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Icy Strait Point celebrates 1,000th ship call with Celebrity Cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 30 August 2018 30 August 2018

On Aug. 28, at 3 p.m., Celebrity Infinity set a new record on her 80th and final visit to Icy Strait Point, Alaska’s only privately owned cruise ship destination developed by Huna Totem Corporation. As her sister ship Celebrity Millennium departed, Celebrity Infinity pulled into Icy Strait Point, marking the 1,000th ship call and bringing in the 2,000,000th guest since Icy Strait Point opened in 2004.

“Celebrity Mercury was the first ship to ever call on Icy Strait Point in 2004,” Huna Totem Corporation President and CEO Russell Dick said. “Icy Strait Point’s success today wouldn’t be possible without the early commitments Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. made and continue to make to bring travelers to Icy Strait Point.”

Celebrity Infinity’s final Alaska sailing on Tuesday before her repositioning to the Caribbean concludes a long history of success in the 49th state. “Welcoming Celebrity Infinity represents the past, present and the future. Celebrity Infinity made her first four calls on Icy Strait Point in 2005, the cruise ship destination’s second season. Now she is our 1000th ship. When she leaves, she’ll usher in a new class of larger ships to Icy Strait Point,” Huna Totem Corporation Marketing Director Mickey Richardson said.

Celebrity Eclipse is taking over Celebrity Infinity’s Alaska itinerary in May 2019. Launched in 2010 with a guest capacity of 2,850, Celebrity Eclipse brings an additional 650 guests per port visit.

In addition, Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Joy will call on Icy Strait Point in 2019. At approximately 4,000 passengers each, the Joy, and her sister ship the Bliss, are the largest cruise ships scheduled to sail in Alaska in 2019.

“These new ships mean continued growth and economic opportunity for our shareholders, the community of Hoonah and the Southeast Alaska region,” Dick said.

Icy Strait Point’s Vice President of Operations Tyler Hickman is enthusiastic about the cruise ship destination’s growth. “In 2018, 107 ships called on Icy Strait Point. In 2019, we’ll see 131 ships. And, they’re bigger,” he adds. “We’ll see a 45 percent increase in passengers next season. By the number of ship visits year over year, Icy Strait Point is the fastest-growing port in Alaska.”

During its first season of operation in 2004, Icy Strait Point saw just 32 cruise ship visits.

“The 1000th ship is a great milestone,” Cruise Lines International Association Alaska President John Binkley said. “I admire the persistence and tenacity Icy Strait Point has shown in building an incredible destination. Hitting the millionth passenger in a single season is not that far away.”

Icy Strait Point is a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Huna Totem Corporation, the village corporation owned by approximately 1,350 Alaska Natives with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area. Located 35 miles west of Juneau and 22 miles from Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Icy Strait Point is the only private large-ship destination in Alaska.

Canaveral Port Authority commissioners approve operating agreement with Carnival Cruise Line

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 29 August 2018 29 August 2018

The Canaveral Port Authority (CPA) Board of Commissioners took the final step today and voted unanimously to approve the terms of a long-term agreement with Carnival Cruise Line, paving the way for Carnival to homeport its newest and largest ship at Port Canaveral.

“I am extremely excited about this next chapter for Port Canaveral, and extraordinarily proud of the Port’s leadership team, staff and our cruise partners who have brought us to where we are today. Carnival’s commitment to our Port and their multiple decades of operations here is a tribute to our entire Port community,” said Wayne Justice, Chairman, Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners.

The new operating agreement, which begins September 1, 2018 and replaces an existing six-year agreement set to expire next year, provides a 25-year primary term with four additional five-year renewal options. Under the terms of the agreement, Carnival’s minimum annual guarantee increases from the current fixed $7 million passenger fee to $14.5 million with annual escalators.

“This agreement is a valuable milestone for the Port’s cruise business and a foremost achievement for the entire region’s economy. Our partnership with Carnival has continued to grow over the years thanks to this community’s assets, our commitment to service, and a steadfast focus on preserving our financial strength to invest in the Port’s future,” said Tom Weinberg, Secretary/Treasurer, Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners.

Canaveral Port Authority and Carnival Cruise Line will invest in building and equipping a new two-story 185,000-sq. ft. terminal to accommodate the as-yet-unnamed 180,000-ton Carnival Cruise Line ship, engineered with Carnival Corporation’s state-of-the-art LNG “green cruising” design platform. The new cruise vessel will have a 5,286 lower berth capacity with a maximum capacity of approximately 6,500 guests.

“This agreement will have lasting economic benefit for both the Port and Carnival Cruise Line,” said Capt. John Murray Port CEO. “We are excited, thrilled, and honored to enter this new generation of an exceptional relationship with Carnival Corporation.”

“With its convenient location, excellent facilities and friendly staff, Port Canaveral is one of our most popular and fastest-growing homeports and we’re delighted to bring this exciting, one-of-a-kind ship to the Space Coast in 2020,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

“The most exciting aspect, and the reason a new terminal is necessary, is that this groundbreaking new class of ship – the largest ever constructed for Carnival Cruise Line – will be home ported at Port Canaveral when it’s delivered in 2020. This ship, which can carry up to 6,500 passengers will be the first LNG-powered cruise ship based in North America,” said Capt. Murray.

Constructing the new CT-3 terminal, plus an adjacent elevated parking facility to accommodate nearly 1,800 vehicles, and related wharf, road and access improvements will total $150 million – estimated to be the largest single project in the history of the Port. The new terminal is planned for completion by June 2020.

The arrival of the new Carnival ship in 2020 will mark 30 years that Carnival Cruise Line has been sailing from Port Canaveral, the longest of any of the Port’s cruise partners.

Port of Turku plans joint terminal for cruise ferry companies

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 17 August 2018 17 August 2018

The port of Turku in south western Finland plans to build a cruise ferry terminal that would serve Tallink group and Viking Line, its two cruise ferry customers.

At the moment, the companies use separate facilities that are located within a few hundred metres from each other at the mouth of the Aura River.

A computer generated image shows a large Y-shaped building where the Silja Line terminal has stood since its opening in 1972. The company is part of the Tallink group.

Road and railway links to the planned terminal would also be built and the project is estimated to cost about €45 million, the Port said in a newsletter.

Silja Line and Viking Line both have two large cruise ferries in service between Turku. The Aland Islands and Stockholm. The crossing takes about 10 hours each way.

Villefranche-sur-mer voted best destination in Western Mediterranean

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 31 July 2018 31 July 2018

Cruise Critic, the world’s leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community, has announced the winners of its third annual Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards, naming the world’s most popular cruise destinations, based entirely on consumer ratings submitted with reviews on Cruise Critic.

Villefranche-sur-mer was recognised as one of the best cruise destinations in the world, winning the best destination award in Western Mediterranean, said French Riviera Cruise club that promotes the region to the cruise industry.

Destinations awarded in this year’s awards received the highest ratings among cruisers who cruised to the destination in the past year and shared their experiences on Cruise Critic.

Cruise the Saint Lawrence reports significant rise in passenger numbers

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 25 July 2018 25 July 2018

At the June annual general meeting of the board of directors of Cruise the Saint Lawrence, association members appointed officers to the following positions: Tony Boemi of Port of Montréal was elected to a two-year term as President, with Nancy Houley of Port of Québec continuing in her capacity of Vice President, and Renée Dumas of Cruise Baie-Comeau named to the post of Secretary-Treasurer. The board of directors is proud to contribute to the development of the international cruise industry in Québec and economic growth across the region.

During the meeting, the board underscored the extremely positive results posted for 2017 prior to shifting their focus to 2018 deemed ripe with the prospect for continued growth. During the 2017 cruise season, more than half a million passengers and crew members visited the nine international ports of call of on the St. Lawrence. This strong growth shows that Quebec is succeeding in carving out a place in the international cruise industry and distinguishing itself as a must-see destination. It is, 387,678 passengers and 151,362 crew members that visited the nine international ports of call of the Saint Lawrence.

It is already possible to predict that 2018 will be an equally extraordinary year. This year’s season, which began in May, was marked by the presence of Holland America and Hurtigruten vessels on the Saint Lawrence. By the end of the season in progress, the nine member ports of call are expected to log over 500 000 passenger-days and more than 150 000 crew members which would amount to a 30% increase in passenger numbers from 2017 to 2018.

Over the years, Destination Canada New England – of which Cruise the Saint Lawrence is a key component – has secured a place of choice in international cruise industry circles. Destination strengths include distinctively different ports, abundant natural and cultural attractions, and signature passenger greeting operations. In 2018, 26 cruise lines operating 35 different ships will visit destination shores for a combined direct and indirect annual economic impact of over $500 million.

Cruise the Saint Lawrence is a sectoral organization which groups together the nine ports of call located along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River. The mission of the organization is to grow cruise market activities in Québec and across Destination Canada New England through the provision of marketing and development services to members. Cruise the Saint Lawrence enjoys the support of partners Tourism Québec, Québec Tourism Industry Alliance and Industry, Science and Economic Development Canada.