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Carnival Cruise Line launches new brand campaign

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 January 2018 10 January 2018

Carnival Cruise Line and its newly appointed ad agency of record, Anomaly, are launching a new brand campaign called “Choose Fun.”

After robust research on Carnival guests, Anomaly discovered that the Carnival brand, guests and crew all share the common belief that fun is a choice and whether on board or ashore, those vacationing with Carnival choose to be their truest self, embrace positivity and have fun with others.

With guests possessing their own definitions of fun, and Carnival offering an array of onboard attractions and experiences, Anomaly, created a campaign to connect the same activities that vacationers enjoy on land with those offered on board on a one-to-one personalized level. Driven by these consumer insights, Choose Fun is designed to attract those who have never cruised, but share the same values and passions.

“As America’s Cruise Line, Carnival has always delivered on our brand promise of fun, memorable vacations at a great value,” said Carnival’s President Christine Duffy. “This new campaign promises to be an irresistible invitation for prospects to rethink their beliefs about cruising and consider Carnival as their next vacation.”

The Choose Fun campaign launches with two distinctly different sets of advertising. First, longer-length testimonials depict first-time cruisers who were initially reluctant to set sail but were liberated on a Carnival cruise, making the vacation more fun and memorable for everyone. These testimonials are viewed in unexpected situations such as sliding down a water slide, posing for photos and even conversing with family members under water. The three testimonials include: “Excursions”, “Stacy Tracy” and “Insta-worthy”.

Additionally, six-second video snippets will be customized to match content on various websites and viewer preferences delivering the ultimate one-to-one marketing. Each pod showcases a fun activity aboard a Carnival ship including biking in the sky on SkyRide, getting a massage at the Cloud 9 Spa, performing at Lip Sync Battle, enjoying the Punchliner Comedy Club and feasting on burgers by Food Network star and Carnival partner Guy Fieri as well as fun activities ashore.

Added Carnival’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kathy Mayor, “We believe Choose Fun is a bumper sticker Carnival guests would proudly identify with – a rallying cry that inspires those who have never cruised to give it a try. After all, when given a choice between more fun or less fun, who wouldn’t choose more fun?”

Choose Fun will come to life in digital display, paid social and modular online videos on platforms such as Amazon Video, Hulu, Roku and Vevo. The new advertising will also air on television in the Atlanta, Houston Dallas and LA markets during high profile events like the GRAMMY’s Red Carpet and NFL Playoff Games.

In these key regional markets, large and disruptive out of home placements will also showcase Carnival’s signature bold visual identity and uncommon text-only communications to break through the sea of sameness in the category.
"We couldn't be prouder of this work and new partnership,” said Franke Rodriguez, Partner and CEO of Anomaly. “With Choose Fun, Carnival is poised to disrupt the cruise category, launch an innovative go-to-market model, and connect with a new wave of cruisers who share the values of this amazing brand."

First steel cut for Lindblad's new polar vessel

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 January 2018 10 January 2018

Lindblad Expeditons and Ulstein Verft celebrated a milestone of the first polar new build in the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic fleet with the steel cutting on January 5, 2018 in Ulsteinvik, Norway. The ceremony marked the production start for the expedition ship, which is scheduled for delivery in 2020.

The steel cutting ceremony was supervised by Janusz Stechly at DNV-GL and yard representatives Ole Osnes Gjerde and Marek Lewczuk.

The state-of-the-art polar vessel is designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions as the ultimate expedition platform with a focus on safety and comfort. A core feature is the patented X-BOW, that provides fuel efficiency while significantly improving guest comfort in rough seas; and a very high ice class for access deep into polar regions. The ship’s expanded fuel and water tanks provide for extended operations in remote areas; while the zero-speed stabilizers will ensure stability underway, whether at zero speed when stopped for wildlife observation, or embarking/disembarking the ship.

Azamara Pursuit to have refit in Belfast, begin maiden voyage from Southampton

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 08 January 2018 08 January 2018

Boutique cruise line Azamara Club Cruises announced today that its new ship, Azamara Pursuit, will undergo its transformation to be almost identical to sister ships Azamara Quest and Azamara Journey. Azamara Pursuit will be refitted in the U.K. as it prepares to go into wet dock in Belfast in Spring 2018. The ship’s maiden voyage will begin in Southampton, England in August and visit eight destinations throughout Norway as part of its Destination Immersion country-intensive series.

“We’re delighted to announce that the Azamara Pursuit’s first several voyages will depart from one of our largest growth markets,” said Azamara Club Cruises CEO Larry Pimentel. “We’ve seen double the UK demand for Azamara Pursuit than we usually see for its sister ships, so this is a really exciting time for us as a brand.”

The refit will take place at the iconic Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland and be completed by one of the world’s top outfitting specialist MJM Group. Work will begin in Spring 2018 and will be completed by the end of July.

The maiden voyage will depart Southampton on August 1, 2018 and travel to eight Norwegian destinations, including Kristiansand, Flam and Haugesund, with overnight stays in Oslo and Bergen. Azamara Pursuit’s sister ship, Azamara Journey, will also be dock in Haugesund on the same day, marking their first meeting. Azamara Pursuit will then depart Southampton for an Iceland-intensive voyage on 13 August 2018, before a special christening voyage on 28 August 2018. The ship will then depart Southampton once more on 30 August 2018 for its 13 Night Wine & Romance Voyage.

Rauma Marine Construction’s first new building launched

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 06 January 2018 06 January 2018

Finnish shipbuilding company, Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC), launched yesterday its first newbuilding order; a car and passenger ferry for Danish shipping company, Molslinjen. The 158-meter ferry was launched from the Rauma shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in June 2018.

“This is the launch of RMC’s first newbuilding order, and a significant milestone in our company’s history,” stated Jyrki Heinimaa, CEO, Rauma Marine Constructions.

The exterior of the ferry has already been completed. After the launch, the ship will be relocated to a dry-dock for equipment assembly and interior work, followed by trial runs and commissioning. The ship will be delivered to Molslinjen by the end of June 2018.

The car and passenger ferry will start operating during autumn 2018. The ship will mostly operate in Denmark and has been designed for use mainly on the Køge (Sjælland) – Rønne (Bornholm) route. However, during summer, it will also operate between Rønne and Sassnitz, Germany.

The ship’s passenger capacity is over 700 people, and it will be able to accommodate around 90 freight trailers. Though the cargo will mainly consist of trucks, the ship can also transport hundreds of passenger cars, if needed.

The ship will be built entirely in Rauma and will have a positive impact on employment totaling around 1,000 person-years. During the spring, there will be approximately 300 employees working on the ship’s equipment outfitting. Rauma Marine Constructions is very satisfied with how the project has progressed.

“Production has been excellent throughout: the ship will be delivered according to schedule and cooperation with Molslinjen has been impeccable,” concludes Timo Kaskinen, VP, Projects, Rauma Marine Construction.

Viking Cruises makes an inaugural call in Los Angeles, names sixth newbuild as Viking Jupiter

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 January 2018 05 January 2018

Viking welcomed yesterday its fourth and newest ocean ship, Viking Sun to Los Angeles, which is also the home of the company's U.S. headquarters. The ship is currently sailing Viking's sold-out 141-day World Cruise from Miami to London, and Los Angeles is Viking's first U.S. West Coast port of call in the company's 20-year history. Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen greeted guests on Viking Sun, and during a press conference onboard unveiled a new multi-channel brand advertising campaign titled, "Did You Know?"

"We have always been a travel company that focuses on exploration and cultural immersion," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking. "In the last two decades we have led the industry in river cruising, and as we become the leading small ship ocean cruise line we have an opportunity to introduce many new travelers to the Viking way of exploration. Our new 'Did You Know?' campaign is aimed at inspiring people who may not yet know what makes us so different in the industry, why we are the most award-winning cruise line and how we can provide more included value than any other cruise company."

Timed with the cruise industry's "Wave Season" in January, the launch of Viking's new "Did You Know?" campaign will feature new creative advertisements that will appear across all marketing channels, including TV, print and digital. Aimed at travel agents and the company's target audience of experienced travelers 55 and older, the campaign highlights Viking's industry differentiators, including its inclusive value with a shore excursion included in every port, as well as what Viking is not – no formal nights, no kids and no casinos. The campaign will also share Viking's award-winning history, such as being named the #1 Ocean Cruise Line in Travel + Leisure's 2016 and 2017 World's Best Awards and the #1 River Cruise Line in Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards.

At the press conference, Hagen also announced that the company's sixth ship will be named Viking Jupiter. Scheduled to launch in February 2019, the 930-guest sister ship will sail Viking's most popular itineraries in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, as well as two new itineraries in South America – Southern Atlantic Crossing (22 days; Barcelona – Buenos Aires) and South America & the Chilean Fjords (18 days; Buenos Aires – Santiago).

Viking Sun World Cruise

On December 15, Viking celebrated the kickoff of its inaugural World Cruise onboard Viking Sun in Miami. From Los Angeles, Viking Sun will continue to sail for 120 days, visiting destinations in the South Pacific, Australia and Asia – and will be officially christened in Shanghai on March 8, 2018. When the ship arrives in London on May 5, she will have visited five continents, 35 countries and 64 ports during her first World Cruise. Viking Sun will continue to sail the globe during the 2019 World Cruise, a 128-day itinerary from Miami to London.