Welcome to the Cruise Radio News Brief for the Week of December 8, 2019, where we bring you the latest cruise news, our weekly podcast, and recent YouTube videos.
1. Carnival Panorama was christened in Long Beach, California, by godmother Vanna White at the official naming ceremony. The special day also included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Carnival Kitchen, a special dinner in the main dining room, and a fireworks display.
2. Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas guests were involved in the deadly volcano eruption in New Zealand. While docked at the Port of Tauranga, a handful of cruisers took an excursion to White Island to get a close-up view of the active volcano, and unfortunately the majority of those injured in the eruption are from the ship, according to the New Zealand Herald. Details are still developing around this story.
3. MSC Cruises’ new private island Ocean Cay Marine Reserve finally opened to cruisers after several delays. Located in the Bahamas, the private island and marine reserve was previously a sand excavation site, but after 3 years of work Ocean Cay will now double as a private destination for MSC cruisers and a marine reserve (increased populations of 88 species of fish, conch, and lobster have already been observed in the area).
4. Royal Caribbean signed a deal with the Port of Galveston to build a state-of-the-art, 170,000-square-foot terminal. Set to be completed in the fall of 2021, the new Terminal 3 will be outfitted to handle the massive Oasis-class ships; Allure of the Seas is already scheduled to begin sailing seven-night cruises from Texas in November 2021.
5. Norwegian Sky is celebrating the holiday season with gingerbread houses created by the ship’s chefs. Set up around the ship, the candy houses show the talent of the culinary team while serving as a holiday decoration for guests on board.
Featured Article: Behind the Fun: Carnival Panorama Christening
As we celebrate Carnival Panorama’s entrance into the Carnival fleet, we take you behind the fun to explore all the newest additions, such as the new “Heroes” bar, and to celebrate the official naming ceremony – complete with a fireworks show.
This Week’s Podcast: Caribbean Princess Review + Carnival Panorama Christening
This week we hear a review of Caribbean Princess, one of Princess Cruises’ Grand Class ships, on a 13-night repositioning cruise from Quebec City, Canada, to Port Everglades, Florida. However, don’t miss our bonus episode this week where we tall all-things Carnival Panorama while celebrating her inaugural cruise from Long Beach, California.
Featured Video: MSC Meraviglia Ship Tour
Entering service in 2017, the 170,000-gross-ton MSC Meraviglia is one of the newest ships in the MSC Cruises fleet.
