Top Headlines

Royal Caribbean announces 2016 Europe and Alaska deployments – Harmony to sail from Barcelona

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 12 March 2015 12 March 2015

Royal Caribbean International today announced new 2016 Europe vacations, totaling eight of the region’s most innovative cruise ships that will sail from six European homeports and call at 80 destinations in 27 countries throughout the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Scandinavia and the Baltic. Four of the Europe ships will be new to the region, and Royal Caribbean’s most-anticipated, third Oasis-class ship, Harmony of the Seas, will sail its inaugural season from Barcelona, while Independence of the Seas returns to Southampton as the U.K.’s largest cruise ship. Perfect for family travel in Alaska, Explorer of the Seas will make history as the largest cruise ship to ever sail the region, and join Radiance of the Seas for the cruise line’s 27th consecutive season in the Great Frontier. Royal Caribbean’s 2016 Europe itineraries will open for booking starting March 19, 2015, and 2016 Alaska will open on March 26.

As part of all the new deployment openings, Royal Caribbean is announcing a new early booking BOGO50 offer. Vacationers can save 50 percent on the cruise fare of a second guest in the same stateroom with a full-fare guest, when making a new booking aboard sailings departing on or after May 15, 2015. Vacationers also can enjoy additional 50 percent savings on the fare of a third and fourth guest on nearly all 2016-17 itineraries, including the recently opened 2016-17 Caribbean itineraries. Additionally, guests can take advantage of the offer’s buy-one-get-one-half-off the second Premium Beverage Package by noting promo code ‘BOGOBEV,’ and complete their new booking with 50 percent reduced deposits. For more information about BOGO50, please visit www.Royalcaribbean.com/BOGO50.

BOGO50 is valid for new bookings, made between March 11 and April 30, 2015, in Oceanview and higher-category staterooms on five-night or longer itineraries. The offer does not include bookings on Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, and trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific, and China sailings.

New Oasis-class vacations from Barcelona

– After its delivery in May 2016, the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, will homeport at Barcelona and sail a round-trip, seven-night Western Mediterranean itinerary. Vacationers also can embark Harmony of the Seas at Rome (Civitavecchia), but guests must sail round-trip for seven nights.
– Brilliance of the Seas also will alternate 12-night Italian Mediterranean and Greek & Italian Mediterranean cruises.

British and Scandinavian cruises

– The U.K. welcomes back Independence of the Seas in summer 2016. The ship will sail mostly 10- to 14-night Mediterranean or Canary Island cruises from Southampton, while Navigator of the Seas will offer British vacationers a wide range of new six- to 14-night Norwegian Fjords, Baltic, Mediterranean or Canary Island itineraries.
– Serenade of the Seas will sail seven-night Norwegian Fjords and seven- to 13-night Scandinavia and Russia itineraries, round-trip from Copenhagen, Denmark, in early summer and August, and from Stockholm, Sweden, in June and July.

Italy and Greece adventures from Venice and Rome

– Jewel of the Seas will alternate brand new 10-night Greece & Adriatic and 11-night Greece, Turkey & Croatia itineraries from Venice, while Vision of the Seas will alternate seven-night Greek Isles and Greek Isles & Turkey cruises. Jewel of the Seas will double the cruise line’s capacity at this unique, iconic and most desirable world-class city.
– Rhapsody of the Seas will homeport at Rome (Civitavecchia) and sail nine-night Greek Isles cruises in early summer and autumn months. From late June through August, the ship will alternate seven-night Greek Isles and Greek & Turkey cruises.

Royal Caribbean’s 27th Alaska season

– Explorer of the Seas will be unmatched in onboard amenities when the ship debuts in Alaskan waters. Guests on the ship’s seven-night round-trip itineraries from Seattle, Wash., will sail up Tracy Arm Fjords for an incomparable view of Sawyer Glacier. In September, the ship will sail three Pacific Coastal cruises, seven nights in duration, which feature an overnight in San Francisco, Calif.
– For its part, Radiance of the Seas will alternate seven-night northbound and southbound Alaska cruises between Vancouver, B.C., and Seward. On these itineraries, guests will venture into Disenchantment Bay for a close-up view of Hubbard Glacier.

Vacationers also can choose a wide range of trans-Atlantic cruises, which bookend each ship’s 2016 Europe season and combine Europe and the Caribbean on 13- to 16-night itineraries aboard the aforementioned ships. For their part, Explorer of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas will reposition to Australia, via Hawaii.

St Patrick's Day at Cruise Shipping Miami

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 March 2015 11 March 2015

As before, Cruise Ireland will once again be present at this year’s Cruise Shipping Miami, showcasing all the unique attractions of this enchanted Celtic country, but with an added flavour on this occasion. Alan Lam reports.

Ireland’s cruise tourism has been growing steadily in recent years, attracting increasing number of cruise calls. 2014 was a record years in terms of ship calls to its ports. To maintain this momentum, Cruise Ireland is sending a huge contingent of its members to this year’s Miami gathering.

Happily, for the first time in a long while, St Patrick’s Day falls in the beginning of the event. Cruise Ireland has seized this opportunity to celebrate this day by putting on a music and dance extravaganza at its booth between 3 pm and 5 pm on the 17th of March. More than 100 special invitations have been sent out to its loyal clients and friends.

For the last few years, Cruise Ireland has been sharing a stand with Cruise Wales at this event as a part of the Celtic Ways. This year, it will have its own booth, thus forging its own distinct identity and strengthening the Ireland brand.

“Like a few other countries in Europe,” said Niamh McCarthy, Managing Director of Excursions Ireland, a key founding member of Cruise Ireland, “Ireland has had a hard time economically in recent years; but the cruise industry has continued to growth throughout. 2014 was an excellent year for cruise tourism in Ireland. The sector contributed €40 million directly to the economy. We expect an even better year in 2015.”

The membership of Cruise Ireland is made up of ports, ground handlers, suppliers and many others involved in the cruise business. All of them work tirelessly throughout the year in promoting the country as a cruise destination. Indeed, through their collective efforts, Ireland has become a popular cruise destination. Princess Cruises alone makes over 30 calls a year to its ports. “Cruise is now one of the biggest segments of tourism in Ireland, attracting a myriad of nationalities” said Niamh McCarthy. “We now hire Russian and Chinese guides. It wasn’t like this five years ago.”

To hail this success, Cruise Ireland promises an Irish whiskey laced merrymaking on St Patrick’s Day in Miami. It aims to be light-hearted and to show the world what Ireland is famous for – hospitality.

Britannia to lead trend of more ships to cater for British tastes

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 09 March 2015 09 March 2015

Britannia, the 144,000 gross ton newbuilding of P&O Cruises, leads a trend of more ships designed to cater for British tastes, said David Noyes, ceo of Carnival UK.

"The market will keep growing, if we look at the US, the cruise industry's penetration is about 5%, in the UK it is well below 3% of the population," he told Cruise Business Online.

He did not comment on whether there would be further newbuildings for P&O Cruises in the run up to 2020.

The new ship that cost £473 million to build is aimed at widening the appeal of cruising and offering the feeling of a high quality hotel rather than a cruise ship, he said on board the ship.

David Dingle, chairman of P&O Cruises and of Carnival UK, said that Britannia capitalises on the newly found confidence, pride and creativity of the country and that if there ever has been a time to highlight the Britishness of the P&O Cruises brand, that time is now.

Carnival Corporation names Marie McKenzie to new global destinations services and sourcing role

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 09 March 2015 09 March 2015

Carnival Corporation and plc, the world's largest travel and leisure company, today announced that Marie McKenzie has been named vice president of global destinations services and sourcing, a new role and function for the company. As part of this new function, McKenzie will lead a team of brand experts who will assume responsibility for geographical regions on behalf of all nine brands, while also maintaining their reporting lines into the leadership structure of their respective brand. Together, they will coordinate and manage processes and relationships with tour operators and port services officials around the globe.

As part of this new function, McKenzie will lead a team of brand experts who will assume responsibility for geographical regions on behalf of all nine brands, while also maintaining their reporting lines into the leadership structure of their respective brand. Together, they will coordinate and manage processes and relationships with tour operators and port services officials around the globe to deliver the best possible tour excursion and port experiences for the nearly 11 million guests who sail every year on the company's 100 ships visiting hundreds of ports across the globe.

"We are excited to have Marie take on this new role, and with her proven track record in her past 19 years at Carnival, we know she will lead this team to great success," said Alan Buckelew, chief operations officer for Carnival Corporation. "Having had global responsibilities in her previous role and partnering with the global strategy team, we know she will bring to this new role extensive knowledge of our operating companies and a deep understanding of our overall vision to work together across our nine brands to consistently exceed guest expectations."

In addition, a primary focus for McKenzie will be to leverage Carnival Corporation's collective scale and expertise to continue creating unique and exciting shore excursions and port experiences as part of the company's goal to consistently exceed guest expectations.

Buckelew added: "We strive to ensure our guests enjoy shore excursions and ports as part of our overall goal to create a great vacation experience. Our business has become increasingly global, with over 20,000 shore excursions a year offered at 725 ports around the world. With this move, we are taking steps to ensure we continue to have deep local expertise working with tour operator partners large and small who offer a wide range of options for our guests."

McKenzie will report to Josh Leibowitz, chief strategy officer for Carnival Corporation.

"Our brands already work with local tour operators and port facility officials to make sure we provide a positive experience and great portfolio of popular shore excursions that consistently earn high satisfaction marks from our guests," said Leibowitz. "With our new process our tour operators and port facility partners will now have an opportunity to participate in offering services for all nine of our brands. Most importantly, by leveraging the collective expertise of our brands, tour operators and port facility partners, we can continue to offer our guests popular and unique shore excursions and port experiences. And in some cases, we will use our collective creativity to develop exciting new excursions, or new twists to already popular excursions."

McKenzie previously served as vice president of global financial planning and analysis, where she played an integral part in interpreting and engaging all nine brands to prepare the company's executive team for the quarterly earnings guidance and position the overall strategy and financial direction of the company. She also led the process of capturing, consolidating and analyzing data from the nine brands as well as the corporation's annual planning process that was key to the execution of the company's overall long-term strategy.

McKenzie, who started her career with Carnival Corporation in 1996, has held a number of roles of increasing responsibility. This included her time with the Carnival Cruise Line brand where she served in various leadership roles, including vice president of fleet accounting where she led a team of nearly 200 people working closely with the shipboard operations team in supporting execution of the overall onboard guest experience.

McKenzie started her career with Arthur Andersen LLP in Washington, D.C., in 1992. Originally from Jamaica, West Indies, she is a graduate of Howard University where she earned her bachelor's degree in accounting. She also attended Florida International University where she earned a master's degree in international business.

McKenzie serves on the board of directors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida and Honey Shine Inc.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines slashes loss in 2014, EBITDA jumps 125%

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 06 March 2015 06 March 2015

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the UK based destinational cruise operator, has slashed its losses in 2014 and operating profit more than doubled

The company cut net loss to NOK120 million in 2014 from NOK637 million in the previous year, when impairment charges had hit the bottom line. Revenues increased to NOK1.65 billion from NOK1.47 billion in 2013.

Operating profit (EBITDA) rose to NOK146 million from NOK65 million in the previous year, Bonheur ASA, a listed holding company of the Olsen family that togerher with Ganger Rolf ASA owns Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

"The UK cruise market is still weak, however there have been some improvements during second half 2014. Bunker prices have also decreased in the quarter. The number of passenger days totaled 275 737 (292 542) for the quarter," Bonheur said. It did not give guidance for 2015.

Cruisebusiness.com