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Royal Caribbean to enhance CocoCay private island experience in the Bahamas

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 March 2017 09 March 2017

The world’s largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean International, has committed to a multi-year agreement with the island nation of The Bahamas that will help grow tourism to the destination, rapidly increase the cruise line’s employment of Bahamian nationals and invest in hospitality training to develop talent in the country.

At a signing ceremony attended by Perry Christie, Prime Minister of The Bahamas and Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, the cruise line confirmed plans for a significant investment in major enhancements to CocoCay – its private island destination in The Bahamas – which will include the construction of a pier, additional guest features and amenities, and new opportunities for vendors and craftsmen to promote the culture of The Bahamas to visitors.

“Royal Caribbean has been a long-standing partner of the islands of The Bahamas and their plans to significantly increase tourism to our country as well as to develop the talent of our youth and expand employment opportunities for Bahamians is commendable,” said Prime Minister Christie.

As part of the agreement, Royal Caribbean plans to work with The Bahamas government to develop a training program to provide those who aspire to a career in hospitality with a unique opportunity to participate in innovative training and development. The cruise line will create a curriculum that will prepare many thousands of students for careers at sea on board one of Royal Caribbean’s ships. The classes will be facilitated by dedicated instructors who will provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge to help them develop valuable and marketable hospitality skills. In addition to the classroom experience, students will receive on-site guidance and training from shipboard professionals.

Royal Caribbean has committed to rapidly growing the number of Bahamian nationals employed by the cruise line in the next five years. In addition, they have joint ownership of the Grand Bahamas shipyard in Freeport at which major revitalizations and drydock maintenance of its ships take place.

“Tourism is an important engine of growth for the economy of destinations in the Caribbean and The Bahamas, and we are excited to bring more visitors on our newest and most innovative ships to this popular vacation spot,” said Bayley. “Our commitment to The Bahamas is multifold. It is our responsibility to contribute to the country’s economic diversity, to its employment base and the training of Bahamian youth as well as the protection of the environment. We are excited about the continued growth of tourism in The Bahamas, and look forward to doing our part to keep that growth and progress moving along in the years to come.”

Operators of the world’s largest ships with an additional two mega ships under construction and four on order, Royal Caribbean currently brings 1.7 million visitors a year to The Bahamas, with plans to significantly expand that number in the next decade as they add capacity in the region. With its strategic location and proximity to the United States, Bahamian destinations are already marquee ports of call for 13 of Royal Caribbean’s ships and are consistently highly rated by guests.

Viking River Cruises marked its 20th anniversary by welcoming two Viking Longships.

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 March 2017 08 March 2017

“During a celebration that took place at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers in Koblenz, Germany, Viking Hild and Viking Herja, were officially christened by ceremonial godmothers and now join Viking’s award-winning, state-of-the-art fleet of more than 60 river vessels sailing the world’s waterways,” the company said in a statement.

Viking Hild will sail the Rhine River this spring on Viking’s new Paris to the Swiss Alps itinerary, and later this year both new ships will sail Viking’s popular Danube Waltz and Rhine Getaway itineraries.

“Two decades ago when we started this company, modern river cruising was still unknown to most travelers. Now 20 years later, we are pleased that most travelers know river cruising, and they know Viking as a household name,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises.

“The naming of a new ship by a ceremonial godmother is a sacred maritime tradition. We are honored that the godmothers of our two new Longships are also important partners who will help us deliver thoughtful and enriching experiences for Viking guests this year.”

Thomson Cruises to operate TUI Discovery from Newcastle and Southampton 2018

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 07 March 2017 07 March 2017

Thomson Cruises, which is part of the TUI group, said it would operate the 69,130 gross ton TUI Discovery from the UK in the summer of 2018. The ship will said to the Baltic and Norway from Newcastle and to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Islands from Southampton. The company has not, as yet, provided any details about the itineraries of the present Mein Schiff 1, which will be transferred fromTUI Cruises in Germany next year. The ship's new name has not been disclosed either.

Norwegian Joy floated out at Papenburg

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 07 March 2017 07 March 2017

Norwegian Joy, soon to be Norwegian Cruise Line’s first cruise ship custom designed for China, was floated out of Meyer Werft'’s covered building dock II on Saturday, 4 March in Papenburg, Germany, where the 168,800-ton ship has been under construction since September 2015.

Beginning early Saturday morning, the 3,850 passenger vessel, with her distinctive hull artwork designed by Chinese artist Tan Ping, departed building dock II. Norwegian Joy is the second ship in the line’s Breakaway Plus Class. Arriving in Summer 2017 with home ports in Shanghai and Beijing (Tianjin), Norwegian Joy will be Norwegian Cruise Line's first purpose-built ship for the Chinese market and designed to deliver on the promise that guests will enjoy 'First Class at Sea’ experiences.

Norwegian Joy’s float out represents a major milestone in the vessel’s construction. With the ship being well on her way to completion, she will now move into the final phase of construction with delivery taking place on 27 April.

Fred. Olsen says newbuilding contract not imminent

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 07 March 2017 07 March 2017

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lies, the UK based destination focused operator of four ships, said while it looks at ways to develop its business, talk about a newbuilding contract in the near future is premature

“We are always considering our options to develop the business, but talk of a new-build in the near future is premature. We keep an open mind, but would only do it when we felt that the time was right for the business,” said Rachael Jackson, Public Relations Manager at the Ipswich based company.

A media report a couple of weeks earlier suggested that the company, which is part of the Oslo based listed Bonheur ASA group, would be looking at newbuildings.

“We are currently concentrating our efforts on refining the customer experience to ensure that our guests' enjoyment is maximized,” Jackson concluded.