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businessweekme · 6 years ago

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There’s More to Cruising Than the Caribbean

For cruise passengers, 2019 is shoring up to be a particularly exciting year. Not only are ships returning to places that have been perceived as politically sensitive in recent years—such as Turkey and Egypt—they’re also heading on increasingly remote voyages, to places that feel like the ends of the Earth. Here, the seafaring trips to prioritize in 2019.

(Don’t love cruising? Try our list of the world’s most compelling destinations for 2019 instead.)

Cuba

Havana has been drawing hundreds of thousands of mass market cruisers since restrictions on U.S. travel were eased in 2016. This year luxury lines join the party, offering deeper experiences and spending more time in ports than the larger ships. SeaDream Yacht Club—known for its casual atmosphere and extreme pampering from the crew—heads to Cuba this month with the 112-passenger SeaDream II, sailing between Havana and the French-founded city of Cienfuegos. Among its port calls is Isla de la Juventud, Cuba’s second-largest island, where you can snorkel among sponges and corals in the Punta Frances Marine National Park before returning to your ship for a standout Thai massage.

SeaDream is hardly the only plush way to visit Cuba by ship. Silversea launches a series of five voyages in February, and Seabourn begins sailing to Cuba in the fall. Bonus: Havana celebrates its 500th anniversary in November, making for tons of festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, and other special events.

SeaDream II sailing, from $5,999 per person for seven days

Egypt

While the country is rebounding from a tourism slump that began with 2011’s Arab Spring, and this year luxury lines are returning to Egypt, meaning your World Cruise or Middle East itinerary will actually stop there rather than just pass through via the Suez Canal. Ocean lines such as Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and Silversea will call on Safaga, with access to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings—albeit on a dusty 124-mile bus transfer from the Red Sea through the desert—in the spring and fall.

River lines are exploring farther afield, stopping not just in Cairo and Luxor, but in archaeologically spectacular Aswan as well. Book a top suite on the 42-passenger Oberoi Philae, a steamwheeler replica that’s chartered by companies such as Lindblad Expeditions, and you can lounge in your own open-air whirlpool while pretending you’re Cleopatra on the Nile.

Passage through Egypt sailing with Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic on the Oberoi Philae, from $8,480 (top suites from $13,260) for 13 days

Greenland

One of the most remote places on Earth, Arctic Greenland will be a hot spot with cruisers in 2019. Until recently it’s only been possible to explore the area’s untouched fjords, glaciers, colorful towns, and Viking sites on basic expedition ships. Now, new ships are being purpose-built to serve as base camps in icy waters. Among them, Norway-based Hurtigruten’s hybrid electric, 500-passenger Roald Amundsen, has a nifty underwater drone delivering video from down below and an infinity pool up on top. From either of those vantages—or even closer-up on excursions—you’ll be able to spot humpbacks and other whales, or see the northern lights high above.

Viking Heritage Cruise, from $7,305 for 14 days

Galápagos

Cruising has always been the best way to see these remote islands, where you can snorkel and kayak with sea lions, get up close to sea iguanas, and go eye-to-eye with blue-footed boobies—all animals that are seemingly unfazed by your presence. And while there’s no need to rough it, this year will see the introduction of several ultrasmall ships to make the trips even more intimate. Most notable is the 100-passenger, all-suite Celebrity Flora, which premieres in June with special cabanas for overnight glamping. If you want to go even smaller, check out the new 16- to 20-passenger yachts available from Adventure Life.

Celebrity Flora sailings, from $8,999 for seven days

Alaska

A record-breaking 1.36 million cruisers are expected to arrive in Alaska from April to October this year—up from 1 million in 2017. Don’t let occasional crowds scare you away, though. Seeing and hearing a glacier calve a house-size chunk into the sea is an experience that never gets old, and those increased tourism numbers simply mean there are more ways to do it than ever.

Princess Cruises is celebrating 50 years of bringing guests to see the flowing ice; Cunard returns after 20 years away; and Viking Ocean and Azamara Club Cruises are both making their debut in the Last Frontier State. (Pick Viking if you want more inclusions in your fare, Azamara if you’re looking for an intimate sailing experience, Cunard for its old-world glamour.)

Alaska-bound fans of giant ships with whiz-bang amenities will find two new options this season, as well: the Norwegian Joy, with its top-deck racetrack, and the Ovation of the Seas, complete with robot bartenders.

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth sailings, from $1,549 ($9,304 for the luxurious Queens Grill suites) for 10 days

Turkey

After an attempted military coup in 2016, most cruise companies diverted their ships from Turkey to Greece. That pattern is slowly being reversed as tourism to Turkey picks back up. On the cruising front, that may have something to do with Turkish government financial incentives, which now run from $25 to $45 per passenger, according to ports operator Global Ports Holding.

See the impressive Blue Mosque and Roman Hippodrome with all-inclusive luxury line Regent Seven Seas (offering overnight stays beginning in June), and you’ll still have time to go on a shopping spree at the Grand Bazaar. Or try voyages on Regent, Holland America Line, or Royal Caribbean, which are all adding back stops in Kusadasi; it’s where you’ll get to see the Greco-Roman city of Ephesus and walk the same marble streets as Roman General Mark Antony.

Athens to Venice on Seven Seas Voyager in June, from $8,999 for 11 days

Papua New Guinea and West Papua, Indonesia

Even for travelers who feel they’ve seen it all, the prospect of sailing the remote far west Pacific sounds like a thrilling opportunity to encounter communities far removed from the modern world. Australian small-ship line Coral Expeditions will make that prospect a reality when it unveils its 120-passenger expedition ship Coral Adventurer in May, sailing from Darwin to West Papua, Indonesia. The route is identical to the one Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman took 375 years ago, on his second great voyage. Additional itineraries add Papua New Guinea, the other half of the jungle-covered island, where you can learn about spirit masks and dip in hot springs before retreating to the tasteful comforts of the ship, whose wine cellar includes vintage Australian reds.

Coral Expeditions isn’t the only company showcasing the archipelago: French yacht line Ponant will sail the region in May with its swanky new vessel, La Laperouse. (You know it as the ship with an underwater bar and lounge.)

Coral Adventurer sailings, from $6,815 for 10 days

Antarctica

Receding glaciers may add a sense of urgency for travelers who wish to explore the seventh continent. For a firsthand look at what’s going on—and to understand the much broader potential global threat from the melting—cruise lines explore Antarctica’s icy waters from November to March. You’ll approach icebergs and glaciers, where the only sound you hear may be cracking ice. Sightings of orca and sperm whales, elephant seals, and human-size penguins are part of the scene. This year, so are new expedition ships with lots of toys, such as the 200-passenger Scenic Eclipse, equipped with a seven-seat submarine and two seven-seat helicopters for exclusive remote explorations of the white continent.

Scenic Eclipse sailings, from $18,095 for 11 days

The post There’s More to Cruising Than the Caribbean appeared first on Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East.

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#Travel #cruise #holidays #vacation

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clickytravel-blog · 6 years ago

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28 New Expedition Ships and Counting

Published in: Cruise News

When Ponant’s 180-passenger Le Laperouse is delivered in June, it will usher in a new era for the cruise industry as the expedition market will officially begin its new capacity boom.

Twenty-eight new expedition ships are scheduled for introductions between June 2018 and the second quarter of 2022, and by all indications more are coming, according to the 2018 Cruise…

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rollinbrigittenv8 · 7 years ago

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Cruise Lines Will Keep Trying to Get Your Attention in 2018

A rendering of the Magic Carpet, a platform that moves from level to level on the upcoming Celebrity Edge, is pictured. Cruise lines are coming out with more creative and unexpected ways to attract passengers. Celebrity Cruises

Skift Take: It's not enough anymore to launch the kind of ship that everyone has seen before. Cruise operators need to constantly find new ways to outdo themselves — and each other.

— Hannah Sampson

Robot bartenders and thrill slides are so last year. Soon, passengers on cruise ships will be zooming electric cars around the largest racetrack at sea, playing outdoor laser tag at night, and spotting marine life with diving drones.

And by soon, we don’t mean 2050. We mean 2018.

As cruise lines look to be fresh and relevant, the focus is on amazing experiences—specifically, the kind you want to post on social media.

“We’ve become spoiled as consumers to always want the coolest, best, neatest thing,” said Vicky Garcia, co-owner and chief operating officer of Cruise Planners Inc., an American Express Co.-affiliated travel agency. “It’s all about bragging rights.”

Luckily for us, cruise lines are responding. Here are the highly anticipated, out-of-the-box, whack-a-doodle cruise amenities that’ll stop you—and your Instagram followers—in your tracks in the coming year.

Go Karting Above the Pacific

As part of a weekly Grand Prix tournament hosted on the Norwegian Bliss, cruisers will get to put pedal to the medal on a fleet of electric go-karts manufactured by RiMo Germany GmbH. Special eco-friendly speakers attached to the cars’ accelerators mimic the sound of a real engine, so you get a visceral experience without causing noise pollution as you whirl past Alaska’s glaciers. As for the track itself, it’s about 1,000-feet per lap on decks 18 and 19, making it 40 percent larger than the pilot version installed on the China-bound Norwegian Joy earlier this year.

Surreal Underwater Lounges

Channel your inner Jules Verne at Blue Eye, the world’s first underwater lounge to be built into the hull of a cruise ship. It debuts next summer on Ponant Co.’s new Mediterranean-faring yachts, Le Laperouse and Le Champlain. The defining visual feature? Two large, eye-shaped portholes to get you up-close and personal with sea creatures. Dramatic as they are, the views may play second fiddle to the space’s high-tech bells and whistles. The entire room is meant to bring the outdoors in, with large screens broadcasting live images from three underwater cameras while a hydrophone captures the actual sounds of the ocean. A warning for the seasick-prone: even the furniture is tricked out to vibrate (lightly!) in sync with the sounds.

Friendly Infrared Competition

Prepare to go into stealth mode on Royal Caribbean’s 5,535-passenger Symphony of the Seas, debuting in late March as the largest ship in the world. During set hours, its ice skating rink will do double-duty as an indoor, glow-in-the-dark, 16-person laser tag arena, decked out in an intergalactic theme. The Norwegian Bliss, meanwhile, will debut a dedicated open-air laser tag course on its 20th (and top) deck, complete with an eerie, abandoned-space-station theme.

A Magic Carpet Ride

Brush up on your Aladdin karaoke skills—they’ll feel totally appropriate aboard the 2,908-passenger Celebrity Edge, which debuts in the Caribbean late next year. Why? One of its decks is being dubbed the “Magic Carpet” since it seemingly hovers over the edge of the ship and moves up and down like a giant, open-air elevator. At varying points during the day, it’ll transform into a specialty restaurant, an extension of the pool area, an al fresco cocktail lounge, and a luxury embarkation station for the ship’s sleek tenders. A whole new world, indeed.

A Fun Slide in Your Suite

On Symphony of the Seas, Royal makes a pitch to wealthy families by packing a duplex suite with unconventional amusements, including a covered slide connecting the two floors, a full-height Lego wall, an air hockey table, and a video-game corner with a popcorn machine. There’s also a private deck with a whirlpool big enough for the whole family—and 24/7 butler service. What it’ll cost you: about $40,000 a week for a family of up to eight, in low season.

Deep-Sea Drones

Norway-based cruise line Hurtigruten AS has teamed up with Silicon Valley’s BluEye Robotics to introduce 15-pound diving drones on expedition ships, including the hybrid-powered, 530-passenger MS Roald Amundsen that debuts in Antarctica next October. The drones can dive down to 150 meters in waters that are often too cold for human plunges—and are equipped with four thrusters and a wide-angle video camera adapted for low-light conditions. All that content gets streamed in real-time to screens around the ship (even to your personal devices), so you can virtually join a pod of whales while sipping a martini or lying in bed.

Helicopters and Submarines

There’s a reason why Australian river cruising company Scenic is calling its debut oceangoing vessel a “Discovery Yacht.” Intrepid travelers on the luxurious, all-suite, 228-passenger Scenic Eclipse—which launches in the Mediterranean in August—will be able to explore their surroundings in all sorts of unconventional ways: surveying Italy’s active volcanoes by helicopter and the icy Arctic Ocean via private submarine. These are features you’d expect on the mega-yachts of the rich and famous—not a casual vacation that starts at around $5,000 per person per week.

Driverless Vans

If you thought Google Inc. and Uber Inc. were leading the autonomous vehicle race, you overlooked a contender: Royal Caribbean International. The company is working with French company Navya SAS to launch Arma, a fully autonomous shuttle service, in “a lot of destinations” to move cruise passengers and crew more efficiently around ports. The self-driving, climate-controlled electric shuttles being tested can carry up to 15 people; they’re expected to be up and running in select ports before 2018 ends.

This article was written by Fran Golden from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

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francepittoresque · 6 years ago

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[ÉVÉNEMENT] Expédition La Pérouse : qu’est-il arrivé aux marins ? ► http://bit.ly/Expedition-LaPerouse Personne ne sait ce que sont devenus les marins embarqués à bord de L’Astrolabe et La Boussole, les deux navires de l’expédition menée par le comte de La Pérouse, à la fin du XVIIIe siècle. Partis de Brest en 1785, vus en Australie en 1788, les bateaux ont disparu près des îles Salomon, dans l’immense océan Pacifique

#expédition #LaPérouse #marins #navigateur #navires #Astrolabe #Boussole #océan #Pacifique

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years ago

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Cruise Lines Will Keep Trying to Get Your Attention in 2018

Skift Take: It's not enough anymore to launch the kind of ship that everyone has seen before. Cruise operators need to constantly find new ways to outdo themselves — and each other.

— Hannah Sampson

And by soon, we don’t mean 2050. We mean 2018.

As cruise lines look to be fresh and relevant, the focus is on amazing experiences—specifically, the kind you want to post on social media.

Go Karting Above the Pacific

Surreal Underwater Lounges

Friendly Infrared Competition

A Magic Carpet Ride

A Fun Slide in Your Suite

Deep-Sea Drones

Helicopters and Submarines

Driverless Vans

This article was written by Fran Golden from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

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maritimecyprus · 7 years ago

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(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) It’s a well-known fact; the cruise industry is buoyant, and growing by the day. And with this popularity comes new innovations, experiences, destinations, cuisine offerings, and sparkling new ships. It’s a safe bet that in 2018 there will be a cruise that caters to every taste, even for those that consider themselves landlubbers. We’ve uncovered what new and intriguing in the world of cruising for 2018.

NEW SHIPS

CELEBRITY EDGE

If you like Celebrity Solstice you are in for a treat; behold more cabin space with stylish design, plus technological advancements. Celebrity Edge is more like a boutique hotel than a ship.

Celebrity Edge.

NORWEGIAN BLISS

With panoramic observation decks, an array of dining choices plus a racetrack and giant overwater slide, Norwegian Bliss is bound to be popular with families.

Norwegian Bliss.

MAJESTIC PRINCESS

The newest and most luxurious ship in the Princess fleet, Majestic Princess will feature 13 dining options, designer shopping galore as well as the cruise line’s largest ever thermal suite.

SeaWalk on Majestic Princess.

SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS

Set to become the world’s biggest ship, Symphony of the Seas will feature robotic bartenders, an AquaTheater showcasing high-flying and high diving performances as well as the Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea.

Symphony of the Seas.

AZAMARA PURSUIT

With the heightened demand for more experiential travel, Azamara have decided to add a new ship to the fleet in 2018 — Azamara Pursuit. She’ll sail from March.

Azamara Pursuit.

SCENIC ECLIPSE

Launching in the Mediterranean in August 2018, Scenic Eclipse will be the world’s first Discovery Yacht. Splurge on the Penthouse Suite at the bow, it has a 60 sqm curved terrace with a private jacuzzi.

Scenic Eclipse in Antarctica.

PONANT LE LAPÉROUSE AND LE CHAMPLAIN

Bucking the trend for larger ships, 2018 will see the launch of Ponant’s Le Lapérouse, which will feature the world’s first underwater lounge, called Blue Eye, as well as Le Champlain.

Blue Eye lounge on Le Laperouse.

VIKING ORION

The Viking Orion will join the fleet in July and will spend her maiden year sailing itineraries in the Mediterranean, before making her way to Asia, Australia, New Zealand and then Alaska.

Viking Ocean Cruises is launching a new ship.

NEW BREEDS OF CRUISERS

It’s true, cruisers are beginning to skew younger. Royal Caribbean is seeing an average 50 per cent year-on-year growth in millennial sailors (aged 20-35 years) within the local market. And with more activities geared toward them, it’s no surprise.

“This trend will continue into 2018 as they focus more on experiences, rather than acquiring possessions,” Hoot Cruises general manager Jeff Leckey says.

“To cater for this trend, the major cruise lines are providing more authentic experiences on their shore excursions, more activities on board and better connectivity while at sea.”

A rising demographic that Carnival has noticed are honeyboomers. They’ve seen an 80 per cent increase in couples with older children sailing without their children to experience new adventures.

“Dubbed the ‘Honeyboomer’ trend, parents are embracing their alone time like never before to keep the love alive,” says Sandy Olsen, vice-president corporate affairs for Carnival Australia.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

Of course, connectivity on the high seas continues to be of utmost importance with cruisers wanting to know in advance what on-board internet packages cost and what the speeds and options are.

“The newer tech-savvy ships such as Ovation of the Seas and Majestic Princess have been built from the ground up with these facilities in mind,” Jeff Leckey says.

Cruise lines such as Silversea are even offering free Wi-Fi is provided for every guest throughout their ships.

In other big technology news, Princess Cruises’ new wearable device, the Ocean Medallion, which enables personalisation and delivers an enhanced guest experience will be introduced into Australia come November 2018, on-board Golden Princess.

Meanwhile, on the new Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean will introduce a new “frictionless” check-in via a new mobile app where passengers will be able to use their smartphone to make embarking quicker so they can begin their holiday.

The Ocean Medallion – a watch-like device – will debut in Australia on Golden Princess.

NEW ACTIVITIES FOR THRILL SEEKERS

Set to be the biggest ship at sea, the 5500-guest Symphony of the Seas, sailing from April 2018, will feature a plethora of new activities on-board. Expect thrills while plummeting down the tallest slide at sea, named the Ultimate Abyss. There’s also the world’s largest laser tag arena where guests can gear up for an epic glow-in-the-dark battle.

Meanwhile, according to Nicole Costantin, vice-president, sales, at Norwegian Cruise Line, the new 4000-guest Norwegian Bliss will feature an open-air racetrack that lets riders travel at up to 50km/h on electric vehicles on nearly 300m of track.

“It isn’t the first time a Norwegian Cruise Line ship has added a go-kart track to its amenities, but the one on board the new Norwegian Bliss will be the biggest,” she says.

It will also have a water slide that sends riders out over the ocean.

Norwegian Bliss is set to feature an open-air race track.

FINE DINING AND IMBIBING

Expect more opportunities for exceptional dining at sea with the new Majestic Princess offering Michelin star restaurants.

“Majestic Princess will feature 13 dining options including two restaurants with menus designed by Michelin star chefs — Harmony by chef Richard Chen and La Mer by chef Emmanuel Renaut, “ Carnival Australia’s Sandy Olsen says.

And this year’s introduction of a small bar on-board P&O Pacific Explorer has been a huge success.

“The small and hidden bar scene is incredibly popular on land and P&O has taken the concept to sea with The Bonded Store which features a stylish decor in an intimate setting, as well as fantastic Archie Rose cocktails,” says Olsen, before hinting that there may be more of these innovations come 2018.

“We remain committed to making sure our locally-based fleet is fit-for-purpose and is at the cutting edge of revolutionising the cruise experience for Australian guests,” she says.

The giant Symphony of the Seas will feature new food offerings including Sugar Beach candy and ice-cream shop, complete with colourful lolly-packed walls. There will also be Hooked, Royal Caribbean’s first New England-style seafood restaurant and El Loco Fresh offering Mexican fare.

El Loco Fresh on Symphony of the Seas.

NEW DESTINATIONS

With the popularity of cruising, comes more demand for variety. Next year will see a huge range of new destinations on itineraries from the “remotest inhabited island in the world”, Tristan da Cunha between South America and Africa to a new terminal opening up north of Sydney in Newcastle.

A highlight of APT’s cruise schedule for 2018 is a visit to the island of Elba in the Tyrrhenian Sea’s Tuscan Archipelago National Park as part of their Moors to Rome expedition cruise.

For 2018, Silversea will visit more of the hard to get to, lesser-known places for cruise ships.

“Destinations like our own Kangaroo Island in Australia, which is a hit with international guests and locals alike, thanks to a plethora of wildlife and natural beauty,” says Amber Wilson, managing director, Asia Pacific, Silversea.

Viking Cruises new Viking Ra will sail on a new Egypt itinerary, Pharaohs & Pyramids from March 2018.

“With her introduction, we will be one of the only Western companies to own and operate a ship on the Nile,” says Michelle Black, managing director of Viking Cruises Australia and New Zealand.

Scenic will be exploring destinations that have previously only been accessible to the more intrepid traveller, such as Cuba and the South Georgia Islands.

“Both will be featured in our inaugural season of cruises aboard Scenic Eclipse,” Scenic’s national marketing manager Liz Glover says.

Kangaroo Island will be a new port for Silversea in 2018.

EXTRA STYLE AND COMFORT

Raising the bar in modern cruising, Celebrity Cruises will be launching their new Edge class in December 2018 with the 2918-guest ship, Celebrity Edge. Expect new revolutionary advancements including an ‘infinite veranda” in the 918 Edge Staterooms. The floor-to-ceiling window can retract to create a glass railing together with folding French doors if a balcony is desired. Not only will the vista be bigger, there will now be more space in the staterooms. Get ready for giant bathrooms and more storage.

Also expect ultra modern design by renowned London designer, Kelly Hoppen. Think suites with private plunge pools, grey wash wood finishes, Eames lounge chairs, and velvet soft furnishings.

Best of all though is the new “Magic Carpet”, a bar and lounge elevated above the top deck that also serves as the disembarkation platform to transfer cruisers to their launch from ship to shore.

Meanwhile, Princess Cruises have partnered with “The Sleep Doctor”, Dr. Breus to develop The Princess Luxury Bed, designed specifically to give guests the best night sleep at sea. Not only will you sleep well on the new Majestic Princess when she launches in September 2018, you can enjoy 1000sq m of designer shopping and a dramatic over-the-ocean glass walkway.

Designer shopping on Majestic Princess.

SLOW CRUISING

You’ve heard of slow eating, and slow living, now comes slow cruising, coined by Azamara Club Cruises.

“We also call our type of cruising ‘slow cruising’ as guests have the luxury of staying longer and experiencing more, with longer stays in port and more overnights than any other cruise line,” says Adam Armstrong, managing director, Azamara Club Cruises Australia and New Zealand.

Their 2018 102-day epic World Journey cruise departs Sydney on March 7.

Seabourn is offering new Extended Explorations voyages, which include a range of itineraries ranging from 12 to 128 days in length.

“Extended Explorations offers travellers a variety of ways to uncover new destinations by allowing guests to have an in-depth experience in a specific region or effortlessly move from one region to another,” says Chris Austin, senior vice-president, global sales and marketing, Seabourn.

And Viking is offering the combination of ocean and river cruising in 2018. For example, a 15-day Rhine & Viking Fjords & Shores combines an eight-day ocean cruise from Bergen to Amsterdam with an eight-day river cruise Amsterdam to Budapest.

Carnival Spirit is set to undergo refurbishment in 2018.

TIME FOR A REFRESH

Several ships are going into dry dock for refurbishment next year. Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas will undertake a multimillion-dollar makeover in April to add a trampoline park, as well as water slides, an escape room and laser tag.

Silver Cloud, the ship that launched the Silversea fleet in 1994, is being transformed into an expedition ship, complete with a strengthened ice-class hull for navigating polar waters.

And in May, Carnival Legend and Carnival Spirit go into dry dock in to be fitted with exciting new features in time for the 2018-19 cruise season.

Source: escape.com.au

How Cruising Will Change In 2018: New Cruise Ships and Hot Trends (www.MaritimeCyprus.com) It’s a well-known fact; the cruise industry is buoyant, and growing by the day.

#Cruise ship #Passenger ship

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robleophotography · 7 years ago

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Bare Island, Sydney Australia

An amazing sunset photographed at the heads of Botany Bay, the colour definitely came out on this afternoons sunset expedition. The Island named Bare Island at Botany Bay is always a popular location for any landscape or wedding photographer in Sydney.Its a spot landscape photographers can take advantage of at sunrise and sunset and by the amount of wedding photographers I encountered its only getting busier. Even with all the people down by the water it is still one of Australia's best Landscape Photography locations.

Check out more of my travel shots at www.robleophotography.com

#bare #australia #sydney #island #bareisland #robleophotography #landscapephotography #nsw #botany #photography #ilovensw #NewSouthWales #botanybay #laperouse #easternsuburbs #destination_nsw #australia_shotz #magicpict #seeaustralia #beautifuldestinations #ourplanetdaily #exploringaustralia #focusaustralia #wonderful_places #sydneyharbour

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hudsonespie · 4 years ago

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Cruising Returns With A New Domestic Focus

Several cruise lines are finding innovative ways to resume operations despite the continuing restrictions on international travel due to the coronavirus.

As countries have begun to ease restrictions on daily life, people are anxious to resume normal activities including traveling. However, with the limits on international travel, closed borders and ports, and reduced numbers of international flights, normal overseas vacation patterns and especially cruises seem to be just a dream for many people this year.

“For liability and passenger safety reasons, we expect cruise lines to be the last segment of the travel space to restart,” says Jonathan de Araujo, the owner of The Vacationeer, a travel agency based in North Carolina. Supporting this outlook is the fact that in the United States the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to have its “no sail order” in place and recently admitted in an interview with the Miami Herald that it “has not begun to review plans for how to safely operate cruises prior to development of a vaccine.”

Despite these challenges, the cruise industry recognizes that people are anxious to plan summer vacations and are looking for alternatives. “History has shown that even in negative times and poor media that it doesn’t stop people from traveling,” says Nichole Ratner, a frequent cruiser and editor of the consumer website cruisingwiththefamily.com.

River cruising is taking the first steps as a number of the lines plan to resume trips. In Germany, Nicko Cruises embarked passengers on its first river cruise on June 1. Several other river cruise lines plan to resume service in both Europe and the United States during June and July. However, ocean cruising facing more difficult challenges appears to months away from even taking its first steps to resume cruises.

To meet the demand of travelers, and seeking to maintain a portion of the travel industry, several cruise lines have found an innovative solution, creating a new domestic cruise segment focusing on individual countries and local destination. Where ocean cruising is typically known for proving passengers with a broad range of ports across multiple countries, these new cruises reverse that trend marketing locally and focusing on ports of call in an individual country.

One of the first areas where this new domestic cruise is emerging is in Scandinavia. While Norway continues to restrict international travelers, two cruise lines, SeaDream Yacht Club and Hurtigruten, have both announced they will resume sailing in June for Norwegians and possibly the broader Scandinavian community depending on travel restrictions.

One of the two SeaDream cruise ships (file photo) - courtesy of SeaDream Yacht Club

SeaDream, the operator of two 112 guests, luxury yacht-style cruise ships, recently announced that it will resume cruises on June 20 as its SeaDream I sails in Norway between Bergen and Oslo. SeaDream will be operating 7 and 12-day voyages on the Norwegian coast traveling as far north as Tromsø, above the Arctic Circle. The line launched a dedicated website in Norwegian for the cruises, but says it hopes as travel restrictions ease to expand the marketing to its international customers.

Similarly, Hurtigruten, which has a long heritage of operating on the Norwegian coast as well as its expedition cruises, also plans to resume operations with its first departure from Bergen on the Finnmarken on June 16. Its vessels the Richard With, Trollfjord, and Midnatsol will also resume their original routes from Bergen along the Norwegian Coast, crossing the Arctic Circle to the northern port of Kirkenes.

According to Hurtigruten, “further restarts and sailings for other ships will be considered as we go. The size and scale of our step-by-step restart is dependent on national and international travel restrictions, government support, and other external factors outside of our control.”

Passengers on these first cruises will experience a variety of changes to the previous travel patterns. Hurtigruten, for example, is restricting the number of passengers on each sailing to help with maintaining social distancing. Every crew member will have undergone a health check and have completed WHO’s official COVID-19 course for hygiene procedures and infection management and there will be an increased emphasis on hygiene and cleaning of spaces aboard the ships. Meals will be served with more seating times and no self-service.

While the new trend of domestically marketed cruises that sail around the local region is emerging on the rivers and in Norway, other cruise lines around the world are also looking at this concept as a possible route to restoring service while the broader travel restrictions remain.

One of the Ponant Explorer cruise ships (file photo) - courtesy of Ponant

In Australia, the consumer travel publication Cruise Passenger is reporting that the French cruise line Ponant is exploring resuming expedition cruising in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia. Ponant has scheduled cruises between the cities of Darwin and Broome aboard its vessel the Le Laperouse with departures as early as July 2020.

Monique Ponfoort, Vice President Asia-Pacific for Ponant, explains “You will appreciate that, in Australia and New Zealand, there are so many variables in play, all we can do is look at options as best we can, including monitoring when borders are likely to reopen, and when domestic and international flights will again operate. Right now, we are not sure of the start dates in Australia and New Zealand, but we are undertaking the groundwork to recommence as soon as possible.”

While Ponant is exploring resuming operations in Australia, the company has also announced plans for local cruises sailing from France beginning in July. The company intends to offer cruises both along France's Atlantic coast as well as ships cruising from the Mediterranean ports.

Even in the U.K., which has struggled to control the virus, Viking has hinted at possibly running some local cruises before the end of the summer. The company recently began exploring possible interest from its loyal audience while admitting that it would also require further changes in the current travel restrictions. Viking was the first cruise line to suspend operations before the industry-wide initiative and currently has all cruises canceled through August.

Some of the larger European cruise lines have also suggested that they might resume cruising with cruises to nowhere meaning only time at sea and no ports or just a single port with the trip being focused on sea time.

The domestic cruise solution, however, will not work in the United States, where government regulations prohibit international cruise ships from transporting passengers between two U.S. ports without visiting a most distant foreign port. Similarly, a few years ago the enforcement of the regulations changed to prohibit cruises to nowhere from U.S. ports. It is unclear if U.S. authorities would permit these cruises with a technical call in a foreign country, but regardless until the CDC acts no cruises will sail from the United States.

from Storage Containers https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cruising-returns-with-a-new-domestic-focus via http://www.rssmix.com/

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businessweekme · 6 years ago

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For These Billionaires, It’s All About Cruise Fleets

It was a cold and cloudy July day in Reykjavik, and French arts patron Maryvonne Pinault was at a pier fulfilling her godmother duties for Le Laperouse, the first of six 184-passenger, upscale expedition yachts from her husband’s Marseilles-based cruise line Compagnie du Ponant. French billionaire and Kering SA chairman Francois Pinault wasn’t there to watch his wife smash a bottle of Champagne against the ship’s hull in the time-honored nautical tradition. But it was always going to be her ship more than his; buying the cruise company was Madame Pinault’s idea, after all.

In 2015, Pinault’s holding company, Groupe Artemis, acquired Ponant from Bridgepoint Capital for an undisclosed sum. Now the cruise line, which reports annual revenues of about $182 million, is part of a luxury portfolio that also includes Gucci, Christie’s auction house, and famed vineyard Château Latour. The Pinaults, by extension, are joining a tight-knit community of billionaires in the cruise industry, ranging from newcomer Richard Branson to industry forefather Micky Arison and the self-made Norwegian upstart, Torstein Hagen.

In an industry very much dominated by top players—Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. control 70 percent of the market—it is mostly niche segments such as Ponant’s that are attracting wealthy entrepreneurs, says Brian Egger of Bloomberg Intelligence. Despite barriers to entry such as the cost and time it takes to build new ships, he says the industry can be a “good bet,” especially if you’re going after an underserved demographic.

The potential market is expansive. According to the Cruise Lines International Association trade group, cruising is a $126 billion industry with plenty of room to grow. Egger says that only about 20 percent of Americans have taken cruises, and the number is smaller for Europeans and smaller still for Asians. “It’s still a relatively under-penetrated sub-segment of the leisure and vacation market,” he says.

Get new cruisers on a ship, though, and they’re very likely to become return clients. So perhaps it’s no surprise that billionaires like Pinault are feeling the call of the seven seas.

New Investors at Sea

Branson identified one such niche before announcing his intention to start a cruise line in 2014: Virgin Voyages. With significant funding from Bain Capital, he’s spending $2.55 billion to build three adults-only ships for so-called “rebels with a cause,” starting with the 2,700-passenger Scarlet Lady, slated for completion in 2020. It’ll have a naked mermaid on its hull, mostly serving the Caribbean and employing a “Scarlet Squad” that promotes female leadership within the crew.

In an email from Genoa, Italy, where he was attending a shipyard event, Branson said he’d been thinking about the cruise industry for more than 40 years.

“At the age of 27, I was already dreaming of starting a cruise line despite never having been on a cruise,” Branson told Bloomberg. “What I had seen and heard about cruises sounded quite dull, so I figured I’d start my own.”

Meanwhile, Malaysian Chinese billionaire Lim Kok Thay, chairman of resorts and casinos company Genting Group, has been reshaping the luxury cruise market since he acquired Crystal Cruises from Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha in 2015 for $550 million in cash. Lim isn’t as new to the cruise industry as Branson: His company also owns Asia’s Star Cruises and Dream Cruises and maintains a small stake in Norwegian Cruise Line. But with Crystal, he’s delving into the global industry’s top-end sector and making it even friendlier for the world’s richest cruisers.

Under Lim’s stewardship, Crystal has undergone a lightning-fast expansion. The company, which had just two ships at the time of acquisition, has bought and renovated an existing river ship, built four new, all-suite river vessels to sail the Danube and Rhine, added a charter jet service, purchased three shipyards, and ordered an additional ocean-and-expedition ship. It’s also renovated its two original products, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, reworking their overall footprints to add butler-serviced penthouse suites and offer additional space per passenger.

And there’s Madame Pinault, who fell in love with Ponant and its environmental bonafides on a cruise to Antarctica. She and her husband are leaning into the niche. In addition to the six expedition yachts, the Pinaults have also commissioned the world’s first electric-hybrid icebreaker powered by liquified natural gas. It’s costing the company about $323 million and will carry 270 passengers when it’s complete in 2021.

“Shipbuilding is a capital-intensive undertaking,” reminds Bloomberg Intelligence’s Egger. While the romance and favorable economics of the cruise industry are likely to continue to attract wealthy entrepreneurs, even those with ocean-deep pockets still face risks in the seafaring trade.

“Cruise sales are affected by swings in consumer discretionary demand and the price of fuel, the expense for which amounted to between 6 percent and 8 percent of Carnival’s sales in the past three years,” says Egger. Also, he notes, hurricanes, shipboard incidents, and geopolitical events can disrupt itineraries. “Fortunately for cruise operators, ships, unlike their land-based hospitality rivals, are mobile assets that can be redeployed to avoid stormy weather—both political and meteorological.”

Cruise-Made Billionaires

If anyone understands why cruising makes it’s all worth it, it’s Torstein Hagen.

A Norwegian-born cruise industry executive, Hagen took a big bet when he emptied his bank account in 1997 to purchase four river ships. The company he created to take North American tourists through Russia—Viking River Cruises—has since grown to 64 river ships, with an additional seven due next year. So large is the reach that nearly half of the North Americans who take a river cruise in Europe do so on one of his ships.

Today, Hagen is a cruise billionaire (after selling minority stakes in the business). His secret has been an all-inclusive fare that eliminates such standard upcharges as shore excursions and booze.

Just as important, he designs ships to his own persnickety tastes: They serve Norwegian salmon, his favorite food; have streamlined contemporary furnishings, because that’s what he likes; and have only square wastebaskets in guestrooms, because they’re better for catching wadded-up paper. The ensuing formula is endlessly replicable, with an appeal beyond rivers. Currently, Hagen is doubling the size of his five-ship ocean line that debuted in 2015, to rave reviews.

A newly minted cruise billionaire, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, is one of Hagen’s best friends. In July, d’Ovidio sold a 66.7 percent stake of his ultra-luxury, expedition-focused Silversea Cruises to Royal Caribbean for about $1 billion.

For the Love of Seafaring

Some industry bold-facers, such as MSC Cruises’s Gianluigi and Rafaela Aponte, find that owning ships is as much about passion than profits. The couple, who made their fortune in the cargo-shipping business, launched MSC in 2003 as a way to further build on a family-held seafaring history that dates to the 17th century.

Now the world’s fourth-largest line, MSC benefits from Gianluigi’s technical shipbuilding knowledge—he is a former sea captain from Sorrento, Italy—as well as Rafaela’s design intuition. Daughter Alexa is chief financial officer of the MSC Group, which includes all the family’s holdings, while her husband, Pierfrancesco Vago, runs the cruise line as executive chairman. Gianluigi’s net worth is valued at $8.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The family has been busy. After launching a dozen mega-ships in the last 15 years, the company is in the midst of a second-wave, multibillion-dollar expansion. By 2026 it will have tripled its passenger capacity to more than 5 million guests (growing to 25 mega-ships) and risen from being Europe’s leading line to the industry’s third-largest player (outranking Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.).

Nobody thinks of cruising as a family business more than Micky Arison does, though. His late father, Ted, founded Carnival Cruise Line in 1972. To this day, Micky has a significant stake in the publicly traded company, which has grown to be the industry’s largest player, with 10 brands and more than 100 ships around the world.

“I would say that we have been living my dad’s dream for many years now,” he tells Bloomberg. “I have loved cruising for as long as I can remember—I have a special passion for shipbuilding, of course, but I enjoy every part of this industry.”

Even though Arison stepped down from his 34-year-long tenure as chief executive officer in 2013, he remains involved as Carnival Corp.’s chairman. He still attends inaugurals and other shipboard events, and while he defers to his staff for the vast majority of decisions, he still voices suggestions about such things as detailed as onboard amenities.

For all the newcomers, Arison remains the guy to emulate. No matter how humble he is about his industry contributions, he’s the one that made cruising a popular vacation option for travelers at all ends of the budget spectrum—and he’ll always be the original cruise billionaire.

The post For These Billionaires, It’s All About Cruise Fleets appeared first on Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East.

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#Pursuits

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businessweekme · 7 years ago

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Coming to Cruise Ships in 2018: Race Tracks and Drones That Dive

And by soon, we don’t mean 2050. We mean 2018.

As cruise lines look to be fresh and relevant, the focus is on amazing experiences—specifically, the kind you want to post on social media.

Go Karting Above the Pacific

Surreal Underwater Lounges

Friendly Infrared Competition

A Magic Carpet Ride

A Fun Slide in Your Suite

Deep-Sea Drones

Helicopters and Submarines

Driverless Vans

The post Coming to Cruise Ships in 2018: Race Tracks and Drones That Dive appeared first on Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East.

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#Travel & Tourism #cruise #luxury holiday

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