ROYAL CARIBBEAN Cruises Ltd. is partnering with
tour operator Abercrombie & Kent to offer cruise-tour packages
in Spain, Italy, Denmark, France, Ireland and England in
conjunction with Royal Caribbean Intl. and Celebrity Cruises ships
deployed on selective roundtrip European cruises. Under the
agreement, A&K will organize pre- and post-cruise land tours
for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity passengers seeking to extend
their shipboard vacations. Three- to six- night packages will be
offered in conjunction with Europe cruises of Celebrity's
Constellation (scheduled to debut in April 2002), Mercury and
Millennium, and Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas (set to
debut in July 2002), Grandeur of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas.
Royal Celebrity Tours, RCCL's land-tour division, will manage the
tour operations, according to company officials. "This partnership
is an opportunity to expand into Europe and allows us to build our
momentum in the land-tour market," said Craig Milan, Royal
Celebrity Tours' president.
MEANWHILE, RCCL subsidiary Royal Caribbean
Int'l announced it would place a third ship in the Gulf of Mexico
the winter after next. The company said the 1,600-passenger Nordic
Empress will sail from Tampa on a Gulf of Mexico itinerary in
2002-2003, joining two other Royal Caribbean vessels previously
scheduled to sail the western Caribbean and Mexico via the Gulf
during that span. They are the 1,950- passenger Grandeur of the
Seas, which will sail from New Orleans beginning Nov. 2, 2002, and
the 2,000-passenger Rhapsody of the Seas, which will cruise from
Galveston beginning Dec. 8, 2002. The Rhapsody of the Seas
currently is offering 25 Gulf cruises from all three ports; the new
deployments will enable the company to offer 67 Gulf cruises from
three ports over a six-month period.
THE BROWARD COUNTY Board of County
Commissioners is proposing construction of a "people-mover"--you
know, an automated tram system--to move cruise vacationers directly
from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Int'l airport to Port Everglades as
part of a 20-year master plan for the 2,190-acre seaport. "The new
breed of megaship...is requiring us to become more creative with
the way we plan for the future," said Phillip Allen, interim port
director. "The ships are getting larger, carrying more passengers
who require convenient air/sea transfer and swift processing by
U.S. Customs." Passenger totals at Port Everglades, one of the
world's busiest cruise ports, grew by 14.4% from 2.4 million in
1999 to 2.7 million in 2000. Port officials estimate the number of
passengers will exceed 3.1 million by the end of the current year
and climb to 3.6 million in 2002. Allen said cruise revenues at the
port increased 7% to $16.8 million in 2000. Port Everglades already
is preparing to dedicate two new cruise passenger terminals
equipped to service contemporary megaships.
PERSONNEL FILE
• Renaissance Cruises named Hans Rood vp-marketing. Rood most
recently was regional vp-Europe, Middle East and Africa for Cunard
Line and Seabourn Cruise Line. Renaissance also announced that
Derek Correia, previously vp-marketing, left the company.
• World Explorer Cruises named Bonnie Berg MacLaird vp-marketing
and revenue management and Dennis Myrick senior vp-sales. MacLaird
was previously World Explorer's vp-strategic planning and revenue
management. She joined World Explorer in March 2000 after 10 years
at Seabourn Cruise Line as director of marketing and revenue
management. Myrick has been with World Explorer since 1984;
previously he served as vp-marketing and sales.