Ultra-Luxury ships – Alaska In Retreat – Hapag-Lloyd’s Air Cruises and a Non-Stop Sailing – Cunard Joins The Overnight Stay Lines

by Mark Tre’ – “The Cruise Examiner”

This week, we look at initial reviews for Seabourn Odyssey while we await those for Silver Spirit, delivered more recently. As well, we have news of a retreat on Alaska’s head tax, air cruises and a one-time voyage from Singapore to Nice from Hapag-Lloyd and overnight stays for Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth.

STORY OF THE WEEK
Feedback for Seabourn Odyssey and Silver Spirit
So far, the Cruise Critic has accumulated a dozen reviews for Seabourn Odyssey, which has been in service since last summer, but just one so far for Silver Spirit, which has only been in service for three months.

Of the dozen for Seabourn Odyssey, five, or just under half, award the latest Seabourn ship five stars plus and three award five stars, accounting for three-quarters of the feedback so far. What is surprising, however, is that she has earned three scores of only four stars and one of just three. Review sites are notorious of course for producing complainers, but these account for a quarter of the reviewers. As the ship’s best reviews came from her initial Mediterranean cruises and the poorer reviews once she had moved over to the Caribbean, one must wonder about that as well.

The majority of the initial reviews were full of praise for Seabourn, something one would expect from a line whose followers are so steadfast in their praise and their loyalty. A number of reviewers, even critical ones, aid that they would return to Seabourn or bought future cruise reduction certificates on board, but it’s also worth looking at some of the disappointments.

One comment is that Seabourn Odyssey‘s standard suites have become quite narrow, at 9.5 feet, one reviewer describing them as “tunnel-like,” as the ship is much wider than the traditional Seabourn ship. Some complained that the service had suffered, something that hopefully Seabourn will overcome once the new ship is bedded in. This may take some time however as the second and third in the series are delivered. One peculiar observation made by a couple of reviewers was that the movement of Seabourn Odyssey made them feel seasick, but both these comments came in the Caribbean.
Overall, there is no question that the three new Seabourn ships will totally change the product. Instead of a trio of 212-berth yacht-like vessels that suffer from a genuine shortage of verandas, the new ships are each more than twice the size of the traditional Seabourn ships, and it is interesting to see the number of Regent clients who seem to be trying her out now that Seabourn has more or less joined the big ship league.

If Seabourn decides to keep the traditional ships as well as the new trio, it will have more than tripled its berth inventory in a very short period.

Silver Spirit has only received a single review so far at Cruise Critic. Although it only awarded four stars, such a sample is too small to be representative even if it was written by a travel professional. Further review will have to wait but one interesting observation is that this ship has television screens that appear and disappear into a mirror.
Meanwhile, there is no question that the new ships have brought Seabourn, and to some extent, arch-competitor Silversea into the next rung up in terms of size. Others have compared the new ships to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa, which has now been sailing for ten years with the world’s top cruise ship rating. The new ships also remind one of Royal Viking Line, whose initial trio of ships was limited to 550 passengers. Ironically, however, if one compares the new ships with Silversea’s last generation, Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper of 2000/01, the new ships actually have lower Passenger Space Ratios:

Ships of 610 to 650 feet were normal-size ocean liners in the past and the upmarket lines are trying to bring the exclusivity of the small ship experience into a larger platform. They will in all likelihood succeed, as they are now back to ship sizes that were common with the likes of Norwegian America Line and Swedish American Line in the past, as well as the newly-born Royal Viking Line of 1972. None of the latter survive to-day, but as the cruise market has now grown enough to support the four larger 40- to 60,000-ton ships of Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas as well, this will now mean a fleet of a dozen large ultra-luxury ships sailing under five brands.

Whether all those brands will survive may be the next big question, but with lines such as Oceania and Azamara Club Cruises following close behind the trend is good that consumers will not be stuck with just mammoth ships carrying 5,000 and more people, as have been developing recently in the mass market. The likes of Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, Crystal and Ocean and Azamara will give people plenty of opportunities to trade up if they wish to escape the madding crowd.

THIS WEEK IN CRUISING
Alaska In Retreat
At Seatrade last week, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell and the cruise lines that are suing the state came to an agreement whereby the cruise lines will drop their suit if Alaska cuts back its head tax by 25%, from $46 to $37.50. Alaska will lose 140,000 passengers in 2010 because of this levy, which after another $4 to cover “ocean rangers” riding cruise ships, comes to $50 a head.

Governor Parnell was quoted as telling a luncheon meeting last Friday that “In an audience of thousands, I heard our state singled out for its costly fiscal and regulatory environment. No other jurisdiction has a head tax as high as ours.”

The present session of the Alaska state legislature ends April 18 and whether the new law can be passed by then is not yet known. Whenever it is passed, it will take immediate effect so the tax cuts would be felt right away.

In the last few months, it has been announced that more expensive ships such as  Crystal Symphony, Disney Wonder and Oceania‘s Regatta will be sailing into Alaska in 2011. But it will take some time before Alaska can see the sort of volumes it did in the past from the main market lines, who are now committing to their 2012 itineraries.

Meanwhile, while Alaska has been busy trying to extract more money from cruisers, Celebrity Cruises, who has been big there for some years, has committed to putting three “Solstice” class ships in Europe in 2011 and has recently confirmed that 40% of the line’s business now comes from outside the US. And Royal Caribbean is planning to deploy ten ships to Europe in 2011.

Hapag-Lloyd’s Air Cruises and a Non-Stop Sailing Singapore to Nice
In an innovative move for its German-speaking clients, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises have outfitted an Airbus 319 with 42 Club Class seats for a series of air cruises to points of interest. The plane, which has been named “Albert Ballin” after the inventor of cruising, will offer a variety of 3-, 12- and 21-day air cruises, with 3-day air cruises to Luxor and Marrakech, a 12-day itinerary to Hong Kong, a 21-day itinerary to the Silk Road. Other departures will take discerning travellers to South America and Australia. The first air cruise left Hamburg on January 27, 2010, using a Boeing 737 with 52 seats under command of Capt Erik Olsen and First Officer Sebastian Franz. In future, Hapag-Lloyd may consider using the aircraft to offer a special option to connect with cruises by its ships as well.

Hapag-Lloyd has meanwhile turned a problem into an opportunity, for some travellers at least. Their 420-guest five-star Europa has developed a problem in one of her four engines and three cruises that were part of her world cruise have had to be cancelled. Instead, she will be offering a real rarity, a non-stop liner voyage from Singapore to Nice, between May 4 and 21. The 17-night voyage with no stops is being offered from Euros 7,990 per person, with flight out to Singapore from Frankfurt, and there will be no single supplements. The voyage is to bring the ship back to Europe so that her defective engine can be replaced.

Cunard Joins The Overnight Stay Lines
With the delivery of the new Queen Elizabeth later this year, Cunard Line will join the ranks of cruises lines such as Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Voyages to Antiquity who now include overnight stays to their cruise itineraries. With the fleet returning to three ships since the sale of  QE2, Cunard is taking the opportunity to add overnight stays at ports such as Venice, St Petersburg, New York and Amsterdam.

It is becoming an increasing mark of the quality lines that they are willing to allow their guests time in port overnight at interesting destinations so that they can enjoy the local cuisine and entertainment options rather than sailing at 6 PM and opening their casinos to all takers. Generally, the upmarket lines tend not to rely as much on board spend, which for more main market lines is now approaching 30% of their overall revenues.

Cunard Line Welcomes Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Celebrated Activist Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu aboard RMS Queen Mary 2

 

Archbishop Tutu arrives into Cape Town as flagship makes her maiden call

The Most Reverend Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu arrived in Cape Town, South Africa to-day after enjoying a segment of Cunard Line’s 2010 World Voyage onboard RMS Queen Mary 2. Upon the flagship’s arrival – her inaugural call to Cape Town – Archbishop Tutu, flanked by Captain Nick Bates and Cunard Line President Peter Shanks, unveiled a plaque that read: “This plaque was unveiled by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu to commemorate his voyage onboard Queen Mary 2 between Port Louis and Cape Town from 20 March to 25 March 2010.”

During the voyage, passengers enjoyed a standing room only Cunard Insights Q&A session and lecture with ArchbishopTutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Additionally, guests had the opportunity to participate in a silent auction and bid on advanced copies of Archbishop Tutu’s new book, “Made for Goodness,” co-written by his daughter Mpho Andrea Tutu. Proceeds from the silent auction benefited his charity, the Zithulele Hospital based in Eastern Cape province.

“It was an honour to have Archbishop Tutu onboard Queen Mary 2 during this World Voyage, especially as the ship sailed into Cape Town for the first time,” said Peter Shanks. “Our guests were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet this living luminary, and I am delighted to say that he now holds a very special place in Cunard’s 170-year history."

Archbishop Tutu joins Cunard’s illustrious legacy of welcoming world-famous guests and politicians, including Sir Winston Churchill, President Nelson Mandela, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Elizabeth Taylor, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart and Buzz Aldrin.

Cunard Insights is the company’s onboard enrichment programme that introduces passengers to experts and accomplished visionaries who reflect the Line’s heritage of adventure and prestige. Through a series of lectures, Q&A’s, social gatherings and workshops, guests connect with personalities who have achieved notable distinction in areas including history, world affairs, science, arts and literature. The Insights programme underscores Cunard’s longstanding view that onboard entertainment should afford passengers a rewarding experience.

For more information about RMS Queen Mary 2 or to book a voyage,  call toll-free 1-800-961-5536

Photos by: Ian Shiffman

A Trans Pacific Freighter Trip

F. Laeisz provides service between California and the Far East. The complete voyage takes approximately 42 days and there are four vessels which means a sailing about every one or two weeks.

Itinerary – Long Beach, Oakland, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Port Kelang, Singapore, Baria Vung Tau, Hong Kong, Tantian, Osaka, Tokyo and back to Long Beach.

Segments are sold subject to availability and cabotage restrictions.

Sample segment lengths (approximate):
Long Beach to Tokyo – 13 days
Long Beach to Hong Kong – 18 days
Oakland to Singapore – 20 days
Hong Kong (2) to Long Beach – 15 days
Tokyo to Oakland – 13 days
Singapore to Long Beach – 23 days

Ships feature Sports (exercise) Room, Swimming pool, sauna, recreation room (lounge), and elevators. Please note passengers must be mobile as elevators don’t work in rough seas or emergencies.
There are 2 double cabins with private facilities (shower and lavatory), TV, DVD player, and mini refrigerator.
Fares are Euro 80 per day based on double occupancy and Euro 85 per day single occupancy. In both cases, port charges/fees and deviation insurance are extra.

del.icio.us Tags: passenger freighter

Holland America Line Announces 55 New Shore Excursions for Summer 2010

 

To complement its shore excursion programmes, Holland America Line has put together 55 new tours for its 2010 summer season. The new excursions range from an afternoon in the French city of Cognac, France, where one can discover the secrets of making Cognac and sample the delights of what many French call “the healing drink”; to a nostalgic steam-hauled train ride which crosses the world-famous Glenfinnan Viaduct — a 21-arch, 1000-foot span featured in the Harry Potter and Narnia films; to an unforgettable flightseeing Brown Bear and wildlife tour in the wilds of Southeast Alaska, visiting remote areas that only a bush pilot can reach.

“Holland America Line is always looking for new opportunities to provide our guests with a variety of memorable and unique excursions that will enrich their cruise-travel experience,” said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. “Our selections not only give our guests the chance to expand their cultural horizons but also cater to a variety of interests including romantic candlelight cruises in Northern Europe, an elegant, white-gloved dinner in the Mediterranean, parasailing in the Caribbean and zipline eco-adventures in Alaska. We have something for everyone.”

Holland America adds Anchorage, Alaska, to itinerary and will include 22 new shore excursions
Holland America Line will, for the first time in the line’s history, pay calls to Anchorage, Alaska. A diverse line-up of shore excursions within the state’s largest city has been arranged. Highlights include: fly-in fishing expeditions to remote Alaska backcountry; a sled dog rodeo; flightseeing safaris through the Chugach Mountain Range and over Captain James Cook’s Turnagain Inlet in search of beluga whales; a Prince William Sound Glacier cruise; a full-day scenic ride aboard the historic Alaska Railroad to Talkeetna with the chance to view Mt. McKinley; a guided, fly-out bear-watching tour where visitors can view Alaska black and brown bears in their natural habitat; and a visit to Wildberry Park and Anchorage Museum, home of many Native Alaskan art and artifacts as well as paintings by renowned Alaskan artist Sydney Laurence.

In addition to the line’s Alaska offerings, 17 new excursions have been added to the company’s Europe tour itineraries. Featured tours include:
•    Roman Catacombs, Pompey’s Pillar and National Museum of Alexandria — An exploration of one of the most       distinguished museums in the world — the National Museum of Alexandria — home to antiquities ranging from Egyptian mummy cases to Greek statues and papyri. The museum also displays the underwater excavation of the Faros Lighthouse — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In addition, guests will explore the 2nd-century catacombs at Kom el Shugafa, where tombs are cut 115 feet into the bedrock, and the famous Pompey’s Pillar, a column of polished, rose-coloured Aswan granite that stands before the ruins of the Temple of Serapis.
•    Budva, Kotor and Coastal Views — An extraordinary tour in the port of Montenegro, showcasing the exotic Montenegrin Riviera with visits to The Old Town, a 15th century walled city in Budva, followed by a coastal tour to Kotor, a medieval Mediterranean town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
•    Traces of Alexander the Great — A drive across the Macedonian countryside with a tour of Pella, birthplace of Alexander the Great, where passengers can enter the residences of the ancient aristocrats
and explore archaeological sites dating from the 4th century BC.
•    Historic Jewish Dublin — A panoramic tour of Dublin’s main attractions coupled with a heritage tour of Dublin’s historic Jewish community whose presence in Ireland can be traced back to 1079.
•    The Atlantic Ocean Road and Håholmen Island — A unique tour, which zigzags across bridges and causeways between dozens of forested islands and right out to the ocean’s edge, will delight guests who love the call of the sea. From the Varden Viewpoint, guests will enjoy a spectacular view over Romsdalsfjord with its many small islands. A stop at Bud village, a charming fishing village facing the open ocean, is also included.

Holland America Line offers hundreds of shore excursions to more than 300 ports in more than 100 countries.

LiveJournal Tags: shore excursions

Dance With the Crystal Stars – and the Glenn Miller Orchestra – On Big Band Transatlantic Voyage

As dance pros, celebrities and hopeful champions samba into living rooms worldwide, Crystal Cruises announces its own “Dancing with the Crystal Stars.”
Featured on Crystal Serenity’s December 1 Big Band and Ballroom Dance Experiences of Discovery Transatlantic voyage, Crystal’s ‘That’s Ballroom!’ specially-themed production showcases crew members who will perform with professional dance instructors after completing an intense Ballroom Boot Camp to master the steps, grace and nuances of various dance styles.  Given the increasing number of dance enthusiasts, the luxury line is also adding advanced level classes in American Rhythm, American Smooth, International Latin and International Standard for more experienced dancers.  Beginning classes (also complimentary) and private instruction (for a fee) are also available.  
“The emergence of hit shows like Dancing With the Stars has created a renewed interest and excitement for dancing.  Crystal’s dance classes have been increasingly popular for guests of all ages with and without partners.  The days at sea on this southern Atlantic route presented an ideal opportunity for us to expand the music and dance theme,” says Bret Bullock, vice president, entertainment. 
Headlined by the famed Glenn Miller Orchestra, the ocean crossing will feature more dance classes, added Ambassador Hosts for ladies without dance partners, live music and nightly dancing and performances by championship dancers. 
Mr. Bullock adds, ”Even non-dancers will enjoy the timeless music and energetic dance performances lined up for Crystal’s Big Band and Ballroom Dance cruise.”
The 68,870-ton, 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity is distinguished for her smooth sailing, spaciousness, multiple stylish venues for dancing and live music and extensive enrichment including Computer University@Sea classes, expert guest lecturers, Yamaha keyboard and Berlitz language classes (all complimentary).
The 10-day cruise departs Lisbon for Ponta Delgada, Grand Turk, and Miami.  Promotional per person Two-for-One cruise fares start at $US4,000, double occupancy, including free air transportation from more than 20 North American gateways and $500 per person ‘All Inclusive – As You Wish’ shipboard credits.
Crystal Cruises is consistently voted “World’s Best” by sophisticated travellers worldwide.  In February, the readers of Condé Nast Traveler again named Crystal Serenity the best medium-sized ship in the world.
For more information and Crystal reservations, contact The Cruise People, Ltd, call 800-961-5536 in North America or 0800 526 313 in the UK. Voyage detail: December 1, Big Band Celebration. 

del.icio.us Tags: big band cruise,dance cruise,Crystal Symphony

Great Stirrup Cay – NCL’s Private Island

Norwegian Cruise Line announced at Cruise Shipping Miami that it will make 
major enhancements to its private island, Great Stirrup Cay, located 120 
miles east of Ft. Lauderdale in the Berry Island chain of the Bahamas. The 
250-acre island will undergo a two-phase renovation, totalling in excess of 
$20 million, spanning 22 months and scheduled to be completed by the end of 
2011.

"We have one of the best private islands, particularly for swimming and 
snorkelling. With these improvements, we can provide an even more enjoyable 
island experience for the more than 9,000 guests who visit Great Stirrup Cay 
weekly during the height of the season," said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian 
Cruise Line's chief executive officer. "Highlights of the enhancements 
include an expanded beach front, exciting island excursions, additional 
dining facilities, private beachside cabanas and a new kid's area."

The first phase of improvements to Great Stirrup Cay is already underway. 
This includes the excavation and formation of a new entrance channel for 
tenders, marina basin and arrival area with welcome pavilion that will be 
the site for new tender landings and docks. Once this is complete, the 
island's current beach front will be expanded significantly to accommodate 
more visitors.

New infrastructure and landscaping to enhance the guest experience is 
planned in the second phase including new dining and bar facilities; several 
comfort stations; a band stand; cruise programme activity area; private 
beachfront cabanas; a kid's play area; straw market; and beach volleyball 
courts. Several new island activities and shore excursions will be added 
including wave runners, a floating Aqua Park with a variety of water toys, 
kayak tours through man-made rivers within the island, an eco-cruise, and a 
stingray encounter experience. These are in addition to the existing 
snorkelling; floats; inflatable hippo slide; and parasailing that are 
currently offered.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has owned the island since 1977 when it became the first cruise 
line to offer an uninhabited tropical island experience exclusively for its 
passengers. Great Stirrup Cay offers  white sand beaches, majestic 
palms and calm, pristine waters where an abundance of colourful marine life 
inhabits the surrounding coral reefs.

Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Pearl regularly 
call on Great Stirrup Cay throughout the year.

For more information on Norwegian or to book a cruise, call

The Cruise People  1-800-961-5536

LiveJournal Tags: Great Stirrup Cays,Norwegian Gem,Norwegian Jewel,Norwegian Sky,Norwegian Pearl,Toronto cruise specialists

Crystal’s New Dining Programme (Quoting Its Announcement)

Savour your travels and experience culinary excellence with Crystal’s Perfect Choice Dining^TM. Offered exclusively in the Crystal Dining Room, this unique concept allows you to choose from three distinct dining options – Classic Main and Classic Late seatings, and our new Open Dining by Reservation^TM.
With Open Dining by Reservation, you may reserve a table in the Crystal Dining Room each night of your voyage, if you wish. This complimentary option is an ideal choice for those who wish to linger a little longer ashore, indulge in a late afternoon spa appointment or simply enjoy the early hours of the evening at your leisure. 
Debuting in 2011 aboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, voyages 1201 and 1301 respectively, your Perfect Choice Dining option may be selected at the time of booking—Classic Main (beginning at 6:15pm), Classic Late (beginning at 8:30pm), or the new Open Dining by Reservation (available between 6:15 and 9:15pm). If you choose Open Dining by Reservation, you may then reserve your personal dining times, once your cruise is fully paid, in advance of your travels at our online Priority Check-in & Planning Center, another new service debuting this July at crystalcruises.com. You may also choose to wait and make your Open Dining by Reservation arrangements on board with the Maitre D’. This option will be based on availability, much the same as making reservations on board for our specialty restaurants Prego and Silk Road.
Our culinary venues are as varied as they are delectable. From the inspired creations of Crystal’s internationally acclaimed chefs in the Crystal Dining Room, to the inventive celebrity fare of Nobu Matsuhisa and Piero Selvaggio in our specialty restaurants, to the divine simplicity of a cappuccino and croissant at The Bistro, the choices—all of them—are yours.

LiveJournal Tags: Crystal dining

Are The Americans Taking Control of World Cruising? – The Cruise Market in Brazil – Croisières de France

by Mark Tre’ – "The Cruise Examiner"
The recent news that the Carlyle Group of Washington has taken a controlling interest in Brazil’s CVC Cruises follows major incursions into the UK, Italian, Spanish and French markets in the last decade.

The result is that Americans will soon control all the world’s significant cruise fleets other than Swiss/Italian-based MSC Cruises, Malaysian-based Star Cruises and Cypriot-based Louis Cruises. We also look at recent events in the rapidly expanding Brazilian cruise market and what’s happening with  Bleu de France in France.

THIS WEEK’s STORY

Are The Americans Taking Control of World Cruising?
The news that the Carlyle Group of Washington has taken control of Brazil’s CVC Cruises leads one to sit back and wonder what is happening to the control of the cruise market.
At one time, Europeans effectively controlled the cruise industry in North America, with British, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Italian and Swedish shipowners all running cruise businesses from local offices in New York or Miami with a titular US president.
The first move away from this was the formation of Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972, after the Arisons and Klosters parted ways, with Kloster having owned the ships and Arison having run them. Set up as an independent, Carnival has come a long way from a one-ship operation to to-day, where it owns 95.
According to Ryan Wahlstrom’s Cruise Market Watch web site, Carnival now controls 55% of the North American market and 52% of the rest of the world, with Royal Caribbean having 27% and 22% respectively. If we ignore for the moment Apollo Corporation and its interests in NCL, Oceania and Regent, these figures for just the top two come to 82% and 74%. And adding NCL’s 10% North American share brings that figure to 92%.
This leaves MSC with 2% of the North American market and 10% of the rest of the world and Star Cruises with 5% and Louis with 4% of the rest of the world. Beyond that is getting into niche and one or two-ship brands.
As the world market has grown outside North America, there have been many incursions by the American "big two." The following timeline summarises the most important of these in the past dozen years or so:
1997 Royal Caribbean Cruises acquires Celebrity Cruises (UK/Greece)
1997 Carnival Corporation and Airtours (UK) jointly acquire Costa Cruses (Italy)
1998 Carnival Corporation acquires Cunard Line (UK)
2000 Carnival Corporation acquires the remaining 50% of Costa Cruises (Italy)
2000 P&O Princess Cruises PLC acquires Aida Cruises (Germany)
2003 Carnival Corporation merges with P&O Princess Cruises PLC (UK)
2003 P&O Princess Cruises PLC becomes Carnival PLC (Carnival UK)
2006 Royal Caribbean acquires Pullmantur Cruises (Spain)
2007 Carnival Corp & PLC acquires 75% of Iberocruceros (Spain)
2008 Pullmantur Cruises forms Croisières de France (France)
2009 Carnival Corp & PLC acquires the remaining 25% of Iberocruceros (Spain)
2010 Carlyle Group acquires 63.6% of CVC Cruises in Brazil (Brazil)
With Carnival and Royal Caribbean having taken control of most of the market in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and now Brazil the trend is obvious.
Mitigating this of course is the fact that both Carnival and Royal Caribbean do have European shareholders as well as American. Carnival PLC is listed in London and Royal Caribbean have European shareholders in Anders Wilhelmsen, one of the original Norwegian founders of the line, and Sammy Ofer, based in London. But Carnival management is clearly in American hands, with deputies in the UK and in Italy, while in the case of Royal Caribbean the decisions are made in Miami.

THIS WEEK IN CRUISING
The Cruise Market in Brazil
Many years ago, in the 1960s, Brazil had four very handsome cruise ships built in what was then Yugoslavia and in Spain. Anna Nery and Rosa de Fonseca were built in Yugoslavia while Princesa Isabel and Princesa Leopoldina came from Spain. Members of this class were used in coastal passenger service in Brazil and also for cruising, but they all later cruised elsewhere, not only from Miami and Piraeus, but also in the South Pacific and from Japan.
For many years previous to this, Brazil had been on the routes of major liner services from the United States, Moore-McCormack Lines being one of the big players, with its luxurious Argentina and Brasil, and from Europe, with operators such as Costa Line, Hamburg-Sud, Italian Line and Royal Mail Lines building ships for the South American market, regarded as second only in importance to the New York. All this activity to a keen interest in Brazil in things maritime, one that continues to this day.
The Brazilian cruise market in 2008-09 numbered 502,000 and this winter eighteen ships are offering berth capacity in excess of 900,000 with 405 cruises from Brazil. Cruise growth has averaged 33% annually over the past eight years and estimates are that the overall market could grow to 1.5 million, the size of the UK market to-day.
With the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics both scheduled for Brazil, the government is also looking at building new cruise terminals in its most important ports. Besides CVC, and the usual lines running into the Amazon, other important cruise operators in Brazil include Costa, MSC, Pullmantur and Louis.
In this context, Royal Caribbean opened an office in Sao Paulo in August 2009 and to-day has the 1,800-berth Splendour of the Seas and the 2,000-berth Vision of the Seas based there, offering 3-,4-, 5-, 7- and 8-night cruises from Santos. Ricardo Amaral, managing director of Royal Caribbean Cruizeros Brazil, is also president of ABREMAR, the Brazilian association of cruise lines.
It is also in this context that Carlyle made its latest move into the Brazilian market by taking control of CVC Cruises. Carlyle is not new to cruising, however, having taken a part interest in Iberocruceros before selling it to Carnival Corporation & PLC in 2009.

Croisières de France
Last week, Croisières de France announced that Bleu de France had been chartered as of October 24, 2010, and that her Eastern Mediterranean cruises beyond that date through to her Christmas cruise were being cancelled. This is the second time in just a few months that Bleu de France cruises have been cancelled, the last event being the cancellation of her 2009-10 Red Sea programme.
Nine cruises have been cancelled and passengers now booked are being offered substitute cruises on Pullmantur’s Zenith, which is not a French-speaking ship, in October or November, or a full refund.
In fact,  Bleu de France will be going on charter to CVC Cruises to run cruises to Fernando de Norhona, an archipelago of twenty-one islands situated some two hundred miles off the Brazilian coast that enjoys wonderful beaches and dolphin sanctuaries and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. This unknown destination has been listed number four in the world’s best destinations by jetsetter.com.
It seems that Bleu de France will replace  Orient Queen, which has been operating 4- to 7-night cruises from Recife and Fortaleza to Natal and Fernando de Norhona, where she stays for a full day and a half. Bleu de France will also cruise from other Brazilian ports and the CVC web site now shows her season running from November 3, 2010, to May 22, 2011.
Meanwhile, what will be the future of Croisières de France now that French passengers are being booked on to Pullmantur ships, with Pacific Dream substituting for  Bleu de France in the Caribbean and Zenith substituting for her in the Eastern Mediterranean?
Have Croisières de France’s bookings been successful enough that a larger ship can be sent to be based in Marseilles next summer? For now, at least as far as ships go, Croisières de France seems to have been reduced to a seasonal operation.

Winter Cruising Weather – MSC Magnifica – The Cruise Report

by Mark Tre’ – "The Cruise Examiner"

Two recent incidents in one week involving deaths on cruise ships lead one to remember that no matter how careful one is there are always risks at sea. To put things in proportion, these two incidents caused two passenger deaths out of the almost 20 million that go cruising every year, but even if that is only one in a million, the events are worth examining in a little more detail.

On a more upbeat note, MSC officially named its latest ship MSC Magnifica in Hamburg on the weekend and Carnival UK last week produced its second annual Cruise Report, indicating that it thinks the UK market will double to 3 million passengers by 2010.

STORY OF THE WEEK
Winter Cruising Weather
The collision with a quay in Sharm el Sheik involving  Costa Europa on February 26, which resulted in the death of three crewmembers, from Brazil, Honduras and India, and three freak waves that hit Louis Majesty on March 3, causing the death of two passengers, one German and one Italian, lead one to take a closer look at the effect of weather on cruising operations.

Both events occurred within the new environment of winter cruising in the Mediterranean and environs, in bad weather conditions and high winds. But that should not mean that cruising should be unsafe. For decades, the port of New York served as a winter cruise port, something that has been revived again in recent years, and while ships may occasionally have hit bad weather conditions, lives have not been lost. But let us examine the two cases at hand.

In the case of  Costa Europa, the ship hit the pier at Sharm el Sheik while trying to make port in high winds. The result was a hole punched in the starboard side of the hull that flooded a crew cabin, where the fatalities occurred. She was on a positioning voyage from Dubai to Savona at the time in preparation for her handover next month to TUI Thomson Cruises as Thomson Dream. Evacuated in Sharm el Sheik, her passengers were accommodated in hotels and eventually flown home.
This type of event is not entirely unknown. In fact much the same thing once happened to Queen Elizabeth 2 at Cherbourg.

In one of the less chronicled events of her life story, having sailed from Southampton on October 27, 1974, she called at Cherbourg the same day and as she was leaving that port in high winds the wind blew her over onto the pier, ripping a ten-metre hole on the port side of her hull aft above the waterline.

The ship had to remain at Cherbourg for three days while the French Navy welded a plate over the hole in her hull so that she could proceed on her voyage to New York. Her 1,600 passengers, including the Cruise Examiner, remained on board in Cherbourg, although as the days passed those in a hurry were flown on to New York by Cunard.

No one was killed in this incident but two linesmen were injured, one reportedly losing a leg. The question arose as to whether the master should have attempted to leave port in such high winds, but he had already delayed the departure for some time and these are questions of navigation. In the case of Costa Europa, one might ask why the attempt to make port at Sharm el Sheik was not aborted in such conditions. In each case, however, the master was fully aware of his responsibilities and as far as they were aware had minimised the risk of anything happening. But such events do occur despite the best of planning.

In the case of Louis Majesty, she left Genoa on February 20 with 1,350 passengers on a 12-day cruise to the Canary Islands. Rough weather had caused her to cancel a planned inward call at Barcelona on March 3 and she was headed for Genoa when three rogue waves hit the ship as she was crossing the Gulf of Lyon in stormy conditions and high winds. Said to be eight to ten metres high, the second and third waves stove in five windows in the Royal Fireworks Lounge, located forward on deck 5, killing two passengers, one German and one Italian. They were said to have been hit by flying shards of glass and furniture as the windows broke. Fourteen others were injured, including a 64-year old woman who had both her legs broken.

The ship changed course and returned to Barcelona, where she arrived on the evening of March 3. This cruise was terminated, as was her scheduled March 4 departure from Genoa, and Louis Cruises arranged for the repatriation of her passengers from Barcelona while repairs were begun to allow the ship to return to her normal cruise schedule on March 12.

But this was not the first time this particular event had occurred on this particular ship and in this particular lounge. Almost six and a half years earlier, on October 23, 2004, several passengers were injured when, as  Norwegian Majesty, she encountered bad weather en route from Bermuda to Boston. Two windows in the same lounge were smashed by heavy seas. They were repaired on arrival at Boston and she sailed again the same day.

In that incident no one was killed, but it does beg the question as to whether additional precautionary measures should be taken, especially as those windows face out onto a flat open deck with no breakwater. Other traditional ships with such lounges forward usually have them located at least one deck above the main deck. One only needs to look at  Saga Ruby and Mona Lisa as examples.

Given two incidents of this type with this particular ship, that lounge should perhaps be placed off limits when the ship is in heavy weather, for example. Transport Malta and Det Norske Veritas, the ship’s classification society, were both reported to have boarded the ship as soon as she arrived in Barcelona so it will be interesting to see whether they determine that additional strengthening or protection measures are required or whether a breakwater or other protection should be installed on the forward deck.

Not that this was the first time for this type of thing to have happened. There are plenty of incidents involving ships such as Home Line’s Oceanic, which lost a whole forward deck crane overboard, Princess Cruises’ first Island Princess, which was hit by a wave in the Pacific Ocean, and others, but the best-remembered involves another ship that sailed from Genoa.

On April 6, 1966, the Italian Line’s 44,000-ton flagship Michelangelo, still less than a year in service, left for New York with 775 passengers. On April 12, now in the open Atlantic after calling at Naples and Gibraltar, a mountainous sea broke over her forward superstructure, killing two passengers, a German and an American, in the process. Both were first-class passengers and both died of head injuries suffered in their cabins in the forward part of the ship.
An Italian crewmember died later of injuries he sustained and eleven others were injured. Variously reported to have been between ten and fourteen metres high (one report even said 40 metres), the rogue wave hit in winds of 70 knots, badly damaging the forward superstructure in the process. Michelangelo continued her voyage and arrived in New York a day late, with her ensign flying at half-mast.

Despite one report that Louis Majesty had been hit by three "tsunamis" and another question about natural calamities becoming more frequent, we need only look back to earlier years to see that this is probably not true. The Krakatoa volcanic eruption of August 27, 1883, east of Java created a tsunami that killed 35,000, for example, and a "year without a summer" because of its dust. The hurricane that hit Galveston on September 8, 1900, resulted in 8,000 deaths. And another volcanic eruption at Mont Pelée on Martinique on May 8, 1902, completely destroyed the town of St Pierre, killing all its 30,000 inhabitants and destroying several ships in the harbour.

Natural cataclysms and bad weather are nothing new. The only conclusion to come to is that if cruise lines are going to cruise the Mediterranean and other areas in winter time, when there can often be bad weather, then they must take the utmost precaution to protect people’s lives and well being.

THIS WEEK IN CRUISING
MSC Magnifica
MSC Magnifica visited two important ports in two important markets for MSC after her delivery by STX France in St Nazaire. First came Southampton on February 26, where 3,000 British agents visited the ship over two nights, and next came Hamburg, where she was officially named on Saturday (March 6).

MSC Magnifica‘s visit to Southampton presages MSC Opera‘s shift from Dover to Southampton in 2011. MSC will benefit not only from the fact that Costa maintains a policy of not basing any ships in the UK but also because NCL has now withdrawn from a market where two years ago  it had two ships, one based in each of Dover and Southampton.

Meanwhile, MSC’s German market is also important as it will have  MSC Poesia based in Kiel and MSC Orchestra based in nearby Copenhagen this summer. Hence her naming in Hamburg by Sophia Loren, the line’s official ship godmother, in the presence of 2,300 invited guests, music and fireworks on Saturday night.

From Hamburg, Magnifica sails for Amsterdam, where she will be to-morrow (March 9) and then on to her home port of Venice, where she will offer 36 seven-night summer cruises in 2010. These will be followed by seven eight-night and seven more eleven-night winter cruises to the warmer parts of the Eastern Mediterranean including Egypt, Israel, Greece and Croatia.
The Cruise Report
Carnival UK last week produced its latest annual Cruise Report, whose most interesting forecast was that the size of the UK cruise market would double to 3 million passengers by 2010.
If that finding is true, a lot more new ships will have to be built as a 2,500-berth ship offering a cruise on average every ten days can accommodate about 87,000 passengers, so that would mean a need for another 35 new ships of average size 2,500 berths or 25 new ships capable of carrying 3,500 passengers. So we can expect to see new ship deliveries continue.
Micky Arison also commented that he found it unusual that there were not many shorter cruises offered in the UK market and he expected that there would be a larger selection of cruises offered in future years.

Good news perhaps for travel agents is the finding that only 5% of people book their cruises on line, a figure that drops by half for ultra-luxury cruises, and the conclusion that it is unlikely that on line booking will grow.

Last Chance for UNITED STATES?

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