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World Cruises
[Seaworthy News, Dec. '10] - Short Around-the-World Cruise From the US East Coast eastbound transiting the Suez Canal and via Malaysia, China, Korea and Japan to Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC in 50-58 days. Also in the opposite direction, sailing westward in 46-54 days, depending on the departure and destination ports. |
 The CMA CGM Figaro, La Scala and Tosca |
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Sailing eastbound and westbound every month or two: Sailing eastbound: New York (Day 1), Norfolk (3), Savannah (5), transatlantic and transit the Suez Canal (21), Tanjung Pelepas (37), Hong Kong (41), Yantian (42), Shanghai (46), Pusan (49), transpacific to Seattle (60) and Vancouver (62). |
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Sailing westbound: Seattle, WA, USA (Day 60) and Vancouver, BC, Canada (62) via Yokohama, Japan (77); Shanghai (79), Ningbo (81), Hong Kong (84) and Yantian (85), all in China; Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia (89); transit the Suez Canal (100) and transatlantic to New York (112). |
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Passengers: 7 Containers: 8,465 teu Deadweight: 102,000 tons Length: 334 m Speed: 25 knots (47 km) Built: 2010 Officers/Crew: French/Int’l Owners: CMA CGM, French Passenger Fares: €80 pp double, €90 single occupancy per day (longer voyages only). |
In compliance with CMA CGM’s environmental policy, and like all new vessels of this type that will be coming out from the yards soon, the CMA CGM Figaro and Tosca are equipped with a combination of innovative environmental features, including: The Fast Oil Recovery System, which enables bunkers to be rapidly recovered at any time, hence significantly limiting the environmental consequences should there be an incident at sea; an electronically controlled engine, reducing oil and fuel consumption by respectively 25% and 3%. Thanks to this new engine, the vessel can, if necessary, be operated at super eco-speed (14 to 15 knots); a multi-chamber waste compactor to recycle garbage on board; pre-equipment to connect to a port’s electricity supply during operations. |
| Passenger accommodations include three larger side- and forward- or aft-facing cabins and a smaller one facing forward, all located on the upper decks, and each having a double bed, 2.0 x 1.6 m (2.0 x 1.4 m smaller cabin), private facilities with shower and a sitting and working area. CMA CGM Flier (3 pdf pages, 128 KB) |
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General Information |
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Passenger accommodations and common facilities, such as the dining room, TV/bar lounge, swimming pool, small exercise room and self service laundry are located on the upper decks. The electrical current is 220/50 AC, requiring a two-prong round adapter and converter for North American appliances. |
| There is an elevator on the CMA CGM Figaro, nevertheless passengers must be fully mobile. A Medical Certificate of Good Health is required. The age limit is 80. On a working vessel, freight always has priority. Passengers are, in a certain way, paying guests, who have to adapt to this reality. The service on board is simple, and sometimes cabins may not be made up in the most timely fashion. During peak working periods, the Captain and crew may not have much time to spare looking after passengers. |
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Dress code is casual and meals reflect the preferences and needs of the young officers and crew. A limited selection of wines and spirits is available in the ship's store. Onboard expenses may be paid for with cash in $(USD)/€(EUR). Tipping is at the passenger’s discretion; $/€3-5 pp per day is recommended. Telephone, fax and email connections are available through the Captain’s office, but not the Internet. Port times vary according to cargo requirements; they may be short or long or happen during the day or night; the average for containerships is one day. Nevertheless, traveling on a freighter will provide you with many pleasures. You’ll become part of a team and enjoy your voyage on the high seas. Just make sure to have your passport with you, visa for the USA and China, International Health and Accident Insurance and vaccination against yellow fever. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the anticipated return date. |
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| Reservations can be made by completing a Registration Form and providing a 25% deposit. The balance of the fare is payable 70 days before departure. The fare may be paid for by check or wire in either the basic tariff currency, as quoted by the steamship line, or USD/CAD at the prevailing exchange rate, subject to a final adjustment at the time the ticket is issued, a few weeks before departure. Cancellation fees are as follows: over 60 days, loss of deposit; 30-59 days, 50% of the fare. No refund will be made within 30 days of departure. To protect your investment, Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is highly recommended; it protects your investment from the moment you buy the policy (at the same price as it would be one day before the voyage). And if you take it within three weeks of your initial deposit, pre-existing conditions are waived. You can find Travelex Insurance packages, available to Maris customers worldwide, on our website page Before You Sail. Please contact us through the Inquiries and Reservations page. |
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A “Freak” of Freighter Travel |
| An old popular story to entertain you this holiday season: Are you one of those people who thinks New Year's Eve is a bit of a bore? If so, why not avoid it? Like the Captain who missed the party! All you need to do is steer a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, close to the International Date Line. This way you can begin the New Year in a hurry, forgetting about New Year's Eve altogether. It’s been done often! |
 The 3,528-ton Warrimoo of the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Company |
The night was warm and inviting and the stars shone in all their tropical brilliance. Captain Phillips relaxed in a dark corner of the bridge, quietly puffing a cigar with all the contentment that comes to a sailor when he knows the voyage is half over. His ship, the Warrimoo, was gliding through the waters of the mid-Pacific on her way from Vancouver, BC to Australia when the navigator brought him their ship's position. |
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It was latitude 0 degrees 30 minutes North and longitude 179 degrees 30 minutes West. The date was December 30, 1899. First Mate Dayldon exclaimed, ‘Captain, do you know what this means? We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line’. |
| Captain Phillips knew exactly what it meant, and he was enough of a practical joker to take advantage of an opportunity to achieve the navigational freak of a lifetime. During an ordinary crossing of the Date Line it is confusing enough for passengers, but the possibilities he had before him were sure to confound them for the rest of their lives. He immediately summoned four more navigators to the bridge to check and double-check the ship's position every few minutes. He altered course ever so slightly to bear directly on his mark. Then he carefully adjusted the engine speed so that he would strike it at just the right moment. The calm weather, the clear night and the eager cooperation of his entire crew worked very much in his favor. On the dot of midnight local time, the Warrimoo lay precisely on the Equator, exactly at the point where it crosses the International Date Line! This has a number of very interesting consequences. If the Date Line is crossed just as midnight strikes, December 31 never really happens. The date immediately jumps to January 1. In addition, as with the Warrimoo, once the Date Line is crossed at the Equator, for a moment the bow of the ship is in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is summer, while the stern is in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is winter. On this occasion the ship, was not only on two different days, during two different months and two different years, in two different seasons, it was also in two different centuries - all at the same time!!! Captain Phillips said later: 'I have never heard of it happening before and I guess it won't happen again for another one hundred years.’ As far as we know, it hasn’t happened. By travelling the other way, of course, party-goers can enjoy two New Year's Eve Parties. In looking through various voyage records of theRMS Warrimoo, we found the following celebrity photo and comment: |
| Opening his around-the-world tour, during which he wrote “Following the Equator”, Mark Twain with his wife Olivia, daughter Clara and their friends Major and Mrs. Pond, aboard the S.S. Warrimoo on the day of departure from Victoria, BC to Australia, August 23, 1895. |
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| And a glance over the Register of Marriages reveals how often during those “days of yore” passengers took the opportunity to celebrate the start of their new lives at sea. Getting married or renewing marriage vows remains a fashionable practice to this day, at least among those people who can afford the time for a freighter cruise. The following picture is of our members, Mr. & Mrs. Beard of Marietta, GA, USA, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary while cruising around-the-world on the NSB containership P&O Nedlloyd Hunter Valley a few years ago. |
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| We are most grateful for the support, including comments such as the following, which we have been receiving from our valued customers and club members as well as from the steamship lines and media over the years: |
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Become a member of Maris Freighter Travel Club Int'l - or give a gift membership Take advantage of the knowledgeable advice that comes from our vast experience. Find the ship and voyage that's right for you and, for each booking, you'll receive an automatic discount of up to $500 -- Please see the Special Discounts page. |
| To subscribe, simply use your credit card through Google or PayPal, or mail your check. As a bonus, you'll receive our monthly e-mail with SEAWORTHY NEWS, starting approx. the 1st of the next month, and be among the first to read about new services and passenger firsthand stories. It's a well-illustrated e-publication, often being the only one available anywhere for many of these voyages. |
The same low price (in USD) is valid internationally. By placing your order, you agree with our Terms |
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