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Remastered Riviera returns to service

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 May 2019 30 May 2019

Oceania Cruises revealed the many exciting enhancements that were recently completed during the Riviera’s dry-dock in Marseille, France as part of the brand’s OceaniaNEXT program. Similar enhancements will be carried out on Riviera’s sister ship Marina, in May 2020.

“With the evolution of OceaniaNEXT, this was a great opportunity to not just enhance the guest experience aboard Riviera, but to elevate it through the addition of surprising new elements,” stated Bob Binder, President & CEO of Oceania Cruises.

The most dramatic change is the all-new coffee bar area and addition of a tony new lounge with sweeping sea views on Deck 14. Resplendent in silvery-grey and sea greens punctuated with bold accents of gold and high-gloss ebony and white marble, the new Bar Istas lounge is the perfect place to relax in quietude or enjoy lively conversation over a bespoke illy coffee creation. There is even a brand new gleaming silver Victoria Arduino espresso machine – the reputed “Rolls Royce of Coffee”.

Riviera’s 200 Concierge and 244 Veranda staterooms along with the 124 Penthouse Suites radiate a stylish new air inspired by the better-than-new Insignia and Sirena. Retaining the warmth and charm they’re renowned for, the lustrous wenge walnut paneling and upholstered headboards are now offset with tones of Espresso, Caramel, and Ivory in the new carpeting and fabrics.

The proverbial jewel in the crown of the re-mastering are the three next-generation Owner’s Suites furnished exclusively with the Ralph Lauren Home Collection. Guests now enter through the breathtaking foyer with a limestone and black cabochon inset floor, walls of inset Georgian wood paneling, and a mahogany and quartzite bar. Spacious and airy, this grand room features dramatic sea-views from floor-to-ceiling windows dressed with Ralph Lauren Home Grimaldi-weave sail fabric, along with a self- playing ebony piano that provides the perfect interlude for in-suite entertaining.

The elegant living room is anchored by a new deep-navy sectional accented with saddle-suede and accompanied by a mahogany Lounge Moderne chair upholstered in navy and white Super-Yacht Stripe. The centerpiece of the dining room is the Mayfair dining table with a new Barrett Knurled chandelier overhead.

The master suite, which is an entire retreat unto itself, has taken on an entirely new persona with a new Cote D'Azure king-size bed, elegant Mayfair Bergere side chairs upholstered in Sutton Suede Doe, and dramatic nickel-trimmed lighting accents.

Finally, the wraparound teak verandas feature stylish pieces that were custom-crafted by Ralph Lauren Home for Oceania Cruises.

Designed by Los Angeles based Trevor R. Howells Interior Design, the Owner’s Suites reflect Ralph Lauren’s appreciation for sailing, Hollywood glamour and timeless, classical beauty.

Marine Catering Expo announces full agenda and speakers

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 May 2019 30 May 2019

Marine Catering Expo (MCE), taking place June 19-20, 2019, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, is the world’s first exhibition and forum to focus exclusively on the ever-evolving marine catering industry. It will provide an opportunity for galley and restaurant stakeholders to meet with qualified buyers from the marine sector. Co-located with the highly anticipated Cruise Ship Interiors Expo (CSIE) – the world’s first event focusing exclusively on interior design, architecture, and outfitting in the cruise industry – MCE will showcase the most innovative designs and technologies used in the galley and restaurant areas.

More than 15 C-level speakers will discuss and debate the industry’s most important issues across a series of focused sessions at Marine Catering Forum. Sessions include:

– Designing Marine Catering with Guest Experience in Mind
– Produce & Menus
– Designing the Perfect Galley
– Sustainability at Sea
– Legislation, Regulations & the Health Aspect of Public Spaces

Attendees registered to attend Marine Catering Expo will also have complimentary access to conference sessions at the co-located CSIE.

Led by industry experts, the Marine Catering Forum has been specially curated to inspire delegates and provide tangible solutions to challenges presented by the galley.

One of the speakers on the Forum will be vice president of specialty at WaterLogic USA, Harry W. Ostwald. In anticipation of his session, which will focus on sustainability, Ostwald commented: “I'll be showcasing the positive impact that cruise companies can have by removing single-serve plastic, as well as highlighting the benefits of point-of-use filtration versus plastic bottles.”

The Forum will begin on Wednesday, June 19, 2019, at 11.20am – after CSIE’s keynote session, ‘Cruise Industry Outlook: Leaders’ Debate’ – with a session led by director international key account marine at RATIONAL, Mikael Eliasson, and director of food systems & equipment at Royal Caribbean Cruises, Paul Fortin. Other key speakers include:

– Vice president of cruise at DSV Air & Sea, Maxine Krajniak
– Sustainability and external relations director at Costa Cruises, Stefania Lallai
– Vice president of sales at SeaKing, Pasi Suvanto
– Senior vice president of hotel operations at Virgin Voyages, Frank Weber

Attendees at the event will enjoy two days of networking, a sold-out show floor across both shows, and product launches and demonstrations from world-leading brands.

Intercruises offering expanded range of port operations services

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 May 2019 30 May 2019

Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services, an experienced global business offering ground handling and port operation services to the ocean and river cruise industry, has established a Global Port Operations Team providing a comprehensive range of vessel and crew services in destinations around the world.

Since 2005, Intercruises has been offering port agency, but following strong growth and consistent demand for a wider array of services, a dedicated team has been setup to offer a full catalogue of port operation solutions. Cruise lines and third parties, such as concessionaires, can customize service agreements according to their needs, ranging from a single service, to having Intercruises as their one point of contact for all port operations services, for all vessels, in all ports.

The range of services on offer are categorized as below:

– Agency: A scale of services, ranging from standard legal representation and port agency coordination, to full general agency, including itinerary planning support and all berth reservations

– Logistics: Solutions for both commercial calls and dry-dock projects, including shipping, warehousing, transportation and customs brokerage

– Crew: Services for onboard, embarking & disembarking crew, such as accommodation, transportation, visas & legal representation, medical care and tours

– Terminal: Management of services related to vessel terminal operations, including security and luggage/stevedoring

“This is the natural evolution of this service area and enables greater customization, with cruise lines able to select individual or multiple port operations services as per their requirements. A cruise line could contract us to manage a significant amount of their port operations worldwide, or may want us to focus on a specific service in one port. Overall it is about delivering a consistent, efficient and high quality service tailored to the needs of our cruise line partners.” Said Ramon Hurtado, Global Product & Operations Manager

The Intercruises Global Port Operations Team works with cruise lines, ports and Intercruises’ network of local destination teams to ensure smooth operations and a consistently high quality of service. The team is led by Robert Moroney, who joined Intercruises in January 2019 as Global Port Operations Manager, based in Fort Lauderdale. Robert is supported by Miquel Biosca, Global Port Operations Business Development Manager and Nohemí Alcaucer Marti, Global Logistics Manager. Both have been working at Intercruises for a number of years and are based in the Intercruises Corporate Office in Barcelona. For more information visit www.intercruises.com

Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum: Greece's cruising prospects positive despite regional geopolitical challenges

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 May 2019 29 May 2019

The prospects for the growth of the cruise industry in East Med are positive but still need much to improve in terms of safety and security for the sector to fully capitalize on its unique advantages.

This was the main message conveyed during the first day of the 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum that opened on Tuesday, May 28 at Domotel Kastri Conference Centre in Athens, where ministers, representatives of international cruise associations, cruise lines, destination authorities and decision makers gathered to debate the state of the industry and share their views and insights on the trends shaping sea tourism in the regions of South East Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

“Greece is at a crossroads of the cruise sector’s development trajectory and the ongoing privatization of the country’s ports is constantly opening new bespoke investment opportunities for industry players from around the globe with the intent and vision to further develop and enhance their offering for the benefit of cruise passengers,” said Fotis Kouvelis, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy.

“Greece will move ahead with concessions regarding port-specific sectors including terminals and we are inviting international cruise lines and port operators to identify the investment opportunities matching their specific interests.”

Greece accounts for 10% of the Mediterranean region’s port calls, a significant number globally considering that the region is second only to the Caribbean in terms of fleet deployment. And according to Airam Diaz Pastor, President MedCruise, the country and the East Med region in generally set to benefit from a 22.2% increase in passenger numbers and 19.8% growth in port calls projected for the entire Mediterranean in 2019. “The region is seeing a golden age in terms of growth and the planned deployment of some 25 new luxury ships that are coming to the market soon will provide a fresh impetus giving smaller ports the opportunity to offer something different,” he added.

MSC, the biggest cruise line in the Mediterranean Sea with 15.07% of the market is also bullish on the prospects of East Med as a cruise destination where it plans to increase capacity by 25%. “We really like this region with its natural beauty its diverse cultural and rich historical attractions, yet we still remain conscious of certain geopolitical challenges that will keep us away from the Turkish market at least for now,” said Charles Darr, Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group.

“The lack of political stability in the wider region, with its geopolitical hotspots of Northern Africa and elsewhere take some convincing to operate there. We are still not convinced that it would be responsible for us to take our passengers there. You have to win the hearts and minds of tourists whose confidence is broken due to events in the region.”

Safety and security is a key issue also for Cyprus having lost 85% of cruise passengers since 2010 in spite of a significant uplift in the number of tourists visiting the island.

But as the Tourism Deputy Minister for Cyprus Savvas Perdios said during his Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum keynote speech, the island nation is eyeing a larger share of the market. “Cyprus is ready to pull its weight since we launched a ministry dedicated to our tourism industry five months ago. We have pinpointed safety and security as our number one priority for the growth of our tourism product and earmarked the cruise sector as a top ten strategic pillars in our 2030 strategy.”

Tom Broadley, Secretary General, CLIA Europe gave a different sort of a top ten list, describing the emerging trends likely to shape the future of the cruise industry globally. Highlights include the aptly dubbed Instagrammable Cruising, which helps spread awareness about this holiday alternative, Achievement over Experience, where passengers seek to learn a new skill like cooking or dancing during their cruise, and Conscious Travel, according to which passengers are mindful about the environmental impact caused by cruise ships which dictates the ways they interact with the communities at the destinations they visit.

Other topics tabled during the Forum include the prospects of cruising in the East Med, partnerships between ships, ports and destinations for sustainable tourism, the region’s potential to offer year-round cruise products and the overall impact from the dramatic growth of mainstream cruise ship sizes.

The Forum is being attended by 200 delegates including Senior Executives from MSC Cruises, Carnival Group, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Holland America Group, Silversea Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Fred Olsen Cruise Line and Celestyal Cruises and representatives of regional ports and destinations.

The 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum is organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy and is supported by the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, CLIA Europe, the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports (MEDCRUISE), the Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Association, the Greek Marinas Association, the Association of Passenger Shipping Companies, the Union of Cruise Ship Owners & Associated Members, the Federation of Hellenic Associations of Tourist and Travel Agencies (fedHATTA). Gold Sponsor is the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Silver sponsors are the Piraeus Port Authority, HEMEXPO and the Thessaloniki Port Authority, Bronze Sponsors are Air France – KLM, Aktina Travel Group, Celestyal Cruises, Global Ports Holding and Intercruises Shoreside and Port Services and Supporters are the Athens International Airport and FBIS Security.

Super early bird registration opens for Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 May 2019 29 May 2019

Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe is the first interactive trade fair for cruise ship design, newbuild and refurbishment. Premiering on 4-5 December 2019, the event provides a gateway for interior designers, architects, outfitters, shipyards and interior suppliers to meet with Europe’s ocean, river and expedition cruise line market players working on major refurbishment and newbuild projects.

“I’m looking forward to Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe and am pleased to be on the Advisory Board and offering my full support to this highly focused event.” – Andrea Bartoli, principle manager of outfitting, Carnival Corporation

Taking place in one of Europe’s most historically creative cities, the two-day event will unite cruise lines, shipyards, outfitters and design studios to enjoy networking opportunities, a show floor of more than 150 IMO-certified suppliers – including Bolidt, Forbo Flooring Systems and Shores Global – and insightful conference sessions.

Registration for Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe will be rolled out in stages, beginning with the free super early bird registration, which opens on Tuesday 28 May 2019. Attendees who register during the free super early bird period will benefit from the following perks:

– Fast-track registration

– Bag/coat check

– Access to the 2020 CSI Awards Finalists Reception

– Downloadable conference sessions post-show

– Use of B2B matchmaking service

Super early bird registration will run for two months, ending on 26 July 2019. Participants hoping to attend Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe are urged to register now to avoid missing out on valuable networking opportunities, including the official launch party and B2B matchmaking service.