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Some cruises sold in UK at or below 2012 prices, study finds

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 10 October 2022 10 October 2022

A study has revealed the cost of cruising across a range of destinations has remained consistent, or in some cases cheaper, over the last 10 years.

The research, conducted by cruise specialist cruise.co.uk, found the majority of cruises remained cost consistent for sailings from seven to 14 nights - across the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Caribbean - when looking back over the last 10 years.

“The agent took a series of sample sailings in 2012, 2019 and 2022, comparing similar experiences, from multiple cruise lines. Most were, as a minimum, in line with inflation, if not cheaper.

In a particularly striking example, an inside cabin on a 14-night P&O Caribbean cruise, sailing from Barbados came in at £1,659 including flights ten years ago in 2012. In 2019 the cost came down to £1,503 per person, while a matched 2022 sailing only set guests back £999,” cuise.co.uk said in a statement.

Similarly, a balcony cabin on an early summer 14-night Mediterranean cruise with Princess Cruises, sailing from Southampton was £1,499 in 2012, but just £1,315 if sailing this year, a reduction of 12%.

Tony Andrews, deputy managing director of cruise.co.uk, said: “Given how much is included on a cruise holiday - such as meals, top class entertainment, kids’ clubs across a range of ages and onboard leisure facilities - means it’s phenomenal to see so many examples of consistent pricing over the last 10 years.”

”Holidaymakers would be hard pushed to find any other getaway that offers such incredible value-for-money over time. With money-saving drinks packages also available on most sailings, we’re confident the all-inclusive nature of a holiday at sea means cruises will continue to offer unbeatable value,” he said.

Emerald Cruises to homeport at two Antigua ports in 2023

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 05 October 2022 05 October 2022

Antigua Cruise Port has confirmed that a luxury yacht owned by Switzerland-based Emerald Cruises will homeport in Antigua in 2023. Emerald Azzurra will begin conducting full turnaround calls at St. John’s from November. Emerald Sakara will also begin transit calls on both Antigua and calls at Barbuda in January 2024.

“Serving as a homeport has been one of our main strategic objectives since we began managing Antigua Cruise Port in 2019, so naturally, we are extremely excited about this partnership,” explained Dona Regis-Prosper, General Manager. “For us, taking this leap with Emerald Cruises makes it that much more satisfying, since our tourism product offering pairs well with the desires of luxury yacht clientele. This partnership has been two years in the making, so we are grateful to them for their willingness to work with us to try something new. This collaboration gives Antigua & Barbuda a huge advantage when promoting our destination as a luxury cruise partner.”

“In recent years, we have worked very closely with the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority to strategically promote the country as the Caribbean luxury destination of choice,” she added. “To this end, we have meticulously coordinated every element of the homeporting experience, from provisioning to hotel partnerships, to airport movements and transfers. We will give passengers a seamless and enjoyable experience from start to finish.”

She also noted that “Barbuda, specifically, is developing into a key destination for the “eco luxe” sector, so these passengers will experience new tours and activities that combine the best of both worlds – an appreciation of the finer things, while embracing our shared love of our planet. What could be better?”

Mark Robinson, VP of Cruise Operations for Emerald Cruises, shared his team’s enthusiasm about the collaboration. “We are delighted to offer our passengers “double the pleasure” by offering two homeport stops in the stunning islands of Antigua & Barbuda next year. The depth of experiences that await them in this pristine destination have certainly expanded lately, and we are especially pleased to add new adventures to our Caribbean itineraries. We are always looking for what’s new and next, and Antigua & Barbuda is at the center of the future of Caribbean cruising.”

Damen Brest to refurbish Renaissance

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 October 2022 03 October 2022

Compagnie Francaise des Crocieres, the new French cruise line, has chosen the Damen Brest shipyard in France to carry out the refurbishment and technical upgrades of their first ship, Renaissance.

The 1993 built former Maasdam of Holland America Line will be repainted and both public areas and cabins will be upgrades.

The ship will be fitted with a ballast water treatment system and the present open loop scrubber system will be replaced by closed loop technology, which will eliminate any pollution to the sea from exhaust gas cleaning.

The ship is expected to arrive at Brest on 7 October and technical tests will be carried out during the voyage from the port of Aigio via Malta that started on 28 September, the Marseille based company said in a statement.

The Damen Group has shipyards in several countries and it is headquartered in the Netherlands.

Cruise shares stage double digit percent dive after Carnival interims

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 September 2022 30 September 2022

Shares in listed cruise shipping companies staged double digit collapses after Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise company in the world, had published interims for the third quarter of its financial year.

Carnival plc, the group’s UK domiciled and London listed holding unit closed at 581.50 pence, a whopping 21.25% down on the day. Carnival Corporation, the Panama domiciled and New York listed holding company, traded 20.91% lower at $7.24 at lunchtime .

TUI AG, the world’s largest tour operator that has stakes in three cruise brands and 16 ships, fell 10.1% to close at 108.15 pence. The company is headquartered in Hannover in Germany and its shares are listed in London.

Royal Caribbean Group was down 11.48% to $38.65 and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Ltd. by 16.20% to $11.61 act lunchtime in New York.

Bookings at higher prices, abolition of Covid- protocols boosts trade at Carnival

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 September 2022 30 September 2022

Carnival Corporation & plc, the Anglo- American cruise shipping giant, said booking volumes are slightly ahead of average, but at significantly higher prices as its CEO said removal of Covid-19 protocols had boosted trading.

“Cumulative advance bookings for full year 2023 are slightly above the historical average and at considerably higher prices, as compared to 2019 sailings, normalised for future cruise credits,” Carnival said in a statement.

Josh Weinstein, CEO, said: "Since announcing the relaxation of our protocols last month, we have seen a meaningful improvement in booking volumes and are now running considerably ahead of strong 2019 levels.”

Booking volumes for all future sailings during the third quarter of 2022 saw a continuation of the accelerated booking volumes during the second quarter of 2022, closing the gap to strong 2019 levels.

“Since the announcement of the company's relaxed protocols in mid-August, aligning the company towards land-based vacation alternatives, booking volumes for all future sailings are considerably higher than strong 2019 levels.

The company's current booking trends will be compared to booking trends for 2019 sailings as it is the most recent full year of guest cruise operations, it noted.

Cumulative advance bookings for the fourth quarter of 2022 are below the historical range and at lower prices, primarily due to future cruise credits ("FCCs"), as compared to 2019 sailings.

“We expect to further capitalise on this momentum with renewed efforts to generate demand. We are focused on delivering significant revenue growth over the long-term, while taking advantage of near-term tactics to quickly capture price and bookings in the interim, "Weinstein said.