very romantic,” compared with other holidays. (more…)

Cruise ship size is increasing which means more facilities and passengers but there are physical barriers to consider when building a new ship such as entrance to harbours, clearance under bridges and the size of a canal lock.

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Southampton port is attractive to shipping thanks to its proximity to major sea routes and its unique double tide giving 17 hours of rising or standing water every day and is the city is home port for major cruise companies P&O, Princess, Cunard and Royal Caribbean and boasts four dedicated cruise terminals.

It is the self-styled cruise capital of the UK with more than a 65% share of the market. (more…)

Louis Hellenic Cruises will be completing the sale of MV Aegean Pearl and delivering to her new owners on June 23rd 2010 and her planned itineraries for the 2010 season will be taken over and operated by MV Calypso.

Named after the sea goddess and daughter of Atlas Titan in Greek mythology, MV Calypso was rebuilt in 1999 and is a slick cruise ship of particular design with a cozy and warm atmosphere, a wide selection of public areas and spacious accommodation. On her 8 decks, MV Calypso can accommodate 740 passengers in 243 cabins and suites, 158 of which are outside staterooms. She also features a swimming pool, 5 bars, a disco, library, a fitness center with sauna and massage facilities, duty free & cruise value shops and a beautifully decorated restaurant fitting for its name: “L’ Orchidee”. MV Calypso will be welcoming her passengers with Greek Officers, the Greek flag flying proudly on her mast and therefore she will be welcoming and sailing them to her home waters.

As we slowly pass the economic downturn and sit in a volcanic cloud of ash ferry bookings have increased alongside cruises this year as British passengers have chosen to take alternative holidays to the European continent using their car. For example, Brittany Ferries carried 35,286 foot passengers during the week ending 22nd April 2010  -  more than five times the corresponding week in 2009.

As ash from the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland has grounded nearly every flight to northern Europe (stranding thousands of travellers), repositioning cruise ships voyaging to Europe in April and May are unaffected.

In fact, Europe’s trains and ferries seem to be the biggest winners in the current crisis: Most have been able to operate with little or no disruption. Train lines are overbooked because they handle land travel throughout the continent, while ferry lines have taken over overseas links. Tallink, an Estonian company that operates ferries throughout the Baltic Sea, has been deluged with calls from stranded travelers. Many of its cruises are sold out through Saturday, and the reservations desk currently has delays of 20 minutes or more.

Britain’s NorthLink ferry service, which offers service from Scotland’s Shetland Isles to ports in mainland England, has been booked solid since the crisis began. The company has added extra sailings to pick up the slack left by grounded airlines.

While traveling within Britain is tough, getting to the continent is even harder: P&O ferries has announced that service on its most popular route, from Dover, England to Calais, France, is booked solid, and many of its other lines have been swamped by last-minute travelers.

Do you think there will be a flurry of interest in booking cruises which visit Iceland this summer? Perhaps so.

Did you spot the cruise industry joke on the 1st of April? P&O cruises were to implement a name change as to avoid confusion with P&O ferries. Their new name was to be Panda Cruises with Azura to be repainted!

Do you like the new design for Azura?

There is rising speculation that Dubai World could be selling off the QE2 that they bought from Cunard in 2007 (for £64 million) because of current debts.  At the time they held plans to transform her into a luxury floating hotel.

Plans for the QE2 floating hotel in Dubai might not pan out