DFDS Seaways is investing approximately DKK 100 million in comprehensive renovations for the two ships that ply the Copenhagen-Oslo route. The conversions will be completed by the beginning of February, and will include entirely new restaurant concepts and a major face-lift for both the common areas and cabins.
The passenger shipping company DFDS Seaways has begun a comprehensive modernisation of its two ships on the Copenhagen-Oslo route, the MS CROWN OF SCANDINAVIA and the MS PEARL OF SCANDINAVIA. The refurbishment project will cost DKK 100 million. The MS CROWN OF SCANDINAVIA is currently being refitted at the Landskrona shipyard, and will be back in service on 18 January. The MS PEARL OF SCANDINAVIA will enter the shipyard on the same day, and will be ready a few weeks later. Both ships will be operating normally again from 5 February.
Several new restaurant concepts are being launched as part of the modernisation plan, including varying themes for the new 'Explorers' Restaurant'. In addition, the existing restaurants, common areas and cabins will be updated, emphasising the maritime atmosphere on board the ships. Through this investment, DFDS Seaways hopes to become better at matching the demands of the market, and to further stimulate the demand for mini-cruises to Oslo.
The ships after renovation
On a mini-cruise, food, drink and entertainment play a key role. Accordingly, these will be the areas on which DFDS Seaways will be focusing most intensely when, at the beginning of the year, the shipping company embarks on a comprehensive refurbishment of two of its largest passenger vessels. The food, drink and entertainment concepts will be revamped with a theme restaurant, a wine bar, swimming pools and night clubs. In addition, both common areas and cabins will receive a thorough face-lift.
The two DFDS ships that ply the Copenhagen/S Helsingborg - Oslo route, the PEARL OF SCANDINAVIA and the CROWN OF SCANDINAVIA, will be undergoing comprehensive renovations at the beginning of 2005. Below, you can read about the modernisations that will be undertaken on the ships.
Food
There are four restaurants on board each ship: the Explorer's Restaurant, the Seven Seas, the Blue Riband and the Marco Polo. The first of these will be an entirely new restaurant, in which the menu, decor and staff dress will be designed to harmonise with a particular theme which will be changed four times every year. Upcoming themes for the new restaurant include "Toscana" and "Hans Christian Andersen". The popular buffet format will continue in the ship's second restaurant, the Seven Seas, which will be thoroughly refurbished, with new furniture, etc. The Blue Riband is the ship's à la carte restaurant, where the menu will consist of a small selection of gastronomic delicacies, replaced every second month. Together with the restaurant's exquisite wine list, this will provide guests with a very special culinary experience. Finally, the Marco Polo is a gourmet restaurant offering two different six-course menus and a broad selection of fine wines.
Drink
Red & White is the name of the ship's new wine bar. Here, you can relax in soft armchairs while you pamper and tantalize your palate with one or more of the bar's many excellent wines, of which some will be available only in very limited quantities and for limited periods. Light tapas-like meals are also served in the wine bar. Or how about a good cigar with your wine? Red and White can offer several different kinds. Last but not least, the bar's guests will also have the opportunity to try a little wine-tasting under professional guidance.
If beer is more your style, the newly-renovated Navigator's Bar is an excellent choice. Besides ordinary beer, this bar also serves micro beers, i.e. beers from small local breweries. Micro beers are a relatively new phenomenon in Denmark, but have become very popular among Danish beer enthusiasts.
Evening entertainment
There are lots of different types of evening entertainment aboard the newly-renovated ships. Besides the bars, there is also the discotheque Force 7 and the night club Heaven 11, where guests are entertained in a festive atmosphere by professional DJs. Heaven 11 is located on the uppermost deck; the ceiling is made of glass, and the starry sky can be seen from the dance floor. The interior of the night club can be moved and adapted to suit various different events or shows, such as cabarets or stand-up comedy. The very latest music is played in both Force 7 and Heaven 11, while the entertainment at the ship's third dance venue, the Columbus Club, will continue to be supplied by various bands playing evergreens and providing lively shows.
Children and young people
Families with children comprise one of the most important target groups for DFDS Seaways, and accordingly, the company intends to make it even more convenient for passengers to travel with children. The buffet restaurant 'Seven Seas', for example, offers a children's buffet with special child-friendly dishes. Children's entertainment will be available on all departures; at the Pirates Club, the youngest passengers will be able to go on treasure hunts with the ship's mascot, Jack the Pirate. In the Kidz Club, there are no pirates, but lots of things to play with, such as a whole room packed with colourful balls for the children to jump around in. The Kidz Club lies adjacent to Bake'n' Coffee - allowing parents to keep a watchful eye on their children while they sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. Teenagers, on the other hand, who don't want anyone to hold their hands, and would prefer to be independent, will be well served with their very own area on board the newly-renovated ship. In the Youth Club they will be able to play computer games against each other and over the Internet in the popular Boomtown. The teenage area will have a youthful and trendy decor. While the Youth Club is reserved for the family's oldest children, the Adventure Club - an area with swimming pools, jacuzzi and sauna - is for both children, young and adults aboard.
For further information, contact Søren Jespersen: tel. +45 33 42 31 40