THE GREAT ESCAPE IS IN A CLASS BY ITSELF
In this era of shipbuilding, it only takes a couple of years to build a mega-ship.
Living proof is the Norwegian Escape. It has now been floated out at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and is going through final interior work before being launched in late October.
This is the last of the really big ships to “be born” this year.
The Escape is a bloated version of the ships in the Breakaway Class and is in a category referred to as Breakaway Plus. The Norwegian Cruise Line vessel will carry 4,200 passengers and has added a lot of “big- name” newbies.
Headlining the new dining experiences and bar options are the first floating version of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant and The 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar. As well, James Beard Award-winning Iron Chef Jose Garces will have two concepts on board: a Latin seafood specialty restaurant (Bayamo) and Pincho Tapas Bar.
On the entertainment side is a version of the Broadway hit Million Dollar Quartet, the musical inspired by the famed recording session that brought together then-rock ’n’ roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Once she is christened, the Escape will sail seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises, departing every Saturday from Miami. The first one leaves Nov. 14.
The Port of Saint John, N.B., will be deepening its harbour. Why is that good news for cruise ships? More of the larger ships will be candidates for stopping there. Previously, they were at the mercy of the tides. This will also allow the larger ships to
lengthen their day in port.
The cruise industry made the Conservative political promise list. If elected, the Conservatives say they will provide funding for a new marine terminal at the Alexandra Pier in the Port of Montreal and an expanded cruise ship terminal in Quebec City which, in turn, would attract more tourists to both ports.
Next summer, Air Canada will be flying non-stop from Toronto to Budapest. For river cruisers, this is great news with Budapest being an embarkation city for many river ships. However, I took a quick look at the flying times and this may be a big deal only for people living in the eastern Prairies, Ontario and Quebec. Using travelmath.com, the flight time to Budapest from Toronto is nine hours 23 minutes. For those coming from Vancouver, add an additional four-and-a-half hours or so. That makes the flight time roughly 14 hours. Over the pole to Amsterdam from Vancouver is 10 hours plus a nearly two-hour flight to Budapest for a total of 12 hours. The same applies to Calgary, only a bit shorter on
both legs. The key will be connecting times — with frequent Air Canada flights out of the West, that may connect nicely to the new route. Regardless, it’s a welcome addition to the Danube Budapest river ports.
And finally, the Singapore government is adding big bucks to a marketing agreement with Royal Caribbean. The multimilliondollar collaboration is designed to promote fly-cruise combos to Singapore from regions such as Australia, Europe and North America. At the moment, there are no non-stop services out of Canada. A Vancouver non-stop might make an encouraging start to their marketing plans.