Top Headlines

Deltamarin to manage Titanic II project development

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 16 April 2013 16 April 2013

Blue Star Line Pty Ltd Chairman Professor Clive Palmer has announced the shipping company has signed a contract with Deltamarin for the project development phase for the Titanic II project.

Blue Star Line has undertaken the task of building Titanic II, a replica of the original RMS Titanic, which is scheduled to sail from Southampton to New York on her maiden passenger voyage in 2016.

Titanic II, a full scale version of the original ship, is being designed by the Finland-based Deltamarin and will be built by leading Chinese shipbuilders CSC Jinling Shipyard, which since 1996 has built vessels for customers from more than 20 countries Professor Palmer said the new contract with Deltamarin was signed this month and covers a detailed schedule of events including the commencement of construction and the keel laying.

"The scope of work for the contract includes the establishment of project steering committees and a management team," he said.

"Deltamarin will be responsible for coordinating the various parties involved in the project including the shipyard, architects, interior designers and operations managers."

Professor Palmer said Deltamarin will undertake a full review of the Titanic II project to ensure the vessel will be compliant with all current safety and construction regulations. While every bit as luxurious as the original, Titanic II will have every modern amenity along with 21st century technology and the latest navigation and safety systems.

Fred Olsen adds two departure ports, extends Liverpool season 2014

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 11 April 2013 11 April 2013

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the British operator of four medium sized ships, will add two departure ports in 2014 whereby it will sail from 10 ports around the UK, a summary of the line’s next year’s programme mailed by cruise retailer cruise.co.uk shows.

The company will also expand its offering of cruises from Liverpool next year.

Fred. Olsen will operate four departures from Avonmouth, one of the two new depaeture ports, between the end of April and mid-June, with the 28,000 gross ton Boudicca based there.

The company will also move close to London by operating three cruises from Tilbury on the River Thames by Black Watch, which is also of 28,000 gross tons. These cruises will take place in November-December. It already operates cruises from Harwich.

In Liverpool in the north west, the company will have 10 departures that sail between the end of June and the end of December. These cruises will be operated by Boudicca and include a 28 night round voyage to the Black Sea and back in October plus a 16 night cruise to northern Norway in the following month.

Staff works overtime as Oasis of the Seas’ Trans-Atlantic voyage meets “unprecedented demand” in UK

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 10 April 2013 10 April 2013

Following last week’s announcement that the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, would embark on its first ever European season and transatlantic sailing out of Southampton in the UK, thousands of holiday hungry Brits have pre-registered their interest to be first in the queue to make a booking when it makes its debut in autumn 2014. “The unprecedented demand is the highest ever volume of pre-booking registrations ever seen by Royal Caribbean International,” the company said in a statement.

With the limited cruises set to go on sale on Thursday 11 April 2013, holidaymakers keen to secure their ultimate holiday experience have made the most of the cruise line’s amazing news to get their first pick of the itineraries by registering their interest in droves.

Oasis of the Seas’ European season went on sale to members of Royal Caribbean International’s loyalty club, Crown and Anchor, on 9 April 2013 to a phenomenal reaction. Reservations team members are working overtime, part time workers have been drafted in to work full time and people from other departments across the business are answering phones and taking bookings.

Jo Rzymowska, associate vice president and general manager, Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland, explains: “The thousands and thousands of pre-registrations to be one of the first to book Oasis of the Seas’ European cruises are simply mind-blowing and the ship really is living up to its incredible reputation as being a game changer for the industry. We are delighted with the huge reaction from guests and the ship’s first ever transatlantic sailing from the UK is, without a doubt, a really hot holiday ticket.

We traditionally always open sales to our loyalty club members first, and the call volume into our call centre has been beyond all expectations. We have increased the size of the team and have contingency team members ready across the whole business to handle the peak in calls we are expecting when the ship opens for general sale on Thursday at midday.”

As part of the innovative cruise ship’s first ever European season, guests will be able to enjoy hot Mediterranean destinations such as Rome, Palma and Capri. Oasis of the Seas will also pay a visit to British shores when it calls into Southampton on 15 October 2014, a first for the English port, which for five years has served as the summer base for Independence of the Seas. The 13-night westbound transatlantic sailing will depart Rotterdam in The Netherlands before calling into Southampton and Vigo in Spain before arriving into Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Lead-in cabins start at £899 based on a 14 October 2014 departure in Rotterdam.

Princess Cruises to enter Singapore market

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 10 April 2013 10 April 2013

Responding to the growing interest for cruising in Southeast Asia, Carnival Corporation & plc is introducing the largest deployment ever by a premium cruise line in the region when it brings Sapphire Princess to Singapore for a four-month fall 2014 to spring 2015 season.

Carnival Corporation & plc is launching a program with one of the worldsd's leading cruise line brands, Princess Cruises, featuring 15 roundtrip departures that can be combined for 25 distinct itineraries. The unique itineraries have been custom-designed for the broad and diverse Asia vacation market, and will offer more destinations from Singapore on Princess Cruises than on any other cruise line, calling at seven countries and 16 ports. The wide range of cruise lengths will run three, four, five, seven, 10 and 11 days, providing passengers with a wide array of vacation experiences.

The itineraries will combine the regions major metropolises such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Kuala Lumpur, with smaller, off-the-beaten path resort destinations, considered jewels of the area including Penang, Ko Samui and Langkawi. One unique itinerary of note is a 10-day Indonesia sailing that visits Jakarta, Bali, Komodo Island and Lombok. An extensive array of shore excursions will be available to complement the itineraries so that Sapphire Princess passengers can experience all the ports have to offer.

"Princess Cruises will be the first premium cruise line to have ships based in Singapore for an extended period," said Alan Buckelew, the lines president and CEO. "Our new Singapore-based deployment features superior itineraries specifically designed for the regional market which we believe will prove extremely popular and will help to introduce cruise vacations to a growing number of Southeast Asia vacationers."

Buckelew added that the local economic impact from the Singapore-based deployment will be notable, with a total contribution estimated to be nearly $50 million SGD. This includes passenger and crew spending in each port, port and other local costs Carnival Corporation & plc will pay to bring Princess ships to Singapore, travel agent commissions and marketing costs.

Approximately 40,000 passengers are expected to be carried during this first season of cruising from Singapore. Passengers will be sourced from Singapore and throughout Asia, in addition to other international markets –including North America, the United Kingdom and Australia.

The 2014/2015 program features the following 15 cruises sailing roundtrip from Singapore:

– 11-day Southeast Asia: Departs November 27 and December 18, 2014 with calls at Bandar Seri Begawan (Muara), Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Sihanoukville, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ko Samui.

– 10-day Malaysian Peninsula & Indonesia: Departs December 8 and 29, 2014, and February 28, 2015, visiting Bali (Benoa), Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), Penang and Phuket.

– 5-day Thailand & Malaysia: Departs February 23, 2015 with calls at Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), Penang and Phuket.

– 5-day Thailand: Departs January 8, 2015 with visits to Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ko Samui.

– 10-day Indonesia: Departs January 13, 2015 calling at Jakarta, Bali (Benoa, with an overnight), Komodo Island and Lombok.

– 3-day Strait of Malacca: Departs January 23, February 6 and 13, 2015 with calls to Penang and Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang).

– 4-day Malaysia: Departs January 26 and February 9, 2015 calling at Penang, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang).

– 7-day Vietnam & Thailand: Departs January 30 and February 16, 2015 visiting Ko Samui, Bangkok (Laem Chabang) and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My).

These itineraries have also been designed with the option of being combined to offer passengers a choice of 25 cruises of up to 21 days in length, with a rich array of ports in one seamless experience. For example, the four-day January 26 Malaysia cruise can be combined with the seven-day January 30 Vietnam & Thailand cruise for an 11-day itinerary with six ports.

The cruise experience onboard Sapphire Princess will be substantially the same as the Princess Cruises product offered around the world, providing an impressive array of dining and entertainment options in addition to the lines signature innovations such as its popular Movies Under the Stars poolside theater and The Sanctuary, an exclusive top-deck retreat. However some changes and enhancements will be made to appeal to the local market including multi-lingual crew members in key passengers-facing positions. Dining room menus will offer the lines international cuisine while additional offerings will cater to local tastes. Specially designed enrichment programs will be featured and other amenities such as the shopping selection and spa treatments will also be tailored to local preferences.

In conjunction with this new program, Carnival Corporation & plc will also launch a version of the on- demand, on-line training program called Princess Academy, which will enable travel agents in Singapore to become experts on cruise sales, the Princess fleet, destinations and programs. Globally, over 50,000 travel agents are active participants in Princess Academy, making it one of the largest online travel universities in the world.

The 116,000-ton Sapphire Princess carries 2,670 passengers and features a high number of staterooms with private balconies, Lotus Spa, steakhouse, wine bar, patisserie, pizzeria, boutiques, and Internet café among other amenities.

This new season of cruises from Singapore will open for sale tomorrow. Starting prices for these three- to 21-day cruises range from $549 SGD to $3,939 SGD per person, double occupancy. Further information about Princess Cruises roundtrip Singapore cruises is available by calling (65) 6922 6788, or toll- free for Malaysia at 1 800 806656, or by visiting www.princess.com.

The Duchess of Cambridge to name Royal Princess on 13 June

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 09 April 2013 09 April 2013

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge will name Royal Princess, the newest addition to the fleet of Princess Cruises, the company said in a statement.

The ceremony at which The Duchess will name the ship will take place in Southampton on Thursday, 13 June, and will be the highlight of week-long inaugural celebrations to welcome the vessel into service.

The first Royal Princess, built in 1984, was named by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales - better known as Princess Diana.