Fred. Olsen’s Boudicca to receive Tea Room, Indian Ocean Restaurant in 12 day refit

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 16 March 2018 16 March 2018

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ 880-guest Boudicca is due to undergo a 12 day refit from 17t March 2018, at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany that comprises engineering works, general refurbishments and painting of the interiors and exterior, the company said in a statement.

In addition, one of the main focusses will be the stripping out and rejuvenation of the 462 rooms across the ship. All rooms will have new carpets installed, along with new soft furnishings and lamps. As with the rest of the fleet, brand new balcony furniture will be installed, and all rooms will be equipped with mini-fridges, safes and interactive smart TVs.

There will be extensive upgrading and remodelling of Boudicca’s public rooms and dining facilities. The ship’s Morning Light Pub – a feature across the whole of the Fred. Olsen fleet – will be moved from to the portside of the Secret Garden Café. The Heligan Room will be converted into the ‘Indian Ocean Restaurant’, with an Indian Ocean theme, offering the same style of imitate dining space as sister ship Black Watch’s ‘Orchid Room’.

The space vacated by the Morning Light Pub on Lounge Deck 6 will be converted into the ‘Oriental Tea Room’, serving exotic teas and other Oriental specialities, with a Far Eastern influence and exotic décor. The Guest Services area, the focal point and ‘hub’ of the ship – on Main Deck 5 – will also be renewed, making it more inviting and user-friendly for guests.

 

Cruise lines should offer tailor made packages to attract UK first timers

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 15 March 2018 15 March 2018

Cruise lines should move away from traditional all-inclusive pricing and instead draw up tailor-made packages to attract new passengers, according to Alistair Pritchard, Deloitte’s lead partner for travel.

Talking to Travel Weekly, he said that Millennials and single parent families were much more “cost conscious” than traditional cruise customers. Lone parent travellers, which amount to 1.9 million of the 4.8 million families with dependent children in the UK, are not “particularly well addressed” by the travel industry, Pritchard said.

He also said the added challenge of having just one income made single parents more focused on what they could afford. Speaking at Abta’s Attracting First Time Cruisers Conference on Wednesday, he told delegates that the consumer should also be able “to choose what is all inclusive”.

He was quoted as saying: “If we move forward a few years it is going to have to be a very different product to what it is now.

It is going to have to be much more tailored to people. It isn’t just everyone gets all-inclusive drinks, all-inclusive food. People are going to want to be able to pick and choose what is all inclusive. Some people might want alcoholic drinks included, some people won’t be interested in that at all and may want a daily spa treatment.”

Pritchard said it was important for the cruise industry to show people “the flexibility of pricing”. Going on a cruise would become “much more the norm” in the next few years, Pritchard argued, adding “there is a tipping point to come”.

He also suggested virtual reality devices would help travel agents offer passengers a “try before you buy” experience in stores in the future. “How do you bring the product to life for the consumer?,” he said. “Virtual reality is something that can be used in that way.”

 

Lenghtening of Silver Spirit starts at Palermo yard

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 12 March 2018 12 March 2018

Silversea Cruises’ Silver Spirit has been cut in two at Fincantieri Shipyard in Palermo as part of her planned lengthening. A prebuilt 15-metre (49-feet) segment has been inserted and the ship is now being reconnected.

With the aim of amplifying guests’ onboard experience, the rare lengthening project will create more space in public areas and will enhance Silver Spirit’s

The project will see Silver Spirit lengthened to 210.7m (691.3 ft.). Approximately 846 tons of steel, 110,000m (360,892 ft.) of cabling, and 8,000m (26,247 ft.) of piping will be put to use in the lengthening, as Silver Spirit’s capacity increases by roughly 12%, resulting in an overall dining capacity increase of 15% and a 20% increase in outdoor seating (from 200 to 266).

A new 8-restaurant configuration will replace the existing culinary infrastructure, with varying dining concepts introduced: Atlantide, Indochine, Silver Note, Spaccanapoli, will complement the pre-existing Seishin, La Dame, La Terrazza and The Grill.

Outside, the pool area on the sky deck will increase in length (from 30 to 45m / from 98 to 148 ft.) to offer additional space for relaxing under the sun and a new aerobics area will also be created. Inside, the Zagara Spa concept will be installed, as will a new free weights room which will complement the upgraded fitness centre.

Global Class ships of Dream Cruises to carry up to 9,500 passengers

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 12 March 2018 12 March 2018

Genting Hong Kong said the Global Class ships of its Dream Cruises unit will be able to carry up to 9,500 passengers.

“With a capacity of 204,000 gross tons, the ship can accommodate about 5,000 passengers in 2,500 cabins based on a twin share basis. However, the cabins are uniquely designed for the Asian family and can comfortably sleep 2, 3 or 4 persons with split (two) bathrooms, allowing for a wider price point for the Asian market. With total life-saving capacity of up to 9,500 passengers, the Global Class ships can cater for the extremely high peak seasonal holiday periods in Asia,” the company said in a statement.

The ships will be will be 342 metres long and 46.40 metres wide with a draft of 9.50 metres. In addition to the usual 28 large elevators, the Global Class will also have eight sets of escalators connecting the public areas, the first cruise ship to have public escalators.

Genting Hong Kong has marked the official start of production on Dream Cruises’ new Global Class cruise ship during a steel cutting ceremony held on 8 March at the MV Werften shipyards in both Wismar and Rostock, Germany.

“After designing the Global Class ships for the last three years and investing over 210 million euros to make MV Werften a state-of-the-art cruise shipbuilding yard, we are very pleased to finally start construction on the first Global Class cruise ship today,” said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.

“These ships are not only the largest cruise ships to be built in Germany; they are also the most technologically advanced with artificial intelligence. The Global Class ships mirror the widespread use of technology and artificial intelligence by our Asians guests in their daily lives, with facial and voice recognition for most services onboard, eliminating most queues; contextual marketing to even out demand on ship facilities; automated robots to perform mundane tasks - allowing the hardworking staff to focus on service delivery - along with other artificial intelligent and digital systems. Internet, an essential service for guests to connect on social media, will be free,” he added.

The Global Class ships are designed specifically for the rapidly growing Asian cruise market with popular features such as a Cineplex, theme park, Asian spa, multiple authentic Asian dining experiences, including fast-casual food alternatives, and affordable shopping facilities in addition to luxury retail boutiques.