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New Ships Take Shape: Three Coming Soon, Two in the Oven, and One on the Drawing Board

This week the news is all about new ships, from massive mega-ships all the way down to sail-driven tall ships.
Depending on who you talk to, cruising is either all about the destinations or all about the ships. Me, I fall in the middle, figuring it's about a 60/40 split in favor of destinations -- which means I still think the ships are pretty important. In that, I'm probably on the same page as most of the cruise lines, otherwise what's to explain the fact that they just keep pumping out the newbuilds, one after another, year after year? This week, the news seems to be all about new ships, from massive megaships all the way down to sail-driven tall ships. Here's the rundown.

Cunard's Queen Victoria Aces Sea Trials

Despite the relatively recent hoopla that surrounded the launch of Queen Mary 2 in 2004, it's a fact that Cunard (tel. 800/7-CUNARD; www.cunard.com) doesn't launch a new ship every day -- or even every year, like a lot of other lines do. Thus, it's news that the 90,000-ton, 1,980-passenger Queen Victoria is coming down the pike. Last week, the line announced that the new liner had successfully completed her sea trials, a series of maneuvering, engineering, performance, and safety tests designed to ensure that ships are able to operate safely and efficiently. The various trials test the maximum speed achievable and maneuverability to evaluate the ship's capabilities, putting stress on the major engine components to ensure they work under the most extreme conditions.

Queen Victoria is scheduled to make her first arrival to Southampton, UK, on Friday, December 7. On December 10, she'll be named by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at a ceremony that will also be attended by Camilla's husband Charles, the Prince of Wales.

NCL's Gem Transits the River Ems, Begins Sea Trials

Take a look at this picture of the 93,530-ton Norwegian Gem, the newest ship from Norwegian Cruise Line (tel. 866/234-0292; www.ncl.com), being towed from Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard down the River Ems, en route to the North Sea. Unlike most major shipyards, Meyer Werft is located some 25 miles from the ocean, meaning that all ships built there must navigate the narrow, shallow river before reaching open water. It's a narrow, twisty passage, requiring a deft hand at the tiller.

On Sunday, September 16, Norwegian Gem docked near the mouth of the river at Eemshaven, Netherlands, and from there began her sea trials. Word on those when it's available.

Norwegian Gem is an identical sister-ship to last year's beautiful Norwegian Pearl, one of only seven 5-star megaships in this year's edition of Frommer's Cruises & Ports of Call. She's set to make her official debut in New York on December 18, after which she'll sail 7-, 10-, and 11-night Bahamas/Caribbean sailings from New York through April, then return to Europe for a summer of 7-night round-trip sailings from Barcelona. More details about the ship -- plus fun stuff like virtual bowling (a nod to the ship's onboard bowling alley), a "create-your-own avatar" tool (don't ask), and a blog written in the voice of the ship herself.

Royal Caribbean Floats Out Independence of the Seas

On September 14, Royal Caribbean (tel. 800/327-6700; www.royalcaribbean.com) celebrated the float-out of Independence of the Seas, the third ship in its 160,000-ton, 3,634-passenger series after Freedom and Liberty of the Seas. Floating out Independence involved flooding the construction dry-dock with some 87 million gallons of water, setting her afloat for the first time so that she could be towed to a wet-dock. There, she'll spend several months bobbing at her berth while hundreds of workers complete construction and finishing of her interiors.

Independence is set to debut in May 2008, at which time she'll share the title of world's largest passenger ship with her two fleetmates, to which she'll be a virtual clone. In 2009, the three ships will cede their title to Royal Caribbean's own Project Genesis ship, a 220,000-ton, 5,400-passenger behemoth that will set a new standard for, y'know, bigness.

In Designing New Cabins, Celebrity Asks, "What Do Women Want?"

After Cunard, the second in this week's list of "cruise lines that don't do new ships too often" is Celebrity Cruises (tel. 800/437-3111; www.celebrity.com), whose last newbuild, the 1,950-passenger Constellation, first hit the water back in 2002. As we speak, though, that same Meyer Werft shipyard from which NCL's Gem sailed is in the process of building Celebrity Solstice, the first in a class of four 122,000-ton, 2,850-passenger vessels that are set to join the Celebrity fleet between late 2008 and 2011.

This week, Celebrity leaked some details on Solstice, revealing that the ship's staterooms were designed after an intensive four-month process wherein five women, all in the baby boomer age group, offered comment and criticism of all aspects of stateroom design. Identified by the line as "Celebrity's Leading Ladies," the women were selected for their distinct points of view: One was a frequent cruiser, another a travel agent, another a travel writer, one a hotelier, and the last someone who was considering a cruise for the first time.

"Our goal," said Celebrity Cruises' president and CEO, Dan Hanrahan, "was to understand cruisers' real needs and interests, so that our new generation stateroom design would be grounded in genuine consumer insights."

Together, the women and Celebrity's design team came up with a string of innovations, including:

  • Distinctive interlocking stateroom floor plan for better and more efficient space utilization, resulting in deluxe veranda cabins that are 15 percent larger than comparable accommodations in the balance of the fleet.
  • First-in-industry adjoining stateroom design with double doors, allowing guests to open up space for families or friends traveling together, or close doors for a more private environment. Partitions between verandas of adjoining staterooms also open up to create a double-width balcony spanning both rooms.
  • Clear sightlines and walkways to sea views in nearly every stateroom, plus a vestibule area and modular furniture design to facilitate easier flow.
  • More spacious bathrooms in every stateroom, with glass showers equipped with a foot rail for easy leg shaving.
  • Individual reading lights at each nightstand, including a shelf for reading glasses, books, and other personal items.
  • Expanded and smarter storage, including increased clearance beneath the bed for larger luggage, and storage units over the bed for personal items such as handbags, shopping bags, etc.
  • Modular closets for varied clothing length, and additional flexible storage areas.
  • Thirty-two-inch flat-screen TVs in every stateroom, and larger flat-screen TVs in suites.
  • Creation of 130 "AquaClass" staterooms, with amenities such as tall, jetted bodywash showers; large fog-free mirrors; a pillow menu; aroma scent selections tied to specific vacation goals (relaxation, re-energizing, etc.); AquaClass toiletries and refreshing daily teas, juices, and bottled water; access to an exclusive, 130-seat AquaClass specialty restaurant called Blu; and unlimited access to the ship's AquaSpa relaxation room (located on the same deck as the AquaClass cabins) and Persian Garden, an aromatherapy and steam room.

Following several weeks of inaugural activities, Celebrity Solstice will make her maiden voyage December 14, 2008, sailing 7-night eastern Caribbean cruises round-trip from Fort Lauderdale through April 5, 2009. Alternating itineraries visit either San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Kitts, and St. Maarten or San Juan, St. Maarten, Tortola (British Virgin Islands), and Labadee (Haiti). Fares for veranda staterooms begin at $1,099 per person, double occupancy.

Disney Hoists Flag Over German Shipyard

And yet another Meyer Werft story, this one involving Disney Cruise Line (tel. 888/DCL-2500; www.disneycruise.com), one of the most consistent cruise lines in the business. In 1998, it sprang fully formed from the skull of the Walt Disney Company and has operated almost exactly the same ever since: same ships, same onboard vibe, and same itineraries. In February, though, the line announced that it had signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft to begin negotiations over building two new 122,000-ton vessels, which would enter the Disney fleet in 2011 and 2012. Last week, the company took another step toward realizing those plans when it opened an office on the grounds of Meyer Werft. The Disney flag will fly at the yard for the next five years, as employees of Meyer and Disney work to deliver the two new ships.

"This is an exciting time as we take the first step in our new build process" said Frank de Heer, Vice President of New Ship Development for Walt Disney Imagineering. "Meyer Werft's expertise and fine craftsmanship combined with classic Disney artistry and storytelling will ensure that our ships will be among the finest at sea."

Sea Cloud Cruises to Build Deluxe Sailing Ship

Germany-based Sea Cloud Cruises (tel. 888/732-2568; www.seacloud.com) is a luxury small-ship line operating two sailing ships, the classic 64-passenger Sea Cloud, which was built in 1931 for Wall Street tycoon E. F. Hutton and his wife, heiress and businesswoman Marjorie Merriweather Post, and the 94-passenger replica Sea Cloud II. Last week, it announced plans to construct a third luxury sailing ship, a 445-foot-long, 136-passenger yacht flying 27 sails measuring out to 42,800 square feet. In honor of Sea Cloud's original name (before Post changed it following her divorce from Hutton), the vessel will be christened Sea Cloud Hussar when she debuts in fall 2009.

Like Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud II, the Hussar will be able to sail in the traditional manner, but will also operate via a diesel-electric engine that the line describes as "particularly environment friendly." At her prow will be the gold Sea Cloud eagle figurehead, while her interiors will be designed in a classic yacht style reminiscent of the Edwardian era.

Sea Cloud Hussar will be built at the Factoria de Naval Marin shipyard near the town of Vigo, Spain, and is scheduled to enter service in fall 2009.

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