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P&O Cruises to add fly cruises to the Mediterranean in 2014-15 programme

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 March 2013 19 March 2013

P&O Cruises, the UK contemporary market brand in the Carnival Corp & plc group, says it will introduce fly cruises in the Mediterranean in its 2014-15 cruise programme.

In all, the company that has seven ships will offer 269 cruises in 2014, visiting 218 places (including 17 new destinations) in 77 countries and it will offer itineraries to Norway and Iceland, the Baltic, Iberia, Canary Islands, Mediterranean and Caribbean, plus three world cruises.

There will be m ore short cruise breaks than ever before - 35 in total, plus cruises on the 30,300 gross ton Adonia into the heart of Seville and Bordeaux, a visit to Kiel during the Kiel Week festival and a cruise around Britain plus Arcadia’s cruise to the USA and Canada.

The programe will also include an expanded Northern Lights cruises on Oriana in 2015 to sail to the Arctic Circle, while more cabins for solo travellers, including the first single balcony cabins on newly refit Arcadia. In addition, more themed cruises following on from the success of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing and cruises with celebrity chefs and wine experts, plus 2014 celebrates the 30th anniversary of P&O Cruises Music Festivals at Sea.

A 143,000 gross ton newbuilding is due to join the fleet in March 2015.

Panorama cabins with private patio and pool on Aida newbuildings

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 March 2013 19 March 2013

Passengers in Panorama cabins in the two 125,000 gross ton newbuildings that Aida Cruises has on order at Mitsubishi in Japan, will be able to enjoy a private patio deck with pool and bar, the company says on its website.

The patio will feature sofas, tables and sun beds plus a pool and bar and it will be located in the forward part of the vessels. The first one of the two ships will enter service in the spring of 2015.

Aida Cruises is based in Rostock, Germany, and it is part of the carnival Corp & plc group.

Norwegian Breakaway leaves Meyer Werft – stern first

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 March 2013 15 March 2013

Norwegian Breakaway, the largest cruise ship to ever be built in Germany, has departed the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, for her approximately 24-hour long passage along the Ems River and has arrived in Eemshaven.

In preparation for the ship’s passage, stern first, the Nautical Operations teams from both Meyer Werft and Norwegian trained and practiced the precise manoeuvres for the past several months, utilising high tech simulators and detailed schematics. Norwegian Breakaway presented the most challenging conveyance ever, as the ship required precise manoeuvres in order to navigate through extremely narrow passages, with less than two metres clearance on either side of the vessel, Norwegian said in a statement.

“Before reaching her final destination in Eemshaven, Netherlands early Thursday morning, heading toward the North Sea, Norwegian Breakaway passed through additional narrow passages including the locks in Papenburg, which allow only 1.5 metre clearance on either side; Weener Bridge in Weener; Jann-Berghaus Bridge in Leer; and Ems-Barrier in Gandersum,” the company said.

Carnival Legend misses port on propulsion problems

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 15 March 2013 15 March 2013

Carnival Cruise Line’s 2002 built Carnival Legend has missed a call at Grand Cayman due to propulsion problems that slow down the 88,500 gross ton vessel, media reports say.

The ship is on the last leg of a cruise from Tampa, where it is due to arrive on Sunday. “Because of the problems, the ship is skipping its last stop in Grand Cayman and will head straight to Tampa,” CNN quoted the company as saying.

Earlier this week, a cruise of the 2009 built Carnival Dream that is of 128,000 gross tons was aborted in St Maarten due to a generator-related issue and the next cruise of the ship was cancelled as well.

Carnival Cruise Lines is part of the Carnival Corp & plc group.

Princess Cruises doubles UK agent commission to 10%

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 14 March 2013 14 March 2013

Princess Cruises, which is part of the Carnival Corp & plc group, has decided to increase basic upfront commission payments to agents in the UK from 5% to 10% for 2014 sailings, Travel Weekly reports in an email newsletter.

The move has been welcomed by the travel trade and Advantage leisure director Julia Lo Bue-Said said: "There are bridges to be built (between Princess and the trade) and this will aid that. This move is probably an attempt both to improve clarity about bookings and a recognition of the value the trade brings," she was quoted by Travel Weekly as saying.

However, two other Carnival UK brands, Cunard Line and P&O Cruises, have not followed the lead of Princess in this matter.

Advantage member sales of Complete Cruise Solution brands, which include Princess, have been "significantly down" since the move to 5% in 2011, when the consortium took CCS lines off its preferred supplier list, said Bue-Said.

Sukie Rapal, marketing director at Cruise.co.uk, cautiously welcomed the move, provided it did not result in a return to discounting. "It would be a huge shame if we went back to discounting," she said. Cruise 118 director James Cole said: "On the surface it would appear to be a positive move by Princess which is agent friendly and conducive to increasing sales in the UK."

Princess Cruises' UK managing director Paul Ludlow said the move was a result of trade feedback, but insisted it was not a "knee-jerk reaction" or an admission the 5% rate was a mistake. Despite Princess moving to the headline rate of 5% in 2011, along with P&O Cruises and Cunard, potential earnings were higher, as agents could earn 3% extra on the cruise element when booking flights through Princess and more by taking out a group deal.

However, these were paid after sailings on a quarterly basis. Ludlow said agents wanted a simpler arrangement so they know what their earnings are, the report said.