Top Headlines

Disney Cruise Line names its fifth ship as Disney Wish

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 25 August 2019 25 August 2019

At the D23 Expo today, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek revealed the highly anticipated name of the fifth Disney Cruise Line ship, as well as a first look at the ship’s elegant, three-story atrium and the iconic Disney character that will adorn the ship’s stern. Chapek and Imagineer Joe Rohde also shared new details about plans for a second island destination for Disney Cruise Line in The Bahamas.

With a little help from Tinker Bell, Disney fans were the first to hear that Disney Wish will be the name of the fifth Disney Cruise Line ship. The Disney Wish is scheduled for delivery in late 2021 and is expected to set sail beginning in January 2022.

“There couldn’t be a better name for our incredible new ship because making wishes come true is part of the Disney DNA and is at the heart of so many of our cherished stories,” Chapek said.

A new rendering provided D23 attendees with a first look at the ship’s bright and airy three-story atrium, inspired by the beauty of an enchanted fairytale.

Stern characters – a beloved hallmark of Disney Cruise Line vessels – have been a tradition of the Disney fleet since the beginning and reflect the theme of each ship. For the Disney Wish, the ship’s stern will feature Rapunzel. Spirited, smart, curious and above all, adventurous, Rapunzel embodies the wish and desire to see and experience the world.

“Each Disney Cruise Line ship is unique, with a name that embodies the excitement of sailing with Disney and the power of our stories. The new ships will have the experiences our guests love, as well as all-new magic,” Chapek added.

The three new ships will be powered by liquefied natural gas and, at approximately 144,000 gross tons and 1,250 guest staterooms, will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.

Disney’s second Bahamas destination – Lighthouse Point

Also at the D23 Expo today, Disney revealed new information and two early conceptual artist renderings for its second island destination in The Bahamas, which is located on the breathtaking island of Eleuthera at a place called Lighthouse Point.

“With three new ships joining our fleet, we thought this would be an incredible opportunity to add another unique destination to our ports of call. We looked all over The Bahamas and Caribbean for an ideal location that would enable us to create new experiences, while celebrating the culture of this amazing region,” Chapek said.

Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, whose work includes the design of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Orlando and Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, has embarked on an in-depth cultural tour of the Bahamas to meet with local artists and cultural experts. Together, they have explored arts and cultural sites across New Providence and Eleuthera, from Junkanoo shacks to noted art galleries.

“The Lighthouse Point site is so beautiful and so full of nature that we want to preserve this and use our designs to call attention to the extraordinary quality of the place itself – a place of natural beauty with a rich and fascinating cultural tradition,” Rohde said. “We will be directly involved in conservation efforts to preserve and protect the environment that creates this beauty, and we will be working with artists of every kind, much like we did with Aulani in Hawaii, to create a unique destination that is rooted in Bahamian culture and imbued with Disney magic.”

Disney Cruise Line completed its purchase of privately owned Lighthouse Point earlier this year and signed an agreement with the Government of The Bahamas that guides the responsible and sustainable way the site will be developed.

Disney has committed to develop less than 20 percent of the property; employ sustainable building practices, including an open-trestle pier that eliminates the need to dredge a ship channel; establish environmental monitoring programs during construction and operation; and donate more than 190 acres of privately owned land to Government, among other commitments.

Through the Disney Conservation Fund, Disney has provided more than $13 million to marine conservation programs around the globe, including several in The Bahamas. Since 2007, Disney has been directly involved in leading a multiyear initiative to protect and rehabilitate coral reefs in The Bahamas and will continue to work with leading conservation organizations and communities to protect special places there.

Construction at Lighthouse Point will begin only after an Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Plan are reviewed and accepted by the Government of The Bahamas and public consultation has occurred. Construction could begin in 2020 with completion in late 2022 or 2023.

Hurtigruten to upgrade three ships to hybrid power in expedition ship conversion

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 19 August 2019 19 August 2019

Hurtigruten, the Norwegian coastal express ferry and expedition cruise ship operator, is to convert three ships to hybrid powered expedition cruise ships.

The company will from next year share the coastal express route between Bergen and Kirkenes with Havila Kystruten, a new company in the Havila group, which is building four 15,800 gross ton ships for this service, They are all due to enter service in 2020.

The Trollfjord, Finnmarken and Midnatsol will undergo a major refit that will, in addition to technical areas, include cabins and public spaces. All three will also be renamed. The company has not stated where the work would be done. It owns the Kleven shipyard, which is building expedition ships for it.

Otto Sverdrup, the present day Finnmarken, will have battery packs installed during a 2020 yard stay, with a letter of intent for the same battery installation on Maud (today Trollfjordand Eirik Raude (presently Midantsol) in 2021. The battery packs will support the ships engines, and drastically cut emissions.

The three ships will also be equipped for shore power, to cut emissions to zero when docked in ports with shore power facilities.

In addition, the three ships will get substantially upgraded low-emission engines, complying with all known and upcoming regulations (Tier3).

All cabins and suites will be renovated. This are the first sketches of the brand new corner-suites at the front of the top deck on board Maud and Eirik Raude.

Through the three single largest upgrade projects in Hurtigruten’s more than 125 years of history, the ships will be transformed into premium expedition cruise ships, carrying a maximum of 530 guests. This is the same as the capacity of the recently introduced expedition cruise ship newbuilding Roald Amundsen and its sister vessel Fridtjof Nansen, which is under construction at the Kleven shipyard in Norway.

The keel-to-mast upgrades will introduce several new features and venues on the ships. Some highlights include:

Using natural Scandinavian materials such as granite, oak, birch and wool, all public areas on Maud, Otto Sverdrup and Eirik Raude will be redesigned to create a relaxed and stylish look and feel, and add to the premium on-board experience.

A specially designed Expedition Launch – the tender pit area where guests embark on their on their excursions and off-ship adventures – will be added to all ships, complete with tender boats and other expedition equipment.

All cabins and suites will be completely refurbished, and new suites with spectacular views added to all three ships.

Hurtigruten’s signature Science Center will be added to the three ships. Packed with state-of-the-art technology and high-tech gadgets such as touch screens, science equipment and other interactive features, the edutainment area will also be the on-board HQ for the ship’s Expedition Team.

A brand new wellness-area, complete with gym, lounge and treatment rooms, will be built. The pool area (Otto Sverdrup) and outdoor hot tub areas (Maud and Eirik Raude) will be fully upgraded.

Three brand new restaurants will be added, matching Hurtigruten’s new restaurant concepts for the growing fleet of expedition cruise ships: The main restaurants will be transformed to Restaurant Aune (pictured above), Hurtigruten’s new expedition cruise main restaurant concept.

Aune will be social and informal with the use of natural elements in design and interiors, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner based on a Scandinavian identity.

Restaurant Lindstrøm a specialty restaurant named after the favourite chef of the Norwegian polar heroes, will be added. Lindstrøm will be an upper premium fine dining restaurant with strong roots in traditional Norwegian cooking that are contrasted with modern cuisine.

The informal eatery Fredheim, named after a legendary 1920s hunting station in Svalbard that sheltered adventurers from around the world. In addition, a new outdoor grill venue will be added outdoor on the top decks.

The ships’ extensive art collections will be preserved.

Norwegian Encore floated out from the building dock at Meyer Werft

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 18 August 2019 18 August 2019

Norwegian Cruise Line's latest ship, Norwegian Encore, has successfully completed a major construction milestone, when it emerged for the first time from the Meyer Werft ship building dock in Papenburg, Germany.

Norwegian Encore will remain in the shipyard port for the final phase of construction, before her conveyance up the Ems River and towards the North Sea at the end of September. At nearly 1,100 feet long, with a gross tonnage of almost 170,000 and a guest capacity of 3,998, the ship will be delivered to the cruise line on Oct. 30, 2019. She will be christened in Miami on Nov. 21, 2019 and will commence seven-day voyages to the Caribbean on Nov. 24, 2019.

“To see the ship emerge from the shipyard is always one of the most exciting construction milestones,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “Our partners at Meyer Werft have been committed to our vision for not only Norwegian Encore, but for this industry leading class of ships, supporting our dedication to delivering our guests the best cruise vacation at sea.”

Taking the brand’s exclusive, stand-out attractions to the next level, Norwegian Encore will feature the world’s longest race track at sea at 1,100 feet with four high-speed curves extending up to 13 feet over the side of the ship; the largest outdoor laser tag arena at nearly 10,000 square feet with the addition of augmented reality elements; and new immersive escape room and interactive theatre experiences in the 10,000-square-foot Galaxy Pavilion.

In addition to featuring many of the highly rated restaurants and lounges that have made the Breakaway Plus class one of the most innovative and successful in the company’s history, Norwegian Encore will debut a new elevated Italian dining experience, Onda by Scarpetta, in collaboration with LDV Hospitality. The Tony Award-winning musical, “Kinky Boots” will headline the world-class entertainment on board, with returning guest favorites “The Choir of Man,” “Happy Hour Prohibition: The Musical” and the rocking Beatles cover band of The Cavern Club.

Launching this fall, Norwegian Encore will offer seven-day voyages to the Eastern Caribbean from Miami beginning Nov. 24, 2019; Bermuda, and Canada and New England itineraries from New York City beginning Apr. 22, 2020; voyages to the Western Caribbean from Miami beginning Dec. 12, 2020; and in the spring of 2021 will make her West Coast debut and sail to Alaska from Seattle.

[Norwegian Encore will be featured in Winter 2019/2020 issue of CruiseBusiness.com Magazine]

Financing package structured for implementation of the MV Werften building programme

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 16 August 2019 16 August 2019

An international consortium led by KfW IPEX-Bank has structured a €2.6 billion financing package for two Global-class cruise ships following guarantees issued by the German Federal Government and the Federal State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This will strengthen the long-term development of MV Werften Group in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Germany’s status as a shipbuilding nation.

MV Werften has more than doubled its workforce to about 3,000 in the last three years, creating over 1,600 additional industrial workplaces and taking on more than 300 new trainees. Its future as well as the national added value are secured in the long term with the financing package.

The Economics Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Harry Glawe, stated: "Genting Group is consistently following the course it has started and proving to be a reliable partner, actively fulfilling its promises. With the Global ships and other ship newbuilding projects of Genting Group, employment at MV Werften is safeguarded well into the next decade. New jobs can be created, and existing jobs secured locally, with value added at the yard locations being further increased. MV Werften is one of the most important employers in the region.” The German Federal Government and State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are supporting the financing of the first two Global-class ships during construction with guarantees totalling €750m.

To support the long-term strategy of transforming MV Werften to be one of the most modern cruise shipyards, Genting Hong Kong has invested €300m in new investment programs that have already been largely implemented. Including the purchase price of the yards and start-up losses during three years of design and development, Genting has invested around €840m in MV Werften.

“In view of the shortage of shipbuilding slots for cruise ships in the next ten years, we made a conscious decision to invest in MV Werften in order to receive ships for our three cruise brands in good time,” explained Tan Sri Lim, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genting Hong Kong Ltd. “We were impressed by the quality of the German shipyards’ workmanship and their network of thousands of experienced suppliers, subcontractors and workers in building cruise ships.”

KfW IPEX-Bank has worked with Genting Group for about 20 years. KfW IPEX-Bank has organised the overall financing for the Global-class ships in close cooperation with Genting since the latter’s acquisition of MV Werften three years ago. “KfW IPEX-Bank's structuring expertise has also proven to be extremely valuable in this transaction. The financing means additional momentum for MV Werften and the completion of the ships,” noted Chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.

Construction of the first Global-class ship is already well advanced. “We thank the Federal Government, the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and not least KfW IPEX-Bank for their confidence in us and their support. We are highly motivated in our work on the projects,” said Peter Fetten, CEO MV Werften.

About the financing package

The financing package comprises around €2.6 billion with a total investment volume of just under €3.1 billion. The structure will be backed by export credit guarantees of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Finnish export credit agency Finnvera, as well as by a guarantee from the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It also benefits from the CIRR (Commercial Interest Reference Rate) for ships in accordance with the OECD consensus.

In addition to KfW IPEX-Bank the banking consortium includes BNP Paribas, Citibank, Crédit Agricole, Credit Suisse and DNB. A substantial portion of the loan amount will be further syndicated to more than 10 other German and international banks.

TUI AG’s cruise operations continued strong performance in third quarter

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 14 August 2019 14 August 2019

The cruise operations of TUI AG, the German travel company that is listed in London, continued their strong performance in the third quarter of the company/s financial year.

Turnover increased by 15.1% to €256.3 million in the quarter, year on, while underlying EBITDA rose by slightly less, at 14.4%, to €101.5 million.

“All three brands continue to deliver growth. In Q3 2019, all three cruise brands operated by the Group continued their growth roadmap and delivered a significant increase in their operating results. With the launch of Hanseatic Nature and Marella Explorer 2 in May 2019, TUI’s cruises fleet grew to a total of 17 ships,” the company said in a statement.

The average daily rate per passenger of TUI Cruises, of which the company owns 50% and which operates o the German market, fell by €10 to €190. Marella Cruises in the UK recorded an increase in the figure to £144 from £138, while the luxury and destinational brand Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten enjoyed a €13 increase in the daily rate, to €584.

In the first nine months of its financial year, TUI’s cruise operations increased their turnover by 9.9% to €680.9 million, while underlying EBITA grew significantly faster, at 14.0% to €182.4 million.