ROYAL
CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL and Celebrity Cruises are rolling
out online check-in for their cruises, starting with passengers
booked on Royal Caribbeans Navigator of the Seas and Celebritys
Zenith. The lines said they expect online check-in to be available
fleetwide by September. In the new process, passengers fill out all
their cruise documents, from immigration forms to onboard credit
account information, on Royal Caribbean and Celebritys Web sites.
When they reach the pier, passengers present a printed confirmation
e-mail and their identification to agents at an express counter.
PIERSIDE check-in time for passengers who
go through the online check-in process is reduced from three to
four minutes to about 30 seconds, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity
said.
CARNIVAL
CRUISE LINES CEO Bob Dickinson was on the dais during a
Q&A session onboard the Carnival Liberty, which embarked on its
first Mediterranean sailings last week. A few excerpts:
*
Dickinson said the 180,000-ton figure quoted in the press
on Carnival Corp.s prototype megaship, code-named Pinnacle Project,
isnt a Carnival-approved figure. Weve never given a number,
Dickinson said. This is revolutionary, as opposed to evolutionary.
Were still courting.
* About the
chances of Carnival Cruise Lines selling short cruises in
the Mediterranean: The problem is that Corporate doesnt give us
enough ships, Dickinson said.
* Any
plans to cruise in other Europe locations? There are none
to speak of at this time.
FINCANTIERI, the Italian shipbuilder, is
negotiating to acquiring a stake in two repair yards: the Lloyd
Werft yard in Bremerhaven, Germany, and the Grand Bahamas yard near
Freeport. We are closely negotiating with both the yards mentioned,
said Enrico Buschi, Fincantieris executive senior vice president of
cruise ship business. The fleet is on one side growing, and on the
other side aging. We think this could create a demand for more
refurbishing.
SILVERSEA
CRUISES switched up its alternative dining arrangements on
the Silver Whisper: The Terrace Cafe, which formerly featured a
changing menu of regional cuisines during dinner hours, is now
dedicated to Italian food and has a new name La Terrazza to go with
the dishes. Silversea brought in Marco Betti, a Florentine chef, to
design the menus and said the concept would further its image as an
upscale Italian-influenced line. The Terrazza concept will roll out
on the lines three other ships later this year. During the day, the
eatery will continue to be named the Terrace Cafe and offer casual
fare.