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Fred. Olsen reports record advance registrations for 2014-15 programme

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 April 2013 24 April 2013

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the British destinational cruise operator, has reported taking the highest-ever number of advance registrations for its 2014-15 cruise programme.

The cruise line is attributing the upsurge in advance registrations to the range of itineraries – to hundreds of amazing and exotic destinations worldwide, from an even greater choice of convenient regional UK ports than ever before – that it launched in London last week,” the company said in a statement.

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We have received over 800 advance registrations for our 2014-15 cruise programme, which is an unprecedented level of demand."

“The itineraries of many of these advance registration bookings are for cruises that are themed, or planned to coincide with world-famous events, such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, or the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Other pre-booking favourites include a ‘Mystery Cruise’ on Black Watch and a series of ‘Norway Winter’ departures to view the ‘Northern Lights’. We are particularly grateful for the support that our loyal agents have given us in promoting these cruises to their clients.”

Fred. Olsen will be visiting no fewer than 246 destinations in 2014-15 – even more than in the previous cruise season – in 85 countries around the globe. The 2014-15 cruise programme will also see the addition of two new regional UK departure ports – Avonmouth and Tilbury.

MSC Cruises expects UK passenger count to rise by third in 2014 - report

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 April 2013 24 April 2013

MSC Cruises, the Geneva based cruise line, is reported to expect the number of British passengers on its ships to increase by a third in 2014 compared to what it forecasts for this year, a report said.

In 2014, MSC Cruises anticipates to carry 100,000 passengers from Britain compared to 70,000-75,000 it forecasts for this year, Travel Weekly reports in a daily newsletter.

The company has operated the 58,000 gross ton MSC Opera from Southampton on a seasonal basis for some years now. However, Giulio Libutti, Managing Director of MSC Cruises in the UK, has said that the company would like to bring a bigger ship with more balcony cabins to the British market in due time.

The company has published itineraries only to April 2014 so far. Its cruises departing from other countries are also sold in the UK on a fly cruise basis.

Royal Caribbean to operate five ships on short cruises to Bahamas from Florida 2014-15

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 April 2013 24 April 2013

Royal Caribbean International, the contemporary market unit in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL) group, has announced a number of short three- to five-night Caribbean and Bahamas cruises throughout 2014-15, sailing from Tampa, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and Miami, Florida, the company said in a statement.

"Nearly all of these Royal Caribbean ships have recently undergone extensive refurbishments, offering guests up to 10 onboard dining options, spectacular entertainment and onboard features that offer greater convenience and connectivity," the company said.

On all ships except Majesty of the Seas, guests can also enjoy an oversized outdoor movie screen beside the main pool, new staterooms featuring flat-panel televisions, bow-to-stern Wi-Fi service, interactive digital signage and much more. For a short webisode about all the innovative enhancements that guests are already enjoying, please see http://tinyurl.com/c3au67b. Royal Caribbean’s 2014-15 short Caribbean and Bahamas cruises are now open for booking.

From Port Canaveral and Miami respectively, Enchantment of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas will continue year-round three- and four-night Bahamas cruises, calling at Nassau and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island paradise in The Bahamas. On Majesty of the Seas’ four-night sailing, guests also call at Key West, Florida. At CocoCay, guests enjoy a private island with watersports options, plenty of beautiful beaches to soak up the sun, sip refreshing cocktails and enjoy a barbeque lunch by the sea.

Throughout the summer 2014 season, holidaymakers can also choose a Caribbean getaway from Port Everglades aboard Vision of the Seas. A four-night itinerary takes guests to Cozumel, Mexico, whilst two five-night itineraries take guests to Cozumel and Roatan, Honduras, on one, or Key West, Florida, and Grand Cayman. Guests will also have access to the spectacular high-flying, acrobatic musical production overhead in the four-deck high Centrum, while others can enjoy a cocktail at the new retro-chic R-Bar below.

Also from Port Everglades, Liberty of the Seas will sail four- and five-night Western Caribbean cruises for the winter 2014-15 season, offering the broadest range of innovative and popular features and entertainment that were first introduced onboard the world-acclaimed Oasis-class and Freedom-class.

Liberty of the Seas’ four-night cruise calls at Cozumel, Mexico, and its two five-night itineraries call at Cozumel and Belize City, Belize, on one and Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach destination, on the other.

From Tampa, Brilliance of the Seas also will offer four-night cruises to Cozumel, and two five-night Cozumel itineraries, which will additionally call at Key West on one, and at Grand Cayman on another.

Star Cruises cancelled a cruise owing to emergency repair

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 April 2013 24 April 2013

On 22 April 2013, Star Cruises was forced to cancel a 4D3N cruise out of Shanghai, its new homeport in China, on its flagship SuperStar Gemini. Alan Lam reports.

As the reason for this cancellation, the line, in a letter to the affected guests, cited that the ship had to ‘undergo emergency inspection and repair’. During the previous cruise a fishing net was caught in the ship’s propellers. This was an unforeseen incident, according to Star Cruises, and in strict consideration to safety it had decided to cancel the cruise originally planned to depart from Shanghai for Jeju on 22 April.

Star Cruises offered two options to compensate those affected: 1), transfer to the 5D4N cruise on the same ship, departing 4 May 2013, without additional charge, with booking conditions and cabin category remained the same as the original cruise; or, 2), cancel cruise with full refund of cabin fare, port handling charge, fuel surcharge and paid shore excursion.

As a gesture of good will, affected guests were also offered a 25% discount in any one of the cruises with Star Cruises in the future.

Porthole cruise magazine announces new blog with cruise expert Fran Golden

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 23 April 2013 23 April 2013

Porthole Cruise Magazine, the leading cruise travel publication, is pleased to announce the launch of its new blog, PORTHOLE CRUISE NEWS, written by veteran cruiser and respected journalist Fran Golden. The new blog can be found on the magazine’s online home, porthole.com, and will feature the very latest ship reviews, offer exciting glimpses of itineraries, and take readers along to exotic shore excursions, soothing onboard spas, luxury dining options, and more.

Fran Golden is one of America's best-known cruise writers. She has covered the industry for more than 15 years and personally sailed aboard more than 100 cruise ships. Golden is a former travel editor of the Boston Herald and former travel news editor for AOL. She most recently served as Trip Coach columnist and contributing editor for Budget Travel magazine.

In addition to being a frequent contributor to Porthole Cruise Magazine, Golden’s cruise reportage regularly appears in the Miami Herald, USA Today, Cruise Business Review, Travel + Leisure online, Virtuoso Life and other publications and websites. She's also author of more than a dozen books on cruise travel.

“We’re excited to welcome Fran Golden into the Porthole family,” says editor-in-chief Bill Panoff. “Fran is a highly respected and knowledgeable voice in the cruise world, and her role as the magazine’s chief blogger is yet another way Porthole continues to connect with its print and digital readers, bringing them the very finest in cruise news, lines, and brands.”

“I’m excited to share my experience and passion for cruise travel with Porthole Cruise Magazine,” adds Golden. “With the scope of the industry expanding and evolving, it’s an exciting time to write about cruising. I look forward to sharing tales from the sea and receiving feedback from Porthole’s enthusiastic readers.”