MSC Cruises revamps Kids' Club programmes

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 March 2012 21 March 2012

MSC Cruises says that its Kids’ Club programmes have been revamped and updated to satisfy different age groups, meaning that children and teens can now have even more fun on board an MSC cruise.

“Family values lie firmly at the heart of MSC Cruises and the company is constantly looking for new ways to enhance the family experience on board. Since mid-January 2012 programme enhancements have been rolled out across the MSC fleet, with a focus on popular sporting activities, arts and crafts, theatre and technology. Programmes also feature a broader choice of family events, ranging from parades to scavenger hunts,” the company said in a statement.

“Just under 15% of our guests during the year are children, with this percentage rising to 30% during the summer season. It’s our job to ensure that they have an unforgettable experience, which means keeping them entertained all day,” said Daniela Picco, MSC Cruises On Board Marketing Manager.

“As 22% of the almost 200,000 under 18s who cruise with MSC every year are between 12 and 14, and 24% are between 15 and 17, it’s also a priority to keep programmes up to date for teens and make sure that ships contain the latest technology.”

(Corrected): Crown Princess to replace smaller Grand Princess in Southampton 2013

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 20 March 2012 20 March 2012

Princess Cruises, which is part of the Carnival Corp & plc group, will base the 3,080-passenger Crown Princess in Southampton in the summer of 2013 to replace the 2,610-passenger Grand Princess which is switching to run cruises to Alaska from San Francisco, Travel weekly reports in a newsletter.

As part of the deployment, Crown Princess will be offer more departures of its 12-day British Isles cruises and will sail to the Norwegian fjords.

“We are so pleased with the success of Princess in the UK that we are increasing our capacity on cruises from Southampton with the introduction of Crown Princess,” Paul Ludlow, UK director of Princess was quoted as saying.

“Following feedback from our partners we are also supporting UK travel agents with some simplifications of our policies to ensure Princess is even easier to book, further enhancing the opportunities that are available through the brand.”

The news comes a few weeks after Royal Caribbean International said it would bring the 3,114 berth Adventurer of the Seas to Southampton next year to sail together with the current resident ship, the 3,600 berth Independence of the Seas. 

 

Costa to expand sourcing from the Indian market

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 19 March 2012 19 March 2012

Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s n.1 cruise company, has announced that effective March 1st, 2012 Lotus Destinations has become its General Sales Agent for the Indian market.

According to Dario Rustico, Sales and Marketing Director for Central Europe, Africa, Middle East and India, who personally came to Mumbai on March 17-18, 2012 to announce the news to the trade and media gathered on the occasion of Costa Deliziosa visit, "Nalini Gupta, Head of Lotus Destinations, has the track record and experience in the Indian Travel Market, to effectively strengthen our Brand and grow both Costa’s market share and distribution network in a consistent and efficient manner."

While Costa Cruises, a known brand in India has been present in the Indian market for several years, servicing its clients through a network of strong preferred agencies, the growing awareness and desire for cruise holidays among Indian travelers has made Costa Cruises re-align its India Market Strategy in order to be able to gain more focus and control and indeed implement stronger sales and marketing initiatives.

Immediately the commercial focus will go toward the promotion of 3, 4, 5 night cruises in the Med with Costa Atlantica during the upcoming Indian high season holidays of April, May, June as well as cruises of the same length in Asia served by Costa Victoria out of popular ports like Shanghai and Singapore.

Nalini Gupta, well networked in the travel and corporate sphere says “it is exciting times to be part of the cruise industry in India as I not only see the cruise market size increasing exponentially but also Costa benefitting from this growth largely because of their extensive network to exotic destinations, impeccable product, world-class entertainment and deep insight of customer service.”

Silversea statement on Silver Shadow collision in Halong Bay

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 19 March 2012 19 March 2012

Silversea Cruises has released a statement of the Silver Shadow and Vietnamese cargo ship collision, that occurred in Halong Bay:

"Silver Shadow was involved in a minor incident on March 16, 2012 at around 4:20 GMT as it was approaching the pilot station in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. There was contact between Silver Shadow and a local commercial vessel. Silver Shadow incurred limited minor dents and guests' safety was never compromised. The ship is fully operational and continued on its course to Ha Long Bay where all shore tours operated normally. 

Silversea will carry out a full investigation into the incident."