Pullmantur’s sharpening focus on Spain

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 05 October 2012 05 October 2012

Pullmantur appears to be sharpening its focus on the domestic market in Spain. It will operate six turnaround ports in the country next year, among them, the recent addition of Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, A Coruña, and Bilbao. Alan Lam reports.

On its latest “Por la Península Ibérica”(Around Iberian Peninsula) voyage, Pullmantur’s Empress made a series of successful calls at various less-frequented ports around Spain, sailing on virtual full occupation. This helped to prove to the line that the underlining strong demand still exists in Spain despite the country’s economic turmoil, thus reaffirming its commitment to the domestic market in the foreseeable future.

This increased focus on Spain also comes as welcoming news to lesser-known ports around the Iberian Peninsula. In Spain alone there are over 30 ports vying for cruise business; many of them have hitherto been overlooked. The Empress has recently called at Almería for the first time ever, among others. The focus on Spain and Spanish ports also bodes well in the light of high fuel prices and the “slow-steaming” trend.

Drawing on the strength and experience of its parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), Pullmantur has been very involved in port and terminal infrastructure development around the Iberian Peninsula and beyond. It is likely that the line will sharpen its focus on this region even further. Spain and Portugal are among Pullmantur’s most popular destinations, especially for its rapidly growing Latin American clientele.

Despite the apparent shift, Pullmantur has not loosened its grip on the rest of the world. On 4 October 2012, it announced 14 “Todo Incluido de Calidad” (Quality All-Inclusive) itineraries for the forthcoming European season. They cover over 100 destinations in 30 countries in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Atlantic and the Caribbean.

With the inclusion of Monarch of the Seas, the line will operate five ships, representing a capacity increase of about 24%.

Alan Lam

 

Sea Dream II to South East Asia, Australia after 2013 Mediterranean season

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 05 October 2012 05 October 2012

Prompted by demand from its very loyal Club members, SeaDream Yacht Club has just released full details on its plans to sail a series of voyages in Asia and Northern Australia beginning in late 2013, the company said in a statement.

SeaDream II will sail to Asia after completing her 2013 Mediterranean season, with  “Passage to the Far East” will depart Athens, Greece in October 2013 and include a transit of the Suez Canal, excursions to Egypt’s fascinating archeological sites (accompanied by Egyptologist) and calls to several other intriguing destinations before arriving in Mumbai, India. From Mumbai, the yacht will sail to Singapore and the Far East, planning to offer 18 unique voyages in the region. Voyages are 7 to 15 days long, but most may be combined as a back-to-back voyage for a lengthier holiday.   

Scheduled to stay in Asia through April 2014, itineraries include numerous exotic ports in several different countries including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), East Timor, Northern Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong.

“Whether you crave the peace and tranquility of undiscovered beaches and islands or the exhilarating energy and buzz of foreign cities, Asia offers something for everyone” said SeaDream’s President, Bob Lepisto. Adding, “Virtually every country in the region is accessible by water and SeaDream’s yachting itineraries include an incredible mix of commercial cities, pristine beaches and impressive historical sites. We’ve planned very unique calls, such as the little-visited islands of the Burmese Mergui Archipelago in the Andaman Sea and Sanya, on Hainan Island in China.”

Each voyage offers exciting and unique ports of call. Highlights include:

 

 

·         Overnight, 2-day stay in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), site of The Shwedagon Pagoda. Optional full day excursions by air to Mandalay and Bagan; a valley covered with 2,000 pagodas and temples.

·         Yachting the beautiful Langkawi Archipelago of Malaysia.

·         Visiting “the beach” (made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “The Beach”) in the Phi Phi Islands of Thailand. 

·         Diving the vibrant underwater paradise of Thailand’s, Similan Islands National Park. 

·         Playing great golf in Malaysia, Phuket and at the Andaman Club, a five star golf resort & casino on Thahtay Kyun Island, Burma.

·         Spending New Year’s Eve in Patong Bay, Phuket, Thailand. A night of fireworks and thousands of floating, candlelit paper “magic lanterns”.

·         Exploring the world heritage site of Halong Bay, Vietnam; one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

·         Seeing giant monitor lizards on Komodo Island. 

·         From Singapore, pre & post voyage overland packages to Cambodia including Angkor Wat and the many famous temples. Also from Singapore, overland packages to Borobudur (UNESCO site) and Yogyakarta, site of the Prambanan Temple. 

  

SeaDream first shared the news with their devoted past guests and their travel professionals, allowing their Club members to be the first to reserve space, on what are expected to be highly sought after voyages, the company said.

Ambiente terminates Princess Daphne charter after arrest

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 05 October 2012 05 October 2012

Ambiente Kreutzfahrten, the Berlin based company that has operated Classic International Cruises' Princess Daphne on charter, has decided to terminate the contract after the vessel was arrested for debt at the Greek port of Souda, the company said in a statement.

Ambiente is making arrangements to repatriate the 169 passengers from the ship. Claus Wilm, head of Ambiente, said in a statement that the company had attempted to have the ship released, but it has emerged that Classic International is not in a condition whereby it could ensure smooth operations of the vessel in the future.

Given the fact that the Lisbon based owner of the vessel cannot guarantee that it can operate normally, Ambiente had to draw the conclusion the only option was to terminate cooperation with Classic.

 

 

 

 

Jupiter Jones, Anastacia and Mick Hucknall to perform at AIDA Night of the Proms

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 04 October 2012 04 October 2012

With Jupiter Jones, Anastacia and Mick Hucknall no less than three top stars started the countdown for this year's AIDA Night of the Proms tour on 4 October 2012 on board the cruise ship AIDAblu in the port of Hamburg. The first concert will take place at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne on November 30, 2012. AIDA Night of the Proms will visit a total of 12 German cities on 19 different dates, the company said in a statement. 

The Rostock based cruise company AIDA Cruises is exclusive partner and sponsor of the concert series Night of the Proms in Germany since December 2010. "A collaboration was obvious for us, because our concepts fit together perfectly", said Michael Ungerer, President AIDA Cruises at the press conference in Hamburg. "Night of the Proms stands just like AIDA for a unique entertainment experience of the highest quality, without coercion and in a relaxed atmosphere. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship", said Ungerer.

The top stars of the AIDA Night of the Proms 2012 are:

Mick Hucknall became a megastar with Simply Red, filling the biggest concert halls in the world for decades. Their best known hits included songs like "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "Fairground". With his brand new album "American Soul"Hucknall comes to this year's AIDA Night of the Proms.

Anastacia enchants her fans with her distinctive, souly voice and hits like "I'm Outta Love" or "Not That Kind". In her latest album "Heavy Rotation", she presents earthy soul-rock and moving lyrics. Her new album "It's a Man's World" will come out directly before the start of the AIDA Night of the Proms in November 2012.

With Jupiter Jones, it has been possible to sign up a very successful newcomer to the German music scene. Their megahit "Still" is one of the most played German-language songs on radio this year and got them the "Echo" award. 

Naturally 7  a US a-cappella group  prove that you don't need instruments to produce good music. They imitate all the instruments with their voices. The audiences at the AIDA Night of the Proms can find out for themselves how authentic this sounds because the top group from New York is likewise among the headliners this year. 

2012 the makers of the AIDA Night of the Proms present a charismatic young classical solist on an exciting instrument. The 23 year old Dutch Remy van Kesteren will prove the versatility of a harp together with a symphonic orchestra. Remy van Kesteren was "Dutch Music Talent of the Year 2009".

And "Mr. Music" will also be back again, of course, in the form of John Miles and his Electric Band. All the stars will be accompanied by the Il Novecento orchestra. Apart from pop music, they also present classic hits, helping to ensure the unique atmosphere of this successful concert series.