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Norwegian Cruise Line bulks up North American sales team

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 11 February 2015 11 February 2015

Norwegian Cruise Line, the contemporary market unit in the Norwegian cruise Line Holdings group, has unveiled a substantial expansion to the company’s North American sales team, almost doubling the number of business development managers in the field, and increasing the overall sales group by more than 40%. "Building on Norwegian’s Partners First philosophy, this investment signifies the line‘s committment to having the most engaged, empowered and responsive sales team in the cruise industry in order to promote the long-term success of its valued travel partners," it said in a statement.

“With the recent addition of exciting and innovative capacity and significantly more to come, this expansion will allow us to build closer, more effective partnerships with our travel partners across North America,” said Drew Madsen, Norwegian Cruise Line’s president and chief operating officer. “By growing our sales team, we can reach more travel partners. Combine this increased reach with the significant investment we have made in marketing tools, booking automation, training, co-operative marketing dollars and the youngest fleet in the North American cruise industry and we believe we have a winning formula.”

As a part of the expansion, new field sales representatives will be added in regions throughout the United States and Canada, including multiple positions in California, as well as an expanded presence in New York, Texas, and the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Norwegian field sales team will also add a new business development manager position and a director of sales for Canada, joining the four managers already fully dedicated to Canadian travel partners. Sales managers will also be added to the National Accounts, Key Accounts, Charters, Meetings & Incentives and Inside Sales teams based in Miami, to further boost the company’s industry leading world-class sales force.

“Our aggressive and sizable investment into our sales force will not only allow us to personally reach more travel professionals, but will also allow us to deepen the relationships we have with our travel partners,” said Andy Stuart, Norwegian’s executive vice president of sales. “I am immensely proud of our sales team and what they’ve accomplished over the years. It’s now time to build on that success and continue to put our Partners First.”

Leading the expanded sales force are three seasoned industry professionals: Nathan Hickman, who recently joined Norwegian from Oceania Cruises as vice president of field sales and national accounts; Alex Pinelo, a long time veteran of Norwegian, who was recently appointed vice president of key accounts, and Katina Athanasiou, vice president of charters, meetings and incentives for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
In April of 2011, Norwegian Cruise Line introduced Partners First, the company’s corporate philosophy of putting its travel partners first, including a $16 million investment towards new customizable marketing tools with Marketing Headquarters; a complete focus on being easy to do business with; the streamlining of the booking processes and technology; and a commitment on direct business. Norwegian has consistently strengthened its commitment to the long term success of its travel partners by unveiling additional new and improved efforts.

This expansion comes as the Norwegian Sales Team is in the midst of series of events that brings the Norwegian sales leadership team face-to-face with travel partners and individual agents in 21 cities across the United States and Canada, including Atlanta, Boston, New York, Montreal, Dallas, Los Angeles and more. Each of the exclusive Norwegian hosted events provides travel partners with a detailed insider look at Norwegian Escape, the line’s largest and most innovative ship to-date, launching this November.

CEOs of four largest cruise groups to discuss State of the Industry in Miami

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 11 February 2015 11 February 2015

State of the Industry session, which sets the course of the cruise industry's premier annual event, will feature the chief executives of the world's largest cruise companies in a wide-ranging discussion of the health and future of the global cruise business. Cruise Shipping Miami 2015 is set for March 16-19 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the organisers said in a statement.

This year's opening plenary session features CNN's Richard Quest as the panel moderator. Quest is CNN's foremost international business correspondent and presenter of "Quest Means Business" and the monthly "CNN Business Traveller" programs. Based in New York, he is one of the most recognizable members of the CNN team.

"Recently, we have seen significant changes in the cruise industry, with brand consolidations and new faces at the C-suite level," said Christopher Dauer, director of UBM Connect's Cruise Events Portfolio. "These four executives will provide a top-level overview of where the global cruise industry is today and what they foresee going forward."

The State of the Industry panel includes Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Frank J. Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive
chairman of MSC Cruises.

First steel cut for first Star Cruises' newbuilding

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 February 2015 10 February 2015

First steel has been cut for the first one of two newbuildings of Star Cruises as Meyer Werft in Germany, the Hong Kong based cruise line said in a statement.

"This marks the beginning of the first of two new mega cruise ships that will be delivered in fall 2016 and fall 2017 respectively, to be homeported in Asia," Star Cruises said.

Upon completion, the new mega cruise ships will have a gross tonnage of more than 151,000 and rhey will have more than 1,600 cabins, accommodating approximately 4,500 passengers and 2,000 crew members.

"The 21-deck luxury cruise ships will be the new flagships under the Star Cruises brand, offering a wide array of itineraries, leisure and entertainment options for all cruise travelers. With these new offerings, coupled with Star Cruises’ renowned world-class Asian hospitality, travelers can expect the ultimate freestyle cruising experience with best-in-class facilities and services," Star said.

The new ship design will allow our guests greater choice with a wide-range of onboard activities, amenities and stateroom options with the latest features, including villas, on the open seas. In addition, the mega cruise ships will offer over 30 Food and Beverage outlets such as gourmet restaurants, bars and cafes specializing in international and Asian cuisines.

One of the highlights includes a special street night market with hawker stalls, serving famous Asian delicacies from various countries. In addition, there is a state-of-the-art modern theatre, world-class recreation, health and fitness and MICE facilities. For the families, there is an array of aqua slides and a kids’ waterpark. The newly built ship will also dedicate around 1,000 square meters of floor area for the ultimate retail experience at sea with a variety of international luxury brands.

With the expected arrival of the newly commissioned mega cruise ships in 2016 and 2017, Star Cruises is set to bring the standard of luxury cruising to the next level in Asia.

Viking XPRS ferry to undergo modernisation, no service interruptions

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 February 2015 04 February 2015

Viking XPRS, the 35,918 gross ton ferry of Viking Line’s on its Helsinki−Tallinn service will be thoroughly modernised, the Finnish company said in a statement.

"After its renovation, M/S Viking XPRS will offer passengers on the route even more diverse restaurant and shopping choices. Among other things, a new à la carte restaurant and a new shop are opening in February. Another focus of the renovation will be to provide larger play areas for children," Vking Line stated.

The work has already begun on board the 2007 built vessel and the modernisation will be completed by summer 2015. "Most of the improvements will be made while the vessel is in service, so no dry-docking will be needed. The facelift will enable the Viking XPRS to offer passengers more diverse restaurant, entertainment and shopping choices than before. Viking Line has listened carefully to customer requests and feedback in planning the modernisation," the company continued.

“We are investing in on-board comfort and services in order to offer our customers the experiences that they want. For example, many of them look forward to first-class restaurant services even during short sea voyages,” says Kaj Takolander, Viking Line’s Head of Sales and Marketing in Finland and the Baltics.

Starting in February, it will also be possible to enjoy a quiet meal in a first-class restaurant on the Tallinn route, when the new à la carte restaurant Wine & Dine opens on board Viking XPRS.

By late March, the vessel’s entertainment facilities will get a facelift thanks to a modernization of the multifunctional Red Rose restaurant. This will include a new stage, smoother cashier logistics and a broader range of café products as well as a larger playroom in order to make the voyage more enjoyable for younger passengers as well.

Passengers will be pleased with the new Fashion Shop that opens in February. It will offer a diverse selection of fashion goods, such as clothing, jewellery, watches and shoes. In addition to these investments in restaurant and shopping choices, Viking XPRS is also modernizing the foyer of the conference department, while the number of seats on the outdoor decks will be expanded with handsome new furniture.

One reason for the modernisation of the Viking XPRS is Viking Line’s growing passenger volume on the Helsinki–Tallinn route. The number of passengers rose last year to more than two million, among other things because the two Helsinki-Stockholm service units, Mariella and Gabriella were placed in service for extra daytime sailings to and from Tallinn during the summer season.

This increase in capacity helped Viking Line set an all-time record of 6.6 million passenger journeys on its vessels during 2014. The company will be adding extra capacity on the Helsinki−Tallinn route again in the summer of 2015, Viking Line concluded.

Star Cruises to homeport two ships in Kaohsiung

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 February 2015 04 February 2015

Star Cruises has announced its decision to homeport its two current biggest vessels in the Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung during the coming season. Alan Lam reports.

The Asia Pacific focused cruise line has decided to homeport its SuperStar Aquarius and SuperStar Virgo in Kaohsiung, which has been making great efforts in wooing cruise business in recent years. SuperStar Aquarius will begin its homeport deployment in Kaohsiung in March, while SuperStar Virgo will be dual-homeporting in Kaohsiung and Hong Kong. The two ships will offer 32 voyages and are expected to carry about 60,000 passengers during the season.

With its emphasis firmly on Greater China and South East Asia, Star Cruises has major expansion plans, which include new deployment strategies. The company, with two mega liners currently under construction in Germany, is well known for its flexible and fluid deployment choices. This is key to its success as the pattern of cruise business in the region is constantly changing.

Like the Mainland Chinese, the Taiwanese have embraced ocean cruising in recent years. Most of them choose to cruise to nearby Far Eastern destinations, such as Hong Kong, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Japan. Star Cruises responses effectively to this growing demand.

In 2014, the company offered 28 voyages in and out of Kaohsiung, representing for about 60% of the total cruise traffic to and from this southern Taiwanese city.

The city and port authorities are delighted by the cruise line’s latest decision, which will go some way towards redressing the industry’s disproportionate focus on the northern Taiwanese port of Keelung.