NAVIGATION-Cruising and Maritime Themes

"SAGA RUBY" returns to this Blog, I am pretty confident that all the regular followers and readers of this website don't really mind for yet another "post" about this beautiful ship, particularly after seeing these amazing photos. I was checking my e-mails just now and there it was, another message from Joao Abreu, Madeira's ship enthusiast and Photographer with these photos attached, with them there was a message saying.... to quote " it's a shame she will not be around much longer, which is sad because these generation of passengers liners is almost finished", to this sentence I've replied, it truly is, she is one of the most beautiful ships at sea, if not the most beautiful, but here in the UK, as a nation of an incomparable Maritime History we have a duty to preserve this ship, if going back to cruising is asking for too much after 2014, at least preserve her as an Hotel/Conference Centre/Museum, after all she was the very last

The brand new NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE ship, the "NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY", will arrive in Southampton next week, the ship is due at 9 am on the 29.4.2013 and will depart on her maiden voyage the following day, she is due to leave about 8 pm, "NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY" will cross the North Atlantic on her way to New York. If you planning a trip to Southampton to see the new ship, please check timings particularly if your journey is from distant locations. Photo by NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

Royal Princess – Arriving June 2013! : Princess Cruises : Joining the PRINCESS CRUISES fleet in June the new "ROYAL PRINCESS" will be named by Kate Middleton, please click above for details of the new ship, ROYAL PRINCESS is due at Southampton on the 7.6.2013, she will depart on her maiden voyage also from Southampton on the 16.6.2013, after her maiden arrival at Southampton she is expected to dock at the Ocean Terminal, a week of festivities will then take place after the naming ceremony.

"BOUDICCA" opened the new cruise ship season in Liverpool today, the ship arrived at the Liverpool Cruise Terminal at 4.30 pm on a cold and wet day. "BOUDICCA" was built in 1973 by Wartsila in Finland as the ROYAL VIKING SKY, she was operated on around the world cruises by Royal Viking Line, when built she was just over 177 meters in length and 21.891 GT, in 1982 the ship was lengthened to 205 meters by A.G. Weser in Germany, her tonnage increased to 28.732 GT, she has capacity for 540 passengers and cruises at an average speed of 18 knots. Since 2005 the ship has been owned and operated by FRED OLSEN, today she is a classic passenger ship, considered to be a small ship she provides an intimate cruising experience that her passengers absolutely love it, I have spoken with some of her passengers that simply refuse to sail on different ships, particularly the new mega cruise-ships that can take up to 4000 passengers on board, FRED OLSEN has a reputation

Holland America PT: Happy Birthday from Vitor Francisco : "One of my favourite ships of all time, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAL" Vitor Francisco (   http://vmf-cruiseshipsandliners.blogspot.pt   ... Today marks 140 years of the prestigious HOLLAND AMERICA LINE, one of the most Historic Shiiping Lines of all time, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to them. Please click link above to access H.A.L. Portuguese Blog, where you can follow the company's activity and get updates on all H.A.L Cruise Ships. Photo below taken in Rotterdam of the S.S. ROTTERDAM, today a Museum/Hotel/Conference Centre, February 2013

Beautiful photo by Tim Noble , showing the 1963 built GALILEO GALILEI, here as the SUN VISTA arriving the Singapore Cruise Terminal in 1997 prior to start her first cruise operated by SUN CRUISES. The ship was sold in 1997 by CELEBRITY CRUISES when she was sailing as the stylish MERIDIAN, she was lost at sea 21.5.1999 after a fire broke up in her engine room causing this beautiful ship to sink, fortunately there was no loss of life. Thank you to Tim for sending this beautiful photo. For all with a special interest on the GALILEO GALILEI and her sister ship GUGLIELMO MARCONI please visit my blog dedicated to these ships  here

The Cruise Ship "TERE MOANA" was built in 1998, the ship was sailing for COMPAGNIE DU PONANT as the LE LEVANT, last year she changed owners and is today cruising for PAUL GAUGIN CRUISES as the "TERE MOANA", the new owners spent a lot of money upgrading her to the usual luxury standards offered by PAUL GAUGIN, this 3.500 GRT ship has accommodation for only ninety passengers, she offers spacious staterooms, two restaurants and a luxurious spa among other facilities. "TERE MOANA" is operated with special emphasis on warm-weather destinations exploring ports that larger cruise ships cannot access, she cruises mainly in the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. "TERE MOANA" is seen here during her maiden call at Funchal yesterday 10.4.2013, photos copyright by Peter Goncalves .

"ORIANA" completed yesterday eighteen years in service with P & O CRUISES. A lot has been written about "ORIANA", terms like "evolutionary not revolutionary" are far too common by now but were a first when "ORIANA" came into service, the truth is, she was in fact evolutionary a modern version of the ship that inspired her building, the fabulous "CANBERRA". I was on holiday in Palma de Mallorca during the summer of 1995 when "ORIANA" made her maiden call to the island, she was all over the news a few days before, "the new 5 star luxury British passenger ship will be visiting Palma this week", also remember that  a couple of months later when photographing her in Barcelona together with other ships enthusiasts met for the first time, the comment was "compared to the new ships we see these days, she is a classic". We tend to admire things that we dislike in the first place, we are educated likewise, s