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Young woman dies after horror cruise fall

<p>A woman in her 20s has died after plunging from the MSC Virtuosa cruise ship in the middle of the night. </p> <p>The cruise ship was travelling from Lisbon to Southampton when disaster struck at around 2am on October 12. </p> <p>While air ambulance successfully winched her out of the English Channel, she was pronounced dead at the hospital despite the best efforts of medics. </p> <p>British and French police are now probing the unidentified woman's death, <em>The Sun</em> reported. </p> <p>The ship originally sounded a Man Overboard alert and spotlights were then used to light up the sea, as aircraft from France and the Channel Islands attended the sea. </p> <p>Infra-red cameras were used to locate the woman, who would've struggled to survive in the cold water. </p> <p>At around 3am French time, an emergency alert was issued saying that a person was missing, a coast guard told <em>The Sun</em>. </p> <p>A helicopter was sent to a search area just north Les Casquets rocks, near the Channel Island of Alderney, while a plane from  Channel Islands Air Search was sent to the scene from Guernsey, along with lifeboat crews.</p> <p>The £650 million ($A1.2 billion) vessel, which has a crew of more than 1500 and can carry up to 6300 passengers, remained in the area before making its way to Southampton. </p> <p>“A guest on board MSC Virtuosa went overboard on 12 October, while the ship was sailing to Southampton,” a Virtuosa spokesperson said.</p> <p>“The body was later recovered with the involvement of the authorities.</p> <p>“We are deeply saddened by this tragic event, and our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.</p> <p>“Out of respect for their privacy, we will not be providing further details.”</p> <p>A Hampshire Police spokesperson added: “The investigation is not being managed by UK authorities.”</p> <p><em>Images: P.Cartwright / Shutterstock.com/ Channel Islands Air Search</em></p> <p> </p>

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World’s biggest cruise ship design unveiled

<p>MSC Cruises has announced details of its new class of cruise ships that will be among the largest in the world.</p> <p>The planned World Class cruise ships will be built at STX France between 2022-2026 and will carry 6850 passengers in 2760 cabins.</p> <p>The World Class ships will just beat Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas which holds 6780 passengers. </p> <p>The gross tonnage of the new class of ships will be roughly 181,00 tonnes which is smaller than Royal’s Oasis ships that weigh more than 185,170 gross tonnes.</p> <p>The details were announced at a ceremony in St Nazaire, France, as the cruise line took ownership of MSC Meraviglia. The new ship is set to arrive in Miami in 2018 after travelling around Europe in its first two years of service.</p> <p>"As we unveil MSC Meraviglia, a new vessel that marks the start of the next phase of our growth, we are delighted to confirm another key component of our 10-year investment plan: the World Class," MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said.</p> <p>"These new vessels will further expand our partnership with STX France all the way to 2026, with up to seven additional innovative ships to be built during this period.”</p> <p>The MSC World Class ships have a “Y” shaped hull design that will allow for better views and more balcony cabins. The ships will also have a “G” shaped bow design which will improve guests’ stability and comfort.</p> <p>The ships will also have square cabins, a glass pool lounge and a family village area.</p> <p>“Once again, MSC Cruises has chosen to put their trust in our capacity to support their growth and expansion as well as in our ability to conceive, develop and build the world's most modern and technologically-advanced cruise ships," said STX France CEO Laurent Castaing.</p> <p>"By adding the new World Class to the four previous ship classes that we have delivered over the past 15 years, the number of vessels in their fleet built by STX France in Saint-Nazaire is set to reach 20. Our exceptional industrial partnership continues to benefit an entire region."</p> <p>Currently, Meraviglia is the cruise line's 12<sup>th</sup> ship and with the contract for two World Class ships and the option for two more, the line will see a steady increase in its fleet.</p> <p>Meraviglia is the first ship to feature the line’s partnerships with Cirque du Soleil, with a venue designed for two unique performances. Other exciting features include an amusement park, a water park, a three-deck yacht club and an indoor promenade with LED light sky. </p>

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Why cruise ships are just getting bigger and bigger

<p>Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas, which will inherit the title of world's largest cruise ship when it debuts in early 2018, has been floated out at the shipyard for its first taste of water.</p> <p>The 230,000-ton, 362-metre ship is under construction at STX France in St. Nazaire, France. It is the fourth Oasis-class vessel, and Symphony of the Seas will sail the Mediterranean in the summer 2018 and then make its way to the US, bound to sail out of Royal Caribbean's new terminal at PortMiami.</p> <p>With the exterior now done, interior work will continue until its April 2018 handover.</p> <p>Symphony of the Seas's gross registered tons will be more than Harmony of the Seas, which comes in at 226,963 tons, but they will be the same length.</p> <p>Meanwhile, MSC Cruises nailed down some details for its new class of cruise ships that will be among the largest in the world. Four planned World Class of cruise ships that will be built at STX France between 2022-2026 will be able to carry 6850 passengers in 2760 cabins.</p> <p>That puts it just larger than the capacity of the current title holder for world's largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, which has a capacity of 6780 passengers. The gross tonnage of the new class of ships, though, will be smaller than Royal's Oasis-class ships.</p> <p>The details were announced at a ceremony at the shipyard in St. Nazaire, France as the cruise line took ownership of its newest vessel, the not-so-small, 152,000-tonne, 4500-passenger MSC Meraviglia, which will make its way to Miami by 2019 after serving Europe for its first two years of service.</p> <p>Harmony of the Seas currently holds the title for world's largest cruise ship, slightly larger than the original ships, 2009's Oasis of the Seas and 2010's Allure of the Seas.</p> <p>Symphony of the Seas' Miami sailings begin with a four-night cruise on November 9, 2018 that makes one stop in Cozumel, Mexico. It will then begin alternating seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises.</p> <p>Just like Harmony, the ship will feature the 10-deck Ultimate Abyss dry slide and Perfect Storm water park as well as Royal Caribbean mainstay features like the FlowRider surf simulator and 40-foot rock climbing wall.</p> <p>The website teases one other adventure offering with no details other than "A new scale of daring. Adventure hits a high note with a whole new challenge" with details promised at a later date.</p> <p>Like all Oasis-class ships, it will feature seven distinct neighbourhoods including the Oasis-class' signature Central Park and the Boardwalk. There will be an ice skating rink, the AquaTheater at the aft of the ship,</p> <p>Symphony will feature 28 more staterooms than Harmony of the Seas with a Royal Suite class, neighbourhood balconies overlooking Central Park, virtual balconies on inside staterooms, and the highest number of ocean-view cabins at sea which has 2775 staterooms that can hold 5494 passengers at double capacity, and 6780 at full capacity as well as a 2175-person crew.</p> <p>Restaurants will once again include celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's Italian dining venue as well as the Mexican offering Sabor, Japanese cuisine at Izumi, the Chops Grill steakhouse, Vintages wine bar and Solarium bistro.</p> <p>More than 20 dining options are promised, but details on any new venues have not been released yet.</p> <p>Robots will be back as well with the Bionic Bar. Expect more details to come.</p> <p>The ship's Mediterranean sailings begin with a seven-night voyage from Barcelona on April 21. The ship will sail 7-, 8- and 9-night voyages in the Mediterranean through October before repositioning to Miami on a 12-night transatlantic voyage that departs October 28.</p> <p>Only certain ports are big enough to handle Oasis-class behemoths, which had only Port Everglades to sail from until Port Canaveral's enhancements in the last couple of years.</p> <p>With Harmony's debut in Florida last November, Port Canaveral took on Oasis. When Symphony of the Seas debuts, three Florida ports will now host the behemoths that can hold close to 7000 passengers at full capacity.</p> <p>Harmony of the Seas will stay in Fort Lauderdale or Oasis of the Seas in Port Canaveral.</p> <p><em><em>Written by Richard Tribou. </em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz</strong></span></a>. </em></p>

Cruising

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Europe’s biggest cruise ship embarks on maiden voyage

<p>Europe’s biggest cruise ship has left on its maiden voyage, departing from its dock in Saint-Nazaire, Brittany.</p> <p>The MSC Meraviglia, which cost $1 billion, measures 37.5 metres tall and 300 metres long.</p> <p>The ship holds 5,714 passengers, boasts 19 decks and has been dubbed as the world’s first “smart ship” due to MSC Cruises inclusion of high technology throughout the ship.</p> <p>It has the world’s biggest LED dome at sea, augmented reality mirror and virtual reality experiences. Daily cruise newsletters have been forgotten on this ship and instead guests book excursions, shows and restaurants on one of the 300 interactive screens on board.</p> <p>Children on board also have a smart bracelet where parents can track them via an app on their phone.</p> <p>The shopping precinct also embraces new technology with augmented reality boards which allow guests to try on different clothes without stripping in a changing room.</p> <p>A highlight of the ship is the Cirque du Soleil show which will be performed for the first time at sea.</p> <p>The show occurs in the ship’s Carousel Lounge, a custom-designed performance space which includes a 180-degree circular glass wall that is fitted with high-tech equipment.</p> <p>The ship also includes an aqua park with several swimming pools, an amusement park and a zipline which runs along the length of the ship.</p> <p>For the adults, there is a 25-metre swimming pool with no children allowed.</p> <p>The ship has attracted a lot of attention – French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the guests that waved the ship off as it departed on Wednesday.</p> <p>The ship will sail the Mediterranean until 2019 and then it will sail to Miami to offer Caribbean cruises.</p> <p>Cabins can be booked via their <a href="https://www.cruiseaway.com.au/ship/msc-meraviglia" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">website</span></strong></a>.</p>

Cruising

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This new itinerary could change the cruising world

<p>MSC Cruises has announced an itinerary for a 119-day trip that could change the cruising world visiting 49 destinations across 32 countries spanning six continents.</p> <p>On this nearly four month-long voyage, departing on January 5, 2019 from Genoa, Italy, you’ll crisscross the globe in consummate style on a state of the art ship that’s decked to the nines with 11 bars, four restaurants, a casino, a panoramic discotheque, a cigar lounge, and a 4D cinema, among other amenities and attractions.</p> <p>The trip starts in four iconic European cities, stopping in Marseille in France, followed by Barcelona and Málaga in Spain, then Funchal in Portugal. After that you’ll head to the Caribbean and take in destinations like St. Maarten, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Aruba, and a few others before making its way to the Pacific via the Panama Canal.</p> <p>From here you’ll enjoy stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu, before heading Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Auckland in New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia.</p> <p>As you can imagine though, this cruise doesn’t come cheap with tickets starting at $16,999. And finding four months of your life might be a bit difficult. But it sounds amazing!</p> <p>What is your dream destination to cruise to?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Tailor your cover to your needs and save money by not paying for things you don’t need. <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-insurance/?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=travel-insurance" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">To arrange a quote, click here.</span></a> For more information about Over60 Travel Insurance, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p> <p> </p>

Cruising

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Incredible images of a beach villa-style cruise liner

<p>Just when you think they’ve made every kind of cruise ship there is, along comes something completely different.</p> <p>MSC Cruises’ new MSC Seaside promises ‘beach condo’ style living that’s designed to bring guests closer to the sea. The whole vessel is designed with as much open-air space as possible, so guests can spend most of their time face to face with the ocean. And surely that’s the whole point of cruising?</p> <p>The ship will be the first on the water to offer terraced balcony cabins, which are staggered down the side of the ship so that a portion of them remains uncovered. An open-air promenade will wrap all the way around the outside of the ship, another industry first. The promenade will feature a variety of restaurants, shops and sun decks for passengers to enjoy. Then there are a series of catwalks with glass walls and glass floors, letting passengers feel like they are walking on water.</p> <p>An elaborate, two-level water park will have five separate slides and water features. Seaside will be the first ship to feature Slideboarding, a fun combination of a water slide and an interactive video game. Then there’s the longest zip line at sea running for 130 metres, a high-tech 5D cinema, smart technology like interactive photo walls from Samsung and digital tracking cards that let families keep in touch.</p> <p>MSC Seaside will sail from Miami year-round on multiple Caribbean itineraries, starting from December 2017. It will also call at MSC’s brand new private island in the Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. With virtually constant sunshine and clear skies, it’s the ideal place to make the most of the ship’s unique outdoor lifestyle.</p> <p>To see images of the MSC Seaside scroll through the gallery above? What do you think of the ship’s bold, unique design?</p> <p>Please let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/5-things-you-must-do-to-avoid-seasickness-on-a-cruise/"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>5 things you MUST do to avoid seasickness on a cruise</strong></span></em></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/10-things-you-must-never-do-in-a-cruise-cabin/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 things you must never do in a cruise cabin</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/po-ships-first-new-zealand-cruise/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>P&amp;O’s first cruise around New Zealand</strong></em></span></a></p>

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