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Amadeus Waterways invests $100 Million in Four New Ships
Amadeus Waterways is investing approximately $100 million to build four river cruise ships over the next two years. Two of the four ships are set to launch this year, and two will launch in 2009, which will bring the company’s fleet size to six (not including several ships Amadeus charters).

The Amacello is set to launch in March and the Amadante in June. In 2009, Amadeus will introduce the Amalyra and the Amadolce. The new ships will all operate on Europe’s Danube, Main, Rhine and Moselle rivers.

Each ship will be 360 feet in length and 38 feet wide with four decks, including a sun deck. They will all house 71 staterooms at 170 square feet and four junior suites at 255 square feet. Each ship will have the capacity to carry a crew of 41.

All the ships are being built in Holland and have the same dimensions as Amadeus’ existing ships, the Amadagio, which launched in 2006, and Amalegro, which launched last year.

Amadeus’ river cruising season lasts 10 months, from the second week of March until just after New Year’s Day. The company offers seven-night, 14-night and 21-night cruises.

Two key senators pressed the Department of Homeland Security to limit the cabotage rule-making to Hawaii and urged a quick resolution of the highly charged matter.

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens scolded DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff about the delay in deciding whether to exempt Alaska from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s proposed foreign-flag cruise ship rule under the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

At a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee budget oversight hearing on Tuesday, Stevens said the interpretative rule could cripple the economy of tourism-dependent communities in Southeast Alaska.

‘That publication in the Federal Register was under the heading of “Hawaii Coastwise Cruises,”’ Stevens said. ‘We were very surprised when it was published that it applied to cruises along the Alaska coast originating in Seattle.’ The senator warned that if the regulation is adopted, Seattle would lose all its homeporting business to Vancouver.

Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye agreed with Stevens that the proposed rule-making should be modified to apply only to Hawaii.

The rule was intended to address competition from foreign-flag carriers on NCL America’s operations. As written, it would have a dramatic impact on cruises between any U.S. ports.

Chertoff said DHS is aware of the issues concerning the proposed rule-making. He told the senators he believes a final version of the interpretative rule is being presented to the Customs commissioner for review.

‘I will personally look at it before it goes out,’ Chertoff said, adding that he expects the issue will get resolved ‘very quickly.’

Stevens responded: ‘I hope so, because I think the bell is tolling on cruise ship activity for Alaska. That is substantially what’s left of our economy in Southeast Alaska.’

Inouye and Stevens are senior members on both the Appropriations and Commerce Committees, which have significant jurisdiction over DHS.

A Washington source with knowledge of the cabotage issue told Seatrade Insider the comments by Stevens are likely to light a fire under DHS. He suggested the rule could be adjusted to specifically address Hawaii and may not retain the requirement for 48-hour stays in foreign ports.

The mass withdrawal and scrapping of older cruise ships due to the new rules may not impact as many ships as first thought.
With the SOLAS 2010 deadline fast approaching, it appears predictions of a mass withdrawal and scrapping of older cruise ships due to the new rules have been somewhat overstated.

The new requirements which, among other things, outlaw all combustible materials, notably wood  on cruise ships, will affect about 30 ships which are at least 28 years old of which most of the effected ones are between 40 and 50 years old.

It was noted that the recent sale of one SOLAS 2010-affected ship, Ocean Monarch, to Classic International Cruises (CIC) points up the way the situation is likely to develop. The ship is being converted to conform to the new rules and then revert to its previous name of Princess Daphne. That suggests that its sister ship Princess Danae – also owned by CIC – will likewise be converted to survive the 2010 cull.

It is calculated that the combined capacities of all the ships affected is about 18,000 berths and roughly 7,000 to 10,000 berths will actually disappear from commercial use which represents the equivalent of two to three average newbuilds.

Royal Caribbean drops fuel surcharges on bookings prior to Nov.16, 2007
Royal Caribbean announced late Monday that it has reached a settlement with the Florida Attorney General's office, which is investigating the industry's recent use of fuel surcharges, and the company will refund more than $20 million to passengers.

In a move expected to be followed quickly by other lines, Royal Caribbean and its sister line Celebrity Cruises will offer refunds to passengers who were forced to pay a $5-a-day fuel surcharge for recent and upcoming voyages even though they had booked their trips before Nov. 16, 2007, the day the surcharge was announced.

In a statement issued late Monday, Royal Caribbean says passengers booked before Nov. 16 who paid the fuel surcharge and have taken their cruise will receive a refund through the form of payment used to purchase their sailing. Passengers booked before Nov. 16 who paid the fuel supplement and have not taken their cruise will receive their refund as an onboard credit during their sailing.

The company did not charge the fuel surcharge, which it calls a supplement, to guests with bookings made and paid in full before Nov. 16.

The fuel surcharge will remain in place for North American bookings made on or after Nov. 16, 2007 at all three Royal Caribbean brands: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises. The fuel surcharge applies only to the first and second passenger in a cabin and is capped at $70 per person per sailing.

The Florida Attorney General began investigating fuel surcharges at cruise lines last month after more than 150 cruisers filed complaints with the agency over the practice. Most major lines have implemented a fuel surcharge over the past four months as oil prices have shot up. Carnival Corp., the parent company of Carnival, Princess, Holland America and more than half a dozen other lines, is charging passengers an extra $5 per day. Norwegian Cruise Line has begun charging $7 per day, and a few lines are charging even more, including Windstar ($8.50 per day) and Silversea ($10 per day).

There still are a few holdouts in the rush to add fuel surcharges. Among major lines, Disney has yet to add one. And as we reported here in December, small ship and river cruise operator Tauck World Discovery has vowed not to add a fuel surcharge, despite soaring fuel costs.

Silversea's releases details about their news ship the "Silver Spirit" and itinerary news for the "Prince Albert II"
The news ship "Silver Spirit" is being built by Italy's Fincantieri.  It will carry 540 guests (about 35% more guests than Shadow/Whisper), which works out to a space ratio of 67 based on 36,000 gross tonnage. The crew will number 375 for a guest/crew ratio of 1.44.

The ship would seem to be an expansion of the Silver Whisper/Silver Shadow profile, and it offers several new features and attributes: larger suites than any other Silversea ship, a spa that is twice as large as the Shadow/Whisper, and a new restaurant concept that is essentially an upscale supper club where guests can spend the entire evening. Silver Spirit continues the line's concept of an all-suite, all-outside configuration (all but 12 suites will have verandas).

Silversea also presented further details on its new expedition vessel, MV Prince Albert II, which starts sailing in June 12, with an inaugural cruise of 18 days from London to Svalbard. Pre-events for travel agents will be held in London, New York City, Fort Lauderdale, and Los Angeles. Itineraries for 2009 will include Antarctica, the Chilean Fjords, and French Polynesia.

Month-long drydocks are scheduled for the line's older ships, Silver Wind (November 2008) and Silver Cloud (May 2009). Upgrades will be made to both suites and public rooms including new bathrooms, carpets, and flat screen TVs. New areas will also be added to each ship: a new spa and fitness center, observation lounge, eight large suites per ship, and a guest elevator from the
pool deck to deck nine.

Queen Beatrix will name the new Eurodam on July 1 in Rotterdam.

The news was announced by HAL president and ceo Stein Kruse today that Holland America Line will continue its traditional ties to the Netherlands when Queen Beatrix names the new Eurodam on July 1 in Rotterdam.

The naming ceremony will take place at Rotterdam’s Wilhelminakade, steps from HAL’s historic headquarters and its current European head office.

‘Holland America is in the hearts of the people of Rotterdam,’ said Mai Elmar, chief marketing officer for the city and director of Cruise Port Rotterdam.

Nine HAL vessels have been launched by members of the Netherlands’ royal family, including Statendam III in 1929 by Prince Hendrik, Nieuw Amsterdam in 1937 by Queen Wilhelmina, Statendam IV in 1957 and Prinses Margriet in 1964 by then Princess Beatrix and Rotterdam V in 1958 by Queen Juliana.

Other royal namings were Prinsendam in 1973, Nieuw Amsterdam in 1983, Rotterdam VI in 1997 and Oosterdam in 2003 by Princess Margriet.