Month: March 2017

Cruise News 

Azamara Quest Sails into Havana and History

Liam Cusack , , , , ,

MIAMI, FL March 31, 2017 –The Azamara Quest, one of Azamara Club Cruises boutique up market ships arrived at Cuba’s Sierra Maestra terminal for the first time today making history. The ship is just a handful of American owned ships which has been granted permission by the Cuban government to schedule sailings to the island once off-limits to American citizens. Sailing down the Bahía de la Habana and along Havana’s famous El Malecón, the guests had magnificent views of the local shoreline before turning alongside Cuba’s Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro through the Canal de Entrada to dock. Azamara

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Cruise News 

Upgrades For The Elegant Explorer – Holland America’s Prinsendam

Liam Cusack , ,

By Liam P. Cusack New York, NY – March 30, 2017: Holland America Line’s beloved ms Prinsendam, otherwise known as “The Elegant Explorer,” has a new look. During an annual dry-docking that saw Holland America’s new logo affixed to the Prinsendam‘s smokestack, the beloved vessel also saw upgrades throughout the ship. The Prinsendam is the smallest and the oldest of Holland America’s fleet. She began life in 1988 as the Royal Viking Sun for Royal Viking Line. When Royal Viking was purchased by Cunard Line she retained her name but began sporting Cunard’s colors. After a four-year stint with Holland America’s

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Cruise News 

Norwegian Jade Returns Anew

Liam Cusack

  Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel-class ship returns to service with upgraded dining options, newly designed spaces and clean modernizations across the entire ship just in time for her summer season in Europe. MIAMI – March 30, 2017– Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jade sailed into her seasonal homeport of Tampa as an essentially new vessel this morning following a three week dry dock where she received enhancements to every part of the onboard experience, from two brand new restaurants and two new bars and lounges, updated design and décor in many public spaces, and a refurbishment of all staterooms. Norwegian Jade’s

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Cruise News Travel Agent 

Top 15 Reasons to Sail Holland America’s Koningsdam

Liam Cusack , , , , , , , , ,

And an honorable mention… By Liam P. Cusack New York, NY – March 30, 2017. Holland America Line’s ms Koningsdam, introduced last year, already has a fiercely loyal following. The ship may not be the largest in the world, a mid-sized ship weighing in at 99,500 tons with a passenger capacity of 2,650 passengers, but this accentuates her charm. Stepping on board passengers are immediately drawn into her. Her interiors are inspired by the lines, curves, and shapes of musical instruments. The design is not obvious, which is why it works. Once caught in the flow the inspiration makes itself

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Airlines Press Releases 

Norwegian Launches Nonstop Service from Oakland to Copenhagen

Liam Cusack , , , , ,

NEW YORK – MARCH 29, 2017  – Norwegian, the World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline and Europe’s Best Low-Cost Airline, yesterday celebrated its new service from Oakland International Airport to Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup. The airline launched nonstop service from Oakland/San Francisco to Oslo and Stockholm in May 2014 and London in May 2016. With the addition of this twice-weekly service, Norwegian now offers 21 nonstop routes from the Bay Area to four European destinations. “Expanding our West Coast service has always been a part of Norwegian’s growth plan. Not only are we adding new destinations, such as Copenhagen and Barcelona in June, but we

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Cruise News 

Famed London Bookseller Will Curate Library Aboard Silver Muse

Liam Cusack

Silversea Cruises Partners With Literary Institution Heywood Hill Miami, FL — March 28, 2017 – Ultra-luxury cruise line, Silversea, has today announced a partnership with literary institution Heywood Hill, which will create a bespoke library for its new flagship, Silver Muse. Note: Click on bold-faced underlined words for links. Over Heywood Hill’s illustrious 80-year history, the London-based bookshop has become renowned for curating collections of new, old, and antiquarian books for private libraries. Marked by old-fashioned courtesy and humor, Heywood Hill’s literary services have been awarded the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty the Queen, among other accolades. The bespoke library

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Cruise News 

Nieuw Statendam’s Keel Laid at Fincantieri Shipyard

Liam Cusack

Marghera, Italy Mar. 21, 2017 – The keel-laying ceremony for Holland America Line’s ms Nieuw Statendam took place today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera (Venice). The first building block of the new ship, which will be a sister ship to the recently introduced ms Koningsdam, is 11.3 meters long (37 feet), 34.8 meters wide (114.17 feet) and weighs in at approximately 260 tons. This precisely built piece will be part of the central section of the ms Nieuw Statendam, which will enter service at the end of 2018. As wil the ms Koningsdam, Tihany Design and Yran & Storbraaten will

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Cruise News 

HAL’s Koningsdam Scores 2nd Perfect Health Score

Liam Cusack

Seattle, Wash., March 16, 2017 — Holland America Line’s ms Koningsdam earned its second perfect score of 100 on a routine United States Public Health (USPH) inspection conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — making it two out of two for the premium cruise ship. This follows ms Oosterdam’s and ms Eurodam’s recent perfect scores. Koningsdam’s unannounced USPH inspection was held March 12, 2017, during a turnaround in Fort Lauderdale at Port Everglades, Florida, at the start of a 10-day Caribbean cruise. The perfect score is the second for the ship that launched in April 2016 and that earned a 100 on its

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Cruise News 

Holland America Line’s New Pop-Up Restaurants Coming to 6 Ships

Liam Cusack

Rudi Sodamin’s Sel de Mer French Brasserie – Intimate dining venue to feature classic French cuisine with a contemporary twist. Seattle, Wash., March 12, 2017 — Holland America Line is honoring its Master Chef and culinary consultant Rudi Sodamin, the creator of Sel de Mer aboard ms Koningsdam, by launching the French brasserie as a pop-up in the Pinnacle Grill and naming it Rudi’s Sel de Mer. Six ships in the fleet will feature the pop-up, including ms Eurodam, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, ms Noordam, ms Oosterdam, ms Westerdam and ms Zuiderdam. Master Chef Rudi Sodamin Since it launched on Koningsdam as a stand-alone venue, Sel de Mer has garnered both

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