Norwegian’s Del Rio sees room for expansion

Posted on 11 March, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Norwegian Cruise Line entered the Chinese market last year with the Norwegian Joy.Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio told analysts that his ships were “in the right place at the right time” in 2017 but admitted that there were plenty of spots on the map he’d like to cover with new ships.

“We have so many markets that are unserved by us or grossly underpenetrated by us,” Del Rio said in a question-and-answer session with analysts to discuss fourth quarter and 2017 earnings in February.

“We don’t have a presence in the Mid-Atlantic states,” he said. “We’re not in Baltimore. We’re not in Charleston. We don’t have a presence at all in the world’s second-largest port, which is Fort Lauderdale.”

And the list kept growing.

“We don’t have a presence in the Gulf states of Texas or Alabama,” he said. “We don’t have a year-round presence in Tampa or New Orleans or Los Angeles. We only have three ships in Alaska, which is a very high-yielding market. Some of our competitors have up to eight vessels.”

Del Rio said that given the fleet size and the company’s intention to build only one new ship a year for its Norwegian Cruise Line brand, it could be a couple of years before he would consider adding a second ship in China, because, although profitable, it was not a banner year in China in 2017.

“I don’t think China is hitting on all cylinders as it can,” he said, referencing the continued tensions with South Korea and the resulting uniformity of short cruise itineraries, which only visit Japan.

Del Rio said that the Wave season for 2018 started strong and the company’s outlook is bullish, driven by a strong economy and consumer demand.

“Our overall booked position during the first seven weeks of 2018 further improved compared to the same time last year,” he said.

In addition to Norwegian Cruise Line, NCLH owns Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The three lines operate a combined fleet of 25 ships with some 50,400 berths, offering itineraries to more than 450 destinations.

On average, guests of NCLH brands are booking five weeks earlier than they did at the end of 2016, Del Rio said.

NCLH net income rose 23% last year, to $780 million, as European pricing and bookings recovered faster than expected and the booking curve extended to a near-optimal length.

Revenue rose 10.7%, to $5.4 billion.

Two more expedition ships for rapidly expanding Ponant

Posted on 8 March, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Ponant has now ordered six Explorer-class ships. The first two arrive this year.FORT LAUDERDALE — Ponant plans to build two more Explorer-class ships for delivery in 2020.

The two ships will be called Le Bellot and Le Surville. They will be the fifth and sixth in a class that starts with two ships arriving in 2018 (Le Laperouse in June and Le Champlain in September), followed by two (Le Bougainville and Le Kerguelen) in 2019.

Like the other Explorer ships, Le Bellot and Le Surville are named for French navigators (Joseph Rene Bellot and Jean-François-Marie de Surville).

Together with Ponant’s current five-ship fleet and an icebreaker due in 2021, the French luxury expedition line expects to have 12 ships in service by 2021.

The seven new ships represent a $2 billion investment, said Herve Bellaiche, Ponant’s chief sales and marketing officer. “No other company has invested that kind of amount in small ships,” he said.

Ponant announced the new ships at a press conference at the Seatrade Cruise Global conference. The event was attended by founder Jean Emmanuel Sauvee, who created the company 30 years ago to revive the French cruising tradition embodied by the steamships Normandie and France.

However, the idea was adapted to modern times, with Ponant becoming a small-ship line while still holding to the French ocean heritage of luxury interiors and fine cuisine. “Small is best. Destination is key,” Sauvee said in summarizing the line’s philosophy.

Sauvee said Ponant expects to have 460 departures in 2021. Edie Rodriguez, hired last fall as Ponant’s Americas brand chair and corporate special advisor, said the growth makes marketing in North America imperative. “As we grow from five ships to 12, clearly, we need to conquer the U.S. market,” Rodriguez said.

Virgin Voyages to Create 300 Jobs in Ft. Lauderdale

Posted on 15 February, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Image result for virgin voyages cruise ship

Florida Governor Rick Scott today announced that Virgin Voyages has selected Plantation for its new headquarters, which will create 300 new jobs.

The company will also invest $15.9 million in the local community, according to a statement.

Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Virgin Voyages has selected Florida to locate their new headquarters, which will create more than 300 new jobs for families in South Florida. As a top tourism destination, the gateway to Latin America and one of the most business-friendly states, Florida is the best place for Virgin Voyages’ new headquarters.”

Thomas McAlpin, President and CEO of Virgin Voyages said, “Virgin brands have a long history of raising the bar in every industry we enter. We are proud to bring that mindset to the South Florida community and introduce new jobs and business opportunities to the area.”

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin said, “We basically decided, ‘Let’s have a blank sheet of paper, let’s create the kind of voyage company that we would like to go on,’ and that’s what we’ve done.”

Virgin Voyages will be hiring a range of roles in different departments from Finance to Customer Care, according to the statement.

Peter Antonacci, CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc., said, “Broward County is the ideal location for Virgin to launch its new cruise line Virgin Voyages. Enterprise Florida’s Board of Directors are enthusiastic that Florida won this exciting new project.”

VISIT FLORIDA President & CEO Ken Lawson said, “Virgin Voyages decision to open headquarters in South Florida is fantastic news for tourism in our state. At VISIT FLORIDA, we are marketing the diversity and beauty of our state to the rest of the world. By creating more opportunities for travelLers from around the world to experience Florida, Virgin Voyages is helping us make Florida the number one global destination, and I look forward to their continued success.”

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “Congratulations to Virgin Voyages on locating their new headquarters in the Sunshine State. South Florida is an excellent choice for growing a company, with its strong business community and robust workforce. We look forward to your success.”

Bob Swindell, President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance said, “Congratulations Virgin Voyages, we are thrilled to be home to a company with the great potential to reinvent the cruise industry under the iconic Virgin flag.”

Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic of the City of Plantation said, “Plantation has a long reputation as a location of choice for game-changing companies like Virgin Voyages. We look forward to their success and are proud to be home to the newest Virgin brand.

Mayor Beam Furr of Broward County said, “We’re glad that Virgin Voyages and other major global companies continue to choose Broward County for their headquarters operations. We look forward to the company’s continued growth as part of an important targeted industry for our community.”