Queen Mary 2 remastered - famed Grills Suites and restaurants to receive new look
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 29 September 2015 29 September 2015
Queen Mary 2’s renowned Queens and Princess Grill suites and restaurants will undergo lavish enhancements in May and June, 2016, ascending to a new level of luxury, sharing company with the world’s finest five star hotels. Cunard’s iconic flagship will stay true to her classic art deco heritage, while offering updated, crisp, contemporary interiors painstakingly re-designed for today’s most discerning travelers, and further solidifying the unique position of these distinctively luxurious at-sea accommodations.
The Cunard Grills experience affords the line’s most selective guests the highest standards of comfort at sea with large, well-appointed suites, all with prime locations and private balconies.
Cunard’s Grill guests always enjoy deluxe accommodations and the opportunity to unwind in the sublime comfort of intimate, sophisticated spaces reserved exclusively for them. Queens Grill guests are treated to the apex of luxury and personalized service, with a butler to tend to every need, including unpacking. Grill accommodation also includes thoughtful extras such as dedicated Grills concierge service for both Princess and Queens Grill guests, an amenity selection from bespoke heritage perfumer Penhaligon’s, and nine choices of pillow types.
The exclusive benefits of the historic Grills experience will remain unchanged, but all 172 Grills suites on Queen Mary 2 will receive a comprehensive restyling, reconfigured to maximize space, with subtle references to Cunard’s unrivaled history, including soothing muted tones and elegant textures with new bespoke luxury carpet throughout featuring design work inspired by rugs from the original Queen Mary.
The Grills dining experience will also be redesigned to elevate what is already the utmost in sophisticated dining at sea. Guests staying in Queen Mary 2’s Grill Suites enjoy open seating in the world-renowned Queens Grill or Princess Grill restaurants, both offering extensive a la carte offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The new Grill restaurants will each display a distinctive character through design, colour scheme and furnishings, and offer more intimate tables for two, increased space between tables for privacy, and additional loose tables for the ultimate in flexibility and ambiance. Spacious, beautifully redesigned dining rooms with rich, updated décor will be complemented by new culinary options and anchored by Cunard’s signature White Star Service.
“Under the moniker, ‘Queen Mary 2 remastered,’ there will be a host of innovations and enhancements, further confirming our commitment to invest in luxury on a grand scale,” said Richard Meadows, president, Cunard, North America. “Guests will certainly feel the sense of pride and confidence that the refurbishment will exude, befitting of Queen Mary 2’s luxury ocean travel experience.”
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. files to end secondary listing on Oslo Exchange
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 28 September 2015 28 September 2015
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. last Thursday announced that it has filed an application for the voluntary delisting of its shares from the Oslo Stock Exchange.
At the annual meeting held earlier this year, the Company's shareholders demonstrated strong support for this move, with over 93% of the votes cast in favor. The Company's delisting application is subject to approval by Oslo Børs. The company intends to take a number of steps to minimize inconvenience to impacted shareholders. Firstly, the company plans to maintain its OSE listing for a minimum of three months. In addition, the company will assist shareholders to transfer their shares to the New York Stock Exchange, where the Company's shares will continue to trade without interruption.
In the motion approved by shareholders, it was explained that the benefits of maintaining a secondary listing on the Oslo Børs had been outweighed by the additional costs and regulatory requirements associated with the secondary listing. The company intends to return to a single listing on the NYSE, which has been RCL's primary listing since the company first offered shares to the public in 1993.
"Norway plays an important part in Royal Caribbean's history, and we appreciate the support we continue to receive from our investors here," said Jason T. Liberty, the company's chief financial officer. "We remain appreciative of our long partnership with the Oslo Børs, and we intend to do all we can to encourage continued participation by our Norwegian shareholders and to create a smooth transition for those shareholders who do not intend to remain."
Ron L. Phillips named SVP of Human Resources – Office of People and Potential for Carnival Cruise Line
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 25 September 2015 25 September 2015
Ron L. Phillips has been appointed Senior Vice President of Human Resources - Office of People and Potential for Carnival Cruise Line. In this capacity, Phillips will oversee shoreside and shipboard human resources for the world's largest cruise line, including talent acquisition, talent management, leadership development, human capital planning, employee engagement, compensation and benefits, and performance management. Phillips begins his new role effective October 19 and will report to Carnival President Christine Duffy.
Phillips has nearly 20 years of HR experience, most recently serving as Chief Human Resources Officer for New York Presbyterian Hospital, which encompasses seven major hospitals, 23,000 employees and 6,000 affiliated physicians. Prior to that he spent eight years in human resource roles at Comcast, eventually rising to the position of Senior Vice President of Human Resources. He has also served in HR roles at Ryder Transportation and McDonald's Corporation.
"Ron brings a wealth of HR experience to his new role and we look forward to his leadership skills as we work toward continued unification of our shipboard and shoreside HR functions and strive to provide an exceptional workplace for our more than 38,000 employees worldwide," said Duffy.
Phillips has a B.S. degree from Virginia State University and a Law Degree from the University of Richmond.
MSC Cruises teams up with Barrhead to offer Glasgow-Genoa flights summer 2016
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 23 September 2015 23 September 2015
MSC Cruises, the world’s fourth largest cruise shipping group, and Barrhead Travel, the Scottish travel company, are giving Scottish guests the opportunity to fly straight to the Mediterranean sunshine in 2016, thanks to new regional departures from Glasgow, the cruise line said in a statement
Scottish travel agency giant Barrhead Travel will operate its first dedicated Glasgow – Genoa service right through the summer next year, with flights perfectly timed for cruisers joining MSC Fantasia on its seven-night Western Med sailings from the Italian city.
Giles Hawke, MSC Cruises executive director UK and Ireland said: “We know there are a huge number of MSC Cruises fans, and potential future fans, north of the border and these new flights will make it even easier for them to get straight to the heart of the med, get onboard and start their holiday with us.
“Barrhead Travel is a highly trusted name in Scotland and a great supporter of MSC Cruises. It is fantastic that we can further extend our relationship with these new flights.”
Flights will run from Glasgow to Genoa for 19 weeks between Sunday May 29 and Sunday October 2, 2016 and Barrhead Travel will offer its own selection of all-inclusive fly-cruise packages aboard the 3,274-guest MSC Fantasia. Sailings call at Cannes, France; Palma, Majorca; Barcelona, Spain; Ajaccio, Corsica; Naples, Italy; La Spezia, Italy and Genoa.
Alternatively, guests can opt to fly with Barrhead Travel on its existing Saturday flights from Glasgow to Venice, joining up with the 1,952-guest MSC Sinfonia for its seven-night Eastern Med itineraries. Again, Barrhead will offer its own all-inclusive fly-cruise packages on these sailings, which feature calls at Split, Croatia; Santorini, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Ancona, Italy and Venice.
Both routes use British Airways aircraft, giving guests ample leg room, a generous baggage allowance and convenient flight times. Barrhead’s all-inclusive package deals feature complimentary ‘Allegrissimo’ drinks packages, which include unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, ice-cream and speciality coffees.
Crystal Cruises' international marketing drive extended to Buenos Aires
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: More News More News
- Published: 23 September 2015 23 September 2015
Alan Lam reporting
The marketing drive for Crystal Cruises’ recently announced massive air, sea, and river expansion programmes has taken another decisive step, with its tentacles reaching the source market of Argentina.
In a recent luncheon gathering, held in the prestigious La Bourgogne restaurant of Buenos Aires’s Alvear Palace Hotel, attended by over 30 carefully selected local travel agents, Crystal Cruises presented to the Argentine market its latest offering – the exclusive 14-night Buenos Aires-Antarctica-Buenos Aires itinerary, which was scheduled to depart from Buenos Aires on 13 January 2016, calling at Ushuaia, Antarctica, Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), Puerto Madryn, and Montevideo before returning to Buenos Aires.
Apart from introducing the new thematic itinerary, Crystal Cruises underscored its new strategy and shored its expansive vision with this market. The company was actively promoting the concepts of Crystal Residence, Crystal Yacht, and Crystal Luxury Air in the hope of appealing to the ultra-exclusive end of this South American market.
As a luxury operator in such an expansive mode, it is understandable that the company will need to reach as many source markets as its capacity allows. Cruise Business Review believes that reaching out to Argentina’s elites is a considered and perspicacious move, as concepts such as ultra luxury air travel, for instance, has a particular appeal in the upper echelon of the Argentine society. “On Crystal Luxury Air you can sleep like an angel,” Juliana Meyer Schmidt of Crystal Cruises told the local press.
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