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Princess
To Relinquish Crown
Love Cruise Gets Real On the Mandalay?
Carnival Cruises Get Shorter
Love Cruise Gets Real On TV?
Tender
Treatment For Wheelchairs
Zenith Moves to Tampa
Princess Gives Premier Cruises Passengers A Break
Princess Gets Personal With New Dining Program
Premier
Party Over
First-Hand Reports
From Millennium
Seagoing Spa Plan
North Korea Cruise
For Americans
Panama Port
Complex To Open
Renaissance
Revamps, R7 To Arrive Early
Princess
To Relinquish Crown
Barely 10 years after actress Sophia Loren christened the Crown Princess as the newest and most spectacular addition to the Princess Cruises fleet, the line has announced that the ship will be leaving its fleet after next year. The 70,000-ton, 1,590-passenger vessel will move to Aida Cruises, a company serving the German cruise vacation market that was acquired by P&O, Princess' parent company, earlier this year. The move comes as part of the restructuring of the former P&O cruise operations into a new, independent cruise company.
The line will bid the Crown Princess "auf wiedersehn" after she completes a series of Hawaii cruises in November and December of next year. Following a refurbishment to adapt the ship to German tourists preferences, the ship will be renamed and join the Aida fleet in 2002.
"Crown Princess has long been a favorite ship among our passengers," said Dean Brown, Princess', executive vice president of marketing, sales and customer service. "However, one of the strategies of the new cruise company is to have the ability to move ships between brands as a particular market demands. Aida Cruises, because it's growing rapidly, needs to expand and Princess is in the position, because of our newbuild program, to provide one."
Princess will add six new ships to its fleet during the next four years.
The Crown Princess introduced the distinctive dolphin-shaped profile that made it and its sister ship, Regal Princess, two of the most distinctive vessels on the sea. The new look proved as controversial as it was unique - some loved it, and others hated it - and it was abandoned in favor of a more conventional profile for later Princess ships.
Those who want to sail on her one more time, or want to be among the last of her Princess passengers, still have plenty of opportunities to cruise on the Crown Princess. After the ship completes its current schedule of Canada/New England cruises, she will move to Fort Lauderdale for a winter season of 10-day round-trip Panama Canal sailings. Next summer, the Crown Princess will sail 10-day Baltic Sea cruises round-trip from Copenhagen, and will return to North America for a final Canada/New England season next fall before embarking on the late 2001 Hawaii voyages that will complete her service for Princess.
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Love Cruise Gets Real On the Mandalay?
This is the story of 16 singles who were chosen to go on a 10-day cruise
together to set a course for love and romance as their lives are video taped
twenty-four hours a day. Sound familiar? If you've ever seen "Survivor,"
"Big Brother" or MTV's "The Real World," or "Road Rules," the storyline may ring a few bells. A new television series, "FOX's Love Cruise," which is set
to air on FOX January 4, 2001, will revolve around the love lives of eight
single woman and eight single men between the ages of 22 and 35 as they
embark on a southern Caribbean cruise aboard Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' 72-passenger Mandalay
.
Bunim-Murray Productions and FOX have the sailing vessel on charter for
seven weeks, along with Windjammer's 94-passenger Amazing Grace, which they
chartered for the production crew. While the Mandalay's Captain Stuart
Larcombe will be sailing the singles on the ship's unique Venezuelan itinerary, Shannon Manno, Windjammer's vice president of sales, said that the
course has flexed a little. "I think they plan to visit the ABC Islands as
well," she said.
Windjammer isn't really a stickler for strict itineraries anyway, as
their ships' courses mostly depend on the weather. Although the Mandalay's
usual summer and fall route visits Grenada, Los Testigos, Puerto La Cruz,
Isla Margarita, Mochima National Park, Chimana Segunda, Arapo and Playa Blanca -- "FOX's Love Cruise" is set to sail from Grenada to Aruba, with the
ABC Islands including Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.
The Mandalay's intimate, casual and small ship atmosphere along with its
exotic itinerary actually fits right into the "love, romance and singles
coupling up" theme of the new series. And the show will certainly draw
attention to the "small ship" cruise lines as well as Windjammer's popular
singles cruises.
According to FOX, at the beginning of each episode, the singles will
couple up to share a cabin to compete in a daily series of physical and
relationship games; and at the end of each episode, the men will vote to
remove one woman, and the woman to remove one man from the ship.
Sounds to us a bit like "Survivor" meets "The Love Boat." At the end of
the seven weeks, one couple will remain as the winners, and of course receive
a grand prize, which hasn't been decided upon yet. Taping of the new series,
which began this week, is scheduled to end October 4.
We'll be sure to keep you posted as we find out more details about the "Love Cruise." In the meantime, feel free to write us at
cruises@gti.net and let us know your thoughts about the series.
Carnival Cruises Get Shorter
Carnival Cruise Lines announced that the 1,022-passenger Tropicale will
introduce two- and three-day cruises to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral
beginning February 12, 2001. Two-day cruises will depart on Thursdays and
Saturdays and will visit Freeport; three-day cruises will depart on Mondays
and visit Nassau and Freeport. With its latest foray into the short cruise
market, Carnival boasts these cruises will be "value-priced resort-style
getaways." Per person rates for the Tropicale's two-day cruises begin at
$179; and $239 for three-day cruises. Call your travel agent or
1-800-327-9501 or visit www.carnival.com.
Tender
Treatment For Wheelchairs
Cruise
lines have gone to great lengths in the past several years to
accommodate their guests regardless of physical handicaps. Each
generation of new vessels has provided a more friendly and
accessible environment for people in wheelchairs and with other
physical limitations. Now one more barrier has been overcome by
Holland America Line.
Since
May, Holland America has been testing a new method to transfer
guests using wheelchairs between ships and tenders and piers on
the ms Statendam. Called the Shore Tender Accessibility
Project, the system was developed for the company by Cap Sante
Marine, Inc. of Anacortes, Washington.
The
prototype was developed to address a common challenge when
guests using wheelchairs desire to go ashore or participate in
shore excursions requiring tendering.
Cap Sante Marine’s solution locks the passenger’s
wheelchair into place on a lift that runs on an inclined track
from the top of the gangway to the tender. A ramp on the tender
allows the chair to be wheeled directly aboard and locked into
place atop a specially designed scissor-lift. That lift is then
raised to provide the guest a clear view through the tender’s
windows.
Once
dockside, the tender has a hydraulic leveling system that can be
adjusted to allow for differences in height up to 23 inches
between the dock and the tender, allowing the wheelchair to be
rolled directly off the tender and onto the dock.
The
success of the prototype test program in Alaska this summer
clears the way for the new system to be incorporated into other
Holland America ships. The ms Ryndam and ms Volendam
will be the next to have the device installed, and the rest of
the Holland America fleet will receive the new transfer
equipment during scheduled dry docks.
“This
innovative new system will make it possible for guests who
previously were unable to go ashore to enjoy our ports of call
and participate fully in our shoreside activities,” said Kirk
Lanterman, Holland America Line chairman.
Zenith Moves to Tampa
Celebrity Cruises has decided to join the growing list of cruise lines who have ships scheduled to sail out of Tampa next year and beyond.
Beginning November 11, 2001, the Zenith will be homeported out of the Port of
Tampa where it will offer seven-night western Caribbean cruises until March
31, 2002. The ship will visit Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Georgetown.
"These are exciting times in the cruise industry," said George
Williamson, Tampa Port Director and CEO. "The Port of Tampa is poised and
ready to show cruise lines all of the benefits of homeporting from Tampa."
In addition to the 1,375-passenger Zenith, other ships now homeported in
Tampa include Carnival Cruise Lines' Sensation and Holland America Line's
Noordam. Carnival Cruise Lines' Jubilee will begin sailing out of the Port
this November and Royal Caribbean International's Rhapsody of the Seas will
join the vessels in Tampa in early 2002.
Princess Gives Premier Cruises Passengers A Break
Princess Cruises has stepped into the breach left by the failure of Premier Cruise Lines, offering vacationers affected by the company's sudden shutdown a price break to help them keep their vacations afloat. Premier customers can qualify for special discounts from Princess on select fall 2000 Caribbean and Exotic sailings.
Travelers who were booked and deposited to sail with Premier will receive a special discount equaling their Premier deposit on more than 20 different Princess voyages, including select holiday sailings. Premier passengers must book a qualifying Princess cruise by October 15 to receive the special one-time credit.
The discounts can amount to as much as $200 per person on any one of 15 Southern Caribbean sailings aboard Dawn Princess and the line's newest Grand Class ship, Ocean Princess. The seven-day cruises sail round-trip from San Juan, departing on October 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29; November 11, 12, 25 and 26; December 9, 10, 16, 17, 30 and 31. A seven-day Western Caribbean cruise round-trip from Fort Lauderdale aboard Sea Princess on October 28 is also available to Premier passengers.
Premier passengers who paid deposits up to $400 per person can have that amount applied to 12-, 14- and 15-day Princess Exotic sailings to the Orient, Australia/New Zealand and South America aboard Regal Princess and Royal Princess. Departure dates for these seven voyages are October 7, November 22 and 25, and December 6, 9, 20 and 23.
"We understand the disappointment facing Premier passengers in light of recent developments," said Dean Brown, executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service for Princess Cruises. "With this special promotion, we hope to give them the opportunity to continue their vacation plans."
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Princess Gets Personal With New Dining Program
Once upon a time, people complained about assigned dining times, table companions and dress codes as prime examples of the regimentation they disliked on cruises. Today, the complaints are almost as likely to be from traditionalists confounded by the frequent absence of tablemates who opt for alternative dining choices.
Princess Cruises, however, may have come up with a plan that will end both complaints once and for all. The line's new "Personal Choice Dining" program allows cruise vacationers to choose between tradition and trend.
According to Dean Brown, Princess' executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service, vacationers booking cruises on the Grand Princess for sailings departing January 28, 2001, and beyond and on all cruises of the new Pacific Princess will be able to choose between a traditional assigned-seating dining program and the "Personal Choice" option that allows them to decide when and with whom to have dinner.
One measure of the rapid evolution of cruising has been the proliferation of dining choices onboard ships. Cruise travelers today enjoy choices that include alternative restaurants, 24-hour pizzerias and tableside service in casual dining venues to complement the traditional main restaurant. Princess has proved particularly adept at incorporating these innovations into its ships' operations and adding an extra touch of its own in the process.
Earlier this year, Norwegian Cruise Line introduced its "Freestyle Cruising" program that included open-seating dining, a system that had largely been limited to smaller ships, on large vessels. Princess has added an additional twist to that approach by combining the traditional and the trendy approaches side-by-side.
In effect, Brown explained, two of the ships' three dining rooms will operate from 5:30 pm until midnight each evening in the same manner as shoreside restaurants. Passengers may call to reserve for their evening meals or simply go to the restaurant with their companions when they are ready for dinner. Tips for dining room staff will be covered by a $6.50 per person daily charge added to the shipboard accounts of those who elect to take the more flexible dining option.
The third dining room will cater specifically to those who choose the traditional cruise practice of assigned seating for dinners onboard. Brown indicated that the line's market research showed that a significant part of the cruise audience like the familiar attributes of a classical cruise experience - including the opportunity to develop friendships with assigned dinner tablemates - and "are passionate about hanging on to it."
Brown also emphasized that the choice between the two styles is not a one-way decision. A request to the maitre d' will be enough to be given a table served by a favorite waiter, and assigned-seating guests who want a break from the pattern can dine in the restaurant-style dining room. Also, the other dining options - such as the alternative Southwestern and Italian restaurants and 24-hour casual Horizon Court venue and room service - will continue to be available.
Princess plans to implement the Personal Choice Dining program throughout its fleet by the end of 2001. With seating for 2,400 people at any one time in its many dining areas, the Grand Princess and its sister ship Pacific Princess are well suited for the new approach. The other Grand Class ships - Sun Princess, Dawn Princess, Sea Princess and Ocean Princess - though smaller, also have multiple dining venues that can be adapted easily for the dual dining styles. The older ships in the fleet, however, may require some creative space utilization to accommodate the new agenda.
Premier
Party Over
Premier
Cruise Lines' long struggle against the odds ended abruptly
early in the morning of September 14. Donaldson, Lufkin &
Jenrette (DLJ), the line's primary creditor foreclosed on the
mortgages it held on Big Red Boat I, Big Red Boat III, Rembrandt
and SeaBreeze and terminated their cruises in progress.
Rembrandt and SeaBreeze
were ordered to the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the two
Big Red Boats were sent to Nassau, where passengers were taken
off the ships and sent back to their ports of embarkation, and
the ships were seized. Most returned by air, but some passengers
on the two vessels tied up in Halifax took the option of
boarding the Big Red Boat II, which sailed back to New York to
be taken over by its owners, who had been chartering the ship to
Premier.
In all, approximately 2,800 vacationers
were affected by the shutdown. That number - less than half the
fleet's passenger capacity - reflects the fatal difficulties
Premier had in selling its cruises, even at bargain basement
rates.
U.S. passengers who have paid for, or
put deposits down on, a Premier Cruise stand to get their money
back through the $15 million bond the line was required to post
with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). Those who paid by
credit card or were wise enough to purchase travel insurance can
expect to be able to retrieve their money fairly quickly, but
the process of obtaining a refund from the bond proceeds may
take months and requires the usual government paperwork and
documentation. Information about applying for a refund through
the FMC is available through the agency's web site, http://www.fmc.gov.
Travel agents owed commissions
and vendors will also be lining up for whatever assets remain
after customers and creditors and, of course, the lawyers take
their cuts. It's doubtful, however, that the many free cruise
credits issued by Premier in the past several months will be of
much value now.
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First-Hand Reports
From Millennium
Celebrity Cruises' new Millennium made news this summer. Even before its introduction, Millennium attracted attention as the world's first gas turbine powered cruise ship and the forerunner of a new series of vessels for Celebrity and sister line Royal Caribbean International. Then an electrical problem on its first cruise, which was quickly fixed, and reports of an annoying vibration problem diverted interest from its innovations to its problems.
Celebrity and engineers from Chantiers de
l'Atlantique, the ship's builder, have now determined that the vibration can be corrected by adding a buffer to the stern section of the ship's hull. Infinity, the sister ship to Millennium, is still being built, and the buffer will be added at the shipyard. However, that modification will require putting Millennium in dry dock for three weeks immediately after her mid-November arrival in New York, and the line has cancelled inaugural Caribbean cruises on the ship through December 10 to complete the work.
For most people who enjoy cruises, though, the most important question remains "What is the ship really like from a passenger's point of view?" That's what we'll find out when CruiseReports sails on Millennium’s first trans-Atlantic crossing.
As always, we'll be asking other passengers to evaluate the ship, but we'll also be posting first-hand reports, interviews and even photos direct from the ship on the CruiseReports web site throughout the voyage, starting November 3. Look for more details on the web site
(www.cruise-report.com) and regular updates between now and the start of our "live" coverage from the ship.
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Seagoing Spa Plan
Canyon Ranch has luxury spa resorts in the desert near Tucson, Arizona, and in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, so it's only natural that the company would turn its attention to the sea next. In fact, Canyon Ranch founder Mel Zuckerman has been talking about creating a Canyon Ranch at Sea health cruise for years.
The concept formed the basis for discussions with cruise lines, which reportedly were not particularly interested in dedicating the substantial space on the ship or carrying the large contingent of staff that Canyon Ranch required for a spa program carrying its name. A plan to completely refurbish the former Regent Sun as a spa ship also
fell apart.
Zuckerman has decided to bring his spa cruise concept to life by creating his own cruise line and building new ships that will meet his specifications. The company has selected Italy's Societa Exercizio Cantieri to build a pair of 25,000-ton vessels; each designed to carry 320 passengers and a crew of more than 300, including 120 spa and health professionals. The twin vessels — to be named Quest I and Quest II — are slated for delivery in
2002.
Some 54,000 square feet of space on each of the ships will be dedicated to the spa and health/fitness center. That would make
the seagoing Canyon Ranch spas more than twice the size of the largest cruise ship in today's cruise fleet, the 25,000-square foot AquaSpa complex on Celebrity's 91,000-ton Millennium.
According to Canyon Ranch, all passengers will be accommodated in suite-style outside staterooms, and 90 percent will have private verandas. The ships also will each feature two restaurants with an open-seating policy.
It's a safe bet that the Canyon Ranch at Sea ships will not offer the traditional array of bars and lounges that are a staple on most cruise ships, though wine reportedly will be served at dinners, and of course, smoking will be prohibited throughout the vessels. Serving liquor in smoke-filled lounges would obviously contradict the healthy living experience that is the focus of Canyon Ranch's programs, and besides, something has to give to fit the huge spa and the all-suite accommodations and second restaurant into a ship smaller than Silversea Cruises’ new Silver Shadow.
Although Canyon Ranch at Sea is just beginning to put together its cruise management team and hasn't set inaugural season itineraries for its new ships, the company has estimated that its all-inclusive cruises will be priced near the $700 per person/per day level.
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North Korea Cruise
For Americans
North Korea is joining Cuba on the list of formerly closed destinations being opened to American cruise visitors. The Korea National Tourism Organization has appointed Asia Pacific Travel, Ltd., as the first American tour operator authorized to sell U.S. citizens cruises to North Korea.
Hyundai Cruise Division, based in Seoul, South Korea, operates the three-day cruises. The company's trio of ships — two based in Tonghae on South Korea's east coast, and a third sailing from Pusan —essentially provide transportation and serve as floating hotels at the North Korean port city of
Changjon.
Passengers spend two days in North Korea, where they may participate in a series of three half-day sightseeing excursions and a visit to a hot spring spa, all in the isolated Kumgang Mountains region where Hyundai has developed tourism facilities under an exclusive agreement with the country's government. The remote area is far removed from North Korea's population centers.
Cruise fares range from $600 to $1,700 per person. Detailed information and reservations are available from Asia Pacific Travel, Ltd., (800) 262-6420.
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Panama Port
Complex To Open
For most cruise passengers, Panama is the canal. It has mainly been a place that ships passed through, rather than a destination. However, tourism officials in Panama are determined to change that.
The new Colon 2000 cruise center at Colon, the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, will open in October. This all-new, $45 million complex will include shopping, restaurants and entertainment facilities to serve passengers arriving in an anticipated total of 80 ship visits through the end of 2001. Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line have all scheduled calls to the port.
Almost simultaneously, the operators of the existing Colon City cruise facility at Pier 6 in the Port of Cristobal will be celebrating the completion of their new cruise terminal. It, too, will include shopping and other attractions for vacationers arriving in the 40 cruise ship visits expected in the year ahead.
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Renaissance
Revamps, R7 To Arrive Early
Renaissance Cruises has earned high marks from passengers for its ships, onboard service and itineraries, but the company's policies have frequently irritated and angered consumers and travel agents. Among the most controversial of Renaissance rules was its payment and cancellation refund (or more properly, no refund) policies, which were so draconian that most travel insurance providers refused to provide protection for Renaissance cruises.
This year's management shake-up at the line, however, has put Renaissance on a new course. The company has gone to great lengths to patch up its relations with travel agents, and it has brought its payment and cancellation policies in line with those of other cruise lines.
As a result, travelers booking Renaissance cruises now can obtain cancellation insurance protection. The line recently announced an agreement with Access America to provide coverage for its customers through travel agents.
The new regime at Renaissance comes, not at all coincidentally, with a remarkable growth spurt in the line's fleet. Renaissance will take delivery of its seventh new ship — the R7 — from Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St.
Nazaire, France, on September 27, a full month ahead of schedule. The new vessel will sail in the waters of the Mediterranean and northern Europe throughout the year.
Renaissance plans to introduce the R8 in February 2001.
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