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An Introduction To: The MS Koningsdam

The newest Holland America ship the MS Koningsdam has finally launched onto the scene! She will set sail on March 31st to begin a new class of Pinnacle cruising for Holland America, one that promised to be bigger, better and even more luxurious than those before her. But with 2,650 passengers, 99,500 tons and a name that means “king” in Dutch, what exactly can we expect from this ship? The www.CRUISE.co.uk team never miss an opportunity to have a nose around a brand new vessel, so here is our examination of the Koningsdam – and this is exactly what we think...

The Very Best (And Worst) Cruise Line Drink Packages of 2016

It seems like all the cruise lines are offering drinks packages this year and as you’d expect they’ve all come with a slew of exclusions, inclusions, exceptions, exemptions, limits and T&C’s. Trying to decide which is the best package (or even best for you) can be a nightmare as there’s no one, ‘standard’ to compare them against… but that obviously hasn’t stopped us from trying! We’ve taken a look at which cruise lines offer what, how much each package is ‘worth’ and also what it doesn’t include to come up with the following guide. Please note this is only our opinion and individual packages may suit different people better but hopefully you’ll find this useful in making an informed choice as to which suits you best.. MSC We’ve chosen MSC as the cruise line offering the very best drinks package at sea this year, which is perhaps unsurprising as the recent winner of the One To Watch 2016 trophy in the www.CRUISE.co.uk Cruise Community Awards. Their package, known as the Allegrissimo Drinks Package, is included free with all bookings but is worth around £154pp (based on a seven night sailing) and comes with literally everything… Soft drinks, bottled and draught beers, cocktails, wine’s (including Prosecco!), mixers and coffees! Well done MSC, well done! (You can learn more about the details of what’s included here). Norwegian Cruise...

Cruise Lines Respond To Zika Virus Panic

You may have heard in recent weeks about the Zika virus which is affecting pregnant women and causing babies to be born with shrunken heads and brains. The virus has made headlines after the World Health Organisation predicted up to four million people could become infected by it. Thousands of children have been infected by the virus in Brazil so far and it has now spread to over twenty countries including The Dominican Republic, Haiti and Barbados. It has spread relatively quickly as it is passed on by mosquitoes. The virus currently has no cure and mosquito prevention (such as using DEET and covering up skin) is the only deterrent. Anyone can be infected by the virus, and symptoms can include those similar to dengue fever (although milder) and include a mild fever, head ache, joint pain and a rash. It is not normally serious and some people will have no symptoms at all. However, when Zika infects pregnant mothers the infection causes foetus’ not to develop properly. It is thought that the children born with shrunken heads will have severe mental disabilities. The elderly and those with compromised immune systems are also at much higher risk from the virus. Whilst women can only travel for up to 24 weeks of their pregnancy on-board most cruise lines, travelling to countries on a cruise which are affected by this...

Another Cruise Line Abandons Turkey Over Growing Security Concerns

It was announced over the weekend that yet another cruise line has revealed its decision to scrap Turkey as a port of call for all their ships in 2016. Crystal Cruises let their passengers know over the weekend that they will be cancelling two scheduled stops at Istanbul and Kusadasi which would have otherwise been visited by the Crystal Symphony this year. The six star luxury cruise line has said that it would re-route the ship “in response to ongoing security concerns.” They are of course referring to the recent suicide bombings in Istanbul which targeted tourists (more details here). Any Turkish stops planned for the Crystal Esprit in November will also be changed in light of this. The Crystal Esprit is the latest innovation from Crystal Cruises and will be a state of the art, luxury cruise ship. Announced last July (full article here), the ship will only hold a maximum of 1,000 guests at a time and will have its own helipad and submarine We previously reported that Celebrity cruises were dropping all ports in Turkey from their 2016 schedule (which you can read about here). However, Celebrity’s Press Release said this was due to problems with limited port access rather than in reaction to terrorist threats and unease in the country. Since then, other cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean have announced that they are “closely...

Seven Of The Most Exciting Cruise Ships Launching in 2016

2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for booking a new cruise with numerous new ships being launched throughout. Below we’ve listed the seven of the ships we’re most excited about and why you should be too… Holland America Koningsdam The first ship to be launched, in April of this year, will be Holland America’s newest offering, the MS Koningsdam. Set to be launched in Amsterdam, Holland America have saved a lot of the details of the new ship for the launch but what we know so far is that she’ll weigh 99,500 GT and carry 2,650...