Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Sept. 18, 2015

Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Sept. 18, 2015

• A&K has announced a new Arctic cruise, Iceland & Greenland: In the Wake of the Vikings, for 2016. The 12-day cruise aboard Le Boreal will sail round-trip from Reykjavik, Iceland, to the the Westman Islands, The Denmark Strait, Skjoldungen Fjord, Greenland, South Greenland, Nuuk, and West Greenland. Shore excursions are designed to educate and inspire, with a carefully selected team of naturalists, geologists, historians, marine biologists, ornithologists, and photographers who give enriching lectures and provide hands-on guidance both on board and on shore.

• Seabourn Cruise Line celebrated the keel-laying of its new ultra-luxury ship, Seabourn Encore, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. The ceremony was the latest in a series of shipbuidling milestones for the ship, which is set debut in late 2016. Seabourn Encore is one of two ultra-luxury cruise ships that Fincantieri will build for Seabourn over the next three years. Modeled after the trio of Seabourn’s Odyssey-class ships and designed by leading hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany, the all-suite 41,700-GRT ship will have one additional deck, new expanded public areas, is expected to carry just 600 guests, and every suite will feature a private veranda.

• Cunard Line has appointed SMC Design for Queen Mary 2’s multimillion refit in June 2016. The ship will gain 15 new single cabins and an additional 30 Britannia Club cabins and the very popular kennels will be expanded to cater to the high demand. The new design will focus on updating iconic deco lines and subtly introducing classic deco touches inspired by Cunard’s rich heritage. There will be new signature color schemes, new carpets, new furniture, more decorative fixtures and fittings. SMC Design was founded in 1994 and is a London-based design consultancy that specializes in the maritime sector.

• The first piece of steel was cut for Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Bliss (set for delivery in spring 2017) at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. This marked the construction of the second ship in the line’s Breakaway-Plus class. Norwegian Cruise Line executives, Meyer Werft’s managing directors, and the yard’s project manager watched as a plasma torch cut the first plate of steel, which will become part of Block 46, the first to be assembled for the new vessel.‎

^{Photo: Abercrombie & Kent}

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