Istanbul Getting the Celebrity Treatment

In the fall of 2011, Celebrity Cruises will be basing Celebrity Constellation at Istanbul for a short series of Greek Island cruises. Using Istanbul as a turnaround port is something we haven’t seen much of since 9-11, and security and stability at the Turkish port became a concern.

The complete article appeared in the July 14, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Innovating in the “Drive to the Port” Market

Discounting pricing for early booking and onboard credits are nothing new. Neither is providing “free” air fare to the port, but that’s usually reserved for ports of embarkation which are distant.

P&O has come up with a new booking incentive for the "drive to the port" market that just could catch on among cruise lines in the US.

The complete article appeared in the July 14, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Business as Usual in St. Thomas, NCL Record Bookings, Carnival Dividend, New Sandwich Bar aboard Wind Surf

CND subscribers also read about update on how it's business as usual in St. Thomas after a shooting on Monday that claimed the life of a cruise ship passenger ... NCL setting booking records ... Carnival Corp declaring a dividend ... and Windstar adds a new sandwich bar aboard Wind Surf.

Details of these items appeared in the “Other Things You’ll Want to Know” column in the July 14, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

First Look at Norwegian Epic (Part 2)

In the first part of this article we looked at an overview of how Norwegian Epic is going to change people’s expectations about what will be found aboard cruise ships. The rest of the industry is eventually going to follow along.

In the second part of the article, we are going to be looking at some specifics that I saw, and we’re starting with one of the places where you can see innovation everywhere: in the accommodations.

The complete article appeared in the July 13, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Passenger Death on St. Thomas, Famous Lecturers aboard Silver Whisper

CND subscribers also read about a cruise ship passenger being killed by gunfire on St. Thomas ... and two famous names to appear aboard Silver Whisper.

Details of the above items appeared in the “Other Things You’ll Want to Know” column in the July 13, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

First Look at Norwegian Epic

At the end of last week, CND spent two days aboard Norwegian Epic. At this point, we can tell you that it's going to create some major changes in the cruise industry over time, but maybe not the ones we expected before we saw it.

The basic cruise experience is still there, but just as over time Freestyle changed the norm in the industry, Norwegian Epic is going to change what passengers expect aboard their ship. But the changes won’t happen immediately.

In this CND article, we look at how what we saw aboard Norwegian Epic is going to change what passengers expect to find aboard a cruise ship, just as NCL's Freestyle has done.

The complete article appeared in the July 12, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.

Famous Face in the Cruise Industry, More Art Auction Trouble and an Apple a Day

CND subscribers also read about a famous face now appearing in the cruise industry .... more trouble in the cruise ship art auction world ... and Crystal now offering a choice of operating systems.

Details of the above items appeared in the “Other Things You’ll Want to Know” column in the July 12, 2010, edition of Cruise News Daily.