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Swan Hellenic says all Minerva cruises from Portsmouth's new terminal sailed full

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 25 August 2011 25 August 2011

As their flagship vessel Minerva left Portsmouth for her last sailing of her 2011 ‘no fly’ season, heading south to the Mediterranean on her A Spanish Summer cruise, discovery cruise line, Swan Hellenic has announced a very successful first season sailing out of their new home port of Portsmouth, the company said in a statement.

"Their ‘no fly’ programme of cruises from Portsmouth, Coast of a Kingdom, Empires of the Baltic, Call of the Arctic Tern and The Norwegian Fjords sailed with every cabin sold which demonstrated that the decision to sail from Portsmouth in 2011 had been well received by their loyal passenger following, as well as those passengers cruising with the company for the first time. Passengers appreciated the ease of access to Portsmouth by road, rail and air and the facilities offered by the new International Cruise Terminal. Swan Hellenic’s ‘no fly’ cruises for summer 2012 from Portsmouth are already selling very well, as are the summer 2012 ‘fly cruise’ itineraries, including Black Sea Odyssey and Hellenic Highlights," Swan Hellenic said.

Colin Stone, Managing Director Swan Hellenic & Hebridean Island Cruises added: “We have been delighted with the high level of enquiries and bookings for ex Portsmouth cruises this summer. We introduced a number of new itineraries in recognition of the Portsmouth launch and have been pleased with the positive reaction of the travel trade, with whom we have an excellent and close working relationship. Portsmouth has proved the ideal demographic location for our discovery cruise passengers, not only for its quick and ideal transport links but also for the new, highly efficient, passenger cruise terminal facility which the local authorities provided as a multi-million pound investment in the city.”

Wine expert Jill Goolden to sail on Fred. Olsen's 3 October Iberia cruise

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 25 August 2011 25 August 2011

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is delighted to announce that wine expert Jilly Goolden will be joining a Balmoral cruise to Iberia in 2012, hosting a theme of ‘Wines of Iberia’ as part of its cruise enhancement programme, Vistas. The 10-night cruise, L1217, departs from Southampton on 3^rd October 2012, and visits Lisbon and Portimao (both Portugal), then Casablanca (Morocco), Cadiz, and La Coruna (both Spain), before returning to Southampton.

Jilly Goolden will host wine tastings and give talks during the cruise, specialising in wines from the region, so the theme dovetails perfectly with the very attractive cruise itinerary. Jilly Goolden is best known for presenting television’s top-rated food and drink series, ‘Food and Drink’, for two decades, appearing alongside the late Michael Barry, OBE, Chris Kelly and fellow ‘oenophile’, Oz Clarke. She became nationally famous as the most widely-known wine expert in Britain, and is now a regular on ‘Britain’s Best Dish’.

She has also presented ‘The Great Antiques Hunt’ and ‘Going, Going, Gone’, for the BBC, as well as BBC1’s ‘Holiday’ and ‘Holiday: You Call the Shots’ programmes. Her versatility was apparent when she spent time in the jungle for ITV’s ratings-blockbuster ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!’. Last year, she and her husband in Channel 4’s ‘Celebrity Wife Swap’, and she has also starred in a mini-drama written especially for her and directed by Pauline Quirke.

Prices for this cruise, featuring Jilly Goolden, start from £1,049 per person, based on two adults, sharing an inside, twin cabin, Grade ‘I’. The price includes all meals and entertainment on board, and port taxes. There is no charge for attending Jilly’s talks, as part of the Vistas programme, but there may be a small charge for wines used in tastings.

RCCL's two major shareholders terminate mutual agreement

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 25 August 2011 25 August 2011

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), the world’s second largest cruise shipping group, says two of its major shareholders, A Wilhelmsen AS and Cruise Associates, have agreed to terminate their Shareholders’ Agreement.

“Under the agreement, the two shareholders agreed to vote their shares for the election as directors of four nominees of each shareholder. With the termination of the Shareholders' Agreement, the shareholders are no longer obliged to vote their shares in this manner. In addition, our Articles of Incorporation require that, while the Shareholders' Agreement was in effect, the approval of at least one director affiliated with each of the two shareholders was required for certain corporate actions. With the termination of the Shareholders' Agreement, this is no longer a requirement. In addition, the Company noted that these changes are consistent with current trends in best practice for good corporate governance,” RCCL said in a statement.

“All existing directors (including those nominated by Cruise Associates and A Wilhelmsen AS) are expected to continue to serve as directors in accordance with the Company's Articles and By-Laws, and no change in our Board membership or management is contemplated. Our Directors, as with all public companies, will continue to be elected by a vote of our shareholders except that vacancies are filled by the Board for their unexpired terms. Our Directors are elected for staggered three year terms. The only change is that under the Shareholders' Agreement the two shareholders previously agreed to vote for each other's nominees. Now, they are free to vote as they wish,” the company said.

Cruise Associates is a partnership beneficially owned indirectly by various trusts. “It is our understanding that with the termination of the Shareholders' Agreement, Cruise Associates plans to distribute its RCCL shares to its partners which, in turn, may further transfer shares to their respective owners.” RCCL said it understands that this is simply a private matter between the parties and not indication that the shareholdres take a negative view on the outlook for cruise industry

“While a majority of the Board was previously nominated by the two shareholders, once elected, their duty as directors has always required them to represent the interests of all shareholders. That duty remains unchanged and the termination announced today is not expected to affect the Company's strategic direction,” RCCL pointed out.

AIDA and Lissi set sail together – apprentices on training ship

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 25 August 2011 25 August 2011

The Rostock based cruise company AIDA Cruises has signed a cooperation treaty with the training ship society "Großherzogin Elisabeth e.V." With this cooperation, the apprenticeship at AIDA will offer even more on-the-job experience. Young academics and mechatronics will absolve a practical course lasting several weeks on board the tall ship Lissi, short for Großherzogin Elisabeth.

"We have made the experience, that our students and apprentices know very little about nautical basics", says Tino Hensel, Director Human Resources Management Fleet at AIDA Cruises. "The basic training on board Lissi will help to make a quick integration of new crew members on an AIDA ship easier."

The training and ship's command is in the hands of lecturers of the Jade Hochschule Elsfleth as well as the regular crew of the ship. Learning programs include navigation, maps, signals, sailing and meteorology as well work at the mooring station and the engine room. The turns on the North and Baltic Sea will last two to four weeks.

Oceania Cruises to return to Canada and New England for autumn 2012

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 22 August 2011 22 August 2011

Oceania Cruises will offer Canada and New England cruises for fall 2012 in place of previously scheduled Mediterranean voyages. In total, nine itineraries have been changed.

"Our 2011 Fall Foliage cruises have been so well received by our travel agent partners and their clients that we decided to redeploy Regatta from Europe to Canada and New England in fall 2012," stated Bruce J. Himelstein, Oceania Cruises' president. "These new voyages offer exceptional value with two-for-one fares and free roundtrip air."

Scenic highlights include cruising the Bay of Fundy, Saguenay Fjord and St. Lawrence River. Optional excursions enhance the destination experience and include a horse-drawn carriage tour of Quebec City; visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg fishing village; and a lobster lunch at Dalvay by the Sea, the 19th-century summer home built by then Standard Oil chief Alexander MacDonald. Outdoor pursuits include cycling Acadia National Park and Prince Edward Island and kayaking coves in Maine and Nova Scotia.