SEAWORTHY SEAWORTHY
NEWS NEWS

September'07

MSC Geneva

The Mediterranean - South America East Coast, 35-day voyages

Sailing every 5 weeks as follows:

      Valencia (Day 1) and Barcelona, Spain (3); possibly Las Palmas, Canary Islands (7); Salvador (13), Rio de Janeiro (14), Itajai (16), Paranagua (17), Sao Francisco do Sul (18), Santos (20) and Pecem (22), all in Brazil; Valencia (35).

MSC Geneva

Passengers: 6
Deadweight: 63,638 tons
Containers: 4,860 TEU
Length: 275.4 m
Speed: 24 knots
Built: 2005
Officers /Crew: German/Filipino
Charterers: MSC, Swiss
Owners: NSB, German


MSC Geneva
      Two 34 sq. m. double-bed suites, consisting of a bedroom (bed size 2.05 x 1.80 m), separate sitting room with TV/DVD/HiFi and private facilities with shower, located on the 7th deck, front and side facing - €95 pp double, €110 single occupancy, per day.
      One 27 sq. m. double-bed suite, consisting of a bedroom (bed size 2.05 x 1.80 m), sitting room with TV/DVD/HiFi and private facilities with shower, located on the 7th deck, forward facing - €90 pp double, €105 single occupancy, per day.


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General Information and Reservations


      Passenger cabins and shared facilities, such as the dining room, lounges, exercise room and swimming pool are located on various decks. There is no elevator on board and passengers must be fully mobile and able to negotiate the stairs.


Sydney Harbor

      Self service laundry facilities are available. The electrical current is 220/50 AC. A two-prong round adapter and converter are needed for North American appliances. A steward will clean the cabin once a week, or more often if necessary.
      A small onboard shop provides a limited selection of beverages, cigarettes and toiletries at duty free prices. Onboard expenses may be paid for with cash in €/$ (EUR/USD).
      Tipping is at the passenger’s discretion; $/€3-5 per person per day is recommended. Telephone, fax and email connections are available through the Captain’s office. Port time can vary from half a day to two days.



Approaching Rio de Janeiro

      Reservations can be made by completing a Registration Form and providing a 25% deposit. The balance of the fare, plus €265 for port and vessel fees is payable 65 days before departure. The fare may be paid for by check or wire (by exception only, credit cards may be accepted) in either the basic tariff currency, as quoted by the steamship line, or in EUR/USD/CAD/GBP at the prevailing exchange rates and subject to a final adjustment at the time the ticket is issued, a few weeks before departure.
      Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the anticipated return date, and a visa for Brazil must be obtained before the voyage. A Medical Statement of Good Health and International Health and Accident Insurance are required, as is are the vaccination or exemption certificates against yellow fever and cholera. The age limit is 79.
      Cancellation fees are as follows: over 60 days, loss of deposit; 30-59 days, 50% of the fare. No refund will be made within the 30 days from departure. To protect your investment, Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is highly recommended. Travelex Insurance packages, covering you from the moment you buy the policy - at no additional cost, are available to all Maris customers, worldwide, on our website page "Before You Sail". And if you buy the Travelex policy within three weeks of your initial trip deposit, pre-existing conditions are waived.

      Please contact us through the Reservations page.


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1958 - 2008

      In preparing to celebrate the Freighter Travel Club’s 50th anniversary we thought you would enjoy reading some of the more interesting articles and columns which have appeared in the magazine and its predecessor, Freighter Travel News, over the years. Following is one taken from the August 1962 issue written by Larry Schloss:

Harbor No Doubts


      Little attention, one supposes, is paid by the casual and preoccupied traveler to how ingeniously designed by nature are the world’s harbors. Just as Hollywood has its stars, so has Mother Earth.
      The masterful job at Rio de Janeiro is thought by many to be her crowning achievement, followed closely by San Francisco, New York, and of course the famed Bay of Naples.

      About the latter I confess a blind spot. Despite Vesuvius and Capri as decorations, it has never properly exerted its magic on me. I saw Naples and didn’t die. More thrilling to me in Italy is the generally unsung approach to Genoa, possibly because I came upon it first at twilight, when chains of tiny lights were appearing in ever increasing numbers on the hills surrounding the city. In the gathering dusk the panorama looked for all the world like an enormously wide Christmas tree, and the effect was enchanting and unforgettable.
      Hong Kong must surely also be listed among the greats. But the famous harbors are well known to you all and you each have your own favorite. I should like to point out two which are lesser known but equally remarkable. The harbor at Izmir, Turkey seems to have been especially designed for defensive purposes. As one approaches the city, spits of land emerge from either side to leave an opening of what seems to be no more than a hundred yards, perhaps less, separating the Aegean from the bay. Inside this narrows the harbor bulges like a blown up toy balloon, large enough, they say, to float the entire British navy, which, of course, they claim it actually did at one time.



      A similar claim, and with greater likelihood, is made for the harbor at Mtwara, just north of the Mozambique border, in Tanzania. Mtwara is the site of the British groundnut fiasco of World war II, the spot where a fortune was invested and lost in a quest for peanut oil that turned out to be a dismal miscalculation. The entrance to this harbor, composed of two overlapping spits of land, cannot even be seen until one’s ship is almost upon it. The effect as you approach is as if you were heading straight onto shore. At the last moment an S-shaped opening looms, and this channel leads into a large concealed bay many miles in length which could unquestionably secrete a navy of gigantic size.
      If it were true, though, that the British navy had been bottled up and hidden in all the harbors it’s reputed to have been by the teller of tales, Trafalgar might never have been fought and Napoleon might have ended up as something considerably more impressive than a pastry. Lord Nelson and his jolly tars certainly weren’t riding anchor in anybody’s harbor on that occasion!


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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:
"I have taken a number of trips on the lines listed and can say without hesitation they are all wonderful. I wish you much success in bringing together all the people who enjoy this type of travel." Carlita Malloch
San Francisco, CA
- Oct/93
"Maris is sailing under fair skies with a following wind under your command." John Carrick
Editorial writer
Sydney, Australia
- Sep/99
"Dear Friends. Please find enclosed our U.S. cheque for a two-year renewal of our membership. We enjoy your style and information so very much and one day we hope to be on our way to some interesting destinations. With thanks." Nadine M. Beacock,
Toronto, Canada
- Apr/00
"Q: It has always been my dream to take a long voyage on a cargo ship. Can you tell me if this is possible any more? - A: Maris in New York offers such voyages on a daily basis." Sunday Times
London
- July 1/01
"Maris Freighter Cruises website, as well as monthly publication with its listings that include color photos of the ships and cabins, itineraries, prices etc., is a good place to learn about freighter travel." New York Times
- May 18/03
"We are very appreciative of the work you have undertaken on our behalf for many years and the effort you have put into making the passenger service a success ... Our sincere and grateful thanks." Richard Mellor
P&O Nedlloyd
London
- Jan/05
"As a faithful reader of your monthly publication, I wish to compliment you and your staff on the informativness and thoroughness, setting forth in honest and detailed manner descriptions of this means of travel by freighter." Martin Ems
Retired Manager Passenger Services,
American President Lines - Feb/07


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MARIS
of Westport, CT

Freighter Travel Club Int'l (Since 1958)
Freighter & Specialty Cruises (Since 1993)

1 800 99-Maris (-62747) & 1 203 222-1500 (-9191 fax)
www.freightercruises.com
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