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Viking to offer ocean and river combination cruises in 2019

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 April 2018 04 April 2018

Viking has announced its 2019 Ocean & River Voyages, which provide guests the unique opportunity to explore Europe’s rivers on a Viking Longship before setting sail to Scandinavia on one of Viking’s ocean ships. Debuting in May 2019, the Grand European & Viking Fjords itinerary will sail Budapest to Bergen, combining Viking’s popular 15-day Grand European Tour cruise on the Rhine and Danube Rivers between Budapest and Amsterdam – with the 8-day Viking Shores & Fjords ocean itinerary, which sails the North Sea, between Amsterdam and Bergen. Viking will also offer additional departures in 2019 of the 15-day Rhine & Viking Shores & Fjords combination itinerary, which debuts in June 2018 and will sail between Basel and Bergen.

“Our guests are experienced travelers who appreciate immersive cultural experiences, while also exploring the world in comfort,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. “Only Viking can provide a destination-focused voyage that marries the river and sea into a single, unified journey. With one flight, our guests can experience both of our award-winning cruise products, making it even easier for them to explore the world.”

Ocean & River Voyages

Starting in June 2018, Viking’s first two combination cruises will set sail, allowing guests to explore even more throughout Europe with rich cultural experiences in each port of call. With the new Ocean & River Voyages, guests can experience sailing through the heart of Europe on an award-winning 190-guest Viking Longship, as well as sailing the high seas on one of Viking’s award-winning 930-guest ocean ships. Full details on the new 2019 Ocean & River Voyages can be found on Viking’s website here and highlights include:

– Grand European & Viking Fjords – (Budapest – Bergen; May 26, 2019; June 2, 2019) – This 22-day itinerary brings guests to six countries and 19 ports of call. From the riches of Budapest to the pristine shores of Norway, guests will sail the Danube River into Austria’s vineyard-laden Wachau Valley and pause to explore Germany’s historic castles along the Rhine River. In Amsterdam, guests will experience Holland’s famous windmills before boarding one of Viking’s 930-guest ocean ships and sailing north, calling on multiple ports in Norway, from cosmopolitan Stavanger to breathtakingly scenic Flåm. Finally, disembark in the historic fishing village of Bergen, home to the iconic, colorful 18th-century wooden row houses and the Bryggen wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This itinerary is also available in the reverse direction. Inclusive pricing starts at $8,748 per person.

– Rhine & Viking Shores & Fjords – (Basel – Bergen; June 30, 2018; June 2, 2019) – Guests will experience highlights of the Rhine River and discover Nordic wonders by sea on this 15-day itinerary, exploring six countries and 15 ports. From artistic Basel to Germany’s storied Black Forest and Cologne’s iconic Cathedral, guests will immerse themselves in the experience of each city and discover its rich culture first-hand. In Amsterdam, guests will be transferred directly to one of Viking’s 930-guest ocean ships and will continue their journey in the North Sea to Skagen, Denmark, before sailing through Norway’s dramatic fjords and disembarking in Bergen, a city with deep Viking roots. This itinerary is also available in the reverse direction. Inclusive pricing starts at $6,348 per person.

Billion Asians to reach middle class status by 2030, Genting Hong Kong says

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 April 2018 04 April 2018

Asia is the world’s largest and fastest growing outbound market, in particular Chinese outbound tourists. About a billion people in Asia will reach middle-class status by 2030 and they have the disposable income to travel and cruise, Genting Hong Kong, the listed cruise shipping and hotels griup, said in a statement.

“In addition to boarding from nearby homeports, Asians who are traveling to other regions such as Australia/New Zealand, Europe and the Americas will increasingly consider cruising as the more comfortable and convenient alternative to a land vacation,” the company said.

As compared with other nations such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy who have multiple global cruise brands, Genting Hong Kong’s premium market Dream Cruises band’s mission is to become “Asia’s Global Cruise Line”, offering not only cruises in Asia but in other global regions such as Australia, Europe and the United States. These global itineraries mean advanced bookings and payments as passengers have to book flights to travel to those destinations.

Genting Hong Kong’s Global class to capitalise on Asians’ early adoption of AI and biometrics

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 April 2018 04 April 2018

Genting Hong Kong, the listed parent of Dream Cruises, Star Cruises and Crystal Cruises, says the 204,000 gross ton Global class ships of its Dream Cruise brand will capitalise on Asians’ early adoption of IT.

“Whilst the ships are similar in size to the latest generation of ships of other cruise lines, the Global Class ships will incorporate Asia’s early adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and biometrics such as facial recognition &voice activation, robotics, and other digital advancements,” Genting Hong Kong said in its 2017 result release..

The ships will also feature the world’s first Cineplex and theme park with roller coaster, Asian and Western spa facilities, multiple authentic Asian dining experiences, including fast-casual food alternatives, and affordable shopping facilities in addition to luxury retail boutiques.

They are designed with spacious standard staterooms, which are larger than other cruise lines and can accommodate 2, 3 or 4 passengers with a king bed and king sofa bed. Split (two) bathrooms are convenient as two persons can be using them at the same time.

For Asians who usually travel with families, the ability to offer free fares for the third and fourth passengers in the same cabin during the low season will be a great competitive advantage and the ability to price full fares for four passengers during the peak season will significantly improve yields. In order to cater for the peak season, sufficient lifeboats are provided for a peak capacity of 9,500 passengers. 8 sets of escalators will connect public areas for efficient traffic flow.

Columbia Cruise Services signs management contract with One Ocean Expeditions

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 April 2018 03 April 2018

The Canadian expedition cruise vessel operator One Ocean Expeditions (OOE), a leading Arctic and Antarctic expedition expert, appointed Columbia Cruise Services (CCS) as Managers for their RCGS Resolute. As of October 2018, CCS will provide Full Management services on-board, signing responsible for the Deck, Engine and the Hotel Operations.

“We’ve done a great deal of homework in selecting a manager for the RCGS Resolute project. Ultimately, we settled on Columbia Cruise Services for their attention to detail and clear desire to be alongside with us every step of the way in trying to develop RCGS Resolute as a truly unique, high quality expedition cruise offering,” states One Ocean Expeditions Managing Director Andrew Prossin. “The merger of philosophy, and experience from both CCS and OOE is going to create something truly special – they’ve been equally determined as us to deliver on quality and integrity of our established brand,” Prossin continues.

The RCGS Resolute, named after the HMS Resolute, a British Royal Navy Arctic exploration vessel, as well as the Inuit town of Resolute in Canada’s Nunavut Territory, will arrive in Sydney, NS in October 2018 for its inaugural OOE polar voyage. The ship also carries the name of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS).

CCS is proud to work with OOE. Managing Director Olaf Groeger adds “OOE, being true expedition experts, deliver extraordinary experiences to their clients primarily in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. We are proud to have been trusted with the full management of this prestigious project and are very happy to be part of the OOE adventure.”

SkySea Cruise Line to operate final voyage on August 29, 2018

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 March 2018 31 March 2018

SkySea Cruise Line, the first smart contemporary cruise line specifically developed for the Chinese market, has announced the final voyage of the brand’s flagship SkySea Golden Era will take place August 29, 2018. The 4-night cruise will depart Shanghai and visit Fukuoka, Japan before returning to Shanghai on September 2, 2018.

By the time of her final cruise, SkySea Golden Era will have hosted nearly 500,000 guests on close to 300 cruises from the homeports of Shanghai, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Qingdao and Zhoushan while visiting over 30 destination ports in Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam.

SkySea Golden Era currently sails from Shanghai offering 4 and 5-night cruises to Japan and will re-position as planned to homeport in Xiamen from April 19th through May 23rd offering 4 and 5-night cruises to Japan and the Philippines. SkySea will officially begin her final season festivities when she repositions back to Shanghai offering 4 and 5-night sailings to Japan from May 27th through the final voyage of August 29th.

SkySea will commemorate its major contribution to the China cruise market by offering a final season of unique theme cruises, promotions and special onboard activities and entertainment to its guests.

On every voyage from May 27th through August 29th, SkySea will treat guests to a SkySea ‘Golden Memories’ champagne reception, special farewell dessert made by the ship’s Executive Chef, a commemorative gift for each guest, a coupon book with special offers for purchases made onboard and a 10% discount on the cruise ticket for any past passenger of SkySea Cruise Line who books through the cruise line’s call center or website.

SkySea has lined up exciting themes and entertainment including the very popular 3rd annual SkySea Voice competition and interactive performance of SAMAJAM@SkySea which will take place on every cruise. SkySea Forums covering health and wellness, acting, sports and wine tasting will be offered as well as performances by the most popular entertainers who have taken the stage onboard SkySea Golden Era for the past three years.

The SkySea Voice finale will be held on the August 25th cruise where the winners from all previous cruises in 2018 will gather together to perform and the Master of SkySea Golden Era will crown this year’s SkySea Voice champion and provide a cash prize to the winner.

Ken Muskat, CEO of SkySea Cruise Line, has said the brand has established itself in the competitive cruise market in a short time and is known for providing the best culinary experience, service, theme cruises and taking a leadership position for MICE business.

“We will have a legacy of being remembered as a major contributor to the increased awareness and growing consumer demand for cruising in the China market as well as helping evolve the way cruises are marketed and sold” said Muskat. “We have introduced cruising to hundreds of thousands of consumers who have never cruised before and they walked away with incredible satisfaction which is now helping build repeat business. We look forward to continuing to provide the service and experience that makes SkySea special for the balance of our sailings and encourage those who haven’t sailed with SkySea to take advantage of this opportunity.”