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Tag: CMV

  • Three Facts about MV Astoria, the Oldest Cruise Ship in the World

    Three Facts about MV Astoria, the Oldest Cruise Ship in the World

    The MV Astoria, the oldest cruise ship in the world, has had a storied career. It’s relic from the days of passenger liners that existed before the cruise industry really became a thing, and it’s been operating for more than seven decades. That’s a long life for a ship! Just a few months ago, however, Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV) announced that they were putting the ship to auction. It did not sell, and its future is currently a mystery. While we wait to see how that will unfold, let’s take a look at a few crazy facts from the ship’s past.

    It is a ship of many names

    Any ship that is around for a long period of time is bound to change hands a few times. Cruise lines sell and trade ships all the time, and MV Astoria has been caught in that cycle for its entire 72-year lifespan. It has had, in total, 11 different names over the years. It started off as the MS Stockholm back in 1948 for a company called Swedish American Line (SAL). SAL wasn’t really a cruise line but more of an ocean shipping company. It was sold to the German Shipping Company in 1960 and rechristened the Völkerfreundschaft. The renaming process continued after this, with the ship eventually going through the names Volker, Fridtjof Nansen, Italia I, Italia Prima, Valtur Prima, Caribe, Athena, and Azores.

    It was involved in a ship collision

    There are a lot of reasons why one might know about MV Astoria, but certainly the most dramatic event of the ship’s career came in 1956. Still known as the Stockholm at the time, the ship was sailing in poor visibility near Massachusetts on July 25th. It suddenly crashed directly into another ship known as Andrea Doria. While Stockholm was mostly fine, Andrea Doria ended up fully capsizing. 46 individuals perished, though rescue efforts were able to save many guests who may have otherwise not have made it.

    It wasn’t always a cruise ship

    When the MV Astoria was first launched as the MS Stockholm, it wasn’t really meant to be a cruise ship. SAL was a shipping company, after all, and the idea of a ship solely designed for vacations wasn’t really around in the 1940s. However, as the 50s rolled in, the ship slowly morphed into something resembling a modern cruise ship. It gained a movie theater and a pool in the mid 50s. Its identity as a true cruise ship was solidified in 1989 when it was sold to a cruise line called Star Lauro Lines. They completely redesigned the ship and made it into what you see today.

    MV Astoria is, without a doubt, one of the most important vessels in cruise history. We may see it sail another day depending on what CMV ends up doing with it, but there’s also a possibility that it has sailed its last voyage. Either way, it remains a compelling artifact of cruising’s past.

  • A Look Back at the Cruise Lines that Have Closed Down due to Coronavirus

    A Look Back at the Cruise Lines that Have Closed Down due to Coronavirus

    For the cruise industry, cruise lines shutting down because of the coronavirus is a sad reality. While many companies have been able to find ways to stay afloat during this trying time, others were not so lucky. We’re very excited to see cruise lines Virgin Voyages and Swan Hellenic enter the fray after the pandemic ends, but it’s just as important to remember which cruise lines we lost along the way. Let’s look back.

    Cruise and Maritime Voyages

    Cruise and Maritime Voyages, often called CMV, was one of the biggest cruise lines to fall due to the coronavirus. It lasted until July 20th. It was one of the more popular United Kingdom-based cruise lines. At the time that the cruise line went under, it had six vessels in its fleet. There were also plans for two more ships to enter into the CMV fleet in 2021. All of the CMV ships were sold to a variety of different buyers, including the two that had yet to enter into service with the cruise line.

    Pullmantur

    Pullmantur Cruises, or Pullmantur Cruceros as it was known in its home country of Spain, was another coronavirus casualty. It became the first cruise line to shut down due to the pandemic on June 22nd. There were thoughts that Pullmantur would be able to reorganize and get back into the game for a brief period, but those dreams are basically gone now. Two Pullmantur ships are currently being scrapped. Fans of the cruise line look back fondly on Pullmantur as one of the best cruise lines to sail the Mediterranean with.

    Smaller cruise lines

    While Pullmantur and CMV are the two biggest cruise lines to be claimed thus far, there are a few other smaller lines that have fallen as well. FTI, a German cruise line with one ship, shut down on July 28th and sold their ship in September. Blount Small Ship Adventures, an American cruise line with two ships, has also shut down. Both of their ships are currently for sale. Finally, the India-based Jalesh Cruises recently shut down on October 9th.

    These losses are tragic for the cruise industry. But it should be said that many were fearing that far more companies would be lost. The fact that there are still so many cruise lines doing well points towards a healthy future. We’ll just have to stay optimistic and hope that these cruise lines continue to survive.

  • CMV Ships Detained in England

    CMV Ships Detained in England

    Here’s some news that probably sounds like it comes out of nowhere: five ships of CMV’s fleet have been detained by the British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency. This comes just a short bit after inspections of these ships by the authorities, who deemed that there was something off about them. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t look like this is about coronavirus…fully.

    Which ships?

    Several of the ships from CMV’s fleet have been laid up in England for quite some time now, and authorities went to inspect them due to expired contracts for some of the crew members that were working on the ships. The six ships that were inspected are the Vasco de Gama, the Marco Polo, the Magellan, the Astor, the Astoria and the Columbus. Of these six ships, all but the Magellan were detained, with the Magellan being given two weeks to address the issues that were identified during inspection (which, as of now, are unknown).

    Why are they detained?

    According to a statement from CMV, “the crew contract issues […] have largely contributed to the detention of five CMV ships,” and they are working on getting these issues sorted out. It isn’t totally clear why these issues exist right now, but it seems like they may be somewhat due to coronavirus not allowing certain crew members to be repatriated to their home countries. Because they are being forced to stay on these ships longer than their contracts allowed for, they are in violation of said contracts. Of course, this is mostly guesswork, as CMV hasn’t explicitly stated the reasoning. However, they have emphasized their focus on repatriation and have said they are beginning new talks with the Indian High Commission to get some of their crew members home.

    Anything else?

    Kinda. There are also rumors of CMV not paying their crew on time, but once again, this isn’t fully substantiated and it’s not clear how much this is playing into the current detention of their ships.

    How long will it last?

    It all depends on if they are able to get their crew home or not. It can be assumed that once they are repatriated and the contracts are no longer being violated, the British authorities will let the ships go.

    CMV’s statement

    In their own words, here is CMV’s statement on the issue. “CMV has in the past and is continuing to work hard to cooperate fully with the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency and to rectify the crew contract issues which have largely contributed to the detention of five CMV ships. We hope this issue has raised awareness of the plight of our crew with the various embassies and that they will now assist CMV with the repatriation of crew members, remaining countries have fully engaged in supporting CMV over the past two days. We are confident that with the sudden increase in support and help we will be able to repatriate the remaining crew ideally before the end of the month. CMV apologizes for any inconvenience or disruption that these issues may have caused for their highly valued crew.”

    If there are any developments to this story, we will make sure to update our readers.

  • 2021 Brings Two New Themed Cruises at CMV

    2021 Brings Two New Themed Cruises at CMV

    CMV Cruises, also known as Cruise and Maritime Voyages, has announced that they will be having two new themed cruises in 2021. Themed cruises are definitely one of the things we love most about the cruise industry, and we really get excited when we see any cruise line giving some attention to this type of cruising. The two different cruises are an Easter-themed cruise and a Back to the 80s cruise, and both sound super fun.

    Easter-themed cruise

    Who doesn’t love Easter? Childhood memories of painting, going on Easter egg hunts, eating candy, taking annoying pictures with your family…okay, maybe forget that last one. This cruise might not be one where you’re hanging out with the Easter Bunny, but it’s still an excellent way to celebrate the holiday and relax a little bit. The cruise itself lasts ten nights and is aboard the Marco Polo. You’ll sail from London on April 1, 2021 and hit up stops like Rotterdam, Isle of Skye, Guernsey and a whole lot more. The on-board entertainment will include comedy from Jimmy Cricket and Sue Hodge, as well as some apt Easter-related activities. CMV’s previous Easter cruises have been very well-received, so definitely keep your eye out for this one!

    Back to the 80s cruise

    Here’s one that you probably don’t wanna take the kids along for. Unless your kids love 80s music and cover bands, in which case this is the perfect cruise for them! This one is all about celebrating the music, culture and feeling of the 80s. This one also leaves from London but is much shorter, only lasting three nights, starting on May 6, 2021. You’ll be able to see the flowers blooming in the Netherlands on one of the stops, but really, the main draw here is on the ship itself. Aboard the Columbus will be a variety of tribute groups that are versed in all of the greatest hits of the decade. The Spandau Ballet Story will kick off some (you guessed it!) Spandau Ballet covers, while Sara Jones will blow you away with her rendition of Tina Turner jams. It’ll basically be non-stop music, and for an 80s fanatic, that’s a dream come true.

    CMV is known for its excellent themed cruises, so they’re definitely worth considering even if you’re not particularly jazzed about Easter eggs or River Deep, Mountain High (which, you know, are both objectively great things, so you’d have to be pretty crazy to not love them). You can read all about them over here on CMV’s site.

  • New Polar Cruises for the 2021 Season

    New Polar Cruises for the 2021 Season

    As more and more itineraries get shut down for this year, it gets less and less fun to report on them. Yeah, yeah, no one’s sailing any time in the near future, we get it. But these cancellations shouldn’t distract us from the fact that there are plenty of new itineraries being announced. In fact, two cruise lines just recently revealed some details about some polar travels that they’ll be offering during 2021. Let’s take a look.

    Atlas Ocean Voyages

    If you don’t know much about Atlas Ocean Voyages, you’re not alone. The cruise line doesn’t have a fleet as of yet, but they plan to enter the all-inclusive luxury market with their ship the World Navigator in 2021. Oh, and they’ve got four more ships planned that will drop between then and 2023. So they’ll be busy for a while. But it’s the World Navigator that’s of importance to us.

    The details

    Well, here’s the thing. There’s not a whole lot of info about the polar expeditions that Atlas Ocean Voyages is planning. All that we really know is that it’ll be on the World Navigator and that the ship will head to Antarctica in November 2021. The actual itineraries will be announced in May of this year. The World Navigator is only set to hold about 200 people, so if you’re interested, keep your ear to the streets! (Or this site, really).

    Cruise and Maritime Voyages

    By now, we’re probably all familiar with Cruise and Maritime Voyages, also known as CMV. The British cruise line currently has a six-vessel fleet that sails around the world, and they’re expecting a new ship in 2021: Amy Johnson. Amy Johnson is actually a ship that was built in 1991 that sailed for a few different companies before getting a serious refurbish recently. It’s set to be the biggest ship in CMV’s fleet when they receive it. It’s also set sail to the Arctic next year!

    The details

    There will be three total sailings to the Arctic aboard the Amy Johnson, all happening in summer 2021. The first is a trip to Greenland and Iceland that lasts 22 days and leaves on June 20. A 38-night trip that visits Spitsbergen departs on July 22. Finally, there will be an August sailing that is much like the one occurring in June, though it stops in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

    While it may be hard to stay excited about the future of cruising, keep your head up! Not only are these companies planning their next itineraries, but they’re planning them on ships that will be brand new. If you’re the type of person who wants to visit exotic locations via groundbreaking vessels (and really, we all should be that type of person), stay vigilant and book these as soon as possible.

  • CMV Announces 80s Themed Cruise

    CMV Announces 80s Themed Cruise

    Cruise and Maritime Voyages, aka CMV (acronyms!), knows the power of a good ol’ fashioned theme cruise. The British cruise line is no stranger to the concept, and their latest announcement shows that they plan to continue making themed experiences into 2020. It’s called Weekend Spring Break, and it celebrates all things 80s. If you’re into fun, retro and campy stuff, pay close attention! There’s music, activities, great food…hey, let’s just talk about it in detail before we get too amped up.

    The cruise takes place on CMV’s Magellan, a cruise ship that was launched all the way back in 1983. A coincidence?! Our cruise scientists say no. Anyway, the Magellan fits about 1500 passengers with room for 660 crew, is a little over 700 feet long, and is known to be a pretty solid option for a cruise. It’s doesn’t have a crazy reputation, with reviews pegging it as a nice, traditional British ship. It’s comfortable, but it’s noted that the Magellan is usually an “experience with no surprises.” This themed cruise has something to say about that, though!

    For those that get a spot on Weekend Spring Break, you can expect a celebration of 80s music in the most proper way: cover bands. Blondie fans (and we’re all Blondie fans at heart, aren’t we?) can look forward to Bootleg Blondie fronted by Debbie Harris (no, not Debbie Harry). She’s known for a pretty spot-on performance of Harry. Simply Red and Spandau Ballet tribute groups will also be ripping up some tunes throughout the weekend. The press release from CMV mentions some other bands, but doesn’t name them; guess that’s left as a surprise!

    The cruise departs from London, arrives in Amsterdam the next day, and finishes up in Newcastle. To take a break from the music, you can explore the ports, or take part in a variety of amenities on board. The following are all included in the fare, which is pretty impressive: food, tea, snacks, coffee, and other entertainment. It’s not yet clear what other activities the cruise will be offering, but at the very least you can bond with some other fans of 80s music while you hang out.

    Interestingly, CMV isn’t the only company out there looking to pay tribute to the era of new wave. Royal is also doing an 80s cruise aptly titled The 80s Cruise in March, though it’s already sold-out. Performers include the B-52s, Bret Michael, Grandmaster Flash, and lots more. Not a shabby line-up. But hey, they don’t have the star power of Debbie Harris (again, not Harry).

    If you’re interested in the CMV take, check out the website here to look at availability. It’s very cheap, all things considered, and promises to be very fun!

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