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Seabourn Refits - Ship Enhancements
Seabourn has just made a significant refit
investment in The Yachts of Seabourn. All three ships - The
Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit and Seabourn Legend have
just completed drydock where the following enhancements were
made:
Suite Upgrades
All guest accommodations received flat-screen televisions
and DVD players. Mirrors and glass tabletops were replaced,
all wood and furniture French polished. Carpets, furniture
reupholstering, soft goods and the marble in many of the
bathrooms was replaced as needed.
Refined Verandah Cafe
The Veranda Café was prepared for their nightly
transformation into the innovative new dining concept 2 to
be introduced in March 2006. The galley in the Veranda Café
was enlarged and the sightlines in the indoor dining area
improved. New china, table dressings, lighting designs and
uniforms for the wait-staff will create a fresh,
contemporary atmosphere that will contrast nicely with the
venue's popular daytime buffet service.
Refreshing Spa
The award-winning Spa at Seabourn received a thorough
refreshing, with upgraded treatment furniture, cabinetry and
new beauty salon stations.
Magnificent Marble
Marble floors were replaced in several areas including the
lobby atrium, elevator floors, public restrooms, lounges,
the Club and the Casino.
Sound Entertainment
Entertainment systems were upgraded, including a new suite
of equipment to enhance presentations in the main show
lounges, and new stereo systems for the gyms and the
popular, outdoor Sky Bars overlooking the pool deck.
Perfect Paint
The ships got the equivalent of a spa peel: exterior teak
decks were refurbished and their sleek hulls blast-cleaned
and repainted.
Aside from these cosmetic enhancements, the most important
element of the Seabourn product is not the hardware onboard.
It is the staff and crew that make the Seabourn Experience
come alive for guests and makes Seabourn the "best of the
best" .
Experience the unsurpassed luxury of The Yachts of Seabourn.
Call now....
Mark Conroy, President of Radisson Seven
Seas Cruises recently visited Australia where he joined the
Paul Gauguin in Brisbane after a US$6m facelift.
Conroy, who co-hosted a media lunch in the private dining
room of Sydney’s Establishment Hotel also welcomed past and
potential passengers at a reception later that evening at
the American Club. The following day he was guest of
honor at the "Catalina" the exclusive restaurant on the Rose
Bay waterfront where he watched the Australia Day activities
on Sydney Harbor.
Sunday Conroy joined the Paul Gauguin in Brisbane, where the
19,200gt boutique liner has undergone a US$6m facelift.
However, Conroy had to leave the fully-booked repositioning
voyage to Tahiti in Noumea, where he flew back to Sydney to
meet Seven Seas Voyager on her 2006 world cruise.
Conroy confirmed the soon-to-be renamed Radisson Seven Seas
Cruises has renewed its contract to manage the purpose-built
Tahitian cruise ship Paul Gauguin until the end of 2008 and
‘hopefully beyond that,’ he added. He said
although Seven Seas Voyager will not visit Australia on her
2007 world voyage, there are lots of opportunities for
Australians to join the company’s 49,000gt flagship on
short-haul South East Asian sectors, like the 14-night
sailing ex-Singapore February 24 to Hong Kong with an
overnight in Hong Kong Harbor and he went on to confirm that
Australia will be back on RSSC’s 2008 world cruise
itinerary.
Queen Mary 2 damages propulsion pod on departing Ft.
Lauderdale and will miss port calls at St. Kitts, Barbados
and Salvador, and proceed directly to Rio de Janeiro.
Cunard Line announced that after the Queen Mary 2 departed
Port Everglades yesterday afternoon at approximately 1 pm,
'our bridge instruments indicated a problem with one of the
ship's four propulsion motors, which could potentially
affect the speed of the vessel. Queen Mary 2 was stopped
approximately five miles outside of the port to conduct an
initial assessment.'
Following this it was decided to return QM2 to Port
Everglades for an underwater inspection.
Queen Mary 2 called in Fort Lauderdale yesterday to embark a
group of passengers for its 38-day sailing around South
America and it appears that on departing the port one of the
propulsion pods struck the edge of the channel.
Because of this the ship’s departure from Fort Lauderdale
was delayed until shortly after 6 am, because of that, and
the reduced speed due to the one inoperable propulsion pod,
the three ports were dropped. Cunard expects QM2 to arrive
in Rio on Thursday evening, Jan. 26, at approximately
midnight.
Because of the changes Cunard will provide a 50% refund of
the cruise fare for the initial segment from New York (or
Fort Lauderdale) to Rio. Passengers continuing through the
second segment ending in Valparaiso on Feb. 8 or the last
segment ending in Los Angeles on Feb. 22 will get a six-day
pro-rata refund.
Star Clipper's fleet of three tall ships recently underwent
a series of upgrades and refurbishments to refresh and
enhance them.
The public rooms, passenger areas and all cabins on Star
Flyer and Star Clipper, built in 1991 and 1992 respectively,
and the public rooms on Royal Clipper, built in 2000, have
all been given a makeover.
Cabins received a complete facelift with new carpets, wall
panelling, soft furnishings and the bathrooms given new
fixtures and fittings. DVD players were installed in all
cabins and flat-screen TVs were added to Deck Cabins.
The bulk of the work was undertaken by the company during
the past four months whilst the vessels were in operation.
Concerning the bathroom upgrades, modular units were
supplied by German-based Maveko GmbH and installed in-situ.
On 1st January 2006 Spain became a non-smoking country
Spain, once regarded as a smokers’ paradise, is turning into
one of the strictest anti-smoking regions of Europe, banning
smoking in all work places and public buildings. The new law
effectively allows smoking only in the open air or at home
and with strict restrictions in bars and restaurants.
How does the new law affect your groups ?
1) All hotels, bars, restaurants and discotheques must
display a sign clearly indicating that smoking is permitted
or not permitted. Bars and restaurants larger than 100 sq
mts must have designated smoking areas which can only be a
maximum of 30% of floor space. Smaller establishment can
choose to either become smoke-free and, if they do allow
smoking, they must exclude anyone under 18 years of age.
2) The sale of tobacco is also now restricted to official
tobacco shops; therefore it is now illegal to sell
cigarettes from bars even if they previously had the
official license as these are now void.
The new law applies throughout mainland Spain, not Majorca
and the other Balearic Islands. The regional government in
Palma has simply refused to accept it, claiming its own law
is already stricter. Here, smoking and non-smoking zones are
already in place even in smaller bars and restaurants.
However, the Madrid government is unconvinced about their
effectiveness, as there will be no strict rule about
building dividing walls.
Carnival Cruise Lines’ SuperLiners Sensation, Holiday,
and Ecstasy will each undergo extensive multi-million-dollar
renovations following their charter to the U.S. government
for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
Following the charters, the vessels will resume four- and
five-day service this spring, with the Sensation launching a
brand new schedule from Port Canaveral, Fla., March 23, the
Holiday returning to Mobile, Ala., year-round March 27, and
the Ecstasy returning to Galveston, Texas, year-round April
8, 2006. Following its new program from Port Canaveral, the
Sensation will return to New Orleans to resume year-round
four- and five-day cruises Oct. 26, 2006.
"Because the ships were maintained to Carnival’s high
standards throughout the charter period, the Holiday,
Ecstasy and Sensation are all in excellent condition and
these multi-million-dollar renovations will make these
terrific ‘Fun Ships’ even better when they resume service
this spring," said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and
CEO.
Holiday Refurbishment
Highlighting the Holiday’s extensive 20-day refurbishment,
which will take place in Freeport, The Bahamas, will be a
totally redesigned lobby area with new seating, and new
carpeting and tile work throughout, providing a more
comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.
In addition to a host of cosmetic enhancements throughout
the vessel, a new nine-hole miniature golf course will be
added to Verandah Deck, providing guests of all ages with a
fun outdoor diversion.
The Four Winds and Seven Seas main dining rooms will receive
new ceilings, along with a variety of new and updated galley
equipment. The beauty salon in the Spa Carnival facility
will also receive a makeover with new exercise equipment,
carpeting and tile work.
Renovations to Ecstasy and Sensation
The refurbishments of the 2,052-passenger Ecstasy and
Sensation, which will take place in Mobile, Ala., will
include new nine-hole miniature golf courses and new
1,600-square-foot Children’s World play areas, part of the
ongoing expansion of the line’s top-rated "Camp Carnival"
program.
Aft lounges on both ships will be reconfigured to house new
family recreation areas featuring audio/visual equipment for
displaying movies and other programming. The Ecstasy and
Sensation will also house new art galleries and
1,200-square-foot conference rooms.
All of the Ecstasy’s 1,026 cabins, including 54 suites, will
be completely refurbished, while new lighting, flooring,
wall coverings and dessert stations will be added to the
Panorama Bar & Grill poolside restaurant. The ship’s gift
shop will be renovated, as well.
A patisserie offering specialty coffees and sweets and a new
photo gallery will be installed on the Sensation’s
promenade, while a redesigned Internet café will be located
adjacent to the ship’s purser’s information desk on Empress
Deck.
The Sensation’s 12,000-square-foot Spa Carnival facility
will also be renovated and a poolside stage will be
relocated to a covered area on Lido Deck, providing guests
with more space for sunning and relaxing. Suites on the
Sensation will also be refurbished to include an entirely
new décor and completely remodeled bathrooms.
Ports & Shore Excursion News
The new cruise center at Grand Turk Island in
the Turks & Caicos ready for its debut at the end of next
month as the newest big cruise destination in the Caribbean
This a large descriptive report on the
concept, development and facilities the port will offer as
well as shore excursions and infrastructure. Click
here for full report on the new
destination.
Inside the Industry
HAL names two directors
Holland America Line recently promoted Carolyn Enbusk to
director, business development services, and appointed Page
Edmunds as division sales director, central U.S. and Canada.
Edmunds joined the company on Jan. 30. Both Enbusk and
Edmunds report to Rob Coleman, senior director, field sales.
Enbusk brings more than 12 years of Holland America
experience to her new position. She started in reservations
and advanced to supervisor, then manager of sales and
service and, in 2005, to manager of business development
events.
Edmunds rejoins Holland America, having worked for the line
from 1995 to 2001 as division sales director, central U.S.
and Canada. He then held sales and marketing positions with
Renaissance Cruises, Cruise West and Knightly Tours.
INTRAV officially joined UK-based First
Choice Holidays
Following the completion of the previously
announced purchase of the St. Louis-based deluxe-tour and
small-ship cruise operator from Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd.
The 2006 INTRAV and Clipper Cruise Line trips remain as
scheduled.
The company will operate under the Grand
Expeditions group, based in Boca Raton, Fla., and recently
purchased by First Choice, with INTRAV president David Drier
reporting to Grand Expeditions coo Hans Birkholz. Under
Grand Expeditions, INTRAV and Clipper will focus on
expansion in upscale niche markets and the development of
new luxury and expedition trips. In line with this strategy,
a statement said, Yorktown Clipper and Nantucket Clipper
have been sold to Cruise West.
Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD. Names New VP
Corporate Strategy
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. which operates both Royal
Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, today
announced that Vance Johnston has been named vice president
of Corporate Strategy for the global cruise vacation
company.
Johnston will be responsible for leading the company's
strategic planning processes, corporate development
activities and other major initiatives, and will report to
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Luis
Leon.
Johnston joins RCCL after serving as vice president of
Strategic Planning and Development for OfficeMax, Inc. Prior
to that, he held a variety of senior executive positions in
strategic planning, operations and finance with
organizations including Burger King, OfficeMax, Ernst &
Young LLP, and KPMG Peat Marwick LLP. Johnston has
significant experience in mergers and acquisitions, strategy
development, and international operations.
WWTCA's News
The new year starts off with a bang in our
offices.
With the economy doing well and companies
signing off on their 2006 budgets, WWTCA has experienced a
brisk start to 2006. Numerous charters are in the
works for a cross segment of American corporations, from
movie studios to drug companies. Music cruises which have
been a hot item with us and continue to build pace with yet
another charter recently signed. Group bookings have also
come back healthily with several large groups signing in
January.
Leon Banossian from WWTCA marries his
childhood sweetheart on-board of the Zuiderdam.
 The
wedding took place last Saturday aboard Holland America's
Zuiderdam. Martine and Leon are currently enjoying
their honeymoon in the Caribbean with their friends... we
wish them a long and happy life together.
Worldwide finally announces their new
website is "live".
Anyone who has visited the site in recent
months has been able to utilize the beta-version of the
site. The site is intended as an information source
for our corporate buyers and has lots of useful information
as well as lists of ships of all types and sizes which can
be utilized for corporate programs. Additionally there are
news items, ship reports and updated news of the America's
Cup / Louis Vuitton races. The site has already attracted a
lot of attention and is receiving lots of "hits". If you
have not been to our site for a while now is a good time to
visit and see what is happening "on-line".
For more
information on any of OUR ASSOCIATES go to our website or,
email us.
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