Ports & destinations

Theatrical welcome to Carnival Vista in Piraeus

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 25 July 2016 25 July 2016

Carnival Vista, the latest unit of Carnival Cruise Line, received a theatrical welcome in Piraeus, where the port authority had teamed up with local theatrical groups to provide a different kind of welcome to the passengers and crew of the ship, Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) said in a statement.

“An ‘alternative welcome,’ pleasant surprise awaited 5000 passengers and 1600 crew members of the cruise ship Carnival Vista. This time the PPA Management held a cultural event with a performance from the Piraeus Municipal Theatre and traditional dances from the Keratsini cultural club dance team, called Thymaidai,” PPA said in a statement.

The PPA launched its cooperation with the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus with the show "Sea on the edge, Greece - Climbing the sea" directed by N. Diamantis, a composition of texts from ancient tragedies and poems on a journey where the ancient Greek theater meets poetry and the Greek traditional folk music.

Then took the baton the dance team Thymaidai with representative traditional dances rousing the tourists, who also tasted features Greek products (graviera cheese, crackers, olives, feta cheese and raki). The performances will be repeated in other arrivals in the tourist season of 2016.

It is known that benefits from the increase of cruise diffuse both local communities and the national economy, especially when they come from cruise itineraries using Greek ports as ports of departure (homeporting).

Several cruise lines, such as Celestyal Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, are using the port of Piraeus for turnaround.

The cooperation with Carnival Cruise Lines will contribute to further development of homeporting, since the new ship of Carnival Vista 336 meters long with capacity of 5,300 passengers, is expected to transfer a total of more than 50,000 passengers during the summer of 2016 from and to Piraeus.

This has already reflected in the provisional figures of the first half of the current year with an increase of 14% in homeporting compared with 2015.

“PPA, in order to achieve smooth ship and passenger service has implemented a series of measures and now it serves in the best and safest way over 10,000 passengers in every turnaround, in covered areas of 7,500 square meters,” PPA said.

Port Everglades pilots two passport control programs

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 22 June 2016 22 June 2016

Broward County's Port Everglades and its cruise line partners, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, are working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to launch two pilot programs this summer – Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks and Mobile Passport Control (MPC) – that are designed to expedite secure entry into the United States following a cruise vacation. Port Everglades is the first U.S. cruise port to test these programs, although they are currently available in many U.S. airports and for cruise passenger preclearance in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Both programs are designed to streamline the traveler inspection process and enable CBP officers to focus more on the inspection and less on administrative functions.

"We are working closely with CBP to improve guest service and make the debark process more efficient without compromising safety and security," said Port Everglades Deputy Port Director Glenn Wiltshire. "We have high hopes for both programs, and are evaluating the efficiency, staff time and costs involved during this three-month pilot program."

APC kiosks allow passengers to provide their travel documents and customs declaration forms prior to speaking to a CBP officer.

The MPC program is the first Smartphone app authorized to expedite a traveler's entry process into the United States. This first-of-its-kind app was developed by Airside Mobile and Airports Council International-North America in partnerships with CBP. The app allows U.S. citizens debarking a cruise ship to complete their Customs declaration using their phones, expediting their clearance process in the terminal.

"We are very fortunate to be able to partner with Port Everglades in innovative projects that will enhance the arriving passengers' experience. These important business transformation initiatives are part of CBP's greater resource optimization strategy and will help to support the increased passenger traffic growth that we continue to see in South Florida," said CBP Port Director Jorge Roig.

In addition, CBP's Global Entry program, which gives preferential processing to those guests who are Global Entry card holders, has been available at Port Everglades since summer 2015.

Located in the second largest county in Florida, Broward County's Port Everglades is consistently ranked as one of the three busiest cruise ports in the world with more than 3.7 million passengers in 2015. Nine cruise lines, one ferry and more than 40 cruise ships sail from the South Florida seaport including: Balearia's Bahamas Express (ferry), Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn and Silversea Cruises. The Port's wide-ranging fleet of cruise ships provides guests with an array of cruise vacation choices from the sunny Greater Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach area.

Crystal Cruises moves to Port Everglades in 2017

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 25 June 2016 25 June 2016

Broward County's Port Everglades welcomes the return of Crystal Cruises' ships beginning in October 2017.

"Fort Lauderdale is an ideal fit for our ships, itineraries and discerning guests, with its close proximity to an international airport and reputation for outstanding service that mirrors Crystal's own," said Crystal President and CEO Edie Rodriguez. "With these things in mind, we are relocating select fall sailings and look forward to working with Port Everglades to expand our itineraries in this market."

Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony will sail a total of eight sailings to and from Port Everglades beginning October 27, 2017.

"We are already working with Crystal Cruises' outstanding team to ensure every sailing from Port Everglades is exceptional," said Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director Steven Cernak. Crystal Cruises last sailed from Port Everglades in 2006.

Viking Ocean Cruises’ chairman joins latest ship at calls to five Norwegian ports

Details

Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 21 June 2016 21 June 2016

Viking Ocean Cruises said its founder and chairman, Torstein Hagen, has commemorated the arrival of the company’s new ship, Viking Sea, in five Norwegian ports of call.

“A Norwegian native, Hagen celebrated his family’s heritage during the traditional maritime plaque ceremonies attended by local officials, harbor masters, directors of tourism, and mayors. During his time in Norway, Hagen participated in optional shore excursions available to Viking guests, including visiting the northernmost brewery in Tromsø and eating freshly caught King Crab near Honningsvåg; he also went fishing for lunch in Bodø. This is the first time Viking has sailed into these ports in Northern Norway, along with Brønnøysund and Ålesund, all of which are part of the company’s new Into the Midnight Sun itinerary that cruises between London and Bergen,” the company said in a statement.

During his visit, Hagen and Viking Sea’s captain, Gulleik Svalastog, presented commemorative plaques, guided tours of Viking Sea, and discussed how Viking can help support the tourism industry through its sailings in Norway and its destination-focused approach to cruise itineraries. The participating mayors, who also spoke about their respective tourism initiatives, included: Mayor of Tromsø, Mr. Jarle Aarbakke; Mayor of Nordkapp, Ms. Kristina Sigurdsdottir Hansen; Mayor of Brønnøysund, Mr. Johnny Hanssen; and in Bodø, Mayor Ms. Ida Maria Pinnerod and Port Director, Ingvar Mathisen.

Addressing repeat Viking travelers at a Viking Explorer Society cocktail party Hagen stated, “Sir Richard Branson says space is Virgin territory. I say Scandinavia is Viking territory. No other cruise line can show you this part of the world like Viking can. I have known for years that there is nothing better than Norway in the summer, and I am happy to now be able to share the beauty of my native Norway with you, our Viking guests.”

Christened in May, Viking’s second ship, Viking Sea, was recently awarded the highest-available editor rating of five stars by Cruise Critic, marking the second consecutive five-star rating for the company’s expanding ocean fleet. Classified by Cruise Critic as “small ships,” Viking’s ocean fleet of 930-passenger sister ships are well-suited for Scandinavian and Baltic itineraries – their size allows for privileged access to smaller ports, getting guests closer to their destinations.