Top Headlines

Carnival Corporation names Antorcha to lead Holland America Line, Palomba as COO for Carnival Cruise Line

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 09 July 2020 09 July 2020

Carnival Corporation & plc today announced two important moves within its global leadership team as part of the company's broader efforts to enhance operations and best prepare the organization for the eventual resumption of cruising.

Gus Antorcha, currently chief operations officer for Carnival Cruise Line, has been named president of Holland America Line, effective immediately. Antorcha will report directly to Stein Kruse, group CEO of Holland America Group and Carnival UK.

Neil Palomba, currently president of the company's Italy-based Costa Cruises, has been named executive vice president and chief operations officer for Carnival Cruise Line, effective immediately, reporting directly to Christine Duffy, president of the brand. During Palomba's transition, the Costa Cruises leadership team will continue to report to Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to continue enhancing our global operations, these moves clearly demonstrate the depth and strength of our leadership team," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "We are using this pause in guest operations to evaluate every aspect of our business, including our leadership structures, and make changes where appropriate to improve our business. Gus and Neil are both proven and strategic leaders within our organization, and we are looking forward to their contributions and success in these new roles as we position our company and our brands for a bright future."

Antorcha will lead one of Carnival Corporation's most storied brands, Holland America Line, an award-winning, premium cruise line known for immersive, authentic experiences onboard and shoreside. In this role, he will guide Holland America Line's return to cruise operations and plans for future growth, including sales and marketing, revenue management, deployment and itinerary planning, public relations, guest services operations and strategic planning.

As an industry veteran with over nine years of service at Carnival Cruise Line, Antorcha held several key leadership roles supporting the brand's continued growth and popularity amongst cruisers. Prior to becoming chief operations officer, Antorcha served as Carnival Cruise Line's executive vice president, guest services, responsible for onboard operations, and senior vice president, guest commerce. He previously served as a partner and managing director for Boston Consulting Group.

Palomba assumes the role of chief operations officer for Carnival Corporation's namesake and largest brand, Carnival Cruise Line. In this role, his responsibilities include oversight of all hotel operations, guest services, guest commerce and guest care.

Since February 2015, Palomba has led Costa Cruises, with responsibility for managing all aspects of the brand, including strategy, product design, guest care, sales, marketing, revenue management and fleet deployment, among others. Under his leadership, Costa Cruises introduced its "Italy's Finest" brand positioning, debuted a number of guest and onboard experience innovations, and launched Costa Smeralda, the brand's first cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Prior to becoming president of Costa Cruises, Palomba served as the brand's senior vice president, hotel operations and guest experience beginning in January 2014. Previously, he held multiple leadership positions in the cruise industry, working up to corporate operating officer for a global cruise line, following multiple onshore and onboard roles, including positions in the hotel and deck departments on board a cruise ship and rising to serve as a second officer.

Hurtigruten returns 14 ships to operation – launches new September British Isles expedition cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 07 July 2020 07 July 2020

After a successful return to sailing last month, Hurtigruten has released its plans to further ramp-up operations with 14 of 16 ships returning in August and September. In addition, Hurtigruten launches a series of new itineraries in the British Isles over the coming months.

"With the safety and well-being of our guests and crew as our number one priority, the response to our successful return to sailing last month has been extremely positive from both the local communities, our guests and crew. As travel restrictions are lifted, we are now entering the next phase of our step by step return to full operation," Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam says.

Hurtigruten marked the return of cruising as Finnmarken became the first ocean cruise ship in the world to return to sailing with her June 16 departure. With limiting capacity and strict hygiene measures, Hurtigruten currently operates five ships on international and domestic Norwegian itineraries.

Now the world’s largest expedition cruise company has stepped up its rebound strategy, with plans to bring 14 of their 16 ships back in operation by the end of September:

– Hurtigruten marks the return of Arctic expedition cruising, as battery-hybrid powered Roald Amundsen and Spitsbergen starting Mid-July will offer 6 to 15 day voyages on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

– Step by step 7 additional ships will be introduced on the legendary Bergen to Kirkenes voyage along the Norwegian coast in August and September. As of this week, Hurtigruten already operates 4 ships in what’s known as “the most beautiful voyage in the world."

– Hurtigruten launches a series of exclusive British Isles itineraries on the world’s first battery hybrid powered cruise ship the Roald Amundsen. Departing from Portsmouth (Sep 2), Liverpool (Sep 7 and 17) and Glasgow (Sep 12), the short expedition cruises will take guests to off-the-beaten-track destinations such as Isles of Scilly, Fowey, Rathlin Island, Fortwilliam, Oban, Fishguard and Waterford.

"We are thrilled to announce our new British Isles itineraries, and put a lot of pride into handpicking the destinations. We wanted to make sure guests can enjoy the British Isles like never before, visiting remote isles, seeing rugged nature and amazing wildlife, and enjoying charming coastal cities, towns and villages while avoiding the mass tourism crowds," Skjeldam says.

In June, Hurtigruten also announced their 2021 plans for year-round expedition cruise departures from Dover and Hamburg to Norway, Southern Scandinavia and the British Isles.

"Our British Isles departures have proven extremely popular. With the addition of 2020 expedition cruises, we will offer guests a unique opportunity to explore unique destinations already this fal," Skjeldam says.

First international cruises

The newest addition to Hurtigruten’s fleet of custom built expedition cruise ships, battery-hybrid powered Fridtjof Nansen, marked the return of international cruises as she departed Hamburg, Germany on June 26 for the first in a series of summer 2020 expedition cruises to the Norwegian coast.

The 14 night itineraries will continue into September, exploring world heritage fjords, glaciers, bird cliffs, narrow inlets and other sites under the midnight sun - all the way to the iconic North Cape.

"As travel restrictions are lifted, we offer German and international guests two distinct and unique ways of exploring Norway. Expedition cruises departing from Hamburg, and the original voyages along the Norwegian coast. This summer, we will have the fjords all by ourselves. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the rugged beauty of the Norwegian coast," Skjeldam says

Hurtigruten is the world’s largest expedition cruise line and has operated in polar waters continuously since 1893. As the most experienced operator on the spectacular Norwegian coastline, Hurtigruten is the only cruise line to offer year-round sailings on the Norwegian coast.

"We are seeing a strong demand across all markets and all destinations, including the Norwegian coast, the Arctic and Antarctica. The demand reflects our predictions that small-ship cruising, with all our advantages such as more flexibility and fewer guests, will prove even more popular post-COVID-19," Skjeldam says.

Carnival Cruise Line sets road map for ship deliveries, deployments

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 07 July 2020 07 July 2020

Carnival Cruise Line, the US focused contemporary market unit in Carnival corporation & plc group, it has revised the delivery Mardi Gras, as well as the transformed Carnival Radiance – both resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic – and published new itineraries for Carnival Breeze and Carnival Magic that are all part of an updated deployment plan from November 2020 to May 2021.

Mardi Gras, the first LNG-powered ship to operate in the Western Hemisphere, will now enter into service from Port Canaveral, Fla. on Feb. 6, 2021 instead of mid-November 2020. The ship is under construction at Meyer Turku in Finland.

Carnival Radiance's $200 million dry dock at the Cadiz, Spain shipyard was suspended this spring when the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a nationwide lockdown. “Carnival is now evaluating shipyard options to complete the transformation, but the ship is likely not going to be completed until the spring,” the company said in a statement.

As a result of the delay, Carnival Breeze will be redeployed from Fort Lauderdale to Port Canaveral and will assume the itineraries for Carnival Radiance from Nov. 8, 2020 to Apr. 24, 2021. “Consequently, guests on 18 Carnival Breeze sailings from Fort Lauderdale scheduled to operate from Nov. 7, 2020 to Mar. 7, 2021 are being notified that their cruises have been cancelled,” Carnival said.

Carnival Magic's Transatlantic and European itineraries from Mar. 13, 2021 to May 3, 2021 have been cancelled. Seven sailings previously scheduled for Carnival Breeze from Fort. Lauderdale from Mar. 13 to Apr. 24, 2021 will move to Miami and those guests will sail on the same itinerary, but on Carnival Magic operating from PortMiami.

"We continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global commerce, public health and our cruise operations. In addition to our current pause in service, there have been many other unintended consequences, including shipyard, dry dock and ship delivery delays, and related changes to our deployment plans for our fleet," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings collaborate to develop enhanced health and safety standards

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 06 July 2020 06 July 2020

Cruise industry leaders Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. announced a collaboration to develop enhanced cruise health and safety standards in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The companies have asked Governor Mike Leavitt and Dr. Scott Gottlieb to serve as co-chairs of a newly formed group of experts called the “Healthy Sail Panel.” The panel is tasked with collaboratively developing recommendations for cruise lines to advance their public health response to COVID-19, improve safety, and achieve readiness for the safe resumption of operations.

The expert panel has been working for nearly a month and will offer its initial recommendations by the end of August. The cruise lines said its work will be “open source,” and could be freely adopted by any company or industry that would benefit from the group’s scientific and medical insights.

“This unprecedented disease requires us to develop unprecedented standards in health and safety,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “Bringing aboard these respected experts to guide us forward demonstrates our commitment to protecting our guests, our crews and the communities we visit.”

“We compete for the vacationing consumer’s business every day, but we never compete on health and safety standards,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. “While the cruise industry has always had rigorous health standards, the unique challenges posed by COVID-19 provide an opportunity to raise the bar even higher.”

“Health and safety are the highest priority for all CLIA cruise line members as demonstrated by this initiative on the part of two of our largest members. We commend this and parallel efforts of all of our members, large and small, who are working tirelessly to develop appropriate protocols based on input from health authorities and medical experts in the U.S. and abroad,” said Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Fain and Del Rio said they initiated the panel to assure the plans they will submit to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other regulators apply the best available public health, science and engineering insights. The work of the panel will be shared with the entire industry and regulators.

“In convening the Healthy Sail Panel, we sought the participation of a diverse group of leading experts in areas of science and public health that are directly relevant to the considerations listed by the No Sail Order,” said Governor Leavitt. “We view our work as a profoundly important public health effort. The health and safety of passengers, crew, and the communities that cruise ships visit will be the principal focus of this project.”

Dr. Gottlieb said, “We know that the public health issues that must be addressed are complex, and in some areas, tackling them will require novel approaches. Our goal in assembling this team of leading experts was to develop best practices that can improve safety and provide a roadmap for reducing the risks of COVID-19.”

The panel is co-chaired by Governor Leavitt, former Secretary of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services (HHS), and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The panel’s members are globally recognized experts from various disciplines, including public health, infectious disease, biosecurity, hospitality and maritime operations.

Baltic operator Birka Cruises to cease operations

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 03 July 2020 03 July 2020

Birka Cruises, which is part of Rederi AB Eckero group in Finland, has decided to cease operations, the company said in a statement.

The company, which has mainly sold its cruises on the Swedish market, has concentrated on one-night trips between the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and Mariehamn on the Aland Islands, which belong to Finland.

Birka Cruises blamed the economic aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak and uncertainty regarding the development of the tourist market for its decision to cease business that it had launched in 1971. It was forced to cease sailings in March and to lay off most of its staff.

Birka Cruises has operated the 34,924 gross ton Birka Stockholm that was purpose built to the company in 2004. Unlike the cruise ferries that operate in the region, the 1,800 passenger capacity ship does not have a drive through vehicle deck. Media reports say the ship will be put up for sale.

As it was built for year round service in the Baltic, Birka Stockholm has high ice class – 1 A Super in the Finnish/Swedish system. The ship has four diesel engines that develop in total 23,400kW and they drive two propellers via gearboxes rather than use electric drive, as is the case with most deep sea passenger ships.

Eckero group’s ferry services between the Aland islands and the Swedish mainland and the Finnish and Estonian capitals are not affected.