Norwegian team cruising into cities across North America

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 17 January 2015 17 January 2015

Norwegian Cruise Line continues its commitment to its Partners First initiative with a series of events that will bring the Norwegian Cruise Line leadership team face-to-face with travel partners and individual agents in 21 cities across the US and Canada, including Atlanta, Boston, New York, Montreal, Dallas, Los Angeles and more, in January, February and March 2015.

“With the upcoming launch of Norwegian Escape and our attractive promotional offers like Norwegian’s Freestyle Choice, there’s never been a more exciting time for our travel partners to join the community of Norwegians,” said Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President of Sales for Norwegian Cruise Line. “We want every travel partner to leave one of these events with a clear view of today’s Norwegian Cruise Line, excited about Norwegian Escape and ready to take their partnership with us to the next level. They are a critical part of our business and we look forward to making a personal connection with them at these events to ensure mutually beneficial success.”

Each of the exclusive Norwegian hosted events will provide travel partners with a detailed insider look at Norwegian Escape, the line’s largest and most innovative ship to-date, over dinner and cocktails, naturally in a casual intimate setting typical of Norwegian’s Freestyle cruising. As an added incentive for attendees, Norwegian will give away a complimentary seven-day sailing in a balcony stateroom at every event.

Events will be hosted in 21 key market cities across the US and Canada, with cocktail receptions followed by dinner and a presentation featuring Norwegian’s next new ship, Norwegian Escape. Travel partners who cannot attend one of Norwegian’s exclusive partner events, many of which are already sold out, can stay up-to-date on the latest happenings and travel partner incentives and tools by tuning into one of the line’s monthly Partners First webinars. The next webinar is scheduled for Monday, January 19 at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and partners can register at NCL U on Norwegian Central at www.norwegiancentral.com.

Celebrity Cruises launches Celebrity City Stay vacation packages

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 16 January 2015 16 January 2015

Guests can now begin their modern luxury vacation earlier with Celebrity Cruises’ new Celebrity City Stay vacation packages. Combining destination expertise with unbeatable value, the newly curated pre-cruise experiences will be available in 16 of the most intriguing and dynamic cities.

Celebrity City Stay packages bring vacationers even closer to the world’s must-see cities, including Athens, Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Hong Kong, London, Singapore and Sydney. The one-of-a-kind packages are available in nearly every port city the cruise vacation company sails from.

Enhancing guests’ Celebrity vacations, City Stay vacation packages include:

– Three nights in four-star, luxury hotel accommodations, with complimentary breakfast
– Transfers to and from the airport, hotel and the booked Celebrity cruise
– Full day of an in-depth fully guided City Highlights Tour and lunch
– Half day with an in-depth fully guided tour and a farewell dinner
– Dedicated Celebrity Cruises Hospitality Desk at the luxury hotel, to provide personalized, premium service
– Classic Beverage Package for two, including wine and spirits, while sailing with Celebrity
– Families and friends in a stateroom as additional guests can receive a Classic non-alcoholic beverage package and a 40-minute internet package

“Our destination experts have specially curated each Celebrity City Stay so that vacationers can get even more up close and personal with the destination before departing on their cruise. Our guests can enjoy upscale and immersive three-night experiences in some of the world’s most beautiful and captivating cities,” said Bernardo Carrillo, Managing Director, Celebrity Vacations, Celebrity Cruises. “From authentic dining, in-depth tours hosted by local experts, free time to go off the beaten path, and four-star accommodations to come back to, there’s no better start to a modern luxury vacation than an early one.”

Carnival Cruise Line launches new shipboard mobile app

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 16 January 2015 16 January 2015

Carnival Cruise Line has launched a new free mobile app that provides vacationers aboard Carnival Breeze with a variety of useful information to maximize the fun on their next Carnival cruise. The app includes an innovative “chat” feature that allows guests to exchange messages with their traveling companions using their mobile devices throughout the voyage for a low flat fee of $5 for the entire cruise.

The line is also piloting enhanced Internet access aboard Carnival Freedom, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sunshine that dramatically increases bandwidth and speed and also includes a first-ever social media package providing unlimited access to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and other popular sites for a fee of just $5 per day or $25 per voyage during the testing period.

“Consumers expect a high level of connectivity even while on vacation and these new enhancements provide our guests not only with helpful tools for getting the most out of their cruise but also a convenient and cost-effective way for keeping in touch with their family and friends while on board,” said Gus Antorcha, Carnival’s senior vice president of guest commerce. “We recognize the increasingly important role that technology plays in people’s daily lives and the launch of this application and new Internet packages provides us with a strong platform for introducing additional innovations and ways to use technology to enhance our guest experience even further.”

New Mobile Smartphone App Pilot on Carnival Breeze

Currently being piloted on Carnival Breeze, the new free Carnival Hub app is designed to provide guests with a convenient, at-a-glance view of the ship’s many shipboard facilities and features along with updates on events and happenings taking place on board.

Also available is a “chat” feature where guests can communicate with anyone on board from their mobile devices. The price for the chat feature, which includes a group chat option, is $5 per voyage during the testing period.

The app also includes:

– A day-by-day schedule of hundreds of on-board events, from nightly show times at the Punchliner Comedy Club presented by George Lopez and Playlist Production shows to movies and sporting events on the big screen at Seaside Theatre and Seuss at Sea events

– A “favorites” feature that allows guests to see what events and activities their sailing companions are participating in

– Information on casual dining options such as Guy’s Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina and The Taste Bar, along with details on the RedFrog Pub and other popular watering holes

– Searchable deck plans with key areas highlighted, providing a comprehensive layout of the ship’s various on-board offerings

– Itinerary details, including current ship time and arrival/departure times for upcoming port calls  

– Real-time information on guests’ current Sail & Sign shipboard account balance

The app is currently available for the Carnival Breeze for iPhone and Android users via their respective app stores with fleetwide rollout planned within the next 18 to 24 months.  During this time, the line will continue to add more fun and functional features to help guests have an even more personalized and memorable cruise vacation, such as the ability to purchase shore excursions, view photos taken by the ship’s professional photographers on board, and more.

Enhanced Internet Beta-Testing on Carnival Freedom, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sunshine

– Carnival is also piloting new Internet access and plans on Carnival Freedom, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sunshine – including the cruise industry’s first social media package. With these new choices, consumers are offered a wide range of convenient options as well as increased bandwidth, providing enhanced service and connectivity, all at prices that are significantly lower than previous plans.

With the new social media package, guests can use popular apps or sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Pinterest for a flat fee of $5 per day or $25 per voyage during the initial testing period. Unlike other Internet packages, the social media package is unique in that it allows guests a convenient, flexible and highly affordable option for updating their favorite social media pages during their cruise at one low price.

Guests can also upgrade to a “value” package that includes unlimited access to the Web for checking email, sports scores, weather updates and a wide range of other applications.

There’s also a “premium” package that provides the fastest available connection speed allowing guests to access video calling sites like Skype.

The mobile app and enhanced Internet packages will roll out to additional ships following successful completion of the initial pilot programs.  Additional features and functionality are also in development and will be phased in over time.

“In creating both the Internet plans and the app, we spent a lot of time listening to our guests to understand their needs and develop these products accordingly,” said Gabriela Gonzalez, Carnival’s vice president of guest technology and photo. “While we trusted the plans and the app would be well received, we are stunned by how quickly and widely they have been embraced during the pilot period. We’re excited to bring these innovations to more ships over the coming months while we continue to work to make them even better,” she added.

Windstar unveils plans to introduce Star Breeze and Star Legend

Details

Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 15 January 2015 15 January 2015

Windstar Cruises expands their fleet from four ships to six in May 2015 with the addition of two small luxury ships from Seabourn. Today, Windstar unveils the changes planned to transform these yachts to Windstar’s signature style.

Windstar takes possession of the first Seabourn ship on April 15, 2015, when it undergoes an $8.5 million, three-week renovation in Genoa, Italy. It will debut as Star Breeze during a christening ceremony on May 6, 2015 in Nice, France. The second ship follows suit, joining the fleet on May 4, 2015, and completing a similar $8.5 million renovation. The yacht will be christened Star Legend on May 25, 2015 in Rome, Italy.

Star Breeze and Star Legend join sister-ship, Star Pride, marking the completion of the acquisition announced in February of 2013.  The expansion doubles the size of Windstar’s fleet of three luxury sailing yachts, making the company a market leader in small ship cruising with 300 or fewer passengers, with a total of 1,242 berths and six ships.

“Star Breeze and Star Legend will receive a full stem-to-stern transformation, more than doubling the investment that was spent on Star Pride’s original enhancements,” says Hans Birkholz, Windstar Cruises’ chief executive officer. “We learned a lot about our guests’ preferences with the debut of Star Pride last year. We are taking their feedback and giving them what they want with the launch of these two all suite yachts.”

Key changes on Star Breeze and Star Legend that differ from Star Pride include:

– Lounge: The entertainment lounge completely transforms with new flooring, and furniture. The added elegance creates an ambiance that makes the show lounge an amenable space for entertainment, meetings or small gatherings.
– Veranda: the restaurant in the aft of the yacht will have expanded outdoor seating, complete with a garden wall.
– Star Deck: the outdoor deck will expand by four feet on each side, giving additional space for guests to relax on lounge chairs
– Star Screening Room: The space completely transforms from a card room to an intimate screening room where guests can watch current movies and play video games.

Both yachts, each holding 212 passengers at double occupancy, will also receive upgrades to the suites, public areas, and dining venues. The transformation will include the following overhauls and upgrades:

Public Spaces: Public areas receive updated décor, complete with new, more modern upholstery, lighting, wall coverings, carpeting, ceiling finishes, window treatments, and floors. The contemporary color palette combines sand and marine shades to contrast with the warmth of wood finishes, thereby creating an upscale, nautical feel, signature to Windstar. Some public space renovation highlights include:

– Yacht Club: The observation lounge on the top deck was one of the most well-received spaces on Star Pride. The space becomes a chic coffee bar and lounge where guests can enjoy espresso and light bites. The lounge receives a complete overhaul, including new flooring, lounge furniture, and an open layout that embraces the view of the shoreline.
– Reception: The carpeting receives an upgrade to Windstar’s signature blue, while new accent lighting and art give the reception area the quintessential Windstar welcoming look.
– Compass Rose: The club space will turn into Windstar’s popular Compass Rose, redesigned with all new contemporary furnishings, including rich new flooring finishes, plantation shutters, and comfortable chairs and bar stools designed for socializing. Live music can be found here nightly.
– Star Bar: The Star Bar will offer casual drinks during the day and a venue for star-gazing by night. The bar area will be expanded with teak decking, new stools, new awning, and lighting.

Dining Venues: All restaurants will be transformed to embrace Windstar’s casual elegance, where guests are free to eat when, where, and with whom they please (no jackets or ties required). All dining experiences are complimentary.

– AmphorA: Windstar’s formal dining experience will be introduced as AmphorA Restaurant. The main dining room will be redesigned, featuring mirror panels with Murano glass, new soft lighting, wall coverings, and art work. The room will feature a new seating layout; setting the stage for Windstar’s signature dining experience featuring contemporary, international menus and fresh, local dishes.
– Candles: At night Veranda will transform to Candles, a favorite Windstar romantic experience where guests can dine with table service under the stars. The added elegance enhances the guest experience with culinary offerings to match.   

Suites: Every guest suite (a total of 106 suites) undergoes upgrades to reflect a more luxurious and stylish experience. Changes include new carpets, linens, couches, chairs, mattresses, curtains, and headboards, as well as a modern color palette including vibrant blue hues, rich brown tones, and opulent greys.

– Destination Suites: the Owner’s Suites will now showcase different, unique Windstar destinations, such as the Bora Bora Suite. Guests can get a taste of one of the hidden harbors that Windstar sails to, all in the comfort of their suite.

Coming in 2016: Star Pride Renovation

Windstar is planning a $3 million additional renovation of Star Pride in April 2016. The Star Pride joined Windstar’s fleet from Seabourn in May of 2014, after a moderate facelift and updated furnishings with some remodeling. The continuation of the transformation includes the completion of the AmphorA dining room remodel and a total renovation of the Lounge, Veranda, Screening Room, and more.

“With the addition of these two newly renovated yachts, we can meet our consumer demand, enhance the feel of luxury, and continue to rank at the top of the small cruise line industry,” concludes Birkholz.