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Meyer shipyards deliver two cruise ships in December

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 02 January 2022 02 January 2022

Meyer Werft handed over the AIDAcosma to AIDA Cruises just before Christmas, successfully delivering a new cruise ship for the fourth time since the pandemic began.

"I would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication and commitment on board, at the shipyard and from the home office. We have proven once again that we can build and deliver first-class ships despite the difficult circumstances caused by the Corona pandemic. WithMeyer Turku's Costa Toscana, it is even the second ship that we as Meyer Group deliver to Carnival Corporation within less than three weeks," says Managing Director Jan Meyer.

The AIDAcosma is already the ninth ship Meyer Werft has built for AIDA Cruises. Like its sister ship AIDAnova, the ship features low-emission LNG propulsion. In 2018, the AIDAnova was the world's first cruise ship with this innovative propulsion system.

Various effects of the pandemic have also caused challenges on board the AIDAcosma in recent weeks. "Overall, however, we managed these well until the end. The progress of the completion and the sea trials went well, so that we again delivered a ship in high Meyer quality, which our customers know from us," explains Project Manager Jochen Busch.

Meyer Werft's order book now includes eight cruise ships for international customers until 2025, as well as an apartment ship for Ocean Residences, the construction of which is still subject to financing. "In 2022, we will deliver two more large ships, the Disney Wish for Disney Cruise Line and the Arvia for P&O Cruises. In the following years, it will be one large and one small newbuilding each. This is significantly less than we had planned before the outbreak of the pandemic," says Managing Director Thomas Weigend.

Covid disrupts Queen Mary 2 Christmas cruise

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 December 2021 29 December 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced Cunard to disrupt the Christmas cruise of its flagship Queen Mary 2 and fly US passengers to New York from Barbados, the master of the ship has stated in a letter to passengers.

As a precautionary measure, the ship would have embark additional crew members for essential roles, which would take a few days to accomplish, Captain Andrew Hall said in the letter dated 28 December.

“At the moment our plan is to stay in Barbados until the evening of 2 January but this is yet to be confirmed. Therefore, this extended stay in Barbados means that unfortunately we will no longer be calling in New York on 3 January it we are to maintain our arrival back in Southampton on 10 January,” he said.

As per my broadcast, our focus now is making sure that for those guests due to disembark on 3 January in New York, the onward journey home is as smooth and easy as possible, and we will assist in making these arrangements. We are looking at flight options for you and we will be in contact direct with exact details and confirmation,” Hall said.

British passenger may remain onboard the ship for the voyage across the Atlantic to Southampton, but some services onboard may be amended, Hall said.

Media reports say some passengers had tested positive for Covid-19 on the voyage from Southampton to New York, from where the ship continued to the Caribbean.

Photo: Screenshot of part of Captain Hall's letter to passengers of Queen Mary 2

Viking Glory delivered to Viking Line

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 December 2021 27 December 2021

Viking Line Abp has taken delivery of Viking Glory cruise ferry from the Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry Co, Ltd. The vessel was commissioned on the 5th of April 2017 and has been built in Xiamen, P.R. China. Viking Line’s total investment in the project is approximately EUR 225 million, including “Owners supply”. The traffic on the Turku – Aland Islands – Stockholm route is planned to commence at the beginning of March 2022.

Hong Kong Tourism Board extends flagship events on cruises to fuel seacation enthusiasm

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 22 December 2021 22 December 2021

Hong Kong holidaymakers yearning for a fun getaway embrace the seacation concept warmly as Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) extends popular mega events to create action-packed and fun[1]filled themed cruise programmes in partnership with cruise companies, Dream Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.

Hard on the heels of the success of the Wine & Dine Festival at Sea riding on HKTB’s proven annual gastronomic extravaganza, Genting Dream and Spectrum of the Seas home-ported in Hong Kong will present WinterFest at Sea for Hong Kong revellers to celebrate the upcoming holiday season in style.

HKTB’s Kenneth Wong, General Manager, MICE & Cruise said, “We have been working closely with cruise line partners to spur local demand for cruise travel since the restart of cruising earlier this year. The idea of aligning major events and festivals onshore with activities onboard has proven effective and practical. We hope locals will build their love and appreciation towards the city’s fascinating tourism offerings, ultimately broadcasting a positive voice about Hong Kong to global audiences.”

Themed cruise programmes making impact

During the Wine & Dine month in November, Dream Cruises offered a ‘C’est La Sea!’ programme on Genting Dream featuring mixology workshops, live entertainment and a tasting journey of signature drinks. Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas created special wine-pairing menus at designated restaurants, made even more tempting with beverage packages and wine offers. HKTB further fuelled cruising interest with social campaigns starring bubbly local celebrity Joyce Cheng, and a series of media programmes.

For Winterfest at Sea in December, Genting Dream brings to life a heart-warming ‘Nordic Christmas Adventure’ with an exciting array of culinary delights, Christmas-themed activities, handicraft workshops and world-class entertainment. Spectrum of the Seas presents ‘Sparkling Christmas’, replete with glittering and splendid holiday décor and an abundance of season-limited activities, workshops, dining offerings and Broadway-style shows.

Christine Li, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing at Genting Cruise Lines, said, “Thanks to the collaboration with HKTB, ‘C’est La Sea!’ onboard Genting Dream was very well received. We believe Hong Kong’s holidaymakers will thoroughly enjoy Dream Cruises’ ‘A Nordic Christmas Adventure’ taking place until 31 December, too. With our ongoing partnership with the HKTB, Dream Cruises is looking forward to providing even more innovative activities onboard our ship in 2022 to enhance the Super Seacation experience for Hong Kong.”

Crystal Campbell, Managing Director, Royal Caribbean Cruises Hong Kong Ltd, echoed, “The Wine & Dine programme has created noise and awareness about our unforgettable cruise experience – from world-class dining and spectacular entertainment, to record-setting onboard thrills and ground[1]breaking innovation! Undoubtedly, our upcoming Christmas and New Year cruises will continue to fuel the excitement and momentum of local cruise travel.”

Carnival says bookings for 2022 and 2023 strong, Omicron impacts near term sailings

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 December 2021 20 December 2021

Bookings for 2022 and 2023 continue at good volumes and price levels, but the Omicron variant of the Covid - 19 virus has started to affect near term sailings, Carnival Corporation & plc said.

“Booking volumes continue to build for the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023 and we are achieving those early bookings with strong demand and pricing,” President and CEO Arnold Donald said in a statement.

However, over the last few weeks, Carnival has experienced an initial impact on bookings related to near-term sailings as a result of the Omicron variant.

Cumulative advanced bookings for the second half of 2022 and first half of 2023 are at the higher end of historical ranges and at higher prices, with or without future cruise credits, normalised for bundled packages, as compared to 2019 sailings.

Booking volumes for the same periods during fourth quarter of 2021 were higher than the third quarter of 2021.

Due to the gradual resumption in guest cruise operations, the company's current booking trends will be compared to booking trends for 2019 sailings.

Total customer deposits increased $360 million to $3.5 billion as of November 30, 2021 from $3.1 billion as of August 31, 2021. For the third consecutive quarter, the company saw an increase in customer deposits.