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Cruise Newsletter - July 2005
Please join with us here at Worldwide in extending our sympathy and condolences to our clients and friends in the UK. We have all been horrified by the tragic events unfolding in London. The timing of this is especially cruel given the jubilation yesterday regarding the Olympic bid victory.
This month our staff have visited and sailed on the following ship and their report is available by clicking on the ships name:
Editorial; Is this the beginning of a new trend in cruising:
Easycruise,
Operating one week flexible itineraries this summer, along the French & Italian Rivera's and this winter in the Caribbean, the cruises are intended for independently minded people in their 20s, 30s & 40s who are prepared to accept the basic cruise and make their own arrangements en-route. The major advantage being that you can board & depart anywhere along the route as long as you stay on the ship at least 2 nights.
The Mediterranean Itinerary which is operating now thru October 21, 2005 offers a number of port/package options:
Mediterranean ports of call visited: Nice - France (Friday), Cannes (Saturday), St.Tropez (Sunday), Monaco (Monday), Genoa (Tuesday), Portofino (Wednesday), Imperia for San Remo (Thursday).
The easyCruise is now selling Caribbean cruises which sail
from 12 November 2005 until 26 April 2006 with prices starting at 9 pounds
sterling per person per night for a cabin, based on two people sharing.
Another result of an encouraging first season is that
easyCruise is already making investigations on the best way to add a
second ship, easyCruiseTwo, to the fleet for the Greek islands for the
Summer of 2006 or 2007. This will depend if a suitable existing vessel can
be aquired in time or a new building vessel would have to be constructed.
Greek destinations considered are: Athens (Friday), Mykonos (Saturday),
Patmos (Sunday), Rhodes (Monday), Heraklion (Tuesday), Hania (Wednesday)
and Milos (Thursday). That ship could head For the Arabian Gulf during the
winter and visit the destinations being discussed are Dubai and the United
Arab Emirates. The Easy Group company formula certainly has been a success and a model for many business in Europe not least the easyJet airline which has extensive and cheap coverage across the bulk of Europe. Other companies under the Easy Group Company Flag are:
Industry News:
The Rotterdam gets another chance - The 1959-built Rotterdam has new owners who plan to position the ship in the Port of Rotterdam from next year as a floating school for ‘living, learning and working'. Dutch housing company Woonbron announced it has acquired the vessel together with investment partner Eurobalance BV and formed a new company, De Rotterdam, to manage the ship. De Rotterdam will work with Albeda College in Rotterdam to develop programs for training and education on board. The vessel also will be used for conferences, cultural events and festivals. The Rotterdam had faced an uncertain future. It has been languishing at the Cammel Laird yard in Gibraltar, where it was towed last July after a long lay-up in Freeport. Its former owners, SS Rotterdam Ltd., filed for bankruptcy in December.
Cape May Light and Cape Cod Light -
Carnival - following Holland America's lead, is adding new pillow top mattress, up-graded European style bedding and new oversized fluffy towels to their ships.
Pride of America was christened in New York during a live webcast. The first new ocean-going passenger ship in nearly half a century to sail under the U.S. flag was christened by U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, during ceremonies on the pool deck. After a series of coastal sailings, Pride of America will arrive in her homeport of Honolulu on July 23, 2005 where she will begin sailing seven-night cruises to all four islands. The itinerary features up to 100 hours in port and calls at Hilo, Hawai'i; Kahului, Maui (two days); Kona, Hawai'i; and Nawiliwili, Kaua'i (two days). See our report on the new ship. The Pride feature a number of new features onboard one of which is the use of flat screen technology around the ship showing restaurant availability and wait times. Red, orange and green color-coding indicates the availability of various types of tables in each of the ships' restaurants. It also enables restaurant managers to make bookings at other venues. The new system has been successfully tested on Norwegian Spirit and will be operational on Pride of America following the call at Miami. Norwegian Jewel will enter service in August sporting the new flat panels. The system will be added to the rest of the fleet over time.
Enchantment of the Seas re-enters service -
The newly lengthened Enchantment of the Seas is due to
re-enter service on Thursday from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne,
N.J. The Royal Caribbean International ship has been operating short
preview sailings for area travel agents. Its first revenue cruise is a
four-night voyage to Halifax. Enchantment of the Seas will then operate
Canada/New England cruises from Philadelphia and Boston before returning
to Fort Lauderdale in October to resume four- and five-night Caribbean
itineraries. See our report in last months
newsletter. Freedom of the Seas - At 158,000 GRT and holding 3,600 guests double-occupancy, Freedom of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship in the world when she debuts in May 2006. The first in Royal Caribbean's new Freedom class, she will be the most forward-looking and innovative ship the company has built to date. Freedom of the Seas will sail seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami calling in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Royal Caribbean's private destination, Labadee, Hispaniola
Actress Mira Sorvino Named Carnival Liberty Godmother -
Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino has been chosen as godmother for
Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, Carnival Liberty.
Costa Crociere is studying the possibility of deploying a ship in China. If the company moves ahead, it would become the latest of the Carnival Corp. brands to target the Asia Pacific region, where Princess, P&O Cruises Australia and Holland America Line are all boosting capacity. However no decision has yet been made on the possibility of deploying a ship to China until at least late 2006. Adding fuel to the rumor is the fact that two of Costa's high level execs; ceo Pier Luigi Foschi, who brings his vast Asia expertise to the company, having spent 23 years with Otis Elevator Co., with the last seven years as executive vp of its Asia Pacific operations with responsibility for 14 countries, (from Mongolia to Australia and India to Japan) and the head of Costa’s North American operations, Lynn Torrent, who previously worked on special projects for Carnival Corp., most recently leading the company’s research team in Asia. Golden Princess will introduce its first West Coast itineraries next season as part of Princess Cruises’ 2006-07 Mexican Riviera program, which features three ships and departures from Los Angeles and San Francisco, and one sailing from Acapulco. Diamond Princess will operate the line's classic roundtrip voyages from Los Angeles, with an additional holiday cruise aboard Island Princess. Golden Princess will make its West Coast debut with roundtrip sailings from San Francisco and a one-way voyage from Acapulco. Los Angeles passengers can choose from 31 weekly cruises aboard Diamond Princess, or Island Princess' Dec. 20, 2006 holiday sailing. Both ships sail on a seven-day roundtrip itinerary with calls at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas. Diamond Princess departs every Saturday between late September 2006 and late April 2007. San Francisco passengers will travel aboard Golden Princess' first West Coast cruises, which include two 10-day roundtrip sailings to Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas - offered on April 12 and 22, 2007. The ship also operates a seven-day voyage between Acapulco and San Francisco on April 5, 2007, with calls at Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas.
Haines, Alaska - Holland America
Line has offered Haines as a destination since 2003 initially making 11
port calls. In 2006 there will be 15 port calls to Haines on most Sunday
southbound cruises onboard Ryndam and Veendam. Haines is one of seven
Alaska ports that Holland America Line ships call on having a high guest
satisfaction. Holland America line is pleased to offer guests more
opportunity to enjoy this charming town and its magnificent surroundings.
Located at the northern end of America's longest fjord, Lynn Canal, Haines
borders on 20 million acres of protected wilderness offering easy
accessibility into the wilderness.
Star Clipper's - luxury sailing
ships will introduce some new routes in Europe in 2006. The 170-passenger
Star Clipper sails new 10 and 11-night sailings between Cannes and
Dubrovnik, Croatia calling at ports in France, Italy and Greece.
Seven-night Western Mediterranean sailings, round-trip from Cannes, visit
France, Monaco, the islands of Corsica and Elba as well as Italy. Sister
ship Star Flyer sails round-trip from Piraeus (Athens) and between Athens
and Istanbul on seven-night cruises calling at the Greek Isles and Turkey.
The five-masted, 227-passenger Royal Clipper sails round-trip from
Civitavecchia (Rome) on seven-night sailings to ports in Italy. 10 and
11-night cruises between Rome and Venice call at Greece, Italy and
Croatia. Heraklion, Crete - Greece has allocated €2.4m in funding for the first phase in a series of improvements at the fast-growing Port of Heraklion. The work will include restoration of Koule Fortress at the harbor entrance as well as repairs to the seawall. Downtown Detroit - A new dock and terminal should be ready to receive cruise ships, cross-river ferries and excursion vessels by next summer. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority hopes to secure permits for the project in coming weeks and start construction by late summer to complete work in nine months. The dock will be able to handle all passenger ships that now cruise the Great Lakes, as well as potential newcomers such as Cape May Light and Cape Cod Light, which Detroit hopes to entice to the region. The project has been a long time coming. In 1998, the port authority was awarded a $6m grant to construct a riverfront facility. Local match monies and an additional grant from the state pushed the total available budget to $11.25m. A piece of prime property was purchased from General Motors and ground-breaking took place last year, but permitting caused a delay. While Detroit is best known as a capital of automotive manufacturing, its position as a Great Lakes port has defined much of its development. With the local and state economies struggling in recent years, officials are looking to diversify, and cruises could offer a huge potential. Shannon Estuary on the West Coast of Ireland - Shannon Foynes Port Co and Shannon Development have joined forces to take advantage of the rapidly growing cruise market in Ireland and to encourage more cruise calls to the Shannon Estuary in the West of the country. The two government promotional bodies combined to assist in the development of calls and programs as well as port operations. A choice of berths or mooring facilities is available in the estuary which is approached directly from the Atlantic. Moneypoint berth on the north shore can handle ships up to 290mtr in length and Foynes can take ships up to 205mtr long. A sheltered mooring off the Kilrush heritage town can take tenders. Shore excursions within two hours of Foynes include Limerick, the main shopping and tourism city of the region, the market town of Ennis and Ireland’s ‘prettiest village’ of Adare, the rugged Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle, the Lakes of Killarney and three Atlantic coastline championship links golf courses. Kusadasi, Turkey - A modern terminal building opened last month at Kusadasi, Turkey's second largest cruise port and the gateway to the city of Ephesus. The new terminal building is part of a multi-million dollar improvement and enlargement of Kusadasi Port's facilities which welcomes more than 300,000 cruise ship and ferry passengers annually. Kusadasi can handle nine cruise ships at one time. The new facility includes a selection of duty-free shops and the enlarged parking lot can accommodate up to 50 coaches. Two more structures will be added, which will house a retail and entertainment complex for passengers and land-bound tourists, the two piers will be lengthened and other improvements made to better accommodate the trend toward super-sized cruise ships. New Orleans - announced plans to create the city's third cruise terminal by renovating the Poland Avenue storage warehouse. The $6 million project will create a facility to handle the city's largest cruise ship, Golden Princess, which arrives in December, 2006 to sail three Western Caribbean cruises from New Orleans. The 2,600-passenger ship will be the first Princess ship to call at New Orlea
Legal news - U.S. Disability Laws Extended to Foreign
Cruise Ships A Good Read: For anyone interested in the the cruise industry the 337-page Devils On the Deep Blue Sea by Kristoffer A. Garin, is a must read. Well researched and containing insightful interviews with key executives and observers of the business.
This months trivia question - according to recent CLIA data, the State with the biggest increase in cruise passengers for the year 2004 was ...... Alabama with a 125% increase, followed by Nevada with a 70% increase.
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 two charter contract for 2006. Due to limited port space it is imperative to move early on any plans you may have for a ship charter. Group space is very limited also and increases in cost the closer it gets to race time.
Grand Prix Tours - who have the Le Ponant chartered for the 2006 race are already working on their 2006 program and are able to discuss a re-charter or group booking at this stage. As they sell out the cabins - the opportunity to do something becomes less viable and the cost increases accordingly. 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. Our client has chartered the Seabourn Pride and will bring the ship into the port of Dublin with pre & post cruises planned around the event. Call us if you have any clients interested in this 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.
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 projects - especially for multi-national corporations.
Check the latest news and race results on our web site
· 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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The
Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is keenly interested in the upcoming
auction of Cape May Light and Cape Cod Light. It has put together a
financing package and is talking with potential equity investors and
operating companies that would agree to deploy the ships in the Great
Lakes during the summer. The Great Lakes Cruising Coalition, a
partner in the effort to bring the coastal ships to the region, said the
group has been pursuing the 224-passenger Cape May Light (artists
impression) and Cape Cod Light for some time. One proposal fell apart in
December when a potential operating partner’s parent company decided not
to expand its involvement in the cruise sector. The pressure is on now
that the U.S. Maritime Administration has set a July 26 auction date for
the vessels. There is intense interest in the ships from various groups.
as well as solid support from maritime unions to operate the ships under
the U.S. flag. . Original launched June 9, 2000 at Atlantic Marine,
Jacksonville, Florida, she was the first of a series of coastal cruise
ships under construction for the now defunct American Classic Voyages.
The second - The Cape Cod Light is also laid up awaiting auction.