MARITIME HISTORY:

• Leah from WA asks: what was the day to day life like on the old liners Chris often talks about? What did passengers do?

LISTENER QUESTION:

• Annie in Adelaide asks Barry & Chris “As self-confessed cruise geeks, if you could board a ship on a regular cruise tomorrow, what would be your embarkation day routine?

CRUISE NEWS:

• UK cruise restart overview:
• Cunard. Yet to announce their itineraries, however. Cunard will offer a season of domestic U.K. “staycation voyages” to U.K. residents, replacing its program of international summer sailings. Cunard president Simon Palethorpe said the Queen Elizabeth will operate “a series of exciting, shorter-duration holidays for British residents looking for the perfect staycation in Cunard luxury this summer. These will be sailings from Southampton, for U.K. residents, around the U.K. and will make the very most of the summer sunshine.”
• P&O Cruises (UK) offers Ultimate Escape UK holidays this summer and announces details of Iona’s “very special” new maiden cruise to namesake island.
  • P&O Cruises is offering a series of short breaks on flagship Britannia this summer and week-long cruises on new ship Iona. These cruises will depart from Southampton between June and September, sailing around the UK coast, “where the sun shines brightest.”
  • As the start of Iona’s very special maiden season, the new Ultimate Escape series of holidays includes a memorable seven night maiden voyage sailing around the Scottish islands. Iona will anchor off Iona, the island after which she was named, with a celebratory extended stay until sunset for magical views of the historic shores.
  • Britannia will offer three and four night breaks and one six night holiday running from June 27, 2021 through to September 19, 2021. Iona offers seven night itineraries running from August 7, 2021 to September 18, 2021.
  • These sailings on Britannia and Iona will be for UK resident Covid-19 vaccinated* guests only. (children unable to cruise initially).
• Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines unveils series of British Isles and scenic sailings as it prepares for July restart.
  • Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has today unveiled a brand new ‘Welcome Back’ programme of cruises to showcase the best of the British Isles this summer, with scenic-only cruises and those with ports of call featured aboard its smaller ships.
  • The 11-cruise programme includes departures from Dover and Liverpool, with scenic sailings taking in the best of the British Isles, including the Shetland and Orkney islands and the Isles of Scilly.

• • New ship Borealis will be the first of the fleet to set sail, with a three-night scenic ‘Maiden Voyage’ from Liverpool on 5^th July, with Bolette to depart on a three-night ‘Maiden Voyage’ from Dover on 16^th August.
• Viking will restart with three special eight-day sailings departing roundtrip from Portsmouth exploring England’s shores on board the cruise line’s newest ocean ship Viking Venus, which will be delivered in Apr.
  • Pre-registration for Viking’s season is currently open only to Viking past guests, with more details about the voyages to be released and general reservations available in due course.
• MSC Cruises has announced that it will be offering a “special range of short breaks and week-long cruises around the British Isles” in summer 2021, starting from May 20, for UK holidaymakers only.
  • Departing from the new terminal in the port of Southampton, these first sailings will kick off with a series of short cruises and will be followed by seven-night sailings visiting “some of the UK’s favorite destinations and offering additional ports of embarkation to guests,” the cruise line said in a press release.
  • MSC Cruises has carried more than 50,000 guests since its restart of operations in August 2020 under the protection of a health and safety protocol.
• DREAM Cruises yesterday welcomed Singapore’s 100,000th passenger at the city’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
  • Dream Cruises and Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) have welcomed Singapore’s 100,000th cruise passenger since the commencement of safe pilot cruises in the city. Starting with World Dream’s first sailing from 6 November 2020 has been a worry-free journey for guests aboard, with their health and safety being the number one priority for Dream Cruises.
• Virgin Voyages vaccine requirements
  • Adults by design cruise line Virgin Voyages has confirmed it will require all passengers & crew to have had a COVID-19 jab. CEO Tom McAlpin said the company was very encouraged by the US vaccine rollout, with hopes of operating its inaugural Scarlet Lady trip this northern summer.
•  Oceania’s new Vista
  • Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line, introduced Vista to the world today, naming the first of two new 1,200-guest Allura Class ships that are being constructed by renowned Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. Measuring approximately 67,000 gross registered tons, the ship will accommodate 1,200 guests and be staffed by 800 officers and crew, offering industry-leading space and staff-to-guest ratios. The luxury vessel, the seventh for the line, will set sail in 2023, followed by a sister ship in 2025.
•  Navigator of the Seas to call Hollywood Home from June 2022
  • After a decade-long hiatus, Royal Caribbean International will once again call Hollywood home starting in June 2022, casting Navigator of the Seas as a “series regular” that will sail from Los Angeles. The amplified ship will broaden the cruise line’s West Coast offerings, sailing 3-, 4- and 5-night itineraries to Catalina Island, California and Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – plus, select  7-night sailings will feature overnights in the popular resort city. Royal Caribbean’s new year-round adventures from LA will open for sale the week of March 29, 2021.
  • After a $115 million amplification in 2019, Navigator brings star power that will thrill guests with its reimagined Caribbean poolscape anchored by the lively three-level bar The Lime & Coconut; two daring waterslides that cantilever over the edges of the ship – The Blaster aqua coaster, the longest waterslide at sea, and Riptide, the industry’s only headfirst mat racer; the first standalone blow-dry bar at sea, To Dry For; elevated nightlife and dining, and transformed spaces that each are dedicated to kids and teens
• MSC announces new recruits for new luxury division.
  • The new luxury brand of MSC Group’s Cruises Division today announced details of five senior members of its management team led by CEO Michael Ungerer. The yet to be named brand, and further details of the product are yet to be released, but anticipated to elevate the MSC Yacht Club experience (on the existing big ships) to the next level.
  • The first vessel for the luxury brand will be delivered in 2023 from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, with subsequent deliveries in 2024, 2025 and 2026. The first luxury ship will have a gross tonnage of 63,900 GT and feature 461 of the largest suites at sea, all with ocean front balconies or terraces.
• Island Escape Cruises’ inaugural season has expanded with the line granted a permit to now offer voyages in Western Australia.
  • The company has released a 12-night Wild Kimberley Coast itinerary, operating from Jul to Sep, before the commencement of its Great Barrier Reef season. The maiden voyage will be departing roundtrip from Broome on 04 Jul. Island Escape have been in operation for 15 years, The new yacht by the same name launches in 2021, designed by Vard in Sweden is 53.5m, carrying 32 guests and 14 professional crew.

Royal Caribbean

• Cruise with Confidence: http://bit.ly/3tCy7QU
• Quantum of the Seas – Singapore: http://bit.ly/3cKNFeE
• Odyssey of the Seas – Israel: http://bit.ly/3cMoxnz
• RCI 3 ships fleet down under for 2022/23. On sale 25 March 21.
  • Quantum of the Seas from Brisbane – http://bit.ly/3cKNFeE
    • 13 Oct 22 – 18nt Honolulu to Brisbane
    • 22 Cruises round Trip BNE (South Pacific, AU Costal and NZ)
    • 12 Apr 23 – 17nt Brisbane Honolulu
  • Ovation of the Seas from Sydney – http://bit.ly/3eXnoMK
    • 9 Oct 22 – 19nt Honolulu to Sydney
    • 18 cruises round trip Sydney (NZ, South Pacific an Coastal AU).
    • 15 Apr 23 – 18nt Sydney to Honolulu
  • Radiance of the Seas from Sydney – http://bit.ly/3tE17b4
    • 4 Oct – 16nt Honolulu to Sydney
    • 20 Cruises round trip Sydney – Taster, Coastal AU, South Pacific & New Zealand.
    • 14 Apr 23 – Sydney to Honolulu
  • Find a CLIA Cruise Agent: https://bit.ly/38nOZTk

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Join the show:

• If you have a cruise tip, burning question or want to record a cruise review get in touch with us via the website https://thebigcruisepodcast.com/join-the-show/  

Guests:

• Chris Frame: https://bit.ly/3a4aBCg    
• Chris’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisCunard  
• Peter Kollar: https://www.cruising.org.au/Home  

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