Royal Caribbean Orders Pair of
Icon-Class LNG and Fuel Cell Powered
Ships
Holland America Bans Smoking on All
Its Cruise Ship Balconies
Beginning January 2017, Holland
America cruise line will ban smoking
on all cabin balconies. "No smoking
of any kind will be permitted on any
stateroom verandah," according to a
news release. "Smoking of cigarettes,
cigars and pipes is already not
permitted in any stateroom. The new
policy has been announced to better
align with guest wishes and health
concerns." Holland America is the
last major U.S. cruise line to enact
the smoking ban; the most recent
line to do so was Norwegian Cruise
Line in November 2014. Royal
Caribbean announced its smoking ban
three years ago, followed by
Carnival Cruise Line in July 2014.
Holland America's
no-smoking-on-balconies ban will
roll out fleetwide over five months
on a staggered schedule: January 2,
2017 -- Maasdam and Rotterdam
January 3, 2017 -- Volendam January
4, 2017 -- Veendam, Zuiderdam and
Noordam January 6, 2017 -- Nieuw
Amsterdam January 7, 2017 -- Eurodam
and Westerdam January 8, 2017 --
Koningsdam January 10, 2017 --
Zaandam January 13, 2017 --
Oosterdam April 26, 2017 – Amsterdam
May 6, 2017 -- Prinsendam
E-cigarettes and vaping devices are
permitted in designated smoking
areas, as well as inside passenger
staterooms (but not on balconies).
For cruisers still looking to smoke
tobacco products onboard a Holland
America ship, there are select areas
where it's still permitted:
Koningsdam -- Sea View (Retreat)
Bar/Pool on port side and Sun Bar
Maasdam -- Sea View (Retreat)
Bar/Pool on starboard side; Sports
Deck forward and aft of Crow's Nest
on starboard side Veendam Volendam
Zaandam Rotterdam -- Amsterdam --
Sea View (Retreat) Bar/Pool on
starboard side; Sports Deck forward
and aft of Crow's Nest on starboard
side Noordam -- Sea View (Retreat)
Bar/Pool on starboard side and the
Oak Room Oosterdam -- Eurodam --
Zuiderdam -- Nieuw Amsterdam -
Westerdam Sea View (Retreat)
Bar/Pool on starboard side
Prinsendam -- Sea View (Retreat)
Bar/Pool on port side Nieuw
Statendam (launching in fall 2018)
-- Sea View (Retreat) Bar/Pool on
port side and the Sun Bar
Smoking-designated areas for active
slot players will be located in all
casinos except Oosterdam and
Eurodam, which have entirely
smoke-free casinos. The penalty for
disobeying the new ban? "Any guest
who smokes inside staterooms or
verandahs in violation of our policy
will be charged a $250 cleaning fee
per day of violation and will risk
being removed from the ship for
repeated violations,"
Source:
HAL
Shell and Carnival Corp. signed a
framework agreement about liquefied
natural gas (LNG
Sept.
2016
Shell Western LNG (Shell) has signed a framework agreement to
provide marine liquefied natural gas
(LNG) to next-generation,
LNG-powered cruise ships owned by
Carnival.The two vessels, the
world’s first fully LNG-powered
cruise ships, will be launched under
Carnival’s AIDA Cruises and Costa
Cruises brands by 2019. Equipped
with dual-fuel engines the ships
feature Carnival’s next-generation
green cruising ship design and are
planned to be deployed in the
northwest European and Mediterranean
ports route. Under the new deal, the
ships will use Shell's
infrastructure in cruise ports to
refuel with LNG throughout their
route
In April this year, Carnival and
Shell finalised a LNG supply deal to
power the former’s AIDAprima/perla
cruise ships while docked.
Cruise capacity growth in China
should moderate to 50% from 60% in
2017, Wells Fargo analyst Tim Conder
said. Combined with further
distribution development and
evidence of continued consumer
resiliency, investor concerns will
moderate, he added.
In
addition, with a modest Europe
capacity decrease, driven by fewer
berths in the Mediterranean, and
assuming no acceleration in
terrorist events or intensity, 'we
believe Europe could be setting up
for a modest upside surprise in
2017,' Conder said.
Caribbean industry capacity growth
of 4%, ongoing modest economic
growth and the likelihood that North
American travelers will not flock
back to Europe in significantly
higher numbers should set up the
industry for low single-digit net
yield growth for North America in
2017, Wells Fargo added.
Conder thinks Carnival's Q3 results
and guidance 'could provide
investors comfort on these issues
and reverse overly stretched
negative sentiment considering
valuation, short interest and
favorable Q4 seasonal trading
history.'
Wells
Fargo adjusted its 2016 and 2017
earnings per share estimates for CCL
to $3.39 from $3.34 and $3.88 from
$4.14, respectively, with fuel
adding 4 cents and foreign exchange
a penny per share in 2016, and
shaving off 28 cents per share for
fuel (with a correction to the
realized fuel derivative calculation)
and adding a one-cent FX benefit in
2017.
Wells
Fargo estimates 2016 net yield will
increase 0.5%, up from its prior
0.4% forecast, and held its 2017 net
yield projection at a 2.2% increase.
The
brokerage's valuation range for CCL
goes to $65 to $69, from $70 to $74
previously, on lowered multiples.
'We
would be buyers of CCL and [the
cruise] sector' ahead of Carnival's
Q3 financial report on Sept. 26,
Conder said.
On
Tuesday CCL shares closed at $45.82,
down 37 cents.
Investor concerns about China net
yields, terrorism in Europe, higher
2017 Caribbean capacity and
long-term capacity are excessive, in
Wells Fargo Securities' view.
Source Wells Fargo.
The future of the cruise industry is
bright with cruise lines having an
unprecedented number of cruise ships
on order. While we know details on
many of these future cruise ships,
there are six exciting classes of
ships that we know little about.
Here are six future classes of
cruise ships that we know little
about but we can’t wait to take a
cruise on. Virgin Cruises – Ever
since business mogul Richard Branson
announced that he was starting a
cruise line, there has been an
excitement in the air about what
Virgin Cruises will bring to the
industry. The first of three 110,000
gross ton ships is scheduled to be
completed in 2020 and the cruise
line is promising to “make some
waves” in the world of cruising.
What we know so far is that Virgin
won’t be your typical cruise,
millennials will be the target
audience for the cruise line.The
seven night cruises to the Caribbean
will leave out of PortMiami, the
Cruise Capital of the World. While
the design of the ships is still
under wraps, Virgin stated that can
you expect to see some of their
signature red on them.
Carnival’s Costa and Aida Mega Ships
–The 180.000 tons will be fully
powered by LNG (the world’s cleanest
burning fossil fuel) and each carry
5,200 passengers. The first ship
will be delivered in 2019 and upwards
to 2022.
Disney’s New Ships – Earlier this
spring, Disney Cruise Line announced
that they have ordered two new
cruise ships, with the first being
delivered in 2021. While the ships
will be slighter larger than Disney
Dream and Disney Fantasy, these new
cruise ships promise to have
exciting new innovations that will
be uniquely fun and distinctly
Disney. Disney sets the bar when it
comes to the mainstream cruise lines.
Celebrity Edge Class – Celebrity
Cruises has ordered a new class of
ship that will be built upon the
luxury experience of the Solstice
and Millennium class ships. With a
total of four ships on order, the
first will arrive in the fall of
2018. The cruise line stated that
this “new class of ship will set the
standard for premium world travel
and deliver the next generation of
modern luxury experiences that our
guests know and love.
MSC MERAVIGLIA has moved out of dry
dock, construction should begin
shortly on the first Edge class ship
from Celebrity. MSC World Class –
While there have been some
unconfirmed rumors on what these
four 200,000+ gross ton mega ships
will look like, they promise to be
“unlike anything currently existing
in the cruise industry”. The first
ship is scheduled to be completed in
2022 with a new ship being completed
every two years. MSC World Class
ships will be the 2nd largest class
of ships in the world, behind Royal
Caribbean’s Oasis Class.
Viking Mississippi Cruises – Viking
River Cruises, the leading river
cruise line in Europe, is planning
on bringing their award winning
ships and service to the Mississippi
River. How soon will Viking be
sailing on the Mississippi?
According to Viking CEO Torstein
Hagen, the first U.S. Viking river
ship will debut before Mardi Gras.
Which year? That we will have to
wait and find out.
DNV GL and Japanese Peace Boat have
signed a memorandum of understanding
to develop an Ecoship cruise ship
DNV GL and Japanese Peace Boat have
signed a memorandum of understanding
to develop an Ecoship cruise ship, a
concept first mooted in 2014.
The classification society and
Japan’s NGO Peace Boat signed the
MoU on Tuesday at SMM 2016 in
Hamburg to collaborate on the
design, construction and operation
phases of the Ecoship and the
promotion of the Ecoship as a
flagship for climate action and
sustainability in shipping.
The Ecoship concept was first heard
in 2014 in Hamburg, where shipping
and non-maritime experts worked
together to develop a whole
system-integrated design approach,
based on the belief that elements of
a system work best when they are
specifically designed to complement
rather than compensate for each
other.
'The cruise industry is growing so
fast, particularly in East Asia, and
the need to mitigate the
environmental impact of such
expansion is very important,' said
Yoshioka Tatsuya, founder and
director of Peace Boat.
'Through its technical
characteristics and in the
programmes that it carries out we
hope it will encourage a model for
"green" cruising and further
innovations in the cruise industry,'
Tatsuya said.
Architectural naval design firm
Oliver Design has based the Ecoship
design on biophilic principles,
using the solutions nature has
evolved. The plan incorporates
cutting-edge technology to improve
efficiency, reduce waste and
minimise environmental impacts.
Some of the most notable features
are 10 masts to harness wind energy
for propulsion, solar panel-covered
sails and a 6,000-square-metre top
deck solar farm, a closed-loop water
system to reuse, purify and
re-purpose water, and waste heat
recovery systems where it is hoped
that 80% of the energy normally lost
in the air and in the water can be
reclaimed for use.
'We believe DNV GL has an important
capacity to evaluate novel designs
and is very agile in providing the
proper answer to each new safety and
technical challenge,' said Andres
Molina, Ecoship project director.
Ecoship will carry around 5,000
passengers on educational trips to
promote human rights and sustainable
development in-line with Peace
Boat’s ethos. "The cruise industry
is growing so fast, particularly in
East Asia, and the need to mitigate
the environmental impact of such
expansion is very important," Peace
Boat’s founder Yoshioka Tatsuya said.
"Through its technical
characteristics and in the
programmes that it carries out we
hope it will encourage a model for
‘green’ cruising further innovations
in the cruise industry." But where
the Ecoship really sets itself apart
from other low-emission vessels, is
the sheer number of sustainability
innovations and resources that it
draws from to enhance performance,
lower emissions and improve fuel
efficiency. The 55,000 tonne ship
will have 10 retractable
solar-panelled sails retractable
wind generators to produce renewable
energy which is used to power a
hybrid propulsion engine. Its upper
hull will be designed in line with a
whale’s appearance and with
aerodynamics in-mind. The external
frame of the boat will be coated in
a way that mimics fish skin to
reduce drag and reserve fuel.

The ship is planned to sail its
maiden voyage in 2020, although no
firm yard order has been signed.
Oktober
cruisemaand
DRIEBERGEN – In de maand oktober
organiseert CLIA (Cruise Lines
International Association), net als
vorig jaar, een grootschalige
promotiecampagne rond cruises.
Eerdere jaren werd oktober altijd
uitgeroepen tot 'Oktober Cruise
Maand'; dit jaar is gekozen voor de
insteek 'Plan A Cruise Maand'.De
campagne loopt van 1 tot en met 31
oktober en bestaat uit verschillende
onderdelen. Daniele Felix, national
representative voor CLIA Nederland
en nauw betrokken bij de
totstandkoming van de campagne, legt
uit: “Het is een wereldwijde
campagne, waaraan alle CLIA-leden
deelnemen. De slogan van dit jaar is
‘Cruises, er gaat een wereld voor je
open’. In de campagne willen we, in
samenwerking met onze leden en de
reiswereld, de consument alle
aspecten van een cruisevakantie
laten ervaren en hem/haar proberen
te interesseren voor deze vorm van
vakantievieren. Er is voor de
communicatie een apart logo
ontwikkeld, dat in alle uitingen
terugkeert. Ook hebben we aparte
filmpjes laten maken die de kijker
een goede indruk geven hoe het leven
aan boord van een cruiseschip eruit
ziet en wat je kunt verwachten bij
een cruise. Oktober staat in het
teken van diverse PR-activiteiten,
een speciale radiocampagne en een
grote online promotie. Ook worden de
reisagenten waarmee we samenwerken
betrokken in onze promotieplannen.
Ook op social media worden door de
diverse rederijen en ons de cruises
en alle cruise-ervaringen de komende
maand volop gepromoot met de hashtag
#MyHoliday."
Zo bezoeken in de week van 3 tot 7
oktober 150 studenten van INHolland
middels een speciale salesblitz
driehonderd reisagenten in Nederland
om hen te infomeren over de speciale
cruisemaand en hen - aan de hand van
een enquête - te vragen hoe zij over
cruises denken. De resultaten van
dat onderzoek worden in november
verwacht.
Vier
wekelijkse thema’s
Ook
dit jaar worden door CLIA diverse
thema’s ingezet voor de promotie,
zowel online als in print (zo is er
begin oktober een speciale
cruisespecial in de Telegraaf). De
thema’s zijn onderverdeeld per week.
- Van 1-9 oktober is het thema
‘Family Friendly Cruise Week’,
waarbij de nadruk op families en
cruises ligt en wordt gepromoot dat
cruises ook zeker voor families
geschikt zijn.
- Van 10 tot 16 oktober is het
‘Discovery Cruise Week’, waarbij
alle aspecten die je tijdens een
cruise kunt ontdekken centraal
staan.
- Van 17 tot 23 oktober is het
‘Culinary Cruise Week’, met
informatie over alle culinaire
aspecten van een cruise.
- De laatste week, van 24 tot 31
oktober, staat in het teken van
‘Luxury Cruise Week’, waarbij
ingehaakt wordt op de luxe vorm van
vakantievieren bij een cruise.
Winactie op Sky Radio
De hele maand oktober wordt er op
Sky Radio vier keer per dag een
commercial en een tag-on over
cruises uitgezonden. Hierin wordt
verwezen naar een speciale
cruisepagina op SkyRadio.nl, waarop
een prijsvraag staat en de bezoeker
kans maakt op een cruise.
Tegelijkertijd komt er ook een grote
bannercampagne, waarin nogmaals naar
de vier thema’s afzonderlijk en de
winactie op Sky Radio wordt
verwezen.
Cruise-event
Last but not least: op 22 en 23
oktober a.s. vindt in de Passenger
Terminal in Amsterdam het speciale
Cruise-Event plaats. Diverse
CLIA-leden zijn tijdens dit event
aanwezig om hun cruise-aanbod (onder
andere via presentaties) onder de
aandacht te brengen van een groot
publiek.