Top Headlines

Princess Cruises unveils $450 million, multi-year innovation and renovation project

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 27 January 2016 27 January 2016

Princess Cruises, which is part of the Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it has announced The Come Back New Promise, a $450 million multi-year product innovation and cruise ship renovation campaign that will enhance the line’s onboard guest experience. "These enhancements will result in more transformative moments, lifetime memories and meaningful stories for guests to share from their cruise vacation," the company said in a statement.

“The Come Back New Promise differentiates our approach to cruising and offers our guests enriching vacation experiences by connecting them with each other, nature and different cultures in a new way,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president, in the statement. “Our promise is to provide guests transformative moments designed to inspire them to discover the world and themselves, ultimately allowing us to declare that a cruise isn’t good enough unless you ‘come back new.’”

Recently, Princess introduced new initiatives inspired to deliver The Come Back New Promise which further elevate the line’s wellness, culinary/dining experiences and expands the partnership with Discovery Communications. They include:

Chef Curtis Stone – a partnership with award-winning chef, New York Times best-selling author and restaurateur Curtis Stone brings guests fresh, new culinary creations. All Princess ships will feature “Crafted by Curtis” menu items in the main dining room, while on select ships guests will enjoy “SHARE” a brand new specialty restaurant which will include a new Chef’s Table experience designed by Stone.
The Princess Luxury Bed – featuring a new specially designed bed to deliver the ultimate night of sleep at sea the Princess Luxury Bed was developed in collaboration with experts in both the science and beauty of sleep -- Dr. Michael Breus, “The Sleep Doctor,” and highly acclaimed designer, Candice Olson, star of the hit HGTV shows “Candice Tells All” and “Divine Design” -- Princess is installing more than 44,000 new beds, to every stateroom, across the fleet through 2018.
The Salty Dog Gastropub – another new dining option which highlights a variety of small bites inspired by pub favorites, adapted for an upscale culinary experience. Developed in collaboration with Ernesto Uchimura, a founding chef of the original Umami Burger, guests will also enjoy a variety of beer, whiskey and cocktail selections. Currently available on select ships.
Style at Sea with TLC – What to pack, what to wear and how to look stylish are just a few of the many questions guests ask when preparing for a cruise vacation. With the help of TLC’s fashion expert Stacy London, Style at Sea with TLC will provide tips and tricks to help guests feel and look their best while aboard a cruise.

Previously, Princess unveiled these initiatives which became the inspiration for The Come Back New Promise campaign, providing guests new culinary, enrichment and entertainment experiences, including:

Chocolate Journeys - An immersive chocolate experience designed by Master Chocolatier Norman Love, exclusive to Princess, was launched offering delectable desserts, wine and chocolate pairings and specialty chocolate cocktails. New chocolate offerings allow guests to indulge in even more custom-crafted signature desserts in new venues throughout the ship, as well as chocolate pairings with tea and more.
Discovery at Sea - A partnership with Discovery Communications, which brings new, innovative activities and shore excursions to the Princess-guest experience through hit shows like Deadliest Catch and Shark Week.
New Original Musical Productions – Magic to Do, the first of four musical production shows created in collaboration with Stephen Schwartz, award-winning composer and songwriter of Wicked, Godspell and Pippin, combines exhilarating magic with some of Schwartz’s most famous songs. Plus, the show features a brand new song written exclusively for Princess. Magic to Do debuted to critical acclaim and is currently running aboard Crown Princess, Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess.
Festivals of the World - Around the world, in every season, festivals bring people together to celebrate the uniqueness of a culture and its heritage often in the most colorful ways. Princess hosts festivals onboard that originate from nearly every corner of the globe. From Mardi Gras to Rio Carnival, guests enjoy parties, enriching activities, lively musical performances, festival-related movies and specialty shopping.
Craft Beer Series – Through partnerships with regional breweries that specialize in local flavor, Princess started the series with an award-winning West Coast IPA from Strike Brewing Company in San Jose, Calif., followed it with a special 50th Anniversary blend and have since added the Alaska Denali Red Ale, East Coast Blonde Lager and the Australian Gold Ale.
Princess@Sea Messenger - Guests have the opportunity to be connected with their fellow cruisers using mobile messenger, an instant message feature offering an easy way to make plans, confirm a meeting location while onboard the ship. The Princess@Sea Messenger is integrated in the complimentary Princess@Sea mobile app, accessed via a smartphone or tablet browser.

More announcements about ship renovations, entertainment and accommodations, in association with The Come Back New Promise campaign, are on the horizon and sure to bring Princess Cruises offerings to new heights.

Norwegian Cruise Line announces European Summer 2017 itineraries – Getaway to be based in Copenhagen

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 26 January 2016 26 January 2016

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced its ground-breaking summer 2017 deployment for Europe that, for the first time in company history, features five ships sailing in European waters in the summer season. Highlights of the new itineraries include cruises to the Baltic Capitals on Norwegian Getaway from Copenhagen and a first ever complete season from Hamburg on Norwegian Jade, with embarkation for those cruises also available in the UK and Amsterdam. In addition to the European sailings, Norwegian also revealed details on Norwegian Escape’s 2017 summer cruises to the Caribbean from Miami.

Norwegian will bring Norwegian Getaway, currently the second newest ship in the fleet, back to Europe for the first time since its delivery in 2014, giving guests the opportunity to experience the ultimate in freedom and flexibility on 8- or 9-night Baltic Capitals cruises from Copenhagen. This spectacular itinerary will allow guests to explore UNESCO World Heritage sites, take in the picturesque Baltic countryside and experience the unique history, cultures and architecture of these famed European cities. The itinerary includes calls in Tallinn, Estonia; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; along with an overnight in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Marking the first time that Norwegian will homeport a ship in Hamburg, Germany, Norwegian Jade – one of the company’s four Jewel-Class vessels – will feature brand new cruises from Hamburg in 2017. Following an extensive dry dock in spring 2017, she will arrive essentially a new ship featuring Norwegian’s new standard of excellence the Norwegian Edge on May 14, 2017. Until October 9, 2017, guests can embark from Hamburg on a series of 7- and 9-night Western Europe cruises; 9- and 10-night Norwegian Fjords cruises; 12-night Norway & North Cape sailings; as well as a 14-night Norway, Iceland & UK cruise.

Norwegian will return to England for the first time since 2010 during summer 2017, as Norwegian Jade will call on Southampton during her cruises from Hamburg. From May 12 – June 20 and August 7 – October 16, 2017, guests can choose to embark from Southampton for either 7- and 9-night Western Europe cruises or 9- and 10-night Norwegian Fjords cruises. Guests can also choose to embark from Amsterdam, The Netherlands on select dates for 7-night Western Europe cruises, providing even more flexibility for guests looking to explore Europe pre- or post-cruise.

“With these exciting new summer European itineraries, we are offering our guests a wider variety of adventurous itineraries that span the continent, while also bringing one of our newest and most innovative ships to Europe”, said Andy Stuart, president and chief operating officer of Norwegian Cruise Line.

Three further ships will sail European waters in 2017, including the recently refurbished Norwegian Epic with her popular 7-night Western Mediterranean itinerary, where guests can choose to depart from Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome) or Marseille; Norwegian Spirit sailing alternating 10- and 11-night Grand Mediterranean cruises between Barcelona and Venice; and Norwegian Star, which after her return from Australia, will spend the summer cruising from Venice to the Greek Isles as well as the Adriatic, Greece & Turkey.

Norwegian Escape, Norwegian’s newest ship launched last October, will spend summer 2017 sailing alternating 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises year-round from Miami, starting on May 6, 2017. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary includes stops in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands and Nassau, Bahamas, whereas the Western Caribbean cruises visit Roatán, Honduras; Norwegian’s private destination Harvest Caye, Belize; Costa Maya, Mexico and Cozumel, Mexico.

RCCL to report final quarter and full year 2015 figures on 2 February

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 26 January 2016 26 January 2016

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL), the world’s second largest cruise shipping group, has scheduled a conference call for 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday, 2 February, to discuss the company's fourth quarter 2015 financial results. Cruise industry analysts' forecast on average that the company would report earnings per share of $4.81 for the full year 2015 compared to a figure of $3.39 achieved in 2014.

VC2 Capital to acquire Haimark Companies

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 26 January 2016 26 January 2016

VC2 Capital, a leading merchant bank and financial advisory firm focused on small and middle market companies worldwide, today announced the signing of definitive agreements to acquire Haimark Ltd, Haimark Line, Ltd., Haimark S.A., Ltd. and Haimark Affinity Travel, Ltd., collectively known as the “Haimark Companies”.

Based in Denver, CO, the Haimark Companies offer luxury, small ship river and ocean cruises for experienced travelers with an interest in geography, culture and history, featuring onboard cultural enrichment and included shore excursions. Since its inception in 2012, the company has grown to a fleet of 9 river and ocean vessels (in 2016) offering scenic cruising along the rivers of India, Southeast Asia and Peru and its seasonal Cuba and Great Lakes sailings.

Adam Levin, Managing Director of VC2, said: "We are excited about the addition of the Haimark Companies to VC2’s growing portfolio of forward-looking travel investments. The luxury small ship concept is one of the fastest growing segments within the travel sector and will be an integral part of our investment strategy complementing our other travel related investments. We believe the entire team from Haimark, with their entrepreneurial vision, commitment to high customer service and focus on company culture, is a perfect platform for us to build upon.”

VC2 will look to Haimark’s current management, Marcus Leskovar and Hans Rood, to continue to lead the business. They will be a valued addition to VC2’s deep bench of leadership that leads its portfolio of companies.”

In addition to investing internally in expanding the Company's operations, Haimark management will be actively looking for new acquisitions in the luxury travel sector.

"We share VC2s’s excitement in the Haimark acquisition. Their investment, together with their infusion of energy, expertise and capital, assures a positive future for Haimark and our employees, partners and guests," said Hans Rood, President of Haimark. "This transaction and funding allows us to launch our previously announced sailings to Cuba from Miami and to continue our best-in-class travel experience.”

Norwegian Jade to make 19 turnaround calls in Hamburg in 2017

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 25 January 2016 25 January 2016

Norwegian Cruise Line has scheduled 19 turnaround calls for the Norwegian Jade in Hamburg from the summer season of 2017 onwards. It will be the first time that a full turnaround service is offered by a North American cruise line in Hamburg. Last October, the company's largest cruise ship, the Norwegian Escape, departed on her maiden voyage from Hamburg after she left Meyer Werft, a shipyard in northern Germany.

"We are very proud that we will now regularly cruise from Hamburg for the first time. With the Norwegian Jade, we bring a very popular ship in the Hanseatic city. Thanks to 17 dining options, an exciting entertainment program, a luxury spa and more the guests will enjoy a relaxed cruise experience," says Christian Böll, Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa with Norwegian Cruise Line. "After the conversion of our product on Premium All Inclusive for the German market, we now set the course for steady growth in the German market."

“We are looking forward to welcoming Norwegian Jade at the Port of Hamburg from 2017 onwards. The decision to have her to depart from Hamburg is a wonderful acknowledgement of our efforts and proves that we, together with the many other parties involved, have succeeded in putting Hamburg on the international cruise map,” says Sacha Rougier, Managing Director of Cruise Gate Hamburg GmbH.

"The aim of establishing the Cruise Gate Hamburg and the related reorganization of the cruise business was to continue the successful development of the cruise business in Hamburg. That NCL focuses on the destination Hamburg, is a sign, at latest now the Port of Hamburg has made a name for itself in the cruise business internationally," says Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority.