New Royal Caribbean ads focus on ‘next gen’ cruisers

Royal Caribbean says its “Come Seek” campaign reflects the brand’s adventurous spirit.

Royal Caribbean International is launching a major marketing campaign on Oct. 19 that will focus on Caribbean destinations and subvert stereotypes about a cruise.

Stylistically, it is designed to break through advertising clutter and indifference, with a specific emphasis on reaching “next gen” cruisers with twitchy images and jangly music.

The Royal’s first since chief marketing officer Jim Berra moved to Royal from a similar position at Carnival Cruise Line, will be nothing if not different, Berra said.

“It really is about attracting that next generation of cruisers,” Berra said. “We’re not simply trying to speak to our current core passengers.”

The key message in ads that will begin airing on shows such as NBC’s “The Voice” is about what a cruise is “not.”

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Viewers will see a rapid sequence of images that include statements such as “This is not a cruise,” or “You are not a tourist,” or “This is not the Caribbean.”

Berra said the theme was designed to resonate with about 35 million people who are not “cruise rejecters” but who need more convincing.

“Some of the things we’re going to do when showing our shipboard experience is to bring it to light in ways that are a little bit unexpected,” he said.

The “not” theme will carry over into a trade campaign that will include the theme “You are not a travel agent.”  Instead, Royal suggests in one ad that, “You are an all-knowing giggle-moment maker.”

Vicki Freed, Royal’s senior vice president of sales trade support and service, said field sales calls are being rebranded as “seeker sessions.”

“We’re going to help give [agents] the tools and the resources to help get those people who are “seekers” to think about coming on a Royal Caribbean cruise,” Freed said.

“Come Seek” will have several novel delivery vehicles, including 5-second video adsthat will serve as “teasers” on national television and as “snackable” messages for social media posting.

Video for the campaign has been shot and edited so it stands out on small screens, Berra said.

Starting in November, Royal will also come alive on 320 electronic billboards in high traffic spots in New York City that will carry live Periscope video from ships or Caribbean locales.

The idea leverages Royal’s Voom broadband connection to stream the video.

As part of the effort, Royal will select crew members to show off their insider knowledge in social media postings.

Berra said Royal ‘s fourth-quarter ad spending will be up 35% from last year, with an expected increase in next year’s first quarter, too.

Norwegian improves agent incentives to book affinity cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line revamped its program for affinity groups to give travel agents three ways to receive amenities associated with booking such groups. The updated program starts Dec. 1.

The first option is to receive two tour conductor (TC) credits for every 14 berths booked as the entire amenity.

A second choice provides a 1-for-14 TC credit plus the option of an Ultimate Beverage package or prepaid service charges for each member of the group.

A third choice is a 1-for-14 TC credit plus any two of a list of eight amenities, including a free Internet package, a cocktail party, a four-night specialty dining package or a $75 onboard credit.

The affinity group program was announced during a webinar for agents. In an instant poll done during the webinar, 44% of agents said they preferred the second choice, 38% the third choice and 20% the first choice.

“We are huge fans of affinity groups,” Norwegian Cruise Line President Andy Stuart told webinar participants, because bookings come early, tend to stick and bring people who have never cruised before.

As part of the program, Stuart said the availability of amenities chosen will be guaranteed for the duration of the cruise, even though it may be booked many months out.

Other terms of the program require agents to make a deposit of $50 per cabin within 60 days of booking, provide for space recall at 120 days prior to sailing, and require final payment 75 days prior to sailing. “We’re going to ask you to invest in this program,” Stuart said.

Norwegian emphasized that the program is only for true affinity groups, not for unaffiliated passengers booked together in speculative space held as a group. 

Cunard releases details of upcoming QM2 refurb

The Queen Mary 2 is getting 30 solo cabins.

Solo cabins and extra Britannia Club balcony staterooms being added to Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 will pay tribute to the liner’s art deco heritage while adding luxury touches, Cunard said in releasing details about the ship's refit.

Fifteen solo cabins and 30 more Britannia Club rooms will be added to the ship in a 25-day refit scheduled for June 2016.

The designs will include softer color tones to enhance the feel of space and new contemporary carpet patterns inspired by the geometric diamond designs on the original Queen Mary, Cunard said.

Nine of the 15 solo cabins will be on Deck 2. Six larger single staterooms to be built on Deck 3L will feature two circular windows with bench seat cushions and a central console table.

“Catering to the changing tastes of our guests is a priority at Cunard,” said Richard Meadows, president of Cunard North America. He cited U.S. Travel Association figures showing that solo travelers comprise about 23% of all leisure travelers.

Meadows said Cunard was seeing strong demand for the Britannia Club accommodations, as well.

Barcelona to Cruisers: We Love You. Now Please Get Back on Board

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Last weekend, a record-breaking 60,000 cruise ship passengers disembarked into the popular Spanish city. But despite generating investment and jobs, these staggering numbers are at odds with Barcelona mayor Ada Colau's vow to cap the amount of tourists who inundate the city each year.

Last weekend, a staggering 60,000 tourists entered Barcelona by sea, shattering the city's previous record. This is a number that the president of Barcelona Port, Sixte Cambra, wants to see increase. It was reported that last year cruise ship passengers alone spent about $900 million, creating an estimated 7,000 permanent jobs in the city. “The report shows that the cruise sector generates investment and jobs and is an activity that creates growth and stability,” says Cambra. This is why, despite the opposition from the mayor, Barcelona Port hopes to expand in order to accommodate even more of these ships.

However, not everyone is as excited about these numbers as Cambra is, specifically newly-elected mayor Ada Colau, who got attention during her campaign by proposing to impose a tourism cap on the city. Colau and many others feel that the city’s beaches, streets, and popular neighborhoods like the Gothic Quarter are at risk of being oversaturated by tourists, many of whom disgorge from the massive cruise ships that make Barcelona a popular port of call. “If we don’t want to end up like Venice, we will have to put some kind of limit in Barcelona,” she says. However, those benefiting from the surge in tourism (the city’s tourism numbers doubled in the last decade) do not share in Colau’s concerns and would like to see these numbers grow even more. One advantage of welcoming cruise passengers is that most are embarking in the city for a day before returning to their ships at night, meaning that the city's already-packed hotels won't have to take on any additional guests.

At a time when Europe’s economy is still struggling to get going, it's hard to turn away easy money and jobs, but at what point does the impact on the local way of life become too much? This is a question that both sides of the argument in Europe’s third most-visited city will have to address as they try to find a manageable balance.

Royal's Liberty of the Seas to undergo revamp

Royal Caribbean International’s Liberty of the Seas is set to undergo a major revamp.

The 3,634-passenger ship, which is sailing from Galveston, Texas, will go into dry dock for a month in February next year. During the transformation the ship will be given new water slides and new dining options.

The collection of water slides will include Tidal Wave, the first boomerang style slide at sea which features a steep drop that propels guests up a near-vertical wall where they’ll feel weightless and be sent into free fall.

The ship also features two new racer slides – Cyclone and Typhoon. The slides will be at the back of the ship, close to the Flowrider surf simulator that was initially introduced on the Freedom class ships.

A Splashaway Bay adult-free water park is also being added to the ship during the stint in dry dock.

New dining options on the ship will include Mexican restaurant Sabor and Italian venue Giovanni’s Table. A new cocktail bar, R Bar, is also being added.

A new cabin option will also be introduced on the ship with 26 panoramic ocean view staterooms, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

Liberty of the Seas will sail on seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries every Sunday from Galveston from November.

Fathom cruise prices vary widely

P&O Adonia will change its name to Fathom Cruise.

Fathom released a full schedule of fares for its social-impact cruises in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, showing a variation depending on season and cabin category.

An inside cabin on an off-peak cruise to the Dominican Republic is priced at $974 for a seven-day voyage. A peak-season suite is priced at $4,468.

On a mid-May shoulder-season cruise for Fathom, prices range between $1,256 and $4,259 compared with a range of $809 to $2,059 for sister brand Carnival Cruise Line.

Fathom prices for Cuba have ranged higher than the Dominican Republic itineraries. The lead-in price of $1,800 for an interior cabin on an off-peak cruise compares to a suite during peak dates of $8,250.  The suite price during off-peak dates is $7,350.

When Fathom was first announced, it released only a mid-point price for each cruise for the sake of simplicity, saying higher and lower cabin categories would be priced later.

Fathom cruises to the Dominican Republic in September are listed as off-peak, with cruises in June, July and mid-August listed as peak season. Late August, April and May are considered shoulder season.

In Cuba, peak season runs from May 29 to Aug. 7, with low season departures listed as Sept. 18 and Oct. 2.

Also, Fathom detailed the visa, port expenses and other extra charges not included in its fares. It said those charges will total $500 per person per voyage in Cuba and $200 for the Dominican Republic.

Landry & Kling Report Top 10 Ships for Top-Tier Events

Criteria includes ship size, availability of meetings venues, itinerary selection and quality of meals and staterooms. Ships chosen for Landry & Kling’s Top 10 Ships for Top-Tier Events list must have less than 500 rooms.

Cruise-ship-event pioneer Landry & Kling, which has specialized in cruise meetings and dockside ship charters for global events since 1982, has released a list of the Top 10 Ships for Top-Tier Events.

Founders Joyce Landry and Josephine Kling were inducted into the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame in 2009, as “visionaries who led the way in seagoing corporate meetings and incentives.” They have introduced concepts such as cruise ships as floating hotels, such as at the 2005 Super Bowl. 

Kling, president of Landry & Kling, says the company is seeing a resurgence of high-end event travel, which “took a vacation” a few years ago. She points out that as cruises have become better (and better-known), their appeal has grown for incentive travel, customer-hosted events and much more

“In the early days, cash rewards were the rule, and then products,” she said. “But now, experiences are valued more than things, and travel has been documented as the most successful reward in corporate motivation and bonding.” 

Kling says a company dangling an immersive cruise helps galvanize the potential participants and their spouses or significant others. Corporations also find that hosting staff on a ship keeps everyone together in a shared experience, which helps reinforce company values. People don’t disperse as they may on a golf course, and there is plenty to do at night, unlike many upscale resorts.  

Kling underlines the use of the term “top-tier” on the list, rather than “luxury”; she notes that not all expedition-class ships have the full features of today’s luxury cruises, but they have other qualities that make them highly desirable. 

“Lines such as Lindblad Expeditions may have older ships, but they provide experiences that leave people agog,” she said. “The quality of information is incredible, and if the event isn’t a full-ship charter, the people that meet onboard are like-minded. Participants on those cruises go through a change — an education — that they have shared, and that colors their interaction whenever they meet afterward.”

Itineraries and port experiences are high on the list of important factors for meeting, conference and event sales. Kling praised Larry Pimentel, president and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises, for the company’s extended stays in port in so many areas of the world. 

“It really opened the door,” she said.

Criteria for the company’s top picks included:

- Small size (under about 500 rooms) providing an intimate cruise experience
- Onboard venues for meetings and group events
- Exceptional meals and personalized service
- Elegantly appointed staterooms
- All-inclusive pricing, with first-class amenities
- Intriguing itineraries

Kling noted that there are all sorts of creative ways to use the smaller ships on the list. 

“The first question is always numbers — how many will be attending,” she said. “But you can do things like charter the two SeaDream ships — we have done that for a larger group, and they really enjoyed visiting one another and having races. And on ships where some of the lower category rooms may not be as appealing to an upscale cruiser, you can negotiate charter rates, and you don’t need to use every cabin.”

Landry & Kling’s top choices are:

1. Avalon Siem Reap - Avalon Waterways, 18 rooms
2. National Geographic Orion - Lindblad Expeditions, 53 rooms
3. SeaDream I - SeaDream Yacht Club, 56 rooms
4. Wind Spirit - Windstar Cruises, 73 rooms
5. Seabourn Quest - Seabourn Cruise Line, 225 rooms
6. Europa 2 - Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, 258 rooms
7. Silver Spirit - Silversea Cruises, 270 rooms
8. Azamara Journey - Azamara Club Cruises, 338 rooms
9. Seven Seas Mariner - Regent Seven Seas Cruises, 349 rooms
10. Crystal Serenity - Crystal Cruises, 535 rooms

---

Making the SaleJosephine Kling, president of Landry & Kling, points out that there is a different department in most large companies that handles large meetings and incentives; it is often small and very specialized. Agents tend to work with the regular groups department, which has different pricing and different access. Landry & Kling does work with third parties, including agents, on large events on a revenue-sharing basis.

Kling believes retail cruise agents can benefit even more than meeting planners from a new certification program that Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has created in partnership with Meeting Professionals International. It will be offered to CLIA agents at IMEX America in Las Vegas on Oct. 13 to 15, and again at Cruise360 next June. 

“Agents would be even more likely to capitalize on this than meeting planners, since they already understand the cruise industry,” Kling said. 

Norwegian to target China market with second Breakaway Plus-class ship

By Phil Davies

Norwegian Cruise Line's second Breakaway Plus-class ship will be used to mark the line's entry into China in 2017.

The new vessel is being designed specifically for the China market with accommodation, cuisine and onboard experiences that cater to the holiday preferences of Chinese passengers.

The 4,000-passenger ship will be the second in the new class to be introduced by the line following Norwegian Escape which is Due for delivery next week.

Chief executive Frank Del Rio said: "Our new purpose-built ship for China will have characteristics that are authentic to Norwegian Cruise Line and yet distinctively Chinese in all of its sensibility.

With this new ship, Norwegian will unquestionably offer our Chinese guests a superior product and introduce a new standard of innovation and excellence into the marketplace, with an unrivaled level of customisation for the Chinese consumer. It will perfectly suit what modern Chinese travellers value from an upscale cruise experience."

The company says it is is working with partners in China and local experts on the subtleties of Chinese culture.

Further details, including the ship's name, home port, accommodations, dining and entertainment will be disclosed in the coming months.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has opened offices in Beijing and Hong Kong in addition to Shanghai.

The offices will support all three brands in the company's portfolio - Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

"Our China offices house a dedicated leadership team uniquely focused on ensuring the success of our local travel agent partners, which is crucial to the success of our expansion in what will soon be the world's second largest cruise market," said Del Rio.

"These offices will provide sales and marketing support to our travel partners whose customers not only wish to sail on our new China-based ship, but also on any of the incredible voyages around the world offered across our portfolio of brands."

Two additional ships in the Breakaway Plus class are on order for delivery in 2018 and 2019.

Saga's new all-balcony German-made cruise ship

The cruise line will offer an all-balcony 1,000-passenger ship from summer 2019 as the first of two modern vessels to meet demand

An artist's impression of the Veranda area shows the slick design on the new Saga ship, which will be available from 2019 Photo: Saga

Saga Cruises has ordered an all-balcony ship that will be available to holidaymakers from 2019, to accommodate demand on the holiday company's popular sailings.

The new vessel will carry fewer than 1,000 passengers in around 540 suites and cabins, each with a balcony. Around 15 per cent of cabins will be designed for single occupancy and leisure facilities will include outdoor and and beauty salon.

Artist impression, The Veranda

Saga Cruises currently only operates two ships, the 446-passenger Saga Pearl II and the 706-passenger Saga Sapphire, both of which are set for an eventual phase out. Demand for sailings on the ships is extremely high: they carried around 25,000 passengers last year, with a 75 per cent repeat passenger rate.

The new ship is significant as sailings on the two existing vessels sell out far in advance, suggesting that demand from cruisers outstrips what Saga can currently offer.

"There is no expectation that customers will pay more."

Robin Shaw, chief executive of Saga Cruises

The 55,900 grt vessel that will come into service in 2019 will be built by Meyer Werft in Germany. The shipyard recently put the finishing touches to Norwegian Cruise Line's soon-to-launch Norwegian Escape and is building Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas.

A second new vessel may also enter service by 2021.

• Saga sets sail for further cruises

Robin Shaw, chief executive of the cruising division, said that, "There is no expectation that customers will pay more" as a result of the new ships.

Lance Batchelor, Saga chief executive officer, added that cruising remains, "at the heart of the Saga brand".

Feedback from passenger forums indicated that passengers are keen to maintain the friendly, "one ship for everybody" ethos that Saga is known for. Dining can be accommodated in a single sitting and there will be no exclusive areas on board, or restaurants that charge supplements.

Research commissioned by Saga into travel buying patterns of the 50-plus age group found that spending on cruising is expected to increase by 43 per cent to £2.2 billion by 2020. This compares with £1.65 bn in 2014 of £41 bn on travel and tourism as a whole.

Nearly a third (32 per cent) of the over-50s in employment said they were planning to increase their spending on cruises post retirement.

The Saga Pearl II and the Saga Sapphire will visit 14 new ports between them in 2016, including Holy Loch, Scotland; Boulogne-sur-Mer in France; Pyramiden in the Svalbard archipelago; San Remo in Italy and Southwold in Suffolk.

Majestic Princess: Princess Cruises names new €600 million ship designed for Chinese

Majestic Princess will begin sailing to Japan and South Korea from its homeport of Shanghai in summer 2017

Princess Cruises' newest ship, launching in summer 2017, will be called Majestic Princess. The 3,560-passenger vessel is the third "Royal Class" ship for the cruise line and has been designed with Chinese passengers in mind.

The ship will carry a Chinese name on the hull, 盛世公主号 (Shèng Shì Gōng Zhǔ Haò) – chosen by Carnival plc's China employees and interpreted as “Grand World” or “Grand Spirit.”

“We’re excited to be the first line to offer a genuine premium cruise option to Chinese vacationers,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.

"[Majestic Princess] represents our brand’s long-term commitment to the continuing growth of the China market.”

T'ai chi at sea, ballroom dancing, subtitled Hollywood movies, Chinese satellite TV channels and a souped-up designer shopping experience are among the "Princess Class" experiences being rolled out to the Chinese market. Priority will be placed on food, amenities and shopping. In addition to the 24-hour buffet at sea, a wide variety of traditional Chinese dishes will also be offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The rapidly expanding Chinese cruise market has seen a parade of international ships moving to China. MSC Cruises announced last month that it will deploy its 1,976-passenger MSC Lirica to Shanghai, while Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas sails from Shanghai. Following its launch in China next April Ovation of the Seas will sail from Tianjin.

China has the potential to deliver 83 million cruise passengers a year according to a recent study by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

• China plots domination of the global cruise market

Princess ships began homeport cruising in China in 2014 with an inaugural season of Shanghai-based cruises aboard Sapphire Princess, which visited cities including Seoul (Incheon), Busan and Jeju Island in South Korea and Fukuoka (Hakata), Kagoshima, Okinawa and Nagasaki in Japan. Majestic Princess will be based in China year round and will begin sailing to Japan and South Korea (ports not yet confirmed) from Shanghai in summer 2017.

Weighing in at 143,000 grt and with a build cost of €600 million Majestic Princess is being built at the Italian shipyard Fincantieri, where P&O Cruises' Britannia, Princess's Royal and Regal Princess and Carnival Magic were built.

Passenger falls overboard from cruise ship

Man falls overboard as cruise ship returns from two-week Mediterranean voyage

A passenger has fallen overboard from a cruise ship off the Isle of Wight.

The man is understood to have fallen into the water from the Ventura as it was returning to Southampton, Hampshire, from a two-week trip to the Mediterranean.

A and RNLI lifeboats have been involved in the search of an area with a 25 nautical mile radius south of St Catherine's Point on the Isle of Wight.

"Very sad situation and thoughts go out to the family involved. Our delay and inconvenience is insignificant in comparison."

Passenger Jenny Hill

AIS ship tracker - P&O Venture Search Pattern.

The P&O ship, which can carry up to 3,200 passengers, retraced its route across the area to assist in the search.

A Coastguard spokeswoman said: "We have a lifeboat from Yarmouth searching along with a Coastguard helicopter and we are still broadcasting to all shipping to look out for anything in the water."

Passenger Kieron Baker said: "I'm currently on board Ventura, travelling back to Southampton now. Had a fantastic 2 week cruise but this really has put a dampener on things. Atmosphere is sombre as you can imagine and my thoughts go out to the passengers family. So so sad."

View image on Twitter

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Ellis Lynas @EllisLynas

P&O Ventura still in search for overboard passenger with Coastguard and Royal Navy. #isleofwight #ventura #cruise

10:34 AM - 10 Oct 2015

Steven Fagioli posted on the ship's Facebook page: "Late back, lost a passenger overboard last night. Search continuing with coastguards etc".

Fellow passenger Jenny Hill wrote on Facebook: "I am on the Ventura now! Very sad situation and thoughts go out to the family involved. Our delay and inconvenience is insignificant in comparison."

A P&O Cruises spokesman said: "Following reports of a missing person earlier this morning, Ventura conducted a full search of the area off the coast of the Isle of Wight.

"As a result of this search, which has now been handed over to the Coastguard as is usual in these instances, Ventura's scheduled arrival into Southampton this morning is delayed."

Pitbull to christen Norwegian Escape

In a break with tradition, Norwegian Cruise Line has picked a godfather rather than a godmother to christen its newest ship, Norwegian Escape.

The choice is Miami-based musician Pitbull, who will also perform at the ceremony scheduled for Nov. 9.

Pitbull also performed at the inaugural ceremonies for Norwegian Getaway when it was introduced in Miami in February 2014.

In an announcement, Norwegian said the selection of Pitbull as the ship’s godfather "reinforces Norwegian’s nontraditional cruising that focuses on freedom and flexibility for guests.”

Norwegian Getaway’s godmothers were the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders.

Pitbull is a stage name for Armando Christian Perez. The rapper and record producer has sold 6 million albums and 70 million singles, Norwegian said.

Norwegian Escape at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg delayed

Norwegian Escape at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg delayed

The ship will leave on Sunday, October 11 in the evening and arrive in Bremerhaven on Tuesday afternoon, 13 October at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, the shift is related to processes together with the docking and undocking.

In Dock Elbe 17 adjustments to the water outlet of the scrubber system and a letze inspection be carried out, among other things. In the early morning of 16 October the Norwegian Escape will arrive in Bremerhaven again the final equipment.

The handover of the Norwegian Escape to the shipping company Norwegian Cruise Line takes place as planned on 22 October. Already on 23 October, the first cruise passengers will board the ship.

The 164,600-gt construction has an overall length of 325.9 meters and is 41.4 meters wide. The Norwegian Escape will be traveling from Miami to 7-night cruises in the eastern Caribbean.

River cruising for millennials

River cruising for millennials

By Michelle Baran

It’s no secret that the dominant river cruising demographic is retirees. Older travelers have embraced river cruising with a fervor that has fueled the segment’s unstoppable growth for the last several years.

But there doesn't seem to be any obvious reason why river cruising couldn’t appeal to younger travelers, as well.

In an ongoing attempt to widen the market beyond boomers, several river cruise lines -- notably AmaWaterways with its recent partnership with Adventures by Disney -- have been courting families. But what about travelers in their 20s, 30s and 40s? What about the Gen Xers and? Thus far, there really hasn’t been a river cruising product that caters to that segment of the market.

Some argue that river cruising is too expensive and too inactive for these younger folk. But perhaps G Adventures’ new foray into the river cruising market is an indication that there could be some room for more youthful travelers on river cruise ships.

G Adventures, which caters to a younger, more active and often more budget-oriented traveler, isn’t getting into traditional European river cruising just yet: the company has offered river itineraries on the Peruvian Amazon, and sailings will start on the Mekong, Ganges, Amazon and in France’s Burgundy region next year.

But the simple fact that G is dipping its toes in the river cruising market could indicate the dawn of a new era for river cruising, one where the booming travel trend isn’t reserved just for seniors anymore. It will be interesting to see what G Adventures’ version of river cruising looks like compared with competitors’ river product, and how and whether river cruising resonates with the G Adventures traveler.

As a 30-something who happens to have been on countless river cruises, I’ve always thought there was a bit of a missed opportunity in this market. Yes, the product would require some tweaks. It would help if the price point were lower and if more free time were built in (two things that are actually not mutually exclusive). More activities off the ship and fewer onboard meals included in the price (potentially freeing up passengers' money for dining in town) could help, too.

But otherwise, there really isn’t any reason why the 25-to-45-set couldn’t, well, get onboard, so to speak. And maybe G Adventures is the perfect company to extend the gangway to them.

Cruise Order book Hits Record Level

Cruise Order book Hits Record Level

Cruise lines seem to have abandoned their cautious approach to ordering new ships this summer as the cruise orderbook has achieved record level, with the sector hoping to take advantage of the mobility of its assets to tap the enormous potential in emerging markets, according London-based industry analyst Clarksons Research.

Since the start of last year, 24 firm orders for new vessels, including 15 with capacity in excess of 3,000 passenger berths, have been recorded. The order book now consists of 41 vessels with a combined berth capacity of 120,664, equivalent to 25% of the current fleet.

In the 3,000+ berth sector the orderbook is equivalent to 73% of the current fleet.

According to Clarksons, the continued focus on is evident from the orders noted so far this year.

Namely, has ordered another Quantum-Class, 4,200 passenger ship for delivery in 2019. Elsewhere, Carnival Corporation has firmed the first four of a previously announced plan for a nine-ship order.

“These will be the largest ships contracted by Carnival at 180,000 GT, and while not as large as the Royal Caribbean Oasis-Class ships (225,000 GT), they will have a higher total passenger capacity (6,600), giving Carnival at least a claim to having the largest cruise ships afloat,” Clarksons said.

In the past 20 years, there have three distinct phases of expansion, with the orderbook exceeding 100,000 berths in early 2001, in 2007-08 and again in 2015. The two previous peaks were followed by a sharp drop as investment in new vessels was abruptly cut off by economic slowdown in the established key markets in North America and Europe.

In the short-term, Clarksons expects the performance of the cruise sector to remain closely linked to that of the major “western” economies. Last year North American and European passengers accounted for 55% and 29% of the global market of 22 million respectively; these markets will continue to exert an important influence.

However, the outlook may be shaped by developments further east. Thus far, relatively few of Asia’s rapidly growing middle class have been exposed to cruises, but the cruise lines believe they can develop significant demand growth in this region.

In 2015 the number of mainland Chinese tourists cruising is expected to pass 1 million for the first time, and according to industry sources in 2014 the number of cruises based at a Chinese ‘home port’ grew by 9% y-o-y to 366, while another 100 cruises called at a Chinese port (up 41%).

“So, the cruise sector once again seems to be in rapid expansion mode. This time, the question is whether the establishment of new Chinese brands, the deployment of vessels specifically designed for Chinese operation and further investment in Asian cruise ports could drive a more sustained phase of ship investment,” Clarksons adds.

Cruise lines alter plans because of Hurricane Joaquin

Hurricane Joaquin, a Category 3 storm packing winds of 120 mph, has forced several cruise lines to alter itineraries. The storm was battering the Out Islands of the Bahamas on Thursday morning.

The Carnival Valor is skipping a stop in Grand Turk on Thursday and will have a sea day. The Carnival Pride is bypassing Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas and will remain at sea.

Princess Cruises’ is bypassing a stop at private island Princess Cays. The Norwegian Getaway will stay at sea Thursday instead of calling in Nassau.

The Disney Magic will substitute a call in Key West, Fla., and bypass Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. 

American relaxed its change-fee policy for customers on flights to Nassau or Freeport through Oct. 2.

 Different forecast models predict Joaquin will either veer northwest and hammer the mid-Atlantic states this weekend or track northeast over the Atlantic.