More News

Brian Powell appointed Chief Marketing Officer of American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 23 November 2019 23 November 2019

American Queen Steamboat Company has appointed Brian P. Powell as Chief Marketing Officer of AQSC and Victory Cruise Lines. In this role, Brian will lead the strategic marketing efforts for the growing AQSC and Victory fleets.

Brian has 33 years of travel industry experience in both the airline and cruising industry. His breadth of experiences and successes in Reservations, Sales, Revenue Management, Customer Experience, and Marketing will allow him to contribute in many facets to the AQSC and Victory brands.

“We are thrilled to have Brian join the team to drive our marketing initiatives,” shares Ares Michaelides, president of American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines. “His well-rounded and extensive travel experience will be invaluable as we plan our strategies and deliverables for expansion and future growth.”

Brian joins us after a successful 20 year career at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, where he held director and executive positions in Guest Travel Services, Revenue Management, and Marketing. In Marketing, Brian had various roles with the Celebrity Cruises brand which included leading Product Development, Direct & Loyalty Marketing, and Consumer Insights & Marketing Analytics.

Prior to that, he spent 12 years with American Airlines. Brian was a member of American’s sales leadership team in Coral Gables, Florida which developed American’s presence in South Florida during the buildup of their Miami Caribbean/Latin American hub.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio and a graduate of The Ohio State University, Brian is currently living in Coral Gables, Florida and will be relocating to the Greater Louisville area.

Keel laid for Holland America Line’s next Pinnacle-class ship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 22 November 2019 22 November 2019

Holland America Line celebrated the keel laying of its new 2,668-passenger Ryndam Nov. 21, 2019, at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy. A 505-ton block, about 14 by 34 meters, was lowered by crane into the yard’s building dock, marking the official beginning of construction. The Pinnacle Class ship is scheduled for delivery in May 2021.

The event was attended by Keith Taylor, Holland America Group’s executive vice president, fleet operations, and Jan Koller, Holland America Line’s project manager, newbuilds. The block laid was one of 85 blocks in total that will make up the ship.

“The keel laying is an important construction milestone because it marks the moment when we can really start to watch the ship take shape and progress toward its launch in 18 months,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “Adding Ryndam to our fleet will provide a new canvas for us to share our brand and enable us to show the world to even more cruisers.”

As the third in the series, Ryndam will feature the highly successful Pinnacle Class amenities and innovations including the 270-degree surround screen World Stage, Rudi’s Sel de Mer, Grand Dutch Cafe, Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King’s Blues Club and Rolling Stone Rock Room. The ship’s design will be created by leading hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany and designer and architect Bjørn Storbraaten.

This is the 17th ship constructed for Holland America Line by Italian shipyard Fincantieri, which most recently built Pinnacle sister ship Nieuw Statendam. The cruise line began its relationship with Fincantieri in 1992 with the building of Statendam.

The first Ryndam was part of the Holland America Line fleet from 1901 to 1929, starting as Rijndam before receiving the English spelling in 1923. In 1927 Ryndam I became the first Holland America Line ship to sail a world cruise, although it was chartered as a floating school at sea for that voyage. The second Ryndam served from 1951 to 1973, and the third sailed in the fleet from 1993 through 2015, when it was transferred to sister brand P&O Australia and now cruises as Pacific Aria.

Aker Arctic completes ice model hull test for Seabourn Venture

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 22 November 2019 22 November 2019

Seabourn is marking another key milestone in the construction of its new expedition ship, Seabourn Venture, with the completion of ice model testing for the ship’s PC-6 rated hull.

The testing, completed at a large indoor testing basin at Aker Arctic in Finland, provides a proven and effective means of ensuring Seabourn Venture’s hull design will perform as intended in the ice conditions it may encounter. A ship rated to PC-6 Polar Class standards is capable of summer & autumn operation in ice conditions in Antarctica, the Arctic, and other exotic destinations around the world.

“We know that Seabourn Venture will deliver on the expedition experiences we’re creating after seeing this series of tests completed,” said Robin West, vice president of Expedition Operations for Seabourn. “Our team is fully committed to taking luxury expedition travelers to some of the world’s most sought after locations and Seabourn Venture is certainly going to be up to the task with its purpose-built design.”

Visualizing the way ice might behave in relation to the hull is a critical part of the design and build process for ships that will routinely operate in areas of the world where ice is common. During the ice testing series, a scale model mock-up of the ship’s hull is connected to a test carriage where maneuvering and operational tests can be conducted while Seabourn and Carnival Corporation team members look on through a series of viewing windows.

The keel laying for Seabourn Venture will take place in December. The ship is scheduled to launch in June 2021, with a second yet-to-be-named sister ship slated to launch in May 2022. The ships are being designed from conception for the ultimate in expedition travel blended with ultra-luxury and personalized service by leading travel experts and seasoned professionals with great depth of experience in expedition, hospitality, and ultra-luxury cruising.

Both ships will be designed and built for diverse environments and will include an array of modern hardware and technology that will extend the ships’ global deployment and capabilities. They will include many features that have made Seabourn ships so successful. A new and exciting offering will be two custom-built submarines carried onboard, providing guests with an unforgettable view of the world beneath the ocean’s surface on optional excursions. Seabourn Venture will carry 24 Zodiacs onboard, giving her the flexibility to take all guests on a Zodiac tour at once, should conditions present a small window of opportunity. Each ship will feature 132 luxurious oceanfront veranda suites, providing the best in accommodation no matter where the ships travel.

For this latest project with Seabourn, renowned hospitality designer Adam D. Tihany has developed the design vision for public areas and all categories of luxurious guest suites, as well as a bespoke furniture collection. Renderings of a selection of these spaces can be found in the link here.

Both expedition vessels will feature an onboard crew that will include outstanding and well-traveled expedition teams comprised of highly regarded wilderness experts, scientists, historians and naturalists. During each sailing, team members regularly interact with guests, providing keen insight to deliver a rich holistic travel experience. These fascinating, accomplished experts are also part of the Seabourn Conversations program, providing in-depth insights into the history, ecology and culture of the places they visit. Their valuable insights are offered both in formal presentations on a variety of topics and in more casual conversations over meals, on deck during scenic cruising or at leisure.

Huge Global Dream midsection to arrive to building yard in Wismar

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 21 November 2019 21 November 2019

A huge mid section part of Global Dream, the first of two 208,000 gross ton Global class cruise ships Genting Hong Kong has on order at its MV Werften shipyard group in Germany, is due to arrive at the facility where the ship is being assembled.

“This weekend is exciting times at MV Werften, the mid body of 156,000 gross tons will be towed from Rostock yard to Wismar and into the building hall to be connected to the aft and forward part,” Gustaf Gronberg, SVP Marine Operations and Newbuildings at Genting Hong Kong, told Cruise Business Online.

The gross tonnage of the section – about 156,000 – is roughly equal with the tonnage of the Freedom class ships of Royal Caribbean International. The three ships measure at roughly 158,400 gross tons.

Gronberg said this must be the biggest part of any newbuild being built outside the yard where it finally will be completed.

Valiant Lady to dock in Central Barcelona on summer 2021 cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 November 2019 19 November 2019

Valiant Lady, the second ship of Virgin Voyages, will dock just steps from Las Ramblas at the World Trade Center Barcelona, positioning Sailors – as the company calls its passengers - as close to the heart the city as possible.

The principal cruise terminals in the city are located a few miles from the city centre.

“This prime location, usually reserved by luxury liners and mega-yachts, gives walking access to the dynamic and diverse neighborhoods of Poble Sec, el Raval, Barri Gotic, Port Vell and the famed urban beach of La Barceloneta,” the Miami based company said in a statement.

“With a weekly Sunday sail away, sailors will enjoy extra time in Barcelona and be able to take advantage of many different flight options. Virgin Voyages is partnering with Global Ports Holding, the world’s leading independent cruise port operator, to prepare for Valiant Lady’s arrival in early summer 2021,” Virgin Voyages said.