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Insignia rejoins Oceania Cruises’ fleet after $50 million upgrade

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 May 2014 13 May 2014

Oceania Cruises, which is part of the Prestige Cruise Holdings group, has welcomed Insignia, one of the three 30,300 gross ton ships of its original fleet, back following a two-year charter to Hapag Lloyd Kreuzfahrten to whom it sailed as Columbus 2, and an extensive dry dock.

Insignia is the first of three sister ships of Oceania Cruises to undergo a $50 million refurbishment. Nautica and Regatta are scheduled to enter dry dock and receive similar enhancements over the next four weeks. Renovating three ships from bow to stern in a six-week time period marks the largest refurbishment programme in Oceania Cruises’ history.

The multimillion dollar makeover brings many of the interior design elements from the award-winning Marina and Riviera ships to Insignia, Nautica and Regatta while maintaining the warmth, intimacy and charm Oceania Cruises’ guests cherish in the 684-passenger ships. In addition to elegant new furnishings and décor for all public rooms, suites and staterooms, Insignia added several new guest experiences, including the ever-popular Baristas coffee bar, a cook-to-order grill at Terrace Café and new outdoor recreation on the Sports Deck.

In preparation for two special 180-day voyages, a version of the Artist Loft enrichment centre was added exclusively to Insignia during the dry dock. The “Around the World in 180 Days” cruise departs from Miami on 10th January 2015, and the “180 Day World Odyssey” sails from Miami on 8th July 2015.

“This is a milestone moment for Oceania Cruises. Not only did we welcome home a family member with Insignia re-joining the fleet today, but she comes out of dry dock essentially a new ship, reflecting an even higher level of elegance and design,” said Kunal S. Kamlani, president of Oceania Cruises. “By adding features our guests adore from Marina and Riviera to Insignia, Nautica and Regatta, it further enhances the upscale cruise experience and exceptional value for which Oceania Cruises is known throughout the industry.”

Online grows as nearly half a million download TUI Travel plc app

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 May 2014 13 May 2014

TUI Travel plc, the London based tour operating group that owns Thomson Cruises in the UK with five ships and is a major retailer of cruises of other lines, says its direct distribution and online businesses have shown continued strong growth in the first half of its financial year.

“Our direct distribution mix improved by three percentage points in the first half to 68% of Mainstream sales, with improvements in all key source markets. The improvement in direct distribution was driven by the online channel which also increased by four percentage points to 38% of Mainstream sales,” the company said in a statement. “Our customers are increasingly seeing the benefits of our digital transformation strategy, which in turn is driving conversion improvements from our new web platforms.”

“Our digital assistant app is a key driver in maintaining the ongoing customer relationship and will be used to link our people more effectively with our customers any time, anywhere, any way, with continuous additions to functionality. To date, we have rolled out the app to five source markets, just twelve months after the initial UK launch.”

“The apps have received over 490,000 downloads to date with good levels of usage and engagement. We have a clear roadmap in place to make the transition ‘from assistant to concierge’ over the next 18 months, with additional features that will lead to an increased number of downloads.”

“As an online-driven business, we have a focus on the online customer experience. We are moving to one core online platform across Mainstream. This has already been implemented in the UK and Nordics source markets, and is being rolled out to others in 2014. We continue to see significant benefits in conversion rates as a result of the implementation of the new platform. The optimisation of websites in our core source markets for mobile and tablet use is also driving improved conversion - in the UK, smartphone and tablet bookings improved by 81% in the first half of the year,” TUI Travel said.

Genting Hong Kong in Singapore secondary listing

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 12 May 2014 12 May 2014

Genting Hong Kong Limited, the global leisure, entertainment and hospitality enterprise that owns Star Cruises and has a stake in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said it shares have made a trading debut on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited, where it now has secondary listing.

Genting Hong Kong currently has a primary listing on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. “With the secondary listing on the Main Board of SGX-ST, the shares of Genting Hong Kong were de-quoted from the Global Quote platform of the SGX-ST on last Friday, May 9, 2014,” the company said in a statement.

Mr. Blondel So, Chief Operating Officer of Genting Hong Kong said, “This is an exciting day for us and marks an important milestone for Genting Hong Kong. A significant number of our shareholders are based in Singapore, and we appreciate their support over the years. The secondary listing on the Main Board of SGX-ST will also raise our profile amongst the investing community in the region who are familiar with the Genting brand and its services. We aim to capitalise on this

opportunity to strengthen the market’s understanding and appreciation of our business. With the dual listing status in Hong Kong and Singapore, Genting Hong Kong will be in a better position to access the capital markets in both financial centers and maximise its growth potential. ”

In relation to the introduction, CIMB Bank Berhad, Singapore branch acted as the financial advisor and sponsor. The shares of Genting Hong Kong are traded on the Main Board of the HKSE in Hong Kong dollars, and on the Main Board of the SGX-ST in US dollars. Genting Hong Kong will continue to be subject to, and will continue to comply with, the rules governing the listing of securities on the HKSE.

Cunard celebrates 10th anniversary of Queen Mary 2 in Southampton

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 May 2014 10 May 2014

Cunard Line celebrated the 10th anniversary of its grand flagship, Queen Mary 2 with the arrival of the whole three ship fleet in Southampton, England, this morning. This was a rare occasion to see all Three Queens together – Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria; and the homeport of Southampton is the only place in the world to have hosted the Three Queens three times.

To view video highlights of Queen Mary 2’s arrival this morning in Southampton, visit: http://bit.ly/1l5IJiY. For video highlights of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s visit aboard, go to: http://bit.ly/DukeOfEdinburgh.

The ships arrived at first light and began a day of spectacular celebration with an early morning birthday salute to Queen Mary 2 – “Happy Birthday” in ships' whistles (foghorns in common parlance) sounding out across Southampton Water.

This was followed by a special reception and lunch aboard Queen Mary 2 for invited guests in the presence of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, who last visited the ship when accompanying Her Majesty The Queen to name her in 2004. Prior to the reception and luncheon, His Royal Highness visited several behind-the-scenes areas to meet with crew who perform different roles on board. He spent time in the ship’s Laundry, crew gymnasium, crew training room / library, and one of the crew bars. After meeting officers, he was given a tour of the largest Bridge at sea and was invited to sign the Visitor’s Book.

“We are honoured that His Royal Highness visited our flagship Queen Mary 2 on such a special day in the history of the world's only ocean liner,” said David Dingle, CEO for Cunard Line. “For him to have spent time with many of our 1,200 staff was very exciting and highly appropriate, for it is they who have made Queen Mary 2 the great success she is today. As we reflect on her first decade of excellence, we look forward to the next ten years and are delighted to have had His Royal Highness taking part in these celebrations with us, as he was also present at her entry into service in 2004.”

At the special reception, His Royal Highness unveiled a portrait of Queen Mary 2 by renowned maritime artist Robert Lloyd that was commissioned by Cunard Line to celebrate a decade of service by the flagship.

Later in the evening, a ten-minute firework display – one minute for each of Queen Mary 2's ten years in service – will begin at 10:00 p.m. local time and create a spectacular send-off before the flagship leads her younger sisters in convoy down to the Solent.

Queen Mary 2 is setting off on a special anniversary Transatlantic Crossing to New York with the ship’s designer Stephen Payne and the ship's first master, Commodore Ron Warwick, who will be among the Cunard Insights speakers during the voyage.

Queen Elizabeth will sail on a short break to Hamburg, and Queen Victoria will be headed for the Baltic capitals.

Since entering service, Queen Mary 2 has sailed 1.5 million nautical miles on over 400 voyages including 213 Transatlantic Crossings. She has called at 182 ports in 60 countries and carried over 1.3 million guests.

Costa Diadema to be christened November 7 at Genoa

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 May 2014 09 May 2014

Costa Diadema, the new flagship of Costa Cruises, will be christened at Genoa, Italy, Nov. 7, 2014, and Genoa and Costa are hosting an event for locals and Costa Diadema guests. Costa Diadema is set to depart from Trieste, Italy, for Genoa on its preview cruise Nov. 1, followed by the ship's inaugural cruise departing Savona, Italy, Nov. 8.

Costa Diadema's christening event celebrates Costa's long-standing relationship with Genoa, where the company was founded and has its headquarters. Parent company Costa Crociere is expanding its presence in Genoa by opening new offices for about 250 employees this summer at Piazza Piccapietra, next door to its current headquarters.

Costa Diadema is under construction at Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard near Venice. The cruise line is slated to take delivery of the ship Oct. 30. The flagship's inaugural activities are scheduled to last all month, including the preview cruise Nov. 1, the christening event Nov. 7 and three inaugural cruises departing Nov. 8, 15 and 22.

The preview cruise starts Nov. 1 with an overnight at Trieste, departing at 1 p.m. the following day. Costa Diadema will call at Dubrovnik, Croatia; Corfu, Greece; Valetta, Malta; and Naples, Italy; with the cruise ending at Genoa Nov. 7 for the christening event.

Following the naming ceremony, Costa Diadema departs Genoa Nov. 8 for the first in a series of three seven-day western Mediterranean inaugural cruises with stopovers at Marseille, France; Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; and Naples and Savona, Italy.

The Nov. 15 and 22 seven-day roundtrip Savona inaugural sailings include calls at Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Naples and La Spezia (Florence), Italy. Beginning Nov. 29 and for the rest of the 2014-15 winter season, the new flagship departs Savona weekly on that same itinerary.

Costa Cruises has invested approximately 550 million euros in the construction of Costa Diadema, employing nearly 1,000 shipyard workers and 2,500 employees from about 400 primarily Italian suppliers.

The 132,500-ton, 3,724-guest Costa Diadema will offer many innovations on board including food and wine venues Vinoteca, Birreria (beer house), Japanese Teppanyaki, Piazza Pizza and Gelateria. New entertainment offerings include Country Rock Club, featuring "classic rock" music, and the Star Laser room, offering interactive laser games including Laser Maze. Portobello Market Piazza is an 11,840-square-foot area with designer stores and retail outlets.