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RCCL creates 'deluxe' brand,
Azamara Cruises
What was to be the introduction of Celebrity Cruises' newest
vessel here became the unveiling of a new cruise brand in the Royal
Caribbean Cruises family -- Azamara Cruises.
Speaking onboard the 710-person ship recently swapped from Pullmantur
for the Celebrity Zenith, and until May 4 called the Celebrity
Journey, RCCL CEO Richard Fain introduced the Azamara Journey, the
first ship in the line's new "deluxe" cruise brand.
Fain, speaking to a small audience of travel agents and press in the
ship's cabaret lounge, said that the company had intended to have the
ships be upscale versions of the Celebrity product, but that during
the ship's $19 million drydock refurbishment, it decided the vessel's
redesign and onboard experience would put it in a category of its own.
"Because this is a different product, and so distinct, it
deserves a category name of its own to represent the fact that we're
offering something different," said Fain. "We created
Azamara to target an area of the market that we think is undeserved,
and that this product is suited to fill."
Deluxe, as he explained, is between premium and luxury. Prices will
be above Celebrity's but below luxury cruise lines. Cruises aboard
the Azamara Cruises line will have no formal nights.
The name Azamara comes form the Romance languages, with Aza meaning
blue and Mara meaning sea. It will distinguish itself from Celebrity
by offering destination-oriented itineraries in remote destinations
that larger ships can't reach, with butler service in every
stateroom, and more intensive shore excursion programs.
The first sailing on Royal Caribbean Cruises' newest brand, the
Celebrity-operated Azamara Cruises, was delayed by one day, due to
not having put the "finishing touches" on the ship,
Celebrity said.
One day after notifying passengers booked on the cruise that they
would arrive at the port and see not the Celebrity Journey, a
Celebrity Expeditions ship, as planned, but an Azamara Cruises ship,
guests were told the vessel would depart a day late, too.
However, the Azamara Journey's first passengers, who had been booked
on the ship when it was called the Celebrity Journey, got to take
their cruise for free: The vessel departed from Bayonne, N.J., on its
first sailing to Bermuda on May 6, a day late, because refurb work
was still being completed onboard. The line gave passengers a full refund.
Silversea Cruises' fleet goes
completely wireless
Silversea Cruises' ships now have full wireless capability throughout
all areas of its ships, the luxury line said.
On its four ships, guests with Wi-Fi-enabled laptops and personal
digital assistants are now able to access the Internet from their
suites as well as all public areas.
"We're pleased to be able to offer this service upgrade to make
it more convenient for our guests to stay connected," said Tim
Rand, Silversea's vice president of information technology and chief
information officer, in a statement. "Today's luxury travelers
are often working professionals who travel with laptops and PDAs in
tow and they appreciate being able to access the Internet from
anywhere on the ship."
Pearl Seas increases passenger
capacity on its first vessel
Pearl Seas Cruises' first ship, to debut in August 2008, will be
larger than it previously announced, with a passenger capacity of 210
instead of 165.
Pearl Seas, an offshoot of small-ship operator American Cruise Lines,
contracted in late September 2006 with Irving Shipbuilding in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, to build two luxury cruise ships ready for
service in the summers of 2008 and 2009.
Pearl Seas said that the first ship, currently under construction, is
"proceeding quickly and on schedule".
The vessel will have 109 staterooms and suites -- ranging in size
from 240 to 460 square feet -- all with balconies.
The first ship will begin with international cruises in 2008 in the
Canadian Maritimes, Newfoundland and New England and would reposition
to the Caribbean later that year for Caribbean and Mexico Riviera itineraries.
Carnival's Fantasy-class ships get
new names as part of upgrade
Carnival Cruise Lines will update the names of its eight
Fantasy--class ships in conjunction with the company's recently
announced $250 million refurbishment program, the line said May 7.
Carnival will add the name "Carnival" and the company's
logo before the ships' current names to each vessel's hull and in
marketing and collateral materials, Carnival said. The change will be
made on each ship when it goes into drydock for refurbishment.
"The names of the majority of Carnival's ships which entered
service starting in the latter 1990's begin with 'Carnival,' and
those ships have become synonymous with expansive, high quality
amenities and features," said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president
and CEO, in a statement. "As each of our Fantasy-class ships
undergoes transformation to incorporate the wide-ranging enhancements
under the 'Evolutions of Fun' initiative, it is only fitting that
those vessels be rebranded to better align them with our other ships."
Carnival said that all marketing materials going forward will feature
the new ship names Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Ecstasy, Carnival
Sensation, Carnival Fascination, Carnival Imagination, Carnival
Inspiration, Carnival Paradise and Carnival Elation.
Grand Cayman prohibits cruise ships
from secondary port facility
Cruise ships have been banned from anchoring at a secondary dock
facility in Grand Cayman because, according to a government official,
their anchor chains have damaged coral reefs along the sea floor.
The Spotts Dock facility, about 10 minutes east of the main cruise
ship facility in the capital of George Town, can be used as an
alternative port when bad weather and rough seas prohibit cruise
ships from calling in George Town.
The ban, which previously had been in place in early 2006, was
reinstated again in late April when officials noted that cruise ships
once more were anchoring there with regular frequency.
Spotts Dock was approved in late 2005 as a secondary cruise port when
it was upgraded to meet the International Ship & Port Facility
Security Code. However, the dock can handle only three tenders at a
time, so the number of ships that can use the facility is limited.
"Because cruise ships are the biggest vessels to use the area,
their chains tend to cause damage," said John Bothwell, a
government environmental research official.
Cruise ships which can maintain their position without anchoring
still will be allowed to unload their passengers in Spotts Bay and
tender in to the dock. The ban applies only to cruise ships as there
is a separate cargo port area at the facility.
Bookings open for Carnival Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines has opened bookings for Carnival Splendor’s
inaugural 2008 season in Northern Europe and its week-long Eastern
Caribbean voyages from Fort Lauderdale.
The 113,300gt vessel will kick off with 12-day Northern Europe
cruises operating roundtrip from Dover July 13 to Aug. 30, 2008.
Ports include Copenhagen, Warnemünde, Helsinki, St. Petersburg,
Tallinn and Amsterdam.
The ship will also operate a one-time 12-day Western Mediterranean
cruise departing Dover Sept. 11 next year, calling at Le Havre, Vigo,
Lisbon, Malaga, Barcelona, Cannes and Livorno.
Following these voyages are a ‘Grand Mediterranean’
itinerary and two Med/Greek Isles sailings. After a 16-day crossing
to Fort Lauderdale, the ship begins weekly cruises to Casa de Campo,
St. Thomas, San Juan and Nassau.
Delta Queen seeks extension from Congress
2008 will be the last year for the 1926-built Delta Queen to operate
under a rare SOLAS exemption granted by Congress. The steam-powered
sternwheeler is a National Historic Landmark.
Largely built of wood, it does not meet SOLAS requirements and
remains in service thanks to an act of Congress sparked by a public
lobbying campaign in the 1960s.
‘We’re aggressively pursuing an extension [of the
exemption],’ said David Giersdorf, president of Majestic America
Line. The company has been notified there will be union opposition.
Asked why unions oppose the extension, Ambassadors management noted
the Majestic America Line vessels were union shops until their
takeover by Ambassadors.
Giersdorf expressed the hope that Congress will be compelled to grant
the extension in light of Delta Queen’s historic significance
and the wishes of thousands of past passengers.
Mississippi Queen delayed to March ’08
Mississippi Queen will not sail for Majestic America Line in 2007
after all. The vessel’s introduction has been delayed until
March 9 next year in order to allow major renovation work.
David Giersdorf, president of Majestic America Line, said the work
will include reducing the room count, creating additional suites and
adding a spa and fitness center. The paddlewheeler’s current
occupancy is 412.
In late February, the management of parent company Ambassadors
International told analysts they would delay Mississippi Queen’s
introduction probably until the fall this year. News of the further
delay was announced during today’s earnings call.
Some technical work has already been completed on the 1976-built
vessel and the company had planned to carry out further upgrades over
three to five years. But, said Ambassadors cfo Brian Schaefgen,
‘She’s tired. She won’t deliver on the brand.’ A
full renovation will ensure the product is consistent with the rest
of the fleet.
A comeback for the SS United States?
The buzz is growing that the SS United States, one of the most fabled
ocean liners ever built, could make a comeback.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Norwegian Cruise Line, which
owns the ship, hasn't given up on plans to re-launch the 55-year-old
vessel in coming years as part of its NCL America subsidiary.
The majestic, red-white-and-blue ocean liner has languished at a dock
in Philadelphia for almost a decade, but its hull still is in good
shape. The interior, however, is almost entirely gutted and would
need millions in restoration.
The ship is one of the sleekest and speediest ever built and still
holds the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. It
averaged an eye-popping 41 miles per hour. Alas, within a few years
of its launch, the blossoming age of jet travel had made its famed
speed irrelevant. It last sailed in 1969.
Princess' Most Traveled Passenger
Selected as Godmother of New Royal Princess
Princess' most-traveled passenger, Lorraine Arzt, will become the
godmother of the line's new Royal Princess. Arzt, who last year
reached a milestone 4,000 days at sea with Princess, will christen
the ship at its upcoming official naming ceremony in Portofino, Italy
on June 14.
Her impressive sailing record equals more than 10 years at sea aboard
Princess ships. Typically spending as long as 10 months each
year on board, Arzt moved into her suite aboard Royal Princess for
the ship's first sailing on April 19. Royal Princess will now
become her "home away from home" as she plans to cruise
exclusively aboard this intimately sized vessel.
"We've been flattered by Lorraine's loyalty over the years, so
we are thrilled to have her serve as godmother to her favorite
ship," said Alan Buckelew, president of Princess Cruises.
"Lorraine is a wonderful representative of our many long-time
passengers who mean so much to us, and in bestowing this honor we
hope also to recognize in some way all of our loyal Captain's Circle members."
Arzt, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday, has been a regular
resident aboard various Princess ships. She began cruising with
her late husband, Joe, in the early 1970s aboard P&O's Spirit of
London - which later became the original Sun Princess. That
first Mexico voyage sparked a life-long love of cruising, which
became increasingly frequent over the years. The Arzts spent 17
years as regular passengers aboard the original Royal Princess.
Following the transfer of that ship to P&O, Lorraine Arzt sailed
regularly aboard Sea Princess until the recent debut of the new Royal Princess.
Arzt is the most-traveled of more than seven million members of
Princess Captain's Circle, the line's acclaimed loyalty program.
New E-Docs Available Online
Carnival has rolled out a new electronic cruise document system,
providing added convenience and efficiency for the line's
guests. Located at www.carnival.com, the new
"paperless" system provides guests with the same travel
documentation and information typically available with traditional
cruise documents, all accessible on a "24/7" basis.
It is in "real time," ensuring that all guest data is
continually up-to-date. Data contained within the MyDocuments portal
is specifically tailored to that guest's "Fun Ship" cruise
with information on embarkation and ground transfers specific to
their voyage's departure point, along with a day-by-day itinerary
schedule and a listing of any shore excursions purchased by the
guest. Also included is a printable booking summary listing
guests' ship, sailing date, and itinerary, along with Carnival's
popular "Things to Know Before You Go" section with helpful
information on dining, tipping, attire and other aspects of the
"Fun Ship" vacation experience. Guests still have the
option of receiving paper documents instead if requested.
Great for Groups!
New Web Site for Custom-Designed 'Fun Ship'-Themed Shirts - Carnival
has created a special Web site allowing consumers to create
custom-designed shirts to wear during or after their cruise. The
site, located at www.carnivalfuntees.com, offers three shirt styles -
T-shirt, polo shirt or tank top which can be imprinted with images
and information from templates for eight affinity groups: family
reunion, friends and family, girlfriend getaways, anniversary,
birthday, wedding, honeymoon, and corporate.
New Itineraries for Carnival
Imagination, Carnival Destiny
The tropical destinations of Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Nassau
will be featured on a new three-port, five-day itinerary of the
2,052-passenger Imagination. The new itinerary, which begins Aug. 13,
2007, is the latest enhancement to the ship's popular four- and
five-day cruise schedule from Miami. Also, beginning Jan. 8, 2008,
the 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny will launch a new five-port,
seven-day itinerary from San Juan featuring a rare overnight call in
La Romana/Casa de Campo, along with day-long visits to St. Kitts,
Dominica, Barbados and St. Thomas/St. John.
New 130,000-ton SuperLiners Named
"Carnival Dream" and "Carnival Magic" are the
names chosen for Carnival Cruise Lines' new 130,000-ton SuperLiners
scheduled to enter service in October 2009 and June 2011,
respectively. The new 3,652-passenger vessels - to be the
largest in the Carnival fleet - will offer the most spacious design
of any "Fun Ship" as well as a host of new and expanded features.
Upcoming Godmothers:
• Princess' most traveled passenger, Lorraine Artz, will name
the Royal Princess on June 14 in Portofino, Italy. Artz spends ten
months of every year on Princess vessels; before it was transferred
to P&O Cruises she spent 17 years sailing with the former Royal
Princess. "Cruising is my life," she said.
• Costa Cruises named French actress Marion Cotillard as
godmother of its newest vessel, the 112,000-ton, 3,800-passenger
Costa Serena, which will be christened in Marseille, France, on May
19. Costa also said that Gerard Holtz, a French television
journalist, would be master of ceremonies during the event, and that
the Marseille Opera Chorus would perform during the ceremony.
First Woman Captain Named
Royal Caribbean has named Karin Stahre-Janson captain of the
Monarch of the Seas, making her the first woman in the industry to
command a major cruise ship, the line said. Stahre-Janson recently
completed her first tour of duty as master of the vessel; she resumes
the job in August. Before her promotion, Stahre-Janson served as
first officer, chief officer and staff captain on several Royal
Caribbean vessels.
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