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Viking Star christened in homeport Bergen

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 May 2015 18 May 2015

Marking a significant milestone in the arrival of the travel industry's first entirely new cruise line with a brand-new tonnage in a decade, Viking Ocean Cruises (www.vikingoceancruises.com) christened its first ship, the 930-passenger Viking Star on May 17. The ceremony – which took place in Bergen, Norway – occurred in conjunction with a citywide celebration for Norwegian Constitution Day and featured parades, parties and a public concert in the harbor that was attended by approximately 20,000 local residents and visitors.

In addition to the public fanfare, Viking Star's arrival in Bergen is noteworthy because it marks the first time in 10 years that a Norwegian-flagged passenger cruise ship has chosen Norway's second-largest city as its homeport. Furthermore, the mayor of Bergen, Trude Drevland, served as ceremonial godmother and offered a blessing of good fortune and safe sailing for Viking Star – a naval tradition that dates back thousands of years.

"We believe the arrival of Viking Star signals a new era in destination-focused cruising, and I could not be more proud that she will call my favorite city in the world 'home,'" said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises. "This is a ship that was built for exploration and designed with our Scandinavian heritage in mind, and our guests will experience it from the moment they step onboard."

Viking Star's christening was the culmination of a maiden voyage that began April 11 when the ship set sail from Istanbul. Over the last five weeks, she made stops in what will be regular ports across the Mediterranean and Western Europe, including Athens, Santorini, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Venice, Barcelona, Seville (Cadiz), Gibraltar, Lisbon, Paris (Rouen) and London. Yesterday in Bergen, Viking Star was positioned in the harbor to serve as the backdrop for a first-of-its kind floating concert. As thousands of attendees gathered along the waterfront last night, they were treated to performances by world-renowned artists and musicians – all of whom have a personal connection to Bergen – including Norwegian soprano Sissel, actor Bjarte Hjelmeland, singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche, acclaimed violinist Charlie Siem and comedy duo Ylvis. Following the concert, christening ceremony, and a fireworks show, Viking Star set sail on a special journey to Oslo and from there will continue on to Copenhagen, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm.

Destination cruising with Viking Star

Classified by Cruise Critic as a "small ship," Viking Star has a gross tonnage of 47,800 tons and accommodates 930 passengers in 465 staterooms – each with its own veranda. Engineered at a scale that allows direct access into most ports, guests have an easy and efficient embarkation and disembarkation, allowing them more time to spend enjoying each destination. With early reviews already in, Carolyn Spencer Brown of Cruise Critic has called Viking Star a "game changer," and Gene Sloan of USA Today proclaimed "you're going to love Viking Star."

Light-filled with modern Scandinavian décor, Viking Star was designed by experienced nautical architects and engineers, including the same interior design team responsible for the award-winning fleet of Viking Longships. Throughout the ship, details were incorporated to pay homage to Nordic heritage and to help guests immerse themselves in local surroundings. A glass-backed infinity pool off the stern offers unobstructed views; indoor-outdoor spaces offer more options for al fresco dining than any other vessel in its class; huge windows and skylights blur the lines between inside and out; and a wrap-around promenade deck nods to a bygone era of classic ocean liners.

Onboard Viking Star, clean lines, woven textiles and light wood evoke the Viking spirit of discovery and connection to the natural world. A carefully curated collection of Norwegian artwork adorns the walls of the restaurants and public spaces. In the two-deck Explorers' Lounge at the bow of the ship, the décor was inspired by ancient Viking trade routes and navigation methods – imagery of star constellations and astronomical maps are complemented by antique globes, astrolabes and sofas with cozy pelts. In the Spa, the holistic wellness philosophy of Scandinavia is in mind – from the Nordic ritual of the hydrotherapy pool and the first Snow Room at sea, to materials inspired by Scandinavian nature: Swedish limestone and black slate; juniper and teak wood details; recycled and etched opaque glass; and cast iron. In the Wintergarden, blonde wood "trees" stretch their branches up to the glass ceiling, forming a lattice canopy over a serene space where guests can enjoy afternoon tea service. And in the Viking Living Room, a geometric garden was inspired by the wild lichen of Norway's Finse Mountain Plateau.

Viking Ocean Cruises guests enjoy curated itineraries that are designed to best showcase the destinations that they visit, with a complimentary excursion in each port and an onboard cultural enrichment program that includes academic lecturers, local speakers and interactive demonstrations. Viking Star is one of three ocean cruise ships on order; two additional ships, Viking Sea and Viking Sky, are currently under construction.

Booking details

From now through May 31, 2015, Viking is offering U.S. residents 2015 Special Savings and 2016 Early Booking Discounts with 2-for-1 pricing on cruise departures and savings of up to $750 per person on international air. Viking Inclusive Pricing provides unparalleled value—with every cruise fare including a veranda stateroom, shore excursions in each port of call, all onboard meals, and all port charges and government taxes. Passengers also enjoy many complimentary amenities as part of their fare, including: beer and wine with lunch and dinner service; wi-fi; self-service laundry and 24-hour room service—a value of more than $2,400 per couple for an average cruise.

Meyer Turku plans to expand production capacity - report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 18 May 2015 18 May 2015

Meyer Turku shipyard, the German owned cruise ship builder in Finland, plans to expand its capacity, the Turun Sanomat daily reports on its website.

Among the plans is an option to extend the graving dock in which ships are built so that two vessels could be built at one time. The current size of the dock is 365m by 80m.

The company is considering also other investments to improve the performance of the yard, Jan Meyer, Managing Director of Meyer Turku was reported as saying. However, the investments decisions would depend on future workload.

Meyer Turku has just delivered Mein Schiff 4, second in a series of four 99,300 gross ton cruise liners for TUI Cruises in Hamburg. The contract has options for two additional ships. Furthermore, Carnival Corp & plc has signed a preliminary agreement with the shipyard to construct two of the nine ships it recently said it would order in the near future.

Jan Meyer was reported as saying that the agreement with Carnival also included options and that the initial contracts for the two ships should be confirmed during the summer.

Costa Luminosa begins new North European itinerary from Stockholm

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 May 2015 15 May 2015

Costa Cruises' Costa Luminosa made its maiden call at Stockholm, Sweden, today as it repositioned to the Baltic Sea for the summer on a new seven-day itinerary. The 92,000-ton, 2,260-passenger ship will cruise a series of 15 "Jewels of the Baltic" voyages through mid August, visiting four iconic Baltic cities.

The ship's arrival in Stockholm was celebrated with a ceremony whose participants included Elena Basile, Italian Ambassador to Sweden, Stefan Hansson, Chairman of the board of Ports of Stockholm, Thomas Andersson, CEO Stockholm Visitors Board, Henrik Ahlqvist, Manager Cruise & Ferry & Deputy Harbour Master, and Andrea Tavella, Sales & Marketing Director North Europe of Costa Cruises.

"Each year we work to propose something unique to our guests. Our aim, with the Costa Luminosa, is to offer a new way to enjoy North Europe. We have focused on quality, choosing few but select and incredibly charming cities in the Baltic Sea that guests can discover in the best way possible, thanks to the long stopovers that include overnight stays. Stockholm is the departure port and one of the strong points of this itinerary," states Andrea Tavella, Sales & Marketing Director North Europe of Costa Cruises. "During the two-day stopover, our guests will be able to fully enjoy an extensive tour of this splendid city. In the summer we expect to bring about 30,000 visitors to Stockholm. While most of these guests will be Italian, Spanish and French, we also expect a good number of Scandinavian customers".

Costa Luminosa, entered into service 2009, is one of the most beautiful and elegant ships of Costa Cruises fleet. One of the highlights is "Reclining Woman 2004", a wonderful sculpture by Fernando Botero, which is the focal point of the spectacular central atrium.

The one-week itinerary, "Jewels of the Baltic", departs from Stockholm, with a one-day and one-night stopover; from there the Costa Luminosa will continue to Helsinki (Finland); then two days and one night in St. Petersburg (Russia); a day call to Tallinn (Estonia) and return with one day and one night again in Stockholm.

Guests from North America can take advantage of reduced fares on Costa Luminosa's departures on May 23; June 6, 20 and 27; July 11 and 25; and August 1 and 8. Rates start at $499 for inside cabins and $799 on balcony cabins. Fares are per person, double occupancy.

In Stockholm, guests can choose from among a wide choice of excursions: a boat trip to the 14 islands comprising the city; or a bicycle trip in the royal gardens of Djurgården; a visit to the Royal Palace and the old city; a panoramic tour from the 130-metre-tall Sky View; a visit to the Vasa Museum, with the world's only fully preserved seventeenth-century ship; an evening at the Ice Bar; or shopping in the many design shops.

Helsinki (Finland) can be visited by boat or bike. Some of the many places of interest include the Parliament, the National Museum, Finlandia Hall, designed by the famous architect Alvar Aalto, and the new Opera Theatre. From Helsinki guests can discover the old city of Porvoo, with its historic centre and characteristic small wooden houses.

The two-day and one-night call to St. Petersburg, the Venice of the North, will allow guests to admire all its unique main attractions, including the Hermitage Museum, the beautiful palaces on the Neva, like the Winter Palace, the Nevsky Prospect, and The Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. Guests can also attend a classical dance show or take a cruise on the city canals.

Tallinn instead is famous for its medieval historical centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The heart of the capital is also its Town Hall, a Gothic structure dating back to the 1400s, and next to Raeapteek, Europe's oldest municipal pharmacy that's still open for business.

Cruise fares are per person based on double occupancy, capacity controlled and do not include taxes and fees.

Tallink cuts first quarter loss as efficiency drive bites

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 May 2015 15 May 2015

Tallink Grupp, the listed Estonian cruise ferry company, has reduced its losses in the first quarter on an efficiency drive, but passenger volumes fell as well in the review period.

Group net loss narrowed to €13.3 million in the first three months of the year from €23.4 million in the corresponding 2014 period. Revenues rose a fraction, to €190.2 million from €188.2 million.
The group's ships carried nearly 1.8 million passengers which is 5.9% less compared to the same period last year, Tallink said in a statement.

The Group made various changes to the operations during the past year and these affected the first quarter with decreased passenger volumes but increased revenue and profitability. The reduction of operating costs from the measures taken has the highest effect to the first quarter profitability, which is also the low season," Tallink said.

In the first quarter the Estonia-Finland route showed positive developments with revenue increasing by 2.7% driven by a 21.3% growth in cargo units. The increase to the cargo volume was partly from Sea Wind switching from the Finland-Sweden routes to the Estonia-Finland route.

The Estonia-Sweden route, where capacity is lower than last year, experienced a 9.9% decrease in passengers and a 10.4% decrease in cargo volumes. The Latvia-Sweden route showed a decline with passenger’s numbers decreasing by 41.2%, cargo units transported decreased by 59.6%, passenger vehicles transported decreased by 33.0% and the sales decreased by 39.4%.

"The decline in passenger and cargo volumes on the Latvia-Sweden route is due to Isabelle operating as the only vessel on the route since the beginning of August 2014. Throughout the first quarter price pressure from competitors remained visible on all routes. The passenger volumes have been affected by the drop of Russian passengers since the second quarter last year and has continued to this date,." Tallink pointed out.

In the first quarter altogether 6 vessels were chartered out. Due to the increased number of chartered vessels the revenue from charters increased by €7.3 million or 85.9% to the total of €15.7 million. Two of the vessels Silja Festival and Regina Baltic are to be sold in the second quarter of the 2015 financial year.

The upgrades of the public areas and improvements to restaurant and shop concept throughout the fleet combined with the operational changes have resulted in a 3.5% increase in on-board revenue per passenger. Due to the changes in operations the segment result improved on all segments and was €14.9 million higher than in the same period last year, Tallink said.

Royal Caribbean International selects new creative agency

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 May 2015 14 May 2015

Royal Caribbean International today announced its intent to retain Mullen Lowe of Boston, Massachusetts to lead the cruise line’s creative efforts, pending successful contract negotiations.

"After an extensive search we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Mullen Lowe," said Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "We are impressed by their strategic and creative thinking, which matches the energy and innovative imagination of our brand."

Mullen Lowe was selected after an extensive agency review process, during which all of the finalist agency teams presented outstanding industry resources and made commendable efforts to demonstrate their skills and creative talent. Mullen Lowe, an award-winning agency which was named to Ad Age’s Agency A-List in three of the past five years and also named a Creativity Innovator of the Year in 2014, is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) of agencies.

"Royal Caribbean has an amazing fleet of innovative ships and a commitment to delivering unforgettable adventures to travelers," said Alex Leikikh, CEO, Mullen Lowe Group. "We’re excited to help Royal Caribbean firmly differentiate their brand, increase guest loyalty and inspire first-time cruisers to discover the transformative effect of a Royal Caribbean experience."

Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 45-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry “firsts” never before seen at sea. The cruise line features an expansive and unmatched array of features and amenities only found on Royal Caribbean including, jaw-dropping, Broadway-style entertainment and industry-acclaimed programming that appeals to families and adventurous vacationers alike.