New Cruise Ships Coming In 2013

by Chris Owen on

New cruise ships commonly offer the latest and greatest of what cruise lines have to offer. When they enter service, inaugural sailings sell out fast as cruise travelers want to be among the first to sail. But after a long and sustained growth period, building new cruise ships like they were preparing for war, just a few cruise lines have new ships set to sail in 2013.

The two ships that will garner the most attention for North American cruise travelers are 141,000-ton Royal Princess from Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line’s New York City-themed, 146,600-ton Norwegian Breakaway.

Royal Princess
Under construction since October, 2011 at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, Royal Princess highlights include an increased focus on fitness and health with a state-of-the-art fitness center.

Called the Princess Sports Central and Fitness Center, passengers of all athletic abilities can keep in shape with a new outdoor jogging track, additional circuit exercises including elliptical machines, and all of the latest equipment with a private aerobics studio for special classes.

On her top decks, Royal Princess will feature a new adults-only pool surrounded by seven plush private cabanas that appear to be floating on the water. Two additional pools and a tropical island will offer pool seating by day. At night, the area will become an outdoor dance club, complete with what promises to be a dazzling water and light show. A Princess-first, the Movies Under the Stars poolside theater will be on board with an expanded size and high-definition viewing.

Never forgetting their “Love Boat” roots, Royal Princess promises new features for fans of the line’s “Escape Completely” mantra too.

Princess’ signature adults-only haven, The Sanctuary, will be expanded with new private cabana options that will give passengers the opportunity to personalize their relaxation time. Passengers might choose cabanas in The Sanctuary or a new cabana location, the Retreat Pool, which offers poolside cabanas that appear to be floating on the water. New cabana picnic baskets, packed with artisan edibles paired with a premium wine will also be available.

Among the other special features found on board Princess Cruises new Royal Princess will be:

  • Expanded atrium- Added to the 50% larger area are new casual dining options that include an Italian gelateria, a seafood bar and expanded seating in the passenger-favorite International Cafe.
  • SeaWalk- The “wow” feature of Royal Princess, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway that extends more than 28 feet beyond the edge of the vessel.
  • Princess Live! television studio- An experience that takes the audience behind the scenes to the excitement of a working television studio that will showcase live television broadcasts, intimate performances from musicians, and special events such as cooking shows.
  • Pastry shop- An industry first, a dedicated pastry shop where passengers can indulge in fresh-baked goodies throughout the day.
  • Chef’s Table Lumiere- A private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light.
  • Balconies on all outside staterooms- In other words, no staterooms with just windows, a first as far as we know.

Check more of the ship’s new features in this photo gallery from Princess Cruises:

%Gallery-176342%Norwegian Breakaway
This is Norwegian Cruise Line’s answer to critics of Norwegian Epic, an odd single ship that could be described as “Innovation On Acid” as psychedelic ship designer dreams played out at sea.

Moving past Norwegian Epic, new Norwegian Breakaway has got to get an A+ for engaging their target audience prior to sailing. Solidly locked into New York City, with even a New York skyline-themed painted hull and Sabrett hot dog carts on deck, Norwegian Cruise Line seems to have proposed and New York City accepted in a partnership that could work out really well. Here’s why…

Unique features on Norwegian Breakaway, set to sail year-round from New York City to Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda include:

  • The Haven– These private enclaves at the top of the ships are home to Norwegian’s most luxurious accommodations offering top shelf service and elegance. The Haven guests have an array of special amenities just for them, including private butler and concierge service, poolside valet, and white tablecloth in-suite dining.
  • Fireworks At Sea- Previously the sole domain of Disney Cruise Line, an environmentally friendly pyrotechnics display will be featured on the second to last night at sea each week, after the ship departs Bermuda during her summer inaugural season.
  • Top Deck Attractions- Experiences include Norwegian’s version of an Aqua Park at sea with five full-size water slides, including twin Free Fall slides (the first ever at sea), a three-story sports complex that includes the largest ropes course at sea, a nine-hole miniature golf course, basketball court, rock climbing wall and more.
  • The Waterfront and 678 Ocean Place- Norwegian will offer a wide range of indoor and outdoor venues on three dynamic decks that will create a whole new complex at sea – trendy, relevant dining and entertainment.
  • Entertainment- Quality entertainment will pick right up where bar-raising Norwegian Epic left off, including three Broadway shows, comedy troupe The Second City, Howl at the Moon dueling pianos and New York’s own Slam Allen.
  • Dining options- Celebrity Chef and Food Network star Geoffrey Zakarian will also debut his first restaurant at sea on Norwegian Breakaway, Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zakarian.

Norwegian Breakaway will sail weekly summer seven-day cruises to Bermuda on Sunday, May 12, 2013. From October 2013 through April 2014, New York’s ship will offer voyages from the heart of Manhattan to the Bahamas & Florida and the Southern Caribbean.

Seven ships in total will launch this year, adding about 10,000 berths to worldwide cruise ship accommodations.

In March, MSC Cruises will launch 139,000 ton MSC Preziosa and British-American owned German cruise line AIDA Cruises, the German branch of Costa Cruises, will launch 71,000-ton AIDAstella. Hapag-Lloyd will give us Europe 2, a small, new build at 40,000 tons sailing with just over 500 passengers, due in May. In June, French cruise line company Compagnie Du Ponant will present even smaller 264 passenger Le Soleal.

Can’t wait for new ships to arrive? Check this new video from Norwegian Cruise Line all about new Norwegian Breakaway:


[Photo Credits- Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line]



Woman Gives Birth Mid-Flight, Names Baby After Flight Attendant

by McLean Robbins on

No, we’re not making this up. A woman flying to Armenia from Siberia gave birth aboard an Armavaia flight, Huffington Post reported, and, after landing safely with a healthy baby in tow, named her newborn after the flight attendant who helped deliver the child. The woman claimed to be only 6 1/2 months along.

According to the Mayo Clinic, traveling at that stage of pregnancy is actually considered safe; healthy women can travel until their 36th week, generally their eighth month of pregnancy, although it is suggested that women over 28 weeks may not have a comfortable flying experience.
Still, we can’t imagine taking the long flight – at least eight hours – while pregnant, let alone well into our second trimester.

What do you think, readers? Was the woman crazy, or just eager to get home?

[Image Credit: Leonoid V. Kruzhov]

Video: Vietnam Traveling

by Elizabeth Seward on

“So Viet” from Aquil’tour on Vimeo.

I came across this video on Vimeo by user Aquil’tour and felt transported to Vietnam in a way so authentic, I wanted to share. Vietnam’s long and narrow geography makes its landscape and climate dramatically varied. This video features much of what Vietnam is famous for as well as some of the less-recognized attributes of the country. Chaotic motorbikes, outdoor gyms, water sports, canoeing, farming, and gorgeous scenery make me happy to have found this gem on Vimeo. It’s Vietnam traveling captured on video and delivered just right.

City Nicknames We’d Rather Not Hear

by Laurel Miller on

As a native Californian, few things get on my nerves more than hearing the abbreviation, “Cali.” I don’t know why it irritates me so much, but I suspect it’s the knowing, insider-y tone that usually accompanies it. “Yeah, man, I just got back from a trip to Cali. It was hella cool.”

Aaargh. Also right up there is “Frisco.” Let me just tell you that Californians do not, ever, under any circumstances, refer to their state as “Cali,” nor “The City” as “Frisco.” San Francisco even famously had a laundromat called, “Don’t Call it Frisco.” I also dislike “Berzerkley,” “San Berdoo (San Bernadino)” and “The States (anyone in Hawaii referring to the Mainland).”

With these grating abbreviations in mind, I asked my Gadling colleagues what city nicknames bug them. The response was fast, furious and lengthy. Below, some highlights:

Anna Brones: Portlandia. Don’t even get me started.

Libby Zay: I personally hate “Hotlanta.” It’s also pretty annoying when people add “tucky” or “neck” as suffixes. As in, Fredneck, Maryland, or Brunstucky, instead of Brunswick, Ohio … I suppose Pennslytucky would be more of a geographic region.”

Author admission: Guilty as charged, Libby.

Kyle Ellison: “Lost Wages,” for Las Vegas, and “N’awlins” for New Orleans.

Elizabeth Seward: It depends on the day whether or not these bug me. I wish I didn’t know so many. “Beantown”; “Chi-town”; “Sin City”; “Nasty Nati (Cinncinati)”, “C-town (Columbus)”; “SoBro (South Bronx, oy)”; “Marighetto (what locals call my hometown of Marietta)”; “City of Angeles”/”LaLaLand”/”Tinseltown”; “The Big Easy.”

Elizabeth, I promise to never refer to my hometown of Thousand Oaks as “Thousand Jokes” again.

McLean Robbins: “Naptown” for Annapolis and “The District” from anyone not a local to Washington, DC.

Meg Nesterov: Calling cities the Paris/Venice/X/ of the North/East, et al.

Sean McLachlan, resident history buff: Missouri is often called “Misery,” generally by outsiders from northern states and occasionally by frustrated Missourians. The term actually has old roots. The 18th century French settlers in Ste. Genevieve found the place so boggy and full of mosquitoes that they nicknamed it misère.

[Photo credit: Flickr user knitgrrldotcom]

Video: Zulu Dancing

by Elizabeth Seward on

“Amazing Dancing From The Zulu (kwaZulu-Natal)” from Alex Masterson on Vimeo.

The Zulu people of South Africa make up the largest ethnic group within the country. Mostly living in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, nearly 10-11 million Zulu people in the region now celebrate equal rights in South Africa. The Zulu culture is vibrant and fascinating. One of the most notable aspects of Zulu culture is Zulu dancing. Dancing is a community ritual within the Zulu tribe and most ceremonies feature dancing. Chants often accompany the Ingoma dances, which are considered to be one of the purest forms of Zulu dance. In this video from Vimeo user Alex Masterson, a small group of Zulu people dance a traditional dance.