Carnival plans major makeover
CARNIVAL Cruise Line has revealed plans for a $200m
(R2,6bn) makeover for Carnival Triumph in the spring of
2019, which will include renaming the ship to reflect its
transformation. The ship will be named Carnival Sunrise after a
two-month-long refurbishment starting March 1. Enhancements
include the redesign of two Captain’s Suites with floor-to-ceiling
windows, and extended balcony grand suites. All staterooms will
be updated to offer island-inspired interiors with bright colours.
Carnival Sunrise will re-enter service on April 29.
G Adventures adds fifth yacht to its fleet
G ADVENTURES has added a fifth yacht to its fleet of chartered
vessels for the Galapagos Islands. From January 2019, the
16-passenger yacht, Eden, will join G Adventures’ four other
touring vessels to host small-group, sea-based trips around the
20 major and smaller Galapagos islands. Offering six different
itineraries around the North, Central, West, East, and Southern
islands, ranging from seven to 17 days in length, Eden offers
three upper-deck, twin-share cabins with bunk beds, one main
deck double-bed cabin, and four lower deck twin-share cabins.
Uniworld to launch sixth super ship
UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruise Collection’s Royal Royale ship
will go out of service on October 28 to undergo transformation
to become the cruise line’s sixth super ship, SS Bon Voyage.
The ship, which will have four new luxury suites, will resume
service on April 14, 2019. Other improvements include an
upgrade to all bathrooms from tile to marble; reconfiguration
of the gym and spa facilities; and a reimagined top deck with
a new outdoor swimming pool, outdoor lounge and banquette
seating with lighting designed to enhance the space in the
evening.
Riviera adds departures for solo cruisers
RIVIERA River Cruises has increased the number of sailings
exclusively for solo travellers to four in 2019. Solo traveller
cruises will now also be offered on the River Douro. The
‘Douro, Porto & Salamanca River Cruise for Solo Travellers’, an
eight-day itinerary, sails on March 31. The ‘Blue Danube River
Cruise for Solo Travellers’, also eight days, departs on April 1
and October 28. The eight-day ‘Burgundy, the River Rhône &
Provence River Cruise for Solo Travellers’ sails on October 31.
Every Riviera departure throughout the year also sets aside a
limited number of cabins with no single supplement.
Virgin Voyages’ first ship to set sail in 2020
THE first Virgin Voyages vessel will be named Scarlet Lady and
is one of a proposed three-ship fleet. It is planned to sail on
its first itinerary from Miami in 2020. The announcement was
made in Fincantieri on July 20. The ceremony also saw the
cutting of the first pieces of steel for Virgin Voyages’ second
ship, which is due for delivery in 2021. The name of the second
ship will be released at a later date. Virgin Voyages will offer
mid-sized ships, carrying around 2 800 passengers in 1 400
staterooms. The ships will be adults only.
