Porthole Cruise News Briefs – June 19, 2015

Porthole Cruise News Briefs

June 19, 2015

• P&O Cruises’ Pacific Jewel has made the first-ever cruise ship visit to Dili, the capital of the island nation of Timor-Leste. “After years of struggle, Timor-Leste finally won its independence only in 2002, but even five years ago few could have imagined nearly 2000 cruise tourists going ashore in Dili,” says Carnival Australia CEO Ann Sherry. “The arrival of the first cruise ship is an affirmation of Timor-Leste’s potential as an attractive cruise destination and the part tourism can play to build its economy.”

• Viking Ocean Cruises has opened up bookings for 2017 departure dates, plus four new itineraries, for the 930-passenger Viking Star and sister ships Viking Sea and Viking Sky. The 2017 program includes new sailings from Bergen to Istanbul, Rome to Istanbul, Rome to Barcelona, and Barcelona to Stockholm.

• Legendary 80s rockers Def Leppard will sail with fans aboard MSC Divina for a “Hysteria on the High Seas” theme cruise, visiting Grand Bahama Island and the private island of Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Other guests include Tom Keifer; Last in Line; Eric Martin (Mr. Big); Ritchie Kotzen; Kip Winger; Eddie Trunk and Luc Carl, and fares include a pre-cruise event on January 20, 2016, in Miami.

• Carnival Breeze will reposition to Galveston in May 2016, assuming Carnival Magic’s year-round schedule of 7-day Western Caribbean cruises, and Carnival Magic will move to Port Canaveral, taking over Carnival Valor’s 7-day Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises in April 2016. “These deployment changes provide our guests and travel agent partners with exciting new options featuring a variety of onboard innovations and visiting top destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Bahamas, and Florida,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival’s president.

^{Photo: P&O Cruises}

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