Tag Archives: Cozumel

Carnival to build port on Haiti’s Tortuga Island

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Carnival Corp. has signed a letter of intent to develop a $70 million port facility in Tortuga, an island off the northern coast of Haiti.

The cruise company said it envisions a “new and exciting destination for ship itineraries traveling in the Caribbean.”

“The development will create an exciting opportunity for our guests to enjoy a new, secluded and stunning destination in the island of Tortuga that the company expects will become a very popular place for guests to enjoy for years to come,” said David Candib, vice president of development and operations for Carnival Corp.’s global port and destination development group.

“At the same time, this commitment will initially stimulate significant development and construction activities, and then tourism business once the port is open, that will create a tremendous economic impact for the people of Haiti.”

Other Carnival-owned ports in the Caribbean are Mahogany Bay, Roatan; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; and Puerta Maya, Cozumel. Amber Cove is under development in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic.

MSC Cruises lays out plans for increased agent outreach

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By Tom Stieghorst

FORT LAUDERDALE — MSC Cruises unveiled several marketing initiatives under a new “Serving You” theme.

Rick Sasso, CEO of MSC Cruises USA, said at the Cruise3sixty conference that the line intends to emphasize the human connection in its dealings with travel agents. It is in the process of filling 22 new sales positions to extend outreach to agents.

RickSasso“There will be more people on the ground face to face to be the partners with the travel seller, so together we can create new business,” Sasso said.

He announced that marketing and sales vice president Ken Muscat had been promoted to executive vice president of sales, marketing, public relations and guest services, and that several other executives had been promoted to strengthen oversight.

MSC will hold a joint promotion with Fiat to give away a $21,000 Fiat convertible to a consumer and a travel agent. An entry for the drawing will be made for each booking on MSC Divina from April 4 to May 18, good on departures from Aug. 2 to Dec. 27. Winners will be announced around the year-end holidays.

Muscat said a new bus wrap advertisement has been installed for April on 14 buses running a freeway route between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The wrap includes a travel agent call to action.

Under the “Serving You” banner, MSC will launch a 20-city road show in May to talk to travel agents on their home ground. There is a tentative list of cities to be visited, but it could change, Muscat said.

He also said MSC will offer a new wedding program on MSC Divina that for the first time will enable legal weddings to be performed onboard or in a number of ports, including Miami, Cozumel, St. Maarten and Falmouth, Jamaica.

Muscat said details of the program, which launches Aug. 2, will be available in the next several weeks.

Upgraded Navigator of the Seas gets ‘virtual balconies’

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By Tom Stieghorst

Quantum's Virtual BalconyRoyal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas is expected to resume cruising on Feb. 5 after a drydock to install Royal Advantage upgrades.

Also, Navigator will be the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature the virtual balconies that are coming later this year to the Quantum of the Seas.

The virtual balconies are nearly floor-to-ceiling projection screens that display external images of the ocean, making it seem like interior cabins have balconies. The balconies even come with projection railings.

A total of 81 cabins have been fitted with the virtual balconies.

Navigator of the Seas is scheduled for a four-day cruise from Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, returning to Galveston on Feb. 9.