Cruise
Transat Distribution earns RCI award
Transat Distribution Canada (TDC) has received Royal Caribbean International's Partner of the Year award for 2011. Clearly pleased by the recognition, TDC's vice-president marketing and industry relations, Susan Bowman said: "This has always been such an important partnership and it great to be recognized. We have won this award due to the hard work by our network of over 2,500 travel consultants and our momentum is continuing to accelerate. This year, we look forward to being hosted on the Oasis of the Seas in April with over 120 of our travel consultants attending TDC's exclusive cruise...
AmaWaterways unveils new African cruise safari tour
Showcasing herds of zebras, grazing elephants and rivers teeming with exotic animals, AmaWaterways' African safari river cruises will debut this summer, exploring Africa's most renowned locations, including South Africa, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania. Guests will have an opportunity to embark on the Zambezi Queen, a 28-passenger ship designed specifically for safari river cruising to maximize sightseeing opportunities. AmaWaterways' African cruises include the 16-day Stars of Africa, the 16-day African Sunsets and the 19-day Golden Trails of Africa. The tours bring the picturesque cities to...
MSC to call PortMiami home
MSC Cruises has announced that PortMiami will be its exclusive homeport for its Caribbean sailings as of fall 2013 pending approval by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. MSC operates a fleet of 11 cruise ships with its newest ship, the MSC Divina, scheduled to launch in May featuring the cruise line's "ship-within-a-ship"concept -- the MSC Yacht Club. Beginning in fall 2013, MSC Cruises, which now homeports out of Port Everglades, will join the PortMiami cruise line-up. The initial term of the agreement is for three years....
Oceania plans departure day muster
Prestige Cruise Holdings -- the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises -- has announced that effective immediately all ships will hold guest muster drills on the day of departure. Right now, all Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels hold muster drills on the same day of departure, with few exceptions. Robin Lindsay, executive vice-president of vessel operations for Prestige Cruise Holdings, explained that: "On just a handful of occasions the drill is held the following morning, primarily to accommodate late-arriving guests. However, in light of the...
Carnival to review all emergency response systems
Following the tragic Costa Concordia accident, Carnival Corporation & plc, parent company of Costa Cruises and nine leading cruise lines around the world, has announced a comprehensive audit and review of all safety and emergency response procedures across all of the company's cruise lines. Carnival Corporation & plc and the cruise industry as a whole have maintained an excellent safety record over the years. "However, this tragedy has called into question our company's safety and emergency response procedures and practices,"said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc....
Costa, Carnival reiterate support commitment
Costa Cruise Lines and its parent company, Carnival Corporation & plc, have confirmed their commitment to provide full support to those passengers, crew and families of the victims of the Costa Concordia grounding. "I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests, crew and their families affected by this tragic event. Our company was founded on this principle and it will remain our focus,"said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc. In this spirit, Costa has been arranging lodging and transportation for affected passengers and crew...
Crystal launches new fast-track embarkation program
Crystal Cruises has introduced a new check-in process designed to ease embarkation procedures for all guests. Effective today in every Crystal embarkation port, "Crystal Fast-Track Check-In"eliminates 100% of ship check-in procedures in port terminal waiting areas, transitioning guests from dock security to the comfort of Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity lounges. By utilizing a new barcode on each guest cruise ticket, a new ticket scanning system and the consistency of Crystal's own onboard crew, the cruise line is accelerating the check-in required on the first day of sailing. As is...
Costa responds to environmental concerns
Costa Cruises is moving quickly to respond to environmental concerns in the wake of the grounding of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Giglio, Italy. In a statement, the cruise line said: "For Costa Cruises protecting the environment is an integral part of its corporate mission, as it has demonstrated by obtaining the most stringent international certifications (UNIEN ISO 14001)." And it continued: "The company therefore recognized the need to promptly address issues concerning the protection of the marine environment following the Costa Concordia accident. In the hours immediately after...