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Holland America Line
names its new class of ships - The Signature Class.
Holland America Line will call its recently
announced pair of new-builds the Signature Class, taking the
name from an integral component of the premium line’s
branding and the current US$225 million Signature of
Excellence initiative.
With a firm order for one ship due in summer 2008 and an
option for another in spring 2010, the Signature Class marks
Holland America Line’s latest class of new build vessels and
the largest ever constructed for the premium line. Previous
new-build series include the four-ship Statendam Class
group, four-ship Rotterdam Class, and four-ship Vista Class.
The line also owns and operates the 793-passenger Elegant
Explorer, the ms Prinsendam. With an estimated all-in cost
of $450 million each, the new 86,000-ton Panamax Signature
Class vessels will be built at Italian shipbuilder
Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. The vessels are unnamed at
this time.
“With innovative design and guest offerings, the Signature
Class ships will continue the evolution of Holland America
Line’s sophisticated mid-sized ships and further our premium
leadership position,” said Stein Kruse, president and chief
executive officer. “The two 2,044-passenger ships represent
a 22 percent increase in our capacity and will allow us to
achieve a greater share of the growing premium cruise
market.”
The ships of the Signature Class will evolve from the line’s
Vista Class ships and further define and expand the Holland
America Line premium brand with new concepts such as an
innovative topside 144-seat restaurant and 50-seat lounge
surrounded by panoramic views overlooking the ocean expanse
and the Lido pool. Other additions are an Explorer’s Lounge
Bar, a premium wine-tasting lounge, an elegant luxury
jewelry boutique, new atrium bar area, enhanced and
reconfigured show lounge, and a new photographic and imaging
center.
The Signature Class goes beyond the Vista Class, adding
decks and 63 new staterooms. Forty-seven will be verandah
cabins and ten will be a new style of stateroom with
ceiling-to-floor and wall-to-wall panoramic windows. Total,
the new Signature Class will carry 1,022 double occupancy
staterooms, with 67 percent featuring verandahs and 86
percent outside.
Staterooms will spotlight all the Signature of Excellence
premium amenities of plush Euro-top Mariner’s Dream Beds,
deluxe waffle/terry cloth robes, Egyptian cotton towels,
flat panel TVs, dvd players, make-up mirrors with halo
lighting, massage shower heads, professional grade hair
dryers, fresh flowers and complimentary fruit baskets.
The Signature Class will continue several much-admired
Holland America Line features, including outside-view, glass
elevators at midship; the Explorations Café — a cyber-coffee
house powered by The New York Times; the Pinnacle Grill and
Pinnacle Bar; the innovative Culinary Arts Center presented
by Food & Wine Magazine, where culinary experts provide
cooking demonstrations and intimate classes in a
state-of-the-art onboard show kitchens; an expanded
Greenhouse Spa and Salon with thermal suites and hydro-pool,
the largest gymnasium ever built for Holland America Line;
and a youth facility that includes the teens-only Loft.
On the technical side, Signature Class ships will feature
the latest state-of-the-art navigation and safety systems
including dynamic positioning abilities to hold the ship in
a precise position. The vessels will be powered by six
diesel generators and propelled by the latest Azipod
propulsion technology.
“This new class of ships demonstrates the strength of our
brand, the loyalty of our guests and the dedication of our
more than 15,000 employees worldwide,” said Kruse. “The
added capacity will provide greater opportunities for our
guests and employees alike.”
Academy Award-winning
actress Marlee Matlin will be godmother to the new ms
Noordam.
In a ceremony due to take place in New York
City on February 22, 2006 dedicating Holland America's
latest ship and the first new ship to be delivered in 2006.
“Marlee
Matlin is an accomplished actress, a generous woman in
support of those in need, and a driven advocate for causes
that benefit our society,” said Stein Kruse, president and
chief executive officer, Holland America Line.
 “We are
honored to have her as the godmother for the ms Noordam and
launch this Vista-class vessel into service.”
With the introduction of the 1,918-passenger
ms Noordam in early 2006, Holland America Line's fleet grows
to 13 ships, offering nearly 500 cruises from more than 25
home ports. Itineraries range from two to 108 days and visit
all seven continents, including new Australia/New Zealand
and Asia sailings, a world cruise and popular sailings to
several ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico and Europe.
The ms Noordam also will offer Caribbean sailings in the
winter from new homeport New York City.
Aker Yards and Alstom to join forces to
create a force in the market of high-valued ships.
The
plan is to establish a new company which would consist of
the shipyards in Saint-Nazaire and L'Orient. Aker
Yards would own 75% of this new company, and Alstom would
commit itself to keep the remaining 25% until 2010.
By being part of Aker Yards, the new company would benefit
from a broadened product range and strong industrial
synergies. Aker Yards has 13 ship yards in five
countries.
The new company would continue the long tradition of French
and Finnish cruise shipbuilding, that has produced icons
such as SS France, Queen Mary 2, the Voyager class and the
Freedom class ships.
Spanish
cruise operator Pullmantur expanding fleet to 5 ships, sees
huge growth potential for Spanish speaking market.
Pullmantur Cruises marks its fifth anniversary as a
shipowner with major capacity growth through the recent
purchase of Pacific Sky, to be renamed Sky Wonder, and
Delphin Renaissance (ex R Seven), to be renamed Blue Moon.
Sky Wonder will be deployed in the Mediterranean this year,
while Blue Moon will operate in the Baltic, succeeding R
Five (now Oceania's Nautica), which was chartered for that
market in summer 2005. In place of four vessels, one
chartered for the summer season 2005, Pullmantur Cruises now
will have five vessels owned and operating year-round.
Sydney Sale Day
ready for take off in Darling Harbour on March 5, 2006
The industry's major airline partners will fly the flag at
the sixth annual Sale Day at Wharf 8, Darling Harbour, on
Sunday, March 5.
Sale Day has attracted more cruise lines and associated
products every year since he launched it in 2000. Buyers
come from all over Sydney -- some even come from intra and
inter-State -- for the special one-day only discounts.
Turnover last year was more than A$1m.
Air New Zealand and Hawaiian Airlines will have stands for
the first time this year, joining repeat exhibitors Air
Tahiti Nui, Qantas and United.
The sale has been particularly successful for Norwegian
Cruise Line's who have seen volume for their Hawaiian
departures sky rocket thanks to the fly/float sales.'
The name of every buyer at Sale Day goes into a draw and Air
New Zealand has donated the first prize -- two return
tickets to Los Angeles. European river cruising is
also making a debut at Sale Day 2006 with Avalon Waterways
joining the ranks of first-time exhibitors.
Diamond Princess'
arrival in Darwin on New Year's Eve heralded the third
consecutive -- and longest -- Australasian summer season
undertaken by a Princess megaliner.
The 109,000gt Star Princess was the first ship to break
through the 100,000gt barrier in the region. She was
followed by Sapphire Princess which made headlines as the
largest cruise ship to visit Australasia when she arrived
last summer. The sister ship Diamond Princess departs April
14 for San Francisco via Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii.
Sapphire Princess returns in December for Princess Cruises'
fourth megaship program Down Under, which runs until April
2007. Big ship cruising is obviously popular here amongst
Australians and Americans. To meet growing demand the liners
are getting bigger and the seasons down under are getting
longer.
Ports & Shore Excursion News
Sardinia
to introduce additional Landing Tax for yachts, planes and
cruise ships.
Cruise ships calling at any Sardinian port this summer will
be asked to pay a new €5,000 per day 'regional' tax on the
top of all existing dues. The proposal is part of the
Sardinia Autonomous Region 2006 budget presented last week
that calls for the introduction of a 'landing' tax for
cruise ships, yachts and private aircraft calling at the
island between June 1 and September 30.
Anyone planning to sail the exclusive waters of Sardinia on
a super yacht longer than 29.99mtr in the summer peak season
will have to be prepared to pay a €20,000 tax that will be
valid for an unlimited number of calls over a three-month
period. A €10,000 tax will apply for yachts whose overall
length is in between 24 and 29.99mtr, while those between 16
and 23.99mtr would pay €5,000 and small boats from 14 to
15.99mtr in length, €1,000.
Holland America Line, will
nearly double its r/t sailings from Seattle to Alaska in
2006.
HAL will be adding a third ship to offer a
total of 61 departures from May 5 through September 22.
“The increasing demand for seven-day Alaska cruises, coupled
with the convenience of departing from a U.S. port, is
driving our expansion of cruises departing from Seattle,
said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, senior vice president,
marketing and sales. “The 61 sailings we’ll offer next
summer make up 40 percent of our total deployment to Alaska
in 2006, a total of 159 cruises on eight, five-star ships.”
Inside the Industry
Freddy
Muller
Known to many in the incentive market from
his days with NCL and later as the international sales
manager for the Bahamian resort - Atlantis, has recently
taken the position of Director Charter & Incentives
Sales with Silversea Cruises.
Tom
Russell
Another industry veteran on the move is Tom
Russell for many years VP Sales for Windstar and more
recently with Holland America's international sales, has
taken a position with Uniworld.
CLIA
forecasts 11.7m cruisers in 2006
Cruise Lines International Association members expect to
carry 11.7m passengers in 2006, an increase of 500,000 over
last year. The figure includes 10.14m North Americans. This
4.5% year-over-year growth projection matches the planned
4.5% net increase in 2006 CLIA-member lines' capacity.
Based on third-quarter 2005 results and fourth-quarter
estimates, CLIA carried 11.2m worldwide passengers in 2005,
a 6.9% increase over the 10.46m in 2004. Of that, 9.71m
North Americans were carried (compared with 8.87m in 2004),
and the industry maintained a collective occupancy factor of
103%.
The 2005 figures and 2006 projections were released today at
a CLIA news briefing in
New York. CLIA membership
consists of 19 lines, representing more than 97% of the
cruise capacity marketed in North America.
CLIA chairman Andy Stuart said more consumers than ever are
being drawn to cruising by innovative facilities and
amenities, cutting-edge cuisine and ‘sheer excitement’
exceeding land-based vacation options. He also cited
cruising’s value, ‘an unprecedented number of departures
from 32 North American embarkation ports, plus activities
for the entire family and vacationers from every walk of
life.’
WWTCA's News
2006 group and charter space is already
at a premium.
Both main stream and
luxury lines are already showing ships sold out or nearly
sold out for most all of the dates the corporate industry
normally uses. Worldwide advises anyone considering a 2006
program on a cruise ship to move quickly to secure the
space. The situation is causing a roll over effect
into 2007 with many of the premium dates already blocked out
of inventory.
As a company deeply
involved in the cruise industry, we have to advise that the
availability situation is a bad as we have ever seen it.
Working with clients on their 2007 requirements is also
showing us that there is already problems obtaining premium
dates and the situation will only worsen.
Program
idea's
Worldwide likes to
promote ideas for our clients to consider, a visit to our
web site will take you to a list of programs coming up that
have the cache and charisma that Incentive buyers like.
A new date which is to be considered is the Summer Olympics
in China.. it may seem like a long way off, but inventory
for these type of events disappears quickly. Save
yourself hours of research and contact us for information on
what might be available to you.
The Cruise Insider - Free subscription for a
colleague
Another New Year rolls around marking our
18th year in the cruise business. From our early days of
chartering yachts in the South of France to currently being
a major force in the corporate cruise industry worldwide we
continue to offer our clients the very best and most
personal service.
As we embark on the 5th year of our monthly cruise news
letter - The Cruise Insider - as we have now named it, we
are able to take a certain pride in the scope and reach of
this electronic newsletter.
Currently the Cruise Insider goes out to some 4000 travel
industry professionals and others who have a business
interest in cruising. These people are scattered across the
world from countries such as Australia, South Africa, India
as well as Europe and the United States of America.
This electronic newsletter provides much useful information
on the cruise industry, cruise ports and destinations as
well as personalities within the industry, surveys on items
of cruising interest and a source of creative ideas for our
clients.
* To ensure you and your staff are receiving this useful
tool.
* Make sure your email address is current in our database.
* Be sure to "allow" your spam and virus blocker to let
messages from "cruiseco.com" through your
firewall.
Make sure your staff and colleagues are registered to
receive the Cruise Insider. Registration is easy - simply go
to our website www.cruiseco.com - and register to receive
the newsletter.
Change of
Telephone extensions for WWTCA
As many of you already know, since Hurricane
Wilma, Worldwide has been struggling with a a serious
problem with our call system. This has finally been
rectified and a new unit was received and installed.
The upshot being, our extension numbers have changed.
To make life a little bit easier, the extensions for our
staff remain the same, but you have to put a "2" in front of
the extension number (ie: extension 25 is now - 225) .
We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have cause
during the period the unit was down, hopefully now we are
back to normal.
For more
information on any of OUR ASSOCIATES go to our website or,
email us.
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