Saga's cruise business improved performance
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 12 November 2013 12 November 2013
Saga, the UK based company that offers a wide range of services to customers over the age of 50,said its cruising operations had improved their performance in the first half of its year, which covers the 1 February to 31 July period.
“Saga’s travel division experienced strong cruising performance compared with the same period last year. Saga Holidays and Titan Travel bookings also grew during the first half of the year and forward booking are also well ahead. In the 50+ awards Saga holidays was voted by customers as the nation’s best tour operator for the over 50s,” its parent company Acromas Holdings said in a statement. However, the company which is not listed did not provide any figures related to its trading.
Saga Cruises operates three ships, the 1981 built Saga Sapphire and Saga Pearl II of the same vintage plus Saga Ruby, which was built in 1973 and which will be withdrawn from service early next year.
On 2 July 2013 the Group entered into a series of transactions to replace part of its existing bank debt with alternative funding and to extend the terms of the remaining facility. In addition, £579 million of cash held by the Group was used to repay part of the bank loans, Acromas Holdings said.
Tallink Group to start fleet refurbishment with Silja Serenade upgrade
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 12 November 2013 12 November 2013
Tallink Group, the Estonian cruise ferry company, says it will embark on a fleet refurbishment programme that will start with Silja Serenade, one of the two 58,000 gross ton vessels that trades between Helsinki and Stockholm under the Silja Line brand name.
The company will hold a press conference on board the ship on 21 November, in which details about work to be carried out on board the 1990 built vessel.
Tallink operates a total of 11 cruise ferries on five different services in the Northern Baltic, Four of the ships were built between 1989 and 1993, the rest are from this millennium.
Asia's largest homeporting cruise ship Mariner of the Seas starts new Singapore season
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
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- Published: 11 November 2013 11 November 2013
Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas, the largest cruise ship based in Asia, has returned to Singapore yesterday November 10 to start her new season here, where she will be homeported until next March. The 138,279 gross ton ship has arrived at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore from Hong Kong and has set sail on her first cruise, of five nights to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Penang and Phuket.
Mariner of the Seas has lined up a total of 29 sailings for this Singapore season, comprising a variety of 3, 4 and 5-night cruises to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Langkawi, Penang and Phuket, a 7-night cruise to Bangkok (Laem Chabang) (overnight) and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), and an 8-night cruise to Shanghai with calls at Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My) and Xiamen and an overnight in Hong Kong.
The season also features festive cruises for Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year with special entertainment, decorations and feasts onboard such as Christmas caroling, the Christmas Show, Santa meet 'n' greet with gifts for kids and the New Year countdown party. Theme cruises such as the world’s first all-champions Latin dance competition cruise next January, with renowned dance veterans from Asia as judges will also be additional highlights.
New shore excursions
This season will also introduce new interesting shore excursions in Southeast Asia such as the ‘Mah Meri Cultural Experience’ with performances, ceremonies and village tour of the Mah Meri indigenous tribe, exploration of Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)’s botanical gardens and nature trails, and a trip to Sunway Pyramid mall and Sunway Lagoon theme park in Kuala Lumpur/Port Klang; island-hopping and exploration of one of the world’s oldest jungles with nature guides in Langkawi; and a Penang food and art trail, on local delicacies from fried kway teow, Assam laksa to tau sar peah biscuits and local street art and wall paintings which are both whimsical and fascinating.
Mein Schiff 2 re-enters service after week long refit in Spain
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 11 November 2013 11 November 2013
Mein Schiff 2 of TUI Cruises, the Hamburg based premium market cruise line, has re-entered service after renovation in the dry dock of the Navantia shipyard in Cadiz from 1 to 7 November. A total 320 dockyard workers and more than 800 crew members worked together on Mein Schiff 2, the company said in a statement.
"The technical systems and engines were serviced according to schedule. The exterior paintwork was completely renewed, with 5,000 square metres of paint used for this purpose. Another important aspect was the improvement of the eco-friendly silicone coating on the hull. This reduces the resistance of the hull in the water, thereby saving fuel. The period in dry dock was also used to install LED lamps in the public areas. In total, 2,500 lamps were replaced," the company said.
In addition, guests will also notice changes in the public areas. "One highlight, for instance, is the newly created outdoor yoga area on Deck 12. Guests will in future be able to take part in courses outside in the fresh air or use the 48-square-metre space for their own exercises. Moreover, numerous carpets in the interior areas have been replaced and the flooring renewed in the outdoor areas."
The 24-hour snack bar, the Cliff 24, now sports resplendent new exterior cladding. "A tight schedule was imposed on us with the dry dock, but we managed to get
the work finished in the time allotted, and Mein Schiff 2 has now left the yard right on time and is heading for the Caribbean", says Richard J. Vogel, CEO of TUI Cruises. For the winter, the wellbeing ship is now on course for the northern and southern Caribbean.
AIDA Cruises to offer three junior football themed cruises 2014
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
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- Published: 11 November 2013 11 November 2013
AIDA Cruises, the German contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corp & plc group, says it will offer three football themed cruises in 2014 following the successful completion of its first one of the kind.
The cruises target juniors aged from 7 to 13 and the cruise that terminated in Hamburg had attracted 45 keen players. The cruise, a seven night Northern European itinerary on AIDAsol, included a visit to the Wembley stadium in London, a visit to the stadium in Paris that will host the European championship finals in 2016, while further events involving well known personalities added to the experience when the ship called at Zeebrugge and Amsterdam.
The cruise line had teamed with BVB, the German club and training events were held on the sports deck of the ship.
In 2014, the first football cruise will take place during the Easter holiday and entails a seven night Northern Europe itinerary on AIDAsol. The second cruise, a 10 night Western Mediterranean itinerary, will sail from Palma de Mallorca in early july and the final one, on AIDAluna in August, will again focus on Northern Europe and take four days.
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