OPTIONS TO BUILD two 2,100-passenger ships for
Royal Caribbean Int'l have again been put on hold. The two options
for Radiance-class vessels, with German shipyard Meyer Werft, were
extended to Sept. 19; both were to expire Jan. 10. The extension
marks the fourth time these options have been deferred since their
original expiration date of June 27, 2001, one financial analyst
noted.
NAME OF THE GAME: The Insignia is the new name
of the second cruise ship that will be operated by Oceana Cruises,
a new cruise line headed by cruise veterans Frank Del Rio and Joe
Watters. But sources told TravelWeekly.com the cruise line itself may
take a new name to avoid confusion over a P&O Cruises ship,
also called the Oceana. Oceania Cruises could be the new brand
name, sources said, although nothing official has been announced
from Oceana. The Insignia, formerly Renaissance Cruises' R2, will
sail its maiden voyage Oct. 4 from Barcelona to Istanbul. Oceana's
other ship, the Regatta, will sail from Barcelona July 5. Oceana
formally opened its Miami headquarters last week; reservations
begin Jan. 27.
VACATION.COM made a deal to take $1 million in
risk inventory on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Dawn for 300
cabins on the ship's sailings out of New York during a two- month
period this summer. Vacation.com takes the risk and members can
sell the cabins with a 20% commission--or if they need to, they can
share commissions with clients. Senior vp-sales and marketing Andy
Stuart said Vacation.com approached the line after Carlson Wagonlit
struck a similar deal with the line. "We are interested in deals
like this," he said.
P&O PRINCESS CRUISES formally accepted
Carnival Corp.'s $5.3 billion merger offer Jan. 8 and will
recommend that its shareholders approve the deal at a shareholder
meeting, likely to be held in late March. P&O Princess will
change its corporate name to Carnival (UK) if shareholders accept
the offer, although the brand names Princess Cruises and P&O
Cruises will not change, executives said. The combination of the
world's largest and third-largest cruise companies will create a
cruise operation with 99,964 berths, plus 42,260 lower berths
scheduled to be added over the next three-and-a-half years,
according to P&O Princess.
THE MERGER takes the form of a dual-listed
company, under which the two firms remain separate legal entities,
each with its own board of directors and senior management. But
Carnival and Carnival (UK) will be jointly operated, and a single,
senior-executive management team will manage the combined group. It
will be headed by Carnival Corp. chairman Micky Arison. Peter
Ratcliffe, P&O Princess' CEO, will be an executive director
along with heads of Carnival's other cruise brands.
MEANWHILE, the merger is subject to a second
review by the European Commission; cruise executives said the
review was a "formality" and they expect clearance within 30 days.
The lines also will submit merger documentation to the Securities
and Exchange Commission for a review that is expected to take about
60 days, a Carnival spokesman said.
TRAVEL AGENTS and their clients will start
seeing the phrase "Gold Anchor Service" around Royal Caribbean
Int'l ships. The plan is to emphasize Royal Caribbean's onboard
staff and service, senior vp-sales and marketing Dan Hanrahan told
TravelWeekly.com. "Agents are always saying, give me a
reason to sell," he said. "What gets lost in the conversation is
the service."