Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. expands international leadership team
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 26 November 2015 26 November 2015
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. has announced three key appointments to the company’s international leadership team: Steve Odell, previously Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Australia & New Zealand, is now Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Asia Pacific, responsible for overseeing Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, and Asia, including Japan, India, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan; David Herrera, previously with Prestige Cruise Holdings, has been appointed as Senior Vice President and Managing Director China; and Frank Medina, who joins the company as Vice President and Managing Director for Latin America, overseeing Mexico, South and Central America and the Caribbean. All three positions will be focused on the continued growth of the company’s presence in the region and differentiating each brand’s unique offerings. The three executives will be responsible for all three of NCLH’s family of brands, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. All report to Harry Sommer, Executive Vice President International Business Development.
Odell brings a wealth of cruise industry experience earned over the past thirty years through pioneering activity in a variety of senior positions in the luxury sector. He played a key role in the establishment of the luxury cruise segment in Australasia since 2000, previously serving as Silversea’s President EMEA & Asia Pacific. He has also served as Chairman ICCA (now CLIA Australasia) between 2005 & 2007 and was a founding Board member of the Asia Cruise Association (now CLIA Asia).
As Senior Vice President and Managing Director for China, David Herrera is responsible for overseeing all of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ brands in the quickly expanding China market, including the home-porting of NCLH’s newest and largest ship in the market. Most recently, Herrera co-chaired the task force created by NCL to decide its future deployment strategy in China. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor to the Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, where he led a group responsible for researching the Chinese cruise market for Oceania Cruises. David began his finance and investment career at Goldman, Sachs and Sanford C. Bernstein where he advised executives and families on all investment matters and was the founder of a private investment firm focused on dynamic and early stage growth opportunities similar to NCLH’s opportunity in the emerging China cruise market.
Frank Medina joins Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings as Vice President and Managing Director for Latin America. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the cruise sector, most recently having served as Commercial Director for Key Markets in North America for Celebrity Cruises, overseeing strategic planning and execution of sales and marketing initiatives across the brand’s top markets. He previously led the growth and development of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Latin America & Caribbean.
“We are thrilled to further enhance our strong international leadership team with the strong experience, strategic planning and industry knowledge that Steve Odell, David Herrera and Frank Medina bring to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings,” said Harry Sommer, executive vice president, international business development.
TUI Cruises introduces cabin service on two latest ships
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 19 November 2015 19 November 2015
TUI Cruises, the Hamburg based premium market cruise shipping company, says it will introduce 24 hour room service on board its two latest vessels, the Mein Schiff 3 and Mein Schiff 4.
The Diamond service will enable passengers to order drinks and light snacks to their cabins around the clock, such as tapas and wine. A charge will apply for the service, the company said in a statement.
The company has a total of four ships in service and it has fitted Nespresso coffee machines in all cabins to allow passengers to have coffee or tea without leaving their accommodation.
Fred. Olsen’s Boudicca to receive 28 terrace balcony cabins
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 18 November 2015 18 November 2015
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the UK based destinational cruise operator, said its 880 passenger Boudicca will be fitted with 28 terrace balcony cabins during dry docking in Bremerhaven this month.
During the dry dock, Boudicca will see 28 cabins on Lido Deck 7 fitted with terrace balconies. “These new terrace balcony cabins will extend out 1.2 metres from the ship’s bulkhead, and will provide guests with an increased choice of cost-effective balcony cabins, with access to the outside,” the company said in a statement.
Mike Rodwell, Managing Director of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We experience extremely high demand for balcony cabins across our fleet, in particular on a smaller-sized ship such as Boudicca, and our new terrace balcony cabins are an innovative response to this.”
“We installed the new terrace balcony cabins on sister ship Black Watch during her dry dock last Autumn, and these have proved very popular with our guests.”
Following her dry dock, Boudicca will commence her cruise season from the South Essex port of Tilbury, with a 14-night ‘Landscapes of Morocco, Madeira & the Canaries’ voyage, departing on 30th November 2015.
Boudicca will arrive in Bremerhaven on 18th November 2015 from the Port of Tyne, Newcastle, following a 16-night ‘Mysterious Morocco & Seductive Spain’ cruise, and will undergo various engineering works, general refurbishment and interior / exterior painting.
The ship was built in Finland as Royal Viking Sky in 1973 for the now defunct Royal Viking Line. It was lengthened in the early 1980s from its original 177 metres to the present day 205 metres. While owned by Fred. Olsen, it has e.g. received new engines.
Pacific Eden becomes fourth ship in P&O Cruises Australia fleet
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 18 November 2015 18 November 2015
Pacific Eden, formerly Ryndam of sister company Holland America Line , has joined P&O Cruises Australia as the fourth ship of the Australia and New Zealand focused contemporary market company of the Carnival Corp & plc group.
“Heralded as a game changer for the Australian cruise industry, the 55,820-tonne Pacific Eden is berthed in Fremantle this week, with final touches being made to the ship’s striking features ahead of her inaugural 10-night cruise,” the Sydney based P&O Cruises Australia said on 16 November in a statement.
The ship is now on its way to Sydney, where it will arrive for a naming ceremony on 25 November. By that time, its sister ship, the former Statendam, now renamed Pacific Aria, will also be present and the two ships will be named at the same ceremony.
Pacific Eden was built in 1993 and Pacific Aria a year earlier. Both ships have undergone total transformation t the Sembawang shipyard in Singapore, whereby they now have a new identity and P&O Cruises Australia signature features on board.
A sixth vessel is due to join the fleet in 2017 when the 77,400 gross ton Dawn Princess of Princess cruises will become Pacific Explorer. Again, a major refit is being planned for the ship before its re-entry to service.
Pacific Eden is set to become a familiar figure in the west, with the boutique ship cruising from Fremantle for a season in 2016 and again in 2017. After sailing from Fremantle this Sunday Pacific Eden will return in April 2016 to offer her first season of 16 cruises, which will include short breaks to Margaret River and Esperance and longer itineraries to Indonesia.
The ship will be homeported in Fremantle again from April to June 2017, offering 10 cruises including a new nine-night itinerary featuring P&O Cruises’ first foray into scenic cruising along the Kimberley coastline.
P&O Cruises Senior Vice President Sture Myrmell said the addition of Pacific Eden and sister ship Pacific Aria had increased the cruise line’s fleet to five ships, enabling P&O to base a ship in Western Australia for longer periods of time.
“Western Australia is really coming into its own both as a cruise destination and a homeport, so we’re thrilled to have the capacity to be able to base one of our latest ships in Fremantle for the next two summers. Pacific Eden is sure to become a fast favourite among Western Australians as she offers an exciting line up of cruises from the state, giving local tourism a boost and bringing a wealth of economic opportunities to port towns up and down the coast,” Myrmell said.
Commencing the fifth edition of Madrid International Cruise Summit
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 16 November 2015 16 November 2015
Alan Lam reports
International Cruise Summit 2015, organised by CruisesNews Media Group, returns to the capital of Spain on 18-19 November. The event will again focus on sharing knowledge and experience of some of the major players in the cruise industry.
The conference will be inaugurated by José Llorca, President of Port Authority, Marta Blanco, Director General of Turspain and Mar de Miguel, Director General of Tourism of Madrid. It will be attended by leading industry personalities, such as Raphael Von Heereman, Secretary General of CLIA Europe, Neil Palomba, President of Costa Crociere, Jorge Vilches, President and CEO of Pullmantur Group, and many other senior executives of most major global cruise brands.
The summit will also be attended by other professionals from all levels of the cruise and related industries, travel agents, analysts, as well as those who wish to become part of the cruise phenomenon.
Revenue management, cruise destination development, port operations, river cruises and future challenges will be among the main topics of panel discussions and presentations.
One of the main aims of this summit, according to its organizer, is to strengthen the potential of Spain as a cruise destination, a leader in port infrastructure development, as well as being an important source market.
The highlight of this year’s gathering will be the live interview with Neil Palomba.
As before, a senior Cruise Business Review correspondent will be in attendance. An in-depth report on this event will be published in our winter edition
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