News

Carnival Corporation to sail to Cuba with all travelers, including Cuban-born passengers

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 22 April 2016 22 April 2016

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest leisure travel company, today announced it will sail as planned from the U.S. to Cuba with all travelers, including Cuba-born passengers, for the company’s week-long voyages to Cuba. Carnival Corporation worked closely with Cuba to allow its cruise ships to operate in a similar manner as current air charter operations to Cuba, starting with its historic inaugural voyage on May 1, 2016.

Last week, in anticipation of this positive outcome, Carnival Corporation announced its new Fathom brand was accepting bookings to Cuba from all travelers, including individuals born in Cuba. Fathom’s 704-passenger Adonia cruise ship will begin sailing to Cuba every other week, marking the first time in over 50 years that a cruise ship has been able to sail from the U.S. to Cuba, as well as the first time in decades that Cuban-born individuals will be able to sail to and from Cuba.

"We made history in March, and we are a part of making history again today," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "More importantly, we are contributing to a positive future. This is a positive outcome and we are extremely pleased. We want to extend our sincere appreciation to Cuba and to our team who worked so hard to help make this happen."

"We have already seen tremendous interest in the incredible Cuba journey we have put together, and we are ecstatic that this historic opportunity is open to everyone who wants to travel to Cuba," said Tara Russell, president of Fathom and global impact lead for Carnival Corporation.

Russell added: “Our guests will visit three beautiful and unique destinations on the island all in one week, with the convenience of only having to unpack once while we sail on the Fathom Adonia, our premium small ship with its excellent and diverse dining, service and accommodations. We are looking forward to treating Fathom travelers to an unforgettable experience.”

Carnival Corporation’s Fathom brand and its voyages to three ports of call in Cuba

During each sailing, Fathom will visit Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, three ports of call for which Carnival Corporation has obtained berthing approval.

As part of this historic sailing in this inaugural year, travelers will enjoy an exciting Cuban experience and will sail aboard the Adonia, where they can choose to partake in onboard experiences, including Cuban- and Caribbean-inspired food and films, music and dancing, and much more.

Special onboard programming will include a wide variety of activities covering an array of interests, ranging from an orientation of Cuba's history, customs and culture, to geographic-inspired entertainment, to casual and fun personal enrichment activities, along with conversational Spanish lessons.

Seven-day itineraries on Carnival Corporation's Fathom brand depart from PortMiami on Sundays at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The ship will arrive at its first destination, Havana, the following morning (Monday) at 11 a.m. ET. The Adonia returns to its homeport, PortMiami, at 7:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.

Prices for seven-day itineraries to Cuba start at $1,800 per person, excluding Cuban visas, taxes, fees and port expenses and including all meals on the ship, onboard experiences and several on-the ground activities. Prices will vary by season.

Hurtigruten in up to four expedition cruise vessel contract with Kleven

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 21 April 2016 21 April 2016

Hurtigruten, which operates expedition cruises and a coastal express service between Bergen and Kirkenes along the west coast of Norway, has signed a letter of intent to build up to four expedition cruise ships at the Kleven shipyard at Ulsteinvik in Norway.

The first vessel is due to enter service in 2018 and the contract is the largest investment in the 120 year history of the company, The ships are designed by Rolls Royce, with assistance by Espen Oino, a Norwegian naval architect.

This is the first newbuilding contract for more than a decade Hurtigruten has placed in the expedition cruise sector, although it converted a former Portuguese ferry into an expedition cruise liner last year.

The new ships will employ environmentally friendly technology and they can also be used in the coastal express service, Hurtigruten said in a statement.

Carnival Cruise Line appoints Kathy Mayor as Chief Marketing Officer

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 21 April 2016 21 April 2016

Following an extensive global search, Carnival Cruise Line has hired Kathy Mayor as chief marketing officer. Mayor possesses wide-ranging experience in an array of marketing disciplines including e-commerce, digital and loyalty marketing, customer relationship management, business development and product and brand management.

In her new role as CMO, Mayor is responsible for driving Carnival Cruise Line’s marketing strategy across a variety of platforms including digital marketing, e-commerce, advertising, guest loyalty and public relations. She will report directly to Carnival President Christine Duffy.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have someone with Kathy’s experience, talent and knowledge joining the Carnival family,” said Duffy. “Her multi-dimensional marketing background focused on consumer brands and experiences make her an ideal candidate for this role.”

Mayor previously worked at Las Vegas Sands Corp. where most recently she served as global senior vice president of strategy, CRM and e-commerce. In that role she led Sands’ corporate marketing efforts in marketing technology, data science and market research, and then led Sands China’s digital marketing, social marketing and e-commerce product management. Mayor joined Las Vegas Sands in 2008 and previously carried the titles of global vice president of CRM and loyalty marketing, and executive director of strategic initiatives.

Prior to joining Las Vegas Sands Corp., Mayor filled leadership positions at Caesars Entertainment, McKinsey & Company and Procter & Gamble. She holds a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering from Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines.