Porthole Cruise News Briefs – September 23, 2016

Porthole Cruise News Briefs – September 23, 2016

• R&B superstar Patti LaBelle made an exclusive performance aboard Royal Caribbean’s first-ever President’s Cruise, thrilling loyalty club members – and President and CEO Michael Bayley – with renditions of hits like “Lady Marmalade,” “On My Own,” and “New Attitude.” The 7-night cruise on Allure of the Seas visited Nassau, San Juan, and Saint Thomas.
• Ultra-luxury line Seabourn has announced a musical partnership with Oscar-, Tony-, Grammy-, and Golden Globe-winning lyricist Sir Tim Rice, whose legendary works include Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Chess, and The Lion King. The production “An Evening with Time Rice” will feature Rice narrating performances of some of his best known songs, interspersed with anecdotes and visuals from his personal archive. “This is a first for me, it’s been an amazing experience, looking back over my career and the friendships that shaped it,” says Rice. “The result is a show that you won’t find anywhere else.”
• Fathom, the social-impact cruise brand, is widening their Cuba shore excursions to include visits to Ernest Hemingway’s home, organic coffee farms in the Cuban countryside, a historic copper-mining town in the Sierra Maestra mountain range, and the revolutionary monuments and religious shrines of Santiago de Cuba.
• Crystal Cruises CEO and President Edie Rodriguez has unveiled designs for the luxury Boeing 777-200LR that will launch the new Crystal AirCruises service. The ultra-exclusive vacation operation will carry just 84 guests on 14-, 21-, and 28-day itineraries to remote destinations, and feature perks like plush, fully reclining seats, flat-screen TVs, and a social lounge with stand-up bar.
• Carnival Corporation has signed an agreement to order two new Vista-class cruise ships to be built in China for a new cruise brand serving the Chinese market. The joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), and Italy’s Fincantieri S.p.A. expects to see the first ship completed in 2022, and includes an option to order two additional ships. The new brand will be incorporated in Hong Kong.

^{Photos: Royal Caribbean International, Crystal AirCruises}