48th MedCruise General Assembly to be held in Odessa

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 19 January 2016 19 January 2016

Alan Lam reports

The next MedCruise General Assembly will be held on 22-25 June 2016 in Odessa, Ukraine.

This will be the 48th edition of the assembly, which will be the occasion to celebrate of the 20 years of the organisation.

During the four-day gathering, which is held twice a year and at six-monthly intervals, MedCruise port and associated member representatives, together with the press and other cruise industry guests will discuss issues and the latest developments in the sector, as well as debating the implications and prospects of cruising in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas.

In line with the MedCruise tradition, the assembly will offer opportunities for B2B meetings, local excursions and interactive workshops with cruise line executives.

MedCruise is also known for its excellent research and cruise market reports. At each assembly the latest sets of performance figures and forecasts are presented and scrutinised.

One of the main aims of this extensive cruise industry association, as with others, is to explore growth opportunities through promoting cooperation.

As before, Cruise Business Review will be attending and reporting directly from it.

Scenic orders luxury yacht cruise ship at Uljanik in Croatia

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines

Published: 17 January 2016 17 January 2016

Scenic, the Australian river cruise specialist, says it is entering the ocean cruise market with the launch of ultra-luxury Scenic Eclipse in August 2018.

The 16,000 gross ton vessel that will be built at the Uljanik shipyard in Croatia, will be 165 metres in length. It will have two main engine rooms in two separate fire zones and the same arrangement is repeated it vital functions, such as food storage and preparation and navigation.

The all-suite ship, which looks more like a billionaire's yacht than a cruise ship, will have an ice-strengthened hull, twin helicopters, an aft marina with a fleet of Zodiacs and a seven-person submarine. The cabins will range in size from 32 sqm to an owner suite of 233 sqm, the company said in a video presentation.

Scenic has an option on a second sister vessel, which would launch in June 2019.

Scenic is describing the vessel as the "world's first discovery yacht;" it will have the highest ice-class rating -- 1A Super -- allowing it to operate deep into the Arctic and Antarctica, where it will spend three months of the year.

The passenger numbers will be limited to 200 during polar expeditions, allowing several landings per day for passengers. The helicopters, which will carry an extra charge to hire, will allow passengers to get closer to the wildlife than by boat. The same with the submarine, which will also carry an additional charge. Otherwise, the vessel will be all-inclusive of tips, shore excursions, all dining venues, scuba diving and snorkeling, all drinks and Wi-Fi, CruiseCritic reports.

The ship will have an almost 1:1 staff to passenger-to-crew ratio and each suite will have a butler. Other features include:

• six restaurants, including pan-Asian, French Italian and a steakhouse

• four bars and lounges;

• a 240-seat theater;

• a heated pool with a retractable roof;

• a 450 sqm spa with indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis and plunge pools;

• a gym with separate yoga and Pilates studio;

The ship will also have "zero speed stabiliser fins," which are 50% larger than typical on a ship of this size, which allow it to navigate in rougher conditions than other ships of its size and which will also work when the ship is stationary. Such stabilisers are only fitted in the largest megayachts, the company said in a video presentation.

Karen Moroney, the wife of the owner of the line, Glen Moroney, will design the interiors.Scenic Eclipse's maiden voyage begins 31 August, 2018, from Istanbul to Venice. Then it sails to Canada via Iceland and onto the Arctic, before heading to the British Isles, across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, including Cuba, then down the Chilean fjords and onto Antarctica, CruiseCritic reports on its website.