‘Hurricanes prevented UK cruise numbers reaching two million mark’

Posted on 16 March, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Image result for caribbean hurricanes

The above Satellite shows three Hurricanes.

The number of cruises sold to British holidaymakers in 2017 may have exceeded two million if hurricanes had not hit the Caribbean, it has been claimed.

Clia last week reported a record year for the British cruise industry, with 1,959,000 Britons taking a cruise holiday in 2017 – an increase of 0.5% against 2016.

Stuart Leven, Clia’s UK and Ireland chairman, said it was a “major factor” that “five or six weeks” after hurricanes Irma and Maria struck ships were sent to help with the humanitarian effort.

He told Travel Weekly: “I would not lay it firmly at the door of hurricanes but several ships were taken out of service in order to help, which means there were fewer holidays to sell and flights were cancelled. It is a major factor.”

He added that the hurricanes had “not had any impact” on future bookings, adding that it could have been “the difference” between hitting the two million mark and not.

When asked about the figures at Abta’s First Time Cruisers Conference in central London, Leven said the UK market has “massive scope for growth”.

He said cruise lines would be encouraged to deploy more ships in the UK due to people cruising for the first time giving higher satisfaction scores after the sailing.

“If you can get more people on ships there is a massive scope for growth,” he said.

Leven cited how the UK cruise industry holds a 4.5% share of the holiday market, but if that figure increased by one percent that would add 500,000 passengers to the annual number of Britons taking cruises.

He also said: “Most of the agents are better at selling a cruise than the cruise lines are. They are the experts. Eight out of 10 bookings come through the trade.”

Norwegian Bliss Conveyance Photos

Posted on 15 March, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

The Norwegian Bliss departed Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, last night for her conveyance along the Ems River, and is arriving at Eemshaven, Netherlands, on Wednesday, according to Norwegian Cruise Line.

“Today marks another historical moment for Norwegian Bliss, the most highly anticipated ship of the Norwegian Breakaway Plus class, the most successful class of our company’s history,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “When she arrives into Seattle in June, guests will be excited to experience many new first-at-sea activities, including the largest two-level race track at sea, new dining experiences, such as Q Texas Smokehouse and Coco’s a chocolate and treat shop, the Tony Award-Winning Broadway Show Jersey Boys and much more for guests to explore.”

Measuring 994 feet long, 136 feet wide, and at a gross registered tonnage of 168,028, she embarked on her journey down the Ems River and up to the North Sea in reverse, making the narrow passage through Meyer Werft’s sea lock, with less than four feet clearance.

This very careful manoeuvre took about two hours at a speed of only 0.2 knots, the company said.

Norwegian Bliss Conveyance

The navigation crew included a team of experienced Ems River pilots, navigation officers, the yard captain and the local German waterway authorities.

After passing through the sea lock, the Norwegian Bliss continued along the river stern first,.

Her journey to Eemshaven included cruising through the narrow passages of the Friesenbrücke Bridge in Weener; Jann Berghaus Bridge in Leer; and Ems-Barrier in Gandersum.

When she arrives at Eemshaven, she will take on additional provisions and crew members, before heading toward the North Sea for technical and nautical sea trials. This will be one of the final phases, before Norwegian Cruise Line takes delivery on April 19, 2018, in Bremerhaven, Germany.

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.