Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately 210 km (130 mi) west-northwest of Nassau. The population is 1,988 as of the 2010 census. read more…
Liberty of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean InternationalFreedom-classcruise ship which entered regular service in May 2007. It was initially announced that she would be called Endeavour of the Seas, however this name was later changed. The 15-deck ship accommodates 3,634 passengers served by 1,360 crew. read more…
The Seabourn Odyssey is a cruise ship for Seabourn Cruise Line. The ship’s keel was laid in early July 2007, and when it was commissioned in 2009, it was the first new ship for Seabourn in over a decade. The ship includes 11 decks with two swimming pools, six outdoor whirlpools, water sports from the marina and a private diamond showroom. About 90% of the ship’s suites have private verandas. read more…
San Salvador Island (namend after John Watling as Watlings Island from the 1680s until 1925) is an island and district of the Bahamas. It is widely believed that during Christopher Columbus‘ first expedition to the New World, San Salvador Island was the first land he sighted and visited on 12 October 1492; he named it San Salvador after Christ the Saviour. Columbus’ records indicate that the native Lucayan inhabitants of the territory, who called their island Guanahani, were “sweet and gentle”. read more…
Norwegian Sky is a Sun-class cruise ship owned and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line. She was originally ordered by Costa Cruises as Costa Olympia from the Bremer Vulkan shipyard in Germany, but she was completed in 1999 by the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany for the Norwegian Cruise Line under the name Norwegian Sky. Between 2004 and 2008 she sailed as Pride of Aloha for NCL America. The ship that eventually became known as Norwegian Sky was originally ordered in December 1993 by Costa Cruises from the Bremer Vulkan shipyard in Bremen, Germany as the second in a pair of sister ships. The first sister, Costa Victoria, was delivered on July 10, 1996. Construction of the second sister, Costa Olympia, had started several months before, but by July 1996 Bremer Vulkan was experiencing severe financial difficulties, and work on Costa Olympia was suspended when only 35% of the ship was completed. On October 6, 1996, the incomplete hull was launched, floated out of drydock and subsequently laid up. Costa Cruises decided not to purchase the unfinished ship, and Costa Olympia remained laid up at Bremer Vulkan until December 1997, when Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) purchased her. Costa Olympia was redesigned as Norwegian Sky by Tillberg Design (who had also been responsible for her original planned design as Costa Olympia). On March 8, 1998, the ship was towed to Lloyd Werft in Bremerhaven, Germany where her construction was completed. In 1998 NCL ordered two additional ships of Norwegian Sky design. The first of these was delivered in 2001 as Norwegian Sun while the order for the second one was cancelled. Norwegian Sky was launched in early June 1999, underwent her sea trials on June 17, 1999, and was delivered to NCL on June 28, 1999. read more…
MS Navigator of the Seas is the fourth Voyager-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International, and the first second-generation Voyager-class ship. She was once the largest ship in the fleet and still ranks among the largest passenger ships in the world. Her sister ships are Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas und Mariner of the Seas. Constructed at Kværner Masa-YardsTurku New Shipyard, Finland, the ship originally measured 138,279 GT and carried 3,807 passengers plus additional crew. A refurbishment in 2014 added 81 additional staterooms, increasing the ship’s gross tonnage to 139,570 GT. Her length is 1,020 feet with a beam of 157.5 feet. The ship contains US $ 8.5 Million dollars in art, displayed in stairwells and public areas. Navigator of the Seas’ main Atrium sculpture spans over seven decks and is based on the bubbles a scuba diver makes when swimming under water. Her promenade also features lighting that changes color based on the time of day and with events occurring on the ship. read more…
MS Majesty of the Seas is a Sovereign-class cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyards in Saint-Nazaire, France, and placed in service on April 26, 1992. Her Godmother is Queen Sonja of Norway. Plans to transfer Majesty of the Seas to Pullmantur in 2016 had been announced on November 21, 2014, however in July 2015, Royal Caribbean reversed those plans, instead stating that Majesty of the Seas would stay with Royal Caribbean International. A 1/8 scale model of the Majesty of the Seas was built in Morsbach by François Zanella. The Majesty of the Seas (mini) was launched in 2005. She does river cruises in and around Paris. read more…
MS Anthem of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International (RCI). She is the second ship of the Quantum class, which surpasses the earlier Freedom-class ships by over 14,000 GT, becoming the second largest class of passenger ships behind RCI’s Oasis class ships on a gross tonnage basis. On February 11, 2011, Royal Caribbean announced that they had ordered a new class of ships from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the first of which was scheduled to be delivered by Fall 2014. At the time, the project was code-named “Project Sunshine”. Later that year, two 20.5-megawatt ABB Azipod XO propulsion units were ordered for that ship. On February 29, 2012 the company announced that a second “Project Sunshine” ship had been ordered and would be delivered by Spring 2015, and ordered identical Azipod propulsion units shortly thereafter. Just under a year later, on January 31, 2013, Royal Caribbean announced the official name of the new class of ships, Quantum Class, as well as the names of the first two ships in the class, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas. Anthem of the Seas was delivered to Royal Caribbean on April 10, 2015, and christened on April 20, 2015. She arrived at her first homeport, Southampton, England, on April 15, 2015, to prepare for her maiden European summer season. At a ceremony held in Southampton on April 20, 2015, she was christened by Emma Wilby. Anthem of the Seas departed from Southampton on her maiden voyage, an eight-night cruise to France and Spain, on April 22, 2015. She has spent her maiden European season cruising from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Canary Islands. Beginning in November 2015, she will operate seven- to twelve-night itineraries to the Caribbean and Bahamas from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, United States. In 2016, Anthem of the Seas will sail year-round out of New Jersey, sailing to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Canada/New England. Anthem of the Seas will become the largest ship ever to cruise Canadian waters. read more…
