Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Sep. 1, 2017

Porthole Cruise News Briefs – Sep. 1, 2017

• Cunard’s Transatlantic Fashion Week set sail yesterday with designer Julien Macdonald on board, as well as Colin McDowell, Gail Sackloff, and recent graduates from the Parsons School of Design, who will be showing off their designs during a catwalk show. The fashion experts and fans are en route to the Big Apple for New York Fashion Week.
• The Carnival cruise family – Carnival Cruise Line, parent company Carnival Corporation, and the family foundation of chairman Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine – chipped in to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts to the tune of $2 million. Carnival Cruise Line and Carnival Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Carnival Corporation, are each donating $500,000, for a total donation of $1 million from the company, a sum that’s been matched with a $1 million donation from the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation. To help generate additional relief funds, guests on certain Carnival cruises will have the option to make a donation when they check in.
• Carnival Cruise Line’s three hit TV series have been extended for a second season. “The Voyager with Josh Garcia” airs on NBC on Saturday, September 30, while season two of “Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin” and “Vacation Creation with Tommy Davidson and Andrea Feczko” debuts on ABC on October 7. The three shows were recently honored with 10 Telly Awards.
• Ultra-luxury line Seabourn has just held a traditional coin-and-launch ceremony for Seabourn Ovation, the newest ship in the fleet, which floated for the first time at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Sestri, Italy. The ceremony was presided over by madrina Jan Stearman, Seabourn’s longest-serving female crew member with 22 years of service. This week, the line also introduced a new app, “Seabourn Source,” allowing users to access daily details of their voyages on smartphones, tablets, or laptops.
• SeaDream Yacht Club is announcing exclusive Cuba itineraries for 2019. The 112-guest mega-yacht SeaDream II will host immersive sailings departing from Havana and Cienfuegos and circumnavigating the island, with stops in ports like Trinidad, Cayo Largo, Isla de Juventud, and Maria la Gorda.

^{Photo: Christopher Ison © for Cunard}