Emerald Princess undergoing sea trials

2007 Welcomes Ten New Ships To Cruising

This year marks the debut of ten new cruise vessels—and lots of “newly renamed” ships that being reintroduced to cruising by their new owners. Here’s a rundown:

March
First to make her debut in 2007 is Carnival Cruises’s Carnival Freedom, the 110,000-ton vessel being built at Fincantieri/Marghera shipyard in Italy. Like her sister, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Freedom each offer a wide range of on-board facilities and features, including a 13,300-square-foot health club, four restaurants, 22 lounges and bars, four swimming pools and Carnival’s signature Twister Waterslide. She will also feature 100 percent bow to stern wireless Internet access, cell phone service, and a 270-square-foot LED screen on Lido Deck displaying concerts, movies, and other programming. Family-friendly amenities include a 4,200-square-foot "Camp Carnival" children’s play area and a 1,800-square-foot "Club O2" teen club.
The 2,974 passenger ship will debut in March 5 in Venice and will embark on a nine-day Mediterranean cruise before launching 12-day Mediterranean and Mediterranean/Greek Isles cruises March 14. before being deployed to the Caribbean out of Miami. In 2008 Carnival Freedom will reposition again to Fort Lauderdale to operate six- and eight-day cruises beginning November 22, 2008 after her 2008 European cruise season. Website: www.carnival.com

April
 In April, four new vessels are scheduled to make their debut.
-- Royal Caribbean International’s Liberty of the Seas, sister to the world’s largest cruise ship Freedom of the Seas, is being built at Aker Yards in Turku Finland. She will make her debut at Cape Liberty, New Jersey before embarking on her maiden cruise season.
Liberty of the Seas and her sister will hold the dual title of the largest cruise ships at sea, weighing in at 160,000 GRT and holding 3,634 guests double-occupancy. Among new programs and onboard embellishments yet to be announced, amenities on Liberty will include the popular innovations already found on Freedom including the FlowRider(R) surf simulator; the wet and wild H20 Zone aqua park; cantilevered whirlpools, suspended 112 feet above the ocean; an ice-skating rink; a boxing ring; and the 1,215-square-foot Presidential Family Suite, which sleeps up to 14.
Liberty will alternate between seven-night Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries, departing on Saturdays out of Miami. Both itineraries will bring guests to the Royal Caribbean's private destination, Labadee, Haiti, before returning to Miami. In addition, Liberty's Western Caribbean itinerary calls in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Montego Bay, Jamaica; while the Eastern Caribbean itinerary calls in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Website: www.rccl.com
-- Aida Cruises newest ship, the AIDDiva also comes out in April. The 68,500-ton vessel is being built at Meyer Werft shipyards in Papenburg Germany and is the first of four similar vessels—the Sphinx series— to be built within four years. The four new and innovative 68,500-gross ton ships will have a length overall of 252 meters and will be 32.2 meters wide. The ship will be christened in Hamburg on April 20 in a spectacular light show ceremony.
Marketed for the German trade, she will operate itineraries mostly out of Europe. The ships will feature plenty of interior design novelties such as the Theatrium. The well-known brand design of the outer appearance of the AIDA ships will be maintained. Website: www.aida.de/english.9785.0.html  or www.aida.de/
-- Princess Cruises’ newest ship, Emerald Princess makes her maiden debut on April 11. The 116,200 ton vessel will carry 3,100 passengers and is being constructed at Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy. Her maiden voyage will be on April 11 this year, launching a summer season of 12-day Greek Isles and Mediterranean sailings. Her naming ceremony will be held May 12 in Santorini Greece in a double inaugural ceremony with the Royal Princess— the first double ship launch for Princess.  (Royal Princess is the former Minerva II which was transferred to Princess from Swan Hellenic. (Princess and Swan Hellenic are units of Carnival Corp & PLC. Website: www.princesscruises.com
-- Closing out the month, though not necessarily in this order viz-à-viz inaugural dates, is Norwegian Coastal Voyages’ newest ship, the MS Fram. The 12,000 ton expedition ship will carry 500 passengers on mainly Greenland itineraries as well as 66-day Expedition World Cruise—from Artic to Antarctica that will visit 44 ports in 17 countries on four continents, taking a longitudinal route from pole-to-pole.
The 12,700-ton, 318-berth, eight-deck ship is the first cruise ship that NCV built exclusively for sailing in the challenging maritime environment of Greenland from May through September, and makes significant use of the country’s culture as inspiration for design while incorporating a striking Scandinavian feel with the extensive use of wool, leather and oak. The ship is named after the polar ship built and used by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen on a three-year expedition around Greenland in the late 1800s.  Cabins are stylish and comfortable; and a variety of suites and junior suites offer queen-size beds and TVs. The ship also boasts excellent conference and meeting facilities, an Internet café, a large glass-enclosed observation salon offering panoramic views of the outside scenery, restaurant with ocean views, wellness center with saunas, work-out room and two glass-screened heated outdoor whirlpools. Website: www.norwegiancoastalvoyage.us

May
In May, Costa Cruises’ Costa Serena enters the cruise scene. Currently being built at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyards in Genoa, the Costa Serena will be 112,000 tons and 951 feet long with a double occupancy capacity of 3,000 double occupancy. She will boast the same main innovations of her sister ship, the Costa Concordia, including the Samsara Spa—the largest spa at sea, a Grand Prix driving simulator, and the largest enclosable pool deck on a ship. The Costa Serena will be christened in Marseilles, France. Website: www.costacruises.com
-- Next is MSC Cruises’ MSC Orchestra, sister ship of MSC Musica which debuted last year. MSC Orchestra is the second ship in the Musica class—90,000 gross tons, 961 feet long and 108 feet wide. The 2,550-passenger ship is being built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. MSC Orchestra will be christened in the port of Civitavecchia, Italy in May and will depart from Venice June 2, 2007 with a dream itinerary between Greece, Turkey and Croatia. Website: www.msccruises.com

June
In June, American Cruise Line debuts its newest ship, the American Star. Built at the Chesapeake Shipyard in Salisbury, Maryland, the US-registered vessel will feature 52 staterooms, many with private balconies. The 100-passenger American Star will be similar in size and modern design to the American Spirit, but will feature more staterooms with private verandahs. After her June 2nd inauguration, she will embark on a variety six-, seven- and 14-night cruise itineraries along the coastal waterways along the East Coast. Website: www.americancruiselines.com

October
After a pause of five months until the next new ship is introduced. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem, similar to the Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Dawn, makes her debut in Europe with a series of cruises before redeploying to New York in December from where she will operate cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas for the winter season. The 93,000-ton ship, built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, will carry 2,384 passengers and is the last of this class of ship. Website: www.ncl.com

December
The year concludes with the debut of Cunard’s newest addition, Queen Victoria, which makes her debut in Southampton UK in December. Built at Fincantieri/Marghera, the 90,000-ton vessel will not only be a classic ocean liner, offering the very best of Cunard's heritage and traditions along with all modern-day luxuries, but will also feature some exciting innovations including the first traditional West End-style private viewing boxes at sea in the Royal Court Theatre; the first floating Cunardia museum display, housing Cunard artifacts and memorabilia; and the first two-story, spiral staircased library at sea. The ship will also feature the line's celebrated luxury Grills accommodation and dining, further enhanced on Queen Victoria with exclusive deck terraces and an al fresco dining option. Queen Victoria will depart on her Maiden Voyage on Tuesday December 11, 2007. This ten-night Christmas Markets Voyage will leave from the company's home port, Southampton, England and will call at Amsterdam, Copenhagen(overnight call), Oslo, Hamburg and Bruges, enjoying the pre-Christmas decorations and traditional gift markets. After spending her first Christmas in the Canaries, Queen Victoria will embark on her 106-night Maiden World Cruise which will call at 37 cities in 23 countries, before concluding her voyage in Southampton. Website: www.cunard.com

Oh…. there’s more. Besides all the new vessels coming on the scene, several renamed ships are also being reintroduced. The list includes:

Pullmanthur Cruises’ Blue Dream will be renamed Celebrity Journey, and will join Celebrity Cruises’ fleet in May, 2007. Celebrity Journey will sail seven-night Bermuda cruises from May through October 2007, then will present an exceptional series of 12- to 18-night cruises in remote areas of Antarctica, Brazil, the Chilean Fjords and other faraway regions of South America, from October 2007 through April 2008.
Another Pullmanthur vessel, the Blue Moon will also be transferred to Celebrity in October and renamed Celebrity Quest. Celebrity Quest will make its first sailing under the Celebrity Expeditions banner in October 2007, introducing a series of 12- to 14-night Caribbean sailings featuring several first-time ports of call, including those in St. Barts, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Turks & Caicos, followed by a series of 14-night Eastbound and Westbound Panama Canal itineraries featuring some of the most exotic destinations in Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Additionally, each port will feature a new, immersive series of shore excursions.
Both Celebrity Journey and Celebrity Quest will undergo a combined $35-million revitalization during separate one-month drydock periods to incorporate 32 new suites on each ship, entirely new bedding and soft goods, and a variety of Celebrity’s most popular signature elements, including the Martini Bar, Cova Café, Sushi Café, Michael’s Club jazz/piano bar, casino, Boutique C, AquaSpa by Elemis, Acupuncture at Sea and Online@Celebrity. Celebrity Quest was constructed in France and entered service in November 2000 as R7. Like Celebrity Journey, the ship is 30,277-gross tons and has 355 staterooms.
Conversely, Celebrity Cruises’ Zenith redeploys to the Spain-based Pullmanthur fleet in June, 2007. Pullmanthur Cruises was acquired by Royal Caribbean International in late 2006.

P&O Cruises/Australia’s Pacific Dawn is the former Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess, and begins cruises in October from Sydney to the islands of the South Pacific. She replaces Pacific Sky which has been sold to Pullmantur Cruises of Spain.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Crown was sold to Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines and will be renamed Balmoral.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Wind will be transferred to parent company Star Cruises and renamed SuperStar Aquarius.

Swan Hellenic’s Minerva II will be transferred to Carnival sister brand Princess Cruises and renamed Royal Princess.

And UK-based All Leisure Group, which owns the mv Discovery and Voyages of Discovery (operating as Discovery World Cruises in North America), has announced that it will be leasing the Explorer II—formerly the Minerva operated by Swan Hellenic and Saga Pearl on a long-term basis. The Explorer II will undergo a soft refurbishment program before going into service with Voyages of Discovery/Discovery World Cruises.
Website: www. www.discoveryworldcruises.com