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Paul Ludlow to head up P&O Cruises "to ensure sustained growth"

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 11 August 2015 11 August 2015

Following the commercial restructure at Carnival UK, Paul Ludlow has been appointed senior vice-president, sales & marketing for P&O Cruises.

Ludlow, 36, who joins from Princess Cruises where he was managing director UK & Europe, will have full responsibility for the sales, sales support, marketing, guest insight and digital teams across the brand.

Commenting on the appointment, Carnival UK CEO David Noyes said “I am delighted to appoint Paul to this critical role for P&O Cruises. Paul’s 15 years of experience within our company makes him an ideal fit to lead the sales and marketing teams for P&O Cruises to ensure sustained growth of the brand.”

Paul Ludlow said: “Following the launch of Britannia in March, which positioned P&O Cruises at the forefront of the nation’s mind, there has never been a more exciting time for the company. The potential for the industry as a whole is vast and I am determined, through giving a seamless, exemplary guest experience, to put cruising in the spotlight as a mainstream, contemporary holiday choice for all ages.”

The restructure will also include a similar SVP sales & marketing role for Cunard. Recruitment for this position is currently underway.

Princess Cruises will be recruiting for Paul Ludlow’s replacement. During his tenure at Princess Ludlow established separate commercial operations for Princess in the UK, including dedicated teams responsible for revenue management, sales, marketing, reservations, customer relations and PR. He led the team which launched Royal Princess in Southampton, by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.

He also oversaw the growth of Princess guests from the UK, including the successful introduction of Asia as a key destination for the UK market and launched new travel agent tools, such as Flight Select and OneSource cruises, part of the line’s programme to support and reward its travel agent partners.

Wärtsilä appoints Jaakko Eskola President and CEO as of 1 November 2015

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 11 August 2015 11 August 2015

Wärtsilä’s Board of Directors has appointed Jaakko Eskola (57) MSc (Eng.), as the new President and CEO of Wärtsilä Corporation. He will assume the position on 1 November 2015, succeeding Björn Rosengren, who will become the CEO of Sandvik, a global engineering group based in Sweden.

Currently Mr Eskola is President of Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, Senior Executive Vice President and Deputy to the CEO. Eskola joined Wärtsilä in 1998 with a background in international project and corporate finance. He has since worked as Managing Director of Wärtsilä Development and Financial Services, Vice President for Sales and Marketing in the Power Plants business and since 2006 as the head of the Marine Solutions business. He is currently based in Shanghai, China.

“I wish to thank Björn Rosengren for steering Wärtsilä towards profitable growth in challenging markets during the past four years. Today the Wärtsilä brand is well positioned and our broad offering gives us competitive edge going forward,” says Mikael Lilius, Chairman of Wärtsilä’s Board of Directors.

“Jaakko Eskola has an outstanding track record from his 17-year long career in Wärtsilä. The Board is confident that his global experience, deep understanding of the market dynamics, open management style and commitment to the Wärtsilä culture will lead us to continued success.”

“With focus on energy efficiency and innovation Wärtsilä is extremely well positioned in its markets. I am thrilled and honoured to lead the company as it shapes the industry with advanced technology and lifecycle solutions. As a global team we will enhance our customers’ business and benefit the environment,” Jaakko Eskola comments his appointment.

Wärtsilä has started a process to appoint a successor for Eskola to head the Marine Solutions business.

Carnival's enhanced internet access, including social media packages, to be rolled out fleetwide by early 2016

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 August 2015 10 August 2015

Carnival Cruise Line’s new social media Internet packages – which offer access to a variety of popular Web sites for just $5 a day – are now available on more than half of the line’s ships with fleetwide implementation scheduled by the first quarter of 2016.

Additionally, the line’s new mobile app – currently available on Carnival Breeze and offering an innovative “chat” feature – has been very well received with a third of the ship’s guests actively using the app during their cruise. The app is expected to be available on five additional ships by the end of the year and be fleetwide by summer 2016.

“Fast, affordable and reliable social media channels and the Internet have become essential on today’s cruise ships,” said Gabriela Gonzalez, Carnival’s vice president of guest technology. “We have thoughtfully approached this area to ensure we are providing options that guests sailing throughout our fleet find truly valuable and reliable,” she added.

Currently available on 13 ships, Carnival’s enhanced Internet access offers dramatically increased bandwidth and speed while the cruise industry’s first social media package provides unlimited access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other popular sites for just $5 per day with discounted plans available for the entire cruise.

Unlike other shipboard Internet packages, Carnival’s social media package is unique in that it allows guests a convenient, flexible and highly affordable option for updating their favorite social media channels during their cruise at one low price.

There’s also a “value” plan that includes unlimited access to the Web for checking email, sports scores, weather updates and a wide range of other applications, and a “premium” package that provides the fastest available connection speed and allows access to video calling sites like Skype.

The new Carnival HUB mobile app currently on Carnival Breeze provides guests with a convenient, at-a-glance view of the ship’s many facilities and features along with updates on events and happenings taking place on board, all available free of charge. Available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the app also includes an innovative “chat” feature that allows guests to exchange messages with their traveling companions using their mobile devices for a flat fee of $5 for the entire cruise.

The app also includes day-by-day schedules of hundreds of on-board events, information on food and beverage venues, searchable deck plans, itinerary details, Sail & Sign account balance and more. Recently added options include the ability to pre-purchase the line’s Cheers! and Bottomless Bubbles beverage programs and upload photos to be displayed on Carnival Breeze’s 270-square-foot Seaside Theatre during the voyage. Additional features are scheduled to be added in the future.

American Cruise Lines increases capacity in Pacific Northwest

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 August 2015 10 August 2015

American Cruise Lines, the U.S. river cruise specialist, will more than double its capacity in Columbia and Snake Rivers from the beginning of 2016. Alan Lam reports.

The vintage river cruise operator will move its 150-guest Queen of the Mississippi to its Pacific Northwest region to join the existing operations by the 120-guest Queen of the West.

The paddlewheeler was initially built in 2012 specifically for the Mississippi River operations. The vessel will be renamed prior to commencing its new career.

In recent years, Pacific Northwest has become a popular region for river cruises. American Cruise Lines currently operates 8-day historically themed cruises on the rich tapestry of Columbia and Snake, retracing the epic route pioneering by Lewis and Clark over 200 years ago. It also offers a wine cruise along the Columbia River.

By making this move, the company has not at all undermined its commitment to the traditional Mississippi operations, which still form the bulk of its itineraries. Quite the contrary, the cruise line has recently added the new paddlewheeler, the American Eagle, to this river. Moreover, its newest vessel, the America, will be launched this week at Salisbury, Maryland. The company’s other paddlewheeler, named Queen of Mississippi, is currently under construction and is destined for the Mississippi River.

American Cruise Lines is responding to demands through newbuildings and strategic re-deployments. The growth of river cruising in Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and Alaska is driving its expansion.

Carnival UK CMO Tempest to leave - report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 06 August 2015 06 August 2015

Carnival UK has announced that Chief Commercial Officer Gerard Tempest is to leave the business, Travel Weekly reports in a news bulletin.

“Tempest joined Carnival UK in December 2012, and has since introduced a new structure and business strategy. He is due to leave in the coming days,” the report said.

Carnival UK chief executive David Noyes was quoted as saying: “In Gerard's tenure we have seen a significant improvement in our commercial performance. The last year has seen us deliver some spectacular events, most notably Britannia’s naming and Cunard’s 175 celebrations.

Carnival UK operates the brands of Carnival Corporation & plc in Britain and manages P&O Cruises sand Cunard Line.