VIKING UPS ITS OCEAN-SHIP FLEET TO FIVE
Cirque du Soleil teams set to board MSC for nightly shows in themed room
I was hoping with all the knowledge I’ve garnered after talking with cruise industry leaders that maybe, just maybe, I’d be offered the opportunity to run a cruise line for a day. You know, like kids get a chance to run city hall for a day.
While smiling and dropping more hints than the United States’ Republican presidential candidates, the response was always a smile, a “How are you doing, Phil?” and the conversation shifted.
All right, since hints don’t work, I’ll use this valuable space. Pay attention, Viking. When I get on a ship, voice recorder in hand, I wander and talk. If you listened to the playback, you’d hear, “Yup, yup” and “Nope,” maybe “ohh, that didn’t work.” First impressions last. So generally little changes before I start to write.
One ship with lots of “yups” and critical acclaim everywhere was Viking Cruises’ first ocean ship, the Star. All balconies, no casino, many indoor-outdoor venues, free wine and beer with meals, complimentary tours and Wi-Fi and even a magradome for inclement weather.
Viking ordered two sister ships and now has added another two. That will make it a fleet of five. The two latest new ships will arrive in 2018 and 2020. They’ll have Viking Longships DNA — you don’t mess with success — and will be identical but for a new touches here and there. The next Star clone will be the Viking Sky, next year, followed by the Sea in 2017.
Putting on my “let me run the line for a day” hat, I have a suggestion for the new ships. How about home-porting in Australia? Australia just passed the one million mark in embarkations, a good five years ahead of projections.
Anything I can do to help … you’re welcome.
MSC, the independent cruise line based in Italy, continues to build new ships at a rapid pace and now has partnered with maybe one of the greatest entertainment companies in the world: Cirque du Soleil.
A special room designed by the cruise line and the worldfamous Quebec company will be on MSC’s new Meraviglia Class ship in 2017. Cirque du Soleil will perform two shows a night in a newly designed theatre that holds 450 people. You will be able to order dinner and there will be a separate bar just for drinks — your choice and, yes, there is a fee.
Mine is just one voice, but I don’t have a problem with that. Cirque du Soleil is well worth it. Las Vegas, the showbiz capital of the world, had eight Cirque du Soleil shows the last time I checked, and that says a lot. When I write my Douglas Ward column (he’s the editor of the Berlitz book on cruising), we both will have plenty to tell you about fees that don’t make sense.
Look for US$300 million worth of brand enhancements going into Holland America’s Signature Class and Vista Class ships.
Suites upgrades will be first, on the Eurodam and Oosterdam, followed by Nieuw Amsterdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam and Noordam.
Eurodam goes under the knife, as they say, Dec. 7-20; and Oosterdam will do the same on April 3.
Next week, I’ll be on the rivers of Europe followed by a Christmas Cruise down the Danube. Read it all at portsandbows.com.
Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Phil Reimer may be contacted directly at portsandbows@gmail.com.