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St. Kitts & Nevis will receive
the Celebrity Mercury |
Cruise stakeholders in St Kitts and Nevis are looking
forward to visits by the 77,000-gross-ton Celebrity Mercury during
the 2009-2010 Cruise ship season. The 1870-passenger Celebrity
Mercury will make multiple calls to St Kitts’ Port Zante on
11-night; 12 and 15-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.
The Celebrity Mercury will start 12-night Eastern Caribbean cruises
on November 9, November 30 and Dec. 21, 2009 and January 11 and
February 1, 2010 with calls to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas;
Fredericksted, St. Croix; Basseterre, St. Kitts, St. John’s, Antigua
and Philipsburg, St. Maarten before returning to Baltimore,
Maryland.
A 15-night December 18, 2009 cruise will take the Celebrity Mercury
from Puerto Rico to St. Croix, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe,
Dominica, St Lucia, Barbados, Tobago, Grenada, Curacao and Aruba.
The 11-night cruises from Charlotte, South Carolina on February 15,
March 8 and March 29, 2010 will take the Celebrity Mercury to Puerto
Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Tortola before
returning to South Carolina.
An 11-night March 15, 2010 cruise sees the Celebrity Mercury leaving
Puerto Rico for St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, Dominica, St.
Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao and Aruba.
Sister ships of the Celebrity Mercury to visit St. Kitts during the
2008-2009 cruise ship season are the 2,450-passenger Constellation;
the 2,850-passenger Solstice; the 2,281-passenger Galaxy and the
2,450-passenger Summit. |
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Helsinki records record cruise
passenger visits |
This year 270 international cruise ships arrived
in Helsinki carrying with them a record 360,000
passengers. The number of passengers is 100,000
more than last year and 60,000 more than the
record forecast. The cruise ship season began on
5 May and ended on 29 September. Visitors from
the USA represented the largest nationality,
accounting for approximately a quarter of the
total, followed by visitors from the UK, Spain,
Germany and Italy.
Visiting cruise ships switched passengers 18
times in Helsinki. During these days between
3000 and 4000 passengers used the new Hernesaari
cruise ship terminal, and traffic between
Hernesaari and Helsinki-Vantaa Airport was
extremely busy. The
Tourist &
Convention Bureau's team of Helsinki
Helpers was on hand at the Hernesaari cruise
ship terminal to serve arriving passengers.
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Cancelled cruises bring Port $6.5m loss |
In a blow to the Dunedin cruise-ship
industry, the Celebrity Cruises the company behind the
large cruise ships which visit the country has pulled
out of its Australasian commitments next season, at an
estimated loss of $6.5 million to the city's economy.
Celebrity Cruises, the company which owns the
2038-passenger Celebrity Millennium, has cut Australia
and New Zealand from its 2009-10 itinerary, choosing to
focus on northern hemisphere destinations.
High fuel costs and high airfare costs for passengers
were reasons for the cancellations, chief executive Dan
Hanrahan said.
"Australia and New Zealand are charming and beautiful
destinations, and we're confident we'll return again as
our brand and fleet grows."
Passengers holding reservations are being encouraged to
travel on board the Celebrity Millennium this year to
Australia and New Zealand, or opt for North American
destinations in 2009-10.
Port Otago commercial general manager Peter Brown said
the cancellation was a reflection of global economic
conditions and "there is the potential for that impact
to spread a little bit further".
"This is a reaction to the current economic conditions."
A new visitor to New Zealand ports this season,
Celebrity Millennium was scheduled to visit Port
Chalmers 11 times in 2009-10.
Preliminary bookings for 2009-10 had reduced from 52 to
41 following the cancellation, but it was hoped numbers
would increase, he said.
According to an industry report compiled by Cruise New
Zealand, the 2008-09 season of 65 cruise ship visits
would be worth $19 million to the local economy.
Cruise NZ chairman Craig Harris, of Auckland, said the
news came as a blow to the industry, which has
experienced 7% growth for each of the past 15 years.
"We are starting to see the impact of the financial
crisis. The companies are happy with New Zealand as a
destination, but the cost of fuel and the cost to fly
here is proving to be expensive."
Tourism Dunedin chief executive Hamish Saxton said it
was disappointing Celebrity Millennium was cancelling
its voyages, with Dunedin accounting for 11 of the 67
port visits.
"Cruise [the industry] is to be regarded as the cream on
top and any loss is disappointing."
With the economic downturn already impacting on
Americans travelling to long-haul destinations,
Australia was shaping up as an increasingly important
market for the cruise industry, he said.
"The cruise industry is incredibly important.
If it was a country by itself, it would rank just behind
Japan in terms of visitor arrivals." |
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A new French law has
changed the governing body for French ports, re-arranging management
structures and changing names, said officials at Port of Marseille.
Cruise terminal operations and management in Marseille, however,
have not changed.
Laws changing the so-called ‘autonomous’ status of the ports took
effect Oct. 10. The Port Autonome de Marseille is now known as Grand
Port Maritime de Marseille (GPMM) and governed under a three-tier
system of executive, supervisory and development boards.
The new law will not change management at the Marseille Port Cruise
Center, which is co-operated by Louis Cruises, Costa Crociere and
MSC Cruises. The three lines guaranteed 450 calls per year, and an
annual throughput of 1 million passengers by 2011. The three cruise
lines also established a “service quality agreement” with the port
authority.
The new four-strong executive board in Marseille, with a president
to be appointed by the French government, will take primary
responsibility for strategic planning.
An emphasis will be placed on infrastructure development, although
no immediate plans were fully developed, a port spokeswoman said.
The first task is to define strategy over the next five years,
including details of the transfer of cargo handling to the private
sector as required by the new law, according to port officials in
Marseille.
The other two boards will replace the current administrative council
of 26 members. The supervisory line-up of 17 members will include
five state appointees, three from GPMM, four local authority
representatives and five from bodies such as the chamber of
commerce. They will meet four times a year to review the executive’s
policy and budget proposals.
In a consultative role on strategy and tariffs, the development
board is to meet at least twice a year and will include 40 members –
12 each from port professionals, local authorities and development
parties as well as four from port-based companies. |
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Holland America
Line’s Veendam to Sail South America
in 2009-2010 |
With South America emerging as one of the top
destinations for cruises, coupled with the demand for passengers who
wish to experience this part of the world in a more intimate and
premium fashion, Veendam is set to cruise South America for the fall
2009 and the winter and spring 2010 season.
By the time that Veendam embarks on its sailings in South America,
it will have undergone extensive renovations that include a new
resort pool, innovative lanai staterooms, new entertainment and
enrichment options, all new stateroom decor and more. The
newly-refurbished vessel will join ms Prinsendam which is also
sailing South America and Antarctica in 2010.
The 10 sailings aboard the Veendam range from 16 to 20 days. In
addition to port-intensive itineraries, guests will experience some
of the most scenic cruising in the world as the Veendam navigates
around the continent’s fjords and glaciers.
Additionally, she will spend more time in ports than most major
cruise lines and is the only premium cruise line offering overnights
in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires on select cruises.
For those who want to extend their vacation, Holland America Line
offers several pre- and post-cruise land tours. Guests can opt to
spend an extra night or two in Rio de Janeiro and Santiago de Chile.
Guests also can take overland tours ranging from two to five days to
the famed ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, Iguazu Falls, located on
the border of Brazil and Argentina, and Chile’s wine country. |
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Puerto
Rico Expects Surge of Cruise Visitors |
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The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) and the Puerto Rico Port
Authority expect close to 20,000 visitors in the coming months, with a spending
power of up to $15 million.
Two vessels, the Caribbean Princess from Princess Cruises and
the Carnival Victory from Carnival Cruises, will be making San Juan their home
port, which will further stimulate hotel occupancy in the city as a pre- and
post-tour destination.
The combined efforts of the PRTC and the Port Authority to energize and support
the growth of the cruise industry in Puerto Rico have resulted in monumental
strides in this sector over the past three fiscal years.
This year (2007-2008) the Port of San Juan welcomed 1,496,853 visitors which
represent an 8.9 percent increase over last year, with 118,161 more visitors to
San Juan than the year before. Further, from 2005 through 2008, we have
experienced a 15 percent increase in the cruise sector with over 198,000
additional travelers making their way to San Juan. This increase has brought in
an additional 13.8 million dollars into the economy.
The 8.9 percent increase experienced by Puerto Rico’s cruise industry surpasses
global growth figures in this sector. The latest figures provided by the Cruise
Line Industry Association cite a 5 percent increase in the global cruise
industry, with 2 percent growth in North America and 1.7 percent growth in the
Eastern Caribbean.
The PRTC and the Puerto Rico Port Authority have worked together to secure
substantial investment in the Port of San Juan and in the improvement of its
infrastructure. These efforts have resulted in the addition of new cruise lines,
new routes, and the signing of a $10 million incentive program that was recently
put into effect by the Governor and include an aggressive Promotion and
Marketing Program implemented by the PRTC.
In June of this year, the governor of Puerto Rico announced the passing of a law
to expand his administration’s Cruise Incentive Program, which allocates a
yearly $10 million fund for the development of Puerto Rico’s maritime industry. |
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Days of the TITAN's |
Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess
made her grand entrance to Port Everglades on
Tuesday afternoon and will be formally named
Thursday in a kickoff to a season of seven-day
Western Caribbean sailings. Celebrity Solstice,
which represents a new class for Celebrity Cruises,
arrived earlier this week and will be christened
into service next Friday.
"This is just a practice run," Port Director Phillip
Allen said of the busy cruise season. "We're getting
ready for next year." In 2009, the port will make
way for the $1 billion Oasis of the Seas,
the industry's largest ship.
Also joining
the Port Everglades newly built fleet this season
are: Holland America Line's Eurodam,
Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Splendor
and Royal Caribbean International's Independence
of the Seas. And several other cruise ships
will be sailing from Port Everglades for the first
time this season.
Port Everglades is the world's third-busiest cruise
port, ranked after the Port of Miami and Port
Canaveral. During the upcoming cruise season, it
expects to host 45 cruise ships from 14 cruise
lines.
About 3.1 million cruise passengers are expected to
travel in and out of Port Everglades this year,
about the same as the 2007-2008 season, port
spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said.
The struggling economy factors into the flat
projections, but port officials say they are still
hopeful that by 2011 Port Everglades will be busiest
port in the world, luring some 4 million cruise
passengers.
Allen is optimistic because the industry's older
ships are being replaced with newer, much-larger
vessels that are calling Port Everglades home.
Recently Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and MSC Cruises
Inc. have renegotiated their contracts to increase
their passenger guarantees and extend the length of
their contracts, he said.
"Port Everglades has a lot of ability to grow," said
Juan Trescastro, vice president of land operations
for Royal Caribbean. That's attractive as year-round
operators look for ways to port larger ships, he
said.
At least 19 million Royal passengers will get on or
off a ship at Port Everglades over the next 10
years, Allen said. And over the next two years, MSC
is guaranteeing at least 295,000 passengers — more
than double the 130,000 MSC cruise passengers during
the past two years. The port is also reworking its
contract with
Carnival Corp., Allen said.
New ships such as the Ruby Princess are
drawing consumer attention to the port's expansion
efforts. The 3,080-passenger vessel offers an array
of venues for dining and entertainment including an
adults-only pool area and a 300-square-foot,
poolside movie screen.Guests at Ruby's launch will
watch Trista and Ryan Sutter — the couple from the
hit TV series The Bachelorette — christen
the ship. Princess also is throwing one couple a
wedding as part of the ceremony. "Captain Stubing"
from the 1980s TV show The Love Boat, will
give the bride away.
Contibuted by: Jaclyn Giovis
Ready to set sail
Ships that are either new or have not
sailed from Port Everglades before this season with
the number of passengers:
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Name |
Line |
Pass. |
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Eurodam |
Holland America Line |
2,104 |
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Carnival Splendor |
Carnival Cruise Lines |
3,006 |
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Celebrity Solstice |
Celebrity Cruises |
2,850 |
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Independence of the Seas |
Royal Caribbean Intl. |
3,634 |
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Ruby Princess |
Princess Cruises |
3,080 |
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