Luxury Travel News

MSC Group Cruise Division -- Explora Journeys -- saw the launch by Fincantieri of Explora I, the first of four new luxury cruise vessels for MSC's new luxury travel brand. The first ship cost $560m, part of a four-ship newbuild plan for a cumulative $2.6B.The event was attended by Gianluigi Aponte - Founder and President of the MSC Group, Pierfrancesco Vago - Executive President of the Cruise Division of the MSC Group, the godmother of the ship Zoe Africa Vago, and for Fincantieri Pierroberto Folgiero…

MSC Group’s Cruise Division on Wednesday officially took delivery from shipbuilding group Fincantieri of its new flagship MSC Seascape, said to be the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship ever built in Italy.The vessel is the 21st to join the MSC Cruises fleet and the fourth to have been built by Fincantieri as part of a €7 billion investment package for 10 ships. The shipyard will also build six new vessels for MSC’s luxury travel brand, Explora Journeys.The 170…

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri said it has secured a contract to build up to three "ultra-luxury" cruise ships for an unnamed international buyer.The €1.2 billion deal is for one vessel to be delivered by the end of 2025, with options for two additional vessels, Fincantieri said.Fincantieri did not share any specifics about the cruise ships' size and technical details.The cruise ship order is one of only a handful placed since the cruise industry was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic…

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri on Wednesday announced it has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Explora Journeys, the luxury travel brand of the MSC Group's cruise division, for the construction of two hydrogen-powered luxury cruise ships.EXPLORA V and EXPLORA VI will feature a new generation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines that will tackle the issue of methane slip and will also be equipped with industry first environmental technologies and solutions, including a containment system for liquid hydrogen that will enable them to use this promising low-carbon fuel.

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said it has handed over the second of three new “Muse” series ultra-luxury cruise ships it is constructing for Royal Caribbean's Silversea Cruises.Silver Moon, built at Fincantieri's Ancona yard and delivered on Friday, is a sister ship of Silver Muse, that went out to sea in 2017 from the Sestri Ponente (Ge) shipyard, and of Silver Dawn, to be delivered in 2021 in Ancona. At 40,700 gross tons, the newbuild has capacity for 596 passengers in 298 all-suite cabins.Among the vessel’s notations…

While nothing lasts forever, the cruise industry – and particularly the ‘expedition’ cruise sector – remain on a historic run with no indication of a near-term slowdown.The leisure travel sector, of which expedition cruising is a part, offers numerous possibilities for delivering new “experiences” unlike industrial shipping businesses (or even conventional ferry and passenger transport), which can only grow as fast as the demand in a particular sector.Though there is no precise definition of “expedition”…

A retired U.S. Navy captain pleaded guilty to criminal conflict of interest charges and a former U.S. Navy master chief was sentenced to 17 months in prison today on corruption charges. The defendants are among the latest U.S. Navy officials to plead guilty and be sentenced in the expansive corruption and fraud investigation involving foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis and his Singapore-based ship husbanding company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA).Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Adam L.

Carnival Corporation's luxury cruise brand Seabourn introduced its newest vessel with a naming ceremony for Seabourn Ovation in the harbor of Valletta, Malta.Seabourn Ovation is the fifth ultra-luxury vessel to join the Seabourn fleet over the past decade, and the second of two ships designed for the line by hospitality design icon Adam D. Tihany.Seabourn Ovation was delivered on April 27 during an official handover ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy. Following the delivery ceremony, Seabourn Ovation began her maiden season with an 11-day inaugural voyage departing May 5 from Venice, Italy, and culminating with its arrival in Barcelona…

A former commander has become the latest U.S. Navy official to plead guilty in a wide-ranging corruption and fraud investigation involving the foreign defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard”. In what has become the largest corruption scandal in U.S. Navy history, former U.S. Navy commander Troy Amundson pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to commit bribery, admitting that he conspired with foreign defense contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, a.k.a. “Fat Leonard,” and his Singapore-based company…

Richard Fain, the chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises—one of three brands in the Royal Caribbean family—announced a new category of ship that, among other transformational design moves, brings stateroom balconies indoors. Designed completely in 3-D, and featuring the work of A-list global architects and designers, the 2,918-guest Celebrity Edge aims to make discerning global travelers redefine how they experience the world and how intimate a vacation can be. “Celebrity Edge is one of the most exciting, innovative and transformational ships I have ever been involved with,” said Richard D. Fain.

Genting Hong Kong is a rapidly growing global travel brand, spreading its wings – literally and figuratively – into ocean cruise, yacht, river cruise, air and shipbuilding. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News speaks with key executives at Genting Hong Kong: Mona Lai, SVP Corporate Communication; Gustaf Gronberg, SVP Shipbuilding & Marine Operations; and Jarmo Lakso, Managing Director, MV Werften, for insights on the future growth strategy. Genting Hong Kong has been an active newsmaker in the cruise sector during the past year.

Damen and Expedition Voyage Consultants team up to develop globally capable expedition ship. In response to interest from clients in the fast-growing expedition cruise market, Damen has teamed up with Expedition Voyage Consultants Ltd. to develop a specialist Damen cruise ship, with capacity for around 100 passengers. The cruise ship combines Expedition Voyage Consultants’ unmatched operational experience with Damen’s shipbuilding excellence, providing unforgettable experiences in luxury travel to destinations from Polynesia to the Northwest Passage. Henk Grunstra, Damen Product Director says: “This expedition ship will be a significant advance in the market, making it possible for expedition companies to deliver their customers the best expedition experience.

According to AFP Relaxnews, Panama saw the most growth in interest among the world’s richest jetsetters for travel this winter and spring. Panama saw the most significant growth in bookings —107 per cent — compared to the previous year for the travel period between January and March of 2016, says luxury travel boutique Virtuoso. After Panama, Thailand and Switzerland round out the top three spots for highest growth in bookings. Panama may have languished under the shadow of its more popular tourism neighbours Costa Rica and Nicaragua, but in the last few years the country has gained the attention of the luxury travel industry precisely for its under-the-radar aspect and untouched surroundings. 10.

A scale model of the famed ocean liner Queen Mary, carved about 80 years ago from a 200-year-old white mahogany log and exact in every detail, will be the centerpiece of a new gallery on the ship that was the epitome of luxury travel in its heyday. The 1/45th scale model, 21 feet long and weighing nearly 1,000 pounds (454 kg) includes a figure of Sir Winston Churchill on the afterdeck. It will be moved on Wednesday from New York's South Street Seaport Museum, where is has been housed for decades…

The Ship Inspection Report (SIRE) programme developed by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) intended that tanker inspection reports should be shared by all OCIMF members. They are not. The cost of inspections should be shared by both parties. They are not. And to make matters worse, ship operators often have to pay the costs of luxury travel for inspectors. INTERTANKO's Chairman, Graham Westgarth of GasLog Ltd, who had been re-elected for a third two-year term as Chairman of the Association…