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MSC Cruises turns former sand extraction site to MSC Ocean Cay Marine Reserve

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 January 2019 16 January 2019

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise shipping company said it is transforming a former industrial sand extraction site into a marine reserve and private island destination that will exist in harmony with the local ecosystem in the Caribbean.

“Ocean Cay has been designed to immerse guests in the natural beauty of their surroundings. The vision is to create a sustainable destination with activities that allow guests to connect with nature as well as providing opportunities to learn about the protection of the oceans and the importance of preserving coral reefs through dedicated edutainment programmes,” the company said in a statement.

Around the island lies 64 square miles of protected waters and a coral nursery is being established to encourage and sustain the growth of new coral. Plans are underway for a marine laboratory to be situated on Ocean Cay that will research climate change-resistant coral in hopes of providing insights to similar island habitats.

Gianni Onorato, CEO said in the statement: “Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve will bring something new and unique to our Caribbean itineraries from Miami and Havana and is set to become a truly memorable highlight for our guests. We have created a guest experience that complement the breath-taking natural beauty of this remarkable part of the Caribbean. There was no need for us to build extensively on an island that already had the ingredients of a natural paradise. However we have undertaken extensive work to clean-up the island, removing tons of historic industrial waste and helping to return the beaches and the entire 64 square miles of protected waters surrounding the island to their pristine state.”

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines enjoys strong start of the year

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 January 2019 16 January 2019

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the UK based destinational company, said it had enjoyed the best start of January in the history of the company, with sales exceeding one million pounds on three days in a single week.

Justin Stanton, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We are delighted that there is such high demand for our unique style of cruising. Customers are clearly recognising the value of our attractive ‘Cruise Sale’ offers, with almost everything included in the price.”

“With strong bookings for both 2019 and 2020, we are anticipating a very successful year for our smaller, friendlier ocean and river cruise ships,” she said in a statement.

Variety Cruises celebrates 50th anniversary

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 January 2019 10 January 2019

Variety Cruises, the UK based operator of cruises on small vessels, celebrates its 50^thanniversary this year and it has launched a programme to cover the period from the summer of this year to winter 2019-20.

The boutique operator has a fleet of eight yachts that will operate 15 different itineraries that cover 30 countries, the company said in a statement.

Its destinations include 27 UNESCO World Heritage sites and eight uninhabited islands. In all, the Variety Cruises’ programme covers 90 ports, of which 125 are exclusive to it.

The company said that 70% of its guests are newcomers and 30% repeaters to the brand.

Carnival Corporation’s OceanMedallion named IoT Wearables Innovation of the Year

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 January 2019 08 January 2019

Carnival Corporation & plc today announced its revolutionary OceanMedallion, the wearable device that powers the breakthrough guest experience platform behind MedallionClass vacations, has been awarded the 2019 IoT Wearables Innovation of the Year by IoT Breakthrough as part of the independent organization’s 2019 IoT Breakthrough Awards program.

The IoT Breakthrough Awards recognize innovative technologies and exemplary companies that are driving innovation in the internet of things (IoT) market around the world. This year’s program attracted more than 3,500 nominations globally in a range of IoT categories, including industrial and enterprise IoT, smart city, connected home and home automation, connected car and more. All award nominations were evaluated by an independent panel of IoT industry experts, with the highest scored nominee being named the winner in each category. Additional 2019 winners include Samsung Electronics, GE Appliances, Dell Technologies, Toshiba and Sony.

“Carnival Corporation is the first non-traditional technology company that we’ve recognized with one of our IoT Breakthrough Awards, and it’s well-deserved because of the significant innovation it has created,” said James Johnson, managing director at IoT Breakthrough. “We are thrilled to recognize Carnival Corporation with the 2019 IoTWearables Innovation of the Year award for the way the OceanMedallion is already transforming the vacation experience and the very high bar it has set for how IoT will be delivered to mainstream society in coming years.”

Originally unveiled by Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, at CES 2017, the MedallionTM device persistently connects a cruise guest’s unique digital identity with an intelligent shipboard Experience Internet of Things (xIoTTM) ecosystem to enhance guest-crew interactions and deliver a high level of personalized service on a large scale. The device enables all aspects of an elevated guest vacation including hassle-free payment, keyless and personalized stateroom access, frictionless embarkation, on-demand services and more.

The award is the third prestigious recognition Carnival Corporation’s patented IoT innovations have received in the past three months. In November, CES recognized the company as a CES 2019 Innovations Award Honoree for OceanMedallion. In December, the company received a 2018 Gold New York Design Award for Digital IoT for its Ocean guest experience platform.

"It’s an absolute honor to have OceanMedallion selected by IoT Breakthrough as the IoT Wearables Innovation of the Year and to have Carnival Corporation be considered among some of the most well-respected and game-changing companies in the world,” said John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation. “This is the third award in three months for our Ocean innovations, and while the accolades are gratifying, our greatest joy is seeing more than 99 percent of our guests adopting the Medallion technology to enhance their overall cruise experience, and the considerable excitement they have for the portfolio of new capabilities.”

OceanMedallion and the company’s xIoT guest experience platform currently are transforming vacations for guests sailing on Caribbean Princess and Regal Princess from Princess Cruises, the world’s largest international premium cruise line and one of Carnival Corporation’s nine cruise line brands. Guests are enjoying an extensive portfolio of OceanMedallion-enabled features, specifically designed to enhance the vacation experience, including:

– Keyless Stateroom Entry: Access to stateroom becomes a seamless experience where each guest is securely validated and the door automatically unlocks, with personalized greetings and loyalty level recognition on the welcome portal.
– OceanNow: Using smart devices, guests have the ability to place a food or drink order and have it delivered directly to them in food and beverage locations throughout the ship.
– MedallionPay: An easy-to-use payment experience, enabling crew members to focus on guest interactions.
– Ocean Casino: On smart devices and select portals, guests can wager real money on a portfolio of games, including slots, poker, bingo, roulette, keno and lottery from anywhere on board.
– OceanCompass: Leverages the Ocean Medallion to enable point-to-point wayfinding throughout the ship. Ocean Compass guides guests throughout their journey, providing directional information so they can seamlessly navigate to their next point of interest.
– JourneyView: On portals throughout the ship, guests can access a real-time look at their itinerary, along with events and activities taking place during their cruise.
– OceanView: Guests can stream more than 100 hours of award-winning Ocean Original travel content – which airs nationally on weekends on ABC and NBC – to their smart device anywhere on the ship at no cost.
– PlayOcean: On portals located shipwide, guests are able to play family games, including trivia, word jumble, a matching game and Ocean Treks Adventure – an interactive, shipwide digital scavenger hunt.

Goldstein resumes CLIA chair after Donald

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 January 2019 08 January 2019

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world’s largest cruise industry trade organisation, said it has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Adam M. Goldstein, vice chairman, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., as Global Chair, effective January 1, 2019. Goldstein succeeds Arnold Donald, President and CEO, Carnival Corporation & plc. who served as CLIA Global Chairman since January 2017.

“I’m honoured to take on this role for the second time and look forward to building on the great work that Arnold has accomplished during his time as Chair,” said Goldstein in a statement. “As the cruise industry continues to grow globally, it’s exceptionally important that we work together to ensure a positive experience for our guests and for the destinations we visit. I’m excited to collaborate with all of our constituencies to pursue this vision.”

Goldstein previously served as CLIA Global Chair in 2015 and 2016 and has remained on the CLIA Global Executive Committee for the past two years. In addition to his more than 30-year tenure with RCL, he most recently served as the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association Charmain, CLIA’s sister association.

“Adam is a proven leader and his experience is invaluable to the cruise industry. I welcome the opportunity to work alongside him as CLIA continues to advance the common interests of our community,” said Kelly Craighead, CLIA’s president & CEO. “As Adam returns as Chair, CLIA thanks Arnold Donald for his outstanding leadership over the past two years. Arnold’s focus on results empowered CLIA to be an ever-stronger organisation focused on adding value to our members and the industry. We look forward to his continued leadership on the Global Executive Committee.”