Boston cruise terminal sets record, Philly pulls out

by Chris Owen on

Boasting a 7% increase in passengers over 2009, Boston’s cruise terminal is going full speed ahead on bookings. At the same time, with only two ships scheduled to visit in 2011, Philadelphia’s cruise port , once an important part of the city’s push for more tourists, could soon be transformed into an Urban Outfitters retail store.

USA Today’s Cruise Log reports that “It looks like Philadelphia is getting out of the cruise business, even as sailings out of nearby cities such as Baltimore and New York take off.”

Philadelphia, peaking at 36 departures in 2006, has seen a gradual decline in sailings as passengers opted for itineraries sailing from New York, prompting cruise lines to move ships to other ports. This week’s decision to end a 20-year lease eight years early hopes to save the city a reported 18 million in port improvement costs.

Boston, buoyed by an increased interest in New England and Coastal/Canadian voyages among others, has seen more cruise passengers sailing. A recent announcement for an $11 million makeover of the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, a facility dating back to World War I, is intended to fuel further expansion in Boston’s growing cruise industry.

Flickr photo: Smudge 9000

Cruise ship power outage found to be explosion

by Chris Owen on

Most of the passengers on board Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 were sleeping when the ship lost power on the morning of September 23rd. What was believed to be a brief power outage has now been identified as a more serious problem.

After a complete investigation, the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) ruled this week that the event was actually the result of an engine room explosion. In a report published this week the event was described as a “catastrophic failure” of electrical capacitors caused by gradual deterioration.

While passenger safety was not compromised the explosion, deemed strong enough to damage steel doors, adds to a call for improved cruise ship safety world-wide.

Maritime attorney Jim Walker notes “The reporting of this latest incident raises the issue of the safety of foreign flagged cruise ships, and comes after a string of recent disturbing mishaps.”

Earlier this week passengers were poisoned by potentially lethal hydrogen sulphide gas on Princess Cruises Sea Princess. On Holland America, a reportedly drunken passenger got into crew-only secured area and dropped the ship’s anchor. Carnival Splendor continues repairs for an on-board fire that canceled sailings between now and January.

While cruise vacations continue to be one of the safest methods of travel, these incidents have cruise lines taking a long, hard look at existing safety policies.

Flickr photo by Dawn Encido

New cruise ships on the horizon

by Chris Owen on

A testament to the popularity of cruise vacations, a bunch of new cruise ships are on the horizon and coming out in 2011, 2012 and beyond.

The recent worldwide recession has caused cruise lines to redeploy ships to more profitable waters with Royal Caribbean pulling out of the West coast US market altogether. But new ships on order, while slowed during recession’s lowest point, have returned with several new orders made in just the last few months.

  • Celebrity Cruises sails Celebrity Silhouette in the Fall of 2011 followed by another yet-named ship in the Spring of 2012
  • Costa Cruise Line’s new Costa Favlosa sets sail in the Summer of 2011 ahead of Costa Fascinosa in Spring 2012
  • Disney Cruise Lines new Disney Dream sails in January 2011, followed by Disney Fantasy in 2012, more than doubling the size of the Disney fleet
  • MSC Cruises continues to grow with MSC Fantastica in May 2012
  • Norwegian Cruise Lines, still high off the debut of Norwegian Epic last July has ordered two more ships to debut Spring 2013 and 2014
  • Princess Cruises also has two new unnamed ships on order, one for 2013 and one for 2014
  • Seaboun Cruises who just added Seabourn Sojourn this year, will add Seabourn Quest in May 2011

As the cruise industry continues to grow and mature, look for more new-builds and the refurbishment of older ships to add new-ship features during scheduled dry-dock maintenance.

Cruise like a rock star

by Chris Owen on

The recent announcement of a four-day cruise with a rock star musician and reality TV star Bret Michaels is a good example of what to expect when you cruise like a rock star.

Themed cruise vacations have been around for a long time but are gaining new popularity. Gathering like-minded passengers from around the world, promoters feature sailings with a focus on a common interest. Ranging from writers workshops to cruising with a favorite celebrity, guests pay a premium price to be included.

Sailing from Miami on November 10, 2011, the Carnival Destiny will be home to fans of Michaels paying up to $3500 per person for a luxurious Grand Suite package that includes a private party with the rock star.

Those accommodations have already sold out leaving standard staterooms starting at $939 per person. Those feature admission to a performance by Michaels and a farewell cocktail party.

Regular non-themed 4-night sailings of Carnival Destiny start at $239 per person with luxury suites starting at $1029.

Did you catch the math on that?

It looks to be about $700 and $2400 more than a normally priced sailing at that time of the year to be part of the action. $700 more for a ticket to the show and a cocktail party, $2400 more for groupie status and a private party with the rock star.

Other upcoming theme cruises include a cruise with Taylor Swift on Royal Caribbean, A Progressive Voices Cruise or a cruise for runners on Holland America and many more. All have a premium price to cover onboard events.

Most theme cruises are sponsored by travel agencies chartering part or all of a ship on a given sailing. Others are sponsored by cruise lines themselves and feature more mainstream interests.

Flickr photo: Jamiecat

Royal wedding to be shown live on cruise ships

by Chris Owen on

Touted as a “front-row seat” to the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, cruise lines are jumping on board a growing world-wide obsession with the event.

To be shown live fleet-wide on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises, other lines will show the event on select ships.

P&O Cruises’ managing director Carol Marlow said: “As Britain’s favourite cruise line it is only fitting that our passengers should have a front row seat from unique locations around the globe. It will certainly be a grand celebration with almost 14,000 passengers sailing with us at this time.”

Cunard Line’s will show the entire event from start to finish the ships main showroom on their three ships. Says Cunard president Peter Shanks: “If demand for seats exceeds supply we are able to use our Planetarium and lecture room, Illuminations, which seats a further 450 passengers.”

Cruise lines have been in the wedding business for quite some time, with most devoting considerable resources to on-board wedding ceremonies. The all-inclusive nature of a cruise vacation makes weddings at sea a viable alternate choice and cruise line involvement with the royal wedding a natural fit.