Tag Archives: cruise ships

Steiner, Celebrity won’t renew spa contract in 2014

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By Rebecca Tobin

Spa operator Steiner Leisure said this week that its agreement to operate the spas onboard Celebrity Cruises ships would not be renewed.

In a statement, the company said it had been advised by Celebrity that the line would not renew the agreement, which expires Dec. 31.

“The company is negotiating a transition plan as to the turnover of the ships to the new vendor,” Steiner said.

In the statement, Steiner CEO Leonard Fluxman said the company was “disappointed with Celebrity’s decision, particularly in view of our revenues being at historical highs on Celebrity’s ships. We believe that the terms we proposed for renewal contained compelling economics, and it also contained a unique brand at sea. It is our understanding that Celebrity’s decision was made purely from a marketing perspective.”

“Steiner has been an excellent partner over the years,” Celebrity said in an email. “We thank them for helping us deliver high quality spa experiences to our valued guests.”

It said it would make an announcement about its new spa and wellness partner “in the near future.”

Celebrity in recent years has expanded its spa offerings; for example, its AquaClass category, which debuted on the Solstice, enables passengers in AquaClass cabins to enjoy spa- and wellness-related perks and exclusive access to a restaurant featuring “clean cuisine.”

Steiner has long been the largest spa operator at sea. In its statement, the company said its cruise line operations are conducted on spas on 155 ships. It currently services Celebrity sister brands Azamara Club Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. In June it announced a deal with Royal Caribbean to extend its agreement through 2017. Its land-based customers include Hilton, Marriott, St. Regis and W Hotels.

A handful of cruise ships and lines have contracted with other spa operators, such as Canyon Ranch, which operates the spas onboard Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 and the Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises ships.

Miami and Norwegian’s resurgence

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By Tom Stieghorst

*InsightFor years, one of the most impressive sights in the cruise business was the Norway steaming out of the Port of Miami.

Painted a striking blue, the former S.S. France was over 1,000 feet long at a time when most cruise ships were pushing 800 feet. It had the sleek look of a classic liner, which it was before being mothballed in 1974 when trans-Atlantic jetliners made it obsolete.

In 1979, what was then Norwegian Caribbean Line bought the ship and spent $80 million retooling it for use as a full-time cruise ship. For all of its good looks, however, the Norway was something of a white elephant financially.*TomStieghorst

A steamship when others were diesel electric, and completely unique when fleet uniformity was coming into vogue, the Norway helped send Norwegian into a decades-long tailspin.

A weakened rival, Norwegian was unable to compete head-on with new ships from Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International. It had to zig when those lines zagged. With Miami cruises firmly locked down, Norwegian went hunting elsewhere. It abandoned the seven-day year-round Caribbean cruise from South Florida about a decade ago.

So it is noteworthy that Norwegian will have four ships cruising from Miami this winter, including the brand-new Norwegian Getaway, which will stay year round after making its debut in February.

And that’s not all. While Norwegian isn’t confirming it, the Miami-Dade County Commission has just approved a joint marketing agreement for the Norwegian Escape that would keep the ship in Miami for at least three years following its debut in late 2015.

The deal calls for Norwegian to hold the Escape’s naming ceremony at the port, which now styles itself PortMiami. For its part, the county-run port will pay $3 million to help market the ship.

Norwegian’s return to Miami can only help re-establish that port, which once was the undisputed cruise capital of the world but has lost some of its mojo as Port Everglades and Port Canaveral have come on. PortMiami recently crossed the 4 million passenger mark for the first time, keeping it ahead of its rivals, if only by a little bit.

A resurgent Norwegian is even good for its competitors, because they don’t have to contend with all the cabins that the old Norwegian used to price to fill six weeks before sailing.

Norwegian’s new ships no longer have the classic lines of the Norway, but they don’t have its losses either. That’s progress.

How clean are the pools on your cruise ship?

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Enjoying a dip in the pool is a great way to spend the time at sea on any cruise, but have you ever stopped to think how clean the pools really are, especially if there are lots of young ones using them?

That was the question raised by cruise director Sally MacMillan in the Sydney Morning Herald, who pointed out that pools on cruise ships are generally quite small (because of the space and weight they take up), and are often very busy.

These two factors can conspire to limit the amount of enjoyment to be had at the pool, with a ten-day family cruise typically being incomplete unless the pools are closed several times for cleaning after a child has had an accident.

This can be incredibly annoying for those wishing to use the pool, especially if you’re holidaying without children of your own. But then that’s what adult-only cruises are for. And it’s better to be inconvenienced for a short while in order to be able to enjoy clean facilities.

That being said, Ms MacMillan takes the opportunity to remind parents of the rules that do exist on most cruise ships, even if they are often ignored.

“Let’s be clear here – if your child is not toilet trained, whether or not he or she is wearing ‘swim nappies’, whether he or she is 10 months or 10 years old, they are not allowed in the pool,” she says. “Any pool on the ship.”

Indeed, with the recent debate over the safety of pools on cruise ships for young children following the drowning of a six-year-old aboard the Carnival Victory earlier this year, parents would be well advised to consider alternative activities if their children aren’t ready for the pool.