P&O Britannia is returning to Southampton after Collision in Palma

P&O Britannia in the Caribbean photo credit for Spacejunkie2 (Flickr Photos)

P&O Cruises’ Britannia is expected to reach Southampton by Friday morning (1 September) after it departed Palma on Monday night (28 August) following a collision with a freight vessel.

P&O Cruises’ Britannia is expected to reach Southampton by Friday morning (1 September) after it departed Palma on Monday night (28 August) following a collision with a freight vessel.

The incident, which happened on Sunday (27 August), saw the cruise ship break free from its moorings during a storm in Mallorca and collide with a freight vessel. 

P&O said a small number of people are being cared for onboard after sustaining minor injuries, and according to the BBC, around 321 passengers were told they would have to fly home due to structural damage to a lifeboat.

"Following a weather-related incident in Palma de Mallorca on 27 August, P&O Cruises Britannia departed Palma last night and is expected to reach Southampton on Friday morning," a spokesperson told TTG. 

Following the incident, Lisa Henning, managing director of the Inspire Group, urged travel companies to improve communication with agents and operators.

Royal Caribbean Sees Increased Demand for European Cruise Itineraries

Royal Caribbean Sees Increased Demand for European Cruise Itineraries

Royal Caribbean Group is pleased with the increased demand for European itineraries, resulting in a better-than-expected yield performance.

“While the Caribbean remains a standout performer this year, we were particularly pleased with the strength and quality of cruising [Ph] demand for European itineraries. This acceleration of demand for Europe contributed to the better-than-expected yield performance for the quarter,” said Chief Executive Officer Jason Liberty, speaking on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

Liberty added that volumes from European consumers looking to book their summer vacations have accelerated, leading to double-digit yield growth expectations for this year compared to 2019.

“Europe sailings account for 17 per cent of our full-year capacity and 35 per cent in the third quarter. The acceleration in demand is increasing our revenue expectations for Europe sailings,“ said Chief Financial Officer Naftali Holtz.

“The better-than-expected performance has mostly been driven by our European customers, which underscores our nimble and global sourcing model,” he added.

Commenting on the somewhat surprising takeaway regarding the European market, Liberty explained that Europeans’ willingness to spend was very competitive with the North American consumer. Still, the difference is that they were delayed in activating their vacation.

“We expected Europe to be a little bit lighter versus 2019, in terms of load factor and it came roaring back,” continued Liberty.

Marella and Tui River Cruises poised for summer 2022 launch

Marella Cruises and Tui River Cruises summer 2022 programmes go on sale on November 5.

One of three river vessels, Tui Maya, will go all-inclusive as standard.

Six additional itineraries will be available across three Marella Cruises ships, with another itinerary by Marella Discovery on sale from December 10.

Marella will put 18 cruises on sale next week and a further five in December covering islands such as Santorini, Kefalonia, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily and cities like Dubrovnik, Barcelona, Split, Venice and Lisbon as well as gateway ports to Rome, Florence, Seville and Athens.

Marella Discovery will homeport in Palma for the fourth time after its first season in the Majorcan capital in 2016.

The all-inclusive offering onboard Tui Maya will include a range of alcoholic drinks and premium Lavazza coffee.

Those who upgrade to superior, superior French balcony or French balcony suite cabins will have a free minibar included in their package.

All departures on Tui Maya in summer 2022 will be on Fridays.

Two new itineraries have been added to the sailing programme on the Rhine and Main rivers.

Cruise managing director Chris Hackney said: “We’re pleased to be able to share details of our summer 2022 programme and we are really excited to offer our first all-inclusive ship in our river cruise line.

“We have something to offer everyone as we have itineraries visiting some of the best places in the world.

“Our river cruise line is constantly developing and we’re always listening to what our customers want and we want to offer even more choice when it comes to booking their cruise.

“With a high percentage of guests already booking all-inclusive, it only seemed right we created a ship dedicated to the board basis, so we know it’s something our customers will love.”

Arne Wilhelmsen, A Founder of Royal Caribbean, Passes Away

Arne Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises, died Saturday, April 11, 2020, in Palma, Spain. He was 90.

Wilhelmsen was a constant influence on the company from its founding, serving more than three decades on the company's board of directors, the company said.

Together with the company's first CEO, the late Edwin Stephan, Wilhelmsen saw possibilities for the nascent cruise industry that others did not.

"At a time when the rest of the world thought cruising was a niche use for old transatlantic liners, Arne was already seeing glimmers of the growth that was possible," said Richard Fain, RCL's chairman and CEO. "He had a vision of the modern cruise industry when the 'industry' might have been a dozen used ships, total."

Their key insight: building new ships uniquely designed for cruising in warm weather. The industry did not grow from New York, the traditional transit hub; it came to Miami, helping the region itself grow as the public discovered an entirely new way to take a vacation.

Wilhelmsen saw the potential for cruising to become the fastest-growing segment in a growing vacation industry. A believer in economies of scale, he once recalled: "My initial challenge was to convince my partners and management in Miami to build bigger and more efficient ships in order to grow the company."

True to his vision, the company now sails 61 ships calling on all seven continents and its fleet features the largest cruise ships in the world.

Born on June 15, 1929, in Oslo, Norway, Wilhelmsen earned his MBA at Harvard Business School and worked as a chartering assistant for Norway's EB Lund & Co. and later as a shipbroker in New York. After joining the family business in 1954, he became its president in 1961. The scion of a leading Norwegian shipping concern – Anders Wilhelmsen & Co AS – he spent most of his life in the family business, including an early stint as a deckhand.

"Arne was a steady presence and source of wisdom on our board for decades," Fain said. "And in 2003, when he was ready to step back, he was succeeded on the RCL board by his son, Alex, who has carried the involvement of the Wilhelmsen family in charting our company's course into its sixth decade. Our high standards as a company, our insistence on excellence in operations and design, and our determination to persevere all owe a great deal to the long-term vision of Arne, Alex and the Wilhelmsen family. We salute our friend, and we will miss him dearly."

Allure of the Seas to be based in Europe for first time

By Hollie-Rae Merrick 

The world’s biggest cruise ship, Allure of the Seas, will be based in Europe for the first time next year as Royal Caribbean International targets new customers.

The cruise line said support from the UK trade had been a key factor in the decision.

UK managing director Stuart Leven said agents would have an opportunity to sell “a unique and innovative ship”, perfect for the family market, when the 6,318-berth Allure, which launched in 2010, starts sailings from Barcelona on May 3, 2015.

He said: “We look at the support from the trade when making these decisions, just as we did when we decided to base Anthem of the Seas in Southampton. We look at the markets that support the brand. The UK has always been supportive of Independence of the Seas out of Southampton and it was an obvious decision to take Allure to the Med and open it to a new customer base.”

Royal Caribbean has produced a mini-brochure about the ship and a marketing toolkit that includes videos, campaign tools and images.

Leven said operating Allure in Europe alongside Anthem of the Seas, which will be based in Southampton when it launches in 2015, demonstrated the line’s commitment to the European market. It will be the first time Allure has sailed outside the Caribbean.

The ship will operate seven-night cruises from Barcelona between May and October 2015, calling at Palma, Marseille, La Spezia and Civitavecchia, where there is the chance to join the ship.