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Silversea Cruises to call at Honduran Banana Coast in 2014

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 29 November 2012 29 November 2012

Silversea Cruises, the luxury cruise brand, says it is the first cruise line to sign on to call at Banana Coast, the newest western Caribbean cruise destination at Trujillo, Honduras. The 296-passenger Silver Cloud is scheduled to call Dec. 17, 2014.

Silversea has been recognized by leading consumer and trade publications as defining the ultra-luxury cruise experience. In the United States Silversea was voted "World's Best" by readers of Condé Nast Traveler nine times and Travel & Leisure seven times, and was awarded "Best Cruise Line for Luxury Small Ships" by Luxury Travel Advisor in 2011.

"We are pleased to have a high-end brand like Silversea Cruises be the first to commit to call at Banana Coast," said Michael Greve, president of Global Destinations Development, one of the companies partnering in the port project. "It's a testament to how we have carefully created a destination that is culturally and historically appealing to the most sophisticated travelers."

Greve said construction at Banana Coast, which began in August 2011, is now 80 percent complete, and the facility is expected to have a soft opening in January 2013. The port will be open to host ships throughout 2013 and beyond. "We have met with several other cruise lines and have hosted site inspections by cruise line executives," said Greve. "We expect that several lines soon will commit to adding Banana Coast to their itineraries."

Plans for Banana Coast Landing call for construction of a 50,000-square-foot shopping facility and transportation hub on 10 acres of beachfront land. Themed "Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea," the $20 million Banana Coast project currently employs 150 construction workers, engineers and architects. A future phase will see construction of a two-berth, post-Panamax pier.

In March 2012, the developers unveiled an ambitious and diverse shore excursion program designed to offer something for everyone, including cultural, soft-adventure and eco-tour offerings. The tours enable guests to explore the area from land, air and sea. In addition to the signature tour -- Campo del Mar Nature Park & Beach Break -- highlights include a VIP airplane ride to the Mayan ruins at Copan; a snorkeling adventure at a beautiful starfish bank, and kayaking in the pristine Guaimoreto Lagoon. Guests looking to stay on land have the chance to discover the port’s appeal through an exciting mountain ATV ride, a culinary tasting tour or a trolley ride through the colonial town of Trujillo.

Future plan phases include creation of the 100-acre Campo del Mar, which will incorporate an integrated heritage park, river park, wildlife park and nature park -- all easily accessible from Banana Coast Landing.

Gothenburg December cruise passenger count soars almost threefold

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 29 November 2012 29 November 2012

Five cruise ships are due to visit Gothenburg in December, the port said in a statement, adding that an increasing number of cruise tourists are coming the city to experience its Christmas atmosphere. This year, 6,000 people will be arriving compared with 2,240 last year.

"When we began working together in 2008, Gothenburg didn't have one single visit by a Christmas cruise ship. But with the intensification of our marketing of the port and the city, there has been a gradual increase in interest," says Jill Söderwall, Head of Cruise Operations at the Port of Gothenburg, referring to cooperation with Gothenburg & Co that promotes tourism to Sweden's second city.

The majority of Christmas cruise tourists are from the UK and Germany. They visit Christmas at Liseberg, they see the light show at Götaplatsen, they buy Christmas presents and they go on guided tours around the city. Christmas City Gothenburg is in fact ranked among the 10 best Christmas markets in Europe (according to the travel website Travelbites).

When the Christmas season is over, Gothenburg can look back on the best cruise year ever. A total of 70 vessels and 84,000 passengers visited the city. Last year, 52 vessels arrived, carrying 64,000 passengers.

"We had more calls this year than planned because of a pilot strike in Oslo but even without that we would have still broken the record," states Jill Söderwall.

Some 50 per cent of the guests are German, 23 per cent are British and 10 per cent are American. A trend in recent years is for travellers from farther afield to find their way to Gothenburg. This year, for example, the city was visited by 924 Mexicans, 930 Japanese and 1,047 Canadians.

50% increase in cruise passenger number at Valencia

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 28 November 2012 28 November 2012

The 2012 cruise season in the Spanish port of Valencia has come to a successful conclusion with a 50% increase in passenger throughput, according to ACCIONA Trasmediterránea, the cruise terminal manager at Valencia, Alan Lam reports.

Despite having received only 200 cruise calls this year against 206 calls last year, the company highlighted a net increase in passenger number by 170,000, on account of the fact that the ship capacities were much bigger.

In total, the terminal welcomed about 500,000 passengers during the 2012 season, with the third trimester attracting the highest number of passengers, registering over 200,000. In the final trimester, the company recorded 50 calls and 100,000 passengers.

On the last day of the season, 26 November 2012, three ships called at Valencia, namely Costa Fortuna, Albatros of Phoenix Reisen, and MSC Orchestra, bringing in 6,500 cruise passengers to the city.

Alan Lam

Tourisme Quebec to finance Cruise the Saint Lawrence

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 27 November 2012 27 November 2012

Pascal Bérubé, Minister responsible for Tourism and the Lower Saint Lawrence Region, have announced financial support in the amount of $475 000 for Cruise the Saint Lawrence (CSL) within the scope of the Tourism Development and Promotion Support Program.

"At this juncture, it is essential to consolidate and maximize returns from investments under the Strategy for the Sustainable Development and Promotion of International Cruiseshipping on the Saint Lawrence River by enhancing the quality of cruiseshipper experience at each of our ports of call. CSL plays a key role in a number of areas and has enjoyed remarkable success in soliciting and attracting ever increasing numbers of international cruise line companies to our shores. Hence my presence among you today to proudly confirm our contribution to Québec's nine ports of call," stated Minister Bérubé.

"This contribution will enable us to take the lead in terms of positioning the Destination Saint Lawrence brand and Québec-based river cruises with external markets. As a result, we will be poised to contribute actively to bringing the government's vision to fruition. We will further enjoy the wherewithal to mobilize companies across the regions concerned, including our major urban centres, to involve themselves in implementing a greeting policy designed to enhance the overall visitor experience in our international cruise ports from Montréal to Îles de la Madeleine!" added Priscilla Nemey, President of CSL.

With the season now ended, Minister Bérubé seized the occasion to underscore the highly impressive cruiseshipping traffic figures posted by Destination Saint Lawrence for 2012. In total, 230 000 cruiseshippers and 90 000 crew members visited our different ports of call. As a result of the return of Norwegian Cruise Line, Gaspé, Québec and Saguenay welcomed over 36 000 additional cruiseshippers into port, with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Brilliance of the Seas contributing a further 24 000.

Minister Bérubé also congratulated those ports of call which had been obligated to rise to unanticipated challenges wrought by stormy or inclement weather. "The choices made by cruise companies in instances of the like speak volumes about industry confidence in the quality and capacity of our new ports of call," added Minister Bérubé.

In closing, Ms Nemey of CSL presented a brief overview of the traffic outlook for 2013. Based on current data, cruiseshippers are expected in equivalent numbers at Québec's ports of call in 2013. Ms Nemey went on to underline the redeployment of the entire fleet of Holland America Line on the Saint Lawrence in 2013, which will translate into increased traffic in the months of July and August. Additionally, the Seabourn Sojourn, owned and operated by luxury cruise line Seabourn, plans to operate three cruises on the Saint Lawrence with embarkation/disembarkation operations based in Montréal. The ship will be stopping in at seven Saint Lawrence ports of call, namely Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Saguenay, Baie‑Comeau, Gaspé and Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Celebrity Solstice arrives at Singapore; Celebrity Millennium in wake

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 23 November 2012 23 November 2012

Celebrity Solstice has docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) today, the first stop in her maiden voyage to Asia. Following closely behind Celebrity Solstice will be Celebrity Millennium, which will home-port at MBCCS from 8 December 2012, using Singapore and MBCCS as its hub for its Asian voyages in the coming year.

Both ships are operated by Celebrity Cruises, part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL), which has chosen Singapore and MBCCS as the springboard to cruise destinations within the region.

This significantly underscores the cruise company’s confidence that Singapore and MBCCS have the resources and facilities to accommodate its cruise liners’ foray into Asia, and ultimately be the catalyst to grow the cruise industry within the region, MBCCS said in a statement.