Headlines
Port News & Itineraries
Inside the
Industry
News from Worldwide
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Special Features:
Toronto Trade Show - IncentivWorks at the
Metro Center
Worldwide will again be exhibiting at Canada's biggest
Meeting, Incentive & Motivation Show. Stop by booth
1941 and meet our team consisting of Jim Castle, Diana Bloss
& Leon Banossian as well as our cruise line partners - Carol
Berwager & Paul Shortall from Holland America Line as well
as Bob Armon from Christina Cruises. There will also
be a sales person from Crystal Cruises in attendance.
It
could be a long wait for that cruise to Havana
It's probably unlikely
cruises between the U.S. and Cuba will re-emerge in the next
two years, but when that day comes the opening of Havana would be
a shot in the arm for the Caribbean market, which, despite
the opening of Grand Turk this year and plans for improving
Belize in the near future, is seen as being a little tired.
Indeed, it's telling that the major "new destination" in
2007 for cruises is not a Caribbean island, but a city in
South America: Cartagena, Columbia. Citing an improved
political climate, Princess, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean
are all re-establishing calls at the Columbian port, with
the lines essentially tacking it on to Southern Caribbean
cruises or transcanal transits.
The news is welcome, as Cartagena has shown over the years
to be a popular port experience--generally garnering more
praise than Caracas. But even so, it's not the eye-popper
many retailers
think is needed to revitalize the land component in
Caribbean cruising
Say goodbye to the SS France/Norway - currently "Blue
Lady" as another piece of maritime history is broken up for
scrap.
The SS France / Norway (Blue Lady) was due to
be beached in preparation for breaking on August 14th at
Alang - India, however, due to huge monsoonal swells
beaching was postponed until the morning of August 15 at
7:30 AM. Despite recent high tides, she had not been
beached and remains at anchor in heavy swells off Pipavav
Port, near Alang, India.
Two tugs that are to deliver the famed liner
to her final resting place are having difficulty securing
lines to her in the raging seas. The next high tide is at
the end of August, but her breaker may attempt a beaching
sooner, if conditions permit. Further court filings by an
Indian based NGO have been made public in the media, while
torrential rains and flooding in Gujarat and other states
have caused chaos and disruption across large parts of
India.
However, at one stage it appeared she would
not be broken in Alang as the Indian press reported that "a
senior state official" had anonymously confirmed to a
leading newspaper that the ship does have about 1,240 tonnes
of "embedded asbestos" on board. This was however considered
a very small amount, easily handled locally by the Gujarat
Pollution Control Board (GPCB), who conducted the court
ordered inspection. The press later announced the ship will
be broken at Alang after the Supreme Court Technical
Committee granted Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) permission to
beach the ship tomorrow.
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Cruise operations normal after air
terror plot
UK cruise operations are continuing as normal, according to
the Passenger Shipping Association, after officials foiled
an alleged plot to blow up planes flying between Britain and
the United States. However, air/sea passengers in the UK and
US face airport delays and restrictions on carry-on items.
The UK Department of Transport Security and Contingencies
Directorate confirmed that maritime security levels remain
unchanged, the PSA said. US maritime security levels are
also unchanged, according to the International Council of
Cruise Lines.
Threat levels at airports, however, were elevated to
‘severe’ for commercial flights between the UK and the US.
Heathrow Airport was closed to in-bound short-haul flights,
and long-haul flights in both directions were delayed. The
US Department of Homeland Security raised the threat level
to ‘high’ for international and domestic flights.
Cruise companies are continuing to operate as normal in the
UK but are reporting large numbers of inquiries, the PSA
said. PSA director Bill Gibbons noted there has been a substantial
increase in the number of people taking cruises that sail
from and return to UK ports, thus decreasing or eliminating
the air component. More than 400,000 people took an ex-UK
cruise last year and the PSA predicts this will top 460,000
in 2006.
A Princess Cruises spokeswoman in California said operations
are normal. Golden Princess departed Southampton as
scheduled.
In the US, ICCL and its member lines are trying to get the
word out to air/sea passengers about materials that are not
permitted in carry-on items and are urging people to allow
extra time for security checks at airports. No liquids or
gels of any kind are permitted in hand-carry bags, including
beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste, hair
gel and other items of similar consistency, according to a
Transportation Security Administration fact sheet.
Headlines
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Windstar announce
plans to upgrade their fleet.
Windstar VP Marketing and Sales Diane Moore reports a
comprehensive upgrade of the fleet's three ships will take
place in the upcoming year. The announcement comes on the
heels of Windstar completing phase 2 of its fleet
renovation.
Details aren't available yet, except to note that balconies
will not be among the additions, but it's clear the third
stage of the renovation will be more extensive than the
first two stages. The Wind Surf will be the first
ship to be taken out of service (this fall), followed by the
Wind Spirit next spring, and the Wind Star
next fall. Each ship will be out of service for an estimated
five weeks. "That in itself demonstrates the commitment
Holland America has to the Windstar brand," notes Moore
New Pillows Enhance
HAL's Mariner’s Dream™ Stateroom Experience
Sweeter Dreams Await Suite Guests Aboard Holland America
Line Ships
Creature comfort is the mantra of today's leisure traveler.
Holland America Line is answering that call by enhancing
their Mariner’s Dream™ stateroom experience with a variety
of pillows. The new pillows will come in three comfort
levels and will be available in all suites aboard the fleet
of 13 five-star ships by the end of July 2006.
Three types of pillows will be presented to suite guests
offering distinctive levels of comfort:
Support: Firm fiber pillows - firmly filled for extra
support and relief;
Soothe: Medium cluster fiber pillows - eases sleep with
soothing, simple comfort;
Soft: 100 percent goose down pillows - feather soft for
ultimate relaxation.
Mariner's Dream™ pillow enhancements will be available to
guests staying in the following stateroom categories:
verandah suites, superior verandah suites, deluxe verandah
suites and penthouse verandah suites. Each suite will have a
minimum of two pillows from each of the three comfort levels
for a total of six pillows, while eight pillows will adorn
king beds in deluxe verandah suites and penthouse verandah
suites. Upon embarkation, a pillow display card will
introduce suite guests to the attributes of each pillow type
and the layout configuration of the pillows. Guests may
elect to exchange the pillows to perfectly match their
preference.
The new pillows complement Holland America Line's stateroom
accommodations that are outfitted with Mariner's Dream™ beds
featuring a plush, custom-designed Sealy Posturpedic
Euro-top mattress, 250-thread count cotton bed linens with
comfortable duvets in deluxe verandah suites and penthouse
verandah suites. Other suite amenities include flat panel
TVs; DVD players and complimentary DVD selections; thick
Egyptian cotton towels; deluxe waffle and terry cloth
bathrobes; premium massage showerheads; magnifying make-up
mirrors with halo lighting and salon-quality hair dryers; a
stainless steel basket filled with fresh fruit; and, a
stainless steel ice bucket and serving tray for beverages.
These popular stateroom amenities including the new pillows
are available for purchase through the cruise operator's
on-line store at www.shophollandamerica.com.
The sleep system upgrade is another element of Holland
America Line's $225 million, fleetwide Signature of
Excellence® enhancements featuring numerous new programs and
amenities including the Culinary Arts Center presented by
Food & Wine magazine - a state-of-the-art onboard show
kitchen where celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts
will provide cooking demonstrations and classes -
Explorations Cafe powered by The New York Times, the
Greenhouse Spa and Salon, Club HAL youth program and
teens-only activity areas, as well as all new stateroom
amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs, plush-top Mariner's
Dream beds and now three new pillows selections. Signature
of Excellence enhancements have been completed on 12 ships,
with the final ship receiving enhancements by early fall of
2006.
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The "Carrick, ex City of Adelaide - UK's Most Historic Ship Saved?
UK commercial property developer, Tim Roper, is attempting
to save the highly significant CARRICK (ex CITY OF ADELAIDE,
HMS CARRICK) described as the earliest surviving clipper
ship and the only wooden sailing passenger ship of the 19th
Century in Great Britain. Mr. Roper now owns the 176 foot
long vessel that was facing imminent destruction at her
slipway in Scotland. The new owner plans to move the 860
tonne ship to Falmouth to be used either as a as a floating restaurant, art
gallery, hotel, college or office space near Trelissick
gardens, accessible by road or river.
Launched in Sunderland in 1864, CITY OF ADELAIDE carried
cargo and passengers (in the highest standard of first class
accommodation for a sailing ship, with room for second
class) between London and Adelaide. Australian researchers
have estimated that more than 60% of the current population
of the State of South Australia can trace their families'
arrival in Australia to the CITY OF ADELAIDE. In 1887 she
was sold and used for cargo only, first as a collier between
the Tyne and Dover and then on the North Atlantic timber
trade. In 1893, she was converted to a floating isolation
hospital on the River Test at Southampton. The British
Admiralty bought her as a training ship for volunteer
reservists in 1923 and renamed her HMS CARRICK and towed her
to Irvine on the Clyde, where she remained until 1949.
Renamed CARRICK, she was moved to Greenock and commissioned
as a Naval Drill Ship, then later used as a Royal Navy
Volunteer Reserves of Scotland headquarters until she was
abandoned in 1990. By 1991, the then 127-year old ship was
close to being a total loss, but was salvaged by the
Scottish Maritime Museum and moved to Irvine in 1992 for
future restoration as a static exhibit; however, funds were
not available to prevent the ship from decay.
easyCruiseTwo debuts in
Amsterdam.
easyCruiseTwo was launched on Friday in Amsterdam. The
vessel will sail the rivers of Holland and Belgium, calling
at Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels, until Nov. 4.
Prices start from £7 per person per night. The 100-passenger
vessel, owned by Rederij Fortuna Kampen, operates under a
franchise agreement with easyCruise.
Port & Itinerary News
Holland America Line Offers More Itinerary Choices to
Experience the Panama Canal in 2007 as well as the a new
port of call - Puerto Chiapas.
With 28 cruises, 12 different itineraries and five ships,
Holland America Line will lead premium lines with an
extensive collection of Panama Canal cruises in 2007,
featuring more New York departures, new February full
transit crossings and a new port of call, Puerto Chiapas, on
the Pacific coast of Mexico. Travelers will appreciate the
variety with cruises ranging from the popular 10-day
Sunfarer and 14- to 22-day full transit crossings to a new
23-day Pan-America and Panama Canal cruise.
Carnival
Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, has
extended its contract with the City of Mobile, Al., for
another year,
Allowing the line’s 1,452-passenger Holiday to continue
operating its popular four- and five-day Mexico cruises from
the Alabama Cruise Terminal.
Carnival launched the first and only year-round cruise
program from Mobile in October 2004. Since then, the voyages
have been enormously successful, consistently operating in
excess of 100 percent occupancy (based on two per cabin) and
accounting for approximately 125,000 passengers annually
from that port.
“Consumer response to ‘Fun Ship’ cruising from Mobile aboard
the Holiday has been exceptional. We are very pleased to
extend our contract with the city – a valued business
partner - and continue offering fun, affordable vacations
from one of the cruise industry’s finest terminal
facilities,” said Bob Dickinson, Carnival president and CEO.
“Mobile’s partnership with Carnival Cruise Lines has been a
tremendous success, boosting the city and the state of
Alabama tourism market,” said Mobile Mayor Samuel Jones.
“Mobile is a great port for cruising, so Carnival’s third
year contract extension is welcomed news and a testament to
the city’s positive value for the industry.”
On its Mobile-based cruises, the 46,052-ton Holiday departs
from the Alabama Cruise Terminal Thursdays on four-day
cruises to Cozumel, and on Mondays and Saturdays on five-day
cruises to Cozumel and Calica/Playa del Carmen or Costa Maya
Inside the Industry
MAJESTIC
AMERICA LINE - Cruise Subsidiary of Ambassadors
International, Inc. Combines American West Steamboat Company
and Delta Queen Steamboat Company into New Brand
Ambassadors International, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMIE), recently
announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ambassadors
Cruise Group, LLC, has combined its American river and
coastal cruising companies – American West Steamboat Company
and Delta Queen Steamboat Company – into one brand, Majestic
America Line. The combined companies will begin operating
under the new name later this year.
Majestic America Line will be comprised of a fleet of six
U.S.-flagged, American-crewed cruise ships plying the
coastal and inland waterways and rivers of America. The
company’s exceptional cruise experiences feature the great
rivers of America, including the Mississippi, Ohio,
Tennessee, Cumberland and Arkansas rivers of America’s
Heartland, and the Columbia, Snake and Willamette rivers of
the Northwest. Majestic America Line also operates in-depth
cruises of Alaska’s Inside Passage including a visit to the
dramatic Stikine River, one of the last truly wild rivers in
North America.
The Majestic America Line fleet consists of the incomparable
American Queen, recognized as the world’s largest stern
wheel cruise ship; the elegant Empress of the North, the
first sternwheeler to cruise Alaska’s Inside Passage in more
than 100 years; the beautiful Queen of the West; the famous
Mississippi Queen, which features the world’s largest
calliope; the quintessential Delta Queen, a National
Historic Landmark; and the Executive Explorer, a deluxe,
small cruise ship capable of visiting scenic areas and
quaint communities beyond the reach of larger ships. In
2007, Majestic America Line will offer more than 215
departures and call at 70 port cities and communities in 19
different states, providing a truly authentic American
travel experience.
Joe Ueberroth, President and CEO of Ambassadors
International, Inc., stated, “We are excited to be
introducing the Majestic America Line brand and making it
synonymous with American river and coastal cruising. This
new brand captures the best of America and will provide our
customers with an experience they will never forget. By
combining our terrific assets under one brand, we are
creating the largest company in American river and coastal
cruising and beginning our strategy of becoming a leader in
the niche cruise category.”
David Giersdorf, President and COO of Ambassadors Cruise
Group, LLC, added, “While the acquisition of both the
American West and Delta Queen brands were proud moments for
us, we believe that the creation of Majestic America Line is
a significant milestone for us. Our fleet of American-built
cruise ships will provide guests with an unparalleled and
truly unique way to see and experience the majesty, scenic
beauty and grandeur of our nation at its finest. Given the
combination of favorable demographic trends among affluent,
mature travelers, continued growth and popularity of cruise
vacations worldwide and the keen interest in experiencing
America’s vast scenery, rich history and cultural tapestry,
we are very enthused to be introducing Majestic America Line
and its unmatched offerings to market.
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Carnival Cruise
Lines Updates Offerings for Meeting and Incentive Market
Corporate meetings and incentive travel are one of the
fastest growing segments of the travel industry. To keep
pace with the increasing demands of this market, Carnival
Cruise Lines has dramatically expanded its popular
“Preferred Awards” program, which enables businesses to
purchase the line’s all-inclusive cruise certificates to
reward top employees and encourage customer sales. The
expanded “Preferred Awards” program now includes a greater
variety of ships and itineraries than ever before, including
new Europe and Greek Isles departures aboard the 110,000-ton
Carnival Freedom, as well as access to more stateroom
categories, including top-of-the-line suite accommodations –
rare in cruise industry incentive programs.
The meeting and incentive market is a vital part of
Carnival’s marketing mix and one of the fastest growing
segments of our business. These new and expanded programs
provide business leaders with a convenient means to learn
about the many benefits of shipboard meetings and reward top
employees and clients with our memorable and relaxing
cruises
The all-inclusive “Preferred Awards” certificates differ
from other travel award programs in that the majority of the
costs are included in the initial cruise fare; recipients
are only responsible for incidental expenses such as drinks,
spa treatments and shore excursions. dditionally, the
certificates have very few blackout dates and are valid for
18 months from the time of purchase. Certificates can be
used in applications such as sales incentives, customer
rebates on purchase of high-ticket items, traffic builders
for in-store, point-of-purchase sales and promotions, and
employee motivation.
These amenities are available on Carnival’s fleet of 21
ships which operate voyages ranging from three to 16 days to
the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii,
Canada, New England, Bermuda, and Europe, including the
Greek Isles.
Big turn out of cruise
lines to be at the NZ cruise show
The world’s major cruise lines will be represented at United
Travel’s second annual Cruiseliners’ Conference in the
Heritage Auckland Hotel Sept. 8-9. Jacqueline Unsworth,
who runs the cruise division of New Zealand’s giant United
Travel chain, said last year’s event for the frontline
sellers she calls ‘cruiseliners’ was ‘such a raving success
we just had to do it again.’
Unsworth said around 80 of the company’s top cruise
consultants from both islands of New Zealand will attend the
two-day conference next month.
The companies showcasing their products are Blue Lagoon
Cruises, Captain Cook Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines,
Celebrity Cruise Lines, Cunard, Coral Princess Cruises,
Costa, Crystal, Cruise West, Discovery Cruises, European
Waterways, Holland America, Louis Cruise Lines, Norwegian
Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Orion Expedition Cruises,
Orient Lines, P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises, Quark
Expeditions, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Silversea,
Star Clippers, Star Cruises, The World, Thomson Cruises,
Trafalgar River Cruises and Windstar.
News from Worldwide
Jim Huff's review
of the refurbished Carnival Ecstasy.
Jim had the
opportunity to sail on the newly refurbished Ecstasy -
following a $35M rehab Jim reports the ship is in great
shape for your clients - check out Jim's
report.
Worldwide is
hosting a site inspection for qualified buyers on the
Elation.
We have a limited
number of staterooms available for this opportunity.
Come see why we feel you have to see and try the "new"
Carnival for yourself. Click here for
details.
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information on any of OUR ASSOCIATES go to our website or,
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