DreamBoat

MSC orders new luxury ships
MSC and Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilding company, have signed
the final contracts for the construction of four luxury cruise ships
scheduled for delivery between 2023 and 2026. The first ship will
be delivered by spring 2023. The remaining three will come into
service, one per year, over the following three years. Each ship will
weigh approximately 64 000 tons and feature 481 guest suites.
Viking names seven new ships
VIKING Cruises held a naming ceremony for seven new river ships
at a celebration on the River Rhine in Switzerland. Six of the ships
are Viking Longships and will be deployed on Viking’s most popular
itineraries on the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers. The ships are
Viking Einar, Viking Sigrun, Viking Sigyn, Viking Tir, Viking Ullur and
Viking Vali. The seventh ship, Viking Helgrim, was inspired by the
Longship design but has been built specifically for sailings on the
Douro River. It will bring the company’s sister ships in Portugal to
four. Last month, Viking took delivery of its sixth ocean ship, Viking
Jupiter, which will have its naming ceremony in Oslo on June 6.
Avalon reveals shorter cruises in 2020
AVALON Waterways is introducing shorter itineraries on Suite Ships
for 2020. Customers now have a choice of four-, five- and six-day
river cruises with the new A Taste of the Rhine, Heart of Germany,
and A Taste of the Danube itineraries. A Taste of the Rhine is a
five-day cruise that offers opportunities to explore sights along the
Rhine, the six-day Heart of Germany itinerary features stops along
the Main and Main-Danube Canal, including a guided hike through
a Bavarian village, while A Taste of the Danube is popular with firsttime river cruisers and includes visits in Budapest, Bratislava, Melk
and Dürnstein. All cruise itineraries – short and long – sail on Avalon
Waterways’ signature Suite Ships, which feature two full decks and
panorama suites with balconies and beds facing outwards.
U unveils new tattoo, drag cruises
U BY Uniworld has launched two new themed cruises in Germany
this summer aboard The A river cruise ship. The new eight-day
tailored itineraries, Tattoo on U and U in Drag, will sail from
Frankfurt to Regensburg on July 6 and August 17 respectively. The
Tattoo on U itinerary includes an on-board welcome party with
celebrity tattoo artists and contests to win a free tattoo from one
of the artists on board. The U in Drag itinerary includes interactive
activities co-hosted by drag queens, such as karaoke night, drag
make-up lessons and an exclusive bar crawl at one of the ports.
Both itineraries offer an open bar, three daily meals, selected shore
excursions, complimentary WiFi, mixology classes, silent discos, a
local DJ, paint and wine classes and rooftop yoga..