Departments

Amber Cove in Dominican Republic to welcome first Carnival cruise ship in October 2015

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 12 December 2014 12 December 2014

Amber Cove, an exciting new destination located in the heart of the Dominican Republic’s breathtaking North Coast, known as the Amber Coast, just outside the historical town of Puerto Plata – will welcome its first cruise ship when the Carnival Victory arrives on October 6, 2015, for a day-long call.

The visit by Carnival Victory is the first of 37 calls by eight different Carnival ships that will take place between October 2015 and April 2016, accounting for more than 100,000 guests during this period.

Amber Cove will be a featured port on select sailings of Carnival Breeze, Carnival Glory, Carnival Splendor and Carnival Victory from Miami, Carnival Conquest from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Carnival Sunshine and Carnival Valor from Port Canaveral, Fla., and Carnival Fantasy from Charleston, S.C.

“Amber Cove is destined to become a cornerstone in creating new itineraries from several U.S. home ports,” said Terry Thornton, Carnival’s senior vice president of itinerary planning. “It will provide an unmatched combination of ‘fun in the sun’ activities and eco-tourism opportunities along with unique sightseeing, dining and cultural experiences to create a lifetime of wonderful vacation memories for our guests,” he added.

Designed to serve as the gateway to one of the world’s most beautiful cruising regions, Amber Cove features dramatic architectural elements that echo the area’s storied Colonial past. The port is situated in a picturesque cove that serves as the backdrop for soaring mountains and lush tropical landscape. Its cobblestone plazas will be lined with a wide variety of retail offerings, including themed restaurants and bars and a marketplace with locally sourced crafts and souvenirs, recreational amenities, and a transportation center for access to land and sea adventures.

The facility will offer two berths that can accommodate up to two large post-Panamax cruise ships simultaneously.

Amber Cove will feature one of the most extensive shore excursion programs available in the Caribbean, offering a wide array of landside experiences including beautiful beaches, exciting water sports and special culinary, cultural and adventure options. Nearby Ocean World, which is one of the region’s largest marine adventure parks, will offer guests many great ways to experience and interact with a variety of marine animals.

Dozens of shore excursions will be available, from cross-country adventures in 4x4 Terracross buggies that traverse the rugged countryside and horseback riding on the beach to snorkeling in crystal-clear waters and swimming in a pristine natural river pool. Guests can also travel via speedboat to beautiful Paradise Island, one of the Caribbean’s top spots for snorkeling and scuba diving, or visit rural coffee plantations and sample traditional Dominican cuisine, rum and seasonal fruit. Or for the ultimate luxury experience, guests can reserve their own private beachside bungalow with the services of a personal chef, bartender and staff.

Amber Cove will also provide easy and convenient access to the nearby historic town of Puerto Plata, named by Christopher Columbus when he discovered the island in 1492. Puerto Plata is home to the first fort built by European settlers in the New World. Visitors to the city can shop in the bustling downtown area featuring numerous artist studios and rum and cigar factories or stroll along the famed Malecon, a three-mile-long open air beach-side boardwalk dotted with bars, restaurants and shops.

Dubai inaugurates world’s largest cruise terminal

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 12 December 2014 12 December 2014

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, has just inaugurated DP World’s third cruise terminal in Dubai. Alan Lam reports.

The new Hamdan bin Mohammed Cruise Terminal is currently the largest in the world, covering an area of 28,000 square metres, capable of handling 14,000 passengers a day. It is the latest addition to the Dubai Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid.

On 11 December, the terminal welcome 4,000 passengers from Costa Cruises and Aida Cruises ships.

"Dubai’s vision is to attract 20 million tourists a year by 2020,” saidSultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World, “with the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing anticipating cruise tourist numbers reaching the one-million mark by that time."

"The new building will increase the handling capacity of the three cruise terminals in Dubai from two million tourists a year to seven million,” he added."The terminal is the largest and most modern cruise facility in the Middle East and the wider region, enabling the award-winning Mina Rashid to now serve up to seven cruise vessels at one time and more than 25,000 passengers in its three cruise terminals. This expansion came in response to requests from cruise liners and will enable them to increase the number of their trips to Dubai."

As well as modern handling facilities, the terminal offers passengersa streamlined immigration and customsprocedures, coordinated by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

Its features also include duty-free outlets, shops, ATM machines, currency exchange and a VIP business centre.

In Bermuda, North Channel dredging could start in spring

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 11 December 2014 11 December 2014

Dredging of the North Channel in Bermuda could start as early as the spring so that the island can accommodate Quantum class ships of Royal Caribbean International, The Royal Gazette in Hamilton reports.

"The specialist work will be carried out during the 2015 cruise season in between calls by ships so the schedule is not disrupted," The Royal Gazette reported on its website. "The cruise line Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has been in talks with Government over helping to finance the costs of the work that will continue through the summer and enable RCI’s new Quantum class liner to dock in Bermuda."

The Department of Works and Engineering and Tourism Development and Transport would not comment on what proposals for dredging had been adopted. A series of surveys have been undertaken over the past 12 months with a view to accommodating a new era of larger cruise liners.

In September, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works told The Royal Gazette: “We are still awaiting the final environmental impact study, which includes a plume study which is being conducted concurrently. Once the necessary studies are completed, a Request For Proposals would be initiated to get pricing for actual dredging and reharvesting of corals," the report said.

Record year for Destination Saint Lawrence

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 08 December 2014 08 December 2014

On November 12th, the most successful international cruise season on the Saint Lawrence drew to a close with the departure of the Hamburg from the Port of Québec. Indeed, Destination Saint Lawrence this year welcomed over 261 000 cruise ship passengers and 94 000 crew members, an outstanding 20% jump over 2013. In total, 27 different ships made 348 stopovers in ports of call along the Saint Lawrence during the period from May to November 2014.

"Back in 2008, Destination Saint Lawrence welcomed 127 000 international cruise passengers, a volume which stands in stark contrast to the 2014 figure of more than double that number. Bookings in hand point to continued growth in 2015 and 2016, and we anticipate surpassing the half million mark by about 2020," underscored Tony Boemi, President of Cruise the Saint Lawrence and Vice President, Growth and Development with the Port of Montréal.

Since 2008, over $180 million has been invested to provide for the development of new ports of call and the institution of a targeted strategy with international cruise lines. As a result, Destination Saint Lawrence now includes nine (9) ports of call designed and poised to handle cruise ship traffic, namely Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Saguenay, Baie-Comeau, Sept-Îles, Havre Saint-Pierre, Gaspésie and Îles de la Madeleine.

The success of Destination Saint Lawrence will require ongoing investment in the years ahead if we are to be able to manage peak season traffic and ensure the provision of quality services. For example, on October 3rd of this year, the Port of Québec simultaneously welcomed 6 ships and over 20 000 passengers and crew into port on a single day. The greeting of such an important contingent of visitors required the implementation of a number of exceptional measures. Current port infrastructure development and greeting projects for both Montréal and Québec, our destination's primary ports of embarkation and disembarkation, are key to assuring that Destination Saint Lawrence keeps pace with anticipated growth.

International cruiseshipping on the Saint Lawrence generates economic benefits of some $285 million and sustains the creation of 2200 direct and indirect jobs. (BREA 2012)

PortMiami breaks another cruise passenger record with 4.8 million multi-day passengers in 2014

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 04 December 2014 04 December 2014

PortMiami, the Cruise Capital of the World, broke another world record processing approximately 4.8 million multi-day cruise passengers in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014.

FY 2014 CRUISE STATISTICS
–    Multi-day passengers: 4.77 Million
–    Daily passengers: 167,000
–    Total Cruise Brands: 13
–    Total ships: 32

In the 2014 cruise season MSC Cruises began sailing one of its newest ships, MSC Divina. Additionally, PortMiami welcomed Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Norwegian Getaway.

New for 2015 is the arrival of Norwegian Cruise Line’s 4,300 passenger new-build ship, the Norwegian Escape. The Escape will sail year-round from PortMiami beginning November 2015.

Many of PortMiami’s current cruise partners are also expanding their Miami fleets. Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Splendor recently started sailing year-round from Miami. AIDA Cruises is also adding three cruise ships to its line-up, AIDAmar, AIDAvita and the AIDAdiva. Additionally, Costa Cruises will introduce a second seasonal vessel to Miami, the Costa Mediterranea.

“Cruise passengers are essential to the continual growth and development of the tourism industry in Miami-Dade County,” said Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Cruise passengers contribute millions of dollars to our local economy annually including air travel, hotel nights, entertainment and shopping.”

“PortMiami offers passengers enticing vacations for every taste and budget,” said Port Director Juan M. Kuryla. “Additionally, our facilities are the most modern in the world. We want passengers to begin their vacation experience the minute they arrive to our Port. PortMiami’s #1 priority is our customer.”

For Fiscal Year 2015, PortMiami will service 34 ships and 15 different cruise brands, including: AIDA Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Resorts World Bimini, and Royal Caribbean International.