Head office of Titanic owner opens as spa hotel

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 19 August 2014 19 August 2014

The building that was the head office of Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, always known by its trading name of White Star Line, has opened as a spa hotel.

Called 30 James Street, referring to the address of the building in Liverpool, England, which housed the White Star Line head office since the building was opened in 1896 till the demise of the company in 1934, has been converted to a 64 room spa hotel. A  Champagne bar with a 100 foot balcony has already opened its doors, while a restaurant is due to open in September. It will be called Carpathia Restaurant, in honour of the Cunard Line vessel that rescused 705 survivors of the Titanic disaster in the morning of 15 April 1912.

It is located across the street from the Pier Head, where many White Star Line ships sailed from and which today houses a temporary Liverpool Cruise Terminal building and the floating jetty itself. Cunard Building, also across the street from 30 James Street and headquarters of Cunard Line from 1917 to the late 1960s, will be converted permanent cruise terminal and it is due to open in 2015.

White Star Line was founded in 1869 in Liverpool and in 1902, it passed into the ownership of International Mechantile Marine, a conglomerate owned by the US banker John Piercepont Morgan.

After the First World War, it returned to British ownership and was effectively forced to merge with Cunard Line in 1934 as the depression had badly hurt the business of both companies and Cunard needed state funding to resume work on the first Queen Mary, which was completed in 1936.

The last White Star Line ocean liner in service was the 27,666 gross register ton motorship Britannic, which was built in 1930 and retired in 1960.

Germans prefer shorter cruises, river cruise prices fall sharply – survey

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 19 August 2014 19 August 2014

Germans are booking slightly shorter cruises this year than in 2013, while the prices of river cruises fell sharply, a study conducted by e-hoi.de, the online cruise retailer, shows.

Germans prefer shorter cruises, with average duration at 9.8 days compared to 10.1 days last year in ocean cruises and seven days compared to 7.9 in river cruises.

A 24% reduction in the average price of river cruises to €805 has increased the demand for them; in ocean cruises the average price only fell €5 to €1,261.

While reduction in the average duration of the cruises has contributed to the fall, the website notes that excluding this factor, river cruises experienced a 14% fall in average price to €110. By contrast, in ocean cruises, the figure increased by €2 to €117.

Budget price category accounted for 72% of all the river cruises sold through the site, a marked increase from 54% in the 2013 review. In ocean cruising, the budget segment lost two percentage points, to 66%, while standard price category gained three percentage points and accounted for 21% of the surveyed bookings.

Those booking cruises in the budget price category averaged 51 years in age, a full 10 years younger than the average cruise clientele in the survey. However, the numbers of children on cruises grew by 40% and they made up 7% of all passengers in the survey.

Second annual Rama Rebbapragada Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Cruise Industry in Asia accepting nominations for extraordinary recipient

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 18 August 2014 18 August 2014

Drawing on the success of the inaugural award at last years Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific event, UBM, organizers of the show, are now accepting nominations for the second annual Rama Rebbapragada Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Cruise Industry in Asia.

This award will honor an individual who has made a particularly noteworthy contribution to the development of the cruise industry in Asia, distinguishing his or herself through dedication to, and passion for, the industry within the Pan-Asia region.

The award's namesake, Rama Rebbapragada, embodied this dedication. During his quarter-century-long career with Royal Caribbean International, Rebbapragada created awareness of the potential of the Asia-Pacific cruise market to the international cruise community, while being a true friend to all who knew him all over the world.

The recipient will be chosen by a select group of industry leaders, and will be presented during Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific by Dr. Zinan Liu, Vice President, China and Asia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, who was a friend and colleague of Rebbapragada's for many years. I am so proud to have the honor of presenting this prestigious award in the name of my friend Rama, who was one of the most dedicated, loyal and passionate advocates for Royal Caribbean said Liu. He made a particular mark in waking the world's most populous region up to cruising. I look forward to sharing the stage with one who shares the same vision and aspirations as he did for the Asia cruise market.

Nominees will be judged on the following criteria:

– Made an outstanding contribution to the cruise industry in the Asia-Pacific region in 2014.

– Served to significantly raise the profile, visibility and credibility of the cruise industry in Asia.

– Represented the industry with dignity and professionalism
Nominations may be submitted to UBM by emailing to=This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by October 15, 2014.

Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific will take place November 20-21, 2014 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. For information about exhibiting or attending Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific visit www.cruiseshippingasia.com. Details regarding the Rama Rebbapragada Award may be found by clicking here<http://www.cruiseshippingevents.com/asia/conference/rama-rebbapragada-award>.

Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific is organized by UBM in partnership with Seatrade Communications and is exclusively supported by Cruise Lines International Association and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association. Official Event Partner: Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Regent Seven Seas reports results for second quarter 2014

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 15 August 2014 15 August 2014

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (Seven Seas Cruises S. DE R.L., or the “Company”) reported financial results on August 12 for the second quarter ended June 30, 2014.
– Total Revenue was a record $142.9 million in the second quarter of 2014 compared to $142.7 million in the second quarter of 2013.
– Adjusted EBITDA was a record $29.8 million in the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 4.6% compared with $28.5 million in the second quarter of 2013.
– Net Income was a record $11.7 million in the second quarter of 2014, compared to $6.5 million in the second quarter of 2013.
– Net Yield increased 7.8% to a record $561.85 for the quarter compared with $521.24 in the second quarter of 2013.
– Occupancy was 95.4%, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from a year earlier, while capacity during the quarter was 167,790 Available Passenger Cruise Days compared to 171,990 in the second quarter of 2013, due to 6 days of the 10- day scheduled Seven Seas Mariner drydock occurring in April 2014.

Commenting on the second quarter of 2014, the Company's Chairman and CEO, Frank Del Rio stated, “We are pleased with our financial results, including record revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, net income and Net Yield for the quarter. In July, construction began on Seven Seas Explorer with a steel cutting ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Genoa, Italy. The ceremony marked the beginning of what we believe will set the standard for luxury cruising when Seven Seas Explorer joins the fleet in the summer of 2016. Our strong financial performance and new construction are a reflection of our commitment to providing our guests with an extraordinary experience."

Other key operating metrics for the second quarter of 2014 compared to the prior year are as follows:
– Net Cruise Cost, excluding Fuel and Other expense, per APCD, increased 0.5% for the quarter compared to the second quarter of 2013 due to fewer Available Passenger Cruise Days.
– Fuel expense, net of settled fuel hedges, was $9.8 million for the quarter compared to $10.1 million for the second quarter of 2013.
– Other expense was $4.9 million for the quarter compared to $1.3 million for the second quarter of 2013 due to 6 days of the 10-day scheduled Seven Seas Mariner drydock occurring in April 2014.