Music Festival At Sea? Does That Float Your Boat?

Fancy a festival of music at sea on Pacific Dawn? Photo (c) http://www.seanbeats.com.au/

Music festivals are very popular indeed and the majority of them take place on terra firma. However, Australia are introducing a festival at sea on board a cruise ship. Sea'N' Beats is what the festival is called and it will take place on board P&O Cruises Australia's Pacific Dawn. On Saturday 5th March 2016, Pacific Dawn will depart from Brisbane on a 4 day, 3 night festival extravaganza. The ship will be anchoring off an as of yet unknown island off the Queensland Coast. Festival goers on board will have the chance to party as much as they like as on board the ship, there will be 7 stages. Yes 7 stages!! That's a lot of stages for your money. There will also be a day's party on the unknown island as well. Although the line-up hasn't been announced, the organizers have promised that there will be the biggest names in electronic and dance music that will be on board.

If you want to book your place on this music event, then prices start from $960 per person based in a 4 berth cabin.


For more information on the event, visit the official website.

Genting (GHK) To Acquire Crystal Cruises!

Crystal Cruises set for Genting Ownership. Photo (c) Crystal Cruises

In an unexpected and surprising move, Asian based company Genting (GHK) which owns Star Cruises and has a significant shareholding in Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is to acquire fellow Asian cruise company, Crystal Cruises. As part of the deal, Crystal Cruises will also be building a new ship for the fleet. 

Speaking on the Crystal Cruises website, COO and President of Crystal Cruises, Edie Rodriguez announced:

"After 25 years with NYK, we are excited to have Genting Hong Kong as the owner of Crystal Cruises. The Proposed expansion of our fleet will present our loyal Crystal Society members and new luxury cruise guests with more itinerary options, accommodation choices and exceptional vacation experiences, as we continue to position Crystal as the innovative leader in global luxury cruising. Additionally, Crystal's veteran leadership, management and crew will continue to focus on our award-winning guest service and our strong partnership with the travel agent community-which now has a greater opportunity to grow their business with a larger menu of Crystal product offerings"

With the new ship to be ordered, Crystal's fleet will grow to three, to complement the current fleet of Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony.  An increase in capacity for the luxury cruise line and a statement intent that they want to be challenging at the top of the luxury cruise sector.

MV Magellan, CMV's New Flagship!

Magellan will be CMV's largest cruise ship. Photo (c) Cruise and Maritime (CMV)

In what was a bold and surprising move by Cruise and Maritime (CMV) to acquire the 46,052 ton ship from Carnival Corporation's Iberocrucieros, the company is looking forward to the naming ceremony and launch party of Magellan on the 7th March 2015 in London Tilbury. Of course, the season of naming ceremonies is in full flow with the naming of P&O Cruises Britannia on March 10th and Anthem of the Seas also debuting in April, it may have seemed that CMV's Magellan would have been forgotten about. Thankfully, that hasn't been the case. It is an exciting period of time for new ships being launched and the introduction of Magellan represents a major coup for CMV and a step up the capacity ladder for the company. She will be the largest ship in the fleet and will also be the newest out of the array of ships they have. She will add a modern touch to the company but not overly yet will still have a traditional cruising feel about her. Passengers will be able to explore the 9 passenger decks that she boasts and with comfortable accomodation, the passengers will warm very quickly to the handsome Magellan. 

The above photos show the various types of  accommodation on offer. (photos (c) CMV)

There will be a wide range of entertainment on board including a two tier dedicated show lounge. This will be where productions shows and cabaret acts will entertain the audience. 

Magellan will also boast two outdoor swimming pools, perfect for the sunnier climes and also there will be three whirlpools for the less sunnier climes. Magellan will also captivate  the passengers with good expansive deck space where you can enjoy daily exercise or quietly watch the world go by in the comfort of a sun-lounger and catch up on some 40 winks or a good book. 

It is an exciting new chapter in the history of Cruise and Maritime but a chapter that looks likely to go from strength to strength and no doubt that Magellan will quickly become a favourite for many years to come!

New Horizons For Splendour of the Seas!

Splendour of the Seas will be leaving RCI in 2016. Image: Wikimedia. 

In an interesting development, TUI have announced that they have purchased Royal Caribbean's 1996 built Splendour of the Seas and will be deploying her under the management of Thomson Cruises. This move will take place from Summer 2016 and will see Thomson have their largest cruise ship ever. Splendour of the Seas will replace Island Escape which was part of the Thomson group.

The 69,130grt ship will depart RCI after her final sailing on the 4th April 2014 and will undergo a cosmetic change in order for her new brand colours to be added.

We shall keep an eye on the development and will look forward to seeing Splendour of the Seas in her new guise in 2016!

Britannia Preview!

Britannia is currently on her way from shipyard to Southampton. Photo (c) PA and Daily Mail. 

All eyes will be on Southampton this Friday, 6th March! For that day marks the maiden arrival of the largest cruise ship ever built for the British market, P&O Cruises 141,000grt 'Britannia'. She will arrive in Southampton around 14.15 and is sure to be warmly welcomed by the cruise ship enthusiasts and residents from Southampton. 'Britannia' will be named by HM The Queen on Tuesday 10th March in a lavish ceremony at Ocean Terminal. Britannia will also be taking part in a shake down cruise before her maiden voyage departure on the 14th March.

She is one of the most anticipated ships of her generation and guests can enjoy a contemporary yet classic cruise experience in an environment that evokes not just British tradition but also a sense of British cruising for the future.

On board she will have a cookery school which will enable guests to enjoy lessons on certain cruises with celebrity chefs such as James Martin and Great British Bake Off Queen, Mary Berry. Of course the celebrity chefs will only be on board for selective cruises, the cookery school will still be able to offer high quality culinary lessons from quality trained chefs.

The Cookery School on board Britannia. Photo (c) Travel Weekly. 

Her main feature will be the stunning atrium with the magnificent Starburst feature. This space is a fantastic open space spread over three decks and introduces a chic and contemporary feel to P&O Cruises which will work very well. Contemporary yet with hints of traditional.

The Atrium on Britannia. Image (c) Bolsover Cruise Club. 

Britannia will capture a sense of a new era for P&O Cruises. With her fresh new livery, which is to be incorporated throughout the fleet, Britannia will be the flagship of the fleet and will be a ship that P&O can be very proud of. A ship for the 21st century but still upholds the tradition of P&O Cruises.

On the 7th March, Cruisemarsh will have the opportunity to visit Britannia and enjoy what she has to offer. We shall hopefully have loads of pictures and will be publishing them on here and also the Facebook and Twitter pages. So, please keep an eye out for them!

Welcome to Cruisemarsh!

A warm welcome to everyone and welcome to Cruisemarsh. This is the blog with the latest cruise news, cruise pictures and stories. Following on from our Facebook and Twitter pages. this will be where the main blog will be written. There will also be the chance for guest blogs from other bloggers.

So please, jump aboard and let us set sail on the Cruisemarsh adventure.

Bon Voyage!