THE NORWAY left the Port of Miami Friday, where it
has been tied up for a month following a boiler explosion May 25,
which disabled the Norwegian Cruise Line ship. The Norway, with 85
crew aboard, will be towed to Lands End in the western U.K. By the
time the Norway reaches its destination -- the tow will take about
three weeks -- the line likely will have decided where it will then
go for repairs, a spokeswoman said. The Norway will be out of
service at least until the beginning of October, according to NCL.
GLORY BE: Carnival Cruise Lines took delivery
Friday of the 2,974-passenger Carnival Glory, the second ship in
Carnival's 110,000-ton Conquest-class series. The Glory will be the
largest vessel to homeport in Port Canaveral, Fla. The ship, which
was built at Italy's Fincantieri shipyard, will be christened by
astronaut Sally Ride before departing on its pre-inaugural cruise
to Mexico July 14; it will begin its seven-day Caribbean cruises
starting July 19.
MEANWHILE, Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival
Miracle will serve as a floating hotel during Super Bowl XXXIX in
Jacksonville, Fla. The Miracle will be docked Feb. 2 to 7, 2005,
and will provide 1,062 additional hotel rooms to the city for Super
Bowl attendees. Super Bowl XXXIX will kick off Feb. 6 at ALLTEL
Stadium.
OCEANIA CRUISES unveiled its 2004 European
itineraries for its twin ships: the Regatta and the Insignia. The
Insignia is currently under charter and will debut with the Oceania
next spring. The Insignia's inaugural voyage will be April 3 with a
10-day cruise from Barcelona to Athens. The ship will operate in
the Mediterranean in the spring, northern Europe in the summer and
the eastern Mediterranean in the fall. The Regatta also will offer
northern Europe and Med cruises; the ship is slated for cruises
with three-day stays in St. Petersburg, Russia.
THE REGATTA, meanwhile, was christened in
Barcelona Thursday and departed on its pre-inaugural cruise,
"completed and on time," a spokesman said. CEO Frank Del Rio's
wife, Marcia, served as the godmother. The Regatta begins revenue
service July 5.
CARNIVAL CORP.'s vice chairman Howard Frank
told investors last week that the past few months -- skewed by
Norovirus, SARS, and the war in Iraq--have been "probably the worst
period we've ever experienced." On the up side, the line said it's
notched a "significant increase" in bookings between May 19 and
June 22. Second-quarter profits -- which for the first time
included about six weeks of earnings from the former P&O
Princess operations -- dropped to $127.8 million from $194.2
million, while revenue rose by 34.8% compared with the same quarter
last year. Lower ticket prices and a 98.5% occupancy level
contributed to an 8.6% drop in Carnival Corp.'s second-quarter
yields, the company said. Carnival Corp.'s second-quarter earnings
per share -- $0.19 versus $0.33 -- fell $.02 per share because of
litigation and related charges associated with the tender of about
53 million Carnival plc shares that Carnival said were wrongfully
rejected by the receiving agent during the merger transaction.
IN OTHER CARNIVAL developments, CEO Micky
Arison revealed during the earnings report that Carnival plc has
been in talks with shipyards to build the "Ultimate Caribbean
Princess," a vessel in the 170,000- to 180,000-ton range that could
be delivered by 2006 or 2007. The Ultimate ship's size would trump
a recently-announced 160,000-ton ship design from Royal Caribbean
Cruises Ltd. called the "Ultra-Voyager" cruise ship. Neither
company has placed an order for these massive products.
CRYSTAL SERENITY passengers on the vessel's
July 7 inaugural cruise will sail for free because the ship won't
be ready in time for its debut, according to Crystal Cruises. The
line said last week that "unexpected delays" in the final
construction phase of the Serenity at Chantiers de l'Atlantique
shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, pushed back the ship's timetable
-- meaning, Crystal said, it may not have sufficient time to train
the crew on board or add finishing touches to staterooms and public
areas. "As a result," Crystal said, "the quality of our service and
our onboard experience may not meet [our] uncompromising
standards." In addition to offering the cruise gratis, Crystal will
waive cancellation penalties for passengers who want to cancel.
Agent commissions are protected.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
• Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said Rod McLeod, a long- time cruise
industry executive, will leave his position as senior vice
president, travel industry relations, effective Aug. 1. McLeod, a
longtime RCCL exec who also has worked for Carnival Corp.,
Norwegian Cruise Line and American Classic Voyages, re-joined Royal
Caribbean last year. The line said McLeod will announce his future
plans later in the year.
• Bruce Nierenberg, another long-time cruise industry executive,
joined the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. as its executive vice
president. Nierenberg will oversee the sales and marketing of the
riverboat line.