FOUR COSTA SHIPS UNDERGO €15 MILLION REFURBISHMENT

Costa Cruises has spent €15 million refurbishing four of its 12-strong fleet of ships in dry dock.

In addition to technical maintenance, the Italian line carried out on board improvements to the vessels 2,394-passenger Costa Victoria, 1,000-passenger Costa Marina, 3,780-passenger Costa Concordia and 1,680-passenger Costa Classica.

The layout of the public areas and cabins has been restyled, replacing furnishings, carpeting, curtains, fabrics and wall linings.

Old television sets have been replaced with new LCD screens.

On the outer decks, the flooring was replaced with teak.

by Phil Davies

CARNIVAL UK SIGNS FOR NEW SOUTHAMPTON CRUISE TERMINAL

A purpose-built cruise terminal is to be built in Southampton for almost £20 million to open in 2009.

The new terminal comes as part of a 20-year deal between Carnival UK and Associated British Ports for the multi-brand cruise giant to continue sailing from Southampton.

The £19 million terminal will be built at Ocean Dock, opposite the site of the old Ocean Terminal.

The agreement also gives Carnival UK priority use of the port's QEII and Mayflower Terminals. The cruise company's brands include P&O Cruises, Cunard, Ocean Village and Princess Cruises.
Carnival UK CEO David Dingle said: "Our brands are inextricably linked with Southampton and the port's maritime history.

"The signing of this agreement and the construction of our new headquarters building in the city together underpin our commitment to retaining Southampton as our long-term home.

"The new terminal agreement comes as we prepare to base further new ships in Southampton including Cunard Line's Queen Victoria, which was named in the city on Monday, and P&O Cruises' Ventura which will be home-ported here from next April.
"Our new ships are testament to the growth of the cruise industry, the strength of its links with Southampton and its massive economic contribution to the region, and it is fitting that they will sail from a new state-of-the-art terminal in the city."

by Phil Davies

VENTURA COMPLETES SEA TRIALS

P&O's Ventura, the largest cruise ship dedicated to the British market, has successfully completed its official sea trials.

The two weeks of trials included testing of the £300 million ship's navigation system and propulsion motors.

Completion of the sea trials signify that 3,100-passenger Ventura is close to completion, and will soon be sailing for the UK from its Italian shipyard prior to its launch in Southampton in April.

P&O Cruises' managing director, Nigel Esdale said: "We are delighted that Ventura passed her sea trials with flying colours.

"The next few months will be a busy time at the shipyard, as the innovative concepts and designs for Ventura come to life in the final stages of her development.

"We are very much looking forward to Ventura joining our fleet and embarking on her maiden season as the most family friendly superliner built for the British market."

The build of Ventura started with the laying of the keel in August 2006.

Since then more than 3,000 workers at the Fincantieri shipyard have worked to complete the project, and the final few months will be dedicated to creating and outfitting her contemporary, innovative and family friendly public spaces and cabins.

A sister ship is due to be delivered to the cruise line in 2010.

Meanwhile, sister brand Cunard's new ship Queen Victoria is due in Southampton today for a weekend of trade events prior to be named by The Duchess of Cornwall on Monday.

by Phil Davies

CUNARD ACCEPTS DELIVERY OF QUEEN VICTORIA; DUCHESS OF CORNWALL TO NAME NEW SHIP

Cunard took delivery of the Queen Victoria on November 27, and the new ship left the shipyard in Venice on November 30.

She is scheduled to arrive in Southampton on December 7, where she will berth at the City Cruise Terminal at 9:30 am. If you are in the UK, here is the schedule of December 7 viewing points as the ship makes her way up Southampton Water.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall will christen new ocean liner with a magnum of Veuve Clicquot's Yellow Label. Like her sister ship the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Victoria will feature a Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar. Located on Deck 2 of the triple-height Grand Lobby, the1920's Art Deco-style champagne bar will serve Veuve Clicquot Champagne exclusively. Appropriately, the Champagnes are paired with fresh delicacies during the pre-dinner and post-dinner hours.


The Following her Naming Ceremony on December 10, the Queen Victoria will depart on her Maiden Voyage, to a splendid firework display, at 5:00 pm on Tuesday December 11.


Courtesy of About.com


Read the Official Press Release

ART GETS A NEW DIMENSION ONBOARD QUEEN VICTORIA

A new self-guided art tour is set to introduce a new generation of aesthetically-minded cruisers to the collection on Cunard Cruises' Queen Victoria.

The collection's contemporary feel is appropriate for a liner named after one of the most forward-looking leaders in Britain's history, Cunard Cruises states.

Now, a museum-style self-guided tour will complement the range of artworks displayed on the vessel, with the help of Apple's iPod Touch, available to borrow onboard.

An 80-minute audio overview takes captivated cruisers on a tour of 25 of the most important pieces onboard Queen Victoria, while video interviews with artists give a new dimension to the works displayed.

"Through this extraordinarily well-researched collection, we convey the ambiance that guests expect on a liner named Queen Victoria - a sense of history and grandeur coupled with a more contemporary appreciation of modern art by modern artists and artisans," said Carol Marlow, President of Cunard Cruises.

The line recently announced that it has ordered a new ship, to be christened Queen Elizabeth.

BERLITZ PLACES CUNARD AT THE TOP OF THE LIST OF MAJOR CRUISE LINES

Cunard Line has been named Number 1 among the top ten largest cruise lines in the new 2008 Berlitz Guide to Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships. The Line also received top honors for Best Overall Food and Best Overall Service in the independent guide, which was written by renowned cruise authority Douglas Ward, whose expertise spans 960 sailings and over 5,400 days at sea on virtually every cruise line in the world.

Carol Marlow, Cunard’s President and Managing Director, says:

“It is especially gratifying to receive this recognition for our flagship Queen Mary 2 and much-loved QE2 as we prepare to launch our newest ship, Queen Victoria in December of this year. It is a very exciting time for Cunard, particularly with our recent announcement to build the new 2092-passenger Queen Elizabeth, which will debut in 2010.”

Douglas Ward, the world’s top authority on cruising and cruise ships, is President of the Maritime Evaluations Group, an independent international agency that rates cruise ships worldwide. With over 40 years of experience, he spends more than 250 days a year aboard cruise ships, inspecting and evaluating their facilities.

THREE CUNARD QUEENS TOGETHER

Be part of an historic event in Cunard's history when the QE2 sets sail from Southampton for her last ever world cruise on 6th January 2008. At the same time the brand new Queen Victoria will be joining her to travel across the Atlantic to New York together.

In addition to this - for the first time ever - the 3 Cunard Queens will meet up together in New York for an incredible photo opportunity when the Queen Mary 2 joins the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Victoria.

Cunard have just released some unbelievable low rates to enable you to witness and be part of this historic event without having to spare the money and time for a full 3 month world cruise. You can either join the QE2 for a 10 night cruise from Southampton via New York to Fort Lauderdale from only £799 pp including a direct flight back to London. Or take the opportunity to explore South America on the QE2 (one of the best ocean going liners afloat) for a 31 night cruise from Southampton via New York and around Cape Horn to Chile. This cruise packaged with a 2 night stay in Chile and flights back to London is available from just £2399pp saving over £1200pp on the current High Street price.

The last ever full 106 night world cruise on the QE2 sails via New York , Cape Horn , South America , New Zealand , Australia , Singapore , Hong Kong , China , Japan , Hawaii , Los Angeles, Mexico, Panama Canal & Caribbean . The High Street price starts from £24,259, if you have sailed with Cunard before and are registered with Cunard you should be entitled to receive a further discounted price of £23,046. Our Cunard cruise specialists at Jetline Cruises who should also be able to offer you a further discount of up to £2300pp.

Call to find out more on the individual sections of the world cruise and the prices that are available.

Apart from the incredible White Star service, the prestige of travelling with Cunard and the romance of an epic voyage across the Atlantic -Cunard operate the only true Ocean Liners in the world. All other ships are considered as cruise ships and not ocean liners.

Cruise ships tend to have a flatter bottom and shallower draught keel which is ideal for cruising sheltered waters visiting ports that are shallow in depth. Whereas the Cunard ocean liners have much deeper and sharper keels to help slice through the oceans and give the ship more stability in exposed areas.

We feel this is an opportunity not to be missed on many levels - particularly since the price is so low and can be taken as a cruise for many reasons.

CUNARD ORDERS NEW SHIP TO BE NAMED QUEEN ELIZABETH

Cunard Line has ordered a new 92,000-ton liner to be named Queen Elizabeth.

It is scheduled to enter service in autumn 2010, two years after the QE2 will leave the fleet to become a floating luxury hotel in Dubai.

"We are delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has given her blessing to our calling this new Cunarder 'Queen Elizabeth', after our first vessel of that name," said president and managing director Carol Marlow.

"The decision to order another ship for Cunard Line has been taken as a result of the strong booking response to the new Queen Victoria, and we are extremely pleased that Cunard will once again become a three-ship fleet so soon after the departure of the much-celebrated QE2 in November next year."

Cunard has signed an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of the new 2092–passenger ocean liner at an all-in cost of approximately €500 million.

The vessel will be the second largest Cunarder ever built.

Queen Elizabeth will fly the Red Ensign with her home-port Southampton, like the other ships in the Cunard fleet.

The agreement is subject to approval by the board of directors of Carnival Corporation.

Design details and initial itineraries will be announced in due course.

Courtesy of Travelmole.com

QUEEN VICTORIA SEA TRIALS

Queen Victoria has successfully completed her sea trials. She is seen here (see right) being put through her paces in her first photograph at sea.

Sea trials are undertaken to ensure that ships operate safely and efficiently and as such, the performance is tested in order to identify and correct any equipment issues before the vessel enters service.

The various trials test the maximum speed achievable and manoeuvrability to evaluate the ship’s capabilities, putting stress on the major engine components to ensure they work under the most extreme conditions.

“Queen Victoria has successfully completed her first venture out to sea and now, back at the yard, her magnificent public spaces, luxurious suites and staterooms are coming to life with the addition of intriguing art work, elegant features and classical furnishings,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line.

Queen Victoria is scheduled to arrive in Southampton for the first time on Friday, December 7, this year, where she will be christened by Her Royal Highness, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at a regal ceremony on Monday, December 10, which will also be attended by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.