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%.

Royal Princess cruise cancelled after power failure

Posted on 23 September, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Princess cruise cancelled after power failure

By Phil Davies

Princess Cruises has been forced to cancel a cruise by new ship Royal Princess after it lost power in the Mediterranean.

The ship suffered from a power outage yesterday while sailing between Mykonos and Naples.

The vessel, carrying 3,594 passengers and 1,336 crew, was on the seventh day of a 12-day voyage from Venice.

Power was reported to have been out for around three and a half hours.

A statement from the US line confirmed that the cruise will be cancelled after the ship arrives in Naples tomorrow evening (Tuesday).

It is not yet known what impact there will be on the next cruise, due to depart from Barcelona on September 27.

Passengers in the current voyage will receive a full refund along with a 25% future cruise credit.

The US line said: “The ship’s technical team continued to evaluate the problem overnight and, upon further assessment, it became apparent that repairs need to be made to fully resolve the situation.

“We sincerely regret this means the remainder of the current cruise will be cancelled, and passengers will disembark the ship in Naples.

“Princess is making homeward air arrangements for passengers, and we anticipate that passengers will spend Tuesday night onboard and depart the ship on Wednesday.”

The company added: “We have dispatched a care team to Naples to ensure that all our passengers are provided with any assistance they may require.

“The impact of the repairs on the next Royal Princess cruise, scheduled to depart from Barcelona on September 27, is not yet known and we will keep passengers fully advised as details become known.

“Once again, we are deeply sorry for this unanticipated disruption of our passengers’ vacation plans, and we appreciate their patience and understanding of these circumstances.”

Royal Princess experienced a power outage at lunchtime on Sunday.

“During the power outage, an emergency backup generator was used to provide essential services, such as toilets,” the company said.

“The ship is not in any danger, and the captain has been keeping passengers regularly informed about the situation.”

The 141,000-ton vessel was named by the Duchess of Cambridge in June in Southampton.

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?”