News

Costa Fascinosa enters service in Venice

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 05 May 2012 05 May 2012

The Costa Fascinosa (114,500 gross tonnage and a maximum capacity of 3,800 passengers), the new flagship of the fleet of Costa Cruises has been delivered to Costa by Fincantieri in Venice. Officially handed over by the builder earlier today at the Venice Passenger Terminal, together with her sister ship Costa Favolosa, she is the largest Italian-flagged cruise ship afloat. The delivery ceremony was attended by Italy’s Minister of Tourism Piero Gnudi and his daughter Elsa was the godmother of the new flagship. Costa Cruises and Fincantieri have made a joint donation to the Papa Giovanni XXIII Community by Father Oreste Benzi, for the “Rainbow Project”, which offers help to children in need worldwide and is supported by Elsa Gnudi.

The total investment made by Costa Cruises for the Costa Fascinosa (www.costacruise.com/fascinosa) is worth 510 million euros. The construction of the ship in Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard involved the labor of around 3,000 yard workers plus a further 7,000 people employed by about 500 contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms.

Since 1990 Costa Cruises has invested 5.8 billion euros in work at Italy’s Fincantieri, T. Mariotti and San Giorgio del Porto shipyards, with a total of 14 ships built or on order, in addition to the refurbishment of other fleet members already in service. The handover of the Costa Fascinosa takes places about two months after the delivery of the Costa neoRomantica, the result of the 90 million euro refurbishment of the Costa Romantica carried out at the San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa. After the Costa Fascinosa, the Costa Cruises fleet expansion program will continue, again at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard, with the construction of a new 132,500-tonner due for delivery in October 2014 and accommodating up to 4,928 Guests, thus making her the largest Italian cruise ship.

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"The delivery of the Costa Fascinosa is an important stepping stone on our Company’s road to recovery. It is confirmation that the long-term fundamentals of our business remain strong, since it’s an investment worth over 500 million euros, which comes just two months after the 90 million euro revamp of the Costa neoRomantica. After the recent incident, despite the economic downturn and the impact on consumption, Costa has bounced back and booking volumes are back to the same levels recorded this time last year, ahead of our own expectations. Our share of the market in the main countries where we operate has not been affected: we were, are and will remain number 1 in Europe. This is thanks to the quality of our product, the strength of our brand, which comes with a guarantee of over 60 years of experience, and our unfailing customer loyalty. We will continue to work for our customers, offering them even better and safer cruises on fantastic ships like the Costa Fascinosa," commented Costa Crociere S.p.A Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi.

"Costa Fascinosa is the living proof of the progress and the results achieved by two great Italian industries jointly contributing to spread a positive image of Made in Italy around the world despite the difficulties," said Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri. "We are most pleased to have contributed to the success of Costa, an Italian company which proudly flies the Italian flag and which has grown to become the leader in its sector in Europe, step-in-step with Fincantieri as we strengthened our leadership.Cooperation between our companies shows that the Italian industry is able to build network and reach unrivalled levels of quality. This is the only way to ensure future for such strategic sectors as shipbuilding and tourism."

The Costa Fascinosa and all the other Costa fleet members will raise the already high safety standards by introducing 7 new safety initiatives that the Company announced at the ceremony marking delivery of the new flagship: strengthening Guest emergency training procedures beyond regulatory requirements; strengthening invitation procedure for Guests who missed emergency and safety on-board training; new section “Noi per Voi" (“Here for You”) on Costa Cruises’ website to give even more transparency to safety procedures on board; launch of the new real-time route-monitoring system “High Tech Safety Monitoring System" (HT-SMS); officers training on the new bridge-management model; formal sharing of the ship navigation plan; strengthening policies that regulate access to the bridge.

The Costa Fascinosa sets sail from Venice on her vernissage cruise on May 6, bound for Slovenia, Trieste and Croatia, and will be hosting the 19th edition of the “Champions of the Sea”, an annual event celebrating the best Travel Agents partnering Costa Cruises worldwide. Then, on May 11, the latest addition to the fleet will depart from Venice once again, this time on her inaugural cruise – a 10-day itinerary taking in Greece, Israel and Turkey. For the rest of the 2012 summer season, until the end of November, the Costa Fascinosa will be operating on 7-day cruises from Venice and Bari to Greece and Croatia. In winter 2012/13 the flagship will be in South America on cruises in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, while in summer 2013 she will be back in the Eastern Mediterranean on 1-week vacations to Greece and Turkey with departures from Venice and Bari.

On the occasion of the delivery of the new flagship, Costa Cruises also presented its itineraries for 2013, with more than 600 cruises all over the world, already available for booking.

Princess Cruises to base ship year round in San Francisco

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 04 May 2012 04 May 2012

Princess Cruises has announced that for the first time it will base a ship in San Francisco year round, beginning in May 2013. The extensively renovated Grand Princess will first offer a series of Alaska cruises during the summer months from the City by the Bay, followed by a schedule of Hawaiian Islands, Mexico and the California Coast sailings during the fall 2013 to spring 2014 season.

Last year the 2,600-passenger Grand Princess underwent the largest drydock in Princess Cruises history, adding a host of new features so that passengers will enjoy the same onboard experience as offered by the line's other newer ships.

"Princess has been cruising from San Francisco nearly as long as our company has been in operation, so we have a rich history with the city, and we are the leading cruise line homeporting there," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. "Our Bay Area passengers and travel agents have long been asking for more cruise options from San Francisco and our new year-round schedule with Grand Princess will now give them a great selection of itinerary choices, plus the benefit of sailing on a ship that offers our signature features and amenities."

"Princess ships have been cruising from San Francisco for more than 40 years, and we greatly appreciate the company's longstanding partnership with our city," said Monique Moyer, executive director of the Port of San Francisco. We are delighted to now have our first year-round ship based here, and it is a natural fit that the vessel is the caliber of Grand Princess. Having this ship sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and berth at the foot of Coit Tower will be spectacular, both for the passengers on board and the people of San Francisco."

During the 2013-14 season Grand Princess will sail roundtrip from San Francisco to:

Alaska: Grand Princess' first Alaska season features 10-day Inside Passage sailings. The ship will offer 13 voyages featuring the stunning scenery of Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm, with calls at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria. Cruises depart between May 10 and September 7, 2013.

Mexico: Grand Princess will offer two sailings on a new 10-day itinerary to Mexico, featuring two new ports for Princess – Loreto and La Paz, both in Baja California. Passengers will also enjoy calls at Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Sailings depart on September 17, 2013 and March 5, 2014.

California Coastal: An increasingly popular Princess itinerary, Grand Princess will take passengers to Santa Barbara, Los Angeles (Long Beach), San Diego, and Ensenada. Four sailings are offered on September 27 and October 19, 2013; plus March 15 and April 6, 2014.

Hawaiian Islands: Passengers can explore each of the main Hawaiian islands on this 15-day voyage to the Big Island (Hilo), Oahu (Honolulu), Kauai (Nawiliwili), Maui (Lahaina), and Ensenada. Grand Princess will offer 12 departures between October 4, 2013 and April 28, 2014.

During last year's drydock Grand Princess added a variety of passenger amenities, including a completely new Piazza atrium, several new eateries – including Alfredo's Pizzeria and the Crown Grill – and the line's first specialty tea lounge called Leaves. Also included in the renovation were a remodeled casino, boutiques and art gallery; enhancements to the Horizon Court, Lotus Spa, and wedding chapel; and the addition of Crooner's Martini Lounge and a new nightclub, The One5.

IHAS panel to discuss challenges of crises in corporate communications

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 04 May 2012 04 May 2012

A new panel to address the challenges corporate communicators face in crises has been added to the program for the International Humanitarian Assistance Symposium (IHAS). To be held in Miami June 7-8, 2012, IHAS is a meeting to enhance industry response to emergencies and disasters through knowledge-sharing, with the goal of ensuring that those involved in an unforeseen tragedy are provided with the support they need.

The panel, Crisis Communications: How to Survive the OMG Event, will feature corporate communications leaders from Carnival Cruise Lines and WestJet Airlines – both of whom have safely navigated through two separate crises that garnered major international media attention.

Jennifer de la Cruz, Senior Director Public Relations, Carnival Cruise Lines, will discuss how she handled communications following the engine room fire on the Carnival Splendor that left 3,299 passengers and 1, 167 crew members without electricity for two days in November 2010.

Richard Bartrem, VP, Communications & Community Relations for WestJet Airlines, will discuss his role in WestJet’s response to an explosion at the Grand Riviera Princess Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, that killed seven people and injured seventeen others, also in November 2010.

How and when a company responds to a crisis is changing rapidly, says Carnival’s Jennifer de la Cruz. "The landscape has changed dramatically in terms of how and at what speed a story breaks in a crisis based on today’s communications channels," says de la Cruz. "The key audiences a company must effectively engage with are different from even five years ago. This IHAS panel should provide an excellent, interactive forum for exchanging ideas and sharing best practices."

"Our best opportunities to learn and grow as crisis communicators come from these opportunities to share stories with those who have had direct experience," says WestJet’s Richard Bartrem. "IHAS is the major event that allows this dialogue to take place."

Originally scheduled as a breakout session concurrent with other panels, conference organizers decided to create a dedicated panel on the topic, so that all who expressed an interest could attend without missing other sessions. The panel will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 8th and will address:

– The challenges & opportunities social media channels present to communicators during a crisis

– Transparency: What’s communicated internally vs. externally and how this is changing

– Walking the tightrope: Balancing the immediate needs of those impacted by a crisis with the concerns of risk management

– Preparing executives for the intensity of media coverage during crisis events

– The importance of ensuring the bond of trust isn’t broken with stakeholders

– Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

– Best practices for and lessons learned by communicators in recent high-profile situations

The panel will be moderated by Jeff Braun, president of Crucial Communications Group, LLC. and vice president of communications for the Family Assistance Foundation. Braun is a communications expert and former journalist who has assisted clients in many sectors of industry prepare for and successfully respond to crises. More speakers are expected to be announced.

"I think the interest we’ve had in this topic is a reflection of the acute awareness of the way changes in technology – and pressures on executives and others – are impacting crisis communications and response," says Dr. Carolyn Coarsey, co-founder of the Family Assistance Foundation and conference organizer. "The speed at which news, photos, and videos from the scene of a crisis can appear online have elevated the importance of having well-prepared, highly-trained communicators ready to respond to any set of challenges."

International Humanitarian Assistance Symposium is organized by The Family Assistance Foundation and Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services. The two-day event will consist of a series of educational panels, practical workshops and experiences recounted first hand by disaster and accident survivors.

Symposium sponsors include: Royal Caribbean International, the Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation, Aviem International, Inc., Carnival Cruise Lines, BMS CAT, Higher Resources, Inc.,Virgin Australia, Ceres, Crucial Communications Group, LLC., NYCruise and Jeff Arnold, survivor American Flight 420

Supporters include: CruiseEurope, Medcruise, Passenger Shipping Association, Cruise Lines International Association, the Rusty Pelican and the City of Miami.