Windstar Cruises to Launch High-Speed Starlink Internet Across Global Fleet   

• Windstar Cruises has announced the launch of its Starlink Maritime high-speed, advanced broadband satellite internet capabilities. Already connecting the world by sea, Windstar Cruises will provide guests one of the most developed high-speed connections in the world both while sailing and when in port.
• Windstar launched the new Wi-Fi technology on Star Pride during a recent Caribbean voyage and plans to implement Starlink across most of its global fleet by mid-2023. Star Legend will offer the service this spring, followed by Wind Surf, Wind Star, and Star Breeze. Wind Spirit will activate the new technology as soon as it’s available in French Polynesia.
• Currently, all Windstar Cruises use geostationary satellite service, Anuvu, for internet services. The addition of Starlink technology will amplify Anuvu, delivering more reliable and faster internet to Windstar’s guests. Starlink is the world’s first and largest satellite constellation with a low Earth orbit using lasers so communication can happen further away from ground based stations.
• Starlink will be available on select Windstar voyages where the service is active; not all global destinations are available. maritime-coverage-map.pdf (starlink.com)

World’s only luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot arrives in New Zealand for the first time

• Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot was welcomed into New Zealand waters, the halfway point of a round Antarctic journey from Argentina, marking the first time the world’s only luxury icebreaker has sailed the antipodes.
• After the overnight stop in Lyttelton, on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island, the polar high exploration vessel, which is the only of its kind in the world, today sets off on the reverse itinerary. The ship will retrace its path all the way to Ushuaia, taking travellers on a half-circumnavigation of Antarctica via the Ross Sea, the world’s largest protected marine area.
• Eco-designed and at the cutting-edge of technology, Le Commandant Charcot is the most ground-breaking ship in the Ponant fleet with its hybrid electric Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion system, a major innovation aligned with the company’s commitment to sustainable tourism.
• The Polar Class – PC2 ship was designed with the highest attention in mind in terms of safety, comfort and respect for the environment in order to sail and explore the extreme and far-reached territories of the Arctic and the Antarctic, in complete self-sufficiency. Certified ‘Cleanship’ by Bureau Veritas, Le Commandant Charcot displays the latest green technologies onboard including waste recycling and sewage management.

Carnival’s Largest Vow Renewal at Sea

• Valentine’s Day, thousands of couples are symbolically renewing their vows, while sailing on Carnival Cruise Line voyages, during special onboard ceremonies virtually officiated by Chief Fun Officer Shaquille O’Neal. Altogether, the fleetwide event will mark Carnival’s largest-ever Vow Renewal at Sea.
• Across Carnival’s fleet, couples are taking part in onboard ceremonies while the ships are at sea and docked in beautiful destinations, including Nassau; Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel; Grand Turk; and St. Maarten.
• An onboard reception follows each ceremony, with a DJ, dancing and a champagne toast honoring the newly renewed couples and wishing love and happiness for all.

SeaDream Calls on Monte Carlo During the May 2024 Monaco Grand Prix

• Embrace an opportunity that may never come again. During SeaDream’s 7-day Southern Spain & the French Riviera voyage, SeaDream I drops anchor off Monte Carlo’s playful yachting harbor during the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, one of the world’s most iconic motor-racing events—offering guests the opportunity to attend this once-in-a-lifetime dramatic display. 
• In keeping with the SeaDream spirit of discovery, they have created a Yachting Land Adventure (YLA) cantered on the Grand Prix, guaranteed to deliver the thrill of smoking engines, expert moves between F1 drivers, and screeching tires for guests eager to embrace the winding seafront streets of Monte Carlo from another perspective.
• The Automobile Club de Monaco recently announced that 2025 may be the last year the prestigious auto race is held in Monte Carlo, potentially making the experience unable to be replicated in this destination.

Celebrity Becomes First Forbes Travel Guide Star Rated Cruise Line

• Celebrity Cruises, the brand that revolutionised the cruising industry with its fleet of Relaxed Luxury resorts at sea, is once again raising the bar as it becomes the first ocean cruise line to ever earn prestigious Forbes Travel Guide (“FTG”) Star Awards. The recognition is made more wonderful as Celebrity’s ships join an elite and exclusive group of fewer than 20 land-based properties with over 1,000 rooms in the world to ever receive the coveted recognition.
• FTG is the global authority on luxury hospitality and the only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas and now, the new ocean cruise category. Their professional inspectors travel the world to anonymously evaluate the finest hotels, restaurants, spas, and ocean cruise ships based on hundreds of exacting standards that determine their annual Star Ratings.
• The five inaugural resorts at sea Star-Rated ships are Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Millennium and Celebrity Summit. The remainder of the line’s 15-ship fleet will be evaluated in the year ahead, except for the line’s smaller Galapagos ships.
• The newly Star-rated Celebrity ships represent three of the line’s class of ships, including:
  • Edge Series – As avant-garde as the name implies, these ships have been hailed as architectural masterpieces, introducing a plethora of industry firsts on a cruise ship, such as an outward-facing resort deck, the world’s first cantilevered floating bar known as the The Magic Carpet®, luxurious new state rooms like the two-story Edge Villas with private plunge pools, and more. Celebrity ApexSM (2021) and Celebrity Edge® (2018) remain among the most highly awarded ships at sea, even being named to TIME Magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places.”
  • Millennium Series – Offering a more intimate cruising experience with just over 1,000 staterooms each, both Celebrity Millennium®and Celebrity Summit®were part of the line’s biggest fleet-wide modernisation in 2019, with more than $500 million in luxurious upgrades made.
  • Mega-Yacht – Celebrity Flora® is an exclusive 100-passenger luxury mega-yacht designed specifically and purposefully for expeditions in the Galapagos and built to merge with its surroundings. With all-natural materials, she introduced a state-of-the-art positioning system allowing the ship to remain stationary without dropping anchors to further protect the seabed and solar panels making it one of the most eco-friendly ships sailing anywhere. Fully immersing travellers with the destination, all itineraries are led by certified naturalists from the Galapagos Natural Park.

A-ROSA will offer included excursion from 2023

• In the 2023 season, the upgraded Premium All Inclusive fare offers guests on A-ROSA ships even more individuality, flexibility and locality. An included excursion with a culinary evening experience on board will be an added new element allowing guests to experience a destination with all their senses.
• For a more intimate discovery of the cities visited, all guests on voyages of 7 nights or longer can join an excursion, which is already included in the price of the cruise. The excursions are guided city tours in destinations such as the Slovak capital Bratislava, the futuristic Linz or the old papal residence Avignon. Along the Rhine, guests can discover Koblenz, Hoorn, Dordrecht or Bernkastel-Kues together with a guide, whereas Seine departures will offer an opportunity to follow Richard the Lionheart’s tracks in Les Andelys. During the included excursions, the focus is on experiencing the respective destination and country. Valuable knowledge about its people, life and history can be learned. Thanks to central berths, the informative tours will usually start in the city centre.
• Complemented are these excursions by a culinary evening on board, also entirely dedicated to the region. Starting with an aperitif and canapés in the A-ROSA Lounge, all guests can then enjoy a gourmet buffet with many local specialities in the Market Restaurant.

Service Dog Earns Top Pooch Status with Carnival

• Carnival Cruise Line has a unique new member joining the top ranks of its loyalty club – a retired U.S. Army service dog named Sarge.
• While sailing on Carnival Celebration last week, Sarge reached Diamond status of the Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) Club – though in this case, the “P” could also stand for “pooch.”
• The 14-year-old Belgian Malinois just completed his 55th cruise and was honoured during Carnival Celebration’s Platinum and Diamond loyalty event, for spending more than 200 nights at sea.
• Sarge spent most of his life serving in the military, and now lives and travels with his owner, Justin Marcum, Sr., who is also a Diamond member of Carnival’s VIFP Club.
• Carnival’s VIFP Club offers a variety of exciting benefits and perks to the line’s most loyal guests. Members have access to a special web portal, where enjoy members-only specials, promotions and other offers.

Seven Ports and Places Where Smaller is Better (and allowed).

• Dubrovnik has capped the number of cruise ships that can visit each day and has limited the maximum number of passengers to 8,000. 
• Venice has restricted the size of vessels that can visit the port and go through the Grand Canal, the main waterway of Venice. Windstar Cruises is able to visit the port due to its small size and sail through the scenic Grand Canal channel.
• Bar Harbor has limited the number of guests monthly and daily that can visit the port (note that legal action is pending). 
• Key West has been looking to limit cruise ship visits and which port berths are available for use. 
• French Polynesia has banned cruise ships with capacity greater than 3,500 passengers from making port calls in the country. Ships over 2,500 passengers are allowed to dock in Tahiti and Moorea; however, tiny Bora Bora allows just 1,200 cruise passengers per day. Windstar has been sailing in Tahiti for more than 35 years, and no other cruise line knows the islands, or rules, like them. Both Windstar’s 148 motorized sailing yacht (which was tailor-made for cruising Tahiti’s islands) and 312-guest all-suite yacht sail there, accessing Bora Bora, Raiatea, Moorea, and others. 
• Santorini, Greece is limited to 8,000 passengers ashore per day. Some ships have been forced to change itineraries as a result.
• Juneau is moving to only allowing five ships to dock a day, with no ship able to anchor over a certain passenger count and no “hot berthing,” i.e., when two ships occupy the same berth at different times during the day.