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CLIA holds 2016 Technical & Regulatory Forum

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 May 2016 10 May 2016

More than 100 delegates gathered in London to discuss a range of key regulatory and technical cruise industry topics, including public health, the environment, technology innovation and safety. Participants at CLIA’s Technical & Regulatory Forum included CLIA Cruise Line and Executive Partner Members, as well as international regulators, such as Ambassador Arsenio A. Dominguez, Marine Environment Protection Committee Chairman at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The Forum builds on the educational platform established over the past year and brings together leading industry experts to discuss technical and regulatory matters affecting the sector. Participants engaged and contributed to CLIA’s work with the IMO, the European Union and other regulators around the world, ensuring that cruise operations remain safe and sustainable as the cruise industry continues to grow.

Several sessions were organised throughout the day. Key takeaways include:

– Public health – Although its impact on cruise ships is marginal at best, with less than 20,000 of the 700 million cases that occur every year affecting cruise ships, delegates discussed the industry’s best practices and effective efforts to reduce the chance of norovirus outbreaks.
– Environmental protection – Participants discussed compliance to cruise ship international regulations, as well as solutions the industry is implementing to diminish its environmental footprint. The conversation focused on different environmental solutions and upcoming technologies, such as emissions reductions and on-board wastewater treatment.
– Safety – Representatives reinforced that safety is, and will remain, a priority. Cruise lines are constantly introducing new measures to improve safety of passengers and crew. Delegates discussed a range of initiatives and solutions to improve the safety of passengers, from swimming pools and man overboard detection to passenger safety at ports of call.

“CLIA’s Technical & Regulatory Forum has once again brought together key cruise industry representatives,” said Tom Strang, SVP Maritime Affairs, Carnival Corporation. “As cruising continues to grow faster than any other industry in the tourism sector, it is important for our cruise community to discuss these technical and regulatory topics which are fundamental to continued growth and success.”

This year’s programme was extended to include a dinner, in association with the Port of Kirkwall (Orkney Islands), at the Swan Restaurant at Shakespeare's Globe, following a cocktail reception for delegates.

Princess Cruises teams up with UK partners to enhance experience at ports

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 May 2016 10 May 2016

Princess cruises, which is part of the Carnival Corporation & plc group, said it had teamed up with partners in the UK to enhance guest experience in British ports. The move similar agreements with partners in the Baltic and Mediterranean regions.

“A new Princess Cruises destination initiative will see the cruise line and British ports and service providers work together to provide guests with the most meaningful, authentic and exclusive experiences ashore. The enterprising project combines Princess' destination expertise with local experts to deliver a ground-breaking collaboration,” the company said in a statement.

The worldwide Global Partners + Local Experts programme will launch this summer and will feature partnerships with Cruise Britain members including Liverpool, Kirkwall (Orkney), Southampton, Forth Ports and Intercruises. In addition, the programme includes some of CruiseBritain's industry partners from Cruise Scotland & Cruise Ireland.

The Global Partners+ Local Experts programme is the first of its kind in the industry, and looks to enrich guests' holiday experiences by connecting them with different cultures in unique ways.

A special feature of the programme is the filming of the individual partners sharing their thoughts, experiences and recommendations about the places they call home. In addition to the film project, the programme will include a number of other destination-based elements including local speakers; exclusive guest experiences in port; new tour programmes and tours; partner port guides and walking maps; new port welcome and departure experiences; and an insider's guide including "cool things" made in each port.

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises said: "While Princess has always been a destination leader, this is a powerful new way to showcase our expertise by enhancing the guest experience in each port both before and during the cruise. Through engaging stories from people who live there, exclusive guest experiences and expert recommendations, we want to inspire our guests and help them create lifelong memories."

Angie Redhead, Chair of CruiseBritain and Head of Operations in Liverpool, featured in her home city’s video and said "What greater promotion of any port or destination can there be than to tap directly into the pride and passion of the very people who live there and call it home, taking full advantage of the suggestions and creativity of those local experts who know their destination best. We're delighted that Princess have chosen British ports and destinations to be part of the launch of their innovative programme"

Carnival Valor undergoes extensive makeover

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 May 2016 10 May 2016

In preparation for its new year-round program of three- and four-day voyages from Port Canaveral kicking off later this year, Carnival Valor has undergone an extensive renovation that added a variety of popular dining and bar concepts, including Guy’s Burger Joint, RedFrog Pub, SkyBox Sports Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, BlueIguana Tequila Bar and Alchemy Bar.

The new spaces were added during a dry dock that began April 23 and ran through May 8, 2016.

“Carnival Valor offers a convenient and affordable choice from Port Canaveral, with a host of exciting new innovations as well as popular features like a reservations-only steakhouse and nearly 600 balcony staterooms – rare for a short cruise itinerary,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “We’re sure our guests are going to love all the new features and our travel agent partners will appreciate this exciting new cruise vacation option departing from the Space Coast,” she added.

Carnival Valor is one of four ships that sail from Port Canaveral which is also home to Carnival Magic and Carnival Victory offering year-round departures, as well as Carnival Sunshine operating seasonal sailings. Together, these four ships will carry more than 650,000 guests a year – more than any other cruise operator.

Meyer Turku returns to profit

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 May 2016 09 May 2016

After many years with difficulties, Meyer Turku Oy reports positive consolidated earnings under new Meyer ownership. The audited accounts for 2015 show a profit of €15.1 million on revenues of €593.6 million resulting in 2.5% return on revenue.

“We are very pleased to show some early signs of a turn around," comments CEO Jan Meyer and adds: “This result is very helpful and urgently needed to show our stakeholders that we can build ships in Turku in a sustainable manner and that we have the strength to engage in recruitments and in our sizeable investment program.”

Viking Ocean Cruises christens second ship in London

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 06 May 2016 06 May 2016

Less than one year ago, Viking Ocean Cruises launched its first ship, Viking Star, and marked the arrival of the travel industry’s first entirely new cruise line with newbuilds in a decade. Yesterday in London the company officially welcomed its second ship, Viking Sea, to its fleet during a celebration on the Thames River in Greenwich.

Though Viking’s ocean ships are classified as “small ships” by Cruise Critic, the 930-guest, 47,800-ton Viking Sea is the largest ship ever launched in London. After passing through the Thames Barrier this morning, the ship received a warm welcome by 28 able sea men, who manned the yardarms of the Cutty Sark – the iconic 19th Century British clipper ship – and saluted Viking Sea as she arrived in Greenwich.

“Today is a proud day for our Viking family. London is one of my favorite cities, and Greenwich is a significant port for Viking. We look forward to bringing more guests here this spring and in future years,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises. “Our ships are built for exploration; they are vessels that help our guests spend more time immersed in and surrounded by their destination. With the arrival of our second ship – and with four more sister ships on the way – we are focused on introducing travelers to the Viking way of destination-centered cruising, a unique style that was inspired by our success on the rivers.”

After arriving today in Greenwich, Viking Sea was positioned in the Thames River with decorated pontoons nearby to welcome guests for various shore excursions around the city. This evening onboard, as part of the ship’s christening – or naming – ceremony, guests were treated to a concert from Norwegian soprano Sissel and The Olav’s Choir. Guests also enjoyed a talk by Stein Olav Henrichsen, the director of Oslo’s Munch Museum – as part of the official launch of Viking’s exclusive new partnership with the museum that is designed to celebrate the life and artwork of Norway’s most famous artist, Edvard Munch, with daily “Munch Moments,” staged for guests each day in the ship’s Atrium.

During Viking Sea’s christening ceremony, Karine Hagen, Viking’s senior vice president and daughter of Torstein Hagen, served as ceremonial godmother and offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for Viking Sea – a naval tradition that dates back thousands of years. Widely recognized as the face of the brand in Viking’s television ads and online cultural enrichment videos (www.exploringmore.com), Karine is responsible for infusing the company’s itineraries with extraordinary experiences. She is also the author of the children’s books, “The World of Finse” (www.finse.me), an educational series that showcases the adventures of Karine’s yellow Labrador, Finse. The series is set largely along the global destinations and routes of Viking’s cruises, and the books are sold onboard Viking’s ships. As a response to guest requests, Finse also took part in today’s christening events.

Several elements of the christening ceremony paid homage to the company’s Norwegian heritage. Instead of champagne for the traditional bottle-breaking, Viking Sea was christened with a bottle of Gammel Opland aquavit, which hails from the same town in Norway where Torstein’s mother and Karine’s grandmother, Ragnhild – also lovingly known as “Mamsen” – was born. “Mamsen’s,” the Norwegian deli onboard Viking Sea, was also named after Ragnhild, and Gammel Opland was her favorite brand of aquavit. Additionally, in honor of the original Vikings who once explored the British Isles, a Viking battle axe was used to cut the cord for the aquavit christening. The particular broad axe used is a replica of an 11th-century Viking axe discovered in the 1920s when it was dredged from the bottom of the Thames River near the London Bridge. Following the christening and a fireworks show held in the middle of the Thames River, Viking Sea will set sail tomorrow for Bergen, and from there she will continue on to Oslo, Copenhagen, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm on the popular 15-day Viking Homelands itinerary.

Viking Sea’s christening was the culmination of a maiden voyage that began April 3 when the ship set sail in the Mediterranean. Over the last month, she made stops in what will be regular ports, including Athens, Santorini, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Venice, Rome and Barcelona. Viking Sea will spend the summer sailing itineraries in Scandinavia and the Baltic; she will call on Greenwich again in June as part of Viking’s new Into the Midnight Sun itinerary that sails between London and Bergen and explores the northernmost reaches of Scandinavia and sails across the Arctic Circle.