Costa reveals revamped neoClassica

The Piazza Navona Grand Bar on-board Costa neoClassica

Costa neoClassica has recently undergone a complete redesign at the San Giorgio del Porto yards in Genoa at a cost of €22.5 million. The 53,000 gross ton Costa Cruises vessel has benefited from the refitting of its 654 cabins and of its public areas to bring it in line with other Costa neoCollection cruise ships.

Cabins have been designed with bright and luminous colours and now feature Illy coffee pod machines as well as Elemis amenities and beauty products.

The Al Fresco Café has been designed to resemble a peaceful park-like environment whilst the lounge areas on the open deck have been renovated to benefit sun-lovers. Self-services touch screen portals (known as “Totems”) have also been installed on-board enabling guests to browse activities at leisure.

As part of their evening program of events Costa Cruises will offer a “Stargazer” experience on-board which will enable guests to learn about the night skies through high-quality telescopes, assisted by Costa experts.

In terms of itineraries, Costa neoClassica is set to call into a selection of lesser-visited ports this year. Selected itineraries will also offer longer calls with some overnight calls scheduled too.

The “From Egypt to the Spice Islands” itinerary will call at ports including Eilat (Israel), Aqaba (Jordan), Oman, the Seychelles, Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius. Then the “Indian Ocean, paradise on earth” itinerary will depart Port Louis (Mauritius) and tour the Indian Ocean and call at the Seychelles, Mahé, Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius.

Thereafter Costa neoClassica will be deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean for the spring and summer 2015 seasons. Itineraries will include calls to destinations within Italy, Greece, Malta, Turkey, Montenegro and Croatia. Certain itineraries will include overnight calls to Venice and Istanbul enabling guests to experience authentic Italian and Turkish night life respectively. Overnight calls also allow more daylight hours for guests to explore further afield in each of the destinations. Venice offers an abundance of monuments, palaces, harmonious bridges, gondolas, traditional narrow streets and picturesque squares whilst Istanbul is known for the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Topkapi Palace, the Spice Market and more.


(Photo credit to Costa Cruises)

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Oriana gets a makeover

Oriana is the latest P&O Cruises vessel to receive the new livery including a contemporary Union Jack-inspired hull design and an iconic blue funnel with the illuminated rising sun emblem.

Last month saw the unveiling of Aurora as the first in-service cruise ship sporting this new look. Previously Britannia had been the only cruise ship photographed with the new livery during her sea trials.

These photos from P&O Cruises show Oriana receiving her new blue funnel.

(Photo credit to P&O Cruises)

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Sail into Salzburg on 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music

Saga’s Salzburg and the Beautiful Wachau Valley river cruise features a two-night hotel stay in the musical city of Salzburg to ensure guests have time for a few of their ‘favourite things’ during the special anniversary year of The Sound of Music.

Whether it is climbing every mountain or searching high and low for The Sound of Music film locations, passengers will be well-placed at the four-star NH Hotel which is close to Mirabell Palace Gardens where Maria and the Von Trapp children sang Do-Re-Mi.

Nearby is Leopoldskron Palace, the lakeside residence used as the von Trapp family home, and Hellbrunn Palace where the romantic Liesl sang '16 going on 17'.

The city offers much more, too, with the magnificent cathedral and narrow lanes lined with burgher's houses, cobbled streets and horse-drawn carriages. Salzburg was the birthplace of Mozart and his former home can be found on Getreidegasse.

After the musical interlude, Filia Rheni II will sail on to Linz, a historic city on a curve of the Danube, and Passau, the 'Venice of Bavaria'. Here is the meeting point of three rivers – the Danube, Inn and Ilz.

Melk, with its medley of architectural styles from across the centuries, will be the next port of call before cruising along the Danube through the glorious Wachau Valley to Krems, a region ringed by vineyards. Guests will arrive in Bratislava to discover the charms of the 2,000-year-old city which was the capital of Hungary in the late Middle Ages and part of the Eastern Bloc between 1948 and 1993.

The last, but definitely not least, stop will be Vienna - home to the waltz, coffee houses and one of the world's finest opera houses. Explore the city where Marie-Antoinette grew up and where Mozart died. In the evening enjoy an optional after-dinner concert in the heart of the city featuring works by Mozart or Strauss.

10 nights from £1498, departing Heathrow (with local flight options from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle and Norwich) to Munich on April 23 and October 21. Extend the holiday by two nights in Vienna from £249.

The cruise is exclusive to Saga passengers and the price includes UK travel service, two nights in hotel, all meals, wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner on the ship, welcome cocktail party, entertainment and activities on the ship, two excursions, all gratuities, porterage and travel insurance.

(Photo credit to Saga Travel)

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Royal Caribbean delays Dynamic Dining roll-out

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

When Quantum of the Seas was launched late last year so to was Royal Caribbean’s concept of Dynamic Dining. Royal Caribbean replaced the main central dining room with a multitude of individual restaurants, comprising of a mix of complimentary and fee-charging restaurants. The intention was to create a more flexible dining set-up for guests where they could choose where to dine, when to dine and with whom on a day-by-day basis rather than being restricted to set times (early or late seating).

During her spell in dry dock last year the main dining room on-board Oasis of the Seas was redeveloped into the style of separate venues. It was intended that traditional main dining room system would be offered until March 2015 at which point Dynamic Dining would then replace it.

Recently, however, Royal Caribbean International confirmed that they are delaying the rollout to their Oasis-class ships until “late 2015”. Reports suggest this delay is to gather more guest feedback prior to help ensure a successful launch of the concept onto an older vessel for the first time.

A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean UK stated “Dynamic Dining is a strategic initiative for Royal Caribbean and based on the positive response from our guests, it is our intention to implement this program across as many of our ships as possible, as part of our Royal Advantage program — our ongoing commitment to offer the best experience in the industry to our guests."

This delay appears to only affect the retrospective rolling out of Dynamic Dining. It will not affect Anthem of the Seas which will launch with Dynamic Dining facilities in place in April. Allure of the Seas is expected to receive the same main dining room changes as sister ship Oasis of the Seas received when she goes into dry dock in May with the switch to Dynamic Dining following later in the year.

(Photo credit to Royal Caribbean International)

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Scenic Tours to launch all-inclusive Mekong River cruises

An artist’s impression of Scenic Spirit

Scenic Tours have unveiled their range of all-inclusive river cruises on the mighty Mekong River in South-east Asia planned for when their latest river cruise ship, the Scenic Spirit, enters service in January 2016.

Scenic Spirit is set to be the most spacious river cruise vessel to sail along the Mekong River. Measuring 85 metres in length the all-suite all-balcony vessel will carry a maximum of 68 passengers per voyage with a guest-to-crew ratio of nearly 1:1.

A choice of suites will be offered, including 24 Deluxe Suites measuring 32 square metres, eight  Grande Deluxe Suites measuring 40 square metres, and two Royal Panorama Suites measuring 80 square metres.

The vessel will offer three dining venues as well as in-room dining.  The vessel will also offer a pool and a spa and fitness centre.

On the launch of the Mekong river itineraries Chris Townson, Managing Director of Scenic Tours UK, said “We believe there’s now no better way to sail these waters; we’ve got the newest ship with the best features and the most spacious cabins; our diverse itineraries are meticulously planned and cover a wealth of mustsee and lesser-travelled treasures, plus everything is included in the price of your cruise.”

Scenic Tours are offering 15 to 29-day long voyages along the Mekong River planned for 2016, calling into destinations including Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

Key itineraries include: “Treasures of the Mekong Cruise” (sailing between Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap); “Essence of Vietnam, Cambodia & Mekong Cruise” (sailing between Hanoi and Siem Reap); “Grand Indochina & Mekong Cruise” (sailing between Hanoi and Luang Prabang); “Journey along the Mekong” (sailing between Ho Chi Minh City and Luang Prabang); and “Gems of South East Asia” (sailing between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City).

(Photo credit to Scenic Tours)

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Boy nearly drowns in pool on Oasis of the Seas

A four year old boy has been hospitalised after nearly drowning in a pool on-board Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

Media reports suggest that at approximately 5.30pm local time a passenger discovered the boy submerged in a "wave pool" on Deck 15. It is believed that he was underwater for between five and ten minutes. A second passenger then pulled the boy from the pool where it was discovered he had no pulse.

CPR was administered and he regained a pulse but it was deemed that he needed further medical attention. The ship changed course and headed back to Port Everglades, Florida. The boy was then rushed to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Launderdale.

Mike Jachles of Broward Sheriff Fire and Rescue commented that the boy was "pulseless when found" and in "full cardiac arrest". “Aggressive advanced life support” was administered by the ship’s medical personnel according to Jachles during the sail back to port.

Authorities have not named the boy although Cynthia Martinez, a spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., confirmed to Sun Sentinel that the child was from Italy. He remains in a critical condition.

Oasis of the Seas set sail from Port Everglades at approximately 10.45 pm to continue with a seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary. Strictly speaking Oasis of the Seas is the second largest passenger cruise ship in the world at 225,282 gross tons (second to sister cruise ship Allure of the Seas). She has a maximum capacity of 6,296 guests and has a crew of approximately 2,400.

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A round-up of the cruise line January offers

The month of January is synonymous with sales and discounts, and the cruise industry is no different. Here is a round-up of the best cruise line offers.

Royal Caribbean is offering an all-inclusive drinks package on selected itineraries during 2015. They are also offering a buy-one-get-one-half-price offer on selected Caribbean itineraries whereby the rate for the second passenger is half that of the first. On top of this, they have reduced their deposit to £50 per person. These offers expire on 31 January.

Princess Cruises are celebrating their 50th anniversary with their Golden Deals offer. They too are offering a reduced deposit of £50 per person. They are also offering up to $50 per stateroom per day in on-board credit and up to 50% discount on third and fourth passengers sharing a cabin. These offers expire on 28 February.

Celebrity Cruises are running their 123Go! promotion. Book a concierge stateroom or above on selected 2015/16 itineraries and receive a free all-inclusive drinks package, free gratuities and up to $300 in on-board credit per cabin. Third and fourth guests booked into the same cabin will also receive a free soft drinks package and a 40 minute internet package  Book an ocean-view or balcony cabin on selected worldwide itineraries and choose from either the drinks package, free gratuities or on-board credit. Book an ocean-view or balcony cabin on selected European itineraries and choose two of these extras. These offers expire on 28 February and they require a specific promo code which can be found on their website.

Cunard Line is celebrating its 175th anniversary and is offering $500 per person in on-board credit on selected May to November 2015 sailings when you book the Cunard Fare. This offer expires on 28 February.

P&O Cruises are offering up to £1,580 per cabin in on-board credit on Select Price bookings to coincide with their ‘This is the Life’ promotion. This offer expires on 28 February.

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering up to $1,000 in on-board credit per stateroom in a short running offer. The amount offered depends on the duration of the cruise and the grade of cabin booked. This offer expires on 7 January.

MSC Cruises are offering up to £600 discount per cabin based on the brochure price together with free British Airways return flights from London on selected 2015 voyages. They are also offering a free drinks package on-board selected MSC Fantasia & MSC Magnifica sailings too. These offers expire on 5 March.

Carnival Cruise Line is running its “The Real Deal” promotion which offers up to two-category cabin upgrades and up to $100 in on-board credit per cabin based on the duration of the cruise on selected itineraries. These offers expire on 31 January.

Terms and conditions apply to all of these offers and these can be found on the respective cruise line websites. Offers may be subject to availability, apply to selected travel dates or itineraries and may not be combinable.

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