CARNIVAL
CRUISE LINES will outfit its fleet of 22 ships with cell
phone technology. In a joint venture with Wireless Maritime
Services, mobile phone calls at sea will be charged at
international roaming rates as determined by the carrier and will
be billed directly to the passengers normal cell phone bill.
Passengers will also be able to send and receive text messages on
their phone and hand-held wireless devices. The Carnival Triumph
already has the service installed, and Carnivals remaining 21
vessels will be fitted with the technology by the first quarter of
2007.
CRYSTAL
CRUISES will institute a daily fuel surcharge of $5 per
person on all 2007 voyages, the company said. Crystal cited a
substantial increase in fuel prices since announcing its 2007
cruise fares, but it said that there would be no change to the
$4-per-person fuel surcharge that is in effect for 2006 sailings.
Bookings paid for prior to July 17 will not incur the 2007 fuel
surcharge. Pier Foschi, CEO of Costa Cruises, said that Costa had
implemented a fuel surcharge for sailings in all European countries
except for Germany and the U.K., of about $13 per day, per person,
for cruises of seven days or fewer, and $19 per day for longer
cruises.
NORWEGIAN
COASTAL VOYAGE will officially adopt the name of parent
group Hurtigruten ASA, effective this week for U.K. business. The
company will continue to operate as NCV in the U.S. and mention the
name of our parent company to slowly educate the overseas market
about the Hurtigruten name, said Hans Rood, president of NCV in New
York. Rood said that it was important to make the change because
the name Norwegian Coastal Voyage did not speak to the full line of
itineraries now offered -- Antarctica, Spitsbergen, [and]
Greenland. The name means the fastest route and was created to
describe the voyage from Bergen, Norway, to the Arctic Circle and
outposts of northern Norway.
ROYAL
CARIBBEAN implemented its second wave of travel agent
appreciation efforts with two new initiatives. The Summer Splash
Regional Ship Inspection will offer travel partners and their
clients the opportunity to visit ships during July and August. The
Mystery Shopper program, meanwhile, will reward agents for
recommending Royal Caribbean: mystery shoppers will call travel
agencies registered and in good standing with Royal Caribbean
between now and August, and if agents recommend a Royal Caribbean
cruise they will be awarded a $1,000 gift card and a cabin on a
pre-inaugural event aboard the Liberty of the Seas.
Cruise
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