Azamara: Brand with a Purpose
“Azamara is a destination driven brand and by that I mean destination immersion,” said Larry Pimentel, president and CEO. “We stay longer in port, we do more overnights, more night touring and more pre- and post-programming than any other cruise line.” The brand also has the advantage of intimacy, according to Pimentel. With a guest…
Port Canaveral: Diversified Offering
A brand-new Terminal 3 is nearing the final stages of construction for Carnival Cruise Line at Port Canaveral, along with a 1,800-spot parking garage, all in preparation for the new Mardi Gras which will become the first LNG-fueled ship in North America. Projections call for just under five million cruise guests in fiscal year 2020,…
Van Staden Heads MSC Food and Beverage Effort
Jacques Van Staden is back as the new vice president of food and beverage at MSC Cruises. The company’s top culinary mind will have a fleet of 29 ships to look after by 2027. “Right now, and it’s early for me to say, but one thing I’ve noticed is that the…
Royal Caribbean Getting A Price Premium in China
“We are the number one brand in China in unaided recall and brand preference tests,” said Dr. Zinan Liu, chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Asia. “Comparing price levels on the same itineraries, we get a 30 to 50 percent price premium.” This year’s arrival of the new Spectrum of the Seas in China has helped…
Norwegian Aligned With Industry Goals on Sustainability
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) is aligning itself with the industry’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target with more efficient technologies aboard its new ships and retrofits of existing ships, reducing fuel and energy consumption through such examples as LED lighting and hull coatings, according to James Mitchell, vice president of marine HSEM, safety, environment and…
New Ship Spurs Demand in China for Costa
With the new Costa Venezia deployed out of Shanghai, the Serena has moved to serve the North China market while the Atlantica sails from Southern Chinese ports. “We have reshaped our deployment with north, east and south on offer, and keeping with our principle of being accessible and close to affluent and important areas of…
Zero Emissions Target: First LNG Cruise Ship to the U.S.
Anticipating the first LNG-fueled cruise ship to sail out of a U.S. port, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, Tom Strang, senior vice president of maritime affairs for Carnival Corporation, told Cruise Industry News that the company has worked closely with Port Canaveral, the LNG supplier, the Coast Guard and other stakeholders, paving the way. “There…
Innovation Drives Biggest Orderbook
“Innovation, innovation and innovation describe our strategy going forward,” Luigi Matarazzo, executive vice president of the Merchant Ships Business Unit at Fincantieri told Cruise Industry News. “In order to consolidate our leadership position in design and construction of passenger ships, we will continue to create new innovative cruise ship prototypes that are characterized by challenging…
Unplugged No More
Internet usage at sea has changed dramatically since Norwegian Cruise Line launched the industry’s first internet cafe at sea in 1999. Passengers have gone from casually downloading content to aggressively uploading it. That’s a good thing for sharing lovely photos of a pleasurable cruise but a very difficult thing for those charged with ensuring quick,…
Well Beyond a Test Kitchen
While a group of bartenders are mixing classic cocktails, another class could be learning glassware selection or the subtle skills of a sommelier; a third group might be developing a new dish or perfecting some twist on an existing one, while yet another group is examining and testing a new piece of physical equipment or…
Carnival’s Ever Evolving Food and Beverage Program
Cyrus Marfatia started as chef de cuisine aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s second ship, the Carnivale. More than 35 years later, the industry still has some surprises for Marfatia, now the line’s vice president of culinary and dining. The most recent: Carnival cruisers aren’t enthused by Your Time Dining. “One thing we’ve found over and over…
Cruise & Maritime Voyages: ‘Custodians of Tradition’
In 55 years plying waters between nearly every conceivable port, the indefatigable Marco Polo remains an iconic, passenger-pleasing vessel with strong bookings, said Chris Coates, commercial director for Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV). What may be even more astonishing than the East German-built ocean liner’s continued popularity is the longevity of its components. The former…
MSC Building Shore Excursion Perfection
Overnight tours are trending at MSC Cruises, according to Jean-Pierre Joubert, director of shore excursions. The line’s recently-concluded world cruise saw one option with guests off the ship for six nights. In Costa Maya guests can disembark and overnight in a hotel. Activities include a visit to the archaeological site of Coba, the Chichen Itza…
TUI Cruises: Growth and High Guest Satisfaction
“We had a very successful beginning to the year with the launch of the new Mein Schiff 2 and the reintroduction of the previous Mein Schiff 2 as Mein Schiff Herz,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises. “We have a 21 percent capacity increase this year and are still managing high occupancy rates at…
Royal Caribbean’s Miller Investing in Employees
“One of the important focus areas for us is leadership development both on the ships and ashore,” said Laura Miller, senior vice president and chief human resources (HR) officer at Royal Caribbean Cruises. “We look at the entire leadership journey a leader goes through from being developed as a first-time leader, and that is also…