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Cruise Newsletter - May 2005
This month our staff have sailed on the following ships and their reports are available by clicking on the ships name:
Special and Great Value Charter Opportunities:
Editorial Carnival recently sent out a marketing piece which was meant to highlight the cost difference involved in a vacation to Europe by traditional means (hotel etc.) as opposed to a Carnival cruise. The obvious questions being - are there really any cabins available at the rate they use.. well the flyer did say "starting at" so read that as a limited lead in and probably they are all sold-out anyway. But ask the same question in regards to decent European hotel cost and one could see that that was also somewhat unrealistic at $155.00 per person per day, so maybe one cancels out the other. Either way, it did highlight what we have been telling your for over a year now - Europe is a steal if you cruise - your dollars go so much further when you pre-pay before you go, as you do when you book your cruise. This situation is unlikely to change over the next year or so.. in fact one financial pundit I recent saw quoted in the national press was saying that the dollar is likely to remain low for the next 2 years... ample time to make your self look good with your corporate clients by running their program on a cruise ship in Europe. Call us to go over the numbers and the various options.
I was particularly intrigued to see the difference in the cost of any type of US Dollar based trip for our UK Clients in particular. I recently noticed that the exchange rate being offered for hotels in the UK was based on a 2-1 exchange rate. This makes a GBP 200 hotel (modest for London) a $400 room rate... wow - how can the average American afford to vacation there - unless they have very deep pockets. Conversely it makes any US based purchase seem ridiculously cheap... no wonder we are signing so much business from the UK and Europe... it must seem like a steal to our clients.
Industry News:
Ship News
Interesting news and statistics
Australians are cruising; International Cruise Council Australasia chairman Steve Odell today released the findings of its annual survey of the Australian cruise market. The survey, commissioned by ICCA’s 17 international cruise line members and conducted by Intouch Data Pty Ltd, showed that 158,415 Australians took a cruise holiday in 2004, compared with 153,769 in 2003 and 116,338 in 2002. ‘The SARS epidemic actually gave an unexpected boost to passenger numbers in 2003 with the redeployment of significant additional tonnage from Asia to Australian waters. Alaska, which was the top overseas destination in 2003, outside the South Pacific, remained number one in 2004". Odell said there is strong growth in world cruise sectors and early figures indicate big interest in Europe and Asia this year. He said the preference for cruises of between eight to 14 days has been consistent for the three years since 2002.
Unusual news from the cruising front:
Noted in the UK Press: One of a set of
three tapestries that were commissioned by Cunard when QE2 came into
service in 1969, which was allegedly thrown overboard by partying crew
members in mid-Atlantic last week and is still missing. The three
tapestries show different scenes from the launch – one of the liner's
godmother Queen Elizabeth II waving after smashing the bottle of
champagne, one of the liner going down the slipway, and one of the bow
when the liner was on the stocks. According to Cunard a second tapestry
was also damaged, a carpet covered in paint and crew toilets were also
vandalized during the incident. The police have requested that fishermen
look out for the tapestry and members of the public have been asked to
look for it on beaches, but the chances of recovery are remote. The
incident occurred last Thursday night as the liner was heading back to
Southampton at the end of her world cruise. Three male crew members were
arrested by local police after the ship docked in Southampton on Saturday
and later bailed pending further inquiries. The line confirms that three
crew members have been dismissed as a result of the incident.
Princess Cruises will offer 14 Scandinavia/Russia sailings on three itineraries in 2006. The Star Princess returns to the Baltic with two routes, both providing two full days in St. Petersburg. Sea Princess will offer one week-long Scandinavia getaway from Southampton. Star Princess will operate two different 10-day itineraries between mid-May and mid-September. Sailing roundtrip from Copenhagen, the 2,600-berth ship will call at Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg (overnight), Tallinn and Gdansk on both routes. One itinerary visits Oslo, while the other gives an opportunity to tour Berlin from the port of Warnemünde and adds an overnight in Copenhagen. Sea Princess’ seven-day roundtrip departs Southampton on July 15 and takes in Amsterdam, Oslo, Copenhagen and Helsingborg.
Seabourn
announces exciting new ports; A new series of 12-day Baltic
cruises from Copenhagen, the return of Fiji/New Zealand
sailings and new ports from Libya to China are highlights of
Seabourn Cruise Line's just-released 2006-07 itineraries. New
Mediterranean ports for Seabourn include Tripoli, Libya; Sarande,
Albania; Rovinj, Croatia; Mylos, Greek Isles; Sousse, Tunisia and Xlendi
(Gozo), Malta. In North Europe, four new 12-day cruises to
Scandinavian capitals and St. Petersburg will sail roundtrip
from Copenhagen. The Danish capital will also serve as the homeport
for two new nine-day Norwegian fjords cruises. A 14-day program, ‘In the
Wake of the Mayflower,’ will sail from London to Gloucester,
Massachussetts, calling at ports including Plymouth, England, and
Plymouth, Mass. Two eight-day cruises between Gloucester and
Quebec include new ports of Portland, Maine; Port Saguenay
and Percé, Quebec; and Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. Seabourn's return to
Australia, New Zealand and Fiji includes calls at
Padang Bay, Bali; Thursday Island, Australia; Gisborne, New Zealand;
Semarang and Pulau Seribu, Indonesia. New Caribbean ports are
Kingstown, St. Vincent, and Isla Margarita, Venezuela. Two
10-day Mexican Riviera cruises will operate between Los Angeles
and Caldera, Costa Rica. A nine-day China cruise will sail
roundtrip from Hong Kong to Taiwan, Shanghai and Xiamen. Port news
The Delaware River Port Authority has
contract the Miami firm of Bermello, Ajamil & Partners to create a master
plan for the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1, located at the
Philadelphia Navy Yard. The master plan will include an assessment of the
cruise industry globally and Philadelphia's potential for capturing an
increased share of the growth. Specifically they will examine
Philadelphia's market position relative to its major competitors,
Baltimore and New York, as well as Boston and Norfolk. The master plan
also will address options for expanding or re-locating the cruise terminal
to attract larger ships and more cruises. Final results are expected in
mid-June. Philadelphia is hosting its busiest year yet with 32 cruises set
to depart between April and October to destinations such as Bermuda, the
Caribbean and New England/Canada. More than 92,450 passengers are
expected. That number is up from nearly 65,000 last year and more than
50,000 in 2003. Since opening the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1
in 1998, the DRPA has invested $15m in improvements to the facility.
PROGRAM IDEA's - Coming up soon are several sporting events which our clients should be focusing on:
Monaco Grand Prix - this event is held annually in Monte Carlo - call us for ideas, we have already signed several charter contract for this year and 2006.. there is still time to do something.
Grand Prix Tours - who have the Le Ponant chartered for the 2005 & 2006 race have a very limited number of staterooms still available for the 2005 race period. They have a very extensive package which include a cruise. the race, cocktail parties with the drivers et all. They can be reached at (949) 719-3350.
2006 Ryder Cup - This event is being held in Ireland at the prestigious Kildare Golf and Country Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, between Friday 22nd and Sunday 24th September. We are looking at bring a ship into the port of Dublin with pre & post cruises planned around the event. Call us if you have any clients interested in a very exclusive golf/cruise program. We have now signed a contract for the Seabourn Pride - call us if you have any interest in purchasing a block of staterooms for your group.
Superbowl in Miami 2007 True to form, just as soon as this years Superbowl was over, our telephones started to ring for Superbowl 2007. Call us for some ideas, we are happy to chat about options and who and what might be available in Miami. We have a client who is chartering a ship for the event and will be breaking the staterooms in various allotments for resale to the corporate market - call us for information.
The America's Cup 2007 Worldwide continues to bring this event to your attention. We are currently working on programs for some of our clients who recognizes the corporate potential the event holds and the up market image it project - especially for multi-national corporations.
Entries Close: With the passing of the challenge deadline today, this edition of the America’s Cup stands as the most diverse in the 154-history of the event. With 11 challengers representing nine countries, this is not just one of the biggest, but it is by far the most diverse America’s Cup in history. There are three countries participating for the first time – South Africa, Germany and China, and five continents are represented, which reinforcing the global appeal of the America’s Cup.
Germany challenges for the Cup: On Friday morning, just hours ahead of the challenge deadline, United Internet Team Germany became the 10th Challenger for the 32nd America’s Cup. Willy Kuhweide, Commodore of the Deutscher Challenger Yacht Club, arrived in Valencia on Thursday night with his challenge dossier, and with all the necessary paperwork in order and fees paid, his challenge has today been accepted by the Société Nautique de Genève, the Defending yacht club. “The first serious German campaign is now on its way to the starting line of the first America’s Cup to take place in Europe,” Commodore Kuhweide said. The team is supported by United Internet, a German internet service provider. This will be the first German challenge to sail for the America’s Cup in its 154-year history. United Internet Team Germany, (formerly known as the ‘Fresh 17’ project) will be led on the water by Danish skipper Jesper Bank, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and previous America’s Cup skipper in 2002/2003 with Victory Challenge. United Internet Team Germ any will compete in all of the Louis Vuitton Acts leading up to the main events in 2007. Their first racing on the water will be in Valencia in Acts 4 & 5 beginning 16th June. The team will compete closer to home in Malmö-Skåne, Sweden in August and conclude the season with racing in Trapani, Sicily at the end of September.
A challenge dossier from China
Team arrived on Friday shortly before the deadline and must now be
closely evaluated over the coming days by the Société Nautique de Genève,
the Defending yacht club, before the team is fully accepted as a
Challenger. Confirmation of the status of China Team as a challenger will
be issued as soon as possible.
Under a three-year agreement, Murphy&Nye
has acquired an exclusive world license to design and produce official
men’s, women’s and junior collections for the 32nd America’s Cup. These
will be marketed through its own distribution network as well as at the
America’s Cup Store, on site at the AC Park in Valencia (and in
Malmö-Skåne and Trapani for the 2005 Louis Vuitton Acts in those cities).
Clothing will also be available on-line from www.americascupstore.com
beginning in June 2005. Murphy&Nye is a part of Gruppo Sixty, which
distributes in excess of 22-million items of clothing annually in over 90
countries. · Steve Bloss (954) 452-8800, ext. 26 - email Steve · Jim Huff (954) 452-8800, ext. 28 - email Jim · Leon Banossian (954) 452-8800, ext. 29 - email Leon · Martin Dock +44 (0)1794 514336 - email Martin · Jim Castle (954) 452 8800. ext.25 - email Jim
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