Freedom of the Seas to receive $116 million facelift

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 22 August 2019 22 August 2019

Royal Caribbean International’s 2006 built Freedom of the Seas will receive a $116 million facelift prior to the ship being based in San Juan for a series of seven night Southern Caribbean cruises.

The company, which is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group, did not say where the work would be carried out.

New outdoor features will include The Perfect Storm duo of racer waterslides. “On Cyclone and Typhoon, guests are in for the ultimate race as they go head to head through twists and turns for bragging rights,” the company said in a statement.

A reimagined poolscape will have a larger variety of seating and shade with casitas, daybeds and hammocks, and the Splashaway Bay aquapark for the youngest travelers. For downtime, guests can escape to the renewed, adults-only Solarium.

The ship will also introduce more dining venues, spanning Italian, Asian and Mexican cuisine and a number of new bars will be introduced, such as Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade,

El Loco Fresh will sit poolside and offer fresh grab-and-go Mexican fare, from tacos and burritos, to quesadillas, along with an array of salsas for an extra kick. For the first time, the venue will include a full-service bar with a selection of tequilas on offer.

Also to be introduced are glow-in-the-dark laser tag adventure Clash for the Crystal City a floor-to-ceiling redesign of the ship’s dedicated teens spaces and Adventure Ocean.

Beginning 8 March 2020, the reimagined Freedom of the Seas  will sail seven-night, roundtrip Southern Caribbean cruises from San Juan. The year-round itineraries are set to visit tropical locales in the region, including Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Castries, Saint Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; Saint Johns, Antigua; and Kralendijk, Bonaire.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to introduce products from its home county of Suffolk

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 22 August 2019 22 August 2019

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the UK based destination focused cruise line, will introduce products originating from the county of Suffolk, where its headquarters are based, on board its fleet of four ships

“Stokes Sauces, based in Rendlesham, is the latest Suffolk company to have their products rolled-out onboard Fred. Olsen’s four-strong ocean fleet. The luxury condiment maker follows on from St. Peter’s Brewery, based near Bungay, and an increased offering of Southwold-based Adnams’ products in recent months,” the company said in a statement.

To mark the occasion, Fred. Olsen hosted the three brands at its Ipswich headquarters, Fred. Olsen House, to offer staff a tasting session with each of the new products.

These included St. Peter’s Brewery’s ‘G-Free’ gluten-free beer; Adnams’ ‘Ghost Ship 4.5%’ and low alcohol ‘Ghost Ship 0.5%’ and Stokes Sauces’ new ‘squeezy’ range of Tomato Ketchup, Brown Sauce and Real Mayonnaise, as well as their Fig Relish, Red Onion Marmalade, and Cider and Horseradish Mustard, among others.

Thomas Rennesland, Hotel Operations Director at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We are proud to be based here in Ipswich, Suffolk’s county town, where we celebrated our 30th anniversary last year. Suffolk is known for its proud agricultural heritage, which means that we have a fantastic array of high-quality products produced locally to us.”

 

MSC Cruises to add second ship to South Africa 2020-21

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 August 2019 21 August 2019

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise shipping company, said it would introduce a second ship, MSC Opera, into South Africa for the 2020-21 cruise season to meet the growing demand.

“This will mark the first time that two different classes of MSC Cruises’ ships will be deployed in South Africa, MSC Opera (Lirica Class) and MSC Musica (Musica Class),” the company said in a statement.

MSC Opera will homeport in Cape Town from December next year, joining MSC Musica, which will be based in Durban as of November. “The introduction of the two ships will provide holidaymakers with a wider choice of cruise options serving alternative routes though South Africa,” MSC Cruises said.

 

Non-cruise activities drag Global Port Holding to deeper interim loss

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 August 2019 21 August 2019

The cruise activities of Global Ports Holding, the Turkish company that is the world’s largest cruise port operator, recorded higher revenues and EBITDA, but its non-cruise business developed in the other direction and the group’s interim loss deepened as a result.

Total revenues fell by 0.2% to $54.6 million and adjusted EBITDA also decreased by the same percentage, to $34.8 million, in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year.  Underlying profit fell by 92.7% to $0.9 million, largely due to a 62.4% rise in financing costs that reached $18.4 million.

Revenues in the cruise operations of the company rose by 13.3% to $23.9 million, but non-cruise operations posted a 9.1% fall, to $30.8 million.

EBITDA in the cruise business of the company improved to $16.8 million, an increase of 14.3%, but in the non-cruise part of its operations, Global Ports Holding experienced a 13.1% weakening in the figure, to$22.3 million, it said in a statement.

The number of passengers handled at the group operated ports rose by 26.8% to 2.1 million, fuelled by a larger portfolio than last year.