All About Cruises

Tag: cruise ship

  • Take a Look at Virgin Voyages’ Ship, Scarlet Lady

    Take a Look at Virgin Voyages’ Ship, Scarlet Lady

    Although Virgin Voyages has yet to have their debut as a cruise line, many eyes are on their ship, Scarlet Lady. A new cruise line is obviously exciting, but a cruise line is only as good as their ships. So what can we expect out of Scarlet Lady? Let’s take a look.

    The stats

    Virgin is looking to compete with the biggest cruise lines in the industry with their flagship cruise line. It only makes sense that they would come out of the gates swinging with their first ship! Scarlet Lady isn’t as big as some of the mega-ships in the industry like, say, Symphony of the Seas, but it has more than enough space to accommodate plenty of guests. It checks in at 110,000 gross tons with a capacity for 2770 guests and 1160 crew members. It boasts 17 total decks, with 13 of those being dedicated to passenger usage. The ship is powered by both diesel fuel and electricity, with Virgin claiming that the ship has 4800kW of total electricity. In their words, this is enough to power a small city. Wow!

    Scarlet Lady’s history

    The story of Scarlet Lady coincides with that of the Virgin Voyages cruise line itself. Just a few short months after Richard Branson announced the formation of Virgin Voyages in 2014, the cruise line announced that they were partnering with Fincantieri for a new ship. The order was officially made in 2016, and the ship’s name was announced in 2018. It shares a name with one of Virgin’s first ever airplanes. The construction of Scarlet Lady was officially completed in February 2020, and it has been awaiting the correct time for a maiden voyage ever since.

    The ship’s features

    Virgin promises that Scarlet Lady will be able to compete with modern cruise ships while also offering unique subtleties that will make it stand out. But what are they referring to exactly? The most noticeable difference between her and other modern ships is the fact that she is adults only. That’s right, you have to be 18 or older to embark on a journey on Scarlet Lady. That is bound to give the ship a completely different feel from other modern cruise ships. Cabins are also noticeably high tech. Beds can be transformed into adjustable sofas, lighting changes with the ambient light from outside, and there’s a hand-woven hammock to relax in. The ship will also be offering a wide variety of different entertainment options. If you want to relax and soak in the sights, there’s yoga and other self-care classes. There’s also performances that Virgin boasts as being far more immersive and innovative than typical cruise fare. Finally, one of the more exciting venues on Scarlet Lady is the nightclub called The Manor. It mixes neo-noir and punk vibes, and it just generally looks quite different from what you’ve come to expect on a cruise.

    Virgin Voyages may be waiting on sailing soon (they recently cancelled their November itineraries), but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited. Scarlet Lady promises to be a great ship to debut with, and we’re seriously looking forward to it.

  • Fred. Olsen: Out with Boudicca and Black Watch, In with Bolette and Borealis!

    Fred. Olsen: Out with Boudicca and Black Watch, In with Bolette and Borealis!

    It seems that regulars to the Fred. Olsen cruise line should get ready for some major changes to their fleet. It was announced just a bit ago that they would be receiving two new ships that they purchased from Holland America, and they will be retiring two older ships to make room for these vessels. Let’s check out which ships are on their way out, as well as the ships that will be replacing them.

    Retiring two ships

    Because there are two ships coming in, two ships have to go out. These two are the Boudicca and the Black Watch. These ships were, in terms of modern cruising, pretty old, as they were both built in 1972. The Black Watch was the ship that had been in Fred. Olsen’s fleet the longest, as it had been sailing with them since 1996, giving it a 24-year career with the company. Boudicca, on the other hand, had a shorter career, starting in 2005 and lasting 15 years. Both were far smaller than the ships that are replacing them, clocking in at around 28,000 tons whereas the new ships are both over 60,000 tons. It isn’t clear whether Fred. Olsen is planning to sell these ships or simply scrap them, but it’s likely that it would be relatively hard to find a buyer for old, small ships. Guests who were booked on either of these two ships will have their bookings transferred to one of the two new ships.

    The new ships

    The two new ships that will be replacing the Boudicca and the Black Watch will be the Bolette (formerly known as the Holland America Rotterdam) and the Borealis (formerly known as the Holland America Amsterdam). Neither of them are brand new ships, but they are younger than most of Fred. Olsen’s fleet, with the Borealis being built in 1997 and the Bolette being built in 2000. They will definitely be giving Fred. Olsen a more modern feel, and they will also be the largest ships in their fleet by far. When the cruise line accepts the vessels, their fleet will be five-strong, including one river ship.

    Virtual goodbye

    TThe two cruise ships that are leaving the Fred. Olsen fleet both have very long histories with the cruise line, so it makes sense that saying goodbye will be a bittersweet moment for both Fred. Olsen and their guests. With this in mind, Fred. Olsen will be hosting a virtual farewell ceremony on their online cruise hub.

    If you have any thoughts or pictures you’d like to share, head over to The Bridge and celebrate the careers of the Black Watch and the Boudicca!

  • P&O to Sell Oceana

    P&O to Sell Oceana

    In a move that may come as a surprise to some and as a big disappointment for those who were booked on the ship, P&O Cruises has come forward to confirm rumors that they are selling their ship, the Oceana. The company cited multiple reasons for this change in their fleet. Let’s see what this means for the cruise line, as well as what the future currently looks like for P&O.

    The Oceana

    The Oceana has a long history, both with P&O and without it. It was originally with Princess as the Ocean Princess before being traded over to P&O in the early 2000s. It received its name at a ceremony in 2003 and quickly became a very popular ship among P&O’s fleet. It even recently saw an expensive refurbishment at the end of 2017, meaning the ship should be in pretty much perfect shape as of right now.

    Why are they selling it?

    P&O released a statement about it, but it’s not entirely clear. It seems to be at least tangentially related to COVID-19, but they also mentioned the new ships that they have coming in the near future. Paul Ludlow, the president of the company, said “During this pause in our operations we need to fit the fleet for the future and ensure we have the right mix of ships once we resume sailing.”

    Right mix of ships?

    That’s right. P&O has a relatively busy future planned, and their fleet is still poised to get larger even with the selling of the Oceana. In fact, these new ships could be a contributing factor to the sale, with Ludlow adding that “her departure will allow us to focus on our remaining ships in the fleet, as capacity expands with the delivery of Iona later this year followed by her sister ship, scheduled for 2022.”

    Who are they selling it to?

    As of right now, we have no idea. We also have no idea how much the ship is being sold for. Hopefully we can get some more info from P&O about the destination of the Oceana soon.

    While it’s hard to point at coronavirus as a cause for this, it’s likely that it at least played some role, with Ludlow specifically mentioning the pause in operations. If so, that would make this the first ship being sold due to COVID-19. In the end though, it doesn’t seem it matters too much, as P&O seems ready to continue growth in spite of the pandemic.

  • Are Cruises the Answer to Homelessness?

    Are Cruises the Answer to Homelessness?

    If you’re reading this article, you may be curious as to how exactly cruises and homelessness connect. We don’t blame you for wondering this. In a surprising turn of events, the President of the Oakland City Council, Rebecca Kaplan, suggested that a cruise ship could provide housing for the homeless population in the California city.

    The Bay Area is an area noted for a lack of affordable housing, and Oakland is no different. In fact, the city is currently experiencing skyrocketing homeless rates. The homelessness rate rose 47% from 2017 to 2019, giving the city a higher per capita rate than San Francisco or Berkeley. A recent study found that there were over 4000 people homeless people in Oakland, with only 861 in shelters. This leaves a huge number of individuals on the streets with nowhere to go.

    According to Kaplan, this is where a cruise ship could come in handy. She proposed that a ship could house up to 1000 people affordably. Kaplan was quoted saying that it “could be a great way to house a lot of people quickly.” While there seems to be no specific ship that Kaplan has decided on just yet, she plans to give a proposal to Oakland’s City Council in January 2020. Purportedly, her plan will cost the city next to nothing, with those staying in the ship paying for their board based upon their income. Additionally, the city would not buy the ship.

    While this is certainly a radical idea, it is not completely new. Kaplan herself notes that cruise ships “have been used for emergency housing after natural disasters and for extra housing for things like Olympics.” Interestingly, the idea of a cruise ship as housing for those in need is not entirely new either. A Portland man who ran a non-profit organization proposed a similar idea last year, even applying for a $250,000 grant.

    Unfortunately, there is a roadblock in the way for Kaplan. A spokesman for the Port of Oakland told reporters that the port was built for cargo ships and not cruise ships. “[T]here isn’t the infrastructure,” he said, meaning that it may not be possible to get a cruise ship docked at Oakland in the first place.

    If this problem is figured out, there are still a few others. It remains to be seen if it will be economically feasible to make the housing cheap enough to actually be useful for Oakland’s homeless population. Still, we like to hear of people thinking of creative ways to use cruise ships! We look forward to learning more about Kaplan’s proposal in January.

  • Love Cruising? How About a Cruise Ship Career?

    Love Cruising? How About a Cruise Ship Career?

    If you’re the type of person who loves cruising so much that you dream of never having to leave the ship, a cruise ship career might be the right choice for you. Cruise industry careers can vary widely, from entertainers to hospitality management, engineering, and more.

    Shipboard Career Overview

    Working on a cruise ship is a great way to see the world; however, most of your time spent traveling will be measured in hours or days because of the nature of your job. Because room, board, and medical insurance are included, there’s a good chance you can pretty much bank your salary. While you won’t be able to disembark at every port of call (someone needs to stay on board the ship with guests who choose to remain), you’ll likely see cities and towns you might otherwise never get to. Quarters can certainly be cramped and you’ll definitely work hard; but you’ll also make friends from around the world and gain a wealth of new experiences unlike any you’ll find in another career field.

    Getting Started

    For nearly all cruise ship jobs, you can expect that you’ll need the same education and training as you’d need for the same career on land. Most cruise ship jobs require a few months of training, both on job duties and overall cruise ship policies, procedures, and regulations, as well as safety and emergency training. Nearly every employee has a contract. In general, employees work 6-9 months on and then 2 months off, although there can be some variation.

    Where to Find a Cruise Ship Job

    For general cruise ship openings across companies, try Indeed and All Cruise Jobs. For cruise company-specific openings, check out the hiring page for each cruise line. Here’s a list to get you started.

    Princess Cruises: https://www.princess.com/careers/
    Royal Caribbean: https://www.royalcareersatsea.com/
    Carnival: https://jobs.carnival.com/
    American Cruise Lines: https://www.aclcareers.com/
    MSC Cruises: https://www.careers.msccruises.com/#/
    Norwegian Cruise Line: https://www.ncl.com/about/careers/overview
    Disney Cruise Line: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/disney-cruise-line
    Celebrity Cruises: https://celebritycareersatsea.com/

    Most of these companies allow you to sign up for hiring newsletters. You may also have the chance to upload your resume so that it’s available to cruise ship company recruiters when relevant job vacancies come up. In the meantime, find out what education and training are required for the kind of career you want (e.g., culinary training, dance lessons, college courses or professional certifications) and begin completing those requirements.

    If you love cruising and seeing the world, then a job on a cruise ship may be right for you!

  • Gadgets To Make Your Next Cruise Perfect

    Gadgets To Make Your Next Cruise Perfect

    A big part of the attraction of cruising is that you are at sea and experiencing a whole new world with few similarities to everyday life. But along with all of the new activities and environments comes a few new challenges. Learning about a few gadgets that seasoned cruisers include on every trip can turn a pretty good cruise vacation into the trip of a lifetime.

    The Lanyard

    Most people are thrilled to head out on vacation and try to forget completely about work, and that includes carrying around your ID and access card. But your ID card is just as important when you are on a cruise ship. And in fact, it could be more important as the card now unlocks all of the fun and adventure of the cruise ship. So be sure that you pack a lanyard and card holder for each member of your travel party. Having your keycard around your neck not only leaves your hands free for carrying a drink, pool towel or good book but it also helps to avoid retracing your steps to discover where you laid your card down.

    Waterproof Phone Cover

    These handy clear waterproof bags allow you to use your touchscreen phone in wet conditions without the worry of ruining a $1000 piece of technology and also your connection to the world. The waterproof covers are offered in many colors, styles, and sizes and some are even designed to protect a few additional items with your phone. Also, be sure to check for a loop or D-ring that will allow you to attach this case to your all-important ID lanyard for hands-free fun while enjoying your cruise.

    A Must At The Pool

    One of the greatest devices for anyone who loves the pool area on a cruise is the portable lock box. This small case locks onto a lounge chair and can hold your phone, expensive glasses, ID, and even a small wallet while you enjoy the pool without trying to “watch” your stuff. The unit can also be used in your cabin by locking it to the bar in your closet to hold valuables including your passport, jewelry or cash while you are out exploring all that your cruise ship has to offer.

    Adding just a few small items to your next packing list can solve many issues for new or even experienced cruise patrons. And for the small investment that you will make, the added security and peace of mind will make every cruise more relaxing and enjoyable.

Skip to content