Improved Complimentary Food
Under new management and a new strategy at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Wes Cort, director, restaurant and beverage development and operations, immediately pointed to the quality of the raw product the company is buying. It almost seems like a clandestine operation, especially with all the buzz about the great new alternative restaurants on the Escape,…
Crew Welfare Program Succeeds
One of the most well said beliefs within the cruise industry is “happy crew, happy guests,” and Celebrity Cruises has been working tirelessly to promote crew welfare. They have gone the extra mile for their crew to engage them on a daily basis and promote a happy and healthy lifestyle while working onboard. One of…
Editorial #102: Future-Proof
Among the timely topics we cover in this issue are shipbuilding and the industry buildup in the Asia-Pacific region. Demonstrating the industry’s confidence in its future, there has never been more ships under construction or on order. The total current orderbook counts 51 cruise ships, plus some not-yet firmed up orders, for deliveries through 2022….
Executive Profile: ‘Huge Expectations’
The specs for the new Virgin Cruises ships have been completed in general terms, according to Stuart Hawkins, senior vice president marine. “We know the number of engines we will have and their sizes,” he told Cruise Industry News. “That is true for all the components, but the final decision will be made with the…
China: New Growth Engine
“Most of my focus has been on developing the contractual agreements for our potential joint ventures in China related to shipbuilding, port development and launching a world-class domestic Chinese cruise brand,” Alan Buckelew, COO for Carnival Corporation, told Cruise Industry News after his first year in Shanghai. “The process with our partners in China is…
China: Costa Four Ships for 2016
The first international brand to enter the cruise market in China, Costa Crociere can be thought of as a market leader since starting operations in 2006. “For the Chinese consumer, the idea of a cruise holiday was brand new. We spared no effort during the past nine years to educate the market,” said Buhdy Bok,…
Shipbuilding: Meyer Turku: Value Driven
Meyer Turku had six cruise ships and one fast ferry on its orderbook at press time, plus an option for another fast ferry, which CEO Jan Meyer told Cruise Industry News was close to full utilization of the yard until 2020. Since April, Meyer assumed 100 percent ownership of the Finnish yard after taking a…
New Ships: Ships For the Future
“What we are looking at here are ships of the future, for the next 40 years or so,” said Tom Strang, senior vice president of marine for Costa Crociere. He was commenting on Carnival Corporation’s recent order for four 180,000-ton, 5,200-passengers vessels for Costa and AIDA. “Basically, the intention is that these ships will run…
Genting World Opens New Era for Star
Two new ships being built for Star Cruises in Germany will have 3,370 lower berths and be 151,300 tons each, scheduled for delivery in October 2016 and October 2017 respectively. “This is a very generous and premium ton-to-lower berth and crew-to-passenger ratio that will allow us to differentiate ourselves from other operators entering the Asian…
Crystal: A Massive Expansion Plan
With new owners aboard, Crystal Cruises is pushing a massive product expansion to the tune of three new ships, a Boeing 787 for land tours, a yacht, and two riverboats. Three new ocean-going ships will be built at Lloyd Werft in Germany, and be over 100,000 tons and carry 1,000 passengers – an attractive space-to-guest…
F&B: Oceanic Catering’s New Manila Training Center
Oceanic Catering recently opened its new catering and hospitality training facility in Manila. A division of V.Ships, the 1,300 square meter facility is located in the company’s new office building. “We train V.Ships crew and Oceanic Catering crew for cruise and cargo ships,” Patrick Fourtanet, director of operations and business development, told Cruise Industry News….
Royal Caribbean: Australian Ambitions
This coming season Royal Caribbean will see a 20 percent capacity increase in Australia, Gavin Smith, regional vice president, Asia-Pacific told Cruise Industry News. “We will have more than 90 departures,” he said. “The Explorer will replace the Rhapsody and we will sail the Voyager, Radiance, Legend and Celebrity Solstice. The Azamara Quest will also…
Executive Profile: Scientific Approach
“I think Virgin Cruises will be very good for the industry,” said Tom McAlpin, president and CEO of the start-up cruise line by the British Virgin Group, founded and led by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. Speaking to Cruise Industry News, McAlpin said: “We will bring new people (passengers) into the industry. We will develop the…
Procurement: Driving Value
In the newly created position of chief procurement officer (CPO) at Carnival Corporation, Julia Brown is overseeing everything Carnival spends money on from products to services. “The goal is to drive value that can be reinvested in the brands,” she explained. “And to take out costs of things that guests do not want, while at…
MSC: Outside the Box
By year’s end, MSC Cruises plans to launch a global campaign presenting its new market positioning, according o CEO Gianni Onorato. In an exclusive interview with Cruise Industry News, Onorato said that work was ongoing internally to better clarify the position of the brand and the company in the marketplace. Not only will the campaign…