Majestic Princess Kicks Off Repositioning Cruise to Boston

Majestic Princess Kicks Off Repositioning Cruise to Boston

The Majestic Princess recently sailed from Southampton to kick off a repositioning cruise to Canada and New England.

After sailing from the British port on July 18, the Princess Cruises vessel is now offering a 15-night voyage that will end in Boston.

The trans-Atlantic cruise features visits to destinations in Iceland and Canada, including Reykjavik, Isafjord and Grundarfjordur, as well as Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax.

After arriving at its new homeport in North America, the Majestic Princess is set to kick off its first-ever fall foliage season in Canada and New England.

Sailing round-trip from Boston, the vessel offers seven-night cruises around the region that include visits to Portland, Halifax, Sydney, Eastport and Saint John.

In September, the Majestic Princess is also scheduled to offer open-jaw itineraries that sail between Quebec City and Boston.

Upon completing the deployment on the East Coast, the 141,000-ton ship is set to reposition to Fort Lauderdale for itineraries in the Caribbean.

Before arriving in Florida, the vessel offers a 14-night “Canada and Colonial America” itinerary that sails between Quebec City and Port Everglades.

The open-jaw itinerary includes visits to Saguenay, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Boston, New York City, Newport and Norfolk.

As part of its 2025-26 winter season, the Royal-class ship offers six- to eight-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale to destinations in the Western, Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

Originally designed for service in China and Asia, the Majestic Princess was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in 2017.

Before kicking off its maiden season in the Mediterranean earlier this year, the 3,600-guest ship underwent a major refurbishment at a shipyard in Italy.

As part of the modernisation project, the vessel debuted new venues, reimagined spaces and refined touches, including the addition of O’Malley’s Irish Pub and Bellini’s Cocktail Bar.

The Majestic Princess also got new dining options, such as the Ocean Terrace Sushi Bar, Alfredo’s Slice and The Salty Dog Grill.

Majestic Princess Swaps Galveston for South America in 2026-27

Majestic Princess Swaps Galveston for South America in 2026-27

Instead of offering cruises departing from Galveston, the Majestic Princess will sail in South America during the 2026-27 winter season.

Initially scheduled to sail from Texas to the Caribbean, the Royal-class ship saw its four-month season in the region cancelled in early April.

At the time, Princess Cruises said that the decision was part of a “broader global fleet redeployment strategy.”

The company then announced, in late May, its plans to operate the Majestic Princess in South America and Antarctica.

Running between November 2026 and January 2027, the ship’s season in the region includes five itineraries and six departures.

The deployment is highlighted by scenic cruising in Antarctica, including two overnight experiences in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Ranging from 15 to 33 days in length, the ship’s itineraries in the region will also mark Princess’s debut in the Beagle Channel Fjords and Glacier Alley.

The Majestic Princess is also set to visit Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and the Falkland Islands as part of cruises departing from Bridgetown, Buenos Aires and San Antonio.

In other recent deployment news, Princess announced that the Sapphire Princess, which is sailing in South America in 2025-26, will reposition to Asia.

Sailing along with its sister ship, the Diamond Princess, the ship will offer a series of cruises departing from Singapore and Yokohama.

The 14- to 42-night itineraries feature visits to destinations in Southeast Asia and the Far East, such as Hong Kong, Ha Long Bay and Ko Samui.

With the Majestic in South America and the Sapphire in Asia, Princess won’t offer cruises departing from Galveston in 2026-27.

The company is set to operate a farewell season from the Texas homeport in 2025-26, which will include the Regal Princess offering four- to eight-night cruises to destinations in the Western and Southern Caribbean.

Enchanted Opens Princess’ 2023 Summer Program in Europe

Enchanted Opens Princess’ 2023 Summer Program in Europe

The Enchanted Princess is launching Princess Cruises’ 2023 summer program in Europe today.

After crossing the Atlantic, the vessel is in Barcelona to start the first cruise of the season: a six-night voyage to the Western Mediterranean.

Cruising roundtrip from the Spanish port, the itinerary sails to France and Gibraltar. In addition to the UK port in the Iberian Peninsula, the cruise features visits to Ajaccio and Marseille, as well as two full days at sea.

Following a routine drydock, the Enchanted Princess continues its European summer program in mid-April, offering additional itineraries in both the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.

The series of seven-to 21-night cruises include different destinations across the Greek Islands, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Montenegro and more.

Fifth in a series of six ships known as Royal Class, the Enchanted Princess first entered service in November 2021.

Built-in Italy by the Fincantieri shipyard, the 3,660-guest ship offers more than 25 dining venues and bars onboard, including the new such as La Mer, a French Bistro that debuted on the Majestic Princess.

The ship also offers varied entertainment options, as well as unique Sky Suites. According to Princess, the balconies of the staterooms – which measure over 90 square meters – are among the biggest in the entire cruise industry.

In addition to the Enchanted Princess, three other Princess Cruises vessels are cruising in Europe during the 2023 summer: the Sky Princess, the Regal Princess and the Island Princess.

Mostly sailing in Northern Europe, the ships will offer different itineraries between March and early December.

Based out of the UK, the Sky Princess is sailing a series of four- to 24-night cruises to Scandinavia, Iceland, Norway, the Canaries, the Baltic and the Mediterranean departing from Southampton.

Also sailing from the English port, the Regal Princess is poised to sail a program of ten- and 12-night itineraries to the British Islands.

Completing the local offering, the Island Princess sails in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, offering longer cruises departing from Southampton, Copenhagen, Civitavecchia and more.

A cruise ship with 800 Covid cases docks in Sydney

A holiday cruise ship carrying about 800 passengers with Covid-19 has docked in Sydney, Australia.

The Majestic Princess cruise ship arrived at Circular Quay, having sailed from New Zealand.

About 4,600 passengers and crew were aboard the ship when it docked - meaning around one in five had Covid.

The outbreak is reminiscent of the Ruby Princess cruise ship Covid outbreak of early 2020, where at least 900 people tested positive and 28 died.

Marguerite Fitzgerald, the president of the cruise operator Carnival Australia, said a large number of cases started to be detected about halfway through the 12-day voyage.

All cases were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, she said.

Staff would be assisting all guests who have tested positive "with accessing private transport and accommodation to complete their isolation period", she said. The ship will soon depart for Melbourne.

Asked about comparisons between the Majestic Princess and the Ruby Princess - which also belongs to the same operator - Ms Fitzgerald said: "Since then, we as a community have learnt a lot, a lot more about Covid."

The outbreak comes as Covid cases rise across Australia.

In New South Wales, 19,800 new cases were detected in the seven days to Friday.

Princess Cruises has reintroduced its onboard mask mandate on three Alaska-based ships.

It comes after the line reinstated mask-wearing on Island Princess last week following a number of positive Covid tests amongst staff and guests.

 According to a Princess Cruises spokesperson, those who tested positive and their close contacts have been quarantined and are being monitored and cared for by the onboard medical team.

 

"We recently identified some positive Covid-19 cases among our guests and teammates onboard Island Princess," they added.

 

"Out of an abundance of caution, we will now be requiring guests to wear face masks while indoors at all times, except when eating or drinking or in their own staterooms."

 

Each of Princess’ ships follows the primary health protocols of the country or region they depart from at the start of their voyage. The line said it will continue to make "any necessary adjustments" as conditions warrant during future cruises.

 

The company has since reintroduced face coverings on Alaska cruises onboard Royal Princess, Majestic Princess and Grand Princess sailing from Whittier and Vancouver until further notice. Guests will be provided with a mask if needed.

 

A spokesperson for the line said: "In an abundance of caution masks are required in indoor locations on Alaska cruises aboard Royal Princess, Majestic Princess and Grand Princess sailing from Whittier and Vancouver until further notice.  Masks will be provided to guests if needed."

Princess Cruises: Eight Ships Now in Service in North America

Princess Cruises first welcomed passengers back in July 2021 offering Alaska cruises with the Majestic Princess and local domestic cruising in England with the Regal Princess.

Six months after the restart, Princess Cruises has added a total of eight ships back in service, including the new Enchanted Princess, which welcomed its first guests in November.

Back in Action in the Caribbean, West Coast and Hawaii

Pursuing a phased restart plan, Princess grew its active fleet to eight ships in the past six months.

The premium brand is now offering cruises in the Caribbean, West Coast and Hawaii, sailing from three different homeports.

Here are the details:

Majestic Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since July 25, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera

Regal Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since July 31, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 5 to 7 nights
Itinerary: Eastern and Western Caribbean

Sky Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since August 30, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Western and Eastern Caribbean  

Grand Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: In service since September 25, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 10 to 15 nights
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera, Sea of Cortez and Hawaii

Emerald Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,100
Date: In service since October 15, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 14 and 15 nights
Itinerary: Panama Canal and Southern Caribbean

Ruby Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,070
Date: In service since October 31, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: San Francisco (United States)
Length: 15 nights
Itinerary: Hawaii and Panama Canal    

Enchanted Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since November 10, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 10 nights
Itinerary: Southern and Eastern Caribbean    

Caribbean Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,100
Date: In service since November 28, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Western and Eastern Caribbean

Most of the Fleet Set to Return by May

As Princess returns to additional destinations in 2022, more vessels are resuming service. According to the company’s current restart plans, most of the fleet is set to be sailing again in May, in time for summer seasons in Alaska and Asia.

Here are the planned service resumption dates:

Discovery Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,660
Date: March 27, 2022
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 7 nights
First itinerary: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta

Island Princess
Capacity at 100%: 1,950
Date: April 27, 2022
Region: Panama Canal
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 14 nights
First itinerary: Cartagena, Panama Canal (old locks), Puntarenas, San Juan del Sur, Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta

Diamond Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: April 28, 2022
Region: Asia
Homeport: Yokohama (Japan)
Length: 6 nights
First itinerary: Nagasaki, Busan and Kagoshima

Royal Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: May 2, 2022
Region: Alaska
Homeport: Vancouver (Canada)
Length: 12 nights
First itinerary: Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan and Victoria      

Crown Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,070
Date: May 7, 2022
Region: Alaska
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Length: 7 nights
First itinerary: Juneau, Glacier Bay Park, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria

Sapphire Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: August 28, 2022
Region: Asia
Homeport: Hong Kong to Fremantle (Australia)
Length: 12 nights
First itinerary: Nha Trang, Phu My, Singapore and Lombok

Coral Princess
Capacity at 100%: 1,950
Date: September 3, 2022
Region: Australia
Homeport: Sydney (Australia)
Length: 35 nights
First itinerary: New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific

Princess Cruises Successfully Completes First Voyage Since 2020

The Majestic Princess returned to Seattle on Sunday, concluding its sailing to Alaska and marking the first successful United States voyage for Princess Cruises following the extended pause in operations, according to a press release.

The ship became the line's first ship to return to service, kicking off the partial season of Alaska sailings departing through September 26, 2021. The round-trip, seven-day cruise visited Glacier Bay National Park, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.

"Welcome back to Princess, is what I said to our guests while I was cruising with them onboard Majestic Princess for our first Return to Alaska cruise," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "From the very beginning, Alaska has been at the core of Princess Cruises and has really helped shape the very essence of who we are today. While visiting ports of call, I personally expressed my gratitude to our port partners and elected officials who were instrumental in our return and joined me in warmly welcoming guests to their picturesque communities."

This fall, Princess Cruises will begin sailing from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Ft. Lauderdale. Starting between September 25 and November 28, 2021, cruises onboard eight Princess MedallionClass ships will once again take guests to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii, and the California Coast.

Princess cruises sailings through 2021 are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. Crew vaccinations will be in accordance with CDC guidelines.

New Discovery Princess Floats Out at Fincantieri

The Discovery Princess, the sixth Royal-class ship built Princess Cruises, floated out today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone.

Interior fittings will now begin, leading the vessel to delivery, scheduled next year for Princess, which is owned by Carnival Corporation.

The 145,000-ton ship is a sister vessel to the Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess, which were all built and delivered in the same shipyard starting from 2013.

The partnership between the Monfalcone yard and Princess Cruises will continue with two next-generation cruise ships. These will be the largest built so far in Italy with a gross-tonnage of 175,000 tons, will accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and will be the first of the ship owner’s fleet to be dual-fuel powered primarily by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Deliveries are scheduled for 2023 and 2025.

Enchanted Princess ‘first ship to be completed in the time of Covid’

New-build Enchanted Princess has been delivered to Princess Cruises at a shipyard handover ceremony in Italy.

The 145,000-ton, 3,660-passenger vessel expands the Carnival Corporation-owned line’s global fleet of high-technology MedallionClass vessels.

The finalisation of Enchanted Princess marks the first ship to be completed during the time of Covid.

The ship is due to arrive in North America in December for a season of Caribbean cruises provided US health officials to lift a ban on sailings imposed due to the pandemic.

The new addition to the fleet will sail in the Mediterranean next summer, bringing the number of Royal-class ships based in Europe to three.

Enchanted Princess will spend May to September operating a series of new seven and 14-night itineraries from the port for Rome before sailing between Rome and Barcelona on a series of 11-night cruises.

Sky Princess is replacing Crown Princess in Southampton from April to September 2021, running eight and 12-night British Isles cruises and a series of 12-night Scandinavia and Russia voyages.

Regal Princess will also be based in Southampton, sailing a number of itineraries ranging from four to 24 nights to destinations including Iceland and Norway, the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, the Baltic and Canada and New England.

Enchanted Princess represents an evolution of a design platform used for sister ships Regal Princess, Royal Princess, Majestic Princess and the most recently introduced Sky Princess

Enchanted Princess is the 100th cruise ship built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. Crown Princess was the first ship to launch Fincantieri into the modern passenger shipbuilding business when it was delivered in 1990.

Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz said: “The heart and soul of the ship are always its teams, and I know she is in good hands with our dedicated crew watching over her with great care and pride.

“We look forward to brighter days ahead when we can officially welcome the first Enchanted Princess guests to enjoy all this beautiful ship has to offer.”

Carnival Australia Poised for Big Season

Carnival Australia Poised for Big Season

Carnival Australia announced that it is is on course for one of its biggest summer cruise seasons ever, featuring more than 600 calls to ports around the nation as well as the local debut of two new ships, the Ruby Princess and Carnival Splendor.

The season kicked off this week as the Majestic Princess sailed into Sydney following stops in Darwin and Brisbane. 

Her arrival marked the start of 625 calls to 34 different ports around Australia by 19 ships from the seven cruise lines represented by Carnival Australia: Carnival Cruise Line, P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises UK and Seabourn.

Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell said the 2019-20 cruise season would feature an exciting range of ships as well as 50 inaugural port visits around the country for ships across the company’s cruise lines, according to a statement.

"This is going to be a summer cruise season to remember, with our cruise lines offering Australian holidaymakers a fantastic range of new itineraries and new ports across 19 great ships,” Myrmell said. “In fact the number of local port visits by our ships has grown by more than 50 per cent compared to the summer season 10 years ago, underlining not only the growing popularity of cruising but also how much cruising has become part of the tourism fabric of our nation.” Carnival

On her second season Down Under, the Majestic Princess’s arrival not only marks the start of the summer cruise season but the largest in history for Princess in this region, featuring a record 141-day deployment in Western Australia as well as cruising from the east coast.

Myrmell said highlights of the season also include the first Australian visit by the Ruby Princess which will arrive in Sydney on October 23, 2019, and the Australian debut of the Carnival Splendor, which will sail into her new homeport of Sydney on December 10, 2019. Her arrival means that Carnival Cruise Line will now have two full-time ships based Down Under.

Other inaugural ship and cruise line visits over the summer include Carnival Cruise Line’s first call to Adelaide (Carnival Spirit February 29, 2020); Cunard’s first call to Esperance in Western Australia, (Queen Elizabeth on December 9, 2020); Seabourn’s first call to Portland (Seabourn Encore on March 14, 2020) and Holland America’s first calls to Moreton Island (Maasdam on December 1, 2019); Portland (Maasdam on January 2, 2020) and Phillip Island (Maasdam on January 3, 2020).

Princess Cruises reveals the name of fifth Royal-class ship

Princess Cruises reveals the name of fifth Royal-class ship

Princess Cruises has revealed its fifth Royal-class ship will be named Enchanted Princess.

Due to launch on June 15 2020, Enchanted Princess will operate European voyages and will be a sister ship to Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess and Sky Princess.

Enchanted Princess’ maiden season sailings will be available to book from November 8 this year.

Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises’ president, said: “The name Enchanted Princess is captivating and conveys the elegance and grace of our new ship which will introduce more travellers to the pleasures and value of cruising.

“We are certain Enchanted Princess will exceed the expectations of our guests, ensuring they have the most memorable cruise.”

Enchanted Princess will be followed by the debut of the sixth Royal-Class ship for Princess Cruises in 2021.

The cruise line also has two new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered ships on order to be delivered in late 2023 and spring 2025, bringing its new ship order to five ships in six years.

Construction of the 143,700-tonne, 3,660-guest Enchanted Princess will take place in the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard with the ship set to feature an evolution of the design platform used for the cruise line’s existing Royal-Class ships.

Princess Cruises currently operates a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships, sailing to more than 380 destinations across every continent.

Princess Announces Biggest Australian Deployment

Princess Cruises today announced its biggest Australia season ever, with five ships sailing from six homeports for the 2019-2020 Australia cruise season. 

Three ships, including the Majestic Princess, will complete itineraries to and from Adelaide over the 2019-2020 Australia season. 

Other highlights from Adelaide include an 18-day Fiji cruise on Golden Princess and a new 55-day Indian Ocean and South Africa Odyssey cruise on Sun Princess.

"Princess is gearing up for our largest Australian and New Zealand deployment in history, which will see a record number of people cruising on Princess ships over the 2019/2020 season,” said Senior Vice President Princess Cruises Asia Pacific, Stuart Allison

“Our largest ever deployment will feature five ships sailing from six homeports on over 125 departures across more than 60 itineraries to over 100 destinations in 30 countries. The arrival of Ruby Princess, combined with news of Majestic’s return before she’s completed her maiden season here, means we’ll have two of the four latest Princess ships sailing in this region which speaks to the momentous growth of our market.”

“The cruise industry is integral to South Australia’s $6.3 billion visitor economy,” said Rodney Harrex, Chief Executive, The South Australian Tourism Commission.

“Princess Cruises’ continued commitment to Adelaide demonstrates that South Australia is a key player in the cruise industry. We are delighted to welcome these cruise ships, passengers and crew to our State and look forward to visitors getting a taste of some our world-class experiences so easily accessible from Adelaide.”

The 2019/2020 Australian cruise season will be Princess’ largest in history. The 900+ day Australian deployment will see Princess carry more guests than ever onboard five ships on itineraries from Sydney, Perth (Fremantle), Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, the company said. 

The season is spearheaded by the maiden arrival of the Ruby Princess and the return of the Majestic Princess. Cruising 444 cruise days out of Sydney, Majestic and Ruby will generate a combined landmark capacity of over 100,000 guests, a 25 percent increase on the 2018-2019 season, the company said.

Cruise cools to China

By Tom Stieghorst
The cruise industry's gold rush to China, if not over, has entered a new phase: For the first time in at least four years, cruise capacity in China will not grow in 2018.

That means that the focus and management attention that has been lavished on the world's most populous country may now be turning elsewhere.

To hear evidence of that, listen to the list of places that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio reeled off when asked if he's ready to put the second ship in China. 

"We have many other either unserved or underserved markets that we would also consider in the mix, should ships become available to us," Del Rio said in response to a question from a Wells Fargo analyst. "We don't have a presence in the mid-Atlantic states. We're not in Baltimore. We're not in Charleston. We don't have a presence at all in the world's second-largest port, which is Fort Lauderdale. We don't have a presence in the Gulf States of Texas or Alabama. We don't have a year-round presence in Tampa or New Orleans or in Los Angeles."

Del Rio went on to say that the Norwegian Cruise Line brand will have three ships in Alaska this summer, where some competitors have as many as eight.

"So, given our fleet size today and the fact that we will only be taking one ship per year, it could be a couple of years before we consider adding more tonnage to China, if the conditions in the rest of the world remain as robust as they are today," Del Rio said.

The Chinese boom really got going in 2014 when Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced it would devote its brand-new Quantum of the Seas, the first of a new class of ship, to the Chinese market.

In a world full of supposedly bold moves, that one really was. And it prompted other lines for the first time to put brand new ships in China, as everyone feared being left behind in the scramble to impress the Chinese.

Being the preferred brand in a market that was projected to be the biggest in the world in a decade or so was worth the gamble of putting brand new tonnage in an unproven and opaque market.

So when Princess Cruises sent the Majestic Princess to Shanghai last year and Norwegian sent the Norwegian Joy, in addition to the Quantum and ships from Costa Cruises and others, the result was a crowded field.

Throw into the mix the spat between China and South Korea that limited itineraries out of northern China, and China became a much weaker cruise market last year.

While cruise lines insist that they're in it for the long haul, and even in the short term it has been profitable, the sense that China is going to deliver a big increase in global cruise revenues has been tempered.

Already Norwegian's focus for 2018 has turned to introducing Norwegian Bliss to the North American market, and in particular the U.S. West Coast. Who knows where else in the U.S. Norwegian ships might be coming next?

Hong Kong: Homeport and Transit Call Opportunity

The new World Dream will arrive to homeport at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal this November as another new ship uses Hong Kong as a turnaround destination.

Next year is looking to be on par with 2017 in terms of traffic, with 190 calls and 550,000 passengers, according to Jeff Bent, managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals, which oversees Kai Tak.

Around 75 percent of cruise calls at the facility are turnarounds.

“Ships leaving north Asia seasonally are making more transit calls in Hong Kong on their way to other markets, so there is a marginally positive effect for us, and perhaps an opportunity for seasonal homeports,” added Bent.

Source markets are certainly diverse, with Hong Kong locals, mainland Chinese and overseas passengers all playing into the passenger mix.

“The number and percentage of local Hong Kong passengers is increasing with additional homeporting capacity, and Hong Kong will likely be our largest source market this year,” Bent said. “The Chinese market presents its share of challenges, but is still vastly underpenetrated compared to mature markets.”

Hong Kong is the world’s tenth largest outbound travel market by spending. New transportation options will give mainland Chinese more options to board ships leaving Kai Tak in the next few years highlighted by high speed rail, a bridge to Zhuhai and Macao, and a new highway border crossing.

Of note, Kai Tak welcomed its millionth cruise passenger this year when the Majestic Princess called.

Majestic Princess Set to Sail from Taiwan in 2018 Deployment Change

Majestic Princess

The new Majestic Princess is poised to move into the Taiwanese market from April to July 2018, after which the 2017-built ship will head to Australia for winter 2018-2019.

According to sources with knowledge of the ship’s deployment, the Majestic will sail three- and four-night voyages from Keelung in all of April and May. A spokesperson for Princess Cruises told Cruise Industry News in a written statement that 2018 itineraries have yet to be confirmed.

Following her Taiwan-based short cruise program, the ship will offer longer cruises to Japan in May, June and July from Keelung. It is not known, however, if they will be mixed in with China-based sailings, or if Princess is continuing to cut capacity in China.

Announced in 2015, the Majestic Princess was built and developed for year-round China operations.

Earlier this year, Princess announced she would re-position seasonally to Australia for 2018-2019.

In addition, the Sapphire Princess, which has been dedicated to the Asia and China markets, will be re-deployed to Europe in 2018.

Carnival Corp ups full year revenue forecast on back of higher prices

Carnival Corp ups full year revenue forecast on back of higher prices

Carnival Corporation’s cumulative bookings for the next three quarters are at higher prices than last year and concentrated in the core cruise markets in North America and Europe.

Adjusted net profits for the last quarter edged up by $8 million year-on-year to $370 million as revenues grew from $3.7 billion to $3.9 billion on the back of a 4% increase in capacity.

The figures for the three months to May 31 were boosted by a 5% improvement in overall cruise ticket prices for the parent company of brands such as P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess Cruises.

The improved rates affirmed efforts to increase demand “by building positive word of mouth through the delivery of exceptional guest experiences as well as our and public relations programmes,” said president and chief executive Arnold Donald.

The company expects full year 2017 net revenue yields in constant currency to be up approximately 3.5%, better than guidance given in March of up by around 3%.

Chief finance officer David Bernstein said: “Since the end of February, booking volumes for the next three quarters have been running in line with the prior year at nicely higher prices.

“At this point in time, cumulative bookings for the next three quarters are ahead of the prior year, again, at nicely higher prices.”

Looking forward, Donald said: “We are realising sustained strength in booking trends across all core products.

“We are delivering on our strategy to grow demand in excess of measured capacity growth while leveraging our industry-leading scale resulting in increased return on invested capital.”

The world’s largest cruise conglomerate saw the delivery of Princess Cruises’ Majestic Princess, the first ship tailored for Chinese passengers, as well as the addition of AIDAperla to German brand, AIDA Cruises.

AIDAperla.

Two additional Princess Cruises ships, Caribbean Princess and Royal Princess, were fitted with the technical requirements to switch them early next year to the Ocean Platform featuring Ocean Medallion, the interactive technology for passengers which will debut on Regal Princess in November.

Donald told analysts in a conference call: “We have and we’ll continue to create carefully engineered high-quality destination experiences that are uniquely tailored to our guest references from our private islands like Princess Cays and Half Moon Cay to the planned expansion of our cruise terminal in Barcelona to our most recently completed port destination Amber Cove, in the Dominican Republic.

“We’re providing exceptional guest experiences that enable our brands to capture a price premium. We have many more innovations planned in port development that we expect to rollout in the coming years.”

He identified “new destination opportunities” in Cuba, the Bahamas and China.

The company expects to benefit from growing populations, increasing wealth and developing countries in addition to increased spending by consumers on “experience versus products”, all of which are contributing to 4% annual growth expected in travel globally.

Yao Ming and Ye Li to Name Majestic Princess

Yao Ming and Ye Li to Name Majestic Princess

Majestic Princess in Singapore

Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises announced today that Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li, will serve as “Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors” for Princess Cruises in China and officially name the new Majestic Princess during a ceremony in July.

The inaugural festivities will take place aboard Majestic Princess in Shanghai on July 9, as the culmination of weeks of celebrations, upholding maritime traditions, as well as featuring traditional Chinese, contemporary Chinese, and western-inspired cultural performances taking place between Rome and Xiamen, according to a statement from Princess

“It is a great honor that Yao Ming and Ye Li have graciously accepted our invitation to officially name Majestic Princess and serve as the Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors at our celebration welcoming our newest ship to China,” said Jan Swartz, President of Princess Cruises. “Yao Ming is globally recognized for his success in China and the United States, truly embodying the ‘East meets West’ spirit of our international cruise line.”

Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li, were both born in Shanghai and were both team members of China’s national basketball teams.

“We are honored to serve as the Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors for Princess Cruises and officially name the new Majestic Princess,” said Ming. “I’m inspired that Princess Cruises also cares so deeply about youth development in China and appreciate their support of our foundation. We look forward to enjoying a future vacation aboard Majestic Princess, China’s newest cruise ship.”

China's ban leaves cruise lines scrambling

Majestic Princess

Cruise lines have started to tear up their northern China itineraries following an order from the Chinese government to the country's travel agencies to stop selling itineraries that include South Korea.

The Chinese directive follows the announcement late last month by the South Korean and U.S. governments that components for a new U.S.-developed anti-missile system were to arrive in South Korea last week for installation.

Known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, it is designed to intercept missiles up to 125 miles away as a means of protecting South Korea from missile strikes by North Korea, which has undertaken a series of long-range missile tests in recent months and tested a nuclear weapon as recently as last September.

The Chinese and Russian governments have objected to the installation of the missile-defense system because it employs powerful radar technology that the two countries assert can see into their territories.

Genting Dream

Japan and South Korea are the main cruise destinations reachable from northern China on the four- and five-day itineraries preferred by most Chinese. With Korea suddenly off limits, cruises operated for Chinese passengers out of ports such as Tianjin and Shanghai will now focus primarily on visiting Japan, experts said.

In a statement, Costa Cruises said it would "remove calls to South Korean ports for our upcoming cruises homeported out of China, replacing them with cruising at sea or calls to destinations in Japan."

Royal Caribbean International also said it will curtail visits to South Korean ports due to "recent developments regarding the situation in South Korea."

Delivery of the parts for the missile-defense system came as North Korea tested four missiles launched in the direction of Japan that fell into the sea.

Dwain Wall, an executive at CruisingStore.com and a consultant familiar with the Chinese market, said there is no question that the Chinese government has the authority to order Chinese travel companies to stop selling cruises to Korea.

"There is a very tight licensing and regulatory control over travel agencies" in China, Wall said. "It does impact cruise, but it's low season, thank God, and [the cruise lines have] been sort of able to regroup and change the ports to Japanese ports."

If China's ban persists into the busier summer months it could both overwhelm the port capacity in Japan and reduce demand for cruises in China because of the lack of destination variety.

Richard Fain, chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., said he could not predict how long the chill in China-Korea relations might last.

Stock analysts blamed news of the Korea tiff for a pull-back in cruise shares last week but said that it was excessive.

As a share of cruise lines' global capacity, the analysts said China accounts for 9% of RCCL's, 6% of Carnival Corp.'s and 4% to 5% of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings'. Further, they pointed out, not all of that capacity is sailing from north China.