News from Buy The Sea for January '08
Happy New Year to all of our clients and future clients. 2008 is going to be a year of exciting ship arrivals. Get ready for Cunard's Queen Victoria, the Celebrity Solstice, RCCL's Independence of the Seas, Holland America's Eurodam and the Ruby Princess. Not far down the pike will be the Seabourn Odyssey, the new Silversea vessels, a new series of Le Levant ships and potential new products from Regent Seven Seas. Once Oceania launches their 1,020-passenger ships in 2010, they will once again be willing to charter out their 700-passenger ships for incentive groups. And of course, the granddaddy of them all, Project Genesis - capacity of 5600 guests (double occupancy) is in sight. The industry is getting more and more exciting and innovative. If you have not cruised - now is the time! If you have cruised, then it's time to try something new.
Breaking Industry News:
Vicki Freed Joins Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International named cruise industry veteran Vicki Freed as the company's senior vice president, Sales. Freed joins the company after 29 years with Carnival Cruise Lines, where she spent the last 15 years as senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. From 1998 to 2000, Freed also served as the first, and only, female chairman of the Cruise Line International Association. "Vicki has an outstanding and proven background within our industry and we are very pleased to have her join our team," said Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer, RCI. "Vicki's passionate support of travel agents has been well chronicled and recognized. She will be a great asset to our brand as we continue to grow." In her new role, Freed will take charge of the company's 345-person sales force, the largest sales team in the cruise industry. She will also manage the company's Trade Support and Services division, which includes Reservations, Group Sales, Customer Service, and Loyalty Programs. Freed will report to Goldstein.
News from Cunard:
We just had the pleasure of visiting the brand new Queen Victoria. What an absolutely spectacular vessel. Before you get too excited, know that this ship is not scheduled to sail any typical incentive-length sailings. However, with enough notice (usually 18-months or more prior to departure) we can charter this vessel for short voyages, primarily in Europe - and especially r/t Southampton. With 990 staterooms, this is a gem of a ship. In keeping with the Cunard tradition, the ship offers Queens and Princess Class accommodations which include private Grill. Traditional dining in the Britannia Restaurant serves the rest of the ship's compliment in style.
Done in magnificent woods, etched glass, marble, elegant carpet and tile - the Queen Victoria is truly one of the most spectacular ships afloat. The various lounges are intimate and elegant, most notably the Queens Room - one of the few true ballrooms at sea. The Todd English alternative restaurant ($20-$30 surcharge) is beautifully done with private booths, unique lighting and sheer curtains. The cuisine rivals any Todd English establishment on land. Truly a deluxe experience! For less formal fare, the ship offers an expansive Lido Buffet as well as an English Pub called the Golden Lion. Additionally, there is the Café Carinthia serving light snacks and coffee drinks throughout the day. The Royal Spa is one-of-a-kind with a thermal suite and thalassotherapy pool. Relax at two sparkling outdoor pools as well.
Although this is a brand new ship, there is a great deal of nostalgia onboard. A special area is devoted to a Cunard museum of sorts, with memorabilia from past vessels. The two story library is breathtaking, complete with a spiral staircase in the middle. This is one of the most well-stocked libraries afloat.
Standard cabins measure approximately 192 square feet. Here is the cabin breakdown:
Number of Staterooms |
990 |
Queens Grill Suites Princess Grill Suites Balconies Ocean View Inside |
66 / 132 guests 61 / 122 guests 591 / 1182 guests 139 / 278 guests 133 / 266 guests |
News about the Fuel Surcharge:
As you may have heard already, most cruise lines have imposed a fuel surcharge for cruises departing in 2008. This surcharge ranges from $5 to $7 per person per day for the first and second passengers in each cabin. Each cruise line has different rules and regulations governing this surcharge - so please check with us or the individual cruise line if you have a booked program and are unaware of how this affects your group. It is important to keep in mind a few things when you book a cruise. Although the cruise fare and amenities are set in stone when you sign the contract - other charges and items are subject to change. Port charges, taxes, gratuities, itineraries, onboard function space availability, dining times, onboard programming and events, dress codes, etc. are all subject to the discretion of the cruise line and can be altered at any moment. Please understand that these things are completely out of our control. We will do our best to notify you when changes happen. We appreciate your understanding.
Important Updated Cruise Travel Information:
There are several changes that the U.S. government will be implementing in the coming months that will impact your cruise clients. Please review the following information and communicate these messages with them. Effective February 18, 2008 - Passengers MUST be on board at least 60 minutes prior to departure. Cruise ships departing from U.S. ports will be required by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to provide the full passenger and crew manifest to the U.S. government 60 minutes prior to departure starting Feb. 18, 2008. This means that all cruise guests will need to be on board at least 60 minutes before the ship's scheduled departure. Please consider this when you book air for your incentive passengers. Also note that Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line are taking this a step further and requiring their passengers to be onboard 90 minutes before sailing. If you have questions that are specific to your program or any cruise line in particular, be sure to either check with the cruise line, or your program specialist at Buy The Sea for accurate and up-to-date information.
News from Celebrity Cruises:
Celebrity Cruises has added 2 more Century, short Western Caribbean sailings for April, 2009 ... dates that fall AFTER Easter 2009!
. April 16, 2009, 4 Nights, Thursday - Monday, roundtrip from Miami to Key West, Florida - Cozumel, Mexico and Day at Sea
. April 19, 2009, 5 Nights, Monday - Friday, roundtrip from Miami to Key West, Florida - Day at Sea - Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Day at Sea
Century offers: 178 staterooms/Concierge Class (Premium Ocean View with Private Veranda and Concierge Class Amenities and 118 staterooms/Deluxe Ocean View with Private Veranda (Category 2A's) ... in addition to 54 Sky Suites, 8 Royal Suites & 2 Penthouse Suites. With a total double-occupancy capacity of 1756, the Century also has a variety of Ocean View and Interior staterooms.
This is a terrific opportunity to purchase group space or charter the entire ship, as the inventory has just been added and there are currently no other groups booked on these sailings.
News from Regent Seven Seas Cruises:
Minneapolis-based Carlson and Apollo Management L.P. (Apollo) announced that Apollo has agreed to acquire Carlson's Regent Seven Seas Cruises operations. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2008, subject to normal conditions for a transaction of this type, including regulatory approval. The cruise operations will continue as a key part of the global Regent brand.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will be placed under the ownership of Prestige Cruise Holdings, Inc. (PCH), a corporation controlled by Apollo which will manage certain cruise portfolio assets of Apollo. NCL Corporation will remain a separate holding outside of PCH.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises will remain a wholly independent brand under the guidance of Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and will continue to operate from its Fort Lauderdale, Florida headquarters, and Oceania Cruises will remain in its Miami headquarters, headed by Bob Binder, president of Oceania Cruises. Both Binder and Conroy will report directly to Frank Del Rio, chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.
The transaction is part of a unified strategy undertaken by Apollo and Carlson to expand their respective core cruise and hotel operations, and become the world's preeminent operators of luxury hotels, resorts and cruises. Carlson will retain ownership of the master Regent brand, along with the worldwide operations of Regent Hotels & Resorts.
"Through this proposed investment, Apollo has demonstrated its deep commitment to the Regent brand and the continuing growth of the Regent cruise line fleet," said Carlson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Marilyn Carlson Nelson. "As owners of the Regent brand, we remain committed to expanding its scope and success both on land and at sea. We are confident the Regent cruise brand will continue to develop along with and lead the industry segment, which has expanded dramatically since 1992, when we launched our first ship. The potential for continued expansion of the luxury Regent hotel brand, and our entire hotel portfolio, is enormous."
Apollo's acquisition of Regent Seven Seas Cruises strengthens its position in the cruise industry with the addition of an award-winning luxury cruise brand to its cruise portfolio. Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to focus on the luxury segment of the marketplace by offering a six-star, all-inclusive experience, and Oceania Cruises will continue to lead the Upper Premium segment.
"Everyone at Regent Seven Seas Cruises is delighted with the formation of this new family of companies. With the tremendous financial resources of Apollo available to us, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to strengthen our position as the leading luxury cruise brand. Our valued guests and travel agent partners will experience a seamless transition as we continue to deliver world-class cruise vacation experiences. We look forward to continued success and the use of the new financial resources available to accelerate our future growth," stated Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
"Regent Seven Seas is the largest, most successful luxury cruise brand, and we look forward to the growth opportunities this addition offers consumers, travel agents and the team members at both Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises," stated Steve Martinez, a partner with Apollo.
Six times chosen as the world's top-rated cruise line by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazine, Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers voyages to all corners of the globe aboard its fleet of modern, six-star rated, luxury vessels. In addition to the all-suite, all-balcony, 700-guest Seven Seas Voyager and all-suite, all-balcony, 700-guest Seven Seas Mariner, the fleet also includes the 490-guest Seven Seas Navigator, with 90 percent balcony suites, and the 330-guest Paul Gauguin, a ship dedicated to sailing the South Pacific.
News from Royal Caribbean International:
Work to build the world's biggest ever cruise liner started last month.
Construction of the 220,000 ton ship, with the working title of Project Genesis, has commenced at the Aker Yards shipyard in Turku, Finland, when the keel laying ceremony takes place and the first blocks are laid into the dry dock.
Stood on its stern, the 1,180ft liner - able to carry 5,400 passengers - would dwarf Britain's tallest building, the 800ft One Canada Square in Canary Wharf.
When finished, Project Genesis will be longer than four football pitches. It will be 40% bigger than the existing biggest liners - RCCL's Freedom class vessels.
It is scheduled to enter service in the fall of 2009 and its home port will be Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
Royal Caribbean is being secretive about facilities on board but its other liners have a surf simulator generating waves at 20mph, rock climbing wall, ice skating rink and children's water park, as well as the more traditional casino and spas.
Contact Us:
Need creativity for an upcoming incentive program. Contact the sales team at Buy The Sea, by calling our offices at 954 424-8649 or click below:
Shari Wallack, President
shari@buy-the-sea.com
Caryn Rosenthal, VP Corporate Sales
caryn@buy-the-sea.com
Sandy Cohen, Director Incentive Sales
sandy@buy-the-sea.com
