December 24, 2003 -- Just because the year is coming to a close, it doesn't mean cruiselines are taking it easy. Just this week one line files for bankruptcy and cancels its trips while another announces a relocation to New Jersey for its homeport. Plus, we look at a new Polish river cruise, a cultured outing for the PBS crowd and a no-smoking ship allows lighting up once again.
Royal Olympia Subsidiaries File for Chapter 11, Cancels Sailings
Superstitious types would say it began when the champagne bottle failed to break on Olympia Voyager's hull back at its 2000 christening. Then there was the protracted dispute between Royal Olympia and Germany's Blohm & Voss shipyard, which delayed the debut of sister-ship Olympia Explorer by a full year. Now, the Greek line has announced that the subsidiaries controlling these two vessels (the only ROC ships sailing from the U.S.) have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Calls to Royal Olympia's New York offices have revealed that all upcoming sailings of the two ships have been cancelled. This follows a week in which the line fought restraining orders placed on the ships at the instigation of German creditors.
Passengers with existing reservations should call the line at 800/872-6400.
The bankruptcy proceedings do not apply to Royal Olympia's other subsidiaries and vessels, which continue to operate as usual in the Mediterranean.
Miami, Ft. Lauderdale...Bayonne? New Jersey Town Grabs Cruise Biz for 2004
Bayonne gets a bad rap. Sure, it's part of that long, weird corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike. And sure, Jimmy Hoffa might be buried there. But the town must have a guardian angel. This week, Royal Caribbean (800/398-9819, www.royalcaribbean.com) announced that beginning in May it would begin homeporting its two northeast ships there rather than at New York's historic West Side passenger terminal.
Talk has been in the air for months about the New York facility's inability to handle the huge number of ships due to homeport here in summer '04. Located on a narrow strip of Hudson riverfront in midtown Manhattan, along a busy stretch of the West Side Highway, the piers are frequently gridlocked on turnaround days as thousands of passengers arrive and depart via buses, taxis, and private cars.
As part of its agreement with the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA), Royal Caribbean will relocate two ships, the 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas and the 1,600-passenger Nordic Empress, to the former Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal, now renamed The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor. A 430-acre man-made peninsula extending into New York Harbor, the facility was originally constructed in the late 1930s as a port for international shipping, and was taken over by the U.S. Navy in 1942. It was deeded to the BLRA in December 2002, after the closing of the Navy base.
The two Royal Caribbean ships will operate out of existing structures until a new cruise terminal can be constructed at the northeast corner of the peninsula, offering views of the Statue of Liberty and New York skyline. Future plans for the complex call for mixed residential use, light industry, office space, film studios, and extensive recreational and park areas.
For passengers, the Bayonne switcheroo has its pros and its cons. The net loss is the romance of sailing in and out of Manhattan down the breezeway of the Hudson River, a rite of passage since the golden age of ocean liners. On the plus side is convenience: The new port's location -- just off the New Jersey Turnpike and I278, and approximately 15 minutes from the Newark airport -- makes it easily accessible for those coming from New Jersey, Long Island, and the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Passengers coming from Manhattan can connect via a nearby light rail that links with both Amtrak and PATH trains. Royal Caribbean is also considering a ferry service from Manhattan to the port.
From May through October Voyager of the Seas will offer alternating 5-night Canada and 9-night Caribbean cruises from the port, while Nordic Empress will sail alternating 6-night and 8-night Bermuda itineraries.
Shall We Gdansk? Deilmann to Sail on Poland's Vistula River
In 2004, Peter Deilmann Cruises's (800/348-8287, www.deilmann-cruises.com) 79-passenger river vessel Frederic Chopin will become the first ship to cruise the Vistula, sailing between Warsaw and Gdansk from March 27 through October 30.
Departing Gdansk to Warsaw, Warsaw to Gdansk, and roundtrip from Gdansk, the Chopin will visit towns throughout Poland's Pomerania and northern Marzovia regions, including Malbork, site of Europe's largest 13th-century castle; the 11th-century town of Chelmno; and the large Gothic town of Torun, a World Heritage Site and birthplace of the astronomer Copernicus. Roundtrip cruises also visit Kaliningrad, Russia.
Seven-night cruises run from $1,655 to $2,495 per person, with optional shore excursion packages running $145 and $169. Twelve-night cruisetours bundling a Warsaw-to-Gdansk cruise, shore excursions, and 3 nights in Krakow at a four-star hotelwith breakfast/sightseeing and transfers start at $2,620.
Public Television, Private Balconies: Radisson and Artful Travelers to Offer PBS Cruise
Admit it, it's always been your fantasy to hang out in the hot tub with Jim Lehrer, hasn't it? If so, The Artful Travelers, a Seattle-based company specializing in interactive arts- and culture-based travel, has the cruise for you: a 9-night eastern Mediterranean sailing featuring Lehrer, Robert MacNeil and other PBS personalities. Can an NPR cruise with Daniel Schorr and Nina Totenberg be far behind?
Offered in collaboration with Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, the cruise will sail from Athens to Barcelona, departing November 12, 2004, aboard the 700-passenger Seven Seas Voyager, the newest vessel in Radisson's ultra-luxe fleet. In addition to News Hour hosts MacNeil and Lehrer, PBS personalities onboard will include Frontline executive producer David Fanning and others, all of whom will participate in panel discussions, lectures, and other current-events programming. In addition, there will be food and wine classes, tastings, and demonstrations with Ciao Italia host Mary Ann Esposito and Radisson's Le Cordon Bleu chefs.
Ports of call include Kusadasi (Turkey), Rhodes (Greece), Taormina, Sorrento, and Rome (Italy), and Monte Carlo (Monaco). Per-person rates begin at $5,410. For information, contact The Artful Travelers at 800/380-0429, www.artfultravelers.com.
Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em: World's Only Non-Smoking Ship to Light Up in 2004
In 1998, Carnival inaugurated Paradise, touted as the world's only totally smoke-free ship. So stringent was the line that shipyard workers weren't allowed to light up during construction, and any passenger caught sneaking a butt was fined $250, booted off at the next port of call, and left to fly home at his own expense. No more: When the ship relocates to the west coast in September 2004, it leaves its "No Fumar" signs behind.
Currently sailing weeklong eastern and western Caribbean cruises from Miami, Paradise will replace Carnival's Ecstasy in California, sailing 3- and 4-night Baja Peninsula cruises from Carnival's new Long Beach cruise terminal, directly adjacent to the classic liner Queen Mary, which has been berthed here as a hotel and tourist attraction since 1967. (Packages that include pre- or post-cruise hotel stays on the Mary are available through Carnival.)
In commenting on Carnival's change of heart regarding Paradise's smoking policy, president and CEO Bob Dickinson noted that "When we analyzed our redeployment strategy, the Paradise, based on its size and attributes, was the obvious choice to offer a fresh new short cruise alternative from California. And, with only one ship operating that program, we could not limit it to non-smokers."
The switch is no surprise, since reports have suggested that the ship's typical passengers not only refrained from smoking but drank a whole lot less too, depriving Carnival of critical onboard revenue.
After she's relieved of Long Beach duty, Carnival's Ecstasy will relocate to Galveston, Texas, to offer 4- and 5-night cruises to Mexico's other peninsula, the Yucatan. Paradise's Baja cruises start at $299 per person. Ecstasy's Yucatan cruises start at $349.
In a concurrent announcement, Carnival will reposition the 2,124-passenger Carnival Spirit to San Diego from Oct. 2004 through April 2005, sailing 8-night cruises to the Mexican Riviera, with stops in Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, and Manzanillo. Prices start at $ $649 per person.
For bookings, you can contact Carnival at 800/327-9501 or online at www.carnival.com.