This Blog is for New to Cruise and the well Traveled , on this site we will publish information about Cruise and Holiday information, with some insider stories in the travel press.
With Cruise Holidays becoming a division of Vacation.com, agencies will transition from a franchise model to a licensee model, which will lower fees.
The move may signal that the once novel cruise-only model of travel sales is on the wane.
Cruise Holidays has grown only marginally over the past four years, from 202 in 2010 to 214 franchisees today, according to Entrepreneur magazine. Cruise Holidays said Entrepreneur did not count a master franchise in Quebec, involving about 50 agencies.
Even so, U.S. franchise units have dropped sharply, falling from 168 in 2010 to 118 this year. Growth has come from Canadian and international sales, but even those locations fell compared with last year, according to Entrepreneur.
Cruise Holidays said that when home-based operators are included, it had 261 franchisees at the end of 2013.
Meanwhile, Vacation.com is growing rapidly. At its annual meeting, it reported 200 new members in just one year, bringing the total membership to 5,300.
Liane Lance, an outside agent with Cruise Holidays of Kansas City, called the reorganization "kind of a no-brainer."
Jim Smith, a veteran industry consultant and former president of GEM, one of the predecessor companies to Vacation.com, agreed. "The only thing that's remarkable is why it took so long," he said. "The marketplace over time has evolved."
Smith said that in the late 1980s and early '90s, Cruise Holidays was a great business model, and it remains strong.
"However, when you look at everything that V-com brings to the table in terms of their marketing and technology wherewithal, not to mention their aggregate revenue reach, this can only be a boon for the Cruise Holidays agents and agencies," Smith said.
Lance said more than 70% of her business comes from land vacations, so the hookup with V-com will help there.
John Lovell, president of Consortia and Leisure, cited the number of preferred tour operators as a key benefit for Cruise Holidays members.
Lance also said she will have access to a V-com regional manager, something Cruise Holidays didn't offer because of its size.
Lovell said Cruise Holidays will stop selling new franchises, but could grow through mergers. He said franchisees will be offered financial incentives to convert to the new agreement by Sept. 30.
Stacey Coggan, a home-based Cruise Holidays agent in Hainesport, N.J., said some franchisees had been hoping for this outcome since Lovell took over leadership of the brand last summer. "I couldn't be happier," she said.
Lovell said Cruise Holidays agents will participate in V-com's annual conference next May on the Quantum of the Seas but will have their own program within that meeting. The brand's President's Circle awards will continue for three years, after which they might be folded into V-com's award program, he said.
Besides the brand, the Cruise Holidays website is being preserved, as AgentMate, a popular booking system formerly known as CruiseWeb.
At the fitting of the shipyard work is underway on the first ship of the Quantum-class in full swing, as early as October 2014, the Quantum of the Seas will be completed. Then she will be the latest environmental technologies and improved energy efficiency score with their exciting entertainment news.
The North Star, a London Eye gondola views modelled at 90 meters height, will be unique. And not just for the guests, it will be a spectacular novelty, but also from marine construction perspective, the gondola is a masterpiece.
The "Two70 °" is a large area at the stern of the vessel, which is used during the day as a lounge with bar and dance floor and in the evening as a show stage. The name stands for "270 degrees" and refers to the almost all-round view through the large windows. The nightly shows, they also serve as projection.
Another innovation is the "SeaPlex", a multi-function room where the travellers can pass the time, for example, with bumper cars and basketball. The simulator "RipCord by iFly" creates even feel a real parachute jump. And even the inside cabins offer an attraction: 82-inch screens with real-time views of the sea serve as virtual balconies and provide the same view as the outside cabins.
From her future home port New York this innovative marvel with more than 4,100 passengers and 22 knots will go on the journey toward Bahamas and Bermuda and in the Caribbean.
Princess Cruises said the original cast of the "Love Boat" television series has been chosen to name the Regal Princess at a ceremony in November in Fort Lauderdale.
The 3,560-passenger ship has been sailing since its inaugural cruise from Venice in May.
Six "Love Boat" cast members who played the roles of Captain Stubing (), Gopher (Fred Grandy), Isaac (Ted Lange), Doc (Bernie Kopell), Julie (Lauren Tewes) and Vicki (Jill Whelan) will reunite for the Nov. 5 naming.
Princess said the christening will mark the beginning of a series of events to commemorate its 50th anniversary in 2015.
The pilot episode of The Love Boat was shot aboard Princess’ the original 730-passenger in 1977.
Quantum of the Seas float-out features 30-foot pink bear
By Tom Stieghorst
Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas was floated out of its construction berth at the Meyer Werft shipyard sporting a 30-foot pink bear on a top deck.
The sculpture, entitled “From Afar,” is part of the ship’s 2,980-piece art collection. It is formed from 1,340 stainless steel triangles, weighs eight tons, and is intended to provoke thoughts about “What Makes Life Worth Living,” the theme of the ship’s art collection, according to Royal Caribbean.
“The pieces we have commissioned for Quantum of the Seas are stunning, engaging and, in some cases, completely unexpected,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, executive vice president of operations at Royal Caribbean.
The 18-deck, 4,180-passenger Quantum will undergo two months of finishing before being delivered. It’s first voyage is scheduled for mid-November in New York.
Cunard has been forced to cancel two cruises by Queen Victoria in the New Year as a result of maintenance work being brought forward by almost a year.
A 12-night cruise to the Canary Islands from Southampton on January 3-15 and a five-night trip to Amsterdam and Cherbourg January 15-20 are affected.
The work is being brought forward as a bearing on one of the ship’s propulsion units will need replacing ahead of the ship’s previously scheduled dry dock in December 2015.
“This has no impact on the safety of the ship but it is timely for the bearing to be replaced prior to the ship's round world cruise beginning January 20, 2015,” the line said.
A future cruise credit of £100 per person is being offered to all affected passengers which can be used in conjunction with any alternative Cunard booking made for cruises departing within the next two years.
Full refunds of any money paid will also be available should affected passengers not want to to re-book an alternative cruise with Cunard.
Passengers and travel agents have been informed.
Cunard director Angus Struthers said: “While we are sorry to be cancelling the two cruises, we are looking forward to welcoming all those affected back aboard a Cunard ship in the near future, perhaps on Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth, both of which will be sailing in 2015 fresh from their make-overs.”
Refurbishment of Queen Victoria at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg will create nine single cabins, re-modelled from part of the ship’s casino.
Large flat-screen TVs are being installed in all cabins and sun awnings will be erected on the open area near the stern Lido pool and on both sides of the Grills Upper Terrace area near the top of the ship to offer more shade on deck.
Scrubber technology is being installed aboard Queen Victoria to match that now aboard Queen Elizabeth in line with the company’s commitment to minimising its environmental impact. This involves the installation of a filtration system for the exhaust gas from the ship’s engines.
The changes are being made following the success of sister ship Queen Elizabeth’s recent refit at the same yard.
Struthers said: “Queen Victoria’s multi-million pound refit will ensure this much-loved ship remains in tip-top condition for her world cruise in 2015 and beyond.”
A cruise is a great way to try a lot of things in a short time, and usually not as good for experiencing something in depth.
I was reminded of this on a recent cruise in the Mediterranean aboard the Celebrity Silhouette.
The sampling starts upon boarding in the ship’s buffet, Oceanview Cafe. I made a point of trying the Indian food, something I’m not served at home and rarely eat at a restaurant. A spoon of this, a dollop of that and I was on my way.
For dessert, I choose from several trays of cookies, brownies, ice creams, puddings, cream puffs, cakes, pies and tarts. Most were small, or I could choose the portion size, so I could try two or three at each meal.
The concept goes beyond food. I heard and saw entertainers that I wouldn’t seek out or likely pay for at home, including the Sin City comedy/burlesque show that Celebrity has adapted from Las Vegas.
I’m not well versed in modern art, but over the course of a seven-day cruise I probably spent half an hour looking at and reading about the ship’s collection. It wasn’t like a visit to an art museum, but it may inspire me to go.
I read parts of four books from the ship’s library and finished none of them.
My wife and I made friends with couples from Germany, England and Spain over end-of-the-day drinks, but I don’t think they’ll be lasting relationships.
Nowhere is the sampler concept more evident than in the destinations that we visited. At our favorite port of call, we were in Greece for about six hours. Part of it was consumed by a quick taxi ride across the island to a nice beach, where we spent about two hours.
After a taxi back to the main town, we did a little pre-dinner shopping and sought out a restaurant we’d read about. We only had a little time for exploring after dinner and then it was back to the ship.
We are dying to return, feeling like we could have spent six days, not six hours.
It was a wonderful cruise but, alas, it was not an immersive experience of Greece. However, in addition to two stops in Greece, we visited Italy, Croatia and Turkey in the course of a seven-night trip. It was a great sampler of that part of the world and not easy to do as seamlessly any other way.
Summary - Celebrities including British stars Sir Michael Caine and Julie Christie had backed the campaign.
An international campaign to ban large cruise liners from Venice has been successful, with the Italian government confirming massive ships will be blocked from the city centre from 2015.
British celebrities such as Sir Michael Caine and Julie Christie had supported a petition lobbying for a change in the law, with cruise ships currently able to pass within sight of the iconic St Mark's Square.
Despite the victory for the campaign, there is already opposition to the Italian government's proposal to create an alternative route into Venice for cruise liners, reports the Telegraph.
Gianfranco Bettin, a councillor for the Greens Party, stated that councils will need to be involved before a decision can be made on the plans.
Transport minister Maurizio Lupi was among those to approve plans to block cruise liners from Venice, which is known as the Queen of the Adriatic and listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site.
He said: "It seems to me to be a balanced solution which takes account of our duty to remove the skyscrapers of the sea from the canals of Venice, while safeguarding a world heritage city that is the envy of the world and protecting the city's economy which is so linked to cruise tourism."
Bermuda launches Horseshoe Bay shuttle for cruisers
By Tom Stieghorst
Bermuda cruise visitors will be able to ride a dedicated shuttle to Horseshoe Bay Beach, starting this week.
The shuttle, sponsored by the West End Development Corp. and the Ministry of Tourism and Transit, is expected to take pressure off of the crowded public buses that cruise tourists have been using.
Priced at $16 roundtrip, the shuttles will leave the cruise pier from 8 a.m. to 3 pm daily. The last return bus leaves at 6 p.m.
The minibus shuttle will serve the King’s Wharf terminal, which is used by Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Dawn, Celebrity Summit and Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas.
Cruising with the family might be the best vacation value short of pitching a tent in your backyard. A family cruise includes all meals, most onboard activities and stops at different ports for the family to enjoy as they see fit.
According to Cruise Line International Association, the fastest-growing segment of the market is the 25 to 40 age group. Young families in this demographic — as well as families with older kids — have the opportunity to spend less and get more on a cruise, if they know how.
For starters, families on a budget should decide which cruise line best fits their family, budget and style of vacation. Disney Cruise Lines, for instance, offers the most kid-friendly activities, but at a steeper price. On a Disney cruise, however, there is always something going on, including parties, character autograph sessions, musicals, movies, games, princess parties, animation lessons and more.
Carnival Cruise Lines, on the other hand, often offers an affordable cruise for families on a budget. And most of the Carnival ships now offer waterslides, rope courses, miniature golf and Camp Carnival, where kids ages 2 to 11 years old can spend most of the day with other kids in an activity-based program. Kids 12 to 14 can join Club C and play video games, participate in talent shows, have pool parties and more. Teens 15 to 17 go to Club O2 and enjoy their own nightclub-like room where activity leaders keep them entertained. Club O2 sometimes offers special excursions as well.
Royal Caribbean Cruises contracted with DreamWorks to offer Hollywood-style cruises that kids love. Children and adults alike enjoy 3-D movies, parades and character meals. Barbie also joined Royal Caribbean last year — at a cost of $199 per child, the kids can participate in the Barbie Premium Experience aimed at cruisers 4 to 11 years old. Royal Caribbean Cruises also offers special dining for children ages 3 to 11. After young ones finish eating, staff members escort them to the kids club while parents enjoy a romantic dinner at a more relaxed pace.
Holland America Line (HAL) offers Club HAL for kids ages 3 to 17, providing karaoke, pajama parties, swim parties, scavenger hunts, video game tournaments, pizza making and talent shows. Club HAL activities are supervised by full-time staff, all of whom hold degrees in education, childhood development, recreation, leisure studies or other related fields. Families with teenagers might want to consider HAL for its great teen program. The Loft — or The Oasis, depending on the ship — is an entire deck accessible via a secret passageway that is devoted to teens. It features a nightclub venue, a juice bar and a swimming pool. Some teens can choose to participate in digital workshops, culinary classes or other educational programs too.
Norwegian Cruise Line partnered with Nickelodeon and offers a wide variety of activities for kids of all ages. Younger ones will enjoy Dora’s Dance Party, meet and greets with Nickelodeon characters or a themed arts and crafts party. Kids as young as 6 months to 12 years old can sign up for Splash Academy, but at least one parent or adult must accompany kids ages 6 months to 3 years. Teens up to 17 enjoy Entourage, where they play sports, take part in theater and fashion workshops or have pool parties. With “Free Style” cruising, families can do what they want, when they want, including dining. This freedom makes for a more relaxed schedule without the hassles of strict timelines.
MSC Cruise Line’s Divina offers a robust complimentary childrens program. Kids ages 3 to 12 years old can experience Kids Club all day long, with MSC staff supervising. It also offers High-Seas Hangouts for teens 13 to 17 years old. The Teen Club offers dance classes, a virtual world arcade, sports, games and tournaments. At night, teens can play trivia, enjoy live music and dance. Teens can also get a pre-paid “Teen Card” for small onboard purchases.
Stateroom Options Some of the cruise lines offer a “kids sail free” program and charge only for room taxes and gratuities. Others offer specialized cabins with drop-down bunks or sofa-beds to accommodate up to five family members. These rooms book fast because they provide the best value for a family and should be booked as far in advance as possible. Booking these rooms works best with younger kids — families with older kids capable of being on their own should consider two rooms. Some cabins also have connecting doors, and balcony rooms also have the ability to open the outside partition between cabins to create a single bigger balcony shared by the family.
“I suggest one outside room and one inside room across the hall,” said West Coast Travel’s Jim Manning.
Most cruise lines now offer family-style suites, with one or two bedrooms and a central living area that can be used as an additional sleeping space with fold-out couches. These rooms cost more but can provide the ideal space for families who want to stay together but have some privacy as well.
When to book the family cruise also plays an important role in saving big dollars for the family. Deals during wave season might include shipboard credits, discounted airfares, free shore excursions and room upgrades.
Other ways to stretch a family vacation budget include cruising during shoulder seasons. For instance, in the Caribbean, peak season begins in late November and runs through June. Booking before or after peak season will help families save. Shoulder season in Alaska would be the first one or two cruises of the season and the last one or two at the end of the season.
“You should also consider ‘repositioning cruises’ for your best price,” said Manning.
Repositioning cruises are often priced lower because they occur during the shoulder season and they don’t start and end at the same port. These cruises may increase the airfare costs for a family, but could also work in a family’s favor, depending on where a cruise begins or ends. Repositioning cruises sometimes work well for reunions because family members come from different cities.
Planning a family reunion onboard a cruise ship can solve many problems, including where to go, who does the cooking, who cleans up the mess and how much it will cost. Since cruise ships offer so many room categories with different price points, everyone who comes to the family reunion can choose the room and shore excursions for his or her budget, while enjoying the same high-quality experience.
Horror stories told in support of cruise legislation
By Tom Stieghorst
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) began his final push for tighter regulation of the cruise industry with a hearing that put some of the worst stories about cruising on public display.
Four witnesses painted a picture of cruise line self-interest and incompetence during emergency situations on cruise ships. No industry witnesses were called to rebut their testimony.
The July 23 hearing was in support of Rockefeller’s Cruise Passenger Protection Act, which cruise lines say is burdensome and would lead to higher overall costs that get shifted to cruisers.
Rockefeller is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which held the hearing.
Rather than try to pass the act on its own, Rockefeller’s political strategy is to fold it into must-pass legislation to authorize U.S. Coast Guard operations for the next two years.
“If you separate this, the Coast Guard bill will pass and the cruise ship bill will get flushed down the toilet,” he said. “My job as chairman is to make sure we don’t play the game that way.”
Rockefeller’s apparent animus toward the cruise industry was evident for much of the hearing. He opened it by saying the industry “continues to deny it has a problem,” has “circled the wagons” and sometimes treats customers “with shocking callousness and disregard.”
“We continue to see the same issues continuing to continue,” he said. “I’m fed up with it. I’m fed up with them trying to stonewall us. Yes, they have lots of money and lobbyists.
“We’re going to win this one,” he said.
Rockefeller bolstered his case for stronger regulation with stories such as Amanda Butler’s, whose mother collapsed last year upon returning from a shore excursion. Butler blamed the cruise line for her mother’s death, which she attributed to an anoxic brain injury. “My mother died needlessly because the main emergency protocol was not followed or enforced,” she said.
Other witnesses included Laurie Dishman, who testified she was raped on a ship in 2006; Kimberly Ware, a passenger on the Carnival Triumph cruise that lost power because of an engine fire; and Philip Gerson, a Miami attorney who testified that a 15-year-old autistic client was raped.
In a statement, CLIA said that the hearing “presented a distorted picture of an industry that has an exceptional guest care and safety record. “
“It also did not provide a balanced view that would help policy makers and the public better understand the full implications of the Cruise Passenger Protection Act — and why it is not needed,” the statement said.
During the hearing, Rockefeller asserted the bill is needed, based on feedback from several hearings. He has proposed:
• Giving consumers a plain-language summary of the terms in a cruise contract. • Making the Transportation Department (DOT) the lead regulator over cruise ship consumer protection, as in the airline industry. • Creating a toll-free hotline for consumer complaints and a standing advisory committee to recommend cruise consumer protection improvements. • Requiring that all allegations of crime on a cruise ship be made publicly available. • Mandating video camera placement in public areas and setting rules for archiving video footage. • Establishing a victim advocate at the DOT who would provide help to crime victims, make sure they’re aware of their rights and facilitate access to appropriate law enforcement.
In its statement, CLIA called Rockefeller’s bill “a solution in search of a problem.”
“The cruise industry is already heavily regulated,” said the statement, which called adding a new layer of federal regulation and bureaucracy, “both unjustified and unnecessary.“
Rockefeller said he called a hearing with those directly affected by cruise ship problems to try to drive home the need for his remedies.
Butler, who is from Columbus, Miss., was in the gangway area of the Carnival Conquest last year when her mother passed out. She said it took 10 minutes for a nurse to arrive, no one performed CPR, and the cardiac defibrillators were locked, as was the ship’s infirmary. She said Carnival put her family off the ship in search of a hospital with little aid.
Carnival Cruise Lines, in a written statement, said the ship’s medical staff responded and the patient was successfully resuscitated and then transferred to a shore-side medical facility.
It said shipboard doctors and nurses carry radios and mobile phones to ensure prompt response to emergencies and that defibrillators are on all Carnival ships in a variety of locations.
Ware provided a personal account of the problems that were publicized on CNN and elsewhere after the Feb. 10, 2013, fire and power outage on the Carnival Triumph.
Carnival noted that everyone returned safely from that cruise, received a full refund, $500 cash, reimbursement of expenses and other compensation. It said Ware “is part of a group of litigants who are partnering with plaintiff’s counsel for the purpose of opportunistic financial gain.”
Only a few of the 24 senators on committee attended the 90-minute hearing, including Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a co-sponsor of Rockefeller’s bill, and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who wondered if consumers would really look at a DOT website before buying a cruise.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he thought cruise consumer protections should be considered on their own and not as part of the Coast Guard act.
Strategically, if Rockefeller can get them into the larger bill, which has multiple constituencies, they could be approved by the Senate and then adopted in conference by the House, which already passed a Coast Guard bill without the Rockefeller measures.
It will be the cruise industry swan song for Rockefeller, who retires next January after three decades in Congress. He urged cruise lines to “honestly consider” whether they could improve consumer protections.
“I believe there are steps you can take, and I will continue pushing you to make them,” he said.
RCCL aims to double earnings per share over next three years
By Tom Stieghorst
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) set a dual goal of boosting its return on invested capital to double digits and doubling its 2014 earnings per share over the next three years.
The “Double-Double” program was announced in its second-quarter earnings report, which showed net profit soared to $137.7 million, up from $24.7 million a year earlier.
In publicly announcing its financial targets, RCCL said "articulating clear and specific goals helps guide internal decision-making as well as better informing investors of the path of the business.”
Net yields for the quarter were up 2.6%, at the top of RCCL’s guidance, driven by strong booking trends for Europe and China sailings. There was continued softness in the Caribbean.
RCCL said that because of the strong quarter, it was boosting 2014 projected profit by $22 million to a range of $755 million to $777 million.
Carnival Corp. has signed a letter of intent to develop a $70 million port facility in Tortuga, an island off the northern coast of Haiti.
The cruise company said it envisions a “new and exciting destination for ship itineraries travelling in the Caribbean.”
“The development will create an exciting opportunity for our guests to enjoy a new, secluded and stunning destination in the island of Tortuga that the company expects will become a very popular place for guests to enjoy for years to come,” said David Candib, vice president of development and operations for Carnival Corp.’s global port and destination development group.
“At the same time, this commitment will initially stimulate significant development and construction activities, and then tourism business once the port is open, that will create a tremendous economic impact for the people of Haiti.”
Other Carnival-owned ports in the Caribbean are Mahogany Bay, Roatan; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; and Puerta Maya, Cozumel. Amber Cove is under development in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic.
It’s getting chancier to plan a cruise that includes a stop in Russia.
Relations between Russia and the West are turning frosty following the downing of a Malaysian Air passenger jet near the Russian border with Ukraine.
The U.S. and European Union countries have escalated sanctions on top individuals in Russia and added sanctions affecting the financial, oil and military sectors.
Now comes the news that passengers aboard a Silversea Cruises ship were denied entry at a small port in the Russian Pacific. Why they stayed on the ship remains murky.
A preponderance of the passengers on the Silver Discoverer, a small expedition ship, are from the U.S., Great Britain, Germany and Australia, and the local Siberia Times quotes a Russian tour organizer in the port of Provideniya saying that orders denying them entry “allegedly” came from Moscow.
A spokesman for the Russian security service told a Russian news website that the passengers lacked the necessary paperwork.
In a statement, Silversea said its ship had received all the necessary clearances for passage into the Chukotka area of Russia and guests and crew had been cleared by immigration, but on arrival July 28, they were denied landing by the Russian authorities.
Spokesman Brad Ball said the line was given no explanation at all.
The ship was sailing a 12-day itinerary from Seward to Nome and was scheduled to call in the Chukotka region on the final few days of the voyage. A new itinerary has been established in Alaska for the rest of the trip.
Port calls in the nearby region of Kamchatka are still being permitted.
If this is merely a regional matter, the impact is limited because relatively few cruise ships visit Pacific Russia. But other regions are more important. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has said demand for cruises in the Black Sea the rest of this year has been “strained” by Russian’s annexation of Crimea.
Travelers considering a Baltic cruise should keep a close eye on things lest sanctions affect debarkations in St. Petersburg, the crown jewel of the cruise industry’s Baltic trade.
German shipbuilder Meyer Werft and the Finnish government have agreed to acquire STX Finland from South Korea-based STX Corp.
Meyer Werft will buy a 70% stake, the Finnish government 30%. The acquisition is subject to clearance by antitrust authorities and banks.
STX Finland has a shipyard in Turku; a shipyard in Rauma was sold to the Finnish town earlier this year. The plan is to rename the company Meyer Turku Shipyard.
The Turku yard built the Mein Schiff 3, a TUI Cruises ship that entered service in June. STX Finland is currently constructing the Mein Schiff 4, and TUI Cruises this week reached a deal for two more ships of the same class to be constructed at the Turku yard.
STX also has built many ships for the North American market, including Royal Caribbean's Oasis and Allure of the Seas.
Meyer Werft’s Papenburg yard built Celebrity’s Solstice-class and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway-class ships. The yard is constructing Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus and Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class vessels.
Multi-Million Pound Make-Over For P&O Cruises Aurora
by Danielle Fear
P&O Cruises has unveiled its plans for a £26 million pound make-over for Aurora this winter, the first ship in the fleet to receive the bold new livery design.
The refurbishment will take place November 29 to December 18 in Hamburg, ahead of its Christmas and New Year cruise and before the South America & Pacific Adventure world cruise itinerary departing January 8, 2015.
Launched in 2000, Aurora’s last refit was in 2009.
The planned changes for 2014 include:
A new look livery design, which celebrates P&O Cruises heritage and its place as Britain’s favourite cruise company. It features a contemporary version of the Union Flag on its bow and new blue funnels with illuminated rising sun designs
The introduction of Sindhu restaurant for evening fine dining (replacing the library on deck 8) with an Indian fusion menu designed by Michelin-star celebrity chef Atul Kochhar
The library relocates to the current cyb@study space adjacent to the Crow’s Nest on deck 13
Casino and Champions refurbishment with new open-plan design, new furniture and improved stage area for entertainment, live music and quizzes
Photography gallery upgrade to include more touch screen technology
An extensive shop refurbishment
Refurbishment of Oasis Spa
Upgrade of all sound and light equipment in the theatre and show lounge
New soft furnishings for all cabins with flat-screen TVs
P&O Cruises marketing director Christopher Edgington said: “This is a massive investment. It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to ensure continuous improvement of our ships and consistency across the fleet.
“Both Ventura and Arcadia underwent huge multi-million pound refits last year and Aurora is the next in line with Azura planned for 2015.
“Not only will Aurora feature firm favourites from Azura and Ventura, such as Sindhu and The Glass House restaurant and wine bar, but we will also see brand new initiatives as well as the distinctive new livery.
“As the very first ship to display our new livery, we have big plans to welcome Aurora back in to Southampton. We can’t wait to see her.”
Princess orders another ship in Royal Princess class
By Tom Stieghorst
Princess Cruises said it has reached an agreement to build a third in the class of ships that began with Royal Princess.
The new ship, to be built by Fincantieri, will carry 3,560 passengers at double occupancy and is scheduled for delivery in 2017.
Princess said the price is around 600 million euros, or just over $800 million at current exchange rates.
The Royal Princess was the largest ship to date for Princess when it was delivered in 2013. It was followed by the Regal Princess earlier this year.
Princess said the new ship will include its signature elements such as a soaring central atrium hub with multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues; the adults-only Sanctuary; the Movies Under the Stars cinema experience; and 80% of all cabins with balconies. The ship will also include some new innovations, Princess said.
Meyer Werft combines forces with STX Finland - and confirms my ship 5 and 6
The Meyer Werft is combining forces with STX Finland: After numerous talks on closer cooperation with the cruise shipyard STX Finland in Turku now a stake in Papenburg shipbuilders agreed.
With its 70% share the Meyer Werft takes over the operational management of the Finnish shipyard. In Finland, currently about 1300 directly employed people work at the cruise ship Mein Schiff 4 for the German shipping company TUI Cruises.
The Hamburg shipping company TUI Cruises, a joint venture between TUI and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. (RCCL), now announced two more ships of this class also has to be ordered (My ship 5 & 6) in Turku. STX Finland is a proven specialist for cruise ships and a shipyard with very high technological know-how. Positive effects are given by a higher flexibility to the customers.
Even with a future even stronger, common approach in the area of research and development in the cruise market, and mutual learning among the workflows positive synergies are possible. "We are strengthening all sites equally.Positive effects are given by a higher flexibility to the customers.
Even with a future even stronger common approach in the area of research and development in the cruise market, and mutual learning among the workflows positive synergies are possible. A staff reduction in Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or in Finland are not an issue, "says CEO Dr. Jan Meyer.
With the Land a contract to secure sites in Papenburg is even being discussed. This makes it very clear that it is not about a shift from capacity, but to a significant strengthening of the bundled competence in the European cruise industry. The acquisition is currently subject to confirmation by the participating financial institutions as well as the approval of the Federal Cartel Office.
Norwegian's new amenities package draws agent interest
By Tom Stieghorst
Going all in
Norwegian Cruise Line has created an all-inclusive package of cruise amenities. Here’s how a passenger could come out, using one set of assumptions about what it might cost to buy all the items in the package a la carte during a seven-night cruise.
A la carte: Beverage: $448 (eight drinks per day at average cost of $8 each) Dining: $140 (seven specialty restaurant meals averaging $20 per person) Prepaid gratuities: $84 ($12 a day) Shore excursions: $320 (four excursions at $80 per person) Internet: $100 (250-minute package) Photos: $274 (15 small photos at $12 each; five 8-by-10 photos at $20 each) Bingo: $39 Wine: $29 Water: $21.95 (six large bottles) Chocolate-covered strawberries: $12
• A la carte total = $1,467.95 • Package $899 + $120 (shore excursion in excess of $200) = $1,019 • Savings = $448.95
Andy Stuart, Norwegian Cruise Line’s executive vice president of global sales, said some 3,000 agents joined a webinar about its new all-in-one amenities package, about a third more than the typical audience for a Norwegian webinar.
Called the All-Inclusive, the new product is a package of packages, bundling Norwegian’s Ultimate Dining and Ultimate Beverage packages with Internet minutes, plus a bevy of other items not included in the cruise fare.
“We got a ton of positive feedback,” Stuart said.
The All-Inclusive package is offered on cruises of three to 14 days in 2015. For a seven-day cruise, it is priced at $899 per person, with higher or lower prices for shorter or longer cruise lengths.
Norwegian will pay commission on the package at the same rate as the cruise fare, with the exception of the gratuities that are included in the package.
“There’s absolutely no way to make a big promotion and offer a package that for a seven-night cruise is $899 and ask the travel agents to support it without paying commission,” said Stuart.
Norwegian ran numerous examples to test the idea that selling the package could double an agent’s commission and feels that is a valid claim, he added.
Vicky Garcia, COO of Cruise Planners in Coral Springs, Fla., called the package an “extraordinary” value and said it would help agents get customers focused on 2015.
“Also, this all-inclusive offer is combinable with other sales or promotions that are currently in the market,” Garcia said.
Norwegian said the package represents more than $2,400 of value per stateroom. Although the exact value will vary according to an individual’s choices, Travel Weekly found a seven-night guest paying a la carte could spend about $1,350 for what’s in the package (see breakdown, above left).
Inclusive packages are also valued because they create certainty about costs.
“A lot of people like to be done with it before the cruise starts,” Stuart said. “They like to have that element done, and they get on their vacation, and they’re not thinking about … should I do this or should I not do that because there’s a cost attached to it.”
Beyond the dining, beverage and Internet packages, the All-Inclusive package includes a $200-per-person credit toward shore excursions, prepaid gratuities, 20 photos of any size, three bingo cards, a bottle of wine, chocolate-covered strawberries and six large bottles of water. For cruises from three to five days, the shore excursion credit is $100 per person; and for sailings from nine to 14 days, the package includes 12 bottles of water.
“We felt very comfortable presenting this as an all-inclusive package,” Stuart said, adding that it will help Norwegian compete with all-inclusive resorts as well as with other cruise lines.
On select cruises, buying the All-Inclusive package also qualifies a guest for a 10% discount on the cruise fare.
At least initially, All-Inclusive will be available only from Aug. 4 through 29 on all 2015 cruises except those on the Pride of America. Stuart said there will be discussion later of how long to continue the package.
“It’s the first time the industry has ever done this, so we want to get a sense of whether it resonates with travel agents,” he said.
Stuart said Norwegian has seen a growing interest in inclusivity among its guests, and did research about what elements to include in the package. It found the most valued benefit was prepaid service charges, followed by the Ultimate Dining package and then the Ultimate Beverage package.
One unexpected result of the research was that first-time cruisers expressed as much or more interest as past cruisers in buying the package.
“That took us by surprise, I must say,” Stuart said. “But it encouraged us, because it really showed there was a broad audience for this promotion.”
On Saturday, August 9, 2014, the third largest with 167,800 gt cruise ship in the world, the Quantum of the Seas, left the covered building dock II of Meyer Werft. The undocking of built for the American shipping company Royal Caribbean International ship begins to around 07:30 clock. After the quantum of the Seas is undocked and a night spent at the outfitting pier of the yard, she will take again on August 10 and are rotated to then carry out the necessary tests of thrusters and stabilizers. Until Emsüberführung the North Sea, which is expected to take place from mid-September, the ship is in the shipyard harbor and the remaining work and tests are performed on board.
Time delays when undocking are possible due to weather conditions.
Photo: Meyer Werft
In order to enable the application of the quantum of the Seas at the pier, which is currently located at the fitting first swimming part of the Anthem of the Seas is laid. The second swimming part, which is currently in the building dock II shipyard is undocked before the quantum of the Seas and then also within the shipyard harbor. Thus, it is necessary to block the crossing of the sea lock from August 7 from about 8:00 clock until 10 August at around 18:00 clock. After undocking the quantum of the Seas, the two floating parts are maneuvered to continue construction in the free building dock II. Already in mid-April next year, the sister ship of the quantum of the Seas at the Royal Caribbean International is passed.
The Quantum of the Seas is 347.75 meters long and 41.4 meters wide. The 167,800 gt cruise ship offers 4,188 passengers. The Quantum class introduces industry firsts. Among the parachute jump simulator Ripcord by iFly, the North Star, a trip in a glass dome to over 90 meters in height, SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex on the lake with bumper cars and roller-skating, Two70 ° with are not seen before so far technologies such as mobile mega-screens and the currently largest passenger cabins of the cruise fleet.
With Cruise Holidays becoming a division of Vacation.com, agencies will transition from a franchise model to a licensee model, which will lower fees.
