ROYAL CARIBBEAN
INTERNATIONAL said it will remove trans fats from its
menus, a process that is scheduled to begin March 1 and be
completed by the end of 2007. Trans fat, a byproduct of chemically
hydrogenated vegetable oil, has been linked to diabetes, high blood
pressure and high cholesterol. Effective immediately, the cruise
line will replace its cooking oil with trans fat-free oil, and a
selection of trans fat-free options will be introduced to Royal
Caribbean's menus.
CARNIVAL
CORP. placed an order for a 116,000-ton ship for its U.K.
brand, P&O Cruises. Italian company Fincantieri will construct
the ship, which will be delivered in spring 2010 and cost about
$709 million. To make room for the new order at the Italian yard,
Carnival will push back the delivery of a 130,000-ton Carnival
Cruise Lines new-build announced in December. That vessel will now
enter service in spring 2011, instead of in summer 2010. P&O
Cruises managing director David Dingle said the P&O Cruises
order "results from the strong continuing growth of the cruise
market in the U.K." The ship would bring the number of vessels in
the P&O Cruises fleet to seven.
OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA,
is the site of a squabble between the cruise industry and
commercial shipping interests over the expansion of Reynolds Pier.
The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported that cruise line officials
wanted the pier designated for cruise ship activity only, but the
pier is owned by Jamaica Bauxite Mining, which said it would
welcome development of the facility if cruise shipping could
coexist with other commercial activities. According to the report,
cruise line officials have estimated that Jamaica will lose more
than 200 calls and an estimated $5 billion this year because cruise
ships will not be able to use the multipurpose port due to
commercial shipping activity. The JBM said that it needs the
facility to export sugar and limestone.
NLG
is changing its name to World Travel Holdings, the company that
bought NLG in July. The name change will take place over the next
several months. World Travel Holdings said its first step would be
to automatically direct users of the www.nlg.com Web site to www.worldtravelholdings.com. NLG is comprised of
several large cruise agencies, including CruisesOnly and Cruises
Inc., as well as Vacation Outlet and private-label operations.
World Travel Holdings said in a statement that the World Travel
Holdings name more accurately reflects the parent company's plans
for growth.
Cruise
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