Carnival Corporation honors Arison family with new Arison Maritime Center in the Netherlands

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 12 May 2016 12 May 2016

Carnival Corporation & plc has announced that its Arison Maritime Center in the Netherlands will honor the legacy of the Arison family who founded and grew the company into the world’s largest cruise line operation. The company also announced that construction is now well under way for what will be a spectacular state-of-the-art campus located in Almere, just outside Amsterdam. A grand opening celebration at the center is scheduled for July 14, 2016.

The centerpiece of the new seven-acre campus is the CSMART Academy, the Center for Simulator Maritime Training for Carnival plc, a part of Carnival Corporation & plc. The CSMART Academy will feature the most advanced bridge and engine room simulator technology and equipment available, with enough space to complete rigorous annual professional training for the company’s deck and engineering officers for its 10 global cruise line brands. When complete, it will be the most progressive maritime center of its kind in the world for training and continually improving industry-wide safety and excellence.

At nearly 110,000 square feet, the center is more than double the size of the company’s current facility, which has been in operation since 2009 in Almere. The new CSMART Academy at the Arison Maritime Center will feature four full-mission bridge simulators and four full-mission engine room simulators, designed to provide a wide array of programming and simulated exercises that can recreate an extensive range of maritime scenarios.

The new five-story center will also include 24 part-task engine simulators, eight debriefing rooms and eight part-task bridge simulators. The seven-acre campus will have double the training capacity of the existing location and is expected to train over 6,500 deck and engineering officers every year. It will also include an advanced medical center and an 11-story, 176-room hotel for Carnival Corporation trainees.

The new Arison Maritime Center honors the legacy of the Arisons, the first family of cruising. Micky Arison has been chairman of the board of directors for Carnival Corporation & plc since 1990. He began his career at Carnival Cruise Line in 1972 in sales and was named reservations manager in 1974, vice president of passenger traffic in 1976 and president in 1979. In 1990 he was appointed chairman of Carnival Corporation by the company’s board of directors. In 2013, the role of Carnival Corporation chairman and CEO was split, with Arison continuing as chairman and longtime board member Arnold Donald being named CEO. Considered one of the most respected leaders and experts in the cruise industry, Arison’s vision and leadership played the central role in building Carnival Corporation into the world’s largest cruise company and helping grow cruising from a niche holiday to one of the most popular vacation experiences available.

His late father, Ted Arison, founded the company in 1972 with one ship with the firm belief that cruising is one of the best ways to enjoy a vacation and a commitment to making cruising available to people from all walks of life. Referred to by The New York Times as “the godfather of the modern cruise industry,” he is credited with building cruise operations that give travelers the opportunity to enjoy a cruise vacation with prices that range from affordable to upscale. Today, the company has 101 ships, over 120,000 employees and welcomes 11 million guests annually. About one of every two travelers who go on a cruise vacation do so a on Carnival Corporation ship.

“When complete, the Arison Maritime Center and CSMART Academy will be an extraordinary operation dedicated to providing our deck and technical officers – the heart and soul of ensuring our ships operate as safely as possible – with the most advanced and progressive training, professional development and research in the cruise and maritime industry,” said David Christie, senior vice president of maritime quality assurance for Carnival Corporation. “Safety is our top priority and we take great pride in providing the world's most comprehensive maritime safety training to our highly skilled and dedicated deck and engineering officers in our pursuit of excellence and continuous improvement. This center underscores the depth of our commitment to the safety and comfort of our guests who sail with us to over 700 ports around the world.”

Added Christie: “It is very special for all of us at Carnival Corporation to honor the extraordinary leadership and legacy of Ted and Micky and their families, who recognized early on that going on a cruise would be a great way to enjoy a vacation. They not only led the way in building the world’s largest cruise company with 10 cruise lines that represent some of the world’s best leisure brands, but they also played leading roles in helping grow cruising into one of the most popular vacation experiences in the world. The Arison family has been an inspiration for all of us at the company, and we are proud to establish the Arison Maritime Center in their honor.”

With the exterior of the facility in place and the on-campus hotel having reached its peak height, the final phase of construction consists chiefly of the installation of the necessary technology and the industry’s most advanced bridge and engine room simulators. Carnival Corporation was “handed over” the facility at a ceremony in April. A larger event featuring Carnival Corporation global leadership and international dignitaries is scheduled for Thursday, July 14, when the Arison Maritime Center will be officially opened.

In addition to state-of-the-art simulator technology and world-class facilities, Carnival Corporation has assembled a team of deeply experienced and committed CSMART Academy instructors who have developed a curriculum that sets the industry standard for safety and marine training and keeps pace with advances in maritime and ship technology. In particular, the CSMART Academy has played a leading role in developing and refining a function-based bridge and engine room management system on a large scale.

The function-based system creates what is known as organizational redundancy – giving every member of the bridge and engine room teams a voice and role in safely operating the ship and encouraging officers at all levels to speak up. Officers work under the captain’s and chief engineer’s direction as a coordinated team to manage bridge and engine rooms based on specific functions, with tasks verbalized, agreed upon and then executed.

In keeping with the faculty team’s leadership, the Arison Maritime Center will provide the additional space needed to implement the industry’s first Proficiency Training and Assessment (PTA) program. The week-long course is based on a specially developed curriculum that annually refreshes and then evaluates each of the corporation’s maritime officers.

Carnival Corporation worked with Dutch property group AMVEST Vastgoed B.V. to purchase the seven-acre plot of land in Almere Poort called the DUIN, a planned business and residential community in Almere, one of Europe’s newest and fastest growing cities. The center’s campus and buildings were designed by Dutch architect Paul de Ruiter, and the Dutch construction company Dura Vermeer has built the CSMART Academy and hotel. The design and construction are being built to meet rigorous environmental and sustainability standards that will achieve “LEED Gold” certification, and the campus will fit esthetically into the Duin environment, per AMVEST’S original plan for the development.

“All of us at Carnival Corporation want to thank everyone who has made us feel so welcome in the Netherlands,” said Christie. “From the moment we began looking into establishing a presence in the Netherlands in 2009, we were embraced by members of the business community and government officials in Almere, Amsterdam and the Netherlands. This includes the current and past mayors of Almere, the Dutch Ambassador to Italy, the Dutch Consulate in Miami and its trade office in Atlanta, along with many others. We have found the Netherlands to be a great place to do business, and we appreciate everyone making us feel so welcome and at home in Almere. We look forward to completing the Arison Maritime Center and continuing to have a long and productive operation in the Netherlands.”

Additional information on the new Arison Maritime Center can be found at http://csmartalmere.com/NewCsmart.aspx, including details on the CSMART simulators and training facilities.

Costa Cruises and PortAventura World sign a partnership agreement

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 11 May 2016 11 May 2016

A memorandum of understanding has been sealed on board the Costa Favolosa between Costa Cruises and PortAventura World, one of Europe’s most-visited amusement parks.

Under the agreement, guests arriving in Barcelona on board Costa’s ships will have exclusive entry to the park where, at the beginning of 2017, the much anticipated Ferrari Land is due to open

“Costa Cruises will be the only cruise company offering its guests the truly special experience that is guaranteed by the thrills at PortAventura World. As an Italian company, we’re also especially delighted about the forthcoming opening of Ferrari Land, in itself an adrenaline-thumping theme park based on a brand that is an Italian icon synonymous worldwide with Italian excellence. This agreement simply confirms our constant commitment to innovate our product so as to offer our guests a vacation experience that is unique, memorable and unlike any other, increasing the value of our package and thus yielding additional benefits also for our commercial partners” said Costa Cruises SVP WorldWide Sales Massimo Brancaleoni.

“We consider the partnership with Costa Cruises as a perfect opportunity of synergy with a leading European company and one of the greatest exponents of Italian excellence. We are convinced that Costa Cruises philosophy combines perfectly with PortAventura World due to the fact that both companies are strongly focused on offering exclusive experiences with deep Mediterranean roots. We expect this partnership to be very profitable for both parts because it creates a unique combination for the family target that both companies share” said PortAventura World General Manager Giovanni Cavalli.

PortAventura World is the largest destination resort in Europe, having welcomed over 60 million visitors in its 20-year history. It is located in the heart of the Costa Daurada, not far from Barcelona and Tarragona, and near the resort towns of Vila-seca, Salou and Cambrils. The range of leisure facilities on offer includes an amusement park – with incredible attractions arranged in fabulous “worlds” like Ancient China, Polynesia, Mexico and the Far West – and a water park. Set to open in 2017, the new theme park Ferrari Land is described as “the single most important project in the history of PortAventura Resort”. This new park dedicated to the Prancing Horse will cover an area of 60,000 m² and feature a range of technology charged, pulse-pounding rides; one of the highlights will be the vertical accelerator, 112 meters tall, making it the highest roller coaster in Europe, on which you will be propelled vertically upwards and then plummet straight down with acceleration of 180 km/h in just 5 seconds, thus experiencing the same sensations as a Formula 1 driver.

Until the end of 2017 Costa’s ships will make approximately 250 calls in Barcelona; they will include the flagship Costa Diadema, which will be porting in the Catalan city every Monday.

Agreement also provides for joint marketing and promotional activities designed to further enhance the value of their respective brands.

CLIA holds 2016 Technical & Regulatory Forum

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 10 May 2016 10 May 2016

More than 100 delegates gathered in London to discuss a range of key regulatory and technical cruise industry topics, including public health, the environment, technology innovation and safety. Participants at CLIA’s Technical & Regulatory Forum included CLIA Cruise Line and Executive Partner Members, as well as international regulators, such as Ambassador Arsenio A. Dominguez, Marine Environment Protection Committee Chairman at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The Forum builds on the educational platform established over the past year and brings together leading industry experts to discuss technical and regulatory matters affecting the sector. Participants engaged and contributed to CLIA’s work with the IMO, the European Union and other regulators around the world, ensuring that cruise operations remain safe and sustainable as the cruise industry continues to grow.

Several sessions were organised throughout the day. Key takeaways include:

– Public health – Although its impact on cruise ships is marginal at best, with less than 20,000 of the 700 million cases that occur every year affecting cruise ships, delegates discussed the industry’s best practices and effective efforts to reduce the chance of norovirus outbreaks.
– Environmental protection – Participants discussed compliance to cruise ship international regulations, as well as solutions the industry is implementing to diminish its environmental footprint. The conversation focused on different environmental solutions and upcoming technologies, such as emissions reductions and on-board wastewater treatment.
– Safety – Representatives reinforced that safety is, and will remain, a priority. Cruise lines are constantly introducing new measures to improve safety of passengers and crew. Delegates discussed a range of initiatives and solutions to improve the safety of passengers, from swimming pools and man overboard detection to passenger safety at ports of call.

“CLIA’s Technical & Regulatory Forum has once again brought together key cruise industry representatives,” said Tom Strang, SVP Maritime Affairs, Carnival Corporation. “As cruising continues to grow faster than any other industry in the tourism sector, it is important for our cruise community to discuss these technical and regulatory topics which are fundamental to continued growth and success.”

This year’s programme was extended to include a dinner, in association with the Port of Kirkwall (Orkney Islands), at the Swan Restaurant at Shakespeare's Globe, following a cocktail reception for delegates.

Princess Cruises teams up with UK partners to enhance experience at ports

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 10 May 2016 10 May 2016

Princess cruises, which is part of the Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it had teamed up with partners in the UK to enhance guest experience in British ports. The move similar agreements with partners in the Baltic and Mediterranean regions.

“A new Princess Cruises destination initiative will see the cruise line and British ports and service providers work together to provide guests with the most meaningful, authentic and exclusive experiences ashore. The enterprising project combines Princess' destination expertise with local experts to deliver a ground-breaking collaboration,” the company said in a statement.

The worldwide Global Partners + Local Experts programme will launch this summer and will feature partnerships with Cruise Britain members including Liverpool, Kirkwall (Orkney), Southampton, Forth Ports and Intercruises. In addition, the programme includes some of CruiseBritain's industry partners from Cruise Scotland & Cruise Ireland.

The Global Partners+ Local Experts programme is the first of its kind in the industry, and looks to enrich guests' holiday experiences by connecting them with different cultures in unique ways.

A special feature of the programme is the filming of the individual partners sharing their thoughts, experiences and recommendations about the places they call home. In addition to the film project, the programme will include a number of other destination-based elements including local speakers; exclusive guest experiences in port; new tour programmes and tours; partner port guides and walking maps; new port welcome and departure experiences; and an insider's guide including "cool things" made in each port.

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises said: "While Princess has always been a destination leader, this is a powerful new way to showcase our expertise by enhancing the guest experience in each port both before and during the cruise. Through engaging stories from people who live there, exclusive guest experiences and expert recommendations, we want to inspire our guests and help them create lifelong memories."

Angie Redhead, Chair of CruiseBritain and Head of Operations in Liverpool, featured in her home city’s video and said "What greater promotion of any port or destination can there be than to tap directly into the pride and passion of the very people who live there and call it home, taking full advantage of the suggestions and creativity of those local experts who know their destination best. We're delighted that Princess have chosen British ports and destinations to be part of the launch of their innovative programme"