The Azamara ship is scheduled to dock at Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Ha Long on a six-day journey up the Vietnamese coast. (VOV) - Travel operator Saigontourist welcomed US luxury liner, Azamara,and its 750 passengers and crew members to Vietnam, for the first time this year. Saigontourist is also collaborating with Malaysia's Star Cruises - the world's third largest cruise company,in a bid tosecure future tourism ventures.. The Vietnamese travel company is expected to receive 58 StarCruises to Vietnam from October 2013 to March 2014. From November 2011 to April 2013,Saigontourist welcomed 90SuperStar AquariusCruises and over 80 StarCruises. … [Read more...] about US luxury cruise ship sails in Vietnam waters
Cruise ships sailing
The world’s largest cruise ship Allure of the Seas put into service
The world's largest cruise ship "Allure of the Seas," built in Finnish Turku Shipyard, left Turku on Friday and proceeded directly to Florida Fort Lauderdale of the United States. The construction of cruise ship "Allure of the Seas" was completed and handed over to Royal Caribbean International on Oct. 28. The cruise ship will be serving its first cruise trip in December 2010. The "Allure of the Seas" is an architectural fantasy on the sea. It is 361-meters long, 66-meters wide, 72-meters high above the water, and its gross tonnage is up to 225,000 tons. There are altogether 16 decks and 2,704 passenger cabins in the vessel, which maximum capacity is 6,360 passengers and a crew of 2,100. … [Read more...] about The world’s largest cruise ship Allure of the Seas put into service
China slammed for escalating East Sea tension with cruise ship plan
China has been roundly condemned for worsening East Sea tensions by announcing a plan to sail a cruise ship this month to the Hoang Sa (Paracels) Archipelago that Vietnam claims sovereignty over. "China will continue to develop the Paracel Islands to demonstrate that it is in effective occupation of the islands and is exercising administrative control," said Carl Thayer, a maritime expert at the University of New South Wales in Australia. China is scheduled to let tourists visit the Xisha Islands (the name China has given to the Paracels Archipelago) ahead of the forthcoming May Day holiday, Tan Li, executive vice governor of the southern-most province of Hainan, was quoted as saying by the state news agency Xinhua in a Sunday report. People will be allowed to visit the islands on cruise tours, Tan said at the 2013 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia, a non-profit organization that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and … [Read more...] about China slammed for escalating East Sea tension with cruise ship plan
Insight: Laws leave cruise-ship victims at sea
When Walter Henry Alderfer learned last month about the Costa Concordia shipwreck off Italy, it brought back bad memories. In April 2007, he, his wife and his daughter were aboard the Sea Diamond cruise ship when it struck a reef off Greece and sank into the Aegean Sea. Screaming passengers fought over life preservers, Alderfer says, and his wife hurt her neck and later needed surgery. Five years later, the family is still seeking redress - and its experience may be instructive for survivors of the Concordia disaster. They turned down an offer of compensation by the owner - Cyprus-based Louis Cruises, a unit of Louis PLC - that included a free voyage. They filed a federal lawsuit in New York but settled for $2,500 - less than his wife's medical expenses and the family's lost belongings, he says - because the tickets required them to sue in Greece. An additional suit in Greece is still dragging on. An attorney for Louis Cruises said many passengers were satisfied with the … [Read more...] about Insight: Laws leave cruise-ship victims at sea
More cruise ships to visit Vietnam ports
More cruise ships to visit Vietnam ports Dao Loan HCMC - More cruise ships will sail to Vietnam from late this year as an extension of their itineraries in Asian countries including China, which has emerged as an appealing market for international cruise lines, according to local travel firms. HCMC-based travel firm Viet Excursions has in recent months been busy training staff and arranging services for Chinese-speaking visitors. Chairman Phan Xuan Anh said the company expects to serve tens of thousands of Chinese-speaking guests from late 2016 to early next year. Anh said the growing appeal of the Chinese market has led partner cruise lines of Viet Excursions to extend their trips from Malaysia and Singapore to China and Vietnam. A source from the U.S.-based cruise line Royal Caribbean International in Vietnam said the growing Chinese market has made it possible for Vietnam to woo more cruise tourists in the coming time. “China has become a magnet for cruise lines and they … [Read more...] about More cruise ships to visit Vietnam ports