Destination Focus: North America: Northwest: Improving Services
Northwest Pacific ports offer unique attractions on cruises to Alaska and British Columbia and are also setting new standards with a clean air strategy. Vancouver: How to Grow the Market “To grow Alaska further, the industry needs better utilization on other days (than the popular days),” said Greg Wirtz, manager of trade development at the…
Fall 2007: Editorial
Pushing the bar: While the cruise industry continues to grow, it is pushing the product and experience bar ever higher with new ships. At the time of writing, there were 40 new cruise ships on order for deliveries through 2012, and more orders are expected, according to shipyard and cruise line executives we spoke with….
Big Changes Ahead for Cruise Ships
If the continuously increasing ship sizes and ever increasing number of special features are excluded, there have not been too many major changes in ship design and technology for several decades, according to Markus Aarnio, managing director of Foreship, a ship engineering and design firm. However, due to recently introduced new rules and regulations, together…
Shipbuilding: Driving New Orders
The fall months are typically when Fincantieri has been able to sign big orders, and Enrico Buschi, general manager of merchant ships and head of cruise ships at Fincantieri, told Cruise Industry News in early September, that he was hopeful to do the same this fall. “The growing cruise markets drive new orders,” said Buschi,…
Ship Review: Putting Fun into Glamour and Elegance
With the Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line has put fun into glamour and elegance. The QM2 is able to maintain that romantic sense of classic trans-Atlantic travel from the past, but in a modern setting. The formal dinners are there along with white-gloved tea service and ballroom dancing, but so are also informal dining options,…
Summer 2007: Editorial
We are covering a range of subjects in this issue – which are all important to the industry – and would like touch on some of them. The Cruise Experience: Cruising is evolving on many levels and in many directions, depending on the product and the market. Most important for the industry, perhaps, is its…
Food & Beverage: New Dining Experiences
Dining aboard cruise ships will continue to be one of the highlights of a cruise, despite all the choices of activities now offered by the new, large ships, and the range of more exotic itineraries featured by the smaller luxury- and expedition-style ships. This spring, for instance, Princess Cruises unveiled what Vice President of Food…
Shipbuilding: Up to Cruising Speed
“We are now up to cruising speed,” said Jacques Hardelay, managing director at Aker Yards in St. Nazaire, France. He explained that the integration process since the French shipbuilder was acquired by the Aker Yards Group has been completed and that work is underway on various projects. Among the integrated functions is sales and marketing…
Spring 2007: Editorial
Itinerary Planning: One of our main topics in this issue is itinerary planning, and it is a fascinating exercise in geography to track voyages around the world, as well as closer to home. It reminds us that there are many places we would like to go and visit. We also want to thank Saga Cruises for letting…
Challenging Year Ahead
The biggest issues for the industry in 2007 are the Caribbean (when will demand and pricing pick up?) and fuel prices (will they go back up?), according to the financial analysts interviewed by Cruise Industry News. But there is also concern that the Caribbean softness may spread to other markets. According to Tim Conder, vice…
Orderbook: 40 New Ships and Counting
After the latest order confirmation at year’s end, there are now 40 cruise ships under construction or on order (or option) for deliveries through 2011, with 1115,078 berths, representing an estimated building value of approximately $24.9 billion, or an average of $207,685 per berth. Of the total, 24 ships are destined primarily for the North…
Itinerary Planning: More Cruises to More Ports
The growing cruise industry is not only expanding in its core sailing areas, but also developing new itineraries and new ports. In addition, the individual cruise lines are also broadening their deployment. Holland America Line, for example, will have 500 departures and some 350 different ports this year. Cruise lines can work two to three…
Caribbean: Driving Business
The Caribbean cruise capacity is estimated to be relatively flat year-over-year, with 129 ships able to carry some 6.8 million passengers in 2007, compared to 125 ships and 6.7 million passengers in 2006. Both North American and European capacity is up – one percent for the North American market, which generates most of the passengers,…
Fincantieri: 15 Ships for Deliveries Through 2011
There are 15 cruise ships on Fincantieri’s orderbook with deliveries through 2011. The contracts are valued at $7.8 billion, which gives the Italian builder nearly 40 percent of the worldwide cruise market. After the Carnival Freedom was delivered in February, three more ships are slated for deliveries in 2007 – the Emerald Princess at the…
Editorial: It’s About People
There are many common denominators that affect the industry and the different cruise lines, but the people factor seems to be the most important. For instance, all the cruise lines need qualified staff to serve passengers, and the higher up the product ladder, the more important the staff becomes in terms of offering six-star service….