Norwegian cruise line resumes sailings from Orlando

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Company’s Great Cruise Comeback Continues with Voyages from Port Canaveral Sailing the Eastern Caribbean


Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel continues its Great Cruise Comeback celebration, resuming voyages today aboard Norwegian Escape from Orlando, Fla. (Port Canaveral) to the Eastern Caribbean. Norwegian Escape, the first of the Brand's successful Breakaway Plus Class ships becomes the eighth vessel in the Company's 17-ship fleet to resume operations.

"We have welcomed back more than 110,000 guests worldwide as part of our global redeployment efforts," said Harry Sommer, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. "Our Great Cruise Comeback stems beyond the relaunch of our vessels but also the return of our shipboard team members who have been excited to return to deliver unforgettable vacations experiences to our guests."

Norwegian Escape will sail from Port Canaveral near Orlando offering seven-day voyages to the Eastern Caribbean visiting major ports including Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Great Stirrup Cay, the company's private island in the Bahamas. On 23 December, 2021, she will embark on an 11-day holiday journey visiting nine destination-rich ports of call where guests can celebrate Christmas Day in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and partake in New Year's Eve festivities in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands before continuing their voyage to Bridgetown, Barbados and St. John's Antigua.

Also sailing from Port Canaveral will be the Brand's newest and most in-demand ship ever launched Norwegian Prima. From 11 December, 2022, to 19 March, 2023, Norwegian Prima will homeport in Orlando, sailing 15 roundtrip Western Caribbean voyages featuring five, seven, and nine-day port-rich itineraries visiting notable destinations, including Cozumel, Mexico; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay, in the Bahamas.

NCL's Great Cruise Comeback to redeploy its entire fleet began on 25 July, 2021 when Norwegian Jade was the first vessel to set sail with seven-day itineraries to the Greek Isles after a 500-day suspension. Since then, the Brand has relaunched seven additional ships with more vessels to resume operations in December 2021 and into 2022.

The Company's fleetwide redeployment will continue in partnership with local governments and are guided by the robust protocols of the Company's Sail Safe health and safety program, which at its cornerstone requires that all crew and guests must be fully vaccinated to embark on all NCL voyages for the foreseeable future. Working with the leading experts of the SailSAFE™ Global Health and Wellness Council, the robust protocols will be regularly evaluated and modified as needed, making science-based decisions to protect guests, crew and the destinations it visits. As protocols evolve and additional information becomes available, updates will be published at www.ncl.com/sail-safe.

NCL invites travellers to witness its return to cruise journey with its pioneering five-part docuseries "EMBARK – The Series," showcasing a behind-the-scenes look at the ongoing measures for a healthy and safe return to cruising. The entire first season is available on-demand at www.ncl.com/embark. Watch all five episodes and the full suite of EMBARK content including Stories and Spotlights.

For more information about the Company’s award-winning 17-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call Hong Kong on +852 2165 6000 and Southeast Asia on +65 3165 1680 or visit www.ncl.com.

3 Filipino films competing in the prestigious Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

 

On its 25th year, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) selected three films from the Philippines to participate in its film festival happening in Tallinn and Tartu, Estonia which started last November 12 and will conclude on November 28, 2021.

Jun Robles Lana’s Big Night! is part of the festival’s Main Competition, joining 19 other competing films from all over the world to premiere in one of the biggest international film festivals in Northern Europe. Still basking in the success of Kalel, 15 in the 23rd PÖFF in 2019 where Lana received the Best Director Award, Big Night! is much anticipated by international audiences and film critics.

This dark comedy follows the story of a gay beautician, played by Christian Bables, whose life takes a drastic turn when her name appears on the neighborhood watchlist of drug users. As others on the list have fallen victim to assasination one by one, she has 24 hours to clear her name and save herself from the same fate. Joined by an outstanding cast of the industry’s brightest stars, Eugene Domingo, Gina Alajar, Janice de Belen, Ricky Davao, Gina Pareño, Alan Paule, Soliman Cruz, and John Arcilla, Big Night! is set to shine.

Khavn De La Cruz is joining this year’s roster with his Love is a Dog from Hell under the Rebels with a Cause category. Khavn is notable for his surprising treatments and his experimental approach to storytelling. For this film, he made a bizarre and fascinating spectacle shot with ten various cameras.

Finally, How to Die Young in Manila by Petersen Vargas will be competing in the PÖFF Shorts Competition which is set to begin mid-festival, November 16 until November 24. The film follows a teenage boy as he trails a group of hustlers in search for his anonymous night fling. One by one, the boys turn up dead until there is only one left.

These proudly Pinoy films are having their world premiere in Tallinn and will have multiple screenings across different venues in Estonia throughout the 2-week film festival.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) extends its well wishes to this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival participants from the Philippines. FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño shares, “Thank you to our three filmmakers for bringing the Philippines with them in the spotlight at Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festival. We are proud of them. Congratulations for making it to the competitions, and the best of luck to all of them in the coming days.”

The Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, also known as PÖFF (Pimedate Ööde Film Festival) is one of the 15 film festivals that is rated in “A-category” by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). This year’s festival is expected to be participated by over 1,000 guests and industry delegates and is set to screen more than 500 featured films and shorts.

World’s largest science film festival kicks off at NSTW

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

 

The Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute, together with the Goethe-Institut Philippines, will be screening the 12th annual Science Film Festival for free at this year’s National Science and Technology Week, from November 22 to 28, 2021. 

 

Since 2005, the Science Film Festival has been celebrating science communication in Southeast Asia and is now the largest event of its kind in the world. This year’s festivities include 35 science edutainment films—on topics ranging from cloud computing and biology to climatology and epidemiology—tied together by the theme, “Better Health Through Better Understanding.” The festival looks back on the challenges and milestones the world has faced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, empowering viewers to take better care of themselves and the environment. 

 

“Health and mental well-being are vital in the aftermath of the pandemic, with many Filipino youths concerned about their and their family’s wellbeing,” said DOST-SEI Director Josette T. Biyo. “We hope to reach out to them and empower them through this Festival, even while fulfilling our mandate to deliver quality STEM education to the people.” 

 

The Science Film Festival also offers supplemental hands-on activities including experiments, projects, and learning games to supplement the films, making for an enjoyable and multidisciplinal learning experience. 

 

All 35 science edutainment films will be available for free online until December 3, 2021. For more details about the Science Film Festival and the available films, please visit goethe.de/ScienceFilmFestPh.