News

Anthem of the Seas aimed to widen Royal Caribbean appeal in UK

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 21 November 2013 21 November 2013

Anthem of the Seas, the second in a series of three 167,800 gross ton ships Royal Caribbean International is building at Meyer Werft in Germany, will operate cruises from Southampton and replace Independence of the Seas in the spring of 2015 as the company wants to broaden the appeal of its product on the British market, company officials said at a presentation in London

The new ship will go on sale early next year, said Dominic Paul, vp international, when fares and itineraries will also be disclosed. Adventure of the Seas will remain in Southampton as the company wants to attract a new group of customers and to grow its business in this way.

"Anthems are about defining moments, that's what we think a holiday should do," said Dominic Paul, vp international at the company. Music will be a leading theme in Anthem of the Seas, which is why it was chosen as the name of the ship.

The event was webcast live on the Internet.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which was present at the event held on the 29th floor of the Heron Tower in the City of London, played a number of anthems that Royal Caribbean's research had found the British people found affecting them most - ranging from Angels of Robbie Williams to Nimrod of Elgar; Hey Jude by the Beatles and Jerusalem by Hubert Parry.

The company will disclose details of the shows on board the new ship early next year. Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International said. The company intends to retain its musical entertainment free of charge, although Goldstein did not rule out the possibility of charge for special performances. However, this will not be a departure that the brand will start to follow in a large scale.

Anthem of the Seas to replace Independence of the Seas in Southampton 2015

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 21 November 2013 21 November 2013

The most innovative and technologically advanced cruise ship ever to be based from the UK,Anthem of the Seas, will call Southampton home in 2015. Cruise line Royal Caribbean International is continuing its tradition of stimulating and growing the UK cruise industry with new build investments. The ship will sail in the Caribbean in the winter, said Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Cariibbean International

Renowned for redefining the cruise sector, Royal Caribbean International will bring sky diving, dodgems and much more when the 4,180-guest (double occupancy) Anthem of the Seas arrives. Technological highlights on-board include North Star, an engineering marvel featuring a glass pod that extends 300 feet above the ocean and over the sides of the ship to deliver 360-degree views for guests.

Royal Caribbean International is the cruise line that has delivered rock-climbing, surfing and zip-wiring to sea-going holiday makers on previous ships as they seek to grow and attract more family and first-time cruise travellers.

The 167,800 GRT Anthem of the Seas – currently being built in the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenberg, Germany – will arrive in Southampton in spring 2015 before relocating to Ft Lauderdale for the winter season. Over 80,000 people will holiday on the ship, embarking in Southampton, in 2015 alone and this is expected to deliver around £50 million in knock-on economic impacts to the surrounding area.

Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, explains: “Our business has a long history with the port of Southampton, and over the last ten years we have annually increased the number of cruise opportunities from the port. We are eyeing more growth with the introduction of the new ship Anthem of the Seas in 2015. Our commitment to providing unrivalled holiday experiences on-board the world’s most advanced and activity-packed ships is unwavering.”

At a cost of €170,000 per berth, Anthem of the Seas is also one of the most architecturally and technologically advanced ships ever built. It will replace Royal Caribbean International’s 3,634-guest Independence of the Seas which has sailed from Southampton since its launch in 2008. At the time, Independence of the Seas was the largest cruise ship in the world.

Stuart Leven, newly appointed managing director for Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland, adds: “The UK and Ireland is a key market for us and the new ship will reward our trade partners who have continued to support us. We are gearing up to have a full team dedicated purely to this brand, including an extensive Royal Caribbean International specific sales team on the road. Plus, we have now made one of the most significant deployment announcements of recent years. It is a really exciting time for the Royal Caribbean International business and our strive for continued growth could not be clearer. I’m looking forward to working with our agent partners to welcomeAnthem of the Seas to the UK in style.”

In support of the news, Royal Caribbean International is developing Anthem of the Seas specific agent training tools, and will showcase the ship first-hand to agent partners in spring 2015 during launch celebrations in Southampton.

At 167,800 GRT Anthem of the Seas is 348 meters long, 41 meters wide and has 16 guest decks. This is almost the equivalent in length of 32 London buses, 3½ football pitches, or nearly five of the world’s largest passenger aeroplane, the A380. The space allows Anthem of the Seas to offer more activities than any other cruise ship that has ever sailed from the UK.

For Royal Caribbean International the new Anthem of the Seas is one of four new ships currently on its order books as the business continues its on-going expansion. A further ship built to the same specifications as Anthem of the Seas- called Quantum of the Seas - will enter service in autumn 2014 offering its first sailing from Southampton and then sailing from New York. In mid-2016, a third Oasis class ship will join existing ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

Weak Finnish, regional economy hits Tallink interims

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 15 November 2013 15 November 2013

Weak performance of in particular the Finnish economy, its most important source of passengers, but also that of other economies in the North Eastern European region has hurt the third quarter interims of Tallink, the Estonian listed ferry company.

Group net profit fell to €44.0 million in the third quarter of the year from €49.6 million in the same period in 2012, while revenues fell to €278.4 million from €282.4 million. Tallink operates a fleet of 19 cruise and ropax ferries.

"The Group’s operations were affected by overall weak economic environment in the region. The countries which are the Group’s main markets are experiencing noticeable slowdown in their economies. The continuing decline of Finland economy is seen in the reported weak retail sales indicators and has also had impact to the Group’s passengers’ spending behaviour," Tallink said in a statement.

The Group carried a total of 2.7 million passengers in the third quarter which is 1.9% less compared to the same period last year. The number of cargo units transported amounted to 76.0 thousand, which is 10.5% more than in the same period last year due to some capacity and structural changes in the market when compared to the previous year.

Growth in the number of passengers on the Estonia-Finland route amounted to 2.3% and on the Latvia-Sweden route by 4.1%. The number of passengers decreased on the Finland-Sweden route by 9.6%, where the competition situation has changed and the Group has decreased its capacity.

Ticket sales continued to show increase, but passenger spending from restaurant and shop sales experienced some decline.

"The management is not pleased with the results in the 2013 financial year. Due to the dividend related tax expense, adverse economic developments and the increased competition on Finland-Sweden routes the Group’s management foresees that the results for this year will not reach the previous year’s level. Improvements in product development are being made to increase the revenue generation but also cost reductions in some areas are processed in order to adapt with the changed economic environment," Tallink said.