Speaking of Polar Cruises, here is an article in Arctic Today about the increase in cruise ships visiting Canadian Arctic and the use of HFO in Polar waters:
Hapag Lloyd held naming ceremony for the second of three Expedition Cruise ships in Hamburg a few days ago:
She was built by VARD and and passed Ålesund last week on her way from the outfitting yard, VARD Langstein to the pilot station at Breisundet.
I like it, back to the human size, 230 passengers and still making a profit, I suppose. Could be expensive. Only 139 m long, those passengers will need sea legs in bad weather. I would never sail on one of these monster passengers ships but I could make an exception for this one. What’s Godmother Laura Dekker’s connection with this company?
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China is gearing up to be in the running for contracts to build larger cruise ship:
Still a way to go before they can compete with Italy, France, Germany and Finland for the mega ship contracts. (Watch this space)
One more entrant into the Polar Expedition Cruise market coming soon:
The newbuilt Greg Mortimer has had her first experience with heavy seas on the delivery voyage from the building yard in China to Argentina to start her first Antarctic season.
On the way from Cape Town to Ushaiha she experienced 10 m. waves without any problems. No need to slow down from the intended cruising speed and no slamming:
…and built by shipyards that have previously built ships for the offshore market. According to some people in the industry, it’s bit of a problem when they try to apply principles and methods from “working ships” to cruise ships, particularly the expedition kind that operates in remote regions.
The sane is probably true for Polar expedition ships that is designed and built by people with little if any experience with building relatively small ships for harsh or polar condition.
I think it is better to build such ships at yards that may not have built cruise ships before than at yards that has only built ships for relatively benign waters.
To build them at yards that has experience from both is probably best.
Hurtigruten’s new Polar Cruise ship Roald Amundsen was officially named in a ceremony held in Antarctica and in the tradition of the man she is named after:
The new Polar Expedition Cruise ship NG Endurance under final outfitting at Ulstein Yard is out on sea trials again today:
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US inland and coastal cruises is more popular than ever:
Domestic company, ships and crew may be the reason.
It raises the question; will “traditional” cruising from US ports ever return after the Covid-19 crises???
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Hurtigruten plan to resume service on the Norwegian coast from 15. June:
Quark Expedition’s new Polar Expedition vessel Ultramarine was launched at Brodosplit, Croatia recently:
Carnival to layoff or furlough nearly half it’s staff in the US:
While Royal Caribbean plant to return to service by region:
But without buffet on board:
Bahamas could be ready to accept them back from 01.July, with or w/o buffets:
That figures. The Bahamas lives off tourists. They don’t produce much. Biggest exports are laundered money, rum, salt and Haitiens.
I heard they have all been entered in the 3rd at Hialeah.
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That was a beautiful old track. I wonder what happened to the Flamingos?
That’s an interesting choice. I’d figure a buffet would be safer as long as there’s an orderly and well spaced line with directed ventilation to move breaths away from the people. The food trough would be replenished infrequently. Dirty dishes could remain on a table until the diners departed.
Table service might be good at the front of the house where diners sit but there’s going to be a lot of crossed paths in the back of the house, in the isles and when walking to and from tables. Orders will come in resulting in many trips back and forth.