P&O Cruises to name new ship Britannia

Posted on 24 September, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

P&O Cruises to name new ship Britannia

By Lee Hayhurst

P&O Cruises is to name its new ship Britannia.

The 141,000-ton ship, which is due to enter service in spring 2015, will boost the line’s capacity by 24% and carry 3,600 passengers.

Speaking at an event this morning in front of Carnival Corporation chairman Micky Arison and chief executive Arnold Donald, P&O Cruises and Carnival UK chief executive David Dingle said the naming of the ship reflected a “rediscovered pride in our country”.

He said: “Britannia is a most fitting name for the newest addition to P&O Cruises which, with its long and famous heritage, remains Britain’s favourite cruise line. Britannia will capture both the contemporary spirit of P&O Cruises and the spirit of Britain today.

“Today’s Britain is a place of increasing style and sophistication, optimism and excitement. Britannia will reflect that feeling and will mark a new era of growth and success for the cruise industry.”

He added: “Britannia will underpin P&O Cruises’ unique commitment to building ships specifically designed to anticipate the tastes of today’s Britain. It will be a modern classic, a ship for this and future generations offering authentic travel by sea in an enduringly contemporary setting.”

The ship will be the third connected with P&O Cruises to be named Britannia. The first entered service in 1835 for the General Steam Navigation Company; the second entered service in 1887 and was one of four ordered to mark the Golden Jubilee of both Queen Victoria and P&O itself.

The new Britannia is being designed by London-based Richmond International, and in response to feedback will feature more single cabins than any other ship.

P&O also claims it will be its greenest yet, and will be designed to deliver much greater levels of operational and environmental efficiency. A new hull form will reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%.

New Oasis from STX France to be 227,700 Tons

Posted on 23 September, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

New Oasis from STX France to be 227,700 Tons

ON 23 SEPTEMBER 2013.

Royal Caribbean International cut the first piece of steel today for its third Oasis-class ship, marking the first construction milestone for a vessel that, at approximately 227,700 GRT, will be the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard D. Fain and Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Adam Goldstein together with Laurent Castaing, chief executive officer, STX France, attended the event at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, where the ship will be built.

The cruise line’s third Oasis-class ship is expected to be delivered in mid-2016.

“The Oasis-class ships have fundamentally changed the cruising landscape with the cornucopia of amenities and innovations that can be found onboard,” said Fain. “We are delighted to be offering a third Oasis-class vessel for our guests as well as to be back at STX France after such a long tradition of building amazing ships together.”

“We are excited to once again partner with Royal Caribbean International,” said Castaing, “We have built 12 ships for Royal Caribbean and are extremely proud of the strength of our relationship. Oasis 3 is one of the biggest challenges ever undertaken in the history of our company and our teams are excited and ready to make this a successful project.”

Oasis 3 joins sister-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas which took the cruise industry by storm with their introduction in 2009 and 2010, respectively, featuring a revolutionary design with a split superstructure and the cruise line’s neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas.

“Our Oasis-class ships have led the charge in delivering the WOW for which Royal Caribbean is known,” said Goldstein. “We are delighted to get the building process underway and look forward to the next chapter of this amazing class of ships.”

Details of the third Oasis-class ship will be revealed in the coming months.

Cruise ‘failing to cater for over 55s’ , says Fred Olsen

Posted on 20 September, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Cruise ‘failing to cater for over 55s’ , says Fred Olsen

By Hollie-Rae Merrick

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Nathan Philpot questioned whether the cruise industry was ageist as he highlighted the importance of the older cruiser.

Speaking at Clia’s Columbus Day in Liverpool, sales and marketing director Philpot questioned whether it was right to try and attract a younger audience of cruisers.

He said considering one third of the population – 18 million people – is over 55, cruise lines and agents should be targeting this pool of potential cruisers.

“Cruise is a love it or hate it product as far as I’m concerned,” he said, highlighting that 64% of clients are not interested in cruising, 14% have been on a cruise and 24% would consider it.

“That means there are 17 and a half million people that already are existing cruisers or potential cruisers,” he added. “What are we doing wrong? We’re not catering to the needs of the over 55s market.”

Philpot referred to the response to BBC’s recent series The Cruise: A Life At Sea, which featured a Fred Olsen world cruise, by asking if the cruise industry was ageist.

The show received a negative reaction from the industry with some saying it highlighted the preconceptions of cruising being for the older generations.

“It did cause a few issues about age. It was a world cruise average age of 69. The industry didn’t seem to like looking at cruisers as they are. Perhaps we prefer the airbrushed views of cruisers.

“Are we as a cruise industry ageist?”

Philpot said research by the cruise line had showed that the biggest barrier for bookings was the preconception that is was suitable for older clients. But he said that point should be a positive rather than a negative and that the industry should be doing more to cater to the 18 million over 55-years-old.

He added: “We need to question ourselves – are we promoting the image of cruise that we feel more comfortable with or the image of cruise that us most relevant to the audience we are talking to?”