Just got an email from Princess.

Caribbean Princess, Sept 22nd, 15 day Trans Atlantic, $399 pp for a balcony room !

jetwet1 wrote:

Just got an email from Princess.

Caribbean Princess, Sept 22nd, 15 day Trans Atlantic, $399 pp for a balcony room !

Bargain and lovely ship especially after the refurb. I was onboard Caribbean Princess a few weeks back for a luncheon. Older ship but by no means a lesser standard.



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Interesting new concept for ship ID :



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I do have a soft spot for the Caribbean Princess having spent many nights onboard (in the same cabin every cruise) but after sampling the Regal Princess, I don't know if I could go back.....Then again, $399....Yeah I could.

Though it looks like the Golden and Crown Princess that I have sailed on as they are the same class, the color scheme and decor look quite airy.

I must admit I struggle to really understand Princess. I've seen a couple of their ships now (just on visits) and they're quite nice but when I asked one of their sales guys what was unique about them they said "great food, great service and wide choice of destinations."

Now, I'll give it to them that 370 ports is a lot, but I only want to see the ones I want so probably 365 of those would be meaningless to me when choosing my next holiday. Great food and service are things that every single cruise line promote themselves as having, and I didn't think that the lunches I had were particularly memorable. I do appreciate port lunch menus aren't necessarily that great so I can give them the benefit of the doubt that a little there.

I understand the proposition offered by the others clearly but even as someone who has worked in the industry for 20+ years, I do struggle with them.

Often with many smaller or niche products, it is said that you need to "sail it to understand it" but I've not come across that with a supposed mainstream product.

So, for you Princess Cruise veterans, what keeps you going back to Princess? I'm genuinely keen to know.

Mark

bananaboy wrote:

So, for you Princess Cruise veterans, what keeps you going back to Princess? I'm genuinely keen to know.

Mark

Interesting question, and honestly, it's hard to answer, part of it is going to sound all to common to anyone in the hospitality industry and part of it is going to sound strange*.

For us, there is a comfort level, we have been on many lines covering all the price brackets, as you hint at, when it comes to the mass market lines, it's like the hotel industry, little things set each brand apart, the first time we sailed on HAL I really didn't like it, the food was amazingly bad, the crew average at best, the next time was the complete opposite.

Carnival was great, good value for money, good food (their steakhouse is still a bargain) but over the last couple of years the cost cutting has just become more and more evident, the final straw was the movie to the American menu, the food was okay (some dishes were amazing, some terrible), but a silly thing like taking away the table clothes meant that on a moving, vibrating ship, we had glasses rattling, plates sliding (including a whole 8 top table losing everything when we hit a nasty wave), spilled drinks flowing across tables. Yes it's a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but it made a huge difference to us.

Princess, we have never had these issues with them, any time we step onboard there is a comfort** feeling, the staff are always friendly, the food is good, it hits the sweet spot for us when it comes to the party time (Carnival) and the sun has set, time for bed crowd (HAL) . They have the consistence thing nailed down, it doesn't matter what ship you are one, where you are sailing, it will be the "Princess" experience.

Certainly there are lines that are better, but IMHO, bang for the buck, they are hard to beat.

*My first Princess cruise was in Oct 2001 on the Sun Princess, Sabatini's served an amazing lasagna...I am a lasagna freak, I have searched in vain on every Princess ship, but nothing has equaled that first lasagna....Not going to stop me from trying.

The one big negative until late 2015 was the beds, I think Princess managed to buy all the mattress from the former Iraqi prison system, they were amazingly bad, to the point where we would stop at Walmart on the way to the ship and pick up a foam topper to put on top of it, then gift it to the room steward (we actually checked with them before we left it). However, Princess switched over to the same mattress Carnival uses, they are good, not Westin good, but good.

So in brief, good food, good crew, enough fun, but not to much...Oh I forgot, the C deck on the Grand class, these are regular balcony cabins one deck above the mini suites, the balcony acts as the roof to the mini suite, so you have a balcony 2 1/2 times the size of the regular balcony, great place to hang out with friends and have a glass of wine before dinner.

Thanks for such a detailed response Jetwet1. Really interesting to read from an experienced passenger, and even more to see you're also not entirely sure why you enjoy them so much!

Interestingly, you mentioned about a consistent level of comfort which did remind me that that had been mentioned during the ship tour so perhaps that a factor in wider appeal.

Thanks again for the response. Much appreciated.

Mark

Anything concrete on Virgin Voyages yet?

ChrisKen wrote:

Anything concrete on Virgin Voyages yet?

Wärtsilä power for Virgin Voyages fleet

Wärtsilä has been contracted to provide a comprehensive scope of solutions for three new 2800 passenger cruise vessels being built for Virgin Voyages.

The order for the new ships, which are to be built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, includes Wärtsilä engines, hybrid exhaust cleaning scrubber systems and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems.

"We are very pleased to be able to partner Wärtsilä for our first series of ships. Their technical expertise, commitment to supporting our sustainability goals and excellent reputation made them the best choice for us,” said Stuart Hawkins, Senior Vice President, Marine & Technical, Virgin Voyages.

The ships will each be powered by two eight-cylinder and two twelve-cylinder Wärtsilä 46F engines. Meanwhile, the Wärtsilä Hybrid Scrubber System selected for the vessels has the flexibility to operate in both open and closed loop modes using seawater to remove sulphur oxides (SOx) from the exhaust.

http://www.motorship.com/news101/ships- ... ages-fleet

I'm taking the plunge and planning my dream cruise--the Cunard Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossing from New York City to Southampton, for next summer (2018).

Is any one summer month (June, July, or August 2018) the best for taking the voyage?

I'll be booking within the next few days, so your help and advice is appreciated.

SmithAir747

I am sure your have a fantastic and a truly amazing experience sailing on the iconic Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton.

Either of the months you mentioned will be fine.

Jetwet1

Your comments regarding as to why you appreciate Princess Cruises and in particular the comments regarding consistency and the comfort feeling onboard truly represents the brand in a good way and I'm very pleased that you feel that way and hopefully your be welcomed aboard a Princess Cruise very soon in the same way as you have always done.

Thanks, it's actually going to be a while before we are on princess again.

We have a family thing at the start of next year, then I am going to be spending half my year flying to and from Europe on business, then we will be on the QM2 in December....At least that's the plan right now lol, so maybe 2019.

I'm bored at work and been looking through Youtube for inspiration on a project I'm working on and stumbled across this..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzKeVvfOqxA

It's about the cancelled Carnival Pinnacle project. looked like an interesting project.

Here's the original video of the cancelled Carnival Pinnacle project, from the shipyard Fincantieri itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61nT5h6XIrs

SmithAir747

Here is the Carnival Pinnacle

wow it looks incredible! I like to watch live stream at http://worldcams.tv/cities/palma-de-mallorca-harbour from a major port in the Mediterranean, Palma de Mallorca. The webcam gives perfect view of the ships making port and moves to various locations around this amazing city. Hope one day I'll visit this place and spend a great cruise vacation there.

Celebrity's Edge class ship. 129.500 GT

Man killed wife on cruise ship for 'laughing' at him

A man suspected of killing his wife while on a cruise ship in the US state of Alaska did so because "she would not stop laughing" at him, a witness says.

Kenneth Manzanares has been charged with the murder of his 39-year-old wife, whose body was found with severe head wounds in their cabin.

He was detained after security agents found blood on his hands and clothes, court documents said.

Mr Manzanares' court-appointed public defender has not commented.

The victim has been identified by US media as Kristy Manzanares, from Utah.

A witness who entered the couple's cabin before the security agents said he saw the 39-year-old suspect dragging the victim's body to the balcony, the documents said.

The witness then grabbed the woman's ankles and pulled her back in.

When he asked Mr Manzanares what had happened, the man allegedly said: "She would not stop laughing at me."

Later, during a search by FBI agents, the suspect said, according to the documents: "My life is over."

The incident happened on Tuesday night on the Emerald Princess cruise ship, operated by Princess Cruises. It had departed with some 3,400 passengers from Seattle on Sunday for a week-long trip.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40751459

Crystal AirCruises’ fully custom-built Boeing 777-200LR will be christened in Las Vegas in a ceremony at McCarran International Airport. Crystal will livestream the event via Facebook Live feed on its Crystal Cruises Facebook page, allowing luxury travel enthusiasts from all over the world to welcome the newest member of Crystal’s award-winning fleet. Crystal CEO and president, Edie Rodriguez, will be joined by local dignitaries and VIP executives from Crystal’s parent company, Genting Hong Kong, for the official unveiling of the aircraft, which will be christened by a specially chosen godfather, also announced during the momentous ceremony.

Embarking in August into the luxury charter aviation market, Crystal’s B-777 is the largest and most spacious privately owned luxury tour jet in the world, offering bespoke experiences for travelers at all points during the journey. An executive chef oversees Michelin-inspired feasts paired with fine vintages from the SkyeCellar, while Crystal SkyeButlers attend to all guests’ wishes, from special requests upon landing to steaming and polishing of garments on board. With such a remarkably designed aircraft capable of an astonishing 19.5-hour non-stop flight range and offering first-class service to the world, Crystal AirCruises has created a luxury class of its own.

Watch LIVE as the next stage of this journey takes off.

Facebook LIVE – Crystal Cruises Facebook Page Saturday, August 12, 2017 7 – 7:30 p.m. PST

www.facebook.com/crystalcruises

Some pics from MSC Seaside .



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So it looks like the QM2 voyage is being pushed back into the summer of 2019......Yeah I know, crazy to plan so far out, but the wife has 1) Decided that crossing the north Atlantic in December is not that appealing and 2) she has discovered Viking Ocean....Who happen to have a Lisbon - Miami crossing in December of 2018.

I have heard good things about Viking (anyone on here cruised with them ?) so I am not that bent out of shape about pushing the QM2 back.

Crossing N. Atlantic in December sounds unappealing but you swap a purpose built TATL liner for an oversized gin palace that's still crossing the North Atlantic in December.....seems logical.

jetwet1 wrote:

So it looks like the QM2 voyage is being pushed back into the summer of 2019......Yeah I know, crazy to plan so far out, but the wife has 1) Decided that crossing the north Atlantic in December is not that appealing and 2) she has discovered Viking Ocean....Who happen to have a Lisbon - Miami crossing in December of 2018.

I have heard good things about Viking (anyone on here cruised with them ?) so I am not that bent out of shape about pushing the QM2 back.

Shame you are pushing it back as December is not that bad TATL on the QM2 to be honest. In fact I did it in November and friends of mine did it May and they had worse weather and crossing. I would not hesitate to do a QM2 TATL in Winter and already have another planned

As for Viking good product and nice ships but certainly not that unique Ocean Liner experience. Still I am sure you will enjoy it. Sailing further south will mean nice weather usually. I have done Barcelona-Lisbon-Madeira-Miami and it was 70-75c the majority of the way.

ChrisKen wrote:

Crossing N. Atlantic in December sounds unappealing but you swap a purpose built TATL liner for an oversized gin palace that's still crossing the North Atlantic in December.....seems logical.

I am fine with it, the wife is not and if as you may know, spending 7 days with someone who doesn't want to be there in the first place will not make for a good vacation.

The "oversized gin palace" take a far more southern route, though I get where you are coming from.

2707200X wrote:

Celebrity's Edge class ship. 129.500 GT

Good god, what is that...thing?

DocLightning wrote:

2707200X wrote:

Celebrity's Edge class ship. 129.500 GT

Good god, what is that...thing?

They actually wrote about its predecessor in Harper's

https://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/HarpersMagazine-1996-01-0007859.pdf

DocLightning wrote:

2707200X wrote:

Celebrity's Edge class ship. 129.500 GT

Good god, what is that...thing?

Certainly not easy on the eye. I do like the rest of what I have seen though in terms of interior and those innovative balconies.

20,000 pax stranded because of Hurricane Harvey till Tuesday.

http://abc13.com/travel/20000-cruise-sh ... f/2341493/

2707200X wrote:

Celebrity's Edge class ship. 129.500 GT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l2OmOs9wtk

Part of Carnival's LNG ship fleet.

Hurricane Harvey

Four Galveston-bound cruise ships with a combined 20,000 passengers on board are forced to remain in the Gulf of Mexico as they await Harvey's passage, according to port officials.

The ships likely won't be able to make their next attempt to enter the port, which is completely closed to ship traffic, until Tuesday, according to Roger R. Quiroga with the port authority.

Quiroga expressed concern during a Friday news conference about the "thousands of cars" parked in the port, as torrential rain is expected to bring flash flooding to the region.

http://abc13.com/travel/20000-cruise-sh ... f/2341493/

Just booked on the Norwegian Epic for Oct 8th...



Western Med... first time on NCL for me.

northstardc4m wrote:

Just booked on the Norwegian Epic for Oct 8th...



Western Med... first time on NCL for me.

Sailed four or five times on her including her inaugural transatlantic. Not a pretty ship but who cares..she's probably my favourite NCL. Great entertainment, great dining, lots of fun. Consider getting onboard early and purchasing a pass to "POSH beach club" if you're not in The Haven. It's an adult only area next to The Haven with lots of sun loungers, premium bar service and water misters to keep cool. Worth 60usd or so for a week when you're in warmer climates.

Have fun.

Mark

My booked cruises for 2018:

1) Star Trek: The Cruise II (5-11 January), on NCL Jade. 2nd year of the officially licensed Star Trek full-ship charter cruise. The 2017 inaugural cruise, marking Star Trek's 50th anniversary, was hosted by William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk). The upcoming cruise will be hosted by George Takei (Hikaru Sulu). There will be a lot of the stars onboard.

2) Fabulous Faces at Sea II: The 2018 Craniofacial Cruise (1-8 April), on NCL Getaway. 2nd year of the Fabulous Faces at Sea craniofacial small-group cruise that I'm hosting and organising.

3) Cher Crew Crewz (4-11 November), on NCL Escape. Special group cruise for fans of Cher (benefiting Children's Craniofacial Association, with which I happen to be involved), with Cher impersonator(s) and group specific activities all about Cher.

Next year or so, I would also love to do the NYC-Southampton UK transatlantic voyage on the Queen Mary 2.

SmithAlien747

Have just cruised five times, all of them on Disney Cruise Line. Once on the Magic, Once on the Wonder, and three on the Dream. In fact, just came off of the Dream yesterday. However I do intend on going on more cruise lines, except for Carnival, I will go on their subsidies but not Carnival.

DIRECTFLT wrote:

Hurricane Harvey

Four Galveston-bound cruise ships with a combined 20,000 passengers on board are forced to remain in the Gulf of Mexico as they await Harvey's passage, according to port officials.

The ships themselves are operating normally. Two will make port in New Orleans to restock food and supplies, but nobody is having to go hungry yet. So basically, the passengers are getting some free extra vacation. As far as problems on cruise ships go, this is a pretty good one to have.

DocLightning wrote:

DIRECTFLT wrote:

Hurricane Harvey

Four Galveston-bound cruise ships with a combined 20,000 passengers on board are forced to remain in the Gulf of Mexico as they await Harvey's passage, according to port officials.

The ships themselves are operating normally. Two will make port in New Orleans to restock food and supplies, but nobody is having to go hungry yet. So basically, the passengers are getting some free extra vacation. As far as problems on cruise ships go, this is a pretty good one to have.

Correct. As long as the ship has food, and working toilets and electricity, what's not to like !!

August 26, 2017 10:31 AM

PARKING UPDATE: The Port of Galveston Parking Lots are NOT flooded. However, access roads to the parking lots are flooded thus it is not possible to retrieve vehicles from the lots at this time. For additional information please call 409-766-6169.
Refunds will be issued to passengers that have had their itinerary shortened. Please contact parking@portofgalveston.com

http://www.portofgalveston.com/AlertCen ... CLOSURE-23

northstardc4m wrote:

Just booked on the Norwegian Epic for Oct 8th...

Western Med... first time on NCL for me.

Nice ship bit of a weird lay out of some of the cabins though. Just a tip if you are at the port early and waiting in the terminal. Download their App https://www.ncl.com/fr/en/apps
I was able to pick up the ships wifi connection from the cruise terminal and log in therefore having the ability to reserve tables for some of the speciality restaurants that I wanted before the rest. This is handy when you cant make them before boarding the ship.

SmithAir747 wrote:

My booked cruises for 2018:

1) Star Trek: The Cruise II (5-11 January), on NCL Jade.

Sounds like a great theme and of course on the lovely NCL Jade which is still my favourite ship in the fleet. In fact I am finally getting back on the Jade next year

OA260 wrote:

SmithAir747 wrote:

My booked cruises for 2018:

1) Star Trek: The Cruise II (5-11 January), on NCL Jade.

Sounds like a great theme and of course on the lovely NCL Jade which is still my favourite ship in the fleet. In fact I am finally getting back on the Jade next year

She's looking good after her (rather overdue) upgrades and refurbishment! Saw her in Southampton this Spring.

Mark

bananaboy wrote:

OA260 wrote:

SmithAir747 wrote:

My booked cruises for 2018:

1) Star Trek: The Cruise II (5-11 January), on NCL Jade.

Sounds like a great theme and of course on the lovely NCL Jade which is still my favourite ship in the fleet. In fact I am finally getting back on the Jade next year

She's looking good after her (rather overdue) upgrades and refurbishment! Saw her in Southampton this Spring.

Mark

Yes some friends of mine were onboard when it came to Ireland and their pics and videos looked good.

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CONGRATS to Princess and well deserved.


Princess Cruises named the best cruise line of 2017

Taking out the competition four years in a row.

Princess Cruises has just floored the competition at the Cruise International Awards, taking the gold for best cruise line in the entire world.

This is the fourth time the luxury line has won this title at the awards, so it's obviously doing something right. With luxurious offerings like the Ocean Medallion, which is an electronic medallion dedicated to creating a more seamless on-board experience by helping you navigate the ship, locate your friends and more as well as personalised celebratory packages and consistently spectacular sales, it's definitely not doing anything wrong.

This year it beat out big names including P&O Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Saga, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises for the top spot.

Naturally, this was not the only award Princess took during the night. It was also named the Best Cruise Line for First-Time Cruisers and won the Best Product award for its Ultimate Balcony Dining experience.

It was also shortlisted for the Best Value for Money, Best for Families, Best for Food, Best for Entertainment and Best for Onboard Activities.

https://www.finder.com.au/princess-crui ... ne-of-2017

I'm not surprised to see that award, as I have said before, with the Royal and Regal Princess, Princess has taken cruising to a different level, at that price point.

Cunard, Carnival Corporation’s transatlantic specialist, has signed a memorandum of agreement with Fincantieri to build a new ship.

The deal for the next-generation ship still needs to satisfy technical and financial conditions.

According to Fincantieri the new ship will join Cunard’s fleet in 2022.

“We are very pleased to announce a fourth ship for our immensely popular Cunard brand, which is also one of the most legendary brands in the entire vacation industry,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation.

“Cunard offers a fleet of unrivaled vessels and one of the most unique travel experiences in the world, which together create an enchanting and memorable vacation for our guests. While today’s news helps drive Cunard’s overall strategic growth plans, we also look forward to launching this next-generation cruise ship to help meet increasing global demand and entice even more travelers to explore the Cunard experience.”

Donald added: “Fleet enhancement is an important part of our ongoing goal to exceed guest expectations. This includes replacing less efficient ships with more efficient vessels over time as part of our managed capacity growth”.

http://cruise-adviser.com/cunard-build-new-ship/

While I am happy to see a 4th ship in the line, oh dear, the Queen Elizabeth had a one night stand with the NCL Epic and this is the result, the Elizabeth and Victoria are two of the best looking of the Spirit class, this new ship, not so much.

True I was hoping for a design more ''Ocean Liner'' then cruise ship but I guess Cunard do not want to take away from the iconic flagship QM2.
It will be interesting to see what they name it .

I'm not sure if it's taking away from the QM2 or looking at the ROI, the Spirit class is one of the best there is, heck other lines (outside of the Carnival Family) are even using modified versions of it, but with those extra decks above the bridge I am left wondering how the public space will suffer with the extra people.

What do we think the name will be? Are we out of Queens or is/are there any left?

jetwet1 wrote:

I'm not sure if it's taking away from the QM2 or looking at the ROI, the Spirit class is one of the best there is, heck other lines (outside of the Carnival Family) are even using modified versions of it, but with those extra decks above the bridge I am left wondering how the public space will suffer with the extra people.

Are you stating this is Spirit Class hybrid? Because the Spirit class was built by STX.

They will probably stick with Queen something, either Anne or Katherine....

Maybe a return of the Countess or Princess ?

I would much prefer to see a return to IA ships though.

northstardc4m wrote:

Just booked on the Norwegian Epic for Oct 8th...



Western Med... first time on NCL for me.

Was on a RCL cruise and while going from Grand Cayman to Cozumel this ship cruised beside us. I have heard many good things about this ship but to say its aesthetically challenged is being kind.

OA260 wrote:

Some pics from MSC Seaside .



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There is another ship that was just announced that has the seafront promenade. If you take the inside promenade found on RCL's ships and move it to both sides, voila. Not sure which one will be better, but I bet this will be the next 'it" design on future ships.