UPDATED: Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden to receive huge revamp before Australia debut

Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden, the two ships P&O Cruises Australia will introduce in November 2015, will assume a completely different identity to their present Holland America Line ones in a major refit. Tillberg Design in Sweden has been resposible for designing the new interiors of the two ships that were built in the early 1990s as Statandam and Ryndam.

They will feature residential feel on outer decks, boutique winery experience and culinary school, a report in Herald Sun says.

Instead of the traditional buffet, the ships will feature an area known as The Pantry including a variety of food outlets from a gourmet deli to fresh fish and chips.

P&O Cruises senior vice president Tammy Marshall said the concept would take dining at sea into new waters. “It will be a haven for food lovers, offering a contemporary relaxed vibe as guests indulge and discover what’s in The Pantry,” Marshall said.

A total of 15 bars and restaurants will be on board the ships including Dragon Lady serving Pan-Asian cuisine and Angelo’s Italian restaurant named after photographer Angelo Frontoni.

Guests will also be able to learn to cook some of the dishes on offer, at the ship’s Open Kitchen with a culinary school and dedicated Chef’s Table dining area.

A new Cellar Door will provide guests with a boutique winery experience, and celebrity chef Luke Mangan’s popular Salt Grill will become the Salt Grill Bar on the Pacific Aria and Eden.

Marshall said the new look and feel of the ships would extend to the pool area, with day beds, sheer white curtains and outdoor rugs and lamps providing a luxury residential feel and a great setting for entertainment day or night, the report stated.

______

Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden, the two cruise ships Carnival Corp & plc group unit P&O Cruises Australia will receive from sister company Holland America Line, will undergo a massive revamp that will significantly change the ambiance of the ships before they enter service on the Australia market in November 2015.

The ships, currently known as Statendam and Ryndam, will rase the British flag before entry into service with the Australian company.

The buffet on both ships will be replaced by The Pantry, which offers interactive dining like "you’ve never seen it before.," the company saod, calling it a foodie haven. "A range of stylish, individual outlets offer contemporary Australian and international cuisine like fine cheeses and Mexican street food,” the company said in a statement.

“Enjoy the café vibe as you relax at an intimate table for two or join friends at the high tables and communal benches. Night or day, there’s something for everyone in The Pantry, making it the perfect venue for a quick bite, long lunch or romantic open-air dinner.”

The Waterfront restaurant will occupy the lower level of the current two deck high main dining room.  “Enjoy classic and cutting-edge Australian cuisine in a plush, modern surrounding. Materials and a colour scheme inspired by natural Australia sees wooden details and soft colours throughout,” the company said.

Dragon Lady, an Asian fusion restaurant, will occupy the port side of the upper level of the former main dining room, while an Italian restaurant will be introduced in the starboard side of the same space. Salt Grill by Luke Magnan, a feature that has already been introduced ion the other three ships of the company, will be located forward of the Italian restaurant.

“Guests onboard Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden can choose from two separate pool areas - the adults-retreat The Oasis and the main pool deck. And this is not your regular cruise ship pool area. With understated décor in a grand yet relaxed setting, the design brings the indoors, outdoors, creating the perfect place for daytime relaxing and night time cocktails.” P&O Cruises Australia said.

In all, there will be 15 bars, restaurants and cafes on the early 1990s built ships that are of 55,000 gross tons each.

CBR Odo Commentary - China and Costa brightest spots in Carnival interims

Carnival Corp & plc, the Anglo American cruise shipping group that is the largest company in the business, earlier this week reported strong third quarter financial year 2013-14 interims.

Group President and Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald said in a statement: “Strong close-in demand and higher onboard spending helped drive significantly better than expected third quarter results and 15 percent year-over-year earnings improvement.”

“Our Asia operations performed particularly well during the quarter, driven by a double-digit yield increase in our China program, further solidifying our industry leading presence in this important emerging cruise market. “

“Our continental European operations also enjoyed strong yield and profit improvement in the quarter, reflecting continued progress for the Costa brand.”

“In addition, our summer Caribbean product successfully attracted nearly 20 percent more guests than the prior year, reinforcing the popularity of the world’s largest cruising region,” Donald added. 

In our opinion, the continued recovery of the Costa Crociere brand from the aftermath of the sinking of Costa Concordia in 2012 is particularly encouraging, given the challenging business environment in Continental Europe, which is a key source market for the company.

Donald’s upbeat comments regarding China, where Costa also operates, produced the second very encouraging news. The continued growth of the Chinese market is very important not only for the Carnival group, but also for Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL), the industry’s number two and also Star Cruises whose home market is in the Far East.

This is good news also for MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line. As Genting Hong Kong group that owns Star cruises on which it wants to concentrate its cruise operations, continues to reduce its stake in Norwegian, we think the rapidly expanding Norwegian brand will also want to gain foothold in China in the future. The recent acquisition of Prestige Cruise Holdings paves the way for such a move.

Carnival Corporation COO Alan Buckelew to relocate to China

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise company, yesterday announced Alan Buckelew, Chief Operations Officer, will be expanding his leadership role by relocating to China to more closely oversee the company's growing operations in the country.

"As the world's largest cruise company with a portfolio of nine industry-leading global cruise lines, we are the clear market leader in China and very well positioned to continue working with officials in China to help the country meet its goal of becoming one of the most important cruise markets in the world," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.  "Today's announcement underscores our deep commitment to China as a market of great strategic importance for our company. Alan is one of the most respected leaders in the industry and having him on the ground in China will add great strength to our operation and growth opportunities in China."

Buckelew's experience in Asia is extensive, previously serving as the CEO of Princess Cruises before taking on the assignment of Chief Operations Officer for Carnival Corporation & plc.  In his expanded role, he will lead all of the company's initiatives in China, while also continuing to provide oversight of all maritime and port operations around the world and a number of related functions as part of his COO role.

"We are excited about our cruise ships currently serving the Chinese market and the vast potential to grow our business in China in the months and years to come," Buckelew said. "Our team in China is dedicated and passionate about delivering a unique experience designed to exceed the expectations of every guest who boards one of our ships."

This past May, the company announced Costa Serena will deploy year-round in China next year, making Carnival Corporation the first global cruise company with four ships based in China, one of the world's fastest-growing cruise markets. Costa Cruises plans to debut Costa Serena in Shanghai in April 2015, where it will join Costa Victoria and Costa Atlantica, other Costa ships already deployed in China. The move will increase Costa's overall capacity in Asia by 74 percent.

In addition to Costa Serena, Princess Cruises – another iconic Carnival Corporation brand – began home-porting the Sapphire Princess out of Shanghai this past summer.

Adding a third ship based in China this year increases Carnival Corporation's total 2014 capacity in the country by 66 percent. In 2015, with four ships based in China for the first time, Carnival's industry-leading capacity is expected to jump 140 percent over a two-year period.

"As we execute our strategy to accelerate growth in China, we have the benefit of eight years of experience in China to not only help guide our expansion, but also find unique ways to delight our guests with the joy of cruising," Buckelew said.

With a career spanning more than 37 years in the cruise industry, Buckelew served as chief executive officer of Princess Cruises from June 2007 and served as the line's president since February 2004. In addition, he also served as chief operating officer for Cunard Line from 2004 to 2007.

Buckelew has a breadth of experience across cruise operations, having served as executive vice president responsible for Princess's strategic planning, marketing and yield management services. Before that, he held various other high-level executive positions in customer service, shared services and yield management. He also held roles as chief information officer and chief financial officer of Princess.

Buckelew served in US Army in 1969 and 1970. He holds an MBA and bachelor's degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.