Chinese travel websites retail cruises at premium over lines’ own sites

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 13 October 2015 13 October 2015

Websites of Chinese travel companies retail cruises at a substantial premium over the websites of the lines themselves, said Robin Farley, cruise industry analyst at UBS in New York, adding that a wider distribution network could bring down the prices in the future.

“Looking at average price/day for sailings departing in 10 days or less on Quantum of the Seas, for example, Ctrip is garnering 60% plus premiums vs. RoyalCaribbean.com (sold directly by RCL),” she said in a research note.

“For another ship, e.g. Voyager of the Seas, Ctrip is garnering close to 22% premium vs. what RoyalCaribbean.com asks for the same sailing in terms of average cruise price/day,” Farley said.  

“So the margin made by some travel sellers in China seems quite outsized. And it is not direct sales from RCL (Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd) that will bring those margins down, as we don't expect China to have much direct business, but rather it may be likely to come from other Chinese OTAs selling cruises as well - in other words, a wider distribution network for the cruise lines.

Cruise tourism contributed US$ 3.1 billion in Caribbean and Latin America

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 13 October 2015 13 October 2015

Alan Lam reporting

At the 22nd annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Conference and Trade Show, held last week in Cozumel, Mexico, delegates were told that, during the 2014-15 season, cruise tourism contributed about US$3.1 billion in 35 destinations of Mexico, Caribbean, and Latin America.

The average spending per passenger rose by 8.25% to US$103.8. More than half of the transiting passengers disembarked, participated in excursions and purchased foods and drinks on land.

A study carried out by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) suggested that cruise passengers in 2014-15 spent 30% more on excursions, 20% more on souvenirs and 2% more on foods, as compared to the previous season.

Over 75% of the US$2.45 billion spent on land were on four major categories: US$ 877 million on watches & jewellries; US$551 million on excursions; US$238 million on clothing items; and US$189 million on foods & drinks.

St. Maarten, the third most visited destination, occupied the top position in terms of passenger and crew spending, reaching US$423 million, followed by the Bahamas at US$373 million and Cozumel at US$365 million.

The industry employed 75,050 people in the region and contributed 976 million dollars in salaries. Its other economic contributions included payments of taxes, port services and supplies, totalling US$400.8 million.

P&O Cruises partners with Wilkes Academy to ‘nurture new talent’

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 12 October 2015 12 October 2015

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in Carnival Corp & plc group, has joined forces with Jonathan Wilkes and Wilkes Academy in order to give opportunities and work experience on board ships to young performers. “P&O Cruises has also introduced a sponsorship programme for two Wilkes Academy students each year in order to nurture and inspire new talent.” The company said in a statement.

P&O Cruises head of entertainment, Paul Wright said: “I am very excited by this new partnership as it is imperative that we show today’s young talent the breadth of opportunities which are ahead of them. The theatres on our ships are state of the art with LED screens and automation which allow us to create contemporary world class shows and recruit the very best young talent. We employ over 200 performers and each one spends two months rehearsing in our Southampton studios before taking the shows on board.

“We hope that by sponsoring two students each year and giving them insight and experience both on shore and at sea we can also give them a springboard to their future. I am proud that we are investing in tomorrow’s theatrical stars in this way.” The first two Wilkes Academy students to benefit from the P&O Cruises sponsorship are 21 year old Joel Ekperisin and 16 year old Charlotte Payne, both from Swindon.

Joel began dancing at the age of 10 after moving to London from Nigeria. With street dancing his first passion he then joined Pineapple Studios and gained experience in commercials, pantomime and music videos. After a spell with dance crew Cerebro, he knew he wanted a long term career in dance and would benefit from the formal full time course offered at Wilkes. He now has daily training in ballet, tap and modern as well as commercial dance, singing and drama.

First year Wilkes student Charlotte Payne began dancing at the age of two at Swindon Academy of Dance. She twice represented team England in the dance world cup in Portugal and Romania and then worked with the BBC on dance show ‘GLEE CLUB’. Wilkes Academy principal Jonathan Wilkes said, “Cruise ships provide an unrivalled training ground for young talent. With a number of different shows each week they practice their range of disciplines and so become a true all rounder. This makes them so much more versatile, which can only aid their future career. The performances on P&O Cruises ships are worthy of the West End or Broadway and are supported by the most high tech staging and kit to produce truly spectacular shows. We are very fortunate to have this association.”

Princess Cruises premieres 'Magic to Do' from award-winning composer of Wicked Stephen Schwartz

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 11 October 2015 11 October 2015

Princess Cruises raised the curtain on a new musical revue titled Magic to Do, from the Oscar, Grammy and Tony award-winning composer of Wicked, Pippin and Godspell Stephen Schwartz. The show, a cruise industry first, premiered today aboard Crown Princess to rave reviews at a special event with Schwartz and the show’s creative team at the Port of Los Angeles.

Magic to Do, Schwartz’s first production for a cruise line, celebrates his lifelong fascination with magic and combines thrilling illusions with some of his most famous songs, such as Magic to Do from Pippin and Defying Gravity from Wicked. The show also includes a brand new song written exclusively for Princess called A Little Magic. Brought to life by a vibrant cast, imaginative costumes and make-up, stunning scenic designs and baffling illusions Magic to Do is now running in the Princess Theater aboard Crown Princess and debuts aboard Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess in late fall.

This new relationship with such a major creative talent from Broadway and Hollywood includes a multi-year collaboration to oversee the creative development of a total of four new musicals to debut across the fleet over the next several years. This adds to the cruise line’s “come back new” brand promise, designed to elevate the onboard guest experience resulting in more transformative moments, lifetime memories and meaningful stories to share from a cruise vacation.

“Working with Stephen and his creative team on this brand new show for Princess Cruises has been an incredible honor and such a collaborative effort with our entertainment team,” said Adrian Fischer, vice president, entertainment experience for Princess Cruises. “Magic to Do can only be seen on a Princess cruise and we’re thrilled to offer our guests this exclusive, musical, magical experience created by an award-winning team.”

During his 40-year entertainment career, Schwartz has won four Grammys, three Academy Awards for “Best Song” and “Best Score” for Pocahontas and “Best Song” for The Prince of Egypt and last year received the Isabelle Stevenson special Tony Award. He is the only songwriter in Broadway history ever to have three shows run more than 1,900 performances.

“Watching the vision of Magic to Do develop over the last several months into a unique theatrical experience has been both great fun and enormously gratifying for me. I’ve been waiting for a long time for a first-rate revue of my work, and I think this clever combination of my songs with virtually all the great magic illusions in history could finally be it,” said Stephen Schwartz. “My collaboration with the talented and highly professional team at Princess has achieved something I think is special and I hope guests join me in falling under its spell.”

Schwartz brought together a cadre of Broadway and Hollywood talent to support the production through direction and design, including:

– Don Frantz, associate producer of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast on Broadway, among many other Broadway and international accomplishments.
– Gabriel Barre, internationally acclaimed director whose credits include the national tour of Pippin and the current Broadway musical, Amazing Grace.
– Jeremy Railton, four-time Emmy winner whose extensive background in theatre, film, television and multi-media design includes the 2002 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies and the Academy Awards.
– Ken Billington, Tony award-winning lighting designer with nearly 100 Broadway show credits to his name, including Sweeney Todd and the current production of Chicago. He was recently inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
– Mark Hartman, award-winning music director with numerous Broadway credits including Sondheim on Sondheim, Avenue Q and the national tour of Pippin.
– Jennifer Paulson-Lee, choreographer with credits including Enter Laughing, the Musical, A Rockin’ Midsummer Night’s Dream, 101 Dalmatians and Seussical.
– Alex M. Calle, art director on Warner Brothers Theme UAE, Galaxy Entertainment Macau and award-winning Crane Dance project in Singapore.
– Dominique Lemieux, costume designer to Cirque du Soleil including Mystère, Alegría and A New Day with Celine Dion. She also designed the costumes for Pippin on Broadway.
– Danny Fiandaca, sound design, having worked on various tours and productions, including Come Fly Away (Broadway), Catch Me If You Can (First National Tour) and Lonesome Traveler (Los Angeles). He’s also been associated with Princess Cruises for more than 10 years.
– George Johnsen, media design and Grammy and Emmy award-winning developer of technologies for entertainment industry giants like Song and IBM, he also co-produced the hit sci-fi TV series Babylon 5.

In addition, Jim Steinmeyer, the mastermind behind many of the great magic illusions over the last 25 years, created the magic experience in Magic to Do. Steinmeyer has worked with some of the greatest magicians of all time including Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy and David Copperfield.

Theater Producer Jayson Raitt will be working closely with Schwartz and consulting on the creative development of the three additional shows.

Watch Magic to Do trailer here: