Carnival Donates $50,000 to Ukrainian Relief Efforts

• Carnival Cruise Line today marked a half a century since its maiden voyage from PortMiami with a celebration aboard Carnival Conquest. Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy was joined by Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison and Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald; U.S. Representatives Frederica Wilson and Vern Buchanan; Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava; Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez; Miami industry and community leaders; as well as Carnival leadership.
• At the event, Carnival announced a $50,000 donation to World Central Kitchen to support Ukrainian relief efforts and in the name of its more than 300 team members from the country. Duffy also presented a $50,000 donation to Carnival’s long-standing partner Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami. Mayor Levine Cava presented Duffy with a commemorative gift marking the occasion and Mayor Bermudez read a proclamation declaring March 11, 2022 as Carnival Cruise Line Day in Doral. 
• Carnival currently employs more than 40,000 team members from 120 nationalities. As America’s Cruise Line and the flagship brand of Carnival Corporation, Carnival has made cruising accessible and fun for more than 90 million passengers since its inception. Each year, approximately six million passengers set sail on 23 ships from 14 U.S. homeports and call on popular international destinations.
• In addition to today’s party in Miami, Carnival’s year-long 50^th birthday celebrations included 17 commemorative Sailabrations cruises that featured at-sea ship meetups, special entertainment and programming.
• AND…
• As part of Carnival Cruise Line’s year-long 50th birthday festivities and its Sailabrations cruises in the U.S, seven ships – Carnival Breeze, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival Glory, Mardi Gras, Carnival Pride, Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Vista – met up near Cozumel yesterday for one of the biggest birthday parties at sea.
• During the meetup, each cruise ship hosted their own party on the Lido deck, where guests joined the Cruise Director, Playlist Productions cast and the ship’s DJ for a birthday party complete with music and entertainment. Guests also participated in the biggest Ship-Tok at sea, where the ships’ Cruise Directors and Fun Squads taught and led a choreographed dance inspired by Carnival’s 50th birthday. 

Don’t buy us a coffee this week instead… A HOTEL IN KYIV IS USING DONATIONS FROM AIRBNB TO DELIVER 15,000 MEALS A DAY DESPITE CONSTANT AIR RAID SIRENS AND MILITARY ATTACKS ON THE UKRAINIAN CAPITAL.

• £22,830 ($AUD40,628) has been donated to Campus Community A-Hotel in the city centre to keep their kitchen open and cook for military personnel, orphanages, nursing homes, and hospitals in Kyiv.
• The hotel is situated above a bomb shelter where an internet company set up online education for children in the shelter.
• “When the (sirens start), people can easily go downstairs and stay safe in the bomb shelter,” Gabovich said.
• “The guys from the internet company are doing a great job. They support all the connection so teachers from one shelter can teach children in another shelter.”
• The rooms at the hotel cost between £7-10 ($AUD12-18) per night and the cost of meals, medicine, and shipment fees to transport the food are covered.
• To donate to the Campus Community A-Hotel via Airbnb click HERE.

Oceania World Cruise Record…

• Oceania Cruises, announced that the 2024 Around the World in 180 Days voyage aboard Insignia sold out within 30 minutes of opening for sale on March 2nd. In conjunction with the world cruise, the company also launched four new 72- to 82-day Grand Voyages in the Asia-Pacific region aboard Regatta, Nautica, and Riviera. The sell-out of the six-month-long world cruise and the enthusiastic response to the four Asia-Pacific voyages resulted in a new single-day booking record that surpasses the previous record set in September 2021 by almost 12%.

 JLo Partners with Virgin Voyages

• Entertainer Jennifer Lopez, has joined Virgin Voyages as an investor, with the singer to also serve as the cruise line’s Chief Entertainment & Lifestyle Officer. With Jennifer Lopez on deck, the glamor, the energy, and the creativity just amped up, and they have unbelievable plans on the horizon.
• Virgin said it is “redefining” the nautical tradition of appointing a godmother from a ceremonial role to a modern, “change-making partnership”.

Princess Cruises Celebrates the Madrina of Discovery Princess

• Princess Cruises recently celebrated and honoured the Discovery Princess Madrina – Hotel General Manager Terri Cybuliak – currently serving onboard Sky Princess, leading a team of 1,200 crew members within the hotel department. Her main role is to ensure exceptional guest experience from entertainment to food and beverage, housekeeping, and guest services.  
• Terri first joined Princess in 1998 as a Junior Assistant Purser on the original Crown Princess. As Hotel General Manager, Terri helped launch Majestic Princess in China and was heavily engaged in the planning of that ship. With Sky Princess, Terri became the first female Hotel General Manager at Princess to launch a newbuild from a shipyard. 
• Discovery Princess was delivered on January 28, 2022, at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. The 3,660-guest Discovery Princess is the sixth and final Royal-Class newbuild and shares all the spectacular style and luxury of her sister ships – Enchanted Princess℠, Sky Princess®, Majestic Princess℠, Regal Princess℠ and Royal Princess℠. With an array of innovative new experiences, guests will enjoy 270-degree sweeping views from the largest balconies at sea in the Sky Suites, unwind in ultimate comfort at The Sanctuary and indulge the senses with world-class dining options. Plus, Princess live entertainment presents mesmerizing Broadway-style production shows that can only be seen in the state-of-the-art Princess Theatre, including the newest show, Spotlight Bar. Discovery Princess uses the latest technologies to reduce fuel consumption, treat wastewater, and support our environmental compliance efforts.
• Discovery Princess is making make her way to the Port of Los Angeles to sail on a series of Mexican Riviera and California Coast voyages from March 27 – April 24, 2022. She will then head up the Pacific coast to begin a season of seven-day Alaska cruises from Seattle, making her the newest ship sailing in the Alaska region.

Oh Canada!

• Echoing the travel industry’s excitement at the news that the Canadian authorities are once again welcoming cruise ships, Cunard is eager to call on Vancouver and the spectacular region of Alaska this summer and beyond.
• Cunard returned to Alaska in 2019 to much fanfare and excitement, and now looks ahead with great enthusiasm to their 2022 summer Alaska season on Queen Elizabeth. The ship will again sail through the storied waters and landscapes of the Last Frontier, featuring the blue hues of the immense Hubbard Glacier, and Glacier Bay National Park – where visitors are awed by some of the world’s most spectacular tidewater glaciers.
• The ship will sail a coastal transit from Los Angeles to Vancouver on May 30, and begin sailing in Alaska on June 5, offering seven and 10-day voyages through July. At the conclusion of the season in late July, Queen Elizabeth will sail down the west coast, providing guests the option to join the ship in San Francisco and in Los Angeles, as the ship journeys onward through the Panama Canal to cap off her Alaska voyages this year. Queen Elizabeth sails in Alaska again in 2023 with an expanded series of itineraries.
• Following the recent announcement of the safe resumption of cruising in Canadian ports by the Federal Minister of Transport in Canada, Princess Cruises has finalised programs and guest experiences for a full summer season of 2022 cruises and cruisetours to Alaska, as well as its popular summer and fall Canada & New England program. 
• Meanwhile for Holland America Line. The line’s first ship to arrive in Canada is Koningsdam, which calls at Victoria April 9 en route to Vancouver for an April 10 arrival. On the eastern seaboard, Zaandam calls at Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 17 while on a nine-day Atlantic Coast cruise sailing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Montreal.

Carnival Launches Health Verification App (US)

• Carnival Cruise Line is making health screening simpler and quicker for guests. After a successful pilot of VeriFLY™ by Daon, a secure and free digital health app allowing vaccinated guests to easily submit pre-embarkation information, Carnival has launched the app fleetwide for all ships in all of its U.S. homeports, making Carnival the largest cruise line to utilize VeriFLY. 
• Guests who use the VeriFLY app can expect the time it takes to complete the health assessment process during embarkation to be cut in half.
• “VeriFLY helps our guests easily and securely complete pre-embarkation tasks right from their smartphone. Guests can save time at the port and get on board faster by completing the process via VeriFLY,” said Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy.
• Using the app has been an easy choice for guests from the start. In the pilot program’s first test in January, ahead of a cruise on Mardi Gras from Port Canaveral, more than 85 percent of the 2,000 guests who opened an email invitation followed through by downloading the VeriFLY app.
• Available in the App Store or Google Play, once guests download VeriFLY, they can then search for Carnival Cruise Line and complete the required steps. Guests will be asked to submit required documentation, including vaccination status and COVID-19 test results. When the process is successfully completed, a VeriFLY pass will be issued in the app to present at embarkation. For more information on VeriFLY and the process, click here.
• Guests who choose not to complete the VeriFLY process are still able to complete their pre-cruise tasks on Carnival.com and present required COVID-19 documents during their embarkation.

MSC to sail year round from New York

• MSC Cruises has announced that for the first time it will base one of its ships in New York and operate year-round sailings.  The glamorous MSC Meraviglia will homeport in the Big Apple from April 2023 for year-round cruises to the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England and Canada. Many of the cruises from New York will visit Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve – the line’s stunning private island destination in The Bahamas.
• The deployment is set to enhance MSC Cruises’ presence in the North American market by complementing the rich choice of ships and itineraries sailing from both Miami and Port Canaveral/Orlando in Florida and will give guests the opportunity to extend their holiday with a stay in New York either before or after their cruise.
• New York Itinerary Highlights:
  • Caribbean itineraries of either 7 or 8 nights, featuring calls in Nassau, The Bahamas and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve—MSC Cruises’ beautiful private island also in The Bahamas.
  • Bermuda itineraries lasting 6 nights and offering three days docked at King’s Wharf combined with several relaxing days at sea.
  • Northern itineraries of either 10 or 11 nights, featuring calls at Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia; and Saint John, New Brunswick. 11-night itineraries include an additional call in Newport, Rhode Island.
• About MSC Meraviglia
  • At 315 metres long and 65 metres tall, with an impressive 19 decks and capacity of up to 5,700 guests, MSC Meraviglia is a holiday destination in its own right—packed with innovative features to provide an unforgettable experience:
  • 10 different types of cabins to choose from, including solo cabins, popular balcony cabins, and stylish accommodations in the MSC Yacht Club – the premium ‘ship within a ship’ featuring butler service, along with exclusive restaurant, lounge and pool areas.
  • Galleria Meraviglia, a promenade lined with shops, restaurants and bars that stretches more than 90 metres and lined with an impressive LED sky screen.
  • 20 bars and 12 restaurants, including the popular Butcher’s Cut steakhouse and Kaito Sushi and Teppanyaki.
  • Indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs, together with a water park and ropes course.
  • Different theatrical extravaganzas in our 985-seat theatre.
  • The extensive MSC Aurea Spa, providing massage therapy, body treatments, facial treatments, and a dedicated thermal area.
  • 557 square-metre gym featuring state-of-the-art equipment from Technogym™.
  • MSC Kids’ Club for children from 0-17 years old, with dedicated areas for babies, toddlers, children and teenagers, plus the Lego® Experience.

Azamara Names Godmother of Azamara Onward

• Azamara, announces Beth Santos, Founder and CEO of global community and lifestyle brand Wanderful, as Godmother of its newest ship, Azamara Onward. Recognized by Business Insider as a changemaker transforming the hospitality industry, Santos is a seasoned traveler who helps an inclusive community of over 45,000 women travel the world – aligning with Azamara’s mission to bring guests to hidden gem destinations, inviting them to dive deeper with country intensive itineraries, immersive land programs, and overnight stays.
• While living abroad in São Tomé and Príncipe, Santos began Wanderful in 2009 as a travel blog, aiming to capture the diverse and shared experiences of women traveling the world. More than a decade later, Wanderful now connects over 45,000 women travellers through local events in more than 50 cities worldwide, group trips, and its online social network. Both the brand and Santos herself continually advocate for equity and inclusion in the travel industry, a mission that Azamara aims to support and uplift through this relationship with Santos. In addition to founding Wanderful, Santos created the Women in Travel Summit in 2014, the premier event for women and gender diverse travel creators, entrepreneurs, and industry which is now hosted annually on two continents. Santos also started the Bessie Awards, which honor women of impact in the travel industry, and Wanderfest, the first major outdoor travel festival by and for women.
• Having first cruised at the age of two with her family, Santos appreciates that cruising has a unique ability to bring people together. As a Portuguese American, Santos is especially excited about Azamara’s 16-Night Portuguese Pursuit Voyage, which begins in Lisbon and ends in one of Santos’ favorite cities in the world, Rio De Janeiro, allowing travelers to explore many destinations that have been influenced by the Portuguese people and culture.
• Santos will christen Azamara Onward in Monte Carlo on the evening of May 2, the first day of the ship’s maiden voyage. Ship christening is a longstanding naval tradition dating back thousands of years, and in keeping with maritime tradition, Santos will christen the ship with champagne as a part of the official naming ceremony. Guests will be a part of this historic sailing followed by an 11-night itinerary stopping in iconic Italian cities such as Florence, Rome, Amalfi, and concluding with an overnight stay in the romantic floating city of Venice.

INGER KLEIN THORHAUGE NAMED FIRST CAPTAIN OF NEW CUNARD SHIP QUEEN ANNE

• Following the eagerly anticipated name reveal of Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne on February 8^th, the luxury brand now introduces her first Captain, Inger Klein Thorhauge. Thorhauge will lead the team responsible for on board operations and take charge for the new Queen’s maiden season.
• Thorhauge, Cunard’s first female Captain, celebrates 25 years of service this year with the company and will sail Queen Anne from Italy, where she is currently being built, to Southampton ahead of her inaugural sailing in early 2024.
• Thorhauge, who became Captain of Queen Victoria in 2010, started her career in 1997 as Second Officer on board Cunard’s Vistafjord. Originally from the Faroe Islands, her career with the company has seen her travel the world many times over as captain of Queen Victoria and more recently Queen Elizabeth.
• Sharing captain duties will be David Hudson who started his career with Cunard in 2006.
• Itineraries for Queen Anne will be revealed in May 2022. Further news about Queen Anne’s senior leadership team will be revealed over the coming months.

PONANT’s Le Commandant Charcot sets new world record in the Antarctic

• On the 27th of February 2022 in the Ross Sea, Le Commandant Charcot set a new world record in reaching the navigable latitude closest to the South Pole. 
• PONANT’s latest addition to the fleet, the high polar exploration hybrid-electric vessel powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Le Commandant Charcot, is the first ship in the world to reach the extreme latitude of 78°44.3 South in the Bay of Whales in the Ross Sea. 
• Le Commandant Charcot is the world’s first hybrid electric LNG powered luxury polar exploration ship. It is a major innovation that signals PONANT’s deep commitment to sustainable tourism and to minimising the environmental impact. A ship of scientific opportunity, she is also the only exploration ship in the world to host researchers on board and provide them with dedicated work areas. With Le Commandant Charcot, PONANT is helping the scientific world collect data and gain new insights into the world because “we protect better what we know”. 

Oceanwide Expeditions announces Antarctica 2023-24 program

• Dutch polar tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions has opened its Antarctica 2023-24 program for bookings, including in the program some of its most ambitious itineraries to date.
• Both classic expeditions and all-new voyages make up the 2023-24 season, which offers numerous trips for returning explorers as well as travellers discovering Antarctica for the first time.
• Among the program’s many highlights are wildlife cruises that seek out prime hotspots for viewing exotic species, exploratory voyages that emphasize rarely visited areas, and outdoor activities that immerse guests in some of Earth’s most remote and wild locations.
• The remote Weddell Sea, Wilkins Ice Shelf, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and iconic Antarctic Peninsula are all possibilities – along with our classic Basecamp cruises.

A-ROSA to offer PremiumPLUS cruises from 2023

• A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH unveiled its strategy for further developing its Premium all inclusive tariff from the 2023 season onwards. Based on detailed guest surveys and market research, the company has developed a new concept for its cruises to meet the changing needs of its guests.
• More than 200 improvements – large and small – will ensure that A-ROSA, currently a premium operator, becomes a ‘PremiumPLUS’ operator from the 2023 season onwards. Taking into account the entire customer journey – before, during and after travel – the company will focus on making its cruises more customizable, as well as providing even better service, improving its culinary offering, becoming more family-friendly and developing its well-being portfolio. A-ROSA also plans to place greater importance on sustainability and on offering authentic experiences at its destinations.
• Authentic, personalised experiences in the cruise regions
• Another new area of focus for A-ROSA’s city breaks by ship is helping guests experience the different destinations in an authentic way. They’ll have the opportunity to get to know chefs, artists and local people from the various regions. A-ROSA will also introduce Destination Scouts. This innovative idea involves locals advising guests visiting their hometown on how to get the most out of their trip. “We’ll be looking for people from the cities we call at who can give our guests insider tips about the best places to eat or shop and the best current exhibitions, concerts and events,” explained Eichler. “This will give our guests a really in-depth experience of the region and provide insight into local life beyond the tourist areas.”
• When it comes to excursions, there will also be a focus on personalised experiences. With 500 different excursions available, there will be something for everyone. Guests who book excursions in the new ‘exclusive tours’ category will enjoy individual tours with a vehicle and driver plus their own tour guide. One particular highlight is the half-day excursion with dinner, which will be included in the cruise price from 2023 and guarantees guests an unforgettable evening.
• More entertainment and relaxation
• A-ROSA’s onboard entertainment programme is set to provide even more value from 2023. Cruises with a duration of five nights or more will include an evening concert, while cruises lasting seven nights or more will feature two. Cruises of nine nights or longer will also have a subject-matter expert on board to give lectures about the destinations. The musical artists will either come from or be influenced by the cruise regions. Through their music – whether traditional songs or global hits – they’ll convey the artistic flair of their homeland to the guests.
• A-ROSA is also responding to its guests’ desire for more relaxation and well-being by widening the range of activities available. The SPA-ROSA will provide new treatments and massages, while yoga and fitness classes will be added to the onboard programme. As well as going on guided bike tours, guests will also be able to borrow e-bikes and explore destinations on their own. What’s more, as the industry’s only provider of family cruises, A-ROSA will also be extending its offering for children. “As well as running dedicated family cruises during the school holidays, we’ll provide a Kids Club with organised activities on almost all our ships if there are more than ten children on board,” explained Eichler.
• Focusing on sustainability
  “When we were working on our realignment plan, it quickly became clear that sustainability would play a central role,” said Eichler. “A-ROSA has always been involved in environmental and social actions, but taking responsibility will be a special area of focus for us in the future.” With this in mind, A-ROSA opened its own sustainability department on 1 February 2022. Department head Sandra Wendland introduced herself at the press conference. “We’ve brought a high-level partner on board – the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research – and we’ll be working together to develop an integrated, long-term sustainability strategy for A-ROSA,” explained Wendland. The plan for the next twelve months is to determine A-ROSA’s current sustainability footprint and, on the basis of field analyses and stakeholder surveys, create a clear roadmap to 2030, which will set out indicators, actions to take and targets. “We’ll be presenting the entire development and implementation process in a transparent way, and the roadmap will be unveiled at the start of the 2023 season,” concluded Wendland.

Viking Mississippi Floats

• Viking® celebrated the new 386-guest Viking Mississippi® was “floated out” in Louisiana, marking a major construction milestone and the first time the ship has touched water. Set to debut in June 2022, the Viking Mississippi will sail Viking’s highly-anticipated voyages on the Lower and Upper Mississippi River, between New Orleans and St. Paul.
• The traditional float out took place at Edison Chouest Offshore’s LaShip shipyard in Houma, Louisiana and is significant because it denotes a ship moving into its final stage of construction. In keeping with maritime tradition, the ship’s ceremonial godmother, Dionne Chouest, General Counsel of Edison Chouest Offshore, assisted with the float out.
• Viking’s arrival to the Mississippi will represent a major commitment to tourism and economic development in many communities along the river, with the new voyages expected to bring more than 7,500 guests to the region in 2022 and 17,600+ during the first full sailing season in 2023. Currently scheduled ports of call on Viking’s new Mississippi River itineraries comprise seven U.S. states: Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Darrow, New Orleans and St. Francisville); Mississippi (Natchez and Vicksburg); Tennessee (Memphis); Missouri (Hannibal, St. Louis); Iowa (Burlington, Dubuque and Davenport); Wisconsin (La Crosse); and Minnesota (Red Wing, St. Paul).
• The Viking Mississippi  
  Hosting 386 guests in 193 all outside staterooms, the new state-of-the-art Viking Mississippi is inspired by Viking’s award-winning river and ocean ships and will feature elegant Scandinavian design, as well as public spaces that are familiar to guests but reimagined for Mississippi River voyages. Purpose-built for the Mississippi, the five-deck ship’s cutting-edge design, expansive windows and comfortable amenities will make it the largest and most modern ship in the region.

Fred. Olsen companies fund lorry to send team donations to Ukraine

• Suffolk-based companies Fred. Olsen Ltd, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and Fred. Olsen Travel have jointly funded a lorry to send aid donated by team members to support Ukrainian refugees.
• Between them, the team filled 61 boxes to help those in need, containing women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, medication for adults and children, toiletries, nappies, blankets, batteries and power packs, thermal flasks and more than 70 soft toys.
• The donations were collected from Fred. Olsen House, in White House Road, Ipswich, yesterday by Ruslan Postupalenko, who is providing lorries to transport the goods from his Felixstowe-based company RPER Ltd.
• Ruslan, aged 23 and who was born in Ukraine, is working alongside fellow Suffolk firms A2B-Online Ltd, who have donated trailers to carry the donations, and OLMAR Ltd whose drivers are donating their time to transport the goods safely.
• The three Fred. Olsen companies will be jointly funding the cost of the fuel for one of Ruslan’s lorries to travel to Ukraine.

Endurance is Found

• The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust is pleased to confirm that the Endurance22 Expedition has located the wreck of Endurance, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship which has not been seen since it was crushed by the ice and sank in the Weddell Sea in 1915.
• One hundred years after Shackleton’s death, Endurance was found at a depth of 3008 metres in the Weddell Sea, within the search area defined by the expedition team before its departure from Cape Town, and approximately four miles south of the position originally recorded by Captain Worsley.
• The team worked from the South African polar research and logistics vessel, S.A. Agulhas II, owned by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment and under Master, Capt. Knowledge Bengu, using Saab’s Sabertooth hybrid underwater search vehicles. The wreck is protected as a Historic Site and Monument under the Antarctic Treaty, ensuring that whilst the wreck is being surveyed and filmed it will not be touched or disturbed in any way.