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Carnival group may sell older vessels

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 October 2012 29 October 2012

Carnival Corp & plc, the world’s largest cruise shipping group, may sell some of the older vessels in its fleet as newbuildings enter service, Chairman and CEO Micky Arison said.

The addition of new tonnage is expected, to some extent, to replace existing capacity reductions from possible sales of older ships, he said in a statement last week that was issued in connection with an order for a new ship for both Holland America and Carnival Cruise Lines.

David Dingle, CEO of Carnival UK that operates Carnival Corp & plc brands in the UK, has noted that vessels built before the mid-1990s have significantly weaker fuel economy than more modern vessels and some of these vessels might be sold. He did not elaborate.

Among major vessels built before 1995 in the Carnival Corp & plc fleet are all three ships of P&O Cruises (Australia); Costa neo Romantica and Costa Classica of Costa Crociere plus Grand Celebration of Iberocruceros. The eight Carnival Fantasy class vessels of Carnival Cruise Lines were built from 1990 to 1998, but the design dates back to the late 1980s. The stern of two last units of the class was redesigned for Pods. The four Statendam class ships of Holland America Line were introduced from 1993 to 1996.

TUI Cruises seen unlikely to take up newbuilding option

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 26 October 2012 26 October 2012

TUI Cruises, the German cruise shipping company that has a 97,000 gross ton newbuilding on order at STX Finland’s Turku yard, is unlikely to take up an option for a second similar ship, a Finnish newspaper report says.

The contract for the first ship included an option for ship number two that has to be cancelled by TUI Cruises if it does not to proceed with a second vessel, the Turun Sanomat daily reports on its website.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) that controls 50% of the shares in TUI Cruises, yesterday said it plans to place an order for a third 226,000 gross ton Oasis of the Seas class vessel before the year end. STX Finland has built the two existing ships of the class, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. RCCL did not mention any thing about the potential builder of the third vessel in its third quarter interim result presentation yesterday.

Pullmantur reaches 100,000 fans on Facebook in year

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 24 October 2012 24 October 2012

Pullmantur, the Spain-focused cruise line in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group, has announced that it has now more than 100,000 Facebook fans after just one year of its presence on the social network site, and receiving over 800,000 hits per month. Alan Lam reports.

The line stated that it had established social network sites as the preferred platform for multidirectional interaction with its customers.

“We at Pullmantur are aware of the potentials and the importance of this new channel of communication in today’s world,” said Katja Hintermeier, Pullmantur’s Manager for Corporate Communication & Social Media. “Without doubt, it is an effective means for listening to our customers and interact with them before, during, and after the cruise. We are now closer to our customers than ever before.”

Beside the Facebook profile, Pullmantur is also active on Twitter, with more than 5,400 followers; it has its own video channel on YouTube and manages a corporate blog.

Moreover, the line reinforces its commitment to the digital environment by sponsoring various meetings and conferences of the online world. It will present the “Best Travel Blog” award at the eighth edition of the “Blogs Awards 2012”.

Being still relatively new to this sphere of communication, these are still early days of social media experience for the cruise line.

Alan Lam

Oceania Cruises to operate 14 night Alaska cruise June 2013

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 23 October 2012 23 October 2012

Oceania Cruises has announced changes to its 2013 Alaska sailings on Regatta including the addition of a new 14-day Pacific Exploration voyage roundtrip from Seattle on June 4, 2013. The new itinerary features calls into Kodiak, Hoonah and Seward as well as cruising Alaska ’s Inside and Outside Passages and the awe-inspiring Hubbard Glacier.

The new Pacific Exploration voyage combines two originally scheduled seven-day sailings on June 4 and June 11, 2013. The company also amended its June 28 and July 5, 2013 Coastal Alaska sailings to now begin and end in Seattle . The changes were made based on feedback from the line’s guests and travel partners.

“Our guests and travel partners were asking for a longer itinerary and an enhanced experience to enjoy all the wonders that Alaska has to offer,” said Kunal S. Kamlani, the line’s president. “With two-for-one savings on our Unlimited Passport Collection package, these voyages offer great value for travellers who wish to explore Alaska on a smaller ship, going ashore with a select few rather than waiting in line with thousands,” the company said in a statement.

RCCL forecast to report $1.45 per share earnings for third quarter

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 23 October 2012 23 October 2012

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), the second largest cruise shipping group in the world, is expected to report earnings per share (EPS) of $1.45 for the third quarter of the year. The Miami based company will publish its interims on Thursday, 25 October. In the second quarter, the company's EPS came in negative by $0.02, while in the third quarter of last year the figure amounted to $1.82 on the profit side.