ROYAL
CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONALS Majesty of the Seas will be given
what president Adam Goldstein called an extreme makeover in January
2007. The cruise line said that it will renovate most of the ship,
a plan that includes implementing Royal Caribbeans new bedding
program and relocating a larger and more contemporary ShipShape
Fitness Center to Deck 9. A Johnny Rockets and Sorrentos pizzeria
will be added to the Majesty, which will be out of service from
Jan. 12 to Feb. 9. The line also said the Legend of the Seas will
head to the Mediterranean in 2007, alternating 12-day cruises to
Italy and Croatia with 12-day eastern Mediterranean cruises.
CARNIVAL
CORP.S SHARES fell 6% on May 16 after the company reduced
its earnings outlook based on lower revenue yields, higher fuel
costs and a change in the accounting of its drydock costs. The company said that further weakness in
bookings, principally for sailings in the Caribbean during the
second half of 2006 and fuel costs increases of $265 million, or
$0.32 per share, compared to the prior year are expected to further
impact earnings per share this year.
NCL
CORP. recorded a net loss of $28.1 million in the first
quarter, the result in part of a softening of the Caribbean market
and the impact of high fuel prices. Company revenue for the quarter
was $422.4 million, a 21% increase over first-quarter 2005. Colin
Veitch, CEO of NCL Corp. said in a conference call with analysts
that consumers are seeing tighter discretionary income, which has
affected lower-price cruise markets in the Caribbean. NCLs parent
company Star Cruises, meanwhile, said it lost $35.1 million in
first-quarter 2006, compared with a $4.4 million profit in
first-quarter 2005.
FIRST
CHOICE HOLIDAYS formed First Choice Expedition Cruising,
bringing the two vessels of Clipper Cruise Line and the two small
ships operated by the First Choice Holidays-owned Australian travel
company Peregrine together under the same management. Clipper will
maintain independent operations of its two vessels, the
122-passenger Clipper Adventurer and 128-passenger Clipper Odyssey,
through October 31, the company said.
Cruise
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