Ports & destinations

Port Tampa Bay marks more than one million cruise passengers in one year for the first time ever

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 30 September 2018 30 September 2018

Port Tampa Bay welcomed its millionth cruise ship passenger for the fiscal year 2018. It is the first time the Port hit this milestone in its history.

On Monday, September 17, 2018, Port Tampa Bay surpassed the million cruise passenger mark when 1,000,524 passengers came through the Port. This past weekend, thousands more passengers continued to enjoy the Tampa area as three more ships called at port.

Business Research & Economic Advisors estimated that a 3,000 passenger ship generates an average of $403,000 in passenger and crew onshore spending per call in a homeport city. As Tampa continues to develop in the months and years ahead, including the impact of Sparkman Wharf, Water Street and other projects, that number is expected to dramatically grow, as cruise passengers will have many more opportunities for dining, shopping, and entertainment. Cruise passengers have long enjoyed the convenience of our nearby nationally top-ranked airport, next-door secure parking garages from all three cruise terminals – not to mention the draw of our stunning beaches and local attractions like Busch Gardens, the Florida Aquarium, and Ybor City.

"This is fantastic moment for Port Tampa Bay and our cruise line partners," said Port Tampa Bay President/CEO Paul Anderson. "This milestone shows that Tampa is truly a world class destination for cruise passengers."

As FY18 winds down, Port Tampa Bay is celebrating several cruise records and cruise business developments. Earlier this year, Port Tampa Bay saw two all-time record cruise passenger weekends, the highest traffic weekend being Easter weekend: March 31 - April 1st when 29,167 passengers were in and out of the Port. Additionally, Carnival Cruise Line added 20 more cruises to Cuba, completed a makeover of the Carnival Paradise, and doubled the Carnival's capacity in Tampa with the addition of the Carnival Miracle's only year-long program with seven day cruises from Port Tampa Bay. Royal Caribbean put a larger ship in rotation (Majesty of the Seas) with cruises to Cuba to accommodate a strong customer demand in Tampa.

There are numerous options for cruise vacationers to choose when boarding a cruise in Tampa. Whether it’s a 4-day cruise to Cozumel, or a 5-day excursion to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Mahogany Bay, or Cuba, or 7 day to multiple western Caribbean destinations. Veteran cruisers can opt for 14-day Panama Canal cruises that include stops in Central America and North Coast of South America. There are a wide range of itinerary choices from entry-level cruisers to experienced cruisers.

All of the major cruise lines serve Port Tampa Bay: Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Holland America Line. Port Tampa Bay thanks all of our cruise line partners for their continued support.

Disney Cruise Line to sail from Port of New Orleans for first time in early 2020

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 28 September 2018 28 September 2018

Disney Cruise Line announced it will sail from the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) in early 2020. The 2,700-passenger Disney Wonder will embark on a variety of Caribbean and Bahamian cruises from New Orleans – marking the first time Disney Cruise Line will have a homeport in Louisiana.

The Disney Wonder, which will homeport at the Erato Street Cruise Terminal, is scheduled for six cruises during this limited-time season from New Orleans, including: 4-, 6- and 7-night Western Caribbean itineraries; a 7-night Bahamian cruise; and a special 14-night Panama Canal voyage, Feb. 7 through March 6.

“We are thrilled Disney Cruise Line has chosen the Port of New Orleans as a homeport for their distinctive cruise experience,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port NOLA President and CEO. “With Port NOLA’s commitment to high-level service and the Crescent City’s many attractions, we are confident that Disney travelers will enjoy the excitement and convenience of launching their vacation from our unique city. We are also proud to bring the iconic cruise home to Louisiana Disney fans.”

Disney made the announcement during a live video direct from Walt Disney World Resort with the reveal of their 2020 cruise lineup. Princess Tiana herself, from Disney’s New Orleans-inspired animated film, “The Princess and the Frog,” was on hand to help break the news.

“Disney has long celebrated the rich stories of New Orleans – from themed experiences in our parks and resorts to films capturing the city’s vibrant music, flavors and culture,” said Jeff Vahle, president of Disney Signature Experiences. “Now we’ll extend that tradition by casting off from the Crescent City aboard the Disney Wonder, fusing the unmistakable character of one of America’s most beloved locales with the magic of Disney Cruise Line.”

Disney Wonder guests will experience “The Princess and the Frog” story while on board at Tiana’s Place restaurant, a celebration of New Orleans dining and entertainment that is exclusive to this ship.

There is something for everyone aboard the Disney Wonder, with dedicated spaces for kids, adults and families. The vessel features age-specific areas and customized, interactive programs for children up to age 17. Adults can enjoy areas designed just for them, including an elegant adults-only specialty restaurant, the adults-only Quiet Cove pool area, the upscale spa and salon, and an entire district of bars and lounges. For families, the Disney Wonder offers signature Disney entertainment and storytelling, including original theatrical productions, spectacular deck parties, and fireworks.

The Disney Cruise Line announcement is the latest milestone achieved by Port NOLA’s thriving cruise sector. The sixth-largest cruise port in the United States, Port NOLA surpassed the one-million-passenger mark for the fourth straight year in 2017 with 1.15 million passenger movements, and is on pace to set a new cruise passenger record in 2018.

In 2017, 17.74 million people visited New Orleans and Port NOLA’s cruise sector is key contributor to the tourism and hospitality industries – 90 percent of passengers travel from out-of-state, and 73 percent of passengers spend one or two nights in the region either before or after their cruise.

“The future is bright for New Orleans tourism and the arrival of Disney Cruise Line endorses the draw of our city as an in-demand destination for the entire family,” said Stephen Perry, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company, the city’s destination marketing group. “The Disney Wonder will provide discerning cruise enthusiasts with a wonderful opportunity to experience a magical vacation on the seas as well as in our beloved American city. We are so proud of Brandy Christian and her team for their extraordinary work on this project and we cannot wait to partner with travel agents and fill these wonderful cruises.”

British Isles cruise passenger numbers predicted to grow at record rates

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 19 September 2018 19 September 2018

Cruise Britain estimates that cruise passenger numbers to the British Isles in 2018 will continue to show the strongest growth rate of any northern European market segment. With just over quarter of a million individual cruise passengers predicted to make day calls to British Isles ports by the end of the season, the growth rate since 2012 averages a 13.5% annual rise against a northern European average of 3.86%.

The forecast provided by GP Wild (Int) continues to be optimistic with day call cruise passengers potentially reaching 344,000 by 2020. Most of these individual passengers will step ashore at multiple ports and contribute to the tourism economies of many different regions. Strong regional growth can already be seen for several ports including Douglas (Isle of Man), Kirkwall (Orkney), Portland and Tyne.

‘’This strong predicted growth is excellent news for all British ports and service providers and really shows the draw of Britain as a cruise destination, ‘’ commented James Stangroom, Chair of Cruise Britain. ‘’All our members work incredibly hard to attract and support their cruise calls and it’s very encouraging to see our region growing so quickly. Overall, the British Isles offers enormously varied destinations within short sailing distances and the popularity of regional ports is increasing every year. More and more tourists are appreciating that a cruise is an ideal way of exploring the diversity of our shores, cities, attractions and activities.’’

‘’The cruise market is growing at exponential rate at the moment and it is excellent news that the British Isles are predicted to keep pace with this,’’ added Stangroom. ‘’Britain can offer a port for every cruise ship currently sailing and many can handle both day calls and embarkations which increases the opportunity to grow business.’’

Turkish Airlines joins the CruiseFly service at Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 28 September 2018 28 September 2018

Turkish airlines has recently joined the CruiseFly service at MBCCS and any of cruise line's guests flying back home with TK after their cruise vacation ending at MBCCS will be able to enjoy the seamless trip to Changi airport.

"Any cruise passenger arriving at MBCCS and taking a flight back home in the next 24 hours, can check-in their luggage at the cruise centre (luggage hall) and get their boarding pass. Guests can book online the service to enjoy a 10% and we can also discuss to have the service booked on board before their arrival into Singapore," MBCCS said in a statement.

At this moment partner airlines are: Singapore Airlines, Silk Air, Qantas, Scoot, Turkish Airlines, Eva Air, Air China, China Eastern and China Southern. "We will continue to work to increase the number of airlines to offer a better service to all cruise passengers."

Global Ports Holding signs concession agreement with Zadar Gazenica Cruise Port

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 15 September 2018 15 September 2018

Global Ports Holding Plc, the world's largest independent cruise port operator,has signed a 20-year concession agreement, between its wholly owned operating subsidiary Zadar International Port Operations d.o.o. and the Port Authority of Zadar for the operating rights of the Gazenica cruise port in Zadar, Croatia. This agreement follows the announcement made by GPH on the 19th March 2018 that the Port Authority of Zadar had issued an award decision to grant a concession to GPH subject to entering a final concession agreement.

Under the terms of the Agreement, GPH will from Q4 2018, use its global expertise and operating model to manage all of the cruise port operations at Gazenica port over the life of the concession. The concession includes cruise ship passenger port and terminal services, an international ferry terminal, Ro-Ro services, vehicles and passenger services. It also contains a commercial area of 2,400sqm, with leasable retail and office space. The cruise ports infrastructure includes a maximum draft of 13m and 1170m of total pier length to accommodate big ships. In 2017, Zadar welcomed 137k cruise passengers, with schedule calls for 2018 suggesting that this will grow to close to 150k passengers for 2018.

Zadar is a historical town on the Adriatic coastline in Croatia, it is well positioned near a number key cruise ports in the region, including Venice and it offers cruise passengers an easily accessible old town with Roman ruins, medieval churches and 16th century fortifications. While the surrounding areas offer a host of sites and activities for cruise passengers who wish to venture further afield.

Gazenica cruise port is the second new cruise port GPH has signed in 2018, increasing the number of ports we operate to 17 ports in 9 countries. The pipeline of new cruise ports remains strong and we will update investors on the pipeline as and when it is appropriate to do so.

Global Ports Holding, CEO Emre Sayin said: "We are delighted to have signed the concession agreement for Zadar Gazenica cruise port and very much look forward to working with our local partners to position Zadar as an important cruise port in the Adriatic, driving an increase in passenger volumes to the port as well as developing the cruise port and wider visitor experience in Zadar to the benefit of cruise passengers, the port authority and the local community."