Cruise-Ship Building at Crossroad
Cruise-ship building are at a crossroad as orders are drying up. Fincantieri has 13 more ships under construction and will be busy in 2010 and 2011, but has only one ship for delivery in 2012.
STX Europe is building two ships in Finland and two in France. The last delivery is next summer.
Meyer Werft has eight ships under construction with deliveries until mid-2012.
NCL Q2 Results
Norwegian Cruise Line reported net income of $15.4 million on revenues of $478.4 million for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009, compared to a loss of $27 million on revenues of $525 million in the second quarter of 2008.
Oasis of the Seas
The Oasis of the Seas and her sister ship, the Allure of the Seas, are not only bigger, they are better, according to Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises. The ships are so attractive, Fain said, that passengers will pay more, and they are so efficient, that operating costs will be lower.
Is Star Ready Pounce?
Star Cruises is preparing to jump for the mainland China market with ships positioned in the South China Sea or nearby, with Chinese speaking crew and ship accommodations and services proven to fit pan-Asian tastes, and a faster and more flexible decision-making hierarchy, according to Star.
Net Results
Cruise Industry News has compared the net results of Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean, that is, net income from tickets and onboard spending, as well as expenditures on commissions, and more.
Stock Watch
With cruise stocks outperforming the market, is the publicity build-up around the Oasis of the Seas and the resulting excitement driving up the stocks?
And there is more: How much does it cost a destination to host the annual meeting of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association(?); embarrassed crew when they could not launch a rescue vessel after a passenger jumped overboard; what could have been a dramatic rescue effort in the Northwest Passage; signs of the times.
