Cruise News

The first phase of the operation to right Costa Concordia was completed successfully in the early hours of this morning. Next step is to attach steel caissons to the starboard side of the vessel, which has been lying underwater off the coast of Giglio for 20 months. Once complete, probably by spring 2014, the wreck will be towed away to be scrapped. My thanks to ShipsOnCamera for compiling this time-lapse video from images provided by webcams on the shore.

The grandees of UK's cruise industry will gather in Liverpool next week for CLIA's Columbus Day - a conference and networking extravaganza culminating in a dinner and awards presentation. They do love their awards in the travel industry! Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, and Christine Duffy, who holds the same positions and titles at the Cruise Lines International Association, are flying in from America. They will be joined on stage by Geneva-based Neil Palomba, commercial operating officer of MSC Cruises; Nathan Philpot, sales and marketing director of Fred Olsen; and Jo Rzymowska, the chair of CLIA UK [...]

The publicity machine is cranking itself into gear for P&O's new baby - the biggest cruise ship ever to be built for the British market. As construction gathers pace in an Italian dry dock, the company has disclosed the team of senior officers who will command the ship. The long-awaited announcement of the vessel's name is expected to be made before the end of the month, and speculation is beginning to build. The only certainty is that - in common with every other vessel in P&O's fleet - it will end with an 'a.' Beyond that, predictions (or guesses) have [...]

The first cruise on Sun Princess following work during a two-week, £20 million dry dock has been abruptly cancelled, leaving 2,000 passengers nowhere to go but back home. The 14-day voyage, which should have left Singapore today, was called off at the last minute, with passengers swarming around the city's new cruise terminal. A power failure has limited the ship's ability to operate cabin lighting and air conditioning, vacuum toilet systems, and the galley. A statement from Princess Cruises said: "While Sun Princess was alongside at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore, there was a malfunction to the ship's [...]

Smokers are running out of places to hide. Three more cruise lines this week joined the ranks of those that ban smoking on cabin balconies. Disney Cruise Line is to bring in the change - which they say is a result of passenger feedback - from November 15. Passengers who flout the ban face a $250 "stateroom recovery fee." Smoking continues to be allowed on some outside decks. P&O and Cunard announced a similar policy change this week, to be phased in during the course of next spring and summer. They also cite "feedback from our guests and the results [...]