MSC Collects €1M for Unicef

MSC Collects €1M for Unicef

 official Press Release

Great success for MSC Cruises’ Get on Board for Children initiative

MSC Cruises is proud to announce that a grand total of 1 million euros has been collected so far for the Get on Board for Children initiative in support of a project promoting quality education development in Brazil.



The initiative, which relies on donations generously made by guests cruising aboard all 11 passenger liners in the MSC Cruises’ fleet, was introduced in 2009 as part of a three-year partnership agreement with UNICEF and the UNICEF Urban Platform Initiative project in Brazil. The project aims to help address the structural and social inequalities in 94 favelas in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Itaquaquecetuba.

By joining the initiative, MSC Cruises has demonstrated its deep commitment to the promotion of equal opportunities for children and adolescents through the provision of access to quality education.

The project is currently on the homestretch of the initiative’s first cycle, in which governments, non-governmental organizations, communities, families and adolescents have pulled together to give an even stronger boost to reaching the goals initially established by municipalities and communities at the beginning of the project.

In terms of education for instance, municipal schools from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have launched a monitoring process to assess the implementation of Law 10639/03 which requires the inclusion of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous history and culture in all official school curriculums. The objective is to expand the number of schools implementing the law in order to foster racial equality and in so doing provide children and adolescents with quality education. This is precisely what MSC Cruises is committed to.

“1 million euros represents a major milestone in our fund raising effort and we are honoured, together with our valued passengers who have so generously supported this initiative, to actively participate in providing quality education to children and adolescents in the most destitute of Brazilian favelas. I am proud of the significant achievements reached so far. While I appreciate that we must progress one step at a time to succeed in our endeavour to drastically help improve access to quality education in Brazil, I am confident that our objectives will be achieved”, said MSC Cruises CEO Pierfrancesco Vago.

Get on Board for Children
MSC Cruises’ guests are invited to Get on Board for Children and make a difference by offering a small donation in addition to their cruise fare. This can be as little as €1 which can simply be added to the bill at the end of their cruise.

Soft Drinks Package Prices -- Cruiseline Comparison 2011

 Soft Drinks Package Prices -- Cruiseline Comparison 2011

Most cruiselines offer you the chance to buy a drinks package to save on cost of buying drinks individually. Over the next few weeks we're going to give you the chance to compare everyone's packages. This week soft drinks are on the table.

Soft drinks packages are particularly useful for parents taking children on board - and for those of you who don't drink a great deal of alcohol of course 

We've worked out that the average price of soft drinks on board is about £2.00 per glass so if you drink a lot, the bill can soon creep up!

Here's a rundown of what everyone charges, and more importantly, what you get for your money...



 Have you ever bought a soft drinks package? What do you think of the above deals? Any surprises?

Third Swingers cruise confirmed for Azamara

Third Swingers cruise confirmed for Azamara

[And we're not talking about dancing...]

SDC have chartered a new 'swingers' sailing aboard Azamara Quest.

It departs on 16 May 2013 from Barcelona, calling in at Valencia, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Cannes and Nice.

Entertainment includes "erotic themed parties" to "arouse the senses" 

Isn't that the Looking Glass lounge? I'll say no more...



Fares start from $1,799 per person.

Cruise market will see 'modest growth' in 2012, says PSA

Oct 04, 2011 06:00AM GMT

The growth in the number of British cruise passengers is to slow to just 1% next year, the Passenger Shipping Association has admitted.

This represents a slowdown from a projected increase of 5% this year and almost 6% in 2010.

Figures released at the Travel Convention in Palma show an estimated 1.73 million passengers will take a cruise holiday next year, a rise of just over 1% on this year’s forecast figure of 1.71 million passengers.

PSA director Bill Gibbons attributed the slowdown to fewer new ships entering service in 2012.

“Looking forward, we anticipate modest growth in 2012 as capacity slows following the reduction in the number of new ships being built,” he said.

“However, we remain confident that growth will continue over the coming years as companies introduce new ships including the 3,611 passenger vessel for P&O Cruises, the largest in their fleet, due for introduction in early 2015.

“The great choice of ships now providing cruise holidays from the UK to a wide variety of destinations will lead to more passengers sailing from British ports.”

The figures show that a record number of passengers are expected to depart on cruises from the UK in 2012 at 835,000, against 760,000 this year.

Gibbons added: “Cruising is expected to continue to outperform other areas of the holiday market with travel agents, who account for around 80% of sales, continuing to play an important role.”

The PSA expected seven new ships to enter service in 2012 for companies such as Carnival Cruises Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises.

NCL’s Norwegian Breakaway to sail from New York year-round

By Johanna Jainchill and Jerry Limone

NEW YORK — The Norwegian Breakaway will sail from New York year-round when the ship enters service in the spring of 2013, Norwegian Cruise Line said Thursday.

The 4,000-passenger ship will operate seven-day Bermuda cruises from May 12 to Oct. 6 in 2013. These cruises are scheduled to go on sale to members of Latitudes (Norwegian’s loyalty program) on Oct. 14, 2011, and to everyone else on Oct. 17.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the Norwegian Breakaway deployment is "great news for our city." (Watch video below.) 

Bloomberg spoke Thursday at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, and was joined by Norwegian Cruise Line executives and Peter Max, the artist chosen to paint the Breakaway’s hull.
 

"It boils down to one word: Jobs," he said. "Once in service in 2013, the ship will bring 70,000 additional visitors to our city every single year. That translates into $17.5 million in direct spending and will support hundreds of thousand of jobs up and down the economic ladder." 

We’ve had a longstanding relationship with New York," said Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan. "In 2003 we were the first modern-day cruise line to homeport in the Big Apple, with the Norwegian Dawn. We are continuing our commitment to New York, homeporting our biggest ship yet here."

Norwegian hasn’t announced the Breakaway’s itineraries for the rest of the year, but the ship presumably will be sailing Caribbean or Bahamas/Florida cruises from New York’s Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

The Breakaway’s Bermuda cruises will depart on Sundays and spend three full days in Bermuda and three days at sea. The Breakaway will replace the Norwegian Star, which will begin sailing Bermuda cruises from New York in 2012.

Currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, the Breakaway is scheduled for delivery in April 2013, and will begin its New York deployment following inaugural events.

Norwegian said the ship will be the largest ever to call New York home.

Fire Breaks Out aboard Queen Mary 2

 Fire Breaks Out aboard Queen Mary 2

A small fire broke out in an engine room aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2 on Wednesday.



Cruises.co.uk member SolentRichard, Lee On Solent was on board whilst the incident occured - he gave his account of what happened:

"The actual time was minutes around 8.00pm and Solent Richard plus wife were 15 minutes into the Senior Officer’s Cocktail Party in the Queens Room, usual glass of champagne in hand, when the first ‘assessment’ broadcast was made.

Within minutes there was another broadcast to summon the crew emergency teams to the scene of the incident. Most officer’s left to attend their stations but the party definitely continued and the pianist continued to play.

By 8.15 the Captain made a broadcast to say that the fire had been in the exhaust lagging of the Gas Turbine and was now safely extinguished. There was an element of the surreal as gusts at the party continued to down champagne while many crew members either busied themselves or began to muster at their ‘stations’ dressed in their life jackets. Waiting staff were soon back at full strength and the party continued till 9.00pm.

By way of a small anecdote, the Entertainment Director, Ray Rouse, joined our group prior to the end of the party with a great one liner: “ First time in 37 years I have worn a life jacket over a DJ”

The whole incident was an pertinent lesson in the calmness and confident manner that the officers and crew conducted themselves in the true traditions of British seafaring. There was never any mention of the passengers needing to return to staterooms to collect their life jackets and no mention of lifeboats." 

The fire was caused by one of the ship's gas turbines -- they augment power to the ship's main quartet of diesel turbines, allowing the ship to travel at a higher maximum speed (some 30 knots).

Eric Flounders, UK spokesman for Cunard confirmed: "Neither passengers nor crew were adversely affected, and neither was the operation of the ship".

Virgin Holidays opens first outlets in Sainsbury's

Oct 04, 2011 07:00AM GMT

Virgin Holidays has opened its first ‘concession stores’ in two Sainsbury’s supermarkets and plans to open more over the next five months. 

The concessions – located in Sainsbury’s in Merton High Street, south London and Cromwell Road, Kensington – are the latest stage of the company’s growing retail network, which is expected to reach 100 shops by March 2012.

The operator currently has 77 retail outlets across the UK, which represents an increase of 50% since this time last year.

It plans to increase this by a further 53 stores by next March, and has recently also opened limited–duration pop up shops in Dorking and Alton.

Almost 20,000 customers have booked using one of its shops in the past 12 months, the company claims.

Touch screen technology and multi-media displays are employed in each Sainsbury’s concession to help users research holiday options, alongside a range of brochures.

A dedicated area for children is included to allow parents discuss their choices with travel staff.
 
Virgin Holidays customer director Mark Anderson said: “Our research has shown us that there is a real appetite amongst customers for face-to-face contact with someone when booking their holiday.

“Our concession stores bring the Virgin Holidays brand to life like never before, and give shoppers the chance to buy their dream holiday in an environment they’re comfortable in – as well as giving them ample opportunity to discuss options, ask questions and consider their choices before purchasing."

Sainsbury assets and estates director Matt Birch added: “We are always looking for new ways to meet the needs of our customers so we are delighted that Virgin Holidays is the latest exciting brand to open a concession in our stores. 

“Like Sainsbury’s colleagues, Virgin Holiday’s travel experts have a passion for great customer service so I have no doubt that these concessions will be a real hit with our customers over the coming months.”

Carnival to spend $500 million on new restaurants, entertainment

By Donna Tunney

Carnival Cruise Lines has launched Fun Ship 2.0, a $500 million multiyear project that will add dining venues, bars, lounges and entertainment options across most of its fleet.

Carnival's new branded spaces will include the RedFrog Rum Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar and three other themed bars and lounges, as well as the BlueIguana Cantina casual restaurant.

The line has partnered with several celebrities for new entertainment and cuisine choices.

Entertainer George Lopez will become Carnival’s creative director for comedy and will enhance comedy clubs; Food Network star Guy Fieri will develop a burger venue called Guy’s Burger Joint; and video game manufacturer EA Sports will create the first EA Sports Bar at sea.

Additionally, Hasbro is partnering with Carnival on “larger-than-life game shows” featuring iconic games and brands. Miami's DJ Irie was named Carnival's official DJ.

The Carnival Liberty will be the first ship to feature many of the new restaurants and bars when it returns from a scheduled refurbishment later this month. Fourteen ships are scheduled to receive many of the Fun Ship 2.0 enhancements through 2015.

"Fun Ship 2.0 is the largest and most ambitious initiative that our company has ever undertaken and it will serve to significantly transform the Carnival vacation experience for our guests," said Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill.

"Through breakthrough partnerships with some of today’s biggest talents and most popular entertainment brands, plus our very own new branded experiences and onboard destinations, Carnival fans and those new to our cruises are destined for an incredible vacation experience."

Online discounts 'blocked' agents from selling Kuoni, admits new MD

Oct 05, 2011 07:50AM GMT

Kuoni’s online discount of 5% was the one remaining “blockage” for agents working with the operator, according to new managing director Derek Jones.

Jones made the comments following the operator's decision to phase out online discounting from the end of this month.

Admitting that the issue of online discounting was “deep-rooted in the trade”, he said it was something he wanted to immediately address once he started his new role this week.

“It’s been under review for some time because it’s all about being multiple-channelled and any tension between those channels is a problem if we are trying to say that Kuoni is all about great service.

“Customers find it jarring if they go into a shop having researched online and then have to effectively start negotiating on price. It’s plainly ridiculous to have agents having to compete with our other distribution channels.”

Jones said the online discounts that had been available on Kuoni’s website had made agents cautious about using the site at all - even the special agents’ section.

“We’ve done so much with training and with working with so many good independent agents through Tipto and Travel Weekly’s Aspire luxury travel club but the online discount was the one thing that kept standing in the way. So as hard as we worked on all those other things for agents, we were never going to get the full benefit until we ditched it.”

Jones revealed Kuoni was adding new functionality to its trade site that would benefit agents.

“We have a dynamic calendar that gives agents the latest price on any date, but it will now also show them the availability left and also if there are any Kuoni Plus special deals to be had. It’s this kind of thing many agents have been missing out on because of the blockage caused by our online discount and they will hopefully now feel comfortable using our site.”

Jones said agents would probably get a chance to convert more sales from the move.

“Having looked at the mechanics, we only need to deliver a small increase in conversion from out independent partners to make it all work.”

Travel agents welcomed the move to drop the online discount, calling it “the best news the trade’s had in years”. They urged other operators such as Hayes & Jarvis and Virgin Holidays to follow suit.

Nick McKay, director of Clapham-based Travel Designers, said: “This will start to send out the message it’s not always about price.”

Dave Criddle Travel homeworker Lynne Fuell said: “I would like to see other larger operators doing the same thing.”

But rival Hayes & Jarvis, owned by Tui Travel, ruled out a similar move. Clare Tobin, managing director of Tui Travel’s specialist businesses, said: “The trade has our best offers in the market anyway.”

No enhanced redundancy package for Co-op travel staff

Oct 05, 2011 07:45AM GMT

The Co-operative Group has refused to give staff in the travel division an enhanced redundancy package being offered to employees in other parts of the business, despite appeals from unions and staff.

As part of a management integration programme the group is providing staff made redundant from the financial services and retail divisions with a topped-up package of statutory redundancy multiplied by three, with an extra eight weeks.

However, despite protests from the unions, the group has said it would be “inappropriate” to extend the offer to travel staff, who will transfer employment to Thomas Cook under the terms of the joint venture. The merger was officially completed on Tuesday.

The Co-op has yet to reveal how many travel staff will lose their jobs, but some said the decision showed the company was “washing its hands” of travel.

One employee said: “From a company that boasts about its ethical and moral values and how it treats its staff, it is going in the face of that to discriminate against the travel staff. It is washing its hands of travel in a joint venture that will save millions.”

Trade unions the National Association of Co-operative Officials (Naco) and Usdaw, fought the decision at a meeting with Co-operative Group chief executive Peter Marks on September 29. Marks is also a non-executive director of the travel joint venture.

Neil Buist, general secretary of Naco, said: “While we have made every effort to secure enhanced redundancy terms for those affected by the joint venture, unfortunately the group chief executive has confirmed the enhanced terms will not be extended.”

A spokesman for the Co-operative Group said: “The group chief executive has listened to the submissions but has determined that it would not be appropriate in the case of employees joining the new joint venture to introduce a discretionary ‘top-up’ to our present terms.”

Japan's tourism industry to recover by early 2012

Japan's tourism industry is showing clear signs of recovery for 2012 following the tsunami earlier this year, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Oct 06, 2011 07:00AM GMT

In the WTTC's second quarterly report into Japan's recovery, which uses data from the Japan National Tourism Organisation and STR Global, foreign visitor numbers in June and July were 36% lower than in the same period last year. In comparison, visitor numbers fell 62% in April and 50% in May.

The report, The Tohoku Pacific earthquake and tsunami: impact on travel and tourism - update September 2011, also shows demand for hotel rooms improved in June and July compared to previous months but was still around 5% down on June and July 2010.

The improving yen and containment at the Fukushima nuclear plant are likely to be behind the optimistic findings, said the WTTC. Japan's inbound tourism recovery will be further helped by a forceful marketing campaign by the Japan Tourism Agency, it added.

WTTC president and chief executive David Scowsill said: "As the world's largest travel and tourism economy in the world, the recovery of Japan is one of the most compelling issues facing the industry anywhere in the world."

Prior to the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, Japan's travel and tourism industry was expected to provide nearly 1.5 million jobs in 2011 and to directly contribute 2.2% of total Japan's gross domestic product.

The news of a recovery has been backed up by specialists to the destination. Tour operator InsideJapan Tours said departures were almost back to normal figures by September compared to June when bookings were only 60% of those in the same month a year earlier. Although there is still "some work to do for the usual peak autumn months, normal booking levels are expected to return by Novermber, said the operator.  Strong hotel deals and flight prices are expected to aid the recovery.

An InsideJapan Tours spokesman said: "With the Japan women's football team winning the world cup, a summer full of festivals and the autumn's leaf viewing season on the horizon, there is much to be positive about in Japan. Six months on from the biggest earthquake in its history, the sun is most definitely shining in the Land of the Rising Sun."

The WTTC plans to give a further update on Japan later this year and a final report in April next year, a year after the disaster.

EasyJet targets French expansion with two new bases

Oct 06, 2011 08:28AM GMT

EasyJet is to increase its focus on the south of France with two new bases announced for Nice and Toulouse.

The no-frills carrier will station two Airbus 319 aircraft at each of the airports from summer 2012, adding to its existing French bases at Orly, Charles de Gaulle and Lyon and bringing its total number of bases to 22.

The move is set to reinforce easyJet’s position as the second largest carrier in France, behind Air France. In 2011, it flew 12 million passengers in and out of the country.

Catherine Lynn, easyJet customer and revenue director, said: "France is a strategic market for easyJet, where the airline - already the country's second largest - clearly has room to grow. Low-cost penetration is only 24% - half the European average. This strategic investment will allow us to strengthen our position in one of Europe's key markets.”

She added: "EasyJet's commercial performance continues to be robust across our network, with particular strength on city routes used by business and short break leisure travellers. These results demonstrate the success of our strategy and we will continue to build on this trend.

EasyJet claims the introduction of the two new bases will allow it to extend its portfolio of European routes from 27 to 37. Flights on the new routes will go on sale from November.

Premier Travel opens on former Global Travel Lounge site

Some Global Travel Lounge staff have had their jobs saved after Premier Travel opened a retail shop on the same site.

Oct 05, 2011 07:00AM GMT

The agency, which had branches in Norwich, Gorleston in Great Yarmouth and Wymondham in Norfolk,  failed last week after being unable to meet its financial commitments.

Premier Travel has opened a branch under its Travel Centre brand in Wymondham and taken on three staff from Global Travel Lounge. It hopes to do the same at the Gorleston branch.

Paul Waters, sales and marketing director for Premier Travel, said: "The staff were over the moon."

Global Travel Lounge owner Peter Buckell blamed Lloyds bank for the failure after it refused him an overdraft.

He said: "The banks see travel as a risky prospect now so this is likely to happen to other agents. I've already been contacted by five agents in the same position."

Buckell, who is a member of the Elite Travel Group, plans to go into travel PR and marketing.

British tourist killed in New York helicopter crash

By Chloe Berman |  Oct 05, 2011 06:00AM GMT

A helicopter carrying four tourists has crashed into the East River in New York City, killing a 40-year-old British woman.

The privately owned Bell 206 aircraft spun out of control after take-off and fell into the river near 34th Street in midtown Manhattan. It is not clear was caused the crash.

Aboard the helicopter were a pilot and four passengers - a husband and wife, both British citizens, the wife's daughter, who is also British and died at the scene, and the daughter's Australian friend.

The 40-year-old victim was recovered by rescue workers and pronounced dead at the scene. The others made it to safety.

The passengers were friends of the pilot's family: Paul and Harriet Nicholson, a British husband and wife who live in Portugal; the wife's daughter, Sonia Marra, also British, who died at the scene; and the daughter's friend Helen Tamaki, an Australian. The daughter and her friend were living in Sydney.

They were meeting up in New York to celebrate the birthdays of Marra and Paul Nicholson, 71. They were sightseeing and had planned to go to Linden, New Jersey, for dinner afterwards, police said.

New York major Bloomberg said the dead woman had been trapped inside the helicopter. US reports named the pilot as Paul Dudley, director of Linden airport in New Jersey, who once piloted a Cessna light plane that made an emergency landing in a Brooklyn park in November 2006 after engine failure.

Quakes Spark Volcano Alert in Canaries

Quakes Spark Volcano Alert in Canaries

The Spanish government have issued a yellow alert following an increased level of persistent seismic activity, described as an "earthquake swarm". The epicentre is on the island of El Hierro - the smallest of the Canary Islands, to the west of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The island, popular with tourists, has seen over 8,000 tremors in two months, 150 since yesterday and experts fear an eruption could happen imminently.



Around 10,000 people live on the 108-square mile island and 53 people have been evacuated from their homes so far following landslide fears. However, a mass emergency evacuation is now possible with the army on standby for helping out in such an event and residents preparing to flee.

The British Foreign Office advises: "The local government authorities have raised the risk level of a volcanic eruption from green to yellow and taken preventative measures in case of a volcanic disruption, deploying extra resources from the military and emergency services to the island. Local authorities are also on stand-by to effect an evacuation should this become necessary."

Fortunately, no cruise ships are due to call at El Hierro, but there are several scheduled to call at neighbouring islands over the next few weeks.

Ships visiting include Independence of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas, Silver Spirit, Ventura, Queen Mary 2, Costa Deliziosa, MSC Melody, HAL's Ryndam and Boudicca, Black Watch and Balmoral.



A volcanic eruption has not taken place on any of the Canary Islands since Las Palmas in 1971 but an expert has warned that an eruption on El Hierro could take place in, “days, weeks or months,” according to Tom Worden of the Mail Online. Juan Carlos Carrecedo said, “There is a ball of magma rising to the surface producing a series of ruptures which generate seismic activity. We don’t know if that ball of magma will break through the crust and cause an eruption.”

A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean said: "We are currently monitoring the volcanic activity on El Hierro to ensure guests enjoy a safe and comfortable cruise. At this time, Independence of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas are still scheduled to make all of their ports of calls. The safety of our guests and crew is always our foremost concern."