Ports & destinations

Historic Charlottetown seaport looks to end 2014 cruise season on a high note

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 03 October 2014 03 October 2014

Moving into October, the cruise season may be coming to an end, but it is going out with a bang.

October is set to be the busiest month at the port, welcoming approximately 33,000 passengers and crew with 19 ship calls. Due to mechanical difficulties we have had 3 cancellations from Holland America vessels this season, but the numbers suggest this is still a solid year for cruise.

“Of course no one is happy to see cancellations, but overall the season has been a successful one,” explains Corryn Morrissey, Marketing and Communications Manager with the Charlottetown Harbour Authority. “Luckily, weather has not been a contributing factor to these cancellations, but sometimes things arise that are just out of our control.”

The end of October is not the end of cruise season this year, as November will welcome two calls from Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas. The Legend of the Seas is sailing a slightly different itinerary, and at the end of the November 6th call, will head down south for the winter months.

“After an extremely successful summer of 2014 celebrations, its encouraging to see the ships filling up the fall months for local businesses,” says Stan MacPherson, Chair of the Board at the Charlottetown Harbour Authority. “While the traditional tourism season is winding down, cruise passengers continue to fill the downtown core and create a buzz around the City.”

For the most up to date schedule visit the Historic Charlottetown Seaport’s website at www.historiccharlottetownseaport.com

Panamá commences new cruise season on high note

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 03 October 2014 03 October 2014

Panamá has just started its new cruise season with a high hope for 2014-2015. Alan Lam reports.

In 2013, Central America as a whole experienced an 11.7% growth in passenger numbers, reaching over 400,000, with an immense economic benefit to the region.

The new season runs from October 2014 to May 2015. Pullmantur’s Monarch, Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas, and Celebrity Cruises’ Infinity will be among the first to call.

Besides the Canal being the main attraction to the cruise tourists, Panamá is promoting its capital city’s rich historic and cultural heritage. The city’s Casco Antiguo (until recently a no-go area) and Portobelo are being spruced up to welcome tourists.

Most major cruise lines operating in the Pacific and the Caribbean will call at Panamá at one time or another during the season. In addition, to celebrate the Canal’s 100^th operational anniversary, the cruise ship Discovery, operated by Panamá Marine Tours, will offer an exclusive, personalised seven-day Canal itinerary.

Royal Princess makes inaugural call in Boston

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 02 October 2014 02 October 2014

The Port of Boston welcomed Princess Cruises' flagship Royal Princess on Monday, September 29, marking her inaugural call to the city with a plaque presentation, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced.

Royal Princess arrived from New York City for a port of call in Boston and will continue on to Maine as part of her Canada/New England itinerary. Royal Princess is 1,083 feet long, 217 feet tall, and carries 3,560 passengers making her one of the largest vessels ever to call the Port of Boston. "We are proud to welcome Royal Princess as one of eight maiden calls this season at Cruiseport Boston," said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. "It shows the partnerships that we continue to build and our commitment to providing good-paying blue-collar jobs in the cruise industry as well as contributing to the regional economy."

Cruiseport Boston had back-to-back record-breaking seasons in 2012 and 2013 and is responsible for nearly 2,000 direct jobs and over $187 million in annual economic impact.

Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, both part of Carnival Corporation, announced last year that they, along with Seabourn, would be working more closely together as part of the newly formed Holland America Group. "Holland America Line is a long-time customer of Cruiseport Boston," said Massport Port Director Deborah Hadden. "We welcome the new relationship between Holland America Line and Princess Cruises and look forward to working closely with both lines to continue to bring new and exciting ships and itineraries to Boston in the future.

"Boston is both an extraordinary homeport and a great port of call and our economy benefits each time someone cruises into or out of Boston." Hadden says many of these passengers often come back to the city for a longer stay and enjoy the many museums, award-winning restaurants, shopping centers, and professional sporting events the city offers.

This is the third vessel to bear the name Royal Princess, having been christened by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton), on June 13, 2013. Previous Royal Princess ships, including the original Royal Princess-which was christened in 1984 by Diana, Princess of Wales, called Boston during the fall of 1992, '93, '98, '99, 2001, '02, and '08 respectively. Princess Cruises is the world's third largest cruise line and first set sail in 1965 with a single ship cruising to Mexico. Today, Princess Cruises offers nearly 1.7 million passengers the opportunity to travel through 150 different itineraries aboard a fleet of 18 modern vessels.

Cruiseport Boston is a favorite port-of-call with cruise passengers. A record 382,885 passengers used the facility in 2013.

Cuba plans cruise terminal at Cienfuegos

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 03 October 2014 03 October 2014

Cuba’s Ministry of Transport is considering building a new, modern cruise terminal at Cienfuegos to facilitate the growing number of cruise tourists to this country. Alan Lam reports.

In August this year alone, more than 30 cruise liners called at ports outside of Havana, in Central and South Cuba, the highest number since the country opened to international cruise tourism in 1996.

For the coming season, so far Cienfuegos has secured 53 cruise calls: 37 of them will be berthing at the facilities near the historic centre of the city; the remaining 16 ships will need to drop anchor in open waters near the Rancho Luna beach.

According to the Ministry of Transport, of 125 cruise calls last season, 28 were made at Olimpia Medina terminal of Cienfuegos.

By volume, Cienfuegos is the second largest cruise port in Cuba. It is a convenient entry point for most Cuban attractions outside of Havana, such as the UNESCO world heritage city of Trinidad.

Port of Montreal expects over 9,300 cruise passengers between October 1 and 5

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 01 October 2014 01 October 2014

Montréal has hit cruising speed! From October 1 to 5, four ships will pass through the Montréal Cruise Terminal in the Old Port during a week that marks the start of peak cruise season in the city.

This high season begins with the arrival of the AIDAbella on October 1, the largest ship to anchor in Montréal with over 2,500 passengers. Shortly thereafter arrive the Seven Seas Navigator, the Europa, and the Maasdam. In total, more than 9,300 passengers will transit through Montréal during this period. The Europa, in particular, one of the most upscale ships, returns to Montréal after a 10-year absence. Ship enthusiasts and the curious can admire the vessels from the Old Port.

The cruise season to Montréal along the St. Lawrence River stretches from May to November, and is in full swing in October. Travellers come for a variety of reasons, among which are the fall colours of the city and the natural and cultural attractions of the province. After the season, which ends on November 11 with the departure of the Hamburg, over 56,000 domestic and international passengers will have passed through Montréal.

“The cruise market is one of great potential and central to our strategic planning for the coming years. We have set ambitious goals, and we are working with various stakeholders to reach them,” states Yves Lalumière, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tourisme Montréal. “We not only want to attract cruise passengers worldwide to Montréal, but we also want to make Montrealers aware of this unique way of travelling.”

"I want to commend the excellent work of the Montréal Cruise Committee, whose efforts are paying off. According to the forecast we have in our possession, the 2015 season will see the number of passengers cross a new threshold, a sign that Montréal has considerable appeal when it comes to the cruise industry,” says Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Port of Montréal.

Supported by Tourisme Québec, the Montréal Cruise Committee comprises the Montréal Port Authority and Tourisme Montréal, as well as six other local associations and organizations: Aéroports de Montréal (Montréal airports), the Old Port of Montréal Corporation, the Casino de Montréal, the Société de développement commercial du Vieux-Montréal (Old Montréal Business Development Corporation), the Hotel Association of Greater Montréal and the City of Montréal.