Twelve Viking River Cruises' newbuildings named in Europe
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 26 March 2015 26 March 2015
Viking River Cruises, the world's largest river cruise shipping company, has held a simultaneous naming ceremonies in Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Rostock in Germany involving a total of 12 ships, including 10 Viking Longships and two vessels for the River Elbe, the company said in a statement.
The company now has a fleet of 60 river cruise vessels. "All 10 of the new Viking Longships will be deployed on Viking’s itineraries in Europe, including three of the most popular itineraries – Grand European Tour, Romantic Danube and Rhine Discovery. Also, as a result of high consumer demand for the Elegant Elbe itinerary, the two new specially designed ships will double the company’s capacity on the Elbe River for 2015," Viking River Cruises said in the statement.
“We are immensely proud of the response to our new ships that we continue to receive from guests and industry experts,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises. “It is always important that we recognize those who have helped us achieve success, and this year I am especially pleased to honor fellow Vikings as godmothers of our newest river vessels.
Staying true to the naval tradition, Viking named 12 of its longest-serving employees as ceremonial godmothers for the new ships. With representation from Viking’s onboard operations team, as well as from the operational headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, the corporate headquarters in Los Angeles and the London office, each godmother represents a department that has contributed to the consistently high guest satisfaction ratings and the growth and success of the company. The full list of godmothers includes:
Donora Anderson, Senior Director of Operations and godmother of Viking Skirnir
Clare Armitage, Senior Operations Executive and godmother of Viking Eir
Sinemie Bakker, Program Director and godmother of Viking Astrild
Henrieta Balisova, Program Director and godmother of Viking Vili
Adriana Filkaszova, Receptionist and godmother of Viking Beyla
Jana Hudakova, Chief Receptionist and godmother of Viking Mimir
Miriam Kajuchova, Housekeeper and godmother of Viking Ve
Karoline Landa, Controller & Hotel Manager and godmother of Viking Lofn
Kornelia Pfeiffenberger, Hotel Manager and godmother of Viking Vidar
Faye Pirie, Specialist Cruise Consultant and godmother of Viking Modi
Julie Rosoff, Senior Director of Marketing Services and godmother of Viking Mani
Verona Thiele, Concierge and godmother of Viking Gefjon
Carnival Corp & plc close to order 10 ships at Fincantieri, Meyer Werft - reports
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- Published: 25 March 2015 25 March 2015
Carnival Corp & plc, the world's largest cruise shipping group, is close to placing an order for a total of 10 newbuildings, media reports say.
Orders for five vessels would be placed with Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilder, and also for five units with Meyer Werft, the German shipbuilder that acquired the former STX shipyard in Turku last year, a report on the website of the Il Secolo XIX daily said. The parties had agreed in principle about the orders during the Cruise Shipping Miami convention last week, it said.
The orders should include a new 170,000 gross ton prototype for Costa Crociere, the Carnival group's Italian contemporary market brand, which has for the past decade and a half shared many platforms with Carnival Cruise Lines, the group's US focused contemporary market unit, a report on the meditelegraph.com website said.
The other newbuildings would be shared between the Anglo-American Carnival group's nine other brands and the orderbook would extend to the year 2028, the report continued. The ships would be priced in the region of $700 million to $800 million each. Fincantier's share of the total wpuld be in the region of $4.0 billion, the report continued.
Norwegian Star re-enters service with new features after refit
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 25 March 2015 25 March 2015
Norwegian Cruise Line welcomed the 2001 built Norwegian Star back into service on March 17, following a two-week dry dock where the 91,740 gross ton ship received numerous enhancements and new dining and entertainment venues as it readies for its busy summer season sailing the Baltic Capitals and Norwegian fjords from Copenhagen, the company said in a statement.
"As a part of Norwegian Cruise Line’s NEXT Programme, bringing new enhancements and experiences to the youngest fleet amongst leading North American cruise lines, Norwegian Star follows Norwegian Jewel as the third ship in the Norwegian fleet to receive updates since the programme launched in 2014. Highlights of the ship’s new features include two complimentary dining outlets, enhanced offerings in the popular Ginza Asian restaurant and Norwegian’s first 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar," the company said.
“Our guests can dine like nowhere else at sea with Norwegian’s Freestyle Dining and these exciting new venues on Norwegian Star make it even easier, more exciting and more fun for guests to enjoy the freedom and flexibility that only a Norwegian cruise can offer,” said Andy Stuart, President and Chief Operating Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line.
Fans of Jimmy Buffett and patrons looking to escape and unwind can enjoy the fleet’s first 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar, in an exclusive partnership with Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville®. The newest watering hole will serve up signature margaritas and “boat drinks” such as the “Who’s to Blame® Margarita”, ice cold LandShark Lagers and more, coupled with nightly live musical performances.
Norwegian Star’s popular guest favourite Asian fusion restaurant, Ginza, can now be enjoyed on a complimentary basis, as the previous $15 cover charge has been eliminated. In addition to a full complimentary menu that now includes delicious dishes from a dedicated Noodle Bar such as traditional Chinese noodles, wok-fried specialties, and dim sum favourites, Ginza Asian Restaurant will now also feature exciting new à la carte offerings such as Japanese Hot Rock Ishiyaki for a nominal fee and a sushi menu developed by expert Sushi Chef Yuki Ieto. The new mouth-watering sushi and sashimi pieces such as the Sashimi Hamachi Poblano, Ten Shades of Grey Roll and more will be served at the restaurant’s sushi bar or guests can also choose from four specialty rolls directly from a moving sushi belt, a first for the cruise industry.
Norwegian Star has also been retrofitted with the popular O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill, a 24-hour complimentary restaurant that serves up local traditional pub fare in a friendly neighbourhood-pub setting. In addition, the ship’s Moderno Churrascaria, the Brazilian-style steakhouse, was relocated to a more intimate setting on Deck 13 and Sugarcane Mojito Bar, first introduced on Norwegian Getaway, was added adjacent to the new restaurant.
A number of additional guest area enhancements included: updates to the Casino and Photo Gallery, new carpets and flooring throughout guest areas, window replacements, upgrades in galley areas and updates to the pool deck. Norwegian’s innovative digital signage, first introduced on Norwegian Breakaway, has also been added to the ship. The interactive touch screen signs allow guests to order specialty items, get directions and reserve dining and shore excursions simply with a scan of their stateroom key, providing even more freedom and flexibility for guests to create their ideal holiday.
Technical modernisations also took place during the dry dock. The ship received an Azipod hydrodynamic upgrade and state-of-the-art silicone paint on the hull, in order to further improve fuel efficiency. Additional significant technical and safety updates include: lifeboat and tender boat release systems upgrade; thrusters and stabilizer maintenance; and ballast and bilge piping replacement.
UK river cruise market grew 6% to 139,400 passengers 2014
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- Published: 24 March 2015 24 March 2015
The popularity of river cruises has continued to grow with the number of UK passengers taking a holiday on waterways in Europe and further afield growing by 6% in 2014, according to figures released today by CLIA UK & Ireland.
“The number of British travellers taking a river cruise grew by almost 8,000, taking the total number to 139,400 in 2014. Europe remains by far the most popular region for UK travellers to take a river cruise accounting for 86% of all passengers,” the organisation said on Facebook.
Within the Continent, the River Danube’s popularity continued to soar, growing 41%, whilst cruises on the Danube and Rhine rivers grew 37%. Cruises on Russia’s rivers grew in popularity too, climbing 15%, whilst further afield, cruises on rivers such as the Mekong are up 55%, and in India, rivers including the Ganges and Brahmaputra are up 24%.
A key reason for the growing popularity of river cruises is the evolution of the holiday experience with the arrival of new, larger ships with greater on board amenities. A third of European river cruise ships have been built within the last ten years - a quarter within the last five.
These offer the kind of multiple dining venues, spa facilities and range of cabins with balconies which have already combined to transform the experience offered on many ocean cruise ships. The cruise industry’s investment in new ships is set to continue with 16 CLIA member river vessels due to be launched in 2015 alone.
Andy Harmer, Director of CLIA UK & Ireland, says: “With the continued investment in new, more innovative ships and the ever-increasing choice and diversity of itineraries in Europe and further afield, it’s no surprise that more UK passengers than ever are opting for river cruises as their holiday choice.”
Later this week, CLIA UK & Ireland will launch its first ever River Cruise Weekend. Running from 26th – 30th March, 2015, it has been created to raise the profile of river cruise holidays and the diversity of great destinations available. Some of the world’s leading river cruise lines are offering a host of exclusive deals and added-value offers on a range of 2015 and 2016 cruises.
Consumers and travel agents are also being invited to post their photos of river cruise destinations and reasons to love river cruise holidays with the hashtag #lovecruise The photographs will be placed on CLIA’s Facebook with a winner selected at random at the end of CLIA River Cruise Weekend who will receive an iPad mini.
Norwegian group cuts jobs in organisational restructuring
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- Published: 22 March 2015 22 March 2015
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the world's fourth largest cruise shipping group, has cut an unspecified number of jobs at its Florida headquarters, the company said.
"The recent acquisition of Prestige Cruise Holdings has provided the opportunity to review our organisational structure. The company has implemented an organisation designed to take advantage of synergies between the three brands and position the company for future growth,” the company said in a statement.
“The new structure maintains dedicated leadership and support for each of the individual brands, ensuring brand distinction and the highest quality guest experience, while finding efficiencies and leveraging best practices across the company."
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