Estreia do Seabourn Sojourn no Funchal

Hoje o porto turístico do Funchal, recebeu a estreia do mais recente navio da Yachts of Seabourn, o Seabourn Sojourn, que foi construído este ano em Génova, na Itália. Juntamente com o Seabourn Sojourn estiveram em porto o navio espanhol da Iberocruceros o Grand Mistral e o italiano Costa Marina. O Seabourn Sojourn deu os seus cabos no porto pelas 11h00, vindo da capital portuguesa, Lisboa e zarpou pelas 17h15 numa viagem transatlântica até ao porto de Fort Lauderdale. O Costa Marina chegou ao Funchal pelas 7h00, vindo de Casablanca e soltou as amarras pelas 17h00 rumo a St.Cruz de Tenerife. Já o Grand Mistral, aportou pelas 7h30 nesta que é a sua última escala da operação com base em Málaga para a Madeira e Canárias, para dar início à nova época de Inverno na América do Sul, com base em Santos.

O Seabourn Sojourn está ao serviço da Yachts of Seabourn, foi construído nos estaleiros T. Mariotti, Génova, Itália. Tem como navio gémeo o Seabourn Odyssey. O navio possui cerca de 32 mil toneladas, 198 metros de cumprimento máximo e 26 metros de largura. Tem capacidade para alojar aproximadamente 450 passageiros e 335 tripulantes. De acordo com a informação da companhia de cruzeiros Seabourn Cruise Line, o Seabourn Sojourn é considerado um dos mais luxuosos e requintados navios cruzeiros no Mundo.

Porto de registo: Bahamas

O Costa Marina, encontra-se neste momento fretado ao operador francês Taaj Croisières. Saliento que o italiano Costa Marina da Costa Cruises está a efectuar um cruzeiro com saída em Marselha, sendo destinado ao mercado francês. O navio está a fazer escalas em portos do Mediterrâneo, Marrocos, Madeira e Canárias.

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Westerdam - HAL

Ontem, chegou ao porto do  Funchal o navio de cruzeiros da Holland America Line, o Westerdam que deu as suas amarras pelas 7H00, vindo da capital portuguesa Lisboa, numa viagem posicional transatlântica da Europa para as Caraíbas, lugar onde irá realizar as suas operações durante a estação invernal. O navio pernoitou no  Funchal, permanecendo em porto até às 16h00 de hoje, rumando em direcção ao porto de Fort Lauderdale. 

  

O Westerdam está ao serviço da Holland America Line - HAL - foi construído em 2004 nos estaleiros em Fincantieri na Itália. É detentor de 86 mil toneladas, 289 metros de comprimento máximo e 32 metros de largura. Tem capacidade máxima para receber perto de 2388 passageiros servidos por 866 tripulantes. 

É um navio que pertence à Classe Vista, juntamente com os seus navios gémeos o Zuiderdam, Oosterdam e Noordam.

Porto de Registo: Roterdão, Holanda

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Club Med 2 in transatlantic trip to the Caribbean

On the day that the North American vessel Independence of the Seas has canceled her call at Funchal´s harbour, due to bad weather conditions, the french vessel Club Med 2 made call at  Funchal, where docked at 7.00 a.m. from Lisbon, in a positional transatlantic cruise from Europe to the Caribbean. She sailed away at 8.00 p.m. to Bridgetown, Barbados Island.

Port of Registry: Mata, UTU

Decks: 8

Sister Ship: Wind Surf

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Braemar at Funchal

Today, arrived at Funchal´s harbour a British vessel, Braemar from Fred Olsen Cruise Line, from Dover. She sailed away at 5.15 p.m. to Tenerife. 

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3 Cruises in Funchal´s harbour

Yesterday arrived at Funchal´s harbour 3 large cruise ships: the North American ship Celebrity Century from Málaga that arrived at Funchal at 6.00 a.m., the second ship was the British Oceana from the P&O Cruises that arrived from Southampton at 6.30 a.m., and the third vessel from the cruise company IberoCruceros was Grand Mistral that anchored in port at 7.15 a.m. from Tenerife, in Canary Islands. 

I also mention that the vessels Celebrity Century and Oceana are in positional transatlantic trip from Europe to Caribbean, that it will be the next area of operations during the Winter season. To remind that Celebrity Century sailed away at 5.00 p.m. to Tenerife, then it will call at La Palma and then the vessel will make a long transatlantic trip in direction to Miami. Oceana sailed away at 6.10 p.m. in direction to St.John´s in Atigua Island, Caribbean. Grand Mistral sailed away at 3.00 p.m. to the Spanish port of Málaga.

About the vessel Celebrity Century i can report that she is the lead ship of the Century Class of cruise ships for Celebrity Cruises. Other ships belonging to the Century class are the Mein Schiff (formerly Celebrity Galaxy)  and the Celebrity Mercury. Century was constructed in 1995, at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. 

Port of registry: Malta

Decks: 12

 

The Celebrity Century has approximately about 77,606 gross tonnage, it has 249 meters long and 32 meters beam. She can accomodate 2150 passengers served by 843 crew.
Service Speed: 21,5 knots

Celebrity Century at the time of her departure in direction to Tenerife.

 Oceana (previously Ocean Princess), is a cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. At 77,000 tonnes, Oceana is the fourth largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She entered service with the company in November 2002. Oceana is sister ship to Sea Princess, which also served in the P&O Cruise fleet as Adonia between 2003-2005. 

Oceana is a Sun-Class cruise ship owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, and operated by P&O Cruises. She was built in 2000 by the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. Oceana has 10 passenger decks. Passengers facilities include 12 places to drink and 4 restaurants, including an open air restaurant and Café Jardin, a restaurant designed by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White. Other notable features include a gym, sports  court, casino, golf simulator, spa, familiy facilities, and 4 swimming pools. The main entertainment venue is the 530 seat Footlights Theatre.

Port of Registry: Bermuda, Hamilton 

Grand Mistral docked at the North Terminal.

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Noordam in positional trip to the Caribbean

The luxury cruise ship of Holland America Line, Noordam arrived at Funchal at 7.00 a.m. from Cádiz and she sailed away at 5.00 p.m. in direction to Fort Lauderdale, in Florida. I also mention that Noordam is, right now, conducting a transatlantic cruise from Europe to the Caribbean, where the vessel began her transatlantic cruise in Civitavecchia in Rome, after stopping at harbours such as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Cartagena and Cadiz. Noordam will operate in the Caribbean during the Winter season. 

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Marco Polo at Funchal

MS Marco Polo is a cruise ship owned by Global Maritime, under charter to UK-based Cruise & Maritime Voyages, having previously operated by Transocean Tours, Germany. She was built in 1965 by Mathias Thesen Werft, East Germany as MS Alexandr Pushkin for the Soviet Union´s Baltic Shipping Company. After major alterations and additions, the ship sailed as Marco Polo for Orient Lines from 1993 to 2008. 

Porto of Registry: Nassau, Bahamas

Decks: 9

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Celebrity Eclipse and Amadea

Today it were at Funchal´s harbour two more cruise ships and this time  it were the North American vessel from Celebrity Cruises, the new Celebrity Eclipse and the German cruise from Phoenix Reisen, Amadea. Celebrity Eclipse arrived at Funchal at 10.00 a.m. from Southampton and she sailed away at 6.00 p.m. to St. Cruz de Tenerife. Amadea arrived at 7.30 a.m. from Ponta Delgada, in Azores Archipelago and she sailed away at 2.30 p.m. to Malaga.

Notice that Amadea is now making a transatlantic cruise of 24 nights that began in the Canadian harbour of Montreal, at the beginning of this month, making stops in ports, such as Quebec, Boston, Hamilton and New York. In the transatlantic crossing, Amadea made scale at Azores Archipelago, in Horta and in Ponta Delgada. Then, she will make calls at Malaga, Barcelona, Nice and finishing the cruise in Germany.

 

Amadea is a cruise ship owned by Amadea Shipping Company and operated under charter by the German-based Phoenix Reisen. She was originally built in 1991 by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan as MS Asuka for Nippon Yussen Kaisha. In 2006 she was sold to her current owners and entered service with Phoenix Reisen. Amadea has 28,717 gross tonnage, it measures approximately 192 meters long and it has 25 meters beam. The vessel can accomodate 624 passengers served by 292 crew. The Amadea contains 2 royal Suites, 40 Suites and 254 cabins. 106 cabins have a private balcony.  

Port of Registry: Bahamas, Nassau

Service Speed: 21.0 knots

Celebrity Eclipse is a Solstice-class cruise ship, operated by Celebrity Cruises. She was built in 2010 at Meyer Werft shipyard, Papenburg, Germany. Celebrity Eclipse is the sister ship of Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Equinox. She is the third Solstice class cruise ship. Celebrity Eclipse has about 122.000 gross tons and carries about 2852 passengers served by 1250 crew. She has approximately 315 meters long and it has 37 meters beam.

Port of Registry: Malta

Decks: 17

Service Speed: 24 knots

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Independence of the Seas at Funchal

Independence of the Seas arrived at Funchal harbour at 11.00 a.m. from Southampton and she sailed away at 6.00 p.m. to Tenerife. MS Independence of the Seas is a "Freedom-class" cruise ship operated by the Royal Caribbean cruise Line that entered in service in 2008. The 15 deck ship can accomodate approximately 4370 passengers served by 1360 crew. She was built in the Aker Finnyards drydock in Turku, Finland, builder of Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, her sister ships of the Freedom class. 

Porto of Registry: Bahamas, Nassau

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Inaugural Trip of the new Cruise of Cunard - Queen Elizabeth and the presence of giant Azura, of P&O Cruises at Funchal´s Harbour

Yesterday was a day of strong British movement in Funchal´s harbour, following the maiden voyage of the newest and latest Cunard´s Cruise Ship, the Queen Elizabeth, that was christened on 11st October of 2010, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in Southampton. Also following the inaugural scale of Queen Elizabeh at Funchal, it was in harbour the British giant Azura, of P&O Cruises, that arrived at 7.00 a.m., approximately, from Southampton and she sailed away at 6.00 p.m. in direcction to St. Cruz de La Palma. Queen Elizabeth arrived also at 7.00 a.m., from La Palma and she sailed away at 11.59 p.m. to Southampton, port which is based. 

Queen Elizabeth sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton on Tuesday October 12nd 2010, following a naming ceremony by the monarch on Monday 11st October of 2010. Her maiden voyage included calls at the Spanish port of Vigo before heading for Lisbon, Cadiz, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and Madeira Island, in a cruise of 13 nights. Queen Elizabeth was constructed for Cunard, at Fincantieri Shipyard, Monfalcone, in Italy. It belongs to the "Vista Class ship", along with Queen Victoria, Costa Luminosa, Costa Deliziosa, Eurodam and Niew Amsterdam. With a modified design from other Vista Class vessels, she is slightly larger than Queen Victoria, at 92,000 gross tons, largely due to a more vertical stern. The vessel has 294 meters long and it has approximately 32 meters beam. Capable of carrying up to 2,100 passengers and 900 crews, she is the second largest Cunard ship ever built, after Queen Mary II. The company now has three vessels: Queen Mary II, Queen Victoria and the new Queen Elizabeth.

Port of Registry: Southampton

Service Speed: 23.7 knots

Decks: 12

The Queen Elizabeth is almost identical in design to her sister ship Queen Victoria, although because of the steeper stern, her passengers capacity is slightly higher. Also because of this difference, the largest suites at the stern of the Queen Elizabeth have smaller balconies. At the forward end deck 11, there is a glass roof covering the games deck, unlike the sports deck on the Queen Victoria. Although having an almost identical interior arrangement to the Queen Victoria, the decor is very different. The ship is a tribute to the two previous Cunard Queen Elizabeths: the original Queen Elizabeth and the QE2. It also evoke the era of the 1930s, with an interior decoration of Art Deco inspiration.

The British ship Azura from P&O Cruise Company, was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, in 2010. At 115,000 gross tonnes, Azura is the largest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. She is also sister ship of Ventura. Azura has approximately 289 meters long and it has 36 meters beam.

Port of Registry: Southampton

Decks: 19

Speed: 22 knots

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