A Celebrity Cruises Family Affair

• Celebrity Cruises announced today that Greek brothers Dimitrios and Tasos Kafetzis have been named co-captains of Celebrity Ascent, the company’s fourth ship in its industry-transforming Edge Series, debuting December 2023.
• The accomplished maritime brothers will usher in a new era for the cruise line, taking the helm of the brand’s newest relaxed luxury resort at sea, which has been brought to life by a team of modern lifestyle icons including multi-award-winning British designer Kelly Hoppen CBE; celebrated American designer Nate Berkus and Michelin starred chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud.
• “Captain Dimitrios and Captain Tasos are our star-powered siblings, a maritime dream team. They have given so much to the Celebrity family over the years that we are like a second family,” said Lutoff-Perlo. “Seeing their emotional reaction to this appointment and understanding what it means to share this pinnacle of their career together was something I didn’t expect and will never forget.
• Captain Dimitrios has dedicated his entire maritime career, spanning more than three decades, to Celebrity Cruises, having started as an Apprentice Officer onboard Celebrity’s very first vessel, the Horizon, in 1990. Today, he reaches the very pinnacle of the industry, being named take-out captain of this trailblazing ship. Born in Piraeus, port of Athens, Greece, Captain Dimitrios graduated from the Merchant Maritime Academy of Syros-Athens at the top of his class, and has held his Master’s licence since 2001. He has sailed aboard every different class of ship in Celebrity’s fleet, and was also part of the start up teams for Celebrity MillenniumⓇ, Celebrity InfinityⓇ, Celebrity SilhouetteⓇ and Celebrity ApexⓇ, the latter of which he was also the take out Captain.
• Captain Tasos grew up watching his older brother Dimitrios making a career on cruise ships, and realised he wanted to follow in his footsteps. After also graduating from the Merchant Marine College, he joined Celebrity Cruises in 1998, and over his more than 20-year career with the brand, has been involved in the opening of Celebrity SummitⓇ, Celebrity SolsticeⓇ, Celebrity EquinoxⓇ and Celebrity ReflectionⓇ. Most recently, he has served as captain of Celebrity EdgeⓇ, the very first of Celebrity’s award-winning Edge SeriesⓇ, which launched in 2018.
• The brothers will alternate their time on Celebrity Ascent in a three-months on-and-off rotation.

Culinary Queen Karen Martini and Cricket Great Brett Lee to Headline Cunard’s Australian Themed Voyages in 2024

• Cunard announced two exciting new themed voyages for its 2024 Australian homeport season. Celebrity chef Karen Martini will headline the second edition of the hugely successful Great Australian Culinary Voyage, whilst legendary former fast bowler Brett Lee will spearhead the inaugural Voyage of Sporting Greats.
• The 7-night Great Australian Culinary Voyage and the 7-night Voyage of Sporting Greats will celebrate Australian culture through the lenses of food and sport. Karen and Brett will captivate Queen Elizabeth’s 2,081-guests through engaging activities, talks and events aboard the ship, and carefully crafted themed shore experiences.
• Departing Melbourne on 5 January 2024, the Great Australian Culinary Voyage will see Queen Elizabeth chart an itinerary to Adelaide, Hobart and back to Melbourne over seven nights. Karen will be joined by additional exciting food, wine, and drinks talent to be announced in the coming months.
• Departing on 13 February 2024, Cunard’s inaugural Voyage of Sporting Greats will sail a roundtrip from Sydney to Tasmania and back over 7-nights, with calls in Hobart, Port Arthur and Melbourne. Brett Lee will lead the line-up of Australian sporting icons, with more popular sporting talent to be announced shortly.
• At 90,900 tonnes, Queen Elizabeth is the second largest ship ever to sail in Cunard’s fleet. She is home to just over 2,000 guests and 1,000 crew and features more than 10 restaurants and cafés, a Games Deck including paddle tennis, croquet and bowls, a two-storey library, a ballroom, and the Royal Court Theatre featuring West End style entertainment.

Costa returns to Asia

• Costa Cruises announces the return to service in Asia of Costa Serena. From June to September 2023, the Italian company’s ship will be operating a program of “charter” cruises, in cooperation with local Asian partners.
• The total number of cruises Costa Serena will offer in Asia in 2023 is thirty. Six cruises, in June 2023, will be dedicated the South Korean market; from July to September 2023 another twenty-four cruises are planned for the Taiwan market.
• The itineraries, lasting from 4 to 7 days, include some of the most beautiful destinations in East Asia, particularly Japan, such as Sasebo, Kagoshima, Otaru, Hakodate, Naha, Miyakojima, and Ishigaki. Departures are scheduled from the ports of Busan, Sokcho and Pohang in South Korea, and Keelung, Taiwan.
• Costa Serena is an Italian-flagged ship built by Fincantieri and entered service in 2007. She has a gross tonnage of 114,000 tons and can accommodate up to 3,780 guests. Before the pause in operations, which began in late January 2020, the ship offered cruises In East Asia, with departures from China.

Carnival Splendor & Panorama are bound for Singapore

• Carnival Cruise Line has invited Aussie guests to escape the winter cold and set sail for Singapore as the brand announces two jaw-dropping cruises visiting the tropical jewels of Australia and South East Asia,
• Carnival Splendor’s 15-day cruise from Sydney to Singapore departing 21 July 2024
• Visiting Singapore for her upcoming dry dock, Carnival Splendor will depart Sydney in July 2024 on a 15-day cruise, visiting favourite Sunshine State ports including Brisbane, Airlie Beach and Cairns. Guests will then have the opportunity to explore three special destinations rarely visited by Carnival as Splendor sails into beautiful Lombok Island, Indonesia and water-lovers paradise Benoa, Bali before arriving in the Garden City, Singapore.
• Carnival Splendor’s 16-day cruise from Singapore to Sydney departing 24 August
• Following her three-week refresh in Singapore, cruisers will have the chance to be among the first to enjoy the new-and-improved Carnival Splendor as she makes her 16-day journey home to Sydney in late August. With six ports to visit on the two-plus week journey, guests will be spoilt for choice with places to discover across colourful Jakarta, Benoa, and Lombok Island, as well as tropical Darwin, Airlie Beach, and family-favourite Moreton Island. The cruise marks Carnival’s first guest sailing to visit Tanjung Priok (Jakarta).
• Carnival Panorama will be the first Carnival ship to visit Manila, Philippines. Carnival Splendor will mark the cruise line’s first visit to Tanjung Priok in Indonesia.
• 18-day Transpacific Carnival Journeys sailing from Long Beach to Tokyo (Yokohama) departing on Aug. 22, 2024 – Ketchikan, AK; Cruise Endicott Arm Fjord; Sitka, AK; Icy Strait Point, AK; Kushiro, Japan; Aomori, Japan
• 25-day Transpacific Carnival Journeys sailing from Singapore to Long Beach departing on Oct. 12, 2024 – Ho Chi Minh (Phu My), Vietnam; Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Manila, Philippines; Guam; Honolulu, HI, Maui (Kahului), HI

P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Encounter Set to Make a Splash

• Highly anticipated additions during drydock will include the installation of the 142-metre-long and 16-metre-high Twin-Racer waterslide and the P&O Edge Adventure Park. The Adventure Park, designed for thrill-seekers, will feature a 55-metre-long Zipline, Rock Climbing wall, Cargo Net, Walk the Plank, and Beam Walk; each sitting a heart-stopping 10 metres above Deck 16.
• Pacific Encounter will recommence her full program itineraries from Brisbane in March, visiting 24 unique destinations within Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific this year

Holland America Line Guests Donate $450,000 for Aid to Ukrainians

• A fundraising effort by cruise line passengers that took place on the high seas around six different continents culminated today with a large donation for Ukrainian relief. Holland America Line presented a check for $450,000 at the Port of San Diego to the global humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief, money raised during the premium cruise line’s On Deck for a Cause campaign.
• For 10 months on every cruise in the line’s 11-ship fleet, guests could make a $25 donation to participate in a fundraising 5K walk during their sailing, in locales ranging from Alaska to Europe and the Panama Canal to Australia.
• The check presentation took place at the Port of San Diego. San Diego is Koningsdam’s homeport in the winter, with more than 62,000 guests embarking several Holland America Line ships at the port during the 2022/23 season.
• The fundraising effort began in March and coincided with a pledge of $3 million to charities helping Ukrainian refugees from the family foundation of parent company Carnival Corporation’s chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine. From April through September 2022, the Dutch government and City of Rotterdam chartered the Holland America Line ship Volendam as part of their larger effort to accommodate 50,000 Ukrainians who fled the war in their homeland.

Carnival Corporation partners with Space X’s Starlink

• Carnival Corporation & plc announced an agreement for the next-generation of internet connectivity across its global fleet, the latest in a series of moves that have nearly tripled ship bandwidth since 2019. The company has signed a new agreement with SpaceX’s Starlink, the leader in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology, to provide faster service, greater capacity and more reliable Wi-Fi on a global scale.
• Fleet roll-out of Starlink began in December 2022 with Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises ships, with plans to expand Starlink to several of the company’s other world-class cruise brands, which include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.