Editorial #103: Changing Times
This will be a year of more changes. The most attention-getting development will undoubtedly be the industry’s build-up in China, which in turn is causing some capacity adjustments in existing markets. However, with new 11 ships being introduced in 2016, all the major markets will see growth, as about 24 million passengers are expected to…
Executive Profile: Building A New Culture
“Our overriding ambition is to create an entirely safe and secure marine platform, on which we, together with hotel operations, can deliver an outstanding guest experience,” said Jens Lassen, executive vice president of Carnival Maritime in Hamburg. “To accomplish that we have three goals,” he explained: “To establish airline safety standards; to have the highest…
Carnival Corporation: Marching East
With four brands – Costa, Princess, Carnival and AIDA – set for the Chinese market in 2017, and a domestic brand to be named later, Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, stressed that the companies will remain distinct brands in China. Meanwhile, Carnival is coming off an exciting 2015 that saw a nine-ship…
Celebrity: Redefining Boutique Hotels
Formal nights are a thing of the past on Celebrity Cruises, with the company embracing what it calls “evening chic,” a perfect description of the image it wants as 2016 opens for the brand. “Our big news is how we are going to talk about the brand moving forward,” said CEO and President Lisa Lutoff-Perlo….
Princess: Come Back New
“We are delivering on our Come Back New promise,” Gordon Ho, senior vice president of marketing at Princess Cruises, told Cruise Industry News. “We make sure we provide a meaningful, transformative and rejuvenating vacation experience that help our guests come back new. “We do this through our itineraries, the food and the onboard experience,” he…
New Orleans “Planning for Growth”
New Orleans has high expectations for this year with Carnival Cruise Line replacing the Elation with the larger Triumph in April, bumping up the passenger capacity by more than 30 percent in addition to the Carnival Dream, according to Don Allee, director of cruise and tourism for the Port of New Orleans. He spoke to…
Mexican Riviera Building Back Up
The largest operator on the Mexican Riviera, Carnival Cruise Line, said it will continue to offer a robust year-round program in 2016. The Carnival Miracle sails year-round on three different week-long itineraries from Long Beach, calling at Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan; Cabo San Lucas and a two-day overnight stay in Puerto Vallarta;…
LNG: Critical Aspects
LNG-fueled cruise ships are not a challenge technically, but may be deployment-wise, according to Helge Hermundsgard, business development manager for DNV GL. He said that as long as a bunkering infrastructure is not in place, LNG-fueled cruise ships are limited to itineraries where bunkering will be available. Not only is the bunkering availability today missing…
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…