There has been a wave of exciting ship announcements today… Read on to find out more!
First up in the news of new ships is that Regent have ordered a brand new ship for their Seven Seas Cruises class of ships. It will be the fifth in their fleet and will be the sister ship to Seven Seas Explorer which is yet to be launched in July this year.
It is still early days yet as she isn’t expected to be delivered until 2020, but what we do know so far is that she will cost €422 million (that’s over £337 million!) and will have many of the same features of the Seven Seas Explorer. This means that if you like the fine dining restaurants, lounges and spacious accommodation of this ship when it launches in the summer, then their next addition will be a hit with you too.
(If you’re interested, you can learn all about The Regent Seven Seas Explorer here!)
Regent’s parent company, Norwegian Cruise Lines, have stated “We expect that the positive impact on earnings and impressive return on investment from the Seven Seas Explorer will be significant and that her sister vessel will make a similar contribution”.
So hang tight because many details, including the name of the ship, are yet to be announced…
Meanwhile Star Clippers have a name for their new ship due to be launched in 2017: Flying Clipper. If you don’t already know, the line features re-creations of the classic sailing clipper ships from the 19th century and 25 years since the launch of their first ship, Star Flyer, the plan for the fourth addition is here…
Flying Clipper will carry 300 passengers and be powered by 35 sails; she will feature three pools, a water sport platform in the stern for use when the ship is at anchor and a variety of cabin grades (including 34 suites with balconies).
The company have stated that it is a near replica of the France II ordered in 1911 at La Gironde shipyard Bordeaux, which was the largest square rig sailing ship ever built; its repeat guest rate is said to be ‘more than 60 per cent’.
The ships in their fleet sail in Mediterranean waters in the summer and relocate to the Caribbean for the winter, but in 2017 Star Clippers will sail into Indonesian waters for the very first time, with 19 departures between May and October.
Stay tuned for more info on Flying Clipper and her launch next year…
In other news, Holland America’s newest ship, Koningsdam, was delivered today at Fincantein’s shipyard in Marghera and will be officially presented on April 2nd in a Handover ceremony.
If you didn’t get to read our introduction to the ship (which you can read here) you might like to know that at 99,800 tonnes and measuring almost 300 metres long, it can carry up to 2,650 passengers and will feature more than 1,300 cabins (70 per cent of which have private balconies).
If you are lucky enough to have booked to sail on Koningsdam you can expect to see the World Stage Theatre with a 20 metre circular LED wall. The high decks of the vessel open up in the Lido Pool area that’s spread over two floors and you’ll find the Greenhouse spa that includes thermal suites and steam baths that have a spectacular sea view.
The shipbuilder has stated that Koningsdam is characterized by a modern and contemporary style that blends with the traditional elegance which distinguishes all the ships in the fleet.
Watch out for more news on her official launch tomorrow!
Lastly, you might all be very happy to hear that as of 2017, cruise ships will sail from ports in Cardiff and Newport!
Many cruisers from South Wales have previously had to travel all the way to England to meet their ships… but not any more!
Four brand new departures have now been announced for June next year, including a two-night trip on cruise ship Magellan, departing from Newport and calling at Dublin and Liverpool, and cruise ship Marco Polo will set sail from Cardiff for a ten night cruise stopping at Bilbao, La Coruna in Spain and Portugal’s capital, Lisbon.
The managing director of cruises from South Wales has stated “We have campaigned for a long time for local cruise departures for holidaymakers in South Wales and this news is excellent”.
There you have it, cruises are getting more and more convenient every day and you haven’t got long to wait until cruising to a sunny location is a reality from Wales…
So what are your thoughts? Will you be planning ahead to travel on Regent’s latest ship or Flying Clipper? Do you think Cardiff and Newport receiving cruise ships has been a long time coming? Leave us your comments!
