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Carnival
revises Destiny's Caribbean itinerary for sailings in 2008
The Carnival
Destiny will operate a new five-port, seven-day itinerary from San
Juan beginning Jan. 8.
The
2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny's new itinerary will feature what
the line calls a "rare overnight call" in La Romana/Casa de
Campo, Dominican Republic, and day-long visits to St. Kitts,
Dominica, Barbados and St. Thomas.
The Carnival
Destiny currently sails seven-day itineraries from San Juan to St.
Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua.
Louis
Cruise Lines joins niche marketing group
Cypriot cruise
company Louis Cruise Lines will join the Niche Cruise Marketing
Alliance as the 12th member of the group of small and niche brand
cruise lines.
Louis offers
three- to 10-day cruises in the Mediterranean on seven of its 13
mid-size cruise ships. Its other six vessels are under long-term
charter to various cruise brands.
Nicholas
Filippidis, director of product development for North America for
Louis noted that the line "is not one of the large cruise
lines" which enables it to cater to a specific market. "Our
itineraries are focused on destinations, and we operate smaller
vessels. We cater to a more sophisticated clientele and the product
needs more explaining and we feel the NCMA is the best vehicle to
tell out story."
Celebrity
Quest to introduce new ports in Europe in 2008
Celebrity Cruises'
newest ship, the 710-passenger Celebrity Quest, will introduce 25
ports of call in Europe to the Celebrity brand when it begins sailing
a European program under the Celebrity Expeditions brand, beginning
in April 2008.
The sailings will
mark Celebrity Expeditions' inaugural Europe season. The Celebrity
Quest will sail a 14-day transatlantic voyage from Miami on April 12,
2008. The ship will reposition to Rome to sail 14-day "Best of
Italy" cruises with overnight stays in Sorrento, Venice, and
Livorno (Florence/Pisa), with visits to Monopoli, Ravenna and
Sardinia, Italy, as well as Split, Croatia, and Taormina, Sicily.
Carnival
adds 20 Alaska excursions
Carnival Spirit
will introduce 20 new excursions in Alaska during the upcoming
season. They include zip line rain forest canopy tours (Juneau),
luxury SUV and 4 x 4 excursions (Ketchikan and Sitka), and a train
ride on a vintage parlor car (Skagway).
The new options
bring the total number of Alaska excursions offered by Carnival
Cruise Lines to 120. This year, Carnival Spirit will operate 16
seven-day Glacier Route and three seven-day Glacier Bay cruises.
Hong
Kong building for the future
Hong Kong is
gearing up for the arrival of more home-porting ships, increased
transit calls and rising numbers of mainland Chinese tourists.
Star Cruises is
increasing its presence from two to three vessels when SuperStar
Aquarius (former Norwegian Wind) is based there from June. Costa
Allegra will return again at the end of October while RCI’s
Rhapsody of the Seas will use Hong Kong as one of the homeports for
its Asian foray.
Falling
Caribbean pricing leads to weakened Wave Season
The first two
months of Wave Season were weak this year as cruise pricing fell to a
new low, according to a February survey of travel agents conducted by
Bank of America analysts.
Travel agents'
expectations of a strong Wave Season were short lived, wrote BofA
analyst Michael Savner, as "key indexes weakened in January and
February, as pricing in the Caribbean fell precipitously."
"Our Pricing
Index fell to a new low," Savner wrote. He said that the
investment bank's Cruise Pricing Index decreased to 45.2 in February
from 58.0 in January, marking the lowest level since BofA began the
survey in August 2006. (A Cruise Pricing Index level above 50 means
that pricing was higher than last year, a level of 50 means that
pricing was in-line with last year and a level below 50 means that
pricing was lower than last year.)
Savner also
reported that Caribbean demand "fell steeply," to 42.1 from
57.1 in January, its lowest level since September 2006.
"The results
echo comments made by Carnival and Royal Caribbean management teams
during our recent meetings in Miami," Savner said.
Savner also said
that the indications in Carnival's earnings report, that Caribbean
bookings were up 28% from February to mid-March compared to the same
period of 2006, "could help provide relief to the region and
spur additional demand."
Carnival brand,
which has 19 of their 22 ships in the Caribbean and Mexico market,
announced they have seen a significant uptick in bookings over a six-
week period which resulted in record bookings for the brand.
EDITORS NOTE:
I guess this is kind of an oxymoron. Rates are at a "new
low" because of lower demand in the Caribbean. When rates
start going back up, due to increased demand, then more people will
start booking -- at higher rates!!! Now,
what kind of sense does that make? If rates are at a "new
low" then this ought to be the time that you book your 2007
cruise vacation. Or you can follow the crowd and wait until
rates go up.
Carnival
is Making Sure Your Ship Has Someplace to Go
Last week Carnival
Corp announced that construction would start this fall on a new port
they are developing at Roatán in Honduras. While it will be
more than just a pier, it's not going to be a copy of the project
they completed at Grand Turk last year.
Indeed, you may
not have noticed, but Carnival has become an industry leader in
developing places for the ships to dock from Cozumel to Genoa, and
lots of places in between.
We
Are Officially Old
MSC Cruises is
offering a special Senior Saver rate in Europe that includes Baby
Boomers, with age dipping all the way to 50 years old.
QM2
Sets 2008 Transatlantic Schedule and New Continental Destinations
Cunard's signature
is transatlantic crossings, and Queen Mary 2 was built to take the
traditional crossing into a whole new era with new flair. So it would
come more as a surprise if Cunard were not to be announcing another
summer season of crossings for their flagship, but in 2008, they're
adding something: Next year, QM2 will make 24 crossings
between New York and Southampton.
RCI
details new loyalty club for youngsters
Royal Caribbean
International provided details of its previously announced loyalty
program for young cruisers. The Crown & Anchor Society Youth
Program is designed for passengers under 18 and will launch with
Liberty of the Seas’ maiden voyage on May 19.
Children will
automatically attain their parents’ membership level -- Gold,
Platinum, Diamond or Diamond Plus -- when enrolled in the program.
Members will be welcomed at the beginning of each cruise with a Youth
Ultimate Value Booklet, which includes coloring pages, puzzles, games
and special offers for shipboard amenities such as Ben &
Jerry’s ice cream, Airbrush Tattoo, arcade games and Y-spa (teen
treatments). Members also will receive Crayola Twistable crayons or a
Royal Caribbean messenger bag.
Pullmantur
to gain a Royal Caribbean ship
Royal Caribbean
International announced plans to transfer Empress of the Seas to
Pullmantur, the Madrid-based cruise and tour operator that Royal
Caribbean Cruises Ltd. acquired in November.
The ship’s
last voyage under the Royal Caribbean banner will be March 7, 2008.
‘This
transfer will help to increase Pullmantur's capacity and meet demand
for its distinctive style of cruise holidays in the European
market,’ said RCI president Adam Goldstein.
Empress of the
Seas joined the Royal Caribbean fleet in June 1990 as Nordic Empress.
The ship was extensively refurbished and renamed in May 2004.
The 48,563gt
vessel has a double occupancy capacity of 2,020.
St.
Maarten pier expansion to start this year
The Phase II
expansion of St. Maarten’s mega-ship facilities will probably
start at the end of the year, said tourism commissioner Theo Heyliger.
St. Maarten plans
to build a second alongside pier, parallel to the existing facility,
and to add a third tender pier, Heyliger said.
Passenger numbers
at Philipsburg grew from 550,000 in 1995, when St. Maarten was a
tender port, to 800,000 in 2000 when the Dr. A. C. Wathey pier
opened. Numbers rose steadily after that, leveling off at 1.4m in
2005 and 2006.
St. Maarten can
handle four mega-ships alongside simultaneously. To accommodate the
more than 10,000 passengers those vessels disgorge, the Dr. A. C.
Wathey facility has space for staging more than 100 taxis and 15
buses at a time. Plus, water taxis depart every five minutes to two
tender piers in the heart of Philipsburg. Passengers may also walk
into town along a landscaped boardwalk where numerous restaurants
have sprung up in the last five years.
Aker
Yards designs Princess Kaguya colossus
Conceptual designs
for a huge ‘urban cruise ship’ which will house three
1,200-room hotels offering residential suites and offices, a total of
45 restaurants, a shopping mall, 6,000sq mtr convention hall, a
2,000-seat concert hall and amusement park, have been completed by
Aker Yards.
The company behind
the project is Tokyo-based Japan Contents Network Inc whose ceo, 60-year-old
Hajime Tanaka, designed and built three Japanese golf courses in the
1970s and a private driving circuit which hosted two Formula One
Pacific Grand Prix in the '90s.
The dimensions of
the ship, project name 'Princess Kaguya,' are staggering: 370,000grt,
500 mtr long, with 20 decks and capacity for 8,400 passengers, 4,000
crew and a service speed of 20 knots. ‘What makes this project
different to a conventional cruise ship is the ability to cater for
10,000 visitors while the ship is in port, in addition to the
passenger/crew roster, allowing up to 30,000 people to be on board
simultaneously,’ Ko Nemoto, JCN corporate officer, told Seatrade Insider.
The idea would be
to hold sporting events and exhibition and trade shows on the
floating city while the ship is in port, initially in Asian waters
but dependent on demand the vessel could go anywhere in the world.
Nemoto confirmed
the company is now analyzing the business and financial aspects of
the project in conjunction with a prominent European corporate
finance house and a dozen or so Asian financial institutions. ‘We
hope to get financial backing by the end of this year, and would
spend a further year working on contractural issues’. The
construction period will be three years so realistically the ship
would not be ready until late 2011, early 2012.
While the initial
conceptual study resulted in a ship of 370,000gt, an even bigger ship
incorporating all of JCN's wish list came out at around 450,000gt
equivalent to a double Genesis-sized ship, but Nemoto said the
370,000gt version proved to be technically feasible and more
realistic in terms of maneuvering in port (see
www.princesskaguya.com). RCI’s Genesis, arriving in 2009, will
be 220,000gt, so Princess Kaguya would be more than one-and-a-half
times bigger.
Make
over pays off for Port Melbourne
The Victorian
government’s A$15m (US$12,084,000) improvements to historic
Station Pier have paid off, according to Port of Melbourne
Corporation’s ceo, Stephen Bradford.
Bradford was
commenting on the announcement by Dean Brown, acting md for Carnival
Australia, that Melbourne will be the home port of the
1,950-passenger Dawn Princess from November 2008 through to March 2009.
Bradford said the
77,000gt Dawn Princess will be the first cruise ship to ‘call
Melbourne home’ and said the Corporation is 'delighted' with the
Carnival initiative
Monaco
rolls out the red carpet
The recent boom in
newbuild orders for luxury operators is good news for a destination
like Monaco. ‘Monaco will be positioned perfectly to capture the
growth in the luxury sector,’ said Roberto Giorgi, president of
Monaco-based V.Ships. ‘The leisure industry in Monaco – the
hotels, restaurants and casinos – is very well-suited to this
market. "
Even before most
of those newbuilds start hitting the water, Monaco will chart
‘incredible growth,’ according to Gianbattista Borea
d’Olmo, md of Societe D’Exploitation Des Ports De Monaco,
commercial manager of the principality’s cruise ship quay and
two marinas. ‘We already have problems to accept all the
demand,’ he added.
Since the
completion of the cruise quay in 2003, calls ballooned from 101 in
2002 to 210 in 2006. Before the quay, the cruise season lasted six or
seven months. It has now stretched to nine or 10 months.
Silversea Cruises,
for one, is increasing calls next year. ‘It’s always one of
our best turn-arounds,’ said spokesman Brad Ball.
Carnival
updates take-aboard beverage policy
Carnival Cruise
Lines now prohibits passengers from bringing alcoholic and
non-alcoholic beverages onboard, including bottles of water, Carnival said.
The cruise line
updated its liquor and beverage policy this week and said that aside
from an allowance which enables passengers to bring "one bottle
of wine or champagne per person (21 years and older) on board only
during embarkation at the beginning of the cruise ... any additional
quantity of wine/champagne or any alcoholic and non-alcoholic
beverages will be confiscated and discarded without compensation."
As to why the
policy was changed, Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said guests
had been bringing on too many nonalcoholic beverages.
"There had
been some abuse of the previous policy which is why the new policy is
more restrictive," he said.
Carnival also said
that, "alcoholic beverages purchased in the ship's gift shops or
in ports of call will be retained by Carnival until the end of the voyage."
The line is
following Royal Caribbean, which also has begun banning passengers
from bringing their own sodas and waters on board. Carnival says if
it finds beverages in your luggage as you're boarding, they'll be
confiscated and discarded without compensation.
What's behind the
trend? Drink sales on ships are big moneymakers. Carnival charges
$2.25 for a small bottle of Natural Springs water; $3.50 for a big
one. Cans of soda are $1.75.
Silversea
to create own spa brand for luxury line
Silversea Cruises
is changing its spa provider from Steiner Leisure’s Mandara
Spas, opting to create its own spa brand managed by Steiner, the
luxury line said March 27.
Silversea said it
launched its new spa concept and brand on the Silver Shadow, one of
it four-ships, and renamed the new brand, The Spa at Silversea. The
spas will feature new treatments and programs "designed to offer
a more personalized and holistic spa experience."
NCL-Nintendo
partnership brings Wii to sea
Norwegian Cruise
Line is bringing Nintendo’s hot Wii video game to sea. Since its
launch last November, Wii has become one of the world’s fastest
selling game systems.
Wii is already
aboard Norwegian Pearl and all NCL America ships and will be rolled
out on the rest of the NCL fleet by next month.
The systems are
equipped with Wii Sports, offering tennis, golf, baseball, boxing and
bowling. Other games available on the ships include Wii Play,
WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Excite Truck.
Carnival
outlines $250m in Fantasy-class upgrades
Children’s
water parks, a new design and features for the pool areas, and the
creation of a ‘Serenity’ adults-only area will be among
what Carnival Cruise Lines is calling ‘a dramatic
transformation’ of the open decks for its eight Fantasy-class ships.
The new features
are part of a $250m ‘Evolutions of Fun’ program, a
wide-ranging ship refurbishment and product enhancement initiative.
The expanded
outdoor recreation areas will initially be incorporated onto the
2,052-berth Inspiration and Imagination during month-long drydocks
this fall and added to other Fantasy-class ships in 2008 and 2009
during scheduled drydocks.
The updated pool
and deck areas on Inspiration and Imagination are one component of
extensive refurbishments that began in 2005 and include renovations
to most public areas. Among the new features are remodeled staterooms
and suites including new bathrooms, flat-screen televisions in
staterooms and select public areas, atrium lobby bars, updated sound
and lighting systems in lounges and clubs, stand-alone coffee bars
and nine-hole miniature golf courses.
With Carnival
expected to carry a record 575,000 kids this year, particular
emphasis is being placed on family amenities, with new and expanded
play areas as part of the Camp Carnival program, and new facilities
for the Club O2 teen program. Spaces for 12- to 14-year-olds are also
planned, and more than 50 interconnecting staterooms are being added
to several Fantasy-class ships.
The
‘Evolutions of Fun’ initiative also includes an overhaul of
the ships’ 12,000-square-foot spa facilities. The spa make overs
will add private treatment rooms, updated exercise equipment and
cosmetic enhancements.
Carnival said many
enhancements have already been completed on Fantasy, Ecstasy and
Fascination and partially executed on Sensation, Elation and
Paradise. By 2009, the entire Fantasy-class fleet will be updated
including the transformation of open deck areas.
A
record six Princess ships for Europe in
Princess Cruises
will deploy a record six ships in Europe in 2008. The season, which
starts in early April and stretches through November, will include
five new itineraries and visits to eight new destinations. Cruises
will range from seven to 23 days.
New to Europe will
be Crown Princess, which adds capacity to Scandinavia/Russia
itineraries, and Pacific Princess, which gives another small-ship
option in the Mediterranean and significantly increases Holy Land sailings.
The 710-passenger
Royal Princess returns with a new schedule, including a
‘Classical Europe’ route which combines Scandinavia/Russia
with the Mediterranean. Emerald Princess, which debuts this spring in
the Mediterranean, sails once again throughout the Med and Greek
Isles. Grand Princess showcases both Northern Europe and the
Mediterranean, and Sea Princess sails on one- and two-week
Mediterranean and Northern Europe itineraries from Southampton.
Eight new ports
for Princess include Sarande, Albania; Dartmouth, England; Bornholm
on the Danish island of Rønne; and Scrabster, Scotland. New
ports on trans-Atlantic sailings are Banjul, capital of The Gambia;
Horta in the Portugal’s Azores Islands; and St. Anthony, Newfoundland.
Princess
launches nifty luggage service
Nobody travels
with more luggage than cruisers, who often find themselves loaded
down with everything from casual pool clothes to formal wear. And
that makes getting to the ship a real pain (after all, who wants to
lug all that stuff through the airport).
Enter Princess
Cruises, which is launching a home-to-ship luggage delivery service.
Sign up for the new Princess Luggage Valet program and the line will
pick up bags at your house before departure and whisk them to your
ship by DHL. If all goes according to plan, they'll be waiting in
your cabin when you arrive.
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