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Carnival Corporation’s brands lead cruise industry with sailings to Panama Canal

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 13 June 2019 13 June 2019

Carnival Corporation & plc has established its position as the leader in Panama Canal cruises, with more ships sailing to and through one of the world’s greatest marvels than any other cruise provider. Six of Carnival Corporation’s global cruise line brands will sail partially or completely through the Panama Canal during its upcoming peak season, which will run from fall 2019 through spring 2020. This will be the third full cruise season since the Canal’s historic 2016 expansion.

Collectively, Carnival Corporation’s brands visiting the region – Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises and Seabourn – have 26 ships currently scheduled to enter the expanded locks connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, representing roughly one-quarter of the corporation’s global fleet. Just in the upcoming Panama Canal cruise season, Carnival Corporation has over 70 cruises planned to make partial or full visits.

“Cruising is all about providing our guests with extraordinary experiences at an exceptional value, and since our cruise vacations to the spectacular Panama Canal are considered the best way to appreciate such a stunning engineering phenomenon, it is no surprise we continue to earn rave reviews from our guests,” said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation. “We are proud to offer travelers so many options for visiting the Canal, one of the world's fastest growing tourist destinations."

Carnival Corporation and its brands have a rich history in the Panama Canal. The corporation’s Princess Cruises brand, the fastest growing international premium cruise line, was the first cruise line to take guests through the Panama Canal in 1967. Fifty years later, the brand marked another major milestone with the first large cruise ship, Caribbean Princess, to traverse the newly expanded “Neo-Panamax” Locks.

Carnival Corporation brands offer the largest selection of Panama Canal sailings with various lengths ranging from eight to 112 days, departing from more than a dozen ports throughout the U.S., Canada, South America and Europe, including Los Angeles; New York; Miami; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Rio de Janeiro; Southampton (England); Vancouver and more.

Carnival Cruise Line continues to expand its itinerary offerings with longer length Carnival Journeys cruises visiting some of the world’s most beautiful destinations. Carnival Journeys offer unique local culinary and entertainment experiences, as well as special activities, including photography, cooking, arts and crafts, and celestial navigation on the brand’s Panama Canal transits.

Following an extensive $200 million renovation that added a variety of dining and entertainment innovations as well as stateroom upgrades, Carnival Sunrise’s inaugural season from New York includes a 14-day Carnival Journeys Panama Canal cruise, highlighted by a partial transit of the canal along with local culinary and entertainment experiences and unique shipboard activities.

Carnival Cruise Line offers full and partial transits of the Panama Canal, departing from nine ports around the U.S., including Los Angeles; San Diego; Galveston, Texas; New Orleans; Mobile, Ala.; Tampa, Fla.; Miami; Baltimore; and New York. Each itinerary includes calls on a variety of ports, providing guests with unforgettable opportunities to take in architecture, landmarks and attractions, as well as shopping, dining and cultural experiences.

Carnival Corporation’s Cunard brand recently unveiled its Oceans of Discovery voyage program for November 2020 through May 2021, featuring Queen Victoria’s World Voyage – a westbound circumnavigation through the Panama Canal in 2021, which can be taken as a roundtrip from Hamburg or London, or a one-way voyage starting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Full World Voyage will feature scenic cruising through the Panama Canal, as well as calls to 34 ports in 24 countries, including overnight stays in San Francisco, Honolulu, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore and Cape Town.

Guests who cannot wait to sail through the Panama Canal on the iconic brand can set out this summer on a 19-night voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth, departing Los Angeles on July 5. The itinerary features ports of call in Mexico and the Caribbean before visiting Fort Lauderdale, and then arriving in New York.

Anticipating another robust Panama Canal season, Holland America Line is looking to build on the success of its previous season when the brand carried 40,500 guests through the Panama Canal. Seven ships and 32 cruise voyages are set to welcome another record-breaking season, with full transits ranging from 14 to 23 days and 10- or 11-day partial explorations. Each cruise provides more ways for guests to experience the Panama Canal.

Throughout the cruises, EXC programming brings the Panama Canal region’s local traditions, culinary tastes and cultural experiences to life onboard. Guests who want to learn more about the region can attend an EXC Talk or head to an EXC Port to Table cooking demonstration or wine pairing event. The Dining Room and Lido Market also will showcase the flavors of the region. During the transit, a local expert is on board providing commentary on the history and building of the Canal. Exclusive culinary-themed Shore EXCursions in partnership with FOOD & WINE magazine showcase the regions' food scenes from a local perspective.

P&O Cruises (UK) offers a 99-night world tour in January 2020 that includes a Panama Canal complete transit aboard Arcadia, one of its adults-only ships, as it takes guests to 26 destinations in the Caribbean, Central America, Hawaii, South Pacific, Southeast Asia and Australia before returning to Southampton in April 2020.

Princess Cruises carries more guests across this engineering marvel than any other cruise line. This year the line offers three ways to experience the Panama Canal – roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, roundtrip from Los Angeles, or full transit options that sail between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles or San Francisco and Vancouver. The 2019-20 lineup – the cruise line’s largest deployment ever to the Panama Canal – features five ships, with 10- to 21-day options, also visiting culturally rich ports in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America.

Each Princess Cruises transit of the Panama Canal includes live narration from the bridge offering a glimpse into the history and insight that went into its engineering feat, as well as a day of scenic cruising through Gatun Lake. Beyond the Canal, guests can enjoy the diverse cultures of Central and South America, the rainforests and wildlife of Panama and Costa Rica, and some of the top-rated beaches of the Caribbean.

For the upcoming 2020-21 season, five Princess Cruises ships will sail the waters of the Panama Canal, with 28 departures and nine unique itineraries. New for this season, two 15-day ocean-to-ocean voyages are offered sailing between Fort Lauderdale and the new homeport of San Diego, and Crown Princess sails on 10-day cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, bringing the Princess MedallionClass vacation experience to the region.

In July, Crown Princess will have the Medallion Class experience and in 2020 the experience will expand to Emerald Princess (August 2020) and Coral Princess (October 2020), enabling three MedallionClass ship to sail in the Panama Canal next year. Powered by OceanMedallion, the most advanced wearable device in the global hospitality industry, MedallionClass ships deliver a hassle-free, personalized vacation that gives guests more time to enjoy their precious vacation time. It also features MedallionNet, the best Wi-Fi at sea offering fast, affordable, reliable and unlimited internet service to stream shows, post photos and video chat.

Carnival Corporation’s ultra-luxury Seabourn brand offers two sailings through the Panama Canal for the 2019-20 season. Seabourn Sojourn’s October itinerary departs Los Angeles and calls in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Jamaica, before concluding in Miami, all centered around the daylight transit of the Panama Canal.

Additionally, during fall 2019, Seabourn Quest offers a 22-day voyage of the Panama Canal and Inca Coast from Miami to Santiago, Chile – sailing south along the western side of South American ports with overnight stays in Manta (Quito), Ecuador and Callao (Lima), Peru.

Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum sets new attendance records  as East Med takes centre stage in global cruise itineraries

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 12 June 2019 12 June 2019

More than 830 participants from 21 countries and 35 exhibitors from every facet of sea tourism framed the 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, setting new attendance records for the biennial Athens Confex event that is fast becoming the bellwether for the state of the cruise and yachting sectors in the East Med and Black sea regions.

The Greek Ministers for Maritime Affairs and Tourism, officials from major port destination authorities, senior decision-makers from the world’s biggest cruise lines and representatives of marina and yacht owners associations shaped the forum’s agenda which comprised 20 hours of lively panel debates and informative presentations on the stage of Domotel Kastri Conference Centre, in Athens’ historical suburb.

“We are delighted with the positive response the Forum has received since making its debut in the international sea tourism agenda in 2011, and we are confident that it will continue to steer developments in the sector for years to come,” said Theodore Vokos, Managing Director, Posidonia Exhibitions S.A., the event’s organiser.

Delegates, panelists and key note speakers agree that the agenda-setting event has much to offer to sea tourism stakeholders with commercial interests harboured in East Med and the wider region.

Paul Britton, Manager, Marine Operations, Ports and Itinerary Planning, Disney Cruise Line, said: “It was my first time at the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, and it was great to meet and exchange views with old and new colleagues in a relaxed, quite intimate and very professionally run event. I look forward to attending again in the future.”

At the Forum, Britton announced the return of Disney Cruise Line to Greece this summer with port calls in Piraeus, Santorini, Mykonos and Katakolo and 12-night itineraries connecting marquee Aegean ports with Venice and the Adriatic.

Another company strengthening its presence in the region is MSC adding a fifth ship in East Med increasing its available capacity by 26.4%. Another ship will be deployed by MSC in 2020 to fuel capacity by a further 25%.

On the side lines of the 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, Angelo Capurro, Executive Director, MSC Cruises S.A., said: “As we are always looking for alternative solutions for embarkation in the Eastern Mediterranean, it was great to meet key players of the industry and the region in the Forum and examine possibilities of new collaborations and opportunities. We are looking at the overall plans of MSC around the world until 2026, also in the number of ships that will come, so for us it is important to understand
if there is a possibility to have embarkation or use partner-embarkation in this part of the East Med.”

The extra capacity by Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and other cruise lines will boost the number of Greece’s cruise passengers this season by 7%, according to the Greek Minister of Tourism, Thanasis Theocharopoulos, who opened the second day of the Forum, where he pledged the government’s aim to make Greece’s ports more attractive to cruise operators from an infrastructure point of view.

The Greek government’s stated commitment to the sector received positive reaction from international cruise industry players attending the 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum.

Claire Levitt, Destination Experience Deputy Manager, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “I am pleased to see that Greece, and the East Med in general, is so passionate about encouraging cruise calls to the region; and willing to take on board the feedback from cruise lines in how this can be achieved. As ever, these events are so important for networking and making contacts, in order to be able to work together to make our itineraries attractive to guests – not only generating future cruise calls, but also hopefully encouraging an increase in land-based holidays.”

Representing Royal Caribbean’s Technical Procurement department, Carla Douaihi, Global Procurement Manager, Royal Caribbean Cruises said: “We had the opportunity to work with the attendees to better explain the requirements to engage in business with us and provide recommendations to potential suppliers on developing their business with us. It was especially interesting to learn about well-established fabrics that are producing quality products that we could source through directly. I will go back home with an interest of potentially growing our business with the Greek manufacturers, and taking advantage of their direct business in its strategic location.”

The 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum was organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy and was supported by the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, CLIA Europe, the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports (MEDCRUISE), the Hellenic Professional Yacht Owners Association, the Greek Marinas Association, the Association of Passenger Shipping Companies, the Union of Cruise Ship Owners & Associated Members, the Federation of Hellenic Associations of Tourist and Travel Agencies (fedHATTA). Gold Sponsor was the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Silver sponsors were the Piraeus Port Authority, HEMEXPO and the Thessaloniki Port Authority, Bronze Sponsors were Air France – KLM, Aktina Travel Group, Celestyal Cruises, Global Ports Holding and Intercruises Shoreside and Port Services and Supporters were the Athens International Airport and FBIS Security.

Lisa Bauer named President and CEO Of Starboard Cruise Services

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 June 2019 10 June 2019

Starboard Cruise Services, the premier retailer at sea, has shared President and Chief Executive Officer. Respected travel and cruise industry veteran Lisa Bauer officially assumes the leadership post today.

Earlier today, Toni Belloni, Group Managing Director of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, formally announced the appointment of Bauer. She will be based out of Starboard’s Miami headquarters and report to Belloni, who is based in the LVMH Paris headquarters.

In her leadership role, Bauer will oversee all operations for Starboard and sister company Onboard Media, an integrated media company, comprising 2,500 employees working both on land and on board the ships of the companies’ eight partner cruise lines. Both Starboard and Onboard are part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury provider.

“Lisa’s career has been rooted in the travel industry. She has a passion for driving the customer experience through innovation. She is an accomplished leader, who possesses an enviable record in the Airline, Hotel, Cruise Line and Leisure Travel Industries. Her international experience will greatly benefit Starboard’s future potential,” commented Toni Belloni.

Most recently, Bauer held the position of Vice President of Onboard Experience at Delta Airlines, responsible for creating the strategy to elevate the carrier’s onboard customer experience and improve its competitive advantage on the global stage. Prior to joining Delta, Bauer was Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Chief Operating Officer for International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE), a global travel and leisure company with a worldwide network of innovative travel alliances.

Before joining ICE, Bauer had a long and successful career with Royal Caribbean International. She served as Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, overseeing worldwide marketing and revenue management as well the company’s tri-branded sales and marketing offices and international representatives. In this capacity, she played a key role in the company’s Asia growth strategy and regional team development.

Other positions held by Bauer at Royal Caribbean included Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations, responsible for hotel services, food & beverage, onboard revenue, and entertainment, as well as Senior Vice President of Sales, directing North American sales activities.

“I’m honored to be assuming the leadership role for Starboard and Onboard Media during this innovative time in both cruise and in retail,” Bauer said. “Returning to the industry where I’ve spent the majority of my career and applying my focus for exceptional guest experience is a thrilling proposition. Our customers are celebrating life’s special moments and we have the chance to provide the ultimate memory of their dream vacation. I’m eager to reconnect with our cruise line customers and excited to meet with our global teams who delight thousands of guests every day through The Starboard Way.”

Throughout her career, Ms. Bauer has been involved in many charitable causes. She served nine years with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, including one year as Board Chair. Among numerous honors received, she was named one of the most powerful women in travel by Travel Agent Magazine.

Spectrum of the Seas to overnight in Tokyo for special sailings in summer 2020

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 June 2019 10 June 2019

Spectrum of the Seas will raise the bar in the Asian cruise market as the revolutionary ship plans new overnight stays in Tokyo, Japan in summer 2020. Built to deliver great vacation experiences, the first Quantum Ultra Class ship boasts the cruise line’s first private enclave for suite guests, innovative dining concepts, and stunning features and adventures – many of which have never before been seen at sea.

In summer 2020, Spectrum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas will each sail two special cruises into Tokyo’s brand-new cruise terminal, Shinkyaku Pier, offering guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience to take in the city’s vibrant energy as it comes alive during this exciting time. Spectrum will depart on July 25 and August 2 from Shanghai, China to Tokyo, and Voyager will offer itineraries beginning July 26 out of Hong Kong and August 2 from Tokyo, each staying overnight. Adding to the excitement, Quantum of the Seas will begin sailing from Singapore in 2019, and with both Spectrum and Quantum sailing from Singapore this year, this marks the start of Royal Caribbean’s Double Quantum Year in the region.

“Our ships are designed and created to deliver unforgettable vacation experiences to our guests, and we are proud to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience in Tokyo next summer,” said Bert Hernandez, President, Royal Caribbean China.

Norwegian Getaway completes first sailing after extensive renovation

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 June 2019 09 June 2019

Norwegian Cruise Line celebrates the completion of Norwegian Getaway’s first sailing after the ship’s extensive refurbishment as part of The Norwegian Edge program, reaffirming the company’s commitment to elevating the standard of excellence across the fleet.

Following a two-week dry dock in Brest, France in late May, Norwegian Getaway returned to Copenhagen, Denmark after completing her first sailing showcasing new venues and artwork, updated social spaces and refreshed accommodations and décor. The renovations were completed just in time for a summer of Scandinavia, Russia and Baltic cruising.

“Norwegian Getaway is the youngest ship in our fleet to cruise Europe this season,” said Andy Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “We are proud to showcase her and the new experience she delivers to guests exploring the region this summer. A season of European sailing immediately following her multi-million-dollar renovation showcases our commitment to the market, where our brand has been honored as “Europe’s Leading Cruise Line” by the World Travel Awards for the 11th consecutive year.”

New outlets aboard Norwegian Getaway include the company’s first on-board, full-service Starbucks® licensed store available in the European market, and the popular rock ‘n’ roll-themed entertainment venue, Syd Norman’s Pour House. Debuting on Norwegian Breakaway in 2018, Syd Norman’s Pour House is inspired by the greatest rock clubs and features rock-themed events, cocktails, movies and live tribute bands performing hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

In addition, as part of the revitalization, nearly 800 pieces of art were incorporated aboard the ship, and over 20 percent of those works of art are original pieces. Notable works include an original installment by sculptor Eric Levy, whose work is also featured on Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Escape. The piece is displayed prominently in the ship’s atrium. A striking original work by renowned Barcelona artist and Norwegian Encore Hull Artist, Eduardo Arranz-Bravo, is also featured in The Haven by Norwegian, the company’s ship-within-a-ship concept.

Norwegian Getaway will complete her Scandinavia, Russia and Baltic cruising in late October 2019. She will then return to North America to homeport for the first time in New Orleans for a winter and spring of Western Caribbean cruising in November 2019 with routine calls to Norwegian’s premier island destination in Belize, Harvest Caye. In 2020, Norwegian Getaway will return to Europe to sail the Mediterranean for the first time while homeporting in Rome (Civitavecchia) for a summer of cruising Italy and the Greek Isles.