More News

Final quarter and full year losses narrow at Carnival group

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 21 December 2022 21 December 2022

Losses for the final quarter and its full financial year to 30 November narrowed at Carnival Corporation & plc as the company continued to return to normal conditions.

For the fourth quarter, the company reported a net loss of $1.598 billion compared to a loss of $2.620 billion in the same period a year earlier, Revenues rose to $3.839 billion from $1.287 billion.

For the 12 months to 30 November, the loss narrowed to $6.039 billion from $9.501 billion, while revenues increased to $12.168 billion from $1.908 billion.

Chief Executive Officer Josh Weinstein said in a statement: "Throughout 2022, we have successfully returned our fleet to service, aggressively building occupancy on growing capacity, while driving revenue per passenger cruise day higher than 2019 record levels, both in the fourth quarter and full year overall. We have also actively managed down our costs while investing to build future demand."

Revenue per passenger cruise day (PCD) for the fourth quarter of 2022 increased 0.5% and by 3.8% in constant dollar compared to a strong 2019, overcoming the dilutive impact of future cruise credits (FCC), and better than the third quarter of 2022 which decreased 4.1% or by 2.1% in constant dollar compared to 2019.

Occupancy in the fourth quarter was 19 percentage points below 2019 levels, on capacity in guest cruise operations approaching 2019 levels. This was better than the third quarter, which was 29 percentage points below 2019 levels on 8% lower capacity than 2019.

Adjusted cruise costs excluding fuel per available lower bed day (ALBD) continued its sequential quarterly improvement in the fourth quarter with a 7.2% increase , or by 11% in constant currency, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.

This was down from a 25% increase (same in constant currency) in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to the first quarter of 2019. “Costs remain higher as a result of higher advertising investments to drive 2023 revenue as well as partially mitigating the impacts of a high inflation environment. This was in line with the previous guidance of a low double-digit increase in constant currency,” the company said.

Changes in fuel price, fuel mix and currency rates unfavorably impacted the fourth quarter of 2022 by $267 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.

Carnival plans to sell three more ships

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 21 December 2022 21 December 2022

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise shipping group, said it expects to remove three additional smaller-less efficient ships from its fleet.

“Two of these three ships are from Costa Cruises' fleet as part of the company's strategy to right-size the brand in light of the continued closure of cruise operations in China, and Costa's significant presence there prior to the pause in the company's guest cruise operations.

Once completed in spring 2024, the company's fleet optimisation strategy will have reduced Costa's capacity so that it approximates the 2019 capacity Costa dedicated outside of Asia to its core markets in Continental Europe.

Prior to this, Carnival group had sold 19 ships since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The company now expects total capacity growth of 3% for 2023 compared to 2019, at the lower end of the previous guidance range of 3% to 5%. The prudent capacity growth rate includes the benefit that newly delivered ships will represent nearly a quarter of the company's capacity,” Carnival said in a statement.

Photo: Costa Cruises is based in Genoa in Italy and it is one of the largest brands in the Carnival group

Resorts World Cruises debuts in Surabaya with the Genting Dream

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 20 December 2022 20 December 2022

Resorts World Cruises, Asia’s newest luxury and dynamic lifestyle cruise brand today celebrated a new milestone with its maiden voyage to Surabaya on the Genting Dream with over 3,500 passengers from its dual homeports in Singapore and Malaysia (via Port Klang). In addition to Surabaya as a destination, the ship will also visit North Bali the following day as part of Resorts World Cruises special Indonesia cruise itinerary to celebrate the year-end holiday period.

“Resorts World Cruises is excited to include both Surabaya and North Bali as destinations for this special Indonesia cruise from both our homeports. Indonesia remains an important cruise market with huge potential both as a destination and source market for the FlyCruise sector. We would like to thank the local authorities, travel and business partners, media and consumers for their ongoing support, as we continue to work closely together to revitalize the cruise and tourism sector in Indonesia and across the region in a post COVID era”, said Michael Goh, President of Resorts World Cruises.

During the ship’s visit to Surabaya, guests disembarking had the opportunity to explore many of the city’s hidden gems, which include famous landmarks such as the Four Faced Buddha monument with the biggest and tallest Four Faces Deity statue in Indonesia; the spectacular view of Putuk Truno Waterfall or Mount Penanggugan in Tretes; shopping at Pasar Genteng and Tunjungan Plaza and so much more. The Indonesia adventure continues in North Bali the following day, as the ship makes a special stop to offer guests more exciting local attractions. These include various gorgeous and photo worthy places like the Kekeran Rice Terrace, as well as the protected sanctuary of Plataran Menjangan Resort Bali and also West Bali; or diving in the pristine waters of Menjangan Island and more

MSC Cruises unveils top trends on UK cruise market

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 December 2022 19 December 2022

MSC Cruises has unveiled eight top trends it has detected on the UK cruise market ahead of the new year.

“There are many aspects of the travel landscape have changed over the past few years with new trends and ways of travel emerging which is why MSC Cruises is revealing the top trends to watch out for in the travel and cruise industry next year,” the company said in a statement.

Convenience is king – More Brits are looking for hassle-free holidays and going flight-free is an ideal way to keep trips simple. MSC Cruises saw many Brits choosing to cruise from Southampton in the summer of 2023, in fact almost 65% of all MSC Cruises’ UK guests chose to board in the UK

Focus on sustainability – As travellers become more and more conscious of the environmental footprint of their travel and seek out eco-friendly holiday options, MSC Cruises booking data reveals that the “Nature & Wildlife” shore excursion is the most popular shore excursion for Brits.

Big plans – Travellers are set to make 2023 a big year for getting out and exploring the world, booking longer trips. MSC Cruises in the UK has seen that 7-night cruises are the most popular for next year with an increase of 104% YOY, showing that people are prioritising travel.

Luxury travel – Among all the new travel trends for next year, luxury travel is that’s set to be big.

Under-the-radar destinations – Travellers are looking to expand their horizons and are considering lesser-known destinations with under-the-radar charm. Brits are increasingly booking unique destinations such as Iceland and the Fjords looking for once-in-a-lifetime experiences and Instagram-friendly holiday snaps

A family affair – Cruising provides a safe, hassle-free environment for families, with food, accommodation and non-stop entertainment all thrown in, so it’s no wonder that families with kids are a key demographic when looking at bookings next year.

All-inclusive – When costs are rising elsewhere, it’s essential that families still have time to take a break and get away to bond over their family holiday, and nothing offers better value than a cruise, even more so with an all-inclusive package.

Ride the wellness wave - In 2023, wellness travel is expected to reach new levels of popularity, with a focus on health and wellness often high on new year's resolutions lists.

Image: MSC Virtuosa operates from the UK port of Southampton year round.

GPH lead consortium preferred bidder for 15 year contract to operate Alicante Cruise Port

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 19 December 2022 19 December 2022

Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH), the world's largest independent cruise port operator, said that following a public tender process, the Port Authority of Alicante has awarded preferred bidder status to an 80:20 joint venture between GPH and our local partner Sepcan S.L ("Sepcan"), to operate a 15-year cruise port concession for Alicante Cruise Portin Spain.

The consortium and Port Authority of Alicante will now work towards agreeing on the terms of the concession agreement, with the consortium currently expected to take over operations at Alicante Cruise Port in the first half of the calendar year 2023.

Alicante Cruise Port, with over 100,000 passengers annually, is one of the most in-demand and growing cruise destinations on the east coast of Spain. The port has strong airlift connectivity and is well located for inclusion in Mediterranean itineraries.

“The port in Alicante is currently undergoing a multimillion-euro investment by the Port Authority that will significantly enhance the port and surrounding area and integrate it into the fabric of the wider waterfront and city. As part of the concession agreement, GPH plans to invest up to €2.0 million into refurbishing and modernising the cruise terminal,” GPH said.