Windstar Reports Q3

Ambassadors International (AMIE), parent company to Windstar Cruises, has reported a loss of $0.6 million on revenues of $19.8 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2010, compared to a loss of $35.2 million on revenues of $17.7 million for the same period last year.

Walt Disney Results

The Walt Disney Company has reported net income of $3.9 billion, or $2.03 per share, on revenues of $38.1 billion for its fiscal year ended Oct. 2, 2010, compared to net income of $3.3 billion, or $1.76 per share, on revenues of $36.1 billion last year. The Walt Disney Company attributed the decreased operating income to higher costs at its domestic resorts, lower hotel occupancy and resort attendance and a decrease at the Disney Cruise Line.

Market Potential

All cruise markets are relatively under-penetrated, according to Michael Bayley, senior vice president international for Royal Caribbean Cruises, speaking at the Marine Hotel Association’s recent conference and trade show in Barcelona.

Adrift

The Carnival Splendor returned safely to port with no injuries reported among passengers or crew. A fire said to have started in the aft engine room is believed to have crippled the ship. A spokesperson for Carnival confirmed that the company is focusing its investigation on one of the diesel generators. Cruise Industry News has talked to naval engineers about the levels of redundancies aboard cruise ships.

Mexico Traffic Dips

With the Carnival Splendor out of service for nine weeks, Mexican Riviera ports are bracing themselves. Traffic forecasts for 2011 are already down, mainly due to the Mariner of the Seas leaving in mid-January and with the Norwegian Star leaving later in the year, partially offset by the seasonal arrival of the Disney Wonder. The December-January traffic dip comes as the Riviera was beginning to see an uptick after the 2009 swine flu and the downturn in the California economy, which has also been said to affect demand for Riviera cruises, in addition to the proliferation of press reports of gang violence.

Shades of Green

More cruise ports are considering green ship standards as a way of offering fee incentives, while experts cannot agree whether shorepower and scrubbers are the right way to go.

And there is more: 60 new cabins aboard Celebrity’s Infinity; and about the media frenzy resulting from the Splendor incident.

FOR THE FULL REPORTS, READ THE NOVEMBER 18, 2010 ISSUE OF CRUISE INDUSTRY NEWS, THE  NEWSLETTER. SEE SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION OR CLICK HERE.