Week ending December 7th
Wow! What a week for the cruise industry with no less than 3 cruise lines announcing brand new ships... and the announcement that Richard Branson is to launch Virgin Cruises by building 2 ships. That is all a huge investment in the future of our holidays!
Let us start with that news from Virgin Cruises of two ships initially, based from Miami, and headed by industry veteran Tom McAlpin: read here
Celebrity Cruises have been making their own announcement of a new class of ship being built and delivered in 2018 and 2020 under the code name Project Edge: read here
And finally - the big reveal from Regent Seven Seas Cruises of their new ship - the 750 guest Seven Seas Explorer: read here
We should also say that Oceania Cruises are also expanding their fleet - this time with a ship bought from Princess Cruises. Oceania Princess is to be refurbished and join the fleet under the name Sirena - read here
Norwegian Cruise Line also very much wanted to be heard this week - with the announcement of the tie in with Jimmy Buffet to provide a themed bar and restaurant on-board the new Norwegian Escape that launches in the autumn of 2015 - read here
Over at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines there was the announcement this week that they will feature the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix as part of a special itinerary in May - read here
Being Christmas we know there is a lot to think about - so let the December Informer do the hard work so you do not miss a Cruise Thing with details of everything going on at CLIA UK & Ireland - read here
Until next week!
Saturday 6 December 2014
Sunday 23 November 2014
Week ending Sunday Nov 23
As we near the end of the year, then there has been no slowdown in news from the cruise industry.
Last weekend was the 2014 CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam, featuring 7 river cruise ships and a barge. Some great coverage from trade media partners Travel Weekly on a number of stories. Here Lucy Huxley, moderator at the Convention, tells us that river cruise offers a great opportunity: read here.
We used the Convention to announce that we would be adding river cruise brochures to our Brochure Bank this year - and we would be adding river ships to the Meet the Fleet Guide in the new year. We will also be holding a special River Cruise Masterclass in 2015, and a special river cruise campaign. Red here.
More coverage here of the river sector, this time from TTG on some of the changing river cruise landscape and how UK companies are reacting to the increased demand: read here
The other big news of the week was the purchase of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises by Norwegian Cruise Lines. And one of the first impacts of that is the promotion of Francis Riley - congratulations to him! Read here.
And whilst the big new launch this autumn was Quantum of the Seas, Royal has announced that Majesty of the Seas is to head to Pullmantur: read here. Over at MSC Cruises meanwhile MSC Armonia is off on her first voyage since being stretched: read here.
And finally - great to read the latest thoughts from CLIA UK & Ireland Chair Jo Rzymowska - this time on the trend for cruise lines to launch their post-Christmas campaigns early: read here
As we near the end of the year, then there has been no slowdown in news from the cruise industry.
Last weekend was the 2014 CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam, featuring 7 river cruise ships and a barge. Some great coverage from trade media partners Travel Weekly on a number of stories. Here Lucy Huxley, moderator at the Convention, tells us that river cruise offers a great opportunity: read here.
We used the Convention to announce that we would be adding river cruise brochures to our Brochure Bank this year - and we would be adding river ships to the Meet the Fleet Guide in the new year. We will also be holding a special River Cruise Masterclass in 2015, and a special river cruise campaign. Red here.
More coverage here of the river sector, this time from TTG on some of the changing river cruise landscape and how UK companies are reacting to the increased demand: read here
The other big news of the week was the purchase of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises by Norwegian Cruise Lines. And one of the first impacts of that is the promotion of Francis Riley - congratulations to him! Read here.
And whilst the big new launch this autumn was Quantum of the Seas, Royal has announced that Majesty of the Seas is to head to Pullmantur: read here. Over at MSC Cruises meanwhile MSC Armonia is off on her first voyage since being stretched: read here.
And finally - great to read the latest thoughts from CLIA UK & Ireland Chair Jo Rzymowska - this time on the trend for cruise lines to launch their post-Christmas campaigns early: read here
Monday 17 November 2014
Week ending Fri Nov 14
It is the weekend of the 2014 River Cruise Convention, and what better way to end the week than with a story from CLIA itself that the number of training courses completed by CLIA member travel agents has doubled year on year - well done everyone! Read here
As part of the build up to the River Cruise Convention some agents were taken to a river cruise ship shipyard to see 2 new AmaWaterways ships under construction - you can read more here, and can see our images on our Facebook page
Meanwhile over in New York Quantum of the Seas was officially christened on Fri in a ceremony attended by some key travel agents: Read here
Royal Caribbean are not the only cruise line adding ships - closer to home Cruise & Maritime Voyages announce the addition of an ex-Carnival Corporation ship in spring next year: Read here
And another British based line, Thomson Cruises this week also announced that they would be adding 10 new ports to their next season itineraries: Read here
There will be plenty of reports to follow from our River Cruise Convention next week - until then have a great week.
It is the weekend of the 2014 River Cruise Convention, and what better way to end the week than with a story from CLIA itself that the number of training courses completed by CLIA member travel agents has doubled year on year - well done everyone! Read here
As part of the build up to the River Cruise Convention some agents were taken to a river cruise ship shipyard to see 2 new AmaWaterways ships under construction - you can read more here, and can see our images on our Facebook page
Meanwhile over in New York Quantum of the Seas was officially christened on Fri in a ceremony attended by some key travel agents: Read here
Royal Caribbean are not the only cruise line adding ships - closer to home Cruise & Maritime Voyages announce the addition of an ex-Carnival Corporation ship in spring next year: Read here
And another British based line, Thomson Cruises this week also announced that they would be adding 10 new ports to their next season itineraries: Read here
There will be plenty of reports to follow from our River Cruise Convention next week - until then have a great week.
Saturday 8 November 2014
Week ending Friday Nov 7th
What a week for our industry! Three new ships made their debut - and one of them was in the UK!
The week started with the Southampton celebrations onboard Quantum of the Seas - check out our Facebook page for photos and video: facebook.com/cliaukireland
On Wednesday the new Princess Cruises ship - Regal Princess, sister to Royal Princess launched last year, was formally named in Florida by the cast of The Love Boat: read here
And it was Friday that the newest Costa Cruises ship, Costa Diadema, was launched in Genoa - read here
Closer to home, at WTM CLIA UK & Ireland held a special seminar with Phil Nuttall, Anne Brine, Dean Harvey, and Adele Mcgrary of Royal Caribbean on how social media has helped the industry spread the word: read here and read here. Thank you to all of our panelists.
Staying with the UK, Ipswich based Fred Olsen also announced a refurbishment programme for three of its ships before Christmas - Black Watch, Braemar and Balmoral: read here
On the subject of new cruise ships - Carnival Corp are increasing capacity by 10% with Britannia, Diadema, Regal Princess and XX, whilst a further 5 new ships are scheduled to be delivered between 2016 & 2017: read here
And finally ahead of the 2015 River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam next weekend - see more at cliauk.co.uk - Avalon announced this week that they are combining rail and river cruising: read here.
Until next week!
You can keep up to date with CLIA activity and events via our Informer magazine: read here
What a week for our industry! Three new ships made their debut - and one of them was in the UK!
The week started with the Southampton celebrations onboard Quantum of the Seas - check out our Facebook page for photos and video: facebook.com/cliaukireland
On Wednesday the new Princess Cruises ship - Regal Princess, sister to Royal Princess launched last year, was formally named in Florida by the cast of The Love Boat: read here
And it was Friday that the newest Costa Cruises ship, Costa Diadema, was launched in Genoa - read here
Closer to home, at WTM CLIA UK & Ireland held a special seminar with Phil Nuttall, Anne Brine, Dean Harvey, and Adele Mcgrary of Royal Caribbean on how social media has helped the industry spread the word: read here and read here. Thank you to all of our panelists.
Staying with the UK, Ipswich based Fred Olsen also announced a refurbishment programme for three of its ships before Christmas - Black Watch, Braemar and Balmoral: read here
On the subject of new cruise ships - Carnival Corp are increasing capacity by 10% with Britannia, Diadema, Regal Princess and XX, whilst a further 5 new ships are scheduled to be delivered between 2016 & 2017: read here
And finally ahead of the 2015 River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam next weekend - see more at cliauk.co.uk - Avalon announced this week that they are combining rail and river cruising: read here.
Until next week!
You can keep up to date with CLIA activity and events via our Informer magazine: read here
Saturday 1 November 2014
Week ending Friday 31 October 2014
Cruise has taken centre stage this week within the travel pages as on Wednesday night we witnessed the long awaited arrival of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas - a new class of ship for the cruise line. Dubbed 'high tech' or the 'SMART ship' - she will be in town for a weekend of celebrations before heading to New York to be officially christened.
She has been widely covered in both trade press and consumer press. Here is the Southampton Daily Echo - read here - and here is coverage from Travel Weekly: read here.
Meanwhile it looks as if Hurtigruten are about to be bought by a UK based Private Equity Company - with no immediate plans to change ownership or workforce - read here.
Whilst over at MSC Cruises the big news was a little less corporate - and more to do with building bricks! MSC Cruises announced a partnership with Lego
Staying in the Mediterranean it was great to see some great predictions from Italy this week as they predicted almost 11 million would pass through the 31 Italian cruise ports: read here
In addition to the Quantum of the Seas news this week - Costa Diadema was delivered by the shipyard to Costa Cruises this week ahead of being christened on November 7: read here.
You can keep up with the latest news, events and webinars online at cruiseexperts.org and via our Facebook page.
Until next week.
Cruise has taken centre stage this week within the travel pages as on Wednesday night we witnessed the long awaited arrival of Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas - a new class of ship for the cruise line. Dubbed 'high tech' or the 'SMART ship' - she will be in town for a weekend of celebrations before heading to New York to be officially christened.
She has been widely covered in both trade press and consumer press. Here is the Southampton Daily Echo - read here - and here is coverage from Travel Weekly: read here.
Meanwhile it looks as if Hurtigruten are about to be bought by a UK based Private Equity Company - with no immediate plans to change ownership or workforce - read here.
Whilst over at MSC Cruises the big news was a little less corporate - and more to do with building bricks! MSC Cruises announced a partnership with Lego
Staying in the Mediterranean it was great to see some great predictions from Italy this week as they predicted almost 11 million would pass through the 31 Italian cruise ports: read here
In addition to the Quantum of the Seas news this week - Costa Diadema was delivered by the shipyard to Costa Cruises this week ahead of being christened on November 7: read here.
You can keep up with the latest news, events and webinars online at cruiseexperts.org and via our Facebook page.
Until next week.
Saturday 25 October 2014
Week ending October 24
Your regular summary of the week in cruise is back - and there is plenty of news to catch up on!
Oasis of the Seas was in the UK last week, and the ship that is fresh from dry dock played host to a number of UK travel agents - read the Travel Weekly special report where Royal Caribbean reveal that the High Street is vital to their growth plans: read here.
TTG also covered the arrival of Oasis of the Seas as the cruise lines looks set to be the largest cruise line in the world by 2016 as their new ship building programme continues: read here
We are very excited that Quantum of the Seas arrives in Southampton this week - as is Richard Fain the Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean - who 'marvels' at its technology and elegant design: Read here.
And here are ten things you should know about Quantum of the Seas: Read here.
Meanwhile it was good news all round for Carnival Cruise Lines as Ian Baillie and Erin Johnson both receive promotions at work - well done both! Read here
There have also been promotions and changes over at Holland America Line and Seabourn with both Slattery and Kammerer both benefiting from the changes: Read here.
Over at Celebrity Cruises it is the agents that are being rewarded as the line rolls out its brand new rewards programme from 1 November that will give travel agents the freedom to choose their own incentive. Read here.
We all enjoy cruise ship entertainment - and one of the stars is Craig Revel Horwood, star of Strictly and P&O themed cruises - who talks here exclusively to Cruise International: Read here.
With Costa Diadema getting ready for launch - read here - with Regal Princess about to be christened in Florida - with Quantum of the Seas coming to the UK and with the CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention coming soon - see here - there is a lot to be excited about!
Until next week!
Your regular summary of the week in cruise is back - and there is plenty of news to catch up on!
Oasis of the Seas was in the UK last week, and the ship that is fresh from dry dock played host to a number of UK travel agents - read the Travel Weekly special report where Royal Caribbean reveal that the High Street is vital to their growth plans: read here.
TTG also covered the arrival of Oasis of the Seas as the cruise lines looks set to be the largest cruise line in the world by 2016 as their new ship building programme continues: read here
We are very excited that Quantum of the Seas arrives in Southampton this week - as is Richard Fain the Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean - who 'marvels' at its technology and elegant design: Read here.
And here are ten things you should know about Quantum of the Seas: Read here.
Meanwhile it was good news all round for Carnival Cruise Lines as Ian Baillie and Erin Johnson both receive promotions at work - well done both! Read here
There have also been promotions and changes over at Holland America Line and Seabourn with both Slattery and Kammerer both benefiting from the changes: Read here.
Over at Celebrity Cruises it is the agents that are being rewarded as the line rolls out its brand new rewards programme from 1 November that will give travel agents the freedom to choose their own incentive. Read here.
We all enjoy cruise ship entertainment - and one of the stars is Craig Revel Horwood, star of Strictly and P&O themed cruises - who talks here exclusively to Cruise International: Read here.
With Costa Diadema getting ready for launch - read here - with Regal Princess about to be christened in Florida - with Quantum of the Seas coming to the UK and with the CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention coming soon - see here - there is a lot to be excited about!
Until next week!
Wednesday 8 October 2014
Thursday October 9
Firstly an apology for a gap in our weekly blogging - with lots of travelling and so much happening in the industry (including Cruise Week) we have skipped a couple of weeks... but we are back to business!
We start with a great opinion piece in Travel Weekly from Lucy Huxley who tells us why we should keep the selling of cruise holidays nice and simple - read here - and in that vein Thomas Cook unveil their first 11 cruise concept stores too! - read here
CLIA has also been very busy! We announced last week that we have teamed up with Travel Counsellors as our new travel agent members - really great to have them on-board - read here - and we have launched a worlds first - a 100 Brochure Rack where the latest brochures can be downloaded, printed or shared - read more
In other news, great to see Kathryn Beadle, formerly of Hurtigruten now heading to the rivers with Uniworld - read here. We wish her every luck in the new role.
Celebrity Cruises this week looked to families as they launched teenage-friendly shore excursions - read here.
Silver Galapagos, one of a number of expedition ships operated by the ultra-luxury cruise line, is finishing off its latest renovation programme - read here - whilst Oasis of the Seas gets a refurb on entirely different level! - read here.
Over at American Cruise Lines their new 150 guest riverboat has now been named as American Eagle - the new ship will operate on the Mississippi from March next year.
All Cruise Week Travel Weekly have been running daily blogs by key people within the CLIA family - you can catch up with them all on the Travel Weekly website, but here is a flavour from CLIA Chair Jo Rzymowska on why we should all #lovecruise - read here, and here from Lynn Narraway, Chair of the CLIA UK & Ireland PR Committee on why we are stronger together - read here.
Have a great week!
Firstly an apology for a gap in our weekly blogging - with lots of travelling and so much happening in the industry (including Cruise Week) we have skipped a couple of weeks... but we are back to business!
We start with a great opinion piece in Travel Weekly from Lucy Huxley who tells us why we should keep the selling of cruise holidays nice and simple - read here - and in that vein Thomas Cook unveil their first 11 cruise concept stores too! - read here
CLIA has also been very busy! We announced last week that we have teamed up with Travel Counsellors as our new travel agent members - really great to have them on-board - read here - and we have launched a worlds first - a 100 Brochure Rack where the latest brochures can be downloaded, printed or shared - read more
In other news, great to see Kathryn Beadle, formerly of Hurtigruten now heading to the rivers with Uniworld - read here. We wish her every luck in the new role.
Celebrity Cruises this week looked to families as they launched teenage-friendly shore excursions - read here.
Silver Galapagos, one of a number of expedition ships operated by the ultra-luxury cruise line, is finishing off its latest renovation programme - read here - whilst Oasis of the Seas gets a refurb on entirely different level! - read here.
Over at American Cruise Lines their new 150 guest riverboat has now been named as American Eagle - the new ship will operate on the Mississippi from March next year.
All Cruise Week Travel Weekly have been running daily blogs by key people within the CLIA family - you can catch up with them all on the Travel Weekly website, but here is a flavour from CLIA Chair Jo Rzymowska on why we should all #lovecruise - read here, and here from Lynn Narraway, Chair of the CLIA UK & Ireland PR Committee on why we are stronger together - read here.
Have a great week!
Wednesday 17 September 2014
Thursday September 18
Your weekly digest is back as we look back on another week of cruise...
Our colleagues at CLIA have been busy crunching numbers and have revealed that the global industry is worth $117 billion, and has seen a growth of 77% in 10 years - what an incredible industry! Read more here. Meanwhile it was also revealed this week that spend in UK ports has grown by 10% - great news for our economy and local port communities. Read more here.
Over at Holland America Line and the ship yard as it builds its new Pinnacle Class ship - they have finally given it a name - Koningsdam (it means King in Dutch!) - read more here.
At Carnival Corporation it has been quite a week for the top team. Congratulations to David Dingle promoted to Chairman, and similar congratulations to David Noyes promoted to Chief Executive. Read more here.
Great to see expansion continuing within the river cruise industry - this week we saw the announcement by Ama Waterways of two new ships - AmaPrima and AmaReina both of which will sail on European waterways in 2015: read more here.
Over at MSC Cruises the excitement this week was around MSC Armonia as it became the first of 4 MSC ships to be stretched so that additional rooms and public spaces can be added to the fleet - read more here.
Of course we are now in the final run towards CLIA Cruise Week (starting Sep 27), here Travel Weekly reports on how new agency FlexiCruise are launching ahead of the week's promotional activity - read more here - whilst TTG talks to CLIA UK & Ireland Chair Jo Rzymowska on the importance of Cruise Week - read more here.
And we were delighted to be back in the news this week with our big announcement on Selling Cruise Conference 2015 to be held in Southampton on-board Anthem of the Seas, Britannia and Royal Princess! An amazing line-up so do save the dates - read more here.
Finally - what better way to end this week's blog than a nod to Princess Cruises who introduce their own beer to Regal Princess this year! Thirsty work this cruise industry! Read more here.
Your weekly digest is back as we look back on another week of cruise...
Our colleagues at CLIA have been busy crunching numbers and have revealed that the global industry is worth $117 billion, and has seen a growth of 77% in 10 years - what an incredible industry! Read more here. Meanwhile it was also revealed this week that spend in UK ports has grown by 10% - great news for our economy and local port communities. Read more here.
Over at Holland America Line and the ship yard as it builds its new Pinnacle Class ship - they have finally given it a name - Koningsdam (it means King in Dutch!) - read more here.
At Carnival Corporation it has been quite a week for the top team. Congratulations to David Dingle promoted to Chairman, and similar congratulations to David Noyes promoted to Chief Executive. Read more here.
Great to see expansion continuing within the river cruise industry - this week we saw the announcement by Ama Waterways of two new ships - AmaPrima and AmaReina both of which will sail on European waterways in 2015: read more here.
Over at MSC Cruises the excitement this week was around MSC Armonia as it became the first of 4 MSC ships to be stretched so that additional rooms and public spaces can be added to the fleet - read more here.
Of course we are now in the final run towards CLIA Cruise Week (starting Sep 27), here Travel Weekly reports on how new agency FlexiCruise are launching ahead of the week's promotional activity - read more here - whilst TTG talks to CLIA UK & Ireland Chair Jo Rzymowska on the importance of Cruise Week - read more here.
And we were delighted to be back in the news this week with our big announcement on Selling Cruise Conference 2015 to be held in Southampton on-board Anthem of the Seas, Britannia and Royal Princess! An amazing line-up so do save the dates - read more here.
Finally - what better way to end this week's blog than a nod to Princess Cruises who introduce their own beer to Regal Princess this year! Thirsty work this cruise industry! Read more here.
Thursday 4 September 2014
Thursday September 4 2014
It has been a week dominated by the purchase by Norwegian Cruise Lines of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises - a $3 billion purchase that has secured Norwegian two cruise lines!
There is inevitably a lot of comment and news surrounding the deal, including this Travel Weekly interview with the Norwegian boss Kevin Sheehan in which he indicates that a UK based ship from the group is now on the cards - read here.
Sheehan also says: "Norwegian has gone from being a joke in this industry to the best in class in terms of yields, operational profit and onboard spend."
MSC meanwhile have been launching their new booking platform MSC Book to a short list of travel agent partners, and will roll out the new technology more widely in due course: read here.
Staying with MSC it was off for a major refit this week for Armonia as she is increased in size and refurbished as part of their 'Renaissance' programme: read here.
Of course last week we talked a lot about Quantum of the Seas launching in October - Royal Caribbean are clear that they are relying on travel agents to spread the word: read here. And here is an article on TTG on that ship visit from last week to see Quantum and Anthem: read here.
Finally this week it was great to see the CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention being covered by Travel Weekly - the event held on Nov 16 & 17 will showcase the sector to member travel agents: read here.
There is no weekly update next week, but we are back the week after!
It has been a week dominated by the purchase by Norwegian Cruise Lines of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises - a $3 billion purchase that has secured Norwegian two cruise lines!
There is inevitably a lot of comment and news surrounding the deal, including this Travel Weekly interview with the Norwegian boss Kevin Sheehan in which he indicates that a UK based ship from the group is now on the cards - read here.
Sheehan also says: "Norwegian has gone from being a joke in this industry to the best in class in terms of yields, operational profit and onboard spend."
MSC meanwhile have been launching their new booking platform MSC Book to a short list of travel agent partners, and will roll out the new technology more widely in due course: read here.
Staying with MSC it was off for a major refit this week for Armonia as she is increased in size and refurbished as part of their 'Renaissance' programme: read here.
Of course last week we talked a lot about Quantum of the Seas launching in October - Royal Caribbean are clear that they are relying on travel agents to spread the word: read here. And here is an article on TTG on that ship visit from last week to see Quantum and Anthem: read here.
Finally this week it was great to see the CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention being covered by Travel Weekly - the event held on Nov 16 & 17 will showcase the sector to member travel agents: read here.
There is no weekly update next week, but we are back the week after!
Thursday 28 August 2014
Thursday 28th August
I have just returned from a trip to see both Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas under construction in Germany - quite an incredible sight, and two new innovative ships on their way! Here are some of my pics from Quantum of the Seas - see here
And talking about Quantum here is the interview from Travel Weekly with Richard Fain in which he talks about some of the technical innovations that makes the ship unique - read here.
Some of those technical developments are covered here from TTG - including the chance to get from sidewalk to cabin in 15 minutes, and huge strides forward in on-board wifi connectivity - read here.
Over at sister brand Azamara Club Cruises there is a wide range of new initiatives that are aiming to 'woo' the trade, with a new Advisory Board, incentives and events coming up this year - read here.
Of course the new Royal Caribbean ships are not the only new ships in production, and this week we saw the first steel cut for the new Pinnacle Class Holland America Line ship. She will be 2,600 guests and almost 100,000 GRT when delivered - read here.
There is innovation too at Princess Cruises with a new night time feature on Regal Princess where the Retreat Pool will transform into open air disco The Night Time Lounge - read here.
Meanwhile over in the expedition cruise sector, Fred Olsen Travel have created a new brand dedicated to those cruises in what they are claiming is a first for a tour operator - read here.
And in the river cruise sector we were delighted to see that APT have ordered two new ships for the growing river cruise destination of Burma. The ships will be delivered in 2016 - read here.
Whilst on the subject of ricer cruising it was great to see th coverage in Travel Weekly this week - read here.
We look forward to seeing some of our cruise line and travel agent partners this weekend in Dover for our first Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo!
Until next week!
I have just returned from a trip to see both Anthem of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas under construction in Germany - quite an incredible sight, and two new innovative ships on their way! Here are some of my pics from Quantum of the Seas - see here
And talking about Quantum here is the interview from Travel Weekly with Richard Fain in which he talks about some of the technical innovations that makes the ship unique - read here.
Some of those technical developments are covered here from TTG - including the chance to get from sidewalk to cabin in 15 minutes, and huge strides forward in on-board wifi connectivity - read here.
Over at sister brand Azamara Club Cruises there is a wide range of new initiatives that are aiming to 'woo' the trade, with a new Advisory Board, incentives and events coming up this year - read here.
Of course the new Royal Caribbean ships are not the only new ships in production, and this week we saw the first steel cut for the new Pinnacle Class Holland America Line ship. She will be 2,600 guests and almost 100,000 GRT when delivered - read here.
There is innovation too at Princess Cruises with a new night time feature on Regal Princess where the Retreat Pool will transform into open air disco The Night Time Lounge - read here.
Meanwhile over in the expedition cruise sector, Fred Olsen Travel have created a new brand dedicated to those cruises in what they are claiming is a first for a tour operator - read here.
And in the river cruise sector we were delighted to see that APT have ordered two new ships for the growing river cruise destination of Burma. The ships will be delivered in 2016 - read here.
Whilst on the subject of ricer cruising it was great to see th coverage in Travel Weekly this week - read here.
We look forward to seeing some of our cruise line and travel agent partners this weekend in Dover for our first Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo!
Until next week!
Thursday 21 August 2014
August 21st 2014
We start with Norwegian Cruise Line who made the headlines this week. According to Travel Weekly the cruise line are at a 'tipping point' with the expansion of their fleet and the need to 'get serious' about sourcing more guests outside of North America - read more here
Over at Cunard there was the unveiling this week of some of the big name speakers who will grace their fleet - the line-up includes a former South Africa President, motorsport genius Murray Walker, and actor Robert Powell - read more here.
In the world of river cruising, Scenic Tours (a recent addition to the CLIA UK & Ireland family) has unveiled some exciting new excursions in Europe - read more here - whilst Carnival Cruise Line unveils some new itineraries from Baltimore and San Juan - read more here
One of the big stories on our Facebook page this week was the float out in Germany of the newest cruise ship ion the world - Quantum of the Seas - looking great with its light blue hull - there is a video you can watch here. Quantum will launch in October.
Over in the digital editions this week - there is plenty of cruise to keep you busy in TTG, including an interview with Azamara Club Cruises UK boss Richard Twynam - read here and a great piece on CLIA Cruise Week and how travel agents can get involved - read here.
One of the big stories in the US this week is the complete transformation of cruise ship entertainment with the arrival of big name acts and Broadway style glitz! The question Travel Weekly (US) asks is whether this will continue to be included in the fare? Read more here.
Incidentally - one our Facebook page this week we have images of the new Cruise & Maritime Voyages ship Azores, pictures from Dublin of Holland America Line's Rotterdam, and much more!
We end this week with the craze that includes David Beckham and a host of former Presidents ands celebrities: the ice bucket challenge - here wonderfully demonstrated by Carnival Cruise Lines in the US: see here
Until next week!
We start with Norwegian Cruise Line who made the headlines this week. According to Travel Weekly the cruise line are at a 'tipping point' with the expansion of their fleet and the need to 'get serious' about sourcing more guests outside of North America - read more here
Over at Cunard there was the unveiling this week of some of the big name speakers who will grace their fleet - the line-up includes a former South Africa President, motorsport genius Murray Walker, and actor Robert Powell - read more here.
In the world of river cruising, Scenic Tours (a recent addition to the CLIA UK & Ireland family) has unveiled some exciting new excursions in Europe - read more here - whilst Carnival Cruise Line unveils some new itineraries from Baltimore and San Juan - read more here
One of the big stories on our Facebook page this week was the float out in Germany of the newest cruise ship ion the world - Quantum of the Seas - looking great with its light blue hull - there is a video you can watch here. Quantum will launch in October.
Over in the digital editions this week - there is plenty of cruise to keep you busy in TTG, including an interview with Azamara Club Cruises UK boss Richard Twynam - read here and a great piece on CLIA Cruise Week and how travel agents can get involved - read here.
One of the big stories in the US this week is the complete transformation of cruise ship entertainment with the arrival of big name acts and Broadway style glitz! The question Travel Weekly (US) asks is whether this will continue to be included in the fare? Read more here.
Incidentally - one our Facebook page this week we have images of the new Cruise & Maritime Voyages ship Azores, pictures from Dublin of Holland America Line's Rotterdam, and much more!
We end this week with the craze that includes David Beckham and a host of former Presidents ands celebrities: the ice bucket challenge - here wonderfully demonstrated by Carnival Cruise Lines in the US: see here
Until next week!
Thursday 14 August 2014
Thursday August 14th 2014
Another exciting week for the industry as Quantum of the Seas is 'floated out' in Germany ahead of its sea-trials in September. She is an impressive ship (over 167,000 GRT and over 4,100 guests), with a light-blue hull - and will feature some ground-breaking new technology. Read the piece from the Daily Mail here.
Meanwhile, Cunard has announced a big refurbishment for Queen Victoria in January. The transformation includes public spaces, staterooms and new 'Scrubber' technology. Read more here. She will cancel some sailings to make the refurbishment happen.
Staying with Cunard - great to hear that they will be hosting a special exhibition for Lusitania onboard Queen Victoria in May - read more here.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the 'Cool Cruises' survey from Travel Weekly - who did travel agent vote as their favourites? You can find out through their special supplement here.
In the world of luxury cruise there was the big announcement from Hapag Lloyd this week - they ill be using The Cruise Line to manage their marketing and sales in association with existing Hapag Lloyd sales representative Mike Flannigan: read more here.
In other news - it was great to see three cruise people make the TTG Top Travel Tweeters list for 2014 - Jo Rzymowska (Celebrity Cruises and CLIA Chair), Giles Hawke (MSC Cruises) and our very own Andy Harmer (CLIA) - well done all 3, and indeed the wider 25. See the list here.
Princess Cruises continues to make the headlines - this week was the announcement about Regal Princess that the ship will be christened by some of the original cast of US hit series The Love Boat: read here.
It is worth checking out last week's TTG (page 30, Aug 7) for details of a new wave of cruise graduates coming out of Southampton (with the support of CLIA of course): read here
It is also worth checking out this week's Travel Weekly (page 22) for some great comment by two members of the CLIA Travel Agent Advisory Council - Simone (IGLU) and Phil (Cruise Village) on cruise training. Check out the digital edition here.
Until next week!
Another exciting week for the industry as Quantum of the Seas is 'floated out' in Germany ahead of its sea-trials in September. She is an impressive ship (over 167,000 GRT and over 4,100 guests), with a light-blue hull - and will feature some ground-breaking new technology. Read the piece from the Daily Mail here.
Meanwhile, Cunard has announced a big refurbishment for Queen Victoria in January. The transformation includes public spaces, staterooms and new 'Scrubber' technology. Read more here. She will cancel some sailings to make the refurbishment happen.
Staying with Cunard - great to hear that they will be hosting a special exhibition for Lusitania onboard Queen Victoria in May - read more here.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the 'Cool Cruises' survey from Travel Weekly - who did travel agent vote as their favourites? You can find out through their special supplement here.
In the world of luxury cruise there was the big announcement from Hapag Lloyd this week - they ill be using The Cruise Line to manage their marketing and sales in association with existing Hapag Lloyd sales representative Mike Flannigan: read more here.
In other news - it was great to see three cruise people make the TTG Top Travel Tweeters list for 2014 - Jo Rzymowska (Celebrity Cruises and CLIA Chair), Giles Hawke (MSC Cruises) and our very own Andy Harmer (CLIA) - well done all 3, and indeed the wider 25. See the list here.
Princess Cruises continues to make the headlines - this week was the announcement about Regal Princess that the ship will be christened by some of the original cast of US hit series The Love Boat: read here.
It is worth checking out last week's TTG (page 30, Aug 7) for details of a new wave of cruise graduates coming out of Southampton (with the support of CLIA of course): read here
It is also worth checking out this week's Travel Weekly (page 22) for some great comment by two members of the CLIA Travel Agent Advisory Council - Simone (IGLU) and Phil (Cruise Village) on cruise training. Check out the digital edition here.
Until next week!
Thursday 7 August 2014
Thursday August 7th
Cruise continues to 'go for gold' in a week that saw the Commonwealth Games close in Scotland - but who has been making the headlines this week?
Well there has been a number of cruise events held across the country, including the Silversea 20th Anniversary Lunch on Silver Cloud in London (and other regional celebrations too), and not one but two Oceania ships were in Southampton together - both having returned from a major refurbishment.
In new-build news could it be that Silversea are about to build another new ship - read here - this ultra-luxury sector is about to be boosted by new builds from Regent, Ponant and Seabourn, so could this be a fourth? We already know that Crystal Cruises new CEO - Edie Rodriguez - is keen to add to that fleet too - read here
The new build news follows the announcement by Princess Cruises of a new 'Royal' Class ship for 2017 - and apparently the ship will feature some 'surprises' too: read more here. And staying with Princess - there are some continuing changes to their sales team and sales operation too: read more here. And the line has also announced a partnership with chocolatier Norman Love - read more here. Yum!
And there were two big announcements of extensive refurbishments this week with Celebrity Eclipse due into dry dock in April - read more here - and with P&O Cruises Aurora undergoing a big refurb later this year - including the addition of the union livery, something that is due to be added to the entire fleet - read more here.
In port news - there was delight from Cork as the feasibility of a second dedicated cruise berth gets the go ahead: read here
And finally, in people news - CLIA would like to pay tribute to Dawn Jordan who left bath Travel last week having spent 19 years championing cruise! We wish her well. Read here.
Until next week!
Cruise continues to 'go for gold' in a week that saw the Commonwealth Games close in Scotland - but who has been making the headlines this week?
Well there has been a number of cruise events held across the country, including the Silversea 20th Anniversary Lunch on Silver Cloud in London (and other regional celebrations too), and not one but two Oceania ships were in Southampton together - both having returned from a major refurbishment.
In new-build news could it be that Silversea are about to build another new ship - read here - this ultra-luxury sector is about to be boosted by new builds from Regent, Ponant and Seabourn, so could this be a fourth? We already know that Crystal Cruises new CEO - Edie Rodriguez - is keen to add to that fleet too - read here
The new build news follows the announcement by Princess Cruises of a new 'Royal' Class ship for 2017 - and apparently the ship will feature some 'surprises' too: read more here. And staying with Princess - there are some continuing changes to their sales team and sales operation too: read more here. And the line has also announced a partnership with chocolatier Norman Love - read more here. Yum!
And there were two big announcements of extensive refurbishments this week with Celebrity Eclipse due into dry dock in April - read more here - and with P&O Cruises Aurora undergoing a big refurb later this year - including the addition of the union livery, something that is due to be added to the entire fleet - read more here.
In port news - there was delight from Cork as the feasibility of a second dedicated cruise berth gets the go ahead: read here
And finally, in people news - CLIA would like to pay tribute to Dawn Jordan who left bath Travel last week having spent 19 years championing cruise! We wish her well. Read here.
Until next week!
Thursday 31 July 2014
Thursday July 31
Who could have missed the big announcement yesterday by Princess Cruises who aside from being on ITV each week at the moment also announced yesterday a new 'Royal-class' ship for their fleet to be launching in 2017. At 143,000 she will carry 3,560 guests at and be built at a cost of €600 million: read more here.
On the refurbishment front there was the announcement this week that celebrity Eclipse is heading off to be refurbished in April 2015 - the work includes the creation of 'Gastrobar' and revamped pool area. Read more here.
Earlier in the week Fred Olsen launched its 'Poison, Murder & Mystery' cruise at a glittering event in London - and here they talk of possible future such themed events: read more here.
Over at Norwegioan Cruise Line, with the two new ships now in active service - Getaway and Breakaway - the company recorded yet more great financial results just this week: read more here
It was great to see Louis Cruises making the trade press this week. The Med specialist are hoping to build relationships back up with the travel trade over the coming weeks and months: read more here.
We love talking chocolate - so we were delighted that Princess announced this week a partnership with master chocolatier Norman Love to create 'Chocolate Journeys' - with special desserts, chocolate and wine pairings and choclate bites. Read more here.
Finally - if you are a CLIA member travel agent interested in growing your sales for Premium and Luxury cruising - then do not miss the August CLIA Cruise Expo in Dover featuring 3 ship visits, business sessions and networking, plus a sumptuous dinner! Book via cruiseexperts.org
Until next week!
Who could have missed the big announcement yesterday by Princess Cruises who aside from being on ITV each week at the moment also announced yesterday a new 'Royal-class' ship for their fleet to be launching in 2017. At 143,000 she will carry 3,560 guests at and be built at a cost of €600 million: read more here.
On the refurbishment front there was the announcement this week that celebrity Eclipse is heading off to be refurbished in April 2015 - the work includes the creation of 'Gastrobar' and revamped pool area. Read more here.
Earlier in the week Fred Olsen launched its 'Poison, Murder & Mystery' cruise at a glittering event in London - and here they talk of possible future such themed events: read more here.
Over at Norwegioan Cruise Line, with the two new ships now in active service - Getaway and Breakaway - the company recorded yet more great financial results just this week: read more here
It was great to see Louis Cruises making the trade press this week. The Med specialist are hoping to build relationships back up with the travel trade over the coming weeks and months: read more here.
We love talking chocolate - so we were delighted that Princess announced this week a partnership with master chocolatier Norman Love to create 'Chocolate Journeys' - with special desserts, chocolate and wine pairings and choclate bites. Read more here.
Finally - if you are a CLIA member travel agent interested in growing your sales for Premium and Luxury cruising - then do not miss the August CLIA Cruise Expo in Dover featuring 3 ship visits, business sessions and networking, plus a sumptuous dinner! Book via cruiseexperts.org
Until next week!
Thursday 24 July 2014
Thursday July 24
Summer has arrived!
So let us start with one of the exciting new ships coming next year - and here TTG follow Chef James Martin around Britannia as she is being fitted ahead of launch next year. James talks about the new Culinary School where up to 24 guests can be trained at once - read more here
Let us stay with training, as this week Carnival Cruise Lines announced a 'training blitz' across the country for the summer, aiming to train 500 staff from 14 agencies: read more here.
Crystal Cruises has been in the news this week for two reasons. Firstly there was an interview with Travel Weekly for the new President and CEO Edie Rodriguez - where she describes new ship builds for the line as a 'must': read more here
And secondly for the announcement over a new north-west passage cruise from Anchorage to New York in 2016: read more here.
Over on river cruising there was a great fanfare for the launch of AmaWaterways AmaSonata christened in Vilshofen: read more here; whilst at Silversea Cruises a new host of shore excursions have been announced with destinations including the Andes, Patagonia, Polynesia and New Zealand. Read more here.
It is probably the towing of Concordia that was the main news of the week with the ship now being towed to Genoa where she will be scrapped after a mammoth salvage operation.
And to finish a reminder that you can book places now for the August Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo, and for the November River Cruise Expo at the CLIA website.
Until next week!
Summer has arrived!
So let us start with one of the exciting new ships coming next year - and here TTG follow Chef James Martin around Britannia as she is being fitted ahead of launch next year. James talks about the new Culinary School where up to 24 guests can be trained at once - read more here
Let us stay with training, as this week Carnival Cruise Lines announced a 'training blitz' across the country for the summer, aiming to train 500 staff from 14 agencies: read more here.
Crystal Cruises has been in the news this week for two reasons. Firstly there was an interview with Travel Weekly for the new President and CEO Edie Rodriguez - where she describes new ship builds for the line as a 'must': read more here
And secondly for the announcement over a new north-west passage cruise from Anchorage to New York in 2016: read more here.
Over on river cruising there was a great fanfare for the launch of AmaWaterways AmaSonata christened in Vilshofen: read more here; whilst at Silversea Cruises a new host of shore excursions have been announced with destinations including the Andes, Patagonia, Polynesia and New Zealand. Read more here.
It is probably the towing of Concordia that was the main news of the week with the ship now being towed to Genoa where she will be scrapped after a mammoth salvage operation.
And to finish a reminder that you can book places now for the August Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo, and for the November River Cruise Expo at the CLIA website.
Until next week!
Thursday 17 July 2014
Thursday July 17th
It appears to be the hottest week of the year in the UK - and things are certainly hotting up in the new cruise ship build arena - with the big announcement of the week going to Norwegian Cruise Line who have just ordered two new ships for delivery in 2018 and 2019. They will each be 4,200 guest ships. Read more here.
Meanwhile Regent Seven Seas Cruises have started the build on their new 750 guest ship which is due for launch in 2016: read more here.
And with Britannia due for launch next spring - there were further announcements over the on-board product, with the Culinary School targetting 11,000 guests to go through cookery classes each year: read more here.
It is CLIA Cruise Week soon - September 27 to October 5 - and we are planning already and hope that our travel agent partners are too. Read more here.
Of course it was the ITV programme The Cruise Ship that took headlines at the start of the week. The documentary follows the inaugural season of Royal Princess and with 3.1 million viewers, a flurry of Twitter activity and a huge increase in traffic to the Princess Cruises website it has certainly put cruising in the public eye: For Travel Weekly reaction read more here. For the TTG reaction read here. And here is an interview with one of the stars of the show by Cruise International Magazine: read more here.
We will certainly be watching on Friday night!
Over on the rivers - great to see Avalon launch a brand new river programme in Asia on the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia. Read more here.
Norwegian Cruise Lines made a second announcement this week - the banning of smoking on balconies - read more here; and we never hear enough about the great chairty work undertaken by cruise lines - so great to see the announcement from Carnival of $5 million raised for St Jude Children's Research Hospital. Read more here.
And we at CLIA were disappointed to learn that Hurtigruten MD - and member of the CLIA UK & Ireland Executive Committee - is to stand down from here role later this year. We wish her well for the future. Read more here.
Finally - if you have not read it already then here it is - our July 2014 Informer: read here.
Until next week!
It appears to be the hottest week of the year in the UK - and things are certainly hotting up in the new cruise ship build arena - with the big announcement of the week going to Norwegian Cruise Line who have just ordered two new ships for delivery in 2018 and 2019. They will each be 4,200 guest ships. Read more here.
Meanwhile Regent Seven Seas Cruises have started the build on their new 750 guest ship which is due for launch in 2016: read more here.
And with Britannia due for launch next spring - there were further announcements over the on-board product, with the Culinary School targetting 11,000 guests to go through cookery classes each year: read more here.
It is CLIA Cruise Week soon - September 27 to October 5 - and we are planning already and hope that our travel agent partners are too. Read more here.
Of course it was the ITV programme The Cruise Ship that took headlines at the start of the week. The documentary follows the inaugural season of Royal Princess and with 3.1 million viewers, a flurry of Twitter activity and a huge increase in traffic to the Princess Cruises website it has certainly put cruising in the public eye: For Travel Weekly reaction read more here. For the TTG reaction read here. And here is an interview with one of the stars of the show by Cruise International Magazine: read more here.
We will certainly be watching on Friday night!
Over on the rivers - great to see Avalon launch a brand new river programme in Asia on the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia. Read more here.
Norwegian Cruise Lines made a second announcement this week - the banning of smoking on balconies - read more here; and we never hear enough about the great chairty work undertaken by cruise lines - so great to see the announcement from Carnival of $5 million raised for St Jude Children's Research Hospital. Read more here.
And we at CLIA were disappointed to learn that Hurtigruten MD - and member of the CLIA UK & Ireland Executive Committee - is to stand down from here role later this year. We wish her well for the future. Read more here.
Finally - if you have not read it already then here it is - our July 2014 Informer: read here.
Until next week!
Wednesday 9 July 2014
Thursday July 10th
Lots of new technology announcements this week from cruise lines - we start with MSC Cruises who have announced that they are to offer the first pediatric telemedicine service at sea with a 24-hour link to specialists: read here.
Talking of new technology Royal Caribbean have adopted great new technology for travel agents that enables them to view the facilities on Quantum and Anthem of the Seas. Read here. "Wearable technology" reaches the cruise industry!
Also this week Royal Caribbean has launched Google technology offering Google Maps Business Views on the tour of Allure of the Seas. Read more here and take that virtual tour here!
David Dingle of Carnival UK talks about a completely different kind of technology in Travel Weekly when he covers the topic of Sulphur Emissions - arguing that the maritime industry needs more time to comply with new environmental legislation. Mr Dingle argues that the industry needs more time to fit the revolutionary technology to cruise ships before the change in legislation is due to come into being. Read more here.
Of course the industry is committed to the highest possible environmental standards, and here Jo Rzymowska, Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland, speaks about the importance of making cruising greener: read here.
In alternative environmental news this week, Carnival Cruise Lines announced the ban of smoking on balconies (as of Oct 9th) whilst over on the rivers, with flood threats on the Mississippi the American Queen is to amend its itinerary - read here
Staying with rivers for the moment - should Europe enjoy a great summer - then have no fear - here is the Telegraph's Guide to staying cool on a European river cruise. I fear we may not need a UK version! Read here.
Of course there will only be one big cruise story at the weekend - and that is the ITV documentary The Cruise Ship - where Princess Cruises takes cruising to Prime Time TV: read more.
By the way - do not forget that registration is now open for this Autumn's events including the Premium & Luxury Cruise Expo weekend in Dover, the River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam, and the 5 city Kick Start your Cruise Sales events. All at www.cruiseexperts.org
Lots of new technology announcements this week from cruise lines - we start with MSC Cruises who have announced that they are to offer the first pediatric telemedicine service at sea with a 24-hour link to specialists: read here.
Talking of new technology Royal Caribbean have adopted great new technology for travel agents that enables them to view the facilities on Quantum and Anthem of the Seas. Read here. "Wearable technology" reaches the cruise industry!
Also this week Royal Caribbean has launched Google technology offering Google Maps Business Views on the tour of Allure of the Seas. Read more here and take that virtual tour here!
David Dingle of Carnival UK talks about a completely different kind of technology in Travel Weekly when he covers the topic of Sulphur Emissions - arguing that the maritime industry needs more time to comply with new environmental legislation. Mr Dingle argues that the industry needs more time to fit the revolutionary technology to cruise ships before the change in legislation is due to come into being. Read more here.
Of course the industry is committed to the highest possible environmental standards, and here Jo Rzymowska, Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland, speaks about the importance of making cruising greener: read here.
In alternative environmental news this week, Carnival Cruise Lines announced the ban of smoking on balconies (as of Oct 9th) whilst over on the rivers, with flood threats on the Mississippi the American Queen is to amend its itinerary - read here
Staying with rivers for the moment - should Europe enjoy a great summer - then have no fear - here is the Telegraph's Guide to staying cool on a European river cruise. I fear we may not need a UK version! Read here.
Of course there will only be one big cruise story at the weekend - and that is the ITV documentary The Cruise Ship - where Princess Cruises takes cruising to Prime Time TV: read more.
By the way - do not forget that registration is now open for this Autumn's events including the Premium & Luxury Cruise Expo weekend in Dover, the River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam, and the 5 city Kick Start your Cruise Sales events. All at www.cruiseexperts.org
Thursday 3 July 2014
Thursday July 3
After yet another busy week in cruise the headlines were dominated yesterday by the MSC Cruises announcement of Serving You - which includes a larger UK sales team and 'MSC Ambassadors'. All of this hopes to see a large rise in bookings from the UK for the cruise line. Read more here
In the more traditional cruise sector meanwhile, exciting news from Cruise & Maritime Voyages this week with the announcement of them chartering a ship - Azores - for 2015. The 550 guest ship will compliment the rest of the CMV fleet: read more here
Over at Holland America Line meanwhile and this week we saw the announcement of their 2015 114 day World Voyage: read more here; whilst over on Queen Mary 2 it is all going Star Trek crazy with a sailing featuring veteran actor George Takei: read more here
In International news, American Cruise Lines launch a newbuild ship for the Mississippi - a growing river cruise destination for UK guests - read more here; and over down-under in New Zealand and our colleagues at CLIA Australasia talk about the significant increase in the number of people taking a cruise holiday: read more here
In other news, here at CLIA UK & Ireland we have now launched registration for both the November River Cruise Convention and the August Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo - all available in the members area of www.cruiseexperts.org
Until next week!
After yet another busy week in cruise the headlines were dominated yesterday by the MSC Cruises announcement of Serving You - which includes a larger UK sales team and 'MSC Ambassadors'. All of this hopes to see a large rise in bookings from the UK for the cruise line. Read more here
In the more traditional cruise sector meanwhile, exciting news from Cruise & Maritime Voyages this week with the announcement of them chartering a ship - Azores - for 2015. The 550 guest ship will compliment the rest of the CMV fleet: read more here
Over at Holland America Line meanwhile and this week we saw the announcement of their 2015 114 day World Voyage: read more here; whilst over on Queen Mary 2 it is all going Star Trek crazy with a sailing featuring veteran actor George Takei: read more here
In International news, American Cruise Lines launch a newbuild ship for the Mississippi - a growing river cruise destination for UK guests - read more here; and over down-under in New Zealand and our colleagues at CLIA Australasia talk about the significant increase in the number of people taking a cruise holiday: read more here
In other news, here at CLIA UK & Ireland we have now launched registration for both the November River Cruise Convention and the August Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo - all available in the members area of www.cruiseexperts.org
Until next week!
Wednesday 25 June 2014
Thursday June 26
Unusual to start with an ITV promotion - but with the Princess Cruises 4-part fly-on-the-wall documentary about to be aired prime time we are very excited about the opportunity that this offers for cruise holidays to take central stage... read more here
And that positive news is very much in evidence. This week Carnival Cruise Lines announced very positive earnings figures for the second quarter of 2014 - and this happened alongside improvements in fuel efficiency: read more here
Meanwhile over at Royal Caribbean, they are hoping to target more affluent travellers with their new Quantum Class cruise ships - of which Anthem of the Seas is to be based in Southampton in 2015. Read more here.
CLIA has not been out of the news either we are pleased to say - with European Waterways joining CLIA UK & Ireland (welcome!): read here; and with a piece in TTG from the Chair of CLIA Jo Rzymowska (of Celebrity Cruises) talking about the work that we do, and how cruise lines, travel agents and Executive Partners are all working together to get more people to cruise: read here.
In itinerary news, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines this week announced investment in sailings from the Port of Tyne, both in 2014 and 2015: read more here
Whilst over on the rivers great to see AmaWaterways promoting new themed cruises for 2015 with themes including beer, jazz and art: read more here. Whilst over at Tauck they are celebrating the launch of their new ship - the 130 guest Savor - complete with loft-inspired cabins: read more here.
We loved this article from the Telegraph - advice from the one and only Alan Tichmarsh about why cruise holidays are the choice of the most discerning holidaymakers (and gardeners!): read here.
Remember, that you can keep up to date with all of the comings and goings in the industry via the CLIA UK & Ireland website via our latest news pages, webinar library and our Selling Cruise pages! Head to our website for more details.
Until next week!
Unusual to start with an ITV promotion - but with the Princess Cruises 4-part fly-on-the-wall documentary about to be aired prime time we are very excited about the opportunity that this offers for cruise holidays to take central stage... read more here
And that positive news is very much in evidence. This week Carnival Cruise Lines announced very positive earnings figures for the second quarter of 2014 - and this happened alongside improvements in fuel efficiency: read more here
Meanwhile over at Royal Caribbean, they are hoping to target more affluent travellers with their new Quantum Class cruise ships - of which Anthem of the Seas is to be based in Southampton in 2015. Read more here.
CLIA has not been out of the news either we are pleased to say - with European Waterways joining CLIA UK & Ireland (welcome!): read here; and with a piece in TTG from the Chair of CLIA Jo Rzymowska (of Celebrity Cruises) talking about the work that we do, and how cruise lines, travel agents and Executive Partners are all working together to get more people to cruise: read here.
In itinerary news, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines this week announced investment in sailings from the Port of Tyne, both in 2014 and 2015: read more here
Whilst over on the rivers great to see AmaWaterways promoting new themed cruises for 2015 with themes including beer, jazz and art: read more here. Whilst over at Tauck they are celebrating the launch of their new ship - the 130 guest Savor - complete with loft-inspired cabins: read more here.
We loved this article from the Telegraph - advice from the one and only Alan Tichmarsh about why cruise holidays are the choice of the most discerning holidaymakers (and gardeners!): read here.
Remember, that you can keep up to date with all of the comings and goings in the industry via the CLIA UK & Ireland website via our latest news pages, webinar library and our Selling Cruise pages! Head to our website for more details.
Until next week!
Wednesday 18 June 2014
Thursday June 19
One of the big stories this week was the CLIA Economic Impact Study that revealed that the cruise industry brought a whole load of benefits to the UK economy - measured at £2.5 billion - as well as a whole host of economic benefits and jobs across Europe too.
Here Travel Weekly cover this important Report: read here
Over at Compagne du Ponant - they have announced that in order to better compete with luxury operators they too would start offering all-inclusive on-board... cheers! Read here
In other news - Saga is to start selling MSC Cruises sailings to its over-55 year old customers - read here
CLIA member American Cruise Lines has revealed a large range of exciting itineraries, including Snake River and the Hudson River - great river cruise destinations that are not so familiar in the UK: read here
Now - we all know Jo of course as she is Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland - but apparently she has another job heading up Celebrity Cruises. Here is her take on the brand from an interview with TTG: read here
Finally - and couldn't resist for the headline alone - here is the Herald in Australia asking readers "Why you're wrong about cruising". Read here
One of the big stories this week was the CLIA Economic Impact Study that revealed that the cruise industry brought a whole load of benefits to the UK economy - measured at £2.5 billion - as well as a whole host of economic benefits and jobs across Europe too.
Here Travel Weekly cover this important Report: read here
Over at Compagne du Ponant - they have announced that in order to better compete with luxury operators they too would start offering all-inclusive on-board... cheers! Read here
In other news - Saga is to start selling MSC Cruises sailings to its over-55 year old customers - read here
CLIA member American Cruise Lines has revealed a large range of exciting itineraries, including Snake River and the Hudson River - great river cruise destinations that are not so familiar in the UK: read here
Now - we all know Jo of course as she is Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland - but apparently she has another job heading up Celebrity Cruises. Here is her take on the brand from an interview with TTG: read here
Finally - and couldn't resist for the headline alone - here is the Herald in Australia asking readers "Why you're wrong about cruising". Read here
Thursday 12 June 2014
Thursday June 12
We start with food - as good a place as any - and a special report on the dining and experience onboard Crystal Cruises as reported by TTG - who describe Crystal as "the cruise line for gourmands". Read more here.
Meanwhile in the entertainment arena it is Royal Caribbean who have the headlines, telling Travel Weekly that their new ships will "take entertainment to a whole new level" with new technology such as Roboscreens and 'Vistarama'. Stuart Leven, MD of Royal Caribbean in UK & Ireland, describes the new ship entertainment as a way of attracting new customers into cruising. Read more here.
Over in river cruising CLIA UK & Ireland is delighted to welcome Emerald and Scenic into membership - now CLIA membership covers the majority of river cruise operators: read here.
In Alaska, it was Oceania Regatta that returned to service after a big $50 million refit, and now she is heading off for a season in the 'last wilderness' state of Alaska. Regatta is the third of the three original ships to be refitted. Read more here.
There is a good report in the US version of Travel Weekly on why cruise lines are increasingly embracing overnight stays - giving guests more sighseeing time and, if the overnight is in the embarkation port, delivering some practical benefits too (like no missed bags): read here.
We did enjoy this article that offers advice for those heading off the beaten track from Cruise International Magazine: read here; and we particularly liked this piece of research that tells us that cruise holidays are the most reliable as judged by Brits. And quite right too! Read the research here.
Finally we in the UK are of course very excited about 2015 and the arrival of new ships P&O Cruises Britannia and Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas - but there is speculation that Carnival Corporation will order two new ships this summer for delivery in 2017 - the same year that we will see new ship launches from Royal Caribbean, MSC and Norwegian Cruise Line: read more here.
PS: If you want to keep up to date with all of the events and news from CLIA then our June Informer will do just the job: read here
Until next week!
We start with food - as good a place as any - and a special report on the dining and experience onboard Crystal Cruises as reported by TTG - who describe Crystal as "the cruise line for gourmands". Read more here.
Meanwhile in the entertainment arena it is Royal Caribbean who have the headlines, telling Travel Weekly that their new ships will "take entertainment to a whole new level" with new technology such as Roboscreens and 'Vistarama'. Stuart Leven, MD of Royal Caribbean in UK & Ireland, describes the new ship entertainment as a way of attracting new customers into cruising. Read more here.
Over in river cruising CLIA UK & Ireland is delighted to welcome Emerald and Scenic into membership - now CLIA membership covers the majority of river cruise operators: read here.
In Alaska, it was Oceania Regatta that returned to service after a big $50 million refit, and now she is heading off for a season in the 'last wilderness' state of Alaska. Regatta is the third of the three original ships to be refitted. Read more here.
There is a good report in the US version of Travel Weekly on why cruise lines are increasingly embracing overnight stays - giving guests more sighseeing time and, if the overnight is in the embarkation port, delivering some practical benefits too (like no missed bags): read here.
We did enjoy this article that offers advice for those heading off the beaten track from Cruise International Magazine: read here; and we particularly liked this piece of research that tells us that cruise holidays are the most reliable as judged by Brits. And quite right too! Read the research here.
Finally we in the UK are of course very excited about 2015 and the arrival of new ships P&O Cruises Britannia and Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas - but there is speculation that Carnival Corporation will order two new ships this summer for delivery in 2017 - the same year that we will see new ship launches from Royal Caribbean, MSC and Norwegian Cruise Line: read more here.
PS: If you want to keep up to date with all of the events and news from CLIA then our June Informer will do just the job: read here
Until next week!
Wednesday 4 June 2014
Thursday June 5
We are back with our review of the very latest cruise news from the media - keeping you up to date so that you do not miss a thing.
Two weeks ago CLIA UK & Ireland held it's 2014 Selling Cruise Conference - and below are a number of links to the articles that appeared. The theme of the Conference was 'Make it Happen' - and early survey results show it as being the most successful yet!
From Selling Cruise Conference: Gerard Tempest says cruise lines will need to reassess shore excursions: read here; Gerard adds that the brand new ships for 2015 - Anthem of the Seas and Britannia - will compliment each other: read here; whilst Giles Hawke (MSC Cruises) talks about returning to ex-UK sailings soon as the company announces some new ship builds for launch this decade: read here.
Staying at the Conference one of our speakers - Richard Newman - spoke about some of the tricks of selling a cruise holiday: read here; Whilst keynote speaker Andy Stuart from Norwegian Cruise Line talked about how Simon Cowell comments on cruise ship entertainment encouraged the line to invest more in on-board entertainment: read here.
There was a great opinion piece from Lucy Huxley on the Conference in Travel Weekly: read here.
Whilst over in TTG here is Jo Rzymowska, Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland summing up the event - and vowing to help 'Make it Happen': read here.
Away from the Selling Cruise Conference Carnival Corporation has revealed plans to 'design, build and install systems' that will reduce air emissions across a large portion of their fleet: read here
We have had our own news over the past few weeks - the announcement of Amsterdam as the host city for the 2014 River Cruise Convention: read here; whilst Port of Dover will be hosting the 2014 Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo in August: read here. And there was the announcement of new technology on cruiseexperts.org with the addition of the ultimate industry listing of events, ship visits and promotions: read here.
Summarising everything that we thought we knew, great to see Fred Olsen Cruise Lines research concluding that destination is a key driver for cruise business: read here.
If you were with us in Southampton, or if you missed it - here is a video treat for you - watch and enjoy!: read here.
We are back with our review of the very latest cruise news from the media - keeping you up to date so that you do not miss a thing.
Two weeks ago CLIA UK & Ireland held it's 2014 Selling Cruise Conference - and below are a number of links to the articles that appeared. The theme of the Conference was 'Make it Happen' - and early survey results show it as being the most successful yet!
From Selling Cruise Conference: Gerard Tempest says cruise lines will need to reassess shore excursions: read here; Gerard adds that the brand new ships for 2015 - Anthem of the Seas and Britannia - will compliment each other: read here; whilst Giles Hawke (MSC Cruises) talks about returning to ex-UK sailings soon as the company announces some new ship builds for launch this decade: read here.
Staying at the Conference one of our speakers - Richard Newman - spoke about some of the tricks of selling a cruise holiday: read here; Whilst keynote speaker Andy Stuart from Norwegian Cruise Line talked about how Simon Cowell comments on cruise ship entertainment encouraged the line to invest more in on-board entertainment: read here.
There was a great opinion piece from Lucy Huxley on the Conference in Travel Weekly: read here.
Whilst over in TTG here is Jo Rzymowska, Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland summing up the event - and vowing to help 'Make it Happen': read here.
Away from the Selling Cruise Conference Carnival Corporation has revealed plans to 'design, build and install systems' that will reduce air emissions across a large portion of their fleet: read here
We have had our own news over the past few weeks - the announcement of Amsterdam as the host city for the 2014 River Cruise Convention: read here; whilst Port of Dover will be hosting the 2014 Premium and Luxury Cruise Expo in August: read here. And there was the announcement of new technology on cruiseexperts.org with the addition of the ultimate industry listing of events, ship visits and promotions: read here.
Summarising everything that we thought we knew, great to see Fred Olsen Cruise Lines research concluding that destination is a key driver for cruise business: read here.
If you were with us in Southampton, or if you missed it - here is a video treat for you - watch and enjoy!: read here.
Thursday 15 May 2014
Thursday May 15th
It has been quite an impressive show for the cruise industry in the last 7 days with major events in Southampton and London reinforcing the fact that there is no industry like cruise!
On Thursday last week Princess Cruises unveiled a new 4 part series for ITV this summer following the going's on aboard Royal Princess - a move that Princess hopes will give the whole industry a boost: Read here
The following day attention turned to Cunard and the celebrations to mark the 10th Anniversary of Queen Mary 2 in Southampton in the presence of HRH Prince Philip. It was widely covered in trade and consumer titles - read the travel weekly coverage here - there is a lovely piece in the Telegraph that can be read here - and CLIA members can view a summary video on the home page at www.cruiseexperts.org
On Sunday and Monday SeaDream Yacht Club hosted a large group of travel agents as SeaDream I moored on the Thames - helping us showcase the joys of cruising to all Londoners. See our images here.
And not to be outdone MSC Cruises had their own headlines this week as it took part in celebrations in Hamburg in rather unique style - watch here
In a flurry of other activity and announcements Royal Caribbean announce a 4th Oasis Class cruise ship to be built for delivery in 2018. Read here
Over at the TTG Luxury event Jo Rzymowska of Celebrity Cruises (and Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland) told the audience that luxury does not necessarily mean small ships - read here
Staying with Celebrity Cruises - they announced the introduction of maritime research equipment on Equinox in a bid to support marine conservation organisations - read here
And there was a great opion piece from Richard Twynam of Azamara Club Cruises on the role of digital in marketing to cruise customers: read here
Finally - if you have not already done so then do not miss the May CLIA UK & Ireland Informer packed full of lots of good stuff - read here
We are at the Selling Cruise Conference next Thursday - look forward to seeing you there!
It has been quite an impressive show for the cruise industry in the last 7 days with major events in Southampton and London reinforcing the fact that there is no industry like cruise!
On Thursday last week Princess Cruises unveiled a new 4 part series for ITV this summer following the going's on aboard Royal Princess - a move that Princess hopes will give the whole industry a boost: Read here
The following day attention turned to Cunard and the celebrations to mark the 10th Anniversary of Queen Mary 2 in Southampton in the presence of HRH Prince Philip. It was widely covered in trade and consumer titles - read the travel weekly coverage here - there is a lovely piece in the Telegraph that can be read here - and CLIA members can view a summary video on the home page at www.cruiseexperts.org
On Sunday and Monday SeaDream Yacht Club hosted a large group of travel agents as SeaDream I moored on the Thames - helping us showcase the joys of cruising to all Londoners. See our images here.
And not to be outdone MSC Cruises had their own headlines this week as it took part in celebrations in Hamburg in rather unique style - watch here
In a flurry of other activity and announcements Royal Caribbean announce a 4th Oasis Class cruise ship to be built for delivery in 2018. Read here
Over at the TTG Luxury event Jo Rzymowska of Celebrity Cruises (and Chair of CLIA UK & Ireland) told the audience that luxury does not necessarily mean small ships - read here
Staying with Celebrity Cruises - they announced the introduction of maritime research equipment on Equinox in a bid to support marine conservation organisations - read here
And there was a great opion piece from Richard Twynam of Azamara Club Cruises on the role of digital in marketing to cruise customers: read here
Finally - if you have not already done so then do not miss the May CLIA UK & Ireland Informer packed full of lots of good stuff - read here
We are at the Selling Cruise Conference next Thursday - look forward to seeing you there!
Thursday 1 May 2014
Thursday May 1st 2014
Happy First Birthday CLIA UK & Ireland - yes it was a whole year ago that CLIA UK & Ireland was formed... thank you for all of your support - read our Birthday Message to you here!
In more serious news - Norwegian Cruise Line announced bigger profits at the start of 2014 - read here - much extra profit is down to the addition to the fleet of Breakaway and Getaway.
Good to see Norwegian also announcing some ex-UK sailings in 2015 with Norwegian Epic; meanwhile MSC Cruises are building their beds in the Med for 2015 with Divina, Preziosa, Fantasia and Armonia coming over from the Caribbean.
Closer at home, there was an announcement by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines this week of their Christmas events at Tilbury - great chance for some festive cheer! Read here.
With the Maiden Voyage for Regal Princess up and coming on May 20 - she has just finished her sea trials and is now back in the ship yard: read here.
There is continuing itinerary news coming from the industry - this week we saw that Holland America Line are positioning Volendam and Rotterdam over in Asian waters in 2015-16 - read here.
As great fans of social media ourselves, we read with interest that the investment in wifi technology on cruise ships will be a game changer for the industry as people share streaming content and images. Read the comments from Royal Caribbean here.
Meanwhile fabulous to see Carnival Cruise Lines on the front page of Travel Weekly this week, and inside there is a great interview with Andy Stuart - one of the keynote speakers at this month's Selling Cruise Conference: see the digital edition online here.
Great to see so many of you on Tuesday at our River Cruise Expo, and at the Agent Achievement Awards! Have a great Bank Holiday Weekend!
Happy First Birthday CLIA UK & Ireland - yes it was a whole year ago that CLIA UK & Ireland was formed... thank you for all of your support - read our Birthday Message to you here!
In more serious news - Norwegian Cruise Line announced bigger profits at the start of 2014 - read here - much extra profit is down to the addition to the fleet of Breakaway and Getaway.
Good to see Norwegian also announcing some ex-UK sailings in 2015 with Norwegian Epic; meanwhile MSC Cruises are building their beds in the Med for 2015 with Divina, Preziosa, Fantasia and Armonia coming over from the Caribbean.
Closer at home, there was an announcement by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines this week of their Christmas events at Tilbury - great chance for some festive cheer! Read here.
With the Maiden Voyage for Regal Princess up and coming on May 20 - she has just finished her sea trials and is now back in the ship yard: read here.
There is continuing itinerary news coming from the industry - this week we saw that Holland America Line are positioning Volendam and Rotterdam over in Asian waters in 2015-16 - read here.
As great fans of social media ourselves, we read with interest that the investment in wifi technology on cruise ships will be a game changer for the industry as people share streaming content and images. Read the comments from Royal Caribbean here.
Meanwhile fabulous to see Carnival Cruise Lines on the front page of Travel Weekly this week, and inside there is a great interview with Andy Stuart - one of the keynote speakers at this month's Selling Cruise Conference: see the digital edition online here.
Great to see so many of you on Tuesday at our River Cruise Expo, and at the Agent Achievement Awards! Have a great Bank Holiday Weekend!
Wednesday 23 April 2014
Thursday April 24
Fresh from Easter - and talk of chocolate this week in the industry - by P&O Cruises of course with further details revealed on their new ship Britannia. According to Travel Weekly these new features include a beer map of Britain, chocolate making masterclasses, speciality cheese selections and gun tasting! And all of this in addition to its Food Heroes headed by James Martin. Tasty! Read here.
Talking of new ships - Regal Princess is now just weeks away from launch, and is back in the ship yard after sea trials to ready herself for service: read here
There is of course more on-going itinerary announcements making the news, with Quantum of the Seas destined to head to China - a reflection of the importance this region will make in the future - read here; whilst Holland America Line will use Ryndam is to increase its sailings from Harwich - another endorsement by a major cruise line of the importance of the UK - read here.
This week we also saw a focus on the great many advances in environmental efforts by the cruise industry, demonstrating the huge investment being made by all cruise lines in this area - read here
Meanwhile over at Crystal Cruises the talk has turned to attracting a younger cruise guest - a great chance for Crystal to showcase recent developments such as bicycle tours and classes in video production - read here
And finally in a story that serves to demonstrate the positive economic impact of the industry on local economies, over in Plymouth talk turns to cruising - read here
CLIA UK & Ireland very much looks forward to seeing delegates at the River Cruise Expo next week - and would like to thank all sponsors of the 2014 Selling Cruise Conference - see here
Until next week...
Fresh from Easter - and talk of chocolate this week in the industry - by P&O Cruises of course with further details revealed on their new ship Britannia. According to Travel Weekly these new features include a beer map of Britain, chocolate making masterclasses, speciality cheese selections and gun tasting! And all of this in addition to its Food Heroes headed by James Martin. Tasty! Read here.
Talking of new ships - Regal Princess is now just weeks away from launch, and is back in the ship yard after sea trials to ready herself for service: read here
There is of course more on-going itinerary announcements making the news, with Quantum of the Seas destined to head to China - a reflection of the importance this region will make in the future - read here; whilst Holland America Line will use Ryndam is to increase its sailings from Harwich - another endorsement by a major cruise line of the importance of the UK - read here.
This week we also saw a focus on the great many advances in environmental efforts by the cruise industry, demonstrating the huge investment being made by all cruise lines in this area - read here
Meanwhile over at Crystal Cruises the talk has turned to attracting a younger cruise guest - a great chance for Crystal to showcase recent developments such as bicycle tours and classes in video production - read here
And finally in a story that serves to demonstrate the positive economic impact of the industry on local economies, over in Plymouth talk turns to cruising - read here
CLIA UK & Ireland very much looks forward to seeing delegates at the River Cruise Expo next week - and would like to thank all sponsors of the 2014 Selling Cruise Conference - see here
Until next week...
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