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Star Cruises upgrades cabins, shopping experience for its flagship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 December 2013 10 December 2013

Star Cruises, the leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific, will up the luxury quotient of SuperStar Virgo’s cabins and shopping area, widening the selection of comtempory cabins and duty free shopping on its Asian flagship.

SuperStar Virgo, the largest ship of Star Cruises’ Asian fleet, will undergo a three-week dry-dock renovation from 5 to 29 January, 2014. The 75,338 gross ton, 13-deck ship will receive a lavish makeover with upgraded cabins, retail, hotel, dining, and recreational facilities. More than 270 balcony cabins will be remodeled with a touch of urban luxury. The soothing minimalist décor is a perfect blend of contemporary design and luxurious escapism while the furnishing perfectly accentuates the harmony of the vast sapphire sea.

Designed to give guests the leisurely shopping experience they deserve, the total retail floor area of SuperStar Virgo will triple to 562 square meters. Passengers can indulge in the pleasure of shopping in slow, restful rhythms and take in personalized treatments when dozens of international brands such as Shiseido SK II, Biotherm, Lancome and Shu Uemura are to be introduced. The expansion and addition of duty-free operator China Duty Free, jewelry and watch specialist Canopus, luxury leather goods retailer Milan Station and souvenir shop Ports O’ Call will offer passengers even more choices of perfume, cosmetics, fashion accessories, luxury and lifestyle products from around the world.

William Ng, Chief Operating Officer, Star Cruises, said, "This USD19.7 million refurbishment of SuperStar Virgo is a reflection of our continuous drive to grow in Asia. This will further cement Star Cruises’ leading position in the Asia-Pacific cruise industry. SuperStar Virgo will be on her homeport deployment in Hong Kong from April to October next year. Domestic travellers as well as those from China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan are expected to flock to Hong Kong next year to enjoy the top notch accommodation, shopping, leisure, entertainment and dining options available on this ship."

As ever, there is a strong emphasis on food on SuperStar Virgo. To celebrate the completion of the renovation and the relocation to Hong Kong, the award-winning chef team of the 11 acclaimed food and beverage outlets onboard will introduce various promotions. At Taverna, a place for the barefoot and bikini-clad, guests can chill and unwind with friends under the blazing sun overlooking the open sea. When the sun goes down, guests can treat themselves with Italian delicacies at Palazzo, Chinese food at Noble House, authentic traditional Chinese cuisine Pavilion Restaurant or Southeast Asian food at Blue Lagoon.

SuperStar Virgo is currently homeported in Singapore, offering itineraries to Penang, Phuket, Malacca and Port Klang. From 2 April to 28 October, 2014, SuperStar Virgo will be on her six-month Hong Kong homeport deployment, bringing passengers to Keelung (Taipei), Taichung and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Sanya in Hainan and Halong Bay in Vietnam.

As part of the ongoing initiative to make a Star Cruises holiday more hassle-free, Star Cruises have introduced an online check-in service on www.starcruises.com. Passengers can take advantage of the new feature to expedite their embarkation process. Online check-in is available from seven days in advance up to eight hours
prior to departure.

MSC Cruises and Air France KLM sign letter of intent

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 09 December 2013 09 December 2013

MSC Cruises and Air France KLM have announced the signature of a letter of intent aimed at creating synergies between the two companies and improving their cooperation in common areas of business.

Patrick Alexandre, Executive Vice President Commercial, Sales and Marketing Air France KLM and Henri de Peyrelongue, Senior vice president Europe & North Africa joined Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises Executive Chairman and Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises CEO in Geneva to sign the heads of agreement.

Vago declared: "MSC Cruises calls in 180 ports worldwide, and we are proud to bring our ships close to MSC travellers’ homes. However, as we increasingly diversify our product offerings, reaching new destinations, the combination of fly & cruise becomes essential. We are therefore pleased to be taking this step with Air France KLM today, expanding and complementing our network operations. This letter of intent will allow us to enhance MSC travellers’ journey experience even further."

Alexandre added: "The signature of this letter of intent with MSC Cruises confirms the willingness of Air France KLM to meet even more closely our customers’ needs. With the signature of this letter of intent, MSC travellers will benefit from products and services offered by the Air France KLM worldwide network. Together we will offer tailor-made solutions to our customers."

MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise company employing 15,500 staff in 45 countries around the world. In 2014, the 12 ships in its ultra-modern fleet are expected to carry just under 1.7 million travellers.

Air France KLM is a major player in the air transport industry employing 100,000 staff around the world. The Group operates the leading long-haul network on departure from Europe. In 2012, Air France KLM carried 77.4 million passengers and 1.4 million tonnes of cargo.

Annual Full Metal Cruise on Mein Schiff 1 in April

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 06 December 2013 06 December 2013

TUI Cruises will stage its annual Full Metal Cruise again next year, this time on board Mein Schiff1 that sail on a five night Mediterranean cruise from Palma de Mallorca on 11 April.

The bands so far confirmed to participate are Hammerfall, Subway to Sally, JBO and Saltatio Mortis. In addition to performances on board the ship, there will be events at ports of call and the Hamburg based company said in a statement that more details would be disclosed in the near future.

Azamara appoints Richard Twynham Managing Director in UK

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 06 December 2013 06 December 2013

Richard Twynam has been named as the first UK managing director of Azamara Club Cruises. He joins the company from Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Holidays, where he headed cruise business, Travel weekly said in a news bulletin.

He will lead a new 10-strong team dedicated to the two-ship destination-focused cruise company.
In another move, former RCL Cruises commercial planning and analysis chief David Duff becomes commercial director for Azamara in the UK.

Azamara president and chief executive Larry Pimentel said: “The UK and Ireland market continues to be one of the largest and most important for Azamara Club Cruises and is going from strength to strength.We are excited to welcome Richard Twynam to lead this evolution as we continue to grow and invest in our business in the UK. Now is a really exciting time for the business as the expansion continues.”

Azamara is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group, which is setting up a new organisation in UK whereby its three main brands - Azamara, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity - will have their own organisations in the country. In the past, they all operated under the RCL Cruises organisation.

Thirteen of the 40 vessels in the RCCL group fleet are managed and operated from the UK as they have been entered in the UK tonnage tax system.

American Cruise Lines opening Salt Lake City sales/reservation center

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 December 2013 05 December 2013

American Cruise Lines – the largest U.S. cruise company – announced today its expansion to the Salt Lake City area with the opening of a brand new sales/reservation center scheduled for mid-January 2014. The newly-added Sandy, Utah location will initially open up more than 35 sales positions. The company is currently hiring for various sales positions, including managers, supervisors and trainers.

Headquartered in Connecticut, American Cruise Lines specializes in upscale river and small ship cruises in the United States. It carries passengers from all over the U.S. and around the globe. The line has experienced a high growth rate, adding new ships and itineraries each year, most recently returning overnight cruising to the American Heartland on the Mississippi River and Alaska.

Continued growth and popularity of American Cruise Lines’ unique upscale river and small ship cruises has led to an immediate need for an additional sales/reservation center. Interested people are encouraged to visit the website to apply or call 800-366-6740. The company offers a complete training program, extraordinary earning potential and a competitive benefits package.