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Costa Cruises presents its Sustainability Report and Plan

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 October 2015 05 October 2015

Costa Cruises has presented its "Sustainability Report -- Results for 2014 and Outlook for the Future" and outlined its corporate social responsibility plan for the coming years.

Divided into three sections titled "SEA," "YOU" and "TOMORROW," the report highlights the main sustainability results achieved by the company. The final section, dealing with the plan, defines Costa's objectives and route for the future in terms of both the product and innovation, and the path to sustainable growth.

The report can be downloaded from the new "Sustainability" section of Costa Cruises' website at www.costacruise.com/sustainability.

"SEA": Costa Cruises is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of its operations. The line achieves that through a series of initiatives aimed at careful use of energy resources, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, and efficient waste management.

The main results in the environmental field obtained in 2014 were:
(year-over-year percentage reduction)
-9 percent decrease in fuel consumption per passenger/day
-3 percent reduction in the company's carbon footprint
-Emission reductions equal to -4 percent tons of sulphur dioxide, -7 percent tons of nitrous oxide and gases produced during fuel combustion processes
-9.7 percent reduction in energy consumption
-Installation of the exhaust gas cleaning system for abatement of emissions on seven ships in the fleet
-Replacement of existing light globes with lower-consumption LED lights on all the ships in the fleet: 450,000 globes were replaced, resulting in 80 percent energy savings
-100 percent of materials and products consumed on board collected and separated for disposal and recycling
-1.36 percent reduction in water consumption on the ships, 68 percent of which is produced directly on board by means of special desalination plants

"YOU": Costa works constantly to build solid relations with local organizations to create economic and, above all, social value. Indeed, the links with local communities go beyond simply taking many thousands of tourists to the finest destinations all over the world. The presence of the Italian company brings significant benefits to the local economy in each place visited, generating new opportunities for business and employment, both directly and through the development of allied industries.

To give an idea of the scale of this positive impact, Costa has over 8,800 suppliers on five continents and its ships sail to 261 ports of call located all over the world, with 21 new destinations added in 2014.

Specific examples include development and expansion of operations in the homeport of Savona, Italy, where Costa Cruises opened a second terminal building at the Palacrociere, and the partnership with the Municipality of Genoa promoting the city's UNESCO World Heritage–listed Palazzi dei Rolli (once used to provide accommodations to visiting dignitaries).

Costa's operations lead to the creation of jobs both indirectly and directly through the recruitment of company employees: in 2014 Costa Cruises provided work for 4,000 new shipboard hires in the 18- to 30-year-old age group employed under industry-specific contracts.

"TOMORROW": Costa's commitment for the future translates into the planning and implementation of highly innovative corporate social responsibility projects. In July, Costa Cruises announced it had placed orders for the construction of the first two cruise ships in the world to be powered by liquefied natural gas, the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel. The ships are due to enter service in 2019 and 2020.

That entails a substantial investment and ushers in a new era of sustainable fuels. Costa Cruises' pioneering decision to introduce these vessels is a prime example of the way the company initiates industry trends, while guaranteeing environmental compliance and protection.

Costa is committed to promoting a healthy and sustainable food experience for guests and crewmembers by fostering local culinary traditions and sourcing local ingredients, with a particular emphasis on Italian dishes and the Mediterranean diet. Accordingly, priority is given to supplies of fresh food in different ports of call, with 25 percent of fresh produce purchased locally, thus bringing about a substantial reduction in the impact generated by logistics activities. The involvement of partner suppliers committed to responsible management of the supply chain also testifies to the Italian company’s policy of adopting and promoting a sustainable food model.

The 2014 Sustainability Report is audited by Price Waterhouse Coopers. It is drawn up in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-G4 guidelines (disclosure at Core application level), setting it apart from similar documents issued by other cruise lines.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. opens Australia office

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 01 October 2015 01 October 2015

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. today marked the opening of the company’s first office the Pacific Region, with a new sales and marketing centre based in Sydney, Australia. The new office signifies the further international expansion of the company to support a growing worldwide demand for cruise travel.

The office represents the company’s three brands: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Industry veteran Steve Odell is leading the office as Senior Vice President and Managing Director Australia & New Zealand for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and is joined by a leadership team with broad travel industry experience including: Lisa Pile, Vice President of Sales Australia/New Zealand for Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises; Nicole Costantin, Vice President of Sales Australia/New Zealand for Norwegian Cruise Line; Ben Angell, Vice President Marketing Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Australia; and Elizabeth Krstevski, Operations/Contact Centre Manager Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Australia.

“Today marks an exciting day in the history of our company, as we further expand our global team to serve the greater Australasia region,” said Odell. “With this new office, we can now better support our travel partners as they serve their guests across the spectrum from contemporary to luxury cruising, offering sales and marketing support and a dedicated Sydney based call centre for our three brands.”

Odell will be responsible for the continued growth of the company’s presence in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and differentiating each brand’s unique offerings.

He has played a key role in the establishment of the luxury cruise segment in Australasia since 2000, with various positions in the luxury cruise sector and CLIA in the region.

Pile, most recently the Executive Director of Global Luxury Sales for Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, brings a strong base of knowledge from the luxury sector, managing more than 600 high-yield accounts across the globe in her previous role. In her new position, she will offer sales and marketing support within Australasia for upper premium line Oceania Cruises and luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with a focus on the line’s newest ship, Regent Seven Seas Explorer, the most luxurious ship ever built, debuting next summer.

Costantin brings a wealth of knowledge from her seven years leading sales and marketing efforts for Star Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line in the region to her new role as Vice President of Sales. In this new role, she will focus on providing travel partners with the tools and education necessary to be successful in selling Norwegian Cruise Line’s unique proposition of offering freedom and flexibility to guests during their cruise holiday.

Angell joins NCLH from Virgin Australia and will bring more than seventeen years of award-winning experience. He will support the company’s three brands with strategic planning, marketing and engagement campaigns for both trade and consumers.

Krstevski, joins from The Cruise Team with previous key positions in product management and operations. She brings more than ten years of cruise industry experience to the company and will be responsible for managing the call center for the three brands and ensuring the highest levels of customer service.

Meyer Werft reactivates building dock 1 for newbuildings with Saga order

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 01 October 2015 01 October 2015

Meyer Werft, the German shipbuilding company, says it will reactivate its Building Dock 1, the smaller of its two covered building docks, for newbuildings following an order yesterday from Saga Cruises for a 55,900 gross ton ship, with an option for a second ship.

"With this project Meyer Werft’s building dock 1, which is presently used for block construction, will be reactivated. Therefore in 2019 three new cruise ships will be delivered to clients instead of the currently planned two ships. This agreement for the delivery of one ship to Saga Cruises will also bring more employment to the region," the company said in a statement.

Meyer Werft built a long series for AIDA Cruises, the German unit in the Carnival Corporation & plc group, in the building dock 1 before it was dedicated to the construction of blocks. It had also been used for the construction of river cruise tonnage in the past.

Pullmantur announces two Caribbean itineraries

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 01 October 2015 01 October 2015

Alan Lam reporting

At this year’s International Tourism Fair Latin America (Feria Internacional de Turismo de América Latina), which has just been held in Buenos Aires and attended by all major cruise brands with vested interest in the region, Pullmantur, the Iberia and Latin America focused cruise line, announced two new South Caribbean itineraries.

The eight-day-seven-night South Caribbean itineraries are named as “Antillas y Caribe Sur” (Antilles and South Caribbean) and “Caribe Tropical” (Tropical Caribbean): the former, available from 4 December to 18 March on board the Monarch, will be exploring Aruba, Curaçao, and Cartagena de Indias or Panamá City, including return flights from Madrid to Colón; the latter, available from 5 December to 19 March on board the Horizon, will sail to Dominican Republic, Martinique, and St. Marteen or Margarita, including return flights from Madrid to Santo Domingo.

According to the company, these cruises are aimed at European customers by offering them winter sun during the colder months at home. It will be promoting the sales primarily through its travel agent partners throughout Europe.

Pullmantur is in the midst of a major expansion programme, which has Caribbean and Central America at its heart. Its two other new 2015 itineraries, “Caribbean Maya” and “Mayan Coast”, are both focused on this region.

The fact that the company introduced these cruises so close to the first departure dates reflected its confidence in its own performance and the demand for its products. So far this season Pullmantur has been sailing with 100% occupancy, with the number up by 10% from the same period last year. The company is very positive about the outlook for the remainder of the season.

Carnival group expects to have fast WiFi on nearly 40 ships before year end

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 September 2015 30 September 2015

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise shipping group, has announced that it has expanded its innovative hybrid connectivity system to create the cruise industry's largest Wi-Fi network to 30 of its 100 vessels and expects to reach close to 40 before the year end.

With more than 30 advanced satellite systems, the company's expanded WiFi@Sea connectivity network features the broadest high-bandwidth internet coverage in the industry currently deployed on 30 of its 100 ships -- far more than any other cruise line company – with further deployment planned over the next several months. "In addition, several of its cruise line brands have introduced new plans and pricing packages that make staying connected on a cruise more convenient and affordable – and are improving the guest experience and increasing the number of guests using Wi-Fi while cruising," the company said in a statement.

Expected to be extended to nearly 40% of the company's industry-leading fleet across several of its global brands by the end of 2015, the expanded WiFi@Sea service has led to increased guest satisfaction, higher usage rates and greater number of devices connected during voyages. Carnival Corporation's brands currently using the new features include AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line. Building on existing broadband Wi-Fi capabilities already available throughout its fleet of 100 ships, Carnival Corporation is continuing the deployment of its technology solution with plans to expand the new system on the majority of its fleet across its 10 global brands through 2016.

The company's system represents a first in the cruise industry on this scale – providing the broadest high-speed global coverage across dozens of ships coupled with onboard intelligence to enhance the guest experience – a breakthrough technology innovation for overcoming the challenging circumstances of sailing in the middle of the ocean and still providing fast, reliable and affordable wireless internet access for guests.

Expanding the System
The system is a first-of-its kind solution that integrates a combination of advanced satellite systems, onboard software, networking equipment, land-based antennas and Wi-Fi from port connections. The technology is expected to change how millions of travelers stay in touch during their cruise and generate even greater interest in cruise vacations, especially among tech-savvy millennials and people of all ages who want to stay in touch, research destinations or share their vacation experiences via social media.

With the continued rollout of the enhanced connectivity system across the fleet, guests will be able to access the websites, social networks and apps most important to them at speeds up to 10 times faster than those previously available on the company's ships.

"As we continue to enhance our WiFi@Sea system, we implement technologies, packages and overall approaches that will create the best experience and value for our guests wherever their cruise vacation takes them," said Reza Rasoulian, vice president of global connectivity and shipboard technology operations at Carnival Corporation. "We optimize all of our service layers continuously to ensure a great connectivity experience. With this approach, we are giving our guests faster internet speeds without constraining the time they can be online through our packages, which has led to more people than ever using their devices to connect while on our ships and a steady improvement in guest satisfaction ratings as the new plans and pricing are rolled out."

New Packages and Pricing Structure
With the new pricing models, Wi-Fi packages are based on the types of services guests will be using throughout their trip versus the previous system of charging for the amount of time they will be online. For example, guests who are only interested in using Wi-Fi to post to their social networks can purchase a basic package for a lower fee.

This change gives guests the freedom they prefer for unlimited use of the specific internet services and applications they are interested in without the worry of time constraints – an important offering for a good number of guests who are looking to stay connected, especially as the industry works to increase interest in and demand for cruising across all demographics, especially among younger guests.

Specific package offerings and pricing structures vary by brand, but in all cases the company is working to create more value and a better overall connectivity experience.

System Enhancements Focus on the Guest Experience

Carnival Cruise Line, the company's largest brand with 24 ships and its 25th ship, Carnival Vista, coming in spring of 2016, announced in August it has enhanced internet access including new social media packages. The packages are now available on 19 of its 24 ships with plans for fleet-wide implementation by the first quarter of 2016. In June, the company's AIDA Cruises brand announced new flat-rate social media and internet packages, along with bandwidth upgrades that have been installed on seven ships, and will be fully deployed on each of the brand's 10 ships by November 2015.

Added Rasoulian: "We know that each of our guests is looking for something different when they cruise, whether that is being completely or partially unplugged from the internet or staying plugged in. For those who want to stay connected with their life back home or research the next destination on their trip, we are offering faster, more reliable and more affordable options to give our guests what they are looking for."

The improved onboard connectivity experience will also help crew members across Carnival Corporation's 10 brands keep in touch with their family and friends at home during the extended amounts of time they spend at sea. This is an important component of each crew member's quality of life and has a positive impact on helping them maintain their passion for consistently providing exceptional service for guests during the voyage.