Tag Archives: Cruise & Maritime Voyages

Mexico: Acapulco: Calls and Homeporting

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The Norwegian Sun calls in Acapulco
Norwegian Sun in Acapulco.

Thirty calls are scheduled for the 2017-2018 season for Acapulco. That is a slight dip from last year because Holland America cancelled eight calls when Carnival Corporation did not conduct its destination site inspection, despite being invited by the port, explained Alex Casarrubias, port director. “We are confident that once Carnival, as well as Royal Caribbean, visit our destination, their ships will return,” he said.

“Our top client is Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings with Norwegian, Oceana and Regent,” Casarrubias continued. “Last year we also added the Magellan and Astor of Cruise & Maritime Voyages.

“The Magellan will homeport in Acapulco for three months, starting in February 2019.”

Acapulco was also a homeport in 2010 and 2011 and has since accommodated a number of turnarounds. This season, 90 percent of its traffic is transit calls and 10 percent turnarounds, but those percentages will change next season.

Recent turnarounds for Phoenix Reisen’s Albatros and Artania meant that passengers flew directly to Acapulco from England and Germany.

Casarrubias pointed out that nonstop airlift from Los Angeles started in December and that nonstop flights from Montreal and Toronto are starting in January.

Meanwhile, the Acapulco Cruise Committee’s priority continues to be to showcase Acapulco as a safe destination with top-notch infrastructure and services, he said. “We are in constant communication with the cruise lines and our main priority right now is to get Carnival to do its site inspection so they can confidently resume their cruise operation in our port.”

Passengers will find a “renewed” Acapulco. Grupo Autofin’s $1 billion master plan includes renovations of the Pierre Mundo Imperial and Princess Mundo Imperial resorts, as well as a number of new developments – hotels, shops, restaurants, spas, an eco-amusement park, a tennis stadium, a medical center and more, slated to be completed between now and 2022.

This year will also see the inauguration of a new terminal at the airport.

The most obvious attraction is Acapulco’s stunning landscape, according to Casarrubias, with its lush green mountains and sandy white beaches, in addition to its well-developed tourism infrastructure.

Western Australia Committed to Growing Cruise Business

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Ovation of the Seas arrives in Perth

“The State Government (of Western Australia) is committed to growing the cruise industry by addressing regulation and infrastructure issues,” said Tourism WA (Western Australia) Acting CEO Stephen Wood.

Among the changes for cruise operators, casino operations are permitted when ships are traveling between WA ports.

With nine ports, including Perth as a key homeport, WA is in close proximity to ships coming from Southeast Asia, offering a variety of niche destinations.

Mid-West Ports recently installed two sets of shore tension units for Geraldton, Wood said, to ensure reliable berthing. There is also funding heading to Kimberly Ports to purchase an all-tide gangway system for the Port of Broome.

In Exmouth, a steering group has been formed to enhance anchor and tender operations. Wood said Exmouth was a transformational cruise port that holds the key to growth for WA.

“Perth and the port city of Fremantle are also undergoing massive transformations, thanks to unprecedented levels of public and private investment, making both more attractive places to visit,” Wood told Cruise Industry News. “Perth has seen redevelopments on a huge scale including improvements at Perth Airport and the Elizabeth Quay waterfront precinct. Fremantle is undergoing major redevelopment, with more than $1 billion in the investment pipeline. New small bars, restaurants, cafes and retail precincts have popped up in both cities, giving cruise visitors many shore options for dining and shopping.”

Recent highlights included the Queen Mary 2 making a visit to Busselton, with a return call planned in February 2018. The Ovation of the Seas called in Fremantle last December and comes back earlier this year, with a November call on the books.

This coming season will see 44 cruise ship visits for Fremantle, a small decline as some capacity has been moved elsewhere. Cruise & Maritime Voyages is a key customer, homeporting the Astor for a fifth consecutive season.

Inaugural visits are scheduled by the Regatta, Ocean Dream, Azamara Journey, L’Austral, Seven Seas Navigator and Golden Princess.

Tourism WA is pushing its strategy to make its nine ports a key cruise destination, by developing the necessary infrastructure to serve industry capacity, according to Wood.

“Since 2012, Tourism WA has helped to deliver 30 ‘Welcoming Cruise Passengers to the West’ workshops to more than 1,000 tour guides/drivers and volunteers across the state,” he said.

In addition is a newly accredited training program for tour guides funded by Tourism WA, which will debut in Geraldton, Busselton, and Albany.

Carnival Corp: On Track to Slowly Remove Older Ships

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Adonia in her Fathom livery during a 2016 turnaround day in Miami
Adona (Fathom) is set to join Azamara Cruise.

Carnival Corporation remains on pace to remove one to two older, less efficient ships from its fleet on an annual basis following two recent transactions.

Carnival announced earlier in the week the P&O Adonia has been sold to Azamara for a March 2018 delivery. The Adonia joins the neoClassica, which will leave the Costa fleet around the same time.

Newer ships are not only generally larger, but burn less fuel and generate higher ticket pricing and onboard revenue.

The 2001-built Adonia is one of the smallest ships in the Carnival fleet, at 684 passengers. The neoClassica is also on the smaller side, with capacity for 1,308 passengers, having been built in 1991.

The sales are part of the company’s broader corporate strategy to remove older, less efficient ships, while moderating capacity growth in line with demand, according to executives.

“We remain on track with our strategically enhancement program as we continue to deliver more efficient vessels, while replacing less efficient ones over time,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, on the company’s third quarter earnings call.

Last year followed a similar beat as the 1988-built Pacific Pearl left the P&O Australia fleet for a new home with Cruise & Maritime Voyages. Her capacity was replaced by the much newer 1997-built Dawn Princess, which was transferred to P&O Australia and renamed the Pacific Explorer.

Image result for pacific explorer

“As demonstrated by our April sale of Pacific Pearl, as well as our recently announced sale of Costa neoClassica, expected to leave the fleet next April, and our P&O Adonia, expected to leave the fleet next March. We remain on pace with our historical average of removing one to two ships per year,” Donald added.

In 2014, the company moved a number of ships off its books as the Voyager, which was operating for Costa was sold to Bohai Ferry.The Celebration went to Bahamas Paradise after her stint with Iberocruceros. The Grand Holiday, another Ibero ship, was sold to Cruise & Maritime Voyages, and finally, the Ocean Princess was sold to Oceania, a deal in which Carnival even provided financing.