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Carnival Cruise Lines inaugurated its largest ever SuperLiner |
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Carnival Cruise Lines inaugurated its largest ever
SuperLiner at the port of Dover (UK).The 3,006-passenger Carnival
Splendor with an unusual ceremony and a number of firsts for the
line: It is Carnival's first inaugural in Britain -- to appeal to the line's growing British cruise market; The Carnival Splendor, the line says, is the first ship to be inaugurated with Nyetimber English Sparkling Wine rather than the traditional champagne - in another tip to the British market; The Carnival Splendor inaugurates the line's first cruises to the Baltic from Dover, a 12-day itinerary visiting Copenhagen, Warnemunde (Berlin), Helsinki, St Petersburg (two days), Tallinn and Amsterdam. Yet another first was the inaugural ceremony itself - which Carnival says was the first ever underwater-to-hull bottle breaking to inaugurate a ship. In remarks at the ceremony on board here, Carnival president and CEO Gerry Cahill, marking his first anniversary at the Carnival helm, said, "Our product is catching on in the UK. This year, we will double the number of passengers we source from the UK. Carnival is the perfect product for this marketplace -- it is fun, accessible and very, very affordable." |
For the city of Rotterdam and the country of Holland
this naming had even more significance - a celebration of the
company's 135th year here and the naming of the ship where the
company has been headquartered continuously in Europe since its
inception. The first week was overwhelming, with some 35,000 people streaming
onboard at the rate of thousands per group consisting of travel
agents, VIP guests, former employees and even officer candidates.
HAL also honored its Centurions - its top producing agents - during the first celebration week. The ship showed off a number of new features, including new specialty 144-guest, pan-Asian restaurant Tamarind; Slice, a 24/7 poolside pizza stop; Canaletto, an Italian restaurant carved from the Lido area in the evenings; plus the introduction of new menus in the Pinnacle specialty restaurant. Most striking was the remake of the pool area with 22 new cabanas - complete with bed/lounges, specially served fruits and the availability of massages and other services ranging from champagne, frozen grapes and chocolates. The private cabanas - available for daily or cruise-long rentals - soften the poolside and convert it into a look akin to a resort hotel. Other innovations include the Silk Den, a lavishly decorated lounge near the Tamarind, as well as 56 special spa staterooms - near the spa, and complete with everything from Bose stereos and iPods and complimentary bottled water - plus more contemporary color schemes in the cabins. Cabin sizes range from 185 sq. ft. for an inside stateroom to 556 sq. ft. for a verandah suite. The Explorations Cafe has been moved up top to the Crow's Nest. And this ship also sports the fleet's fourth Digital Workshop, with Microsoft Windows staff teaching five different computer educational programs. Stein Kruse, Holland America president and CEO, said, "There is a universal appeal to Holland America ships," as he underscored Holland America's impressive global reach, including itineraries to seven continents with 500 cruises traveling to some 300 ports of call. "By today's standards, the Eurodam is a mid-sized ship," said Rick Meadows, executive vice president of marketing, sales and guest programs. One advantage of being 'mid-sized' today, he noted, is that the Eurodam is able to sail the Panama Canal. Additionally, there is no feeling of crowding or queuing on this ship, which has a passenger capacity of 2,104 guests and 900 crew members. "We have a $425 million investment in the Signature Class," Meadows said. "This is a premium cruise experience for our passengers." HAL has already ordered its second Signature Class ship for delivery in 2010. The Eurodam is a perfect example of how the cruise industry - compared to others like airlines and retailing - has been able to maintain profitability by innovating its newest products and creating value. Eurodam, even in its newest paid restaurant Tamarind, offers value by permitting passengers to have lunch there for no charge. This 144-person capacity restaurant only costs $15 per person for dinner. At lunch, it offers a complimentary dim sum menu. Passengers can try it - then decide if they wish to pay for dinner. At dinner, they may order off the menu or enjoy Rijsttafel, a Dutch adaptation of the traditional Indonesia dinner. Adjoining Tamarind is the Silk Den, a beautifully designed new lounge with a capacity of 52. It is an intimate hideaway with private booths. Around the pool and on the upper Observation Deck, HAL has introduced a new premium choice for passengers - tented cabanas. They offer modern chaises and ottomans, and come complete with bathrobes and plus towels. Evian spray misters and iPods preloaded with music are supplied. Service to passengers who reserve cabanas is over the top. Champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and frozen grapes are among the special amenities. There are also two larger cabanas with four lounge chairs are offered in the corners of a special Retreat area. Cabanas can be rented for a day or the entire cruise. Retreat cabanas are $45 on port days and $75 on sea days. Lido cabanas are $30 and $50 on port and sea days, respectively. Italian Dining Options Slice, the pizza area, is located poolside. Its hours are 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Together with Canaletto, the evening restaurant, Eurodam presents a special emphasis on Italian dining options to guests. Canaletto seats 66 and its entrees rotate nightly. It is casual and no charge. Eurodam, as Meadows stressed to the media, may be a mid-size ship by today's standards of larger cruise ships - but it embraces the history of Holland America in terms of premium service and innovates with new menus, new dining options, new lifestyle spa opportunities with spa staterooms located near the main spa itself (Steiner) and even a more enhanced room decor in the cabins. NB Design Group of Seattle was hired to provide, "a fresh look while retaining a tailored, Euro-classic aesthetic. NB Design Group has succeeded wonderfully by introducing different woods and textures and fresh color combinations," Meadows said Eurodam is also very much a handcrafted ship. Even in Tamarind, Meadows added, the Rosenthal dinner and sleek silverware were hand-picked by the HAL team, including hands-on selections by its top executives. |
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Fred Olsen's - Braemar completes major refurb and lengthening |
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The major refit and lengthening of
Fred. Olsen's cruise ship, Braemar, is now complete
and she is about to continue her cruise program from
Southampton. The ship will offer a full season of
14-day Caribbean cruises from Miami for 2008-09. Braemar arrived at the Blohm + Voss Repair GmbH shipyard in Hamburg May 13 for work to begin on inserting a new mid section into the vessel. The operation to cut the vessel in half was completed on May 17. The new section was then moved into place and the forward section of the ship connected with the new part. The 102-foot section has created additional accommodation allowing increase of the total passenger capacity from 727 to around 950. Much of these new accommodations will also include balconies, bringing the total number of cabins and suites with verandas to 70 (including the Owner's Suite). The greatest addition to passenger facilities can be seen on Marquee Deck (Deck 8). Braemar now boasts a new Observatory Lounge, with magnificent viewing facilities, in common with her sister ships Balmoral, Boudicca and Black Watch. There is also a new dining facility, the Grampian Restaurant, and a completely transformed pool area with two swimming pools, a dedicated children's pool and pool bar to enhance life on deck. Another new enhancement is the Morning Light Pub next to the Neptune Lounge on Lounge Deck (Deck 5). The first Morning Light Pub is on Balmoral and is a popular place to relax with a drink and enjoy live evening entertainment. Morning Light was the name of the largest fully rigged vessel owned by the Olsen family in the 19th century. On Bridge Deck (Deck 7) there is a new Arts and Crafts Room, a peaceful haven that will be used for talks, lectures and crafting as part of Fred. Olsen's ArtsClub program of special interests – this is aft, close to the Skylark Lounge. Some of the existing facilities have a new location – the Hair and Beauty Salon and Fitness Center have moved to Atlantic Deck (Deck 3), midship, and the Internet Room is now on Lounge Deck (Deck 5) along with the Card Room and Library. Nothing has been lost in the transformation, however, and many wonderful new spaces have been created. The ship may now carry more passengers, but the additional public space will ensure they never feel crowded and the increased number of balcony cabins and suites answers an ever-growing demand for this kind of high quality accommodation. "By lengthening and enhancing Braemar we have created space to carry more passengers on one of our most popular ships, but have retained that 'small ship' friendly feeling," marketing director Nigel Lingard said. "I am confident that our regular customers will be delighted with the improvements we have made and we also look forward to welcoming many new faces aboard Braemar in the coming months." |
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Is Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. looking to downsize |
| A report by Seatrade Insider, an online industry publication, said the company is "undergoing a significant staff downsizing" that may also include restructuring. Seatrade attributed the report to "widespread industry sources." Lynn Martenstein, Vice president of corporate communications for RCCL, issued a statement: "We continuously look for ways to operate more efficiently, without compromising the experience of our guests and travel agent partners. Today's operating environment, with astronomical increases in fuel costs, puts even more pressure on us to find ways to control our costs. Like most companies today, we are redoubling our efforts to find savings, but we have not announced any specific actions." |
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Road To Mandalay’s 2008/09 season cancelled |
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Orient-Express Hotels, Trains & Cruises has cancelled
the 2008/09 season of its deluxe 108-passenger Road To Mandalay
which operates voyages along Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River.
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