Strong pound lifts Mediterranean cruise demand in UK to all time high - MSC's Hawke

A strong British pound has increased the demand for cruises in the Mediterranean to all time high levels, said Giles Hawke, executive director of MSC Cruises in the UK & Ireland.

“The strength of the pound means demand for cruise holidays in the Med has never been higher – and with that comes a lot of new-to-cruise customers," he said in a statement.

The pound currently trades at 1.39 to the euro, levels that were last seen in 2007.

 

Mein Schiff 4 and Mein Schiff 5 to introduce new bars and restaurants

TUI Cruises, the Hamburg based premium market cruise operator, says its Mein Schiff 4 that will be introduced this summer and the next unit in the class will both introduce new bars and restaurants.

Mein Schiff 4 will also introduce Waterkant Bar & Lounge, which will serve teas during the day in a quiet atmosphere, while in the evening it will transform to a pre-dinner or pre-theatre drinks venue. Mein Schiff 5 will feature additional cabins that comprise two further Himmel & Meer suites plus new restaurant and bar concepts. A cafe will be introduced in the reception area together with an Italian restaurant. A Bistro on the pool deck will be yet another new feature on this ship.

The company, which is a joint venture between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL), the world's second largest cruise shipping group, and the travel company TUI AG, currently has three ships in service. A further three are on order at Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland. The company also holds two options for further newbuildings.

Holland America Line's new Koningsdam reaches a milestone

Holland America Line celebrated another milestone this week in the construction of ms Koningsdam with the float-out and transfer of the ship from its dry dock to its outfitting dock at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy.

At the outfitting dock, final construction and interior furnishing will take place until the ship is delivered March 31, 2016.

"A ship’s construction has many key milestones, and floating it out and moving it to the outfitting dock is especially symbolic," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. "The float out represents that we are getting closer to welcoming Koningsdam to our fleet and seeing the ship in the water adds to the excitement among our loyal guests, travel agent partners and employees in anticipation of its arrival."

A coin ceremony also was held earlier on Feb. 26, when Tineke Schröder, wife of the founder of Dutch airline Martinair and a member of Holland America Line’s Mariner Society, served as the ship’s madrina.

During the coin ceremony, observed as a tradition to bring good fortune, two gold coins were welded to the forward mast of the ship by Schröder; Antonio Quintano, director of Fincantieri Shipyard; and Keith Taylor, executive vice president, fleet operations, for Holland America Line, followed by speeches and a blessing by the shipyard chaplain. The gold coins bear the image of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The word koning means “king” in Dutch, and the ship’s name pays honor to the first king of the Netherlands in over a century.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to visit record 253 destinations in 2016-17, refines offerings

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the UK based destinational operator of four medium sized ships, says they will be visiting no fewer than 253 destinations in 84 countries around the globe – more than ever before, in 2016-17. The line will also introduce adults only sailings, although none of the ships will be permanently dedicated to adults. There will be a 45% increase in beds from Newcastle as the line's largest ship will operate a series of cruises from that port.

Fred. Olsen will be sailing from a total of 10 regional UK departure ports in 2016-17 – Southampton, Dover, Harwich, Tilbury, Falmouth – a new addition – Liverpool, Newcastle, Rosyth (for Edinburgh), Greenock (for Glasgow)and Belfast.

In 2016/17, Fred. Olsen’s 1,350-guest flagship, Balmoral, will be sailing from Newcastle for the first time ever, with a record 11 departures, representing a 45% increase in capacity from the port. Departures include: a five-night ‘Norwegian Festival & Fjords’ cruise, visiting Bergen during the ‘International Festival‘; a 10-night ‘UK Castles’ sailing, offering guests the chance to visit Balmoral and Braemar Castles, both of which lend their names to Fred. Olsen ships; and an 11-night ‘Spain, Portugal & Guernsey’ cruise.

Fred. Olsen’s Boudicca will also be cruising from the port of Falmouth for the first time in 2016-17, offering guests in the South West of the UK a 12-night ‘Canaries & Portugal Spring Break’ (18+ only) and a ten-night ‘Land’s End to John O’Groats’ voyage.

Fred. Olsen will be reconfirming its commitment to the port of Liverpool in 2016-17, with a total of 15 cruise departures on board Boudicca, including a 16-night ‘Rugged & Rural Canada’ journey and an 18-night ‘Canaries Christmas & Funchal Fireworks’ sailing.

Fred. Olsen will also be reinforcing its reputation as the ‘local, global cruise line of choice’ in 2016-17 with a 50% increase in sailings from Tilbury on Black Watch, with a total of six departures, including an adults-only nine-night ‘Cruising the Fjordland’ voyage and a seven-night ‘European Cities & Waterways’ experience. Fred. Olsen will also be offering a total of six cruises on Black Watch from Rosyth (Edinburgh) in 2016/17, including a nine-night ‘A Taste of Iceland’ cruise and a 13-night ‘Scandinavian Capitals & St. Petersburg’ sailing.

Fred. Olsen will be offering a further 18 ‘18+’ cruises in 2016-17, for guests who would rather cruise with people of a similar age. These adults-only voyages include Braemar’s 11-night ‘Great British Cruise’, for tours to the award-winning Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan from Falmouth, a call in The Beatles’ home city of Liverpool, and the chance to sample the UK’s ‘official’ best fish and chips with a visit to Lerwick, in the Shetland Islands; guests can also choose to enjoy all the pomp and pageantry of Edinburgh’s spectacular ‘Military Tattoo’.

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“For 2016/17, we have a clear focus on ‘Bringing the world closer to you’, offering innovative cruise experiences that stand out, to destinations that our guests really want to explore and enjoy. We are ‘closer’ to the market, with more regional departures; ‘closer’ to the destination, with our smaller, more intimate cruise ships; ‘closer’ to our global partners, offering our guests the best possible experiences in ports around the world; and we are ‘closer’ to our guests, with award-winning customer service across our fleet.

“Our focus on ‘closer to you’ will be enhanced significantly in 2016-17, with Balmoral’s deployment to the Port of Tyne in Newcastle, where we have a rapidly-expanding and very loyal cruise market. Historically, this is a very important port for Fred. Olsen, as Newcastle is where we built a dedicated Fred. Olsen terminal and started sailing from in 1906.

“2015 is also a very special year for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, as it is the 200th anniversary of the first ‘Fred. Olsen’ – Mr. Fredrik Christian Olsen, the founding father of our company – and so we are taking this opportunity to celebrate our history and heritage. Mr. Olsen was born in 1815 and started the Fred. Olsen Company in 1848; we have been a world-leading shipping and cruise company ever since.”

Fred. Olsen’s Black Watch and Boudicca will be embarking on two epic ‘Grand Voyages’ in January 2017, visiting a total of 67 ports in 38 countries between them. Black Watch will be taking in the exotic destinations of Hanga Roa (Easter Island), Bora Bora, in French Polynesia, and three stops in New Zealand – Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington – on a 107-night ‘Around the World’ cruise. Boudicca will be offering a 77-night ‘South American Discovery’, which includes stops in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiroand Buenos Aires, in Argentina, as well a cruise of the Chilean fjords and a maiden call at Laguna San Rafael.

In 2016-17, Fred. Olsen will be making the most of its smaller, more intimate ships by offering even more river, fjord and scenic cruising, taking guests along narrow sea passages and waterways, and past awe-inspiring scenery. Fred. Olsen will be visiting 84 picturesque scenic sea passages and waterways in 2016-17, including the 350-mile Strait of Magellan, in Chile, which links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; Loch Fyne, one of the longest and finest sea lochs; the beautiful Bay of Kotor in Montenegro; and the winding and mysterious Stockholm archipelago. Fred. Olsen’s fleet will also be sailing right into the heart of cities and towns, such as Portoferraio, on the Italian island of Elba, Seville, in Spain, and Bordeaux, in France.

Highlights of Fred. Olsen’s new 2016-17 cruise programme are as follows:

- Following its tremendous popularity in 2015, Fred. Olsen will also be offering another ‘Arctic Explorer’ cruise, exclusively for adults. Black Watch will visit the remote lands of Greenland and Svalbard, as well as Iceland and Norway.

- Braemar will be serving Southampton in 2016-17, offering smaller-ship cruising to the UK cruise market on a variety of itineraries, including a 14-night ‘Cruising the Waterways of Scandinavia’ voyage, and a three-night ‘Rouen & the Seine River Mini-Cruise’.

- Fred. Olsen will be building upon its reputation as THE ‘Fjords Specialist’, with a 15-night ‘Exploring the Fjords of Greenland’ adventure, taking in over 16 hours of scenic cruising through Greenland’s fjords, as well as stopping in Tasiilaq, a maiden call for Fred. Olsen.

- Fred. Olsen will be offering its first-ever ‘Norwegian Fjords’ cruise with a duration of just five nights; sailing from the Northern port of Newcastle will give guests the chance to enjoy such a short ‘taster’ break. The cruise will take in Bergen and Eidfjord, as well as two days of scenic cruising, through the mighty Lysefjord – one of the ‘pearls of Norway’, featuring ‘Preikestolen’ (‘Pulpit Rock’) and ‘Kjerag’ (‘The Mountain Bolt’).

- Yet another ‘first for Fred.’ – a nine-night ‘Maiden Call Mystery Cruise’, where every destination that Braemar visits is a maiden port of call! All that guests will know is that this ‘cruise to the unknown’ will take in six destinations, four countries and five UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

- Two US adventures on board Balmoral; a 34-night ‘Old England to New England’ sailing, which incorporates two calls in Bermuda, six American states, three maiden calls and three overnight stays – including Boston and the ‘Big Apple’; or a 46-night ‘Central America & the Mardi Gras’ cruise, where guests can visit the NASA rocket launch sites, enjoy traditional Southern hospitality and join in the fun at the colourful and vibrant ‘Mardi Gras’ in New Orleans.

- Fred. Olsen will be offering 14 Mediterranean cruises in 2016-17, including a stunning 16-night ‘Barcelona, Monaco & the Island of Elba’ cruise on board Braemar, plus a chance to see the Monaco F1 Grand Prix on board Black Watch’s 15-night ‘Sun, Sea & Monaco Grand Prix’ cruise.

- Even more cruises around the UK and Ireland, including Balmoral’s seven-night ‘Easter Ireland’ sailing around Northern and Southern Ireland, and an 11-night ‘Tinsel & Hogmanay’ cruise on Black Watch, offering guests an unforgettable Christmas at sea and Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh – with the added benefit that those who do not hold a passport can still join the ship with a valid form of photo identification.

- Explore snow-capped mountains, glaciers and elusive wildlife on Balmoral’s 14-night ‘The Wonders of Spitsbergen’ cruise, with a maiden call to Pyramiden, in Spitsbergen (where the new Sky Atlantic blockbuster ‘Fortitude’ is based), which was once a Russian mining town, but is now eerie and deserted.

Back by popular demand is Fred. Olsen’s 10-night ‘German Waterways’ cruise, which will sail along three German rivers – the Elbe, the Weser and the Trave – as well as taking in a canal and a fjord.

Fred. Olsen’s new 2016-17 cruise programme will include a record 23 maiden calls: Arendal (Norway), Baltimore (Maryland, USA), Fort William (Scotland, UK), Tasiilaq (Greenland), Pyramiden (Svalbard), Holy Loch (Scotland, UK), Laguna San Rafael (Chile), Isla de San Andrés (Colombia), Gloucester (Massachusetts, USA), Klaksvik (Faroe Islands), Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands), Falmouth (Jamaica), Banana Coast (Trujillo, Honduras), Tampa (Florida, US), Rosslare (Ireland), Aabenraa (Denmark), Rovinj (Croatia). In addition, there will be six ‘mystery’ maiden calls, which will only be revealed to those guests who book a place on Fred. Olsen’s first-ever ‘Maiden Call Mystery Cruise

Genting Hong Kong and TPG Viking to sell 12.5 million NCLH shares

Star NCLC, part of the Genting Hong Kong group, and the TPG Viking Funds, the US investor, are planning to sell a total of 12.5 million shares in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the world’s fourth largest cruise shipping group.

“The Company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of these ordinary shares by the selling shareholders,” the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchanges Commission in the US.

The news comes in the same week as two senior Genting Hong Kong officials announced their resignation from the board of  the Norwegian group. Genting earlier this week acquired Crystal Cruises, the luxury cruise operator with two ships from Tokyo based Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). Crystal is a competitor of Norwegian group’s Regent Seven Seas brand.