Setting Different Courses for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity
Further diversification of homeports and cruise lengths continue at Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, according to Jamie Haller, director of deployment and itinerary planning. “The most significant development at Royal Caribbean in 2005,” he said, “is our expansion in the Northeast and our continuing diversification of cruise lengths. We now have regular sailings ranging…
Full Steam Ahead
11.1 million passengers are forecast to cruise on the fleet of the member cruise lines of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in 2005, according to the organization’s Chairman Andy Stuart, who is also executive vice president of marketing, sales and passenger services for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Stuart broke the 11.1 million down into…
Safe Harbors
With so many different nationalities represented among cruise ships’ crews, seafarers’ and maritime workers’ unions clearly play an essential role when it comes to crafting labor (and various other) agreements for workers at sea. Most major cruise lines, say experts and union officials alike, have collective bargaining agreements on board their vessels and work readily…
Caribbean Cruise Capacity
Caribbean cruise capacity stays flat in 2005, compared to 2004 when it was up 5 percent; 2003, 13 percent; and 2002, 16 percent. According to estimates by Cruise Industry News, cruise ships will be able to carry 6.5 million passengers in the Caribbean (including the Bahamas, but excluding Panama Canal cruises) this year. But the…
Carnival Cruise Lines: Having More Fun
“We are focusing on sharpening our message of how good we are,” said Bob Dickinson, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. “When people cruise with us, they rate us significantly higher than people who have not cruised with us. We have a gap between reality and perception. “We were bottom feeders for many years,…
Class Societies: Being Proactive
Classification societies have two roles: First, to verify that the shipowner gets the product he is paying for and that the yard is building according to rules and regulations, and second, to continuously develop new standards, moving the bar upward, being proactive, according to Karl Morten Wiklund, head of the cruise section at Det Norske…
People-Oriented Captain
Captain Hagen Damaschke said that he sees himself as a people’s captain, as opposed to one that sits in an ivory tower hidden away from passengers. Damaschke pointed out that socializing is one of his favorite things to do onboard the Europa because getting to know his passengers helps him to do a better job….
All Work and No Play? No Way
Out of some 8,000 hotel officers and crewmembers working aboard Holland America Line’s (HAL) ships, more than 1,000 of them have notched 10-plus years of service with the cruise line – an impressive statistic. The figure is but one indicator of HAL’s solid workplace culture, said Wayne Byers, the cruise line’s vice president of human…
North American Ports: Business is Booming
As the cruise industry continues its rapid expansion, ports across North America are finding themselves having to deal – quickly – with all of the issues that go hand-in-hand with larger ships and the accompanying onslaught of more and more passengers. Rising security costs, for one, are a matter that all ports, regardless of size,…
Captain’s Log
The Captain’s Log, Around the World with Cruise Captain Hans Mateboer is the title of a new book with a collection of Mateboer’s stories of funny happenings onboard. His articles have also been published regularly in the Cruise Industry News Quarterly since 1999. “A cruise ship can be compared to a small floating city, and…
New Wave of Orders
Cruise ship building has picked up the pace again after Carnival Corporation placed what it called a “historic multi-billion-dollar cooperation” with Fincantieri to construct four new ships and redesign the previously announced Queen Victoria for Cunard Line. “The time is moving on newbuilds,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival, in the company’s third…
Company Profile Radisson Seven Seas Cruises
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC) is being re-branded and is expected to have a new name next year, positioning the cruise line closer to the luxury hotels in the Carlson group. But the product formula will not change. “We believe that around 700 passengers are ideal,” said Mark Conroy, CEO of RSSC. “We could build…
HAL’s Oosterdam Defines Premium
Delivering a premium cruise product and securing premium rates is not an easy task given the number of options for passengers today. An Alaskan cruise aboard Holland America Line’s (HAL) Oosterdam – our only cruise this year – gets high marks in our opinion, with an elegant ship, rich in design and high-end furniture, tableware…
Raising the Bar
The bar is constantly moving upward for the cruise experience. The latest big wow factor was introduced by Princess Cruises aboard the Caribbean Princess – an outside movie screen allowing passengers to watch their favorite flicks poolside under the stars. Sporting events and other programming are shown during the day. Royal Caribbean International meanwhile has…
More Choices
“Ingredients are like kings; chefs are the servants,” according to Rudi Sodamin, master chef for Royal Caribbean International (RCI). Sodamin attributed the quote to Brillat-Savarin who he said is the greatest gastronome the world has ever known. “Following this credo, we are using aroma and fresh products while offering fine service,” Sodamin continued. “Our menus…