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Lloyd Werft gears up for major refit of Crystal Serenity

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 October 2018 18 October 2018

Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven, the German refit specialist in the Genting Hong Kong group, will carry out a major refit of Crystal Cruises’ 2003 built Crystal Serenity, the yard said in a statement.

A team from the shipyard went on board the 68,870 gross ton ship in Lisbon to prepare it for arrival in Germany, which is scheduled for 18 October.

“The work is the second direct contract between the Lloyd Werft and Crystal Cruises, both of whom are part of the Genting Hong Kong Group. Last year the yard carried out the extensive refurbishment of the 51,040 fross ton Crystal Symphony,” the yard said.

Interior refurbishment is being carried out directly by Crystal Cruises or its partner companies. Lloyd Werft will be responsible for the necessary shipbuilding work and for all the logistical requirements of the entire project. As a result there will be several hundred crew members and sub-contractors active on the shipyard site over the next few weeks in addition to most of Lloyd Werft’s personnel, the yard said.

Alongside routine ship operational maintenance work, the cruise liner, which can currently accommodate 1,080 passengers, will also get new cabins. Some of the smaller cabins on Deck 10 will be converted into luxury Seabreeze penthouse suites with verandahs and butler service. A total of 38 new suites are being created ranging in area from 37 m2 to 50 m2. After the conversion work has been completed, the ship will head back to Lisbon where it will start its next cruise - to the Caribbean – on 10 November.

Mein Schiff 2 to offer short pre-naming cruise

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 17 October 2018 17 October 2018

Mein Schiff 2, the second of two 115,000 gross ton newbuildings of TUI Cruises from Meyer Turku in Finland, will offer a short cruise before the naming ceremony of the ship. This will run from Bremerhaven to Zeebrugge and sail on 29 January next year and to terminate on 3 February. The ship will be named in Lisbon on 9 February, TUI Cruises said in a statement.

More than fifth of onboard tour purchase, restaurant bookings made by Carnival HubApp

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 17 October 2018 17 October 2018

Carnival Cruise Line said its Carnival HubApp is now available across all 26 ships in the fleet and running ahead of projections with regard to customer adoption.

“More than 20% of onboard specialty dining and tour excursion purchases are placed using the HubApp, contributing to the double digit lift in onboard revenue since the HubApp was introduced,” the company said in a statement.

This summer on its two new Vista-class vessels, 40% of guests purchased the HubApp’s onboard chat feature and the HubApp is also driving internet revenue, with penetration now averaging more than 50 percent of all guests across the fleet.

The enhanced NextGen connectivity system has proven extremely successful on Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista, enabling fast and reliable Wi-Fi at sea. Further deployment of this technology on Carnival Radiance will provide even more guests the opportunity to enjoy superior connectivity while they access their favorite social media sites, news, email or even stream their favorite content.

Carnival is now piloting a “pizza anywhere” delivery capability on select vessels with the eventual goal of allowing guests to order food and drink options directly from the HubApp for delivery to their location on board. Along with the added HubApp benefits, Carnival is investing in an enhanced Wi-Fi infrastructure to bring more robust service across the Carnival fleet by 2021.

CLIA UK & Ireland to host expedition cruise event in London 28 March 2019

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 16 October 2018 16 October 2018

CLIA UK & Ireland said it will hold its first ever expedition cruise event. “Taking place on 28 March 2019 in London, the all-day event will include trends talks and commentary from experts both inside and outside the industry,” the organisation said in a statement.

CLIA UK & Ireland has also formed an expedition working group, to be chaired by Peter Shanks, Silversea UK managing director. Cruise line members will include Celebrity Cruises, Aurora Expeditions, Ponant, Silversea, Holland America Line, Seabourn and Crystal Cruises.

The demand for expedition cruises has risen significantly over recent years. Next year, 10 expedition and adventure ships are due for delivery, with a further five in 2020. “Expedition lines are also diversifying their cruise itineraries and offering more choice, with an increasing number of ships visiting destinations such as Iceland, Greenland and the Galapagos,” CLIA UK & Ireland said.

Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland director, said: “We’re delighted to announce that CLIA will be hosting expedition cruise training events in the future. This, along with our dedicated working group, will help agents capitalise on the growing popularity in this sector. As travel agents see more requests from their customers for adventure voyages, it’s important that they can feel knowledgeable and confident in selling these types of cruises.”

Genting Cruise Lines to continue with more cruise calls to Indonesia

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 12 October 2018 12 October 2018

Genting Cruise Lines, a division of Genting Hong Kong, comprising of Star Cruises, Dream Cruises and Crystal Cruises has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indonesia’s state-owned terminal operator, PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (PERSERO), as part of its ongoing commitment towards developing the country’s cruise tourism industry. The recent MoU signing marks the second collaboration between both parties, following an initial agreement in April 2017 and the successful deployment of Dream Cruises’ Genting Dream in North Bali later in the year. Today’s MoU agreement highlights the continued joint-initiative in developing the facilities at Celukan Bawang in North Bali, allowing ships of up to 350m to berth directly. In addition, both parties will also explore possible joint developments of additional cruise ports operated by PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (PERSERO), extending the collaboration beyond North Bali and further across Indonesia.

“At Genting Cruise Lines, we remain highly committed to the development of Indonesia as a key cruise hub for the region, as well as an important source market and destination for the tourism industry. We recognize the need for updated cruise infrastructure in the area and have actively taken the lead in pioneering improvements to port facilities in order to ensure the future growth of the cruise business,” said Mr. Kent Zhu, President of Genting Cruise Lines. “We will continue to work closely with our Indonesian counterparts in creating new opportunities for the local cruise tourism to flourish as evidenced by the successful deployments of our ships to Jakarta, Medan, North Bali and Bintan Island recently, complemented by a series of ongoing collaborations to develop additional ports across Indonesia.”

Representing PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III (PERSERO), President Director, Doso Agung shared that “We are excited on the rapid growth of the cruise tourism in Indonesia and look forward to establishing closer ties with Genting Cruise Lines for the development of cruise ports operated by PT Pelabuhan Indonesia III and beyond. We are proud of the development under our portfolio particularly in Celukan Bawang. The ability to prepare the port in double quick time to receive Dream Cruises’ Genting Dream in December 2017 reiterates our joint commitment to the cruise tourism in Indonesia”.

The signing of the MoU was witnessed by ministers from both Indonesia and Singapore, along with Genting Cruise Lines representatives during the leaders retreat between Indonesia and Singapore held in Bali, Indonesia.

As a pioneer in the Asian cruise industry with a wealth of experience gleaned over 25 years in operation, Genting Cruise Lines continues to spearhead cruise development across different ports in the region including Guangzhou (Nansha) in China, Shimizu in Japan, Manila in the Philippines and most recently Bintan Island and Celukan Bawang in Indonesia. Ports throughout Asia continue to show promise and potential and Genting Cruise Lines will actively work with the various local government bodies and authorities to further develop port facilities and infrastructure, as well as to accommodate the growing number of cruise passengers with more ships of larger tonnage. “Through these on-going initiatives, our goal is to support local ports in Indonesia to enable them to progress and move up the value chain, which, in turn, will further boost the cruise industry not only in Indonesia but across Asia,” added Mr. Zhu.