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Royal Caribbean International and MGM Resorts in partnership deal

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 01 November 2012 01 November 2012

Royal Caribbean International and MGM Resorts International have announced a strategic relationship that will deliver extraordinary benefits to members of the hospitality companies’ loyalty programmes – Crown & Anchor Society and M life.

The new relationship allows both companies to strengthen customer loyalty by providing more access and rewards at MGM Resorts’ world-renowned destinations in Las Vegas, Detroit and Mississippi and on Royal Caribbean International’s fleet of the world’s most innovative cruise ships that sail to exciting destinations worldwide.

“Royal Caribbean International is the cruise industry’s premier organisation, renowned for its superior service and amenities,” said Bill Hornbuckle, Chief Marketing Officer for MGM Resorts International. “Partnering with their team was a natural fit for us as we strive to introduce our M life members to exceptional lifestyle experiences not only when they are visiting our destinations but any time they are thinking about travel.”

Lisa Bauer, executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for Royal Caribbean International, said, “Whether on land or at sea, Crown & Anchor Society and M life members will enjoy unprecedented recognition for their dedication to our brands. We are delighted to be an M life preferred partner and welcome M life members aboard to experience our world-renowned service, innovative cruise ships, unexpected onboard amenities, and unforgettable itineraries to exciting destinations.”

Beginning in January 2013, members of both programmes will receive exciting offers and benefits. All M life members will receive offers with a range of benefits when sailing with Royal Caribbean International, the cruise line known for introducing at-sea ‘firsts,’ such as onboard zip lines, ice-skating rinks, high-dive AquaTheaters, FlowRider surf simulators, rock-climbing walls, and parks, each with more than 12,000 live trees and plants. As members advance to the next M life Tier Level, their cruise offers and benefits will grow. International and domestic cruises will be awarded during special MGM Resorts’ promotions and slot tournaments. Crown & Anchor Society members will receive M life offers and benefits, which include pre-sale access to tickets for A-list concerts and championship boxing matches, priority reservations, priority hotel check-in, room upgrades, VIP services and more, based on Tier Level.

Storm damaged Napoleon Bonaparte in Marseilles

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 31 October 2012 31 October 2012

Napoleon Bonaparte, a 43,000 gross ton ferry belonging to the French ferry company Societe Nationale Corse Méditerranée (SNCM), sustained damage to its stern in the port of Marseilles during a storm and the ship remains partly submerged at the pier, media reports say.

The ship suffered a 30 metre hole in the stern on the starboard side during a storm on Sunday night, when wind speeds hit 60 miles per hour, the reports say. Napoleon Bonaparte, which is 172 metres long and can accommodate 2,462 passengers, was built in 1996.

AmaWaterways to return to Douro after two years

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 October 2012 30 October 2012

AmaWaterways, the river cruise line, says it is set to return cruise the River Douro after an absence of nearly two years, with two new cruise itineraries operating between March and November 2013, on board the brand new luxury cruise vessel, AmaVida, which launches in March 2013.

The new 108-guest luxury AmaVida features balconies in the majority of its spacious staterooms and suites, which range up to 323 sq. feet. Guests will enjoy fine gourmet dining with free-flowing local wines, in addition to a casual al fresco dining option. The AmaVida also features a sun deck swimming pool; fitness centre and spa; complimentary in-stateroom Internet access on a 42” flat-screen and ship-wide Wi-Fi.

The two new Douro itineraries are:-

`The Enticing Douro ’: The cruise is offered as 7 nights, cruise only, or as a 10 night land-cruise holiday. Guests taking the 10 night `Enticing Douro’ land & cruise itinerary will spend three nights discovering Lisbon with 5* hotel accommodation (b&b), then embark in Porto to cruise to Régua, Barc d’Alva, Vega Terrón, Pinhão and Bitetos. The itinerary will include complimentary excursions to the countryside of the Trás-os-Montes Region; Salamanca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a Castelo Rodrigo tour; Palacio de Mateus palace tours and the 14th century Alpendurada Monastery.

The week long cruise costs from £1466 per person, including all meals, free-flowing wine, beer and soft drinks with dinner, complimentary wi-fi and the ten night land-cruise stay from £1954pp.

`Port Wine & Flamenco’ – This 13 night luxury land-cruise holiday starts with a 3 night stay in the Spanish city of Madrid, known for its great cultural and artistic heritage, before meandering along the Douro between the Spanish border town of Vega Terrón and the northern capital of Portugal, Porto, before concluding with a 3 night stay in Lisbon. Guests will visit the small town of Pinhão , known as the wine lovers Mecca , then venture to the beautiful region of Trás-os-Montes; the former Roman village of Bitetos and its 11th-century Alpendurade Monastery and the northern capital of Portugal , Porto .

The 13 night land-cruise costs from £2841 per person, including all meals, free-flowing wine, beer and soft drinks with dinner, complimentary wi-fi.

Storm forced four cruise ships to divert to Toulon

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 October 2012 30 October 2012

The Port of Toulon in Southern France says it experienced an exceptional situation last weekend with a record activity level. The port acted as host to 18 ship movements arriving unexpectedly to shelter including six vessels in distress and four cruise ships diverted to the port from elsewhere.

The four cruise liners diverted to the French port were Costa Serena that arrived on Saturday, followed by L’Horizon on Sunday, Costa Luminosa on Monday and Grand Holiday on Tuesday. A total of some 12,000 cruise passengers used the port in the four day period

"The storm that swept across the weekend in south eastern France, from Saturday afternoon until late Sunday night, with gusts of winds approaching 130/150 km an hour has forced a majority of vessels operating in the Mediterranean to divert their routes to dock in Toulon harbour, the best protected port in all weather conditions of the French Med, from Genoa to Barcelona," the port said.

These weather conditions caused the closure of the Port of Marseilles and all ships of the ferry companies SNCM and CMN were diverted to Toulon. A special authorisation was given by the prefectural government to provide and maintain the vessel activity to Corsica.

Carnival group may sell older vessels

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 October 2012 29 October 2012

Carnival Corp & plc, the world’s largest cruise shipping group, may sell some of the older vessels in its fleet as newbuildings enter service, Chairman and CEO Micky Arison said.

The addition of new tonnage is expected, to some extent, to replace existing capacity reductions from possible sales of older ships, he said in a statement last week that was issued in connection with an order for a new ship for both Holland America and Carnival Cruise Lines.

David Dingle, CEO of Carnival UK that operates Carnival Corp & plc brands in the UK, has noted that vessels built before the mid-1990s have significantly weaker fuel economy than more modern vessels and some of these vessels might be sold. He did not elaborate.

Among major vessels built before 1995 in the Carnival Corp & plc fleet are all three ships of P&O Cruises (Australia); Costa neo Romantica and Costa Classica of Costa Crociere plus Grand Celebration of Iberocruceros. The eight Carnival Fantasy class vessels of Carnival Cruise Lines were built from 1990 to 1998, but the design dates back to the late 1980s. The stern of two last units of the class was redesigned for Pods. The four Statendam class ships of Holland America Line were introduced from 1993 to 1996.