Itinerary Planning: Princess Cruises: Destination Trades
Cruise lines are offering broader and more varied itineraries to attract more, new passengers, and to convince past passengers to cruise again. They also plan itineraries further in advance as the booking window is moving out. Cruise Industry News has talked to some of the leading cruise lines and asked them what is new; why…
Company Profile: Holland America Line: Fresh, Passionate and Relevant
“Our goal is to be the undisputed leader in the premium (cruise) market,” said Stein Kruse, president and CEO of Holland America Line. “As a company, we have very clear objectives; we know what we are and where we are going. We know what our mission is: Through excellence we will deliver a-once-in-a-lifetime experience to…
Marine Operations: Safety At Sea Cruise Industry Drives New Rules
Industry focuses on the concept of Equal Safety, New Stability Rules, Fire Prevention, Weather Conditions, Accident and Evacuation Scenarios, and the bottom line: the Human Factor. New rules are providing greater freedom for innovative thinking, according to Robert Wright, principal surveyor of statutory passenger ships at Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (LR). He said that the…
Marine Operations: A Full Plate
Fuel, power plants and pods, environment, refurbishment and maintenance, drydockings, recruitment and training, safety and security, and running 24/7. Fuel consumption, environmental protection, recruitment and training are at the top of the list of priorities for marine operations in 2006, in addition to the continuous focus on the safety and security of the ships with…
Shipbuilding & Repair: 360 Degree Horizon
While the order flow may fluctuate, cruise lines are staying in close contact not just with the yards that are building their ships, but also with the other building yards. “Everybody is keeping all doors open,” according to one yard source. “While owners may have preferential relationships, orders can never be taken for granted, and…
New Ships: Liberty: Proven Design
Giuseppe Messina knows that a lot can go wrong when building a cruise ship. That’s why Fincantieri’s project manager for Carnival Cruise Lines’ newbuildings (which recently completed the $450 million Carnival Liberty in Monfalcone) places such high priority and importance on one thing: proactive risk management. “As you can imagine, designing and building a project…
Shipbuilding & Repair: Worldwide Repair Business
While cruise-ship building is concentrated at four yards in Europe, repairs and refurbishments take place on a broader scale, usually near where the ships are sailing. But the repair business may be consolidating into fewer yards as well, as the builders are also looking to get into the repair and maintenance side of the business;…
Company Profile: Royal Caribbean International : More Freedom
The Freedom of the Seas will be a very powerful vacation offering when she enters service next spring, according to Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International. “It is a fantastic product,” he continued. “We are confident it is the right product for the right time.” Goldstein said that the Freedom-class of ships will give…
Ship Review: Bella Costa Magica
We chose Costa Magica for our cruise this year because it had been 10 years since we sailed the Mediterranean (also on Costa) and that was prior to the Carnival acquisition. The itinerary was attractive and it also afforded us a few days in as Civitavecchia is the homeport. The ports of call were Savona,…
Destination Focus: Asia/Pacific: To Grow Aggressively or Patiently?
The cruise industry may be sailing in the wake of a tremendous growth forecast for the Asia/Pacific region predicted by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), which estimates that Asia/Pacific will see nearly 400 million international tourist arrivals annually by 2020, compared to 153 million in 2004. Anticipated to increase at a rate of 6.5 percent…
Food & Beverage Constant Change
The key to creating a memorable dining experience for passengers is training, according to Natko Nincevic, senior vice president of hotel operations at Carnival Cruise Lines. “With 20,000 crewmembers and a turnover of some 4,000 a year, if you do not have training programs it would be very difficult to run as smooth an operation…
Costa Crociere: Raising the Bar
At Costa Crociere, CEO and Chairman Pier Luigi Foschi’s management philosophy has raised the bar for the industry. Earlier this year, Costa announced Green Ship certification for its entire 11-ship fleet by RINA, in addition to receiving Best 4 certification last year – both are voluntary, Foschi pointed out. “We want to have the best…
Shipbuilding: Chantiers de l’Atlantique: Rebuilding Market Share
In order to meet demand, the cruise lines need to introduce 10 to 12 new ships annually in the years to come, said Patrick Boissier, CEO and chairman of Chantiers de l’Atlantique. “The cruise industry is a wonderful business, it continues to grow, and it still has huge potential,” Boissier added. The French builder presently…
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Cruising
In a perfect world, Norwalk virus doesn’t exist. Neither do bedbugs. Bad weather is a mere figment of the imagination, and seasickness? Not a chance. Unfortunately, these are all things that can – and do – happen aboard cruise ships, and to the millions of passengers who set sail each year. So it comes as…
European Pax Eye New Cruise Wave
European cruising is on the upswing. According to the European Cruise Council (ECC), 2.8 million Europeans sailed on ocean cruises in 2004 – an increase of 5 percent over 2003. Fred Hitchins, director of IRN Research, the company that provides the ECC with its statistics, pointed out that while 2005 will see some increase, 2006…