Friday, November 8, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 8, 2013

* Rethinking the Idea in the Caymans - Again
After years of struggling to get a plan in place to build a cruise ship pier at George Town (Grand Cayman), and the government constantly signaling that latest incarnation of a plan was very near to finalizing a plan and beginning construction, it appears there’s going to be yet another halt and a complete reset. Not only that, but the new plan they are now considering seems certain to fail because it now seems they don’t understand the cruise industry.

* STX Finland Floats Mein Schiff 3
STX Finland floated TUI’s Mein Schiff 3 at their Turku yard this afternoon, and tomorrow it will be floated out of the dry dock to the outfitting dock where the interior will be completed. More

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about no more ships for Disney ... and DVR alert for Canada.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

STX Floats TUI's Mein Schiff 3

STX Finland floated TUI's Mein Schiff 3 for the first time this afternoon (November 8, 2013) at their Turku (Finland) yard. Once floating on Saturday, it will be towed to a finishing dock for completion of the interior. The 99,700-ton vessel will carry 2,506 passengers (double) and a crew of approximately 1,000 when it enters service in June 2014.


The photo above was taken just as the water begins to flood the drydock this afternoon. Filling it with some 300 million liters of water will take until tomorrow.



 

The photo above was taken just before the flooding began after the dry dock has been cleared.


In this photo, the first of the water begins to flood STX's giant dry dock.


This photo was taken about 6:40pm (local time) showing the water level beginning to rise (note the water level on the propellers compared to the aft photo above) and the effects of a late afternoon snow storm.

The operation continued on Saturday with towing the ship to the finishing dock.

Photos courtesy of TUI Cruises and STX Finland. Copyright TUI Cruises, STX Finland and Cruise News Daily. May not be copied or reproduced without permission. All rights reserved.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 7, 2013

* Three Costa Ships out of the Water this Month
Three of Costa’s smaller ships are entering dry dock this month in Italy for $13.5 million worth of maintenance and refurbishment work.

The work is being done at the  San Giorgio del Porto shipyard at Genoa and involves Costa neoRiviera, Costa Voyager and Costa Classica.


* Rush Job
At their meeting Wednesday, Port Canaveral commissioners approved building a new $80 million cruise terminal, and time is of the essence. They want the complex, which includes a new parking ramp, completed by November 15, 2014!


* Upsizing Old San Juan
Puerto Rico’s governor said Wednesday the port will extend the pier at Old San Juan by 182 feet in an $8.7 million project to accommodate ships carrying up to 6,000 passengers.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 6, 2013

Today, we have a number of smaller stories that make the cruise industry interesting:

+ It’s all the rage
Carnival became the latest cruise line to announce a sports team partnership. Carnival is the official cruise line of the New Orleans Saints for the 2013-2014 season.

+ Late addition
Over the weekend, MSC Divina left Venice on its way to its new year round homeport in Miami. More

+ Finally something to celebrateThere’s finally some good news for the economy of Grand Cayman. Year over year figures finally showed an increase for a month.

+ Getting ready for winter
News from the Costa Concordia site at Giglio says that winterization of the wreck is continuing and is almost complete.

+ Really big season
The Port of St. Maarten marked the beginning of the 2013-2014 cruise season this morning with the arrival of Royal Princess. And it’s going to be a big one.

+ Mein Schiff 3 Update
The construction of TUI Cruises (in which Royal Caribbean is a partner) Mein Schiff 3 is proceeding at the STX Finland yard in Turku. More

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

TUI's Mein Schiff 3 Construction Update

Construction is proceeding on TUI's Mein Schiff 3 at the STX Finland yard in Turku. These photos were taken last week at the yard.

As you may recall from the renderings, there will be an unusual diamond-shaped structure attached to the ship's stern. You can see the space for it in the bottom photo. It will be attached shortly.



 Photos courtesy of TUI Cruises. Copyright TUI Cruises and Cruise News Daily. All rights reserved.

Up and Away

MSC Divina left Venice on Saturday (November 2, 2013) for its new year round homeport of Miami, and to escort it, MSC sent along the most Italian thing they could find - a Fiat 500. Passengers on the 18-day transatlantic crossing are surprised to find the metallic red car on deck. MSC Divina will arrive in Miami on the morning of November 19.


Photo courtesy of MSC Crociere. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 5, 2013

* Venice Severely Limits Cruise Ships
Effective next November, the Italian government will restrict or ban cruise ships of more than 96,000 gross tons in the Venice lagoon.


* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about Pam Conover leaving Seadream ... before she's named Norwegian Getaway ... and just and oops.

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for November 4, 2013

* Carnival Shuffles Executives
Carnival Corp and the top positions in some of their brands underwent a reshuffling involving some key personalities in the company today. Most of the players will be familiar to consumers who follow the industry - or their favorite Carnival brands - at all.
More - press releases - Howard Frank - Alan Buckelew - Stein Kruse - Jan Swartz

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about the Love Boat crew is reuniting ... more time to enjoy the ship ... and Norwegian Getaway floats out (more)

The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Jan Swartz to Become New President of Princess Cruises

Jan Swartz to Become President of Princess Cruises


LOS ANGELES (November 4, 2013) -- Princess Cruises today announced that Jan Swartz has been promoted to president of Princess Cruises, effective December 1, 2013.

Reporting to Holland America Group CEO Stein Kruse, Swartz will oversee the Princess line’s worldwide operations which includes 17 ships, 22,000 employees serving more than 1.4 million passengers annually. Princess Cruises has sales, marketing and operational efforts in over 60 countries around the world.

"Jan has been at the forefront of industry innovation for a number of years and is highly regarded amongst her peers," Kruse said.

Carnival Corporation & plc CEO Arnold Donald added, “I met Jan a number of years ago when she first presented to the board and I knew right then she was destined to do great work at Princess. She has my full support as she embarks on her new role.”

Swartz was appointed to her prior role of executive vice president, sales, marketing and customer service in January 2009, having previously served as senior vice president of customer service and sales for both the Princess and Cunard brands since 2004.

In 2001, she was appointed the company’s vice president of strategy and business development, and worked on the P&O Princess/Carnival corporate acquisition. Before joining Princess, Swartz worked as a management consultant with Bain & Company, where for five years she worked with leading consumer and service companies on growth strategies. Also while at Bain, she led a team to evaluate and enhance Princess’ call center programs and distribution initiatives prior to Princess’ dramatic expansion.

Directly prior to joining Princess, Swartz served as chief executive officer of MXG Media, an interactive entertainment company, where she oversaw online, catalog, magazine and television ventures.

Swartz holds a master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School and earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics and English from the University of Virginia. She and her husband live in the Los Angeles area with their two children.

Princess Cruises sails to six continents, offering voyages ranging from three to 111 days, to more than 300 destinations. Approximately 150 itinerary options take passengers on cruises to Africa, Alaska, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, India, Japan, Mexico, the Panama Canal, South America, the South Pacific, Tahiti/French Polynesia, and around the world. A complete list of Princess’ cruise itineraries is available at www.princess.com/find/search.


Source: Carnival Corp

Stein Kruse to Take New Carnival Corp Post

Stein Kruse to Become CEO of the Holland America Group


MIAMI (November 4, 2013) -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced that effective December 1, 2013, Stein Kruse, currently president and CEO of Holland America Line, is being appointed CEO of the Holland America Group, adding Princess Cruises and Holland America Princess Alaska land operations to his current responsibilities of Holland America Line and Seabourn.

Kruse will report to Carnival Corporation & plc President and CEO Arnold Donald.

"This is an exciting expanded opportunity for Stein and the experience and track record of effective leadership he brings to it bodes well for our future," said Donald.

In his expanded role, effective December 1, Kruse also will replace Micky Arison as chairman of the board of MANCO, the UK-based entity which oversees operations of Carnival Australia including P&O Cruises, the number one cruise line in the Australian market.

The newly created Holland America Group operates 41 cruise ships with over 36,000 employees worldwide who annually deliver 25 million passenger cruise days.

Kruse joined Holland America Line in Seattle in 1999 as senior vice president, fleet operations with overall responsibility for operations and newbuilding. In 2003, he was named president and chief operating officer, and on December 1, 2004, chief executive officer. In January 2011, he was named chairman of Seabourn and the corporate headquarters transitioned from Miami to Seattle.

Under Stein’s leadership, Holland America Line and Seabourn have prospered. He implemented the HAL Signature of Excellence quality and service enhancement initiative and created a health, environmental, safety and security program. As well, Stein has broadened Holland America Line’s philanthropic efforts and encouraged employees to serve on nonprofit boards.

Before he joined Holland America Line, Stein was senior vice president and chief financial officer of the North American operations for global Japanese shipping company "K" Line, where he also oversaw financial activities in seven U.S. subsidiary companies and served on the company’s board of directors. Prior to that, Kruse was executive vice president and chief operating officer for Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, and president and chief executive officer for Seven Seas Cruise Line.

Kruse currently serves on the boards of the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation, World Trade Center Seattle, Saltchuk Resources, Inc., and the University of Washington Foster School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board.

A native of Oslo, Norway, he holds a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University and is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program. Stein, his wife and two children reside in Bellevue, Wash.

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

Together, these brands operate over 100 ships totaling more than 200,000 lower berths. Carnival Corporation and plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.


Source: Carnival Corp

Alan Buckelew Moves from Princess to Carnival Corp Post

Alan Buckelew to Become Chief Operations Officer of Carnival Corporation & PLC


MIAMI (November 4, 2013) -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced Alan Buckelew, currently the president and CEO of Princess Cruises, is being appointed to the newly created role of chief operations officer of Carnival Corporation & plc effective December 1, 2013, reporting to President and CEO Arnold Donald.

“With his successful track record in both running a brand and as a functional lead, Alan is ideally suited to take on the tasks of this new role,” said Donald.

Buckelew will have oversight of all maritime and port operations around the world and our group collaborative functions, including information technology; group strategy and global operations; ship retrofits; newbuilds; research and development; risk advisory; and quality assurance. Additionally, Buckelew will have oversight of Carnival Asia, with responsibility for coordinating all our brand and related activities in that part of the world.

With a career spanning more than 36 years in the cruise industry, Buckelew has served as chief executive officer of Princess Cruises since June 2007 and as the line’s president since February 2004. In addition he also served as chief operating officer for Cunard Line from 2004 to 2007.

Buckelew has a breadth of experience across cruise operations, having served as executive vice president responsible for Princess’s strategic planning, marketing and yield management services. Before that, Buckelew held various other high-level executive positions in customer service, shared services and yield management. Alan has also served as chief information officer and chief financial officer of Princess.

Buckelew served in the U.S. Army in 1969 and 1970 in Vietnam and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Air Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm and two Bronze Stars.

Born in Long Beach, Calif., Buckelew holds an MBA and bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Christine, and two daughters.

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

Together, these brands operate over 100 ships totaling more than 200,000 lower berths. Carnival Corporation and plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

Source: Carnival Corp

Howard Frank to Become Special Advisor to Carnival Corp

Carnival's Howard Frank to Become Special Advisor to the CEO and to the Chairman


Miami (November 4, 2013) -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced that effective December 1, 2013, Howard Frank will be stepping down from his current roles as vice chairman and chief operating officer to take on the role of special advisor to the CEO and to the chairman, while continuing to represent the industry in his leadership role as chairman of CLIA.

"We are greatly appreciative of Howard’s commitment to provide ongoing counsel, advice and industry leadership, as he enters this next stage," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

Frank teamed with Chairman Micky Arison to grow Carnival into the largest leisure travel company in the world. When Frank joined Carnival, the company had 785,000 guests sailing on 14 ships, supported by fewer than 7,000 employees generating $1.1 billion in revenue and a market capitalization of $2.7 billion.

Today, Carnival's 10 brands annually welcome over 10 million guests on more than 100 ships supported by over 90,000 employees generating more than $15 billion in revenue with a market capitalization of $27 billion.

"Howard truly is a pioneer in our industry and he leaves an unequaled legacy at Carnival Corporation & plc," Donald said.

Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc, added, “For the last 25 years, Howard and I have worked side by side and I could not have asked for a better business partner. I am looking forward to his continued contributions in his new role.”

Carnival Corporation & plc and plc is the largest cruise company in the world with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK). Together, these brands operate over 100 ships totaling over 200,000 lower berths.

Carnival Corporation and plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation and plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.


Source: Carnival Corp