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UPDATE - Efforts to revive collapsed Happy Cruises that left passengers stranded, holiday plans ruined

Details: Category: More News More News; Published: 30 September 2011 30 September 2011

It now appears that, because of the demise of Happy Cruises, hundreds of passengers have been stranded and many more are affected.

The sudden cessation of operation on September 24^th by the Spanish cruise company took many people by surprise. For some their dream holidays are all but ruined. For others, their immediate concern would be how to get home. According to a source inside Spain, a number of unhappy passengers were stranded in the Adriatic region. Most of them have now found alternatives by ways of land and air transportation back to Spain.

Because of the perceived suddenness of the announcement, the plans of hundreds, if not thousands, of passengers who were booked to start their holidays with Happy Cruises were abruptly thrown into disarray. Tour operators and agents all over Spain are now left with the task of informing their customers of the news and refunding their payments. Because of the lateness of the season, not all customers would elect to go on another cruise this year. Most of them simply cannot change their holiday dates.

The news is particularly devastating to the employees of the cruise company, who are now left to deal with the aftermath and to face an uncertain employment future. Happy Cruises’plan of carrying up to 100,000 passengers per year is now nothing more than an unrealised ambition.

Although it is highly unlikely, in the last effort to avoid total liquidation the company is grappling with the possibility of continuing operation from as early as October. It is reported that the partners and the management of Happy Cruises are actively seeking alternative sources of finance, talking with the two ship owners, and negotiating the debt issue with suppliers.

Reported by: Alan Lam

Voyages of Discovery launch online TV channel

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 September 2011 29 September 2011

Voyages of Discovery, the destinational brand in the UK based All Leisure group's stable, is broadening its communication strategy by launching the Discovery Cruise TV (www.discoverycruise.tv) on the Internet.

One of the most innovative features of the new site is the Live Schedule which gives users the opportunity to view a selection of videos in real time. The schedules showcase various destinations and moving forward will feature content uploaded by passengers and partners of Voyages of Discovery, the company said in a statement.

Cruise itinerary videos are also available, playing cruises from the current and future cruise programme in a similar format to the iplayer. An invaluable tool for potential bookers looking to find the right cruise and past passengers wishing to reminisce by watching videos of cruises they have previously sailed on – Discovery Cruise TV is a first for the online cruise community. With a clear call to action, users can then find out more information about a specific programme by clicking through to the Voyages of Discovery website via the “INFO” button.

Users can immerse themselves with the Voyages of Discovery brand by accessing The Experience section – an area which allows a fuller understanding of the product and the experience passengers can expect on board.

All Leisure Holidays Online Director, Jos Dewing said, “Web TV is an innovative move for the group and presents a new medium for us to engage with our existing and new passengers. The videos we have on display best represent Voyages of Discovery and we are incredibly excited to see the channel evolve and for passengers to take on a bigger role in creating additional content in the future.”

The new channel will be available via the web by visiting www.discoverycruise.tv . Voyages of Discovery is hoping to generate more interest around the channel using social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.

RCL Cruises says has injected £100 million to Southampton economy

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 September 2011 29 September 2011

Southampton’s cruise industry will enjoy a milestone bumper £100 million in knock-on economic benefits from the cruise business RCL Cruises Ltd during 2011. Two ships from the global company – Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Eclipse – are sailing from the city this year welcoming around 135,000 people to a cruise from Southampton in 2011, said RCL Cruises, which operates the Royal Caribbean International Celebrity Cruises and Azamara brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd in the UK.

The recent Economic Impact Analysis of the Port of Southampton report conducted by Marine South East earlier this year found that on average each cruise ship home-ported, or based, in Southampton generates around £2.5 million of knock-on economic benefits per cruise turnaround day.

Dominic Paul, vice president and group managing director, UK , Ireland and Northern Europe, RCL Cruises Ltd, commented: “ Southampton has been a great home for several ships in both the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises family for the last six years. In that time we have significantly increased the number of people who choose to depart on a cruise from Southampton, received significant support from the port and city with improved terminal facilities and infrastructure, and become a major contributor to the region’s economy.”

The 3,634-guest Independence of the Seas is based year round in Southampton , and in 2011 will embark on 27 cruises from the city. That means almost 100,000 people will begin a holiday in Southampton just onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas by the end of 2011.

Sister-company Celebrity Cruises operates the 2,850-guest Celebrity Eclipse from Southampton during the summer season with cruises departing from the city between April and October. In 2011 Celebrity Eclipse will complete 13 turnarounds in Southampton with over 35,000 people cruising from the city onboard the ship. The two ships were both officially named and launched in Southampton , and are set to feature the port as a base for 2012 too.

Voyages to Antiquity to operate Far Eastern fly-cruise programme 2012-13

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 September 2011 29 September 2011

Voyages to Antiquity, the UK based cruise operator that specialises in cruises to destinations of historic interest, will operate a series of fly cruises in the far Eat in the winter of 2012-13.

The company has published a programme of 16 to 22-night fly cruises that take in India,, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Indonesia. The first of these fly cruises will start on 13 November 2013 and the final one on 6 March in the following spring.

The company operates Aegean Odyssey, a ship of about 11,000 gross tons that was extensively refurbished prior to its entry in service with the Oxford based company in 2010.

Production starts for Viking Line's new cruise ferry

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 28 September 2011 28 September 2011

STX Finland Oy's Turku Shipyard today started the production of an environmentally friendly, new-generation cruise ferry to be built for Viking Line ABP. The start of production at the Turku Shipyard was carried out following the traditions of the yard. The event organised in the steel construction hall, was witnessed by representatives of Viking Line, STX Finland, the classification society Lloyd’s Register, invited guests and members of the press.

After completion, the new Viking Line cruise ferry (NB 1376) is considered to be the most environmentally friendly cruise ferry ever built. It is fuelled with liquefied natural gas (LNG), discharge and pollution into the sea have been eliminated, and the emission into the air is significantly lower than that of any other cruise ferry in the world. The 214-meter long cruise ferry is scheduled for delivery in the beginning of 2013. For the Turku Shipyards, the construction will bring approximately 2,600 many-years of labour.

“We are very proud to build this unique cruise ferry with such a high number of new technical innovations for Viking Line. The design and procurement processes for the cruise ferry have progressed as planned and we are very pleased that the production is starting on schedule. This is key project for STX Finland’s Turku Shipyard and I am pleased to see the shipyard´s production workload growing and the employment increasing,” says Jari Anttila, Director of STX Turku Shipyard.