Celestyal reveals details of Celestyal Journey

• Celestyal has revealed long-awaited details of its new ship, Celestyal Journey, following its extensive multimillion dollar refurbishment and technical overhaul before it sets sail Sept. 2, 2023. Celestyal Journey, which was formerly Holland America’s Ryndham, will become the cruise line’s flagship, essentially replacing Celestyal Crystal, which which is yet to be confirmed is or isn’t remaining within the fleet.
• Celestyal journey’s name embodies the sense of wanderlust adventure and exploration of its customers, which the designers have mirrored throughout the onboard experience with over 280 percent more balcony suites, seven dining venues, eight bars and lounges, expansive sun decks, two pools and an entire deck dedicated to wellness.

Perfect day for Celebrity

• Celebrity Cruises, who has announced a brand new Caribbean program for the 2024 summer season, including first ever stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay, onboard the newest Edge Series ship, Celebrity Beyond, alongside Celebrity Reflection, for year round Caribbean sailings.
• Kicking off next April, Celebrity Cruises guests can now experience vibrant island paradise, Perfect Day at CocoCay for the first time in history. One of the Caribbean’s most exclusive destinations, Perfect Day offers plenty of experiences to create spectacular adventures – whether a dip in the largest freshwater pool in The Bahamas, an adrenaline rush on North America’s tallest waterslide, or a relaxing afternoon sipping on cocktails in the soon-to-come adults only beach club, the ultimate tropical experience awaits.
• Perfect Day at CocoCay:
• Located in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay is a vibrant island paradise and one of the Caribbean’s most exclusive destinations. Offering the best of beach-side bliss and sun-soaked excitement, guests can find peak relaxation or the ultimate thrill – whatever their speed and definition of the perfect day means. Travellers can enjoy miles of pristine white sand beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters, take a dip in the largest freshwater pool in The Bahamas, swim up to the bar for a refreshing tropical cocktail, experience the ultimate in relaxation and privacy at Coco Beach Club that features a heated infinity pool, specialty restaurant, and 20 exclusive overwater cabanas. Hideaway Beach, a new offering debuting in January, will offer an adults only paradise, with private cabanas and a new signature food outlet. If you are eager to get the adrenaline flowing on North America’s tallest waterslide, or soar 450 feet above the island in Up, Up and Away — an epic balloon ride that provides breathtaking panoramic views— Perfect Day has something for everyone.
• Sailing out of South Florida, Celebrity Beyond, will offer a mix of six and eight-night journeys to destinations like Grand Cayman, The Bahamas, Mexico, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and more. And for the first time, travellers can getaway every weekend on Celebrity Reflection’s new three and four-night itineraries.

Virgin Voyages debuts Jen A.I.

• When global icon Jennifer Lopez tells you to dance, you “Get On The Floor,” and when she tells you to celebrate, you Voyage! Today, Virgin Voyages is announcing its expanded partnership with JLo as our Chief Celebrations Officer, getting travellers to do one thing: quit making excuses and start celebrating!
• Today, Richard Branson’s new award-winning cruise line is launching Jen A.I. in which your readers can create a personalized invite from JLo to share with their friends & family. Check out the hilarious video here. Have fun! Go through & play around on the platform, and if you’re celebrating anything (or just want to get away with a friend), try it out and send your crew an invite!
• Sailors can activate the new Jen A.I. tool by visiting VirginVoyages.com. After answering a few simple questions, including what they’d like to celebrate, where they’d like to travel and who they want to set sail with, a personalized invite will be emailed to Sailors to share far and wide.
• https://voyagewithjen.ai/

A Norwegian Godfather

• Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), has announced GRAMMY® nominated, and five-time Latin GRAMMY® winning singer, songwriter, musician and producer, Luis Fonsi, will serve as the Godfather of its newest ship, Norwegian Viva, the second ship of the Brand’s groundbreaking Prima Class. The ship will be christened in Miami before homeporting in San Juan, Puerto Rico during the Northern Hemisphere autumn.
• Best known for his extensive list of radio hits including the award-winning, global chart-topping hit, “Despacito,” which was featured on Billboard’s “Hot Latin Song” list for a record-breaking 56 consecutive weeks, Puerto Rican-born Fonsi will fulfill the longstanding maritime tradition of blessing and officially naming Norwegian Viva at the 28 November 2023 christening ceremony in Miami, the “Cruise Capital of the World.”  The “Live it Up!” theme of Norwegian Viva will continue throughout the evening, with a lineup of leading Latin entertainers joining Fonsi, including The Queen of Latin Pop, Paulina Rubio; “Saturday Night Live” cast member and Miami-native, Marcello Hernandez; and singer, Pedro Capó, all of whom will deliver exclusive performances throughout the night.
• On 28 November 2023, Luis Fonsi will officiate the ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle on the ship’s bow to bid the vessel and its travellers good fortune on their voyage, a fundamental nautical tradition customary for any ship launch. After completing its christening voyage, Norwegian Viva will be the newest ship to homeport in San Juan, Puerto Rico upon arrival on 15 December 2023.  It will offer a variety of seven-day Caribbean voyages through April 2024 with calls to Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St John’s, Antigua; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, before returning for a Northern Hemisphere summer season of cruises to Europe from Athens (Piraeus), Greece; Lisbon, Portugal; and Rome (Civitavecchia) and Venice (Trieste), Italy.
• Norwegian Viva is the second of six vessels in the company’s groundbreaking Prima Class and sister ship to the award-winning Norwegian Prima. The elevated offerings of the Prima Class prioritise the guest experience and raise the bar on cruising through world-class cuisine, the brand’s most spacious design yet, and stellar onboard activities including the Viva Speedway—the three-level racetrack. Norwegian Viva features many of the outstanding onboard experiences that makes the Prima Class in a league of its own including Indulge Food Hall, the upscale food market exhibiting 11 unique eateries; the fastest slides at sea, The Drop and Rush; and NCL’s industry-exclusive sustainable cocktail bar, the Metropolitan Bar. Debuting in August 2023, Norwegian Viva will sail a selection of bucket-list-worthy Greek Isles and Mediterranean voyages through November, before homeporting in San Juan, Puerto Rico in December 2023 for a season of Caribbean itineraries.

AIDA offers new vegan gastronomy experience on board

• AIDA Cruises is known for culinary highlights on board its ships. With a wide selection of up to 17 restaurants on board, AIDA already offers its guests the greatest variety of taste experiences. The restaurants on board the AIDA ships are characterized by a mix of regional and international cuisine: from the buffet restaurant with a wide range of dishes to small snacks for in between to the gourmet restaurant with upscale cuisine, there is something for every taste. The specialty restaurants, which present selected styles of cuisine, are also particularly popular. The culinary offerings of AIDA Cruises have always included a diverse selection of vegan dishes, which are marked with green signs in the buffet restaurants, for example
• More and more people are opting to do without meat and animal products. Following this trend, AIDA Cruises 2023 is expanding its range for this conscious form of nutrition and is now adding a new restaurant attraction to its culinary offering: the Soulkitchen. From June 24, 2023, guests on AIDAnova, AIDAperla and AIDAprima will be able to enjoy sustainable dishes made from fresh and primarily plant-based ingredients in the new à la carte restaurant. With this new high-quality restaurant concept, which is unique on the high seas, the German market leader confirms its innovative character and its pioneering role for the guest experience on board.
• Soulkitchen is another hotspot for breakfast and dinner on board. The new restaurant offers guests an all-around healthy start to the day. A lovely selection of vegan treats is served at your seat in a tranquil atmosphere. From butter to cheeses to cold cuts, everything here is plant-based – even the “salmon” slices! Homemade spreads, overnight oats, banana bread, fresh fruit and crunchy vegetables complete the nutritionally conscious treat. In addition, guests can choose from Fairtrade coffee, organic tea, fresh orange juice or a fruity smoothie as desired. In the evenings, between 18:00 and 21:00, Soulkitchen serves daily changing, creative as well as delicious 3-course menus. The menu offers a variety of vegan and plant-based meat and seafood alternatives, such as coconut lemongrass soup, almond barley risotto with sautéed herb apples, and a trio of crème brûlée. Non-alcoholic wines and spirits are also available.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to welcome popular TV presenter onboard cruise to Greenland and Iceland

• Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines will be welcoming Michaela Strachan onboard Borealis for four nights in August to join the Exploring Rugged and Remote Greenland and Iceland cruise.
• One of Britain’s most loved television presenters, Michaela has been a regular face on our screens for more than three decades.
• She will be delivering a talk on British wildlife, behind the scenes of wildlife programme making and what makes British wildlife programmes so popular. She will also be joined by the Borealis Entertainment Manager on stage to answer questions in our Audience With programme including a Q&A session with guests.
• Borealis’ 14-night S2315 ‘Exploring Rugged and Remote Greenland and Iceland’ cruise, departing from Liverpool on 4th August 2023.
• Itinerary: Liverpool, UK – Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland – Reykjavík, Iceland – Ísafjördur, Iceland – Cruising Prins Christian Sund, Greenland – Qaqortoq, Greenland – Narsarsauq, Greenland – Nanortalik, Greenland – Liverpool, UK

Swan Hellenic outlines concrete eco-actions at EU event

• Swan Hellenic played an active role at a high-profile event forming part of the Ocean Race Grand Finale celebrations in Genoa, Italy, on Monday 26 June 2023. Organised by the European Commission and Genoa City Council, the event launched “The Shared Transition Plan of Mayors: a best practice for the Mission “Restore our Ocean & Waters by 2030”. Designed to raise awareness of the Mission, the programme featured contributions by EU Parliamentarians, Italian Government Ministers and Mayors from across Italy and Spain.
• Mr Zito explained that the company has always been passionately committed to conserving the rarely accessed seas that its guests explore. So it has dedicated substantial investments in the latest technologies to ensure its fleet of three boutique expedition ships has the lowest possible emissions and environmental footprint.
• “But we have also gone further,” he added. “We’ve partnered with numerous Citizen Science initiatives, enabling our onboard experts and guests to contribute valuable conservation data. This ranges from reporting cloud data with NASA and recording whale sightings with Happywhale, to monitoring phytoplankton with the Secchi Disk Study and Antarctic seabird numbers with Stony Brook University.
• “Now we’ve taken another important step that is the core of our commitment to Mission Ocean and Waters, offering our ships as data collection and research platforms in remote seas, initially through our partnership with the Fundacion Philippe Cousteau and Sustainable Development Goals for the Mediterranean. The first initiative will be measuring and monitoring microplastic and heavy metal distributions, with more to come.”
• The Ocean Summit ending the Genoa Process will take place tomorrow, Tuesday 27 June 2023, leading to the draft principles of the Declaration of Ocean Rights that will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023.