ASTA plans to file a class-action lawsuit this
week against the bankruptcy estate of Renaissance Cruises on behalf
of travel agents who received a summons seeking the return of
commissions for canceled sailings. Renaissance ceased operations
and filed for bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fort
Lauderdale in September 2001. According to a copy of a summons
obtained by Travel Weekly, the Renaissance Cruises' liquidating
trust is seeking to recall commissions on cruises that never
sailed, but were paid for within the year prior to the bankruptcy
filing on Sept. 25, 2001, as well as commissions paid after the
bankruptcy filing date that were "not authorized" by the court.
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES' Jubilee will undergo a
refurbishment and be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in
fall 2004. The 1,486-passenger Jubilee, one of the smallest ships
in the Carnival fleet, will become the largest ship based
year-round in Australia and will more than double the size of the
P&O Cruises operations in the region. The announcement was made
during Carnival's first annual shareholders meeting with the former
P&O Princess, held Monday in Southampton, England.
DISNEY CRUISE LINE will add Antigua on two 2004
sailings and San Juan on three sailings of the Disney Magic. In
addition, the Magic will offer the line's first 10-day itinerary on
Dec. 18, 2004, which includes a new call in St. Lucia.
AN EIGHTH CREW MEMBER died as a result of the
May 25th boiler explosion onboard Norwegian Cruise Line's ocean
liner the Norway. NCL said the five other crewmembers who had been
hospitalized were released last week. Meanwhile, the National
Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard completed
their onsite investigation of the explosion; NCL said it is
finalizing the ship's repair plans.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES had a busy week. Among
its announcements:
• The corporation appointed Luis Leon its executive vice president
and CFO. Leon formerly was CFO for Graphic Packaging International
Corp.
• The Nordic Empress rescued two people from a capsized 50 foot
racing sailboat about 80 miles northwest of Bermuda on June 20.
Earlier this month the Radiance of the Seas rescued three men from
a capsized boat near Vancouver.
• A new "Get Out There" Royal Caribbean International road show
focused on "land-locked travelers" debuted and will make 60 stops
in U.S. cities through the end of next year.
• The line plans to restore the reef surrounding its private
Bahamian island, Coco Cay. Sovereign of the Seas crew will help
place "reef balls," which resemble giant concrete whiffle balls, in
the water to assist in coral growth.
PODS WITH KA-POW: The Queen Mary 2 was fitted
with four Rolls Royce Mermaid propulsion pods, which will propel
the ship through the water at nearly 30 knots, Cunard said. The
QM2's pods were in the spotlight earlier this year, when they were
pulled and sent back to the manufacturer for additional
testing.
STAR CRUISES' SuperStar Leo and SuperStar Virgo
will return to their homeports of Hong Kong and Singapore,
respectively, in July. The two ships were pulled from the ports in
April and deployed to Australia after SARS broke out in the Asian
cities.
ROYAL OLYMPIA CRUISE LINES posted a $26.7
million loss for the fiscal year ending November 2002, compared
with a $25.5 million loss in 2001. The line, formerly known as
Royal Olympic Cruise Lines, said additional costs from the Olympia
Explorer as well as after-effects of 9/11 impacted the company's
results. Revenue decreased slightly, to $127.7 million, "reflecting
the lower ticket prices that had to be applied due to market
conditions," Royal Olympia said. Operating expenses such as
additional dry-docking, a write-down of spare parts, increased
insurance and port expenses and additional expenses related to the
Olympia Explorer, increased by 8%, to $101.1 million.
CORRECTION: The Ultra-Voyager cruise ship, if
built by Royal Caribbean Cruises, would carry 3,600 passengers.
Incorrect information appeared in the June 17 Cruise E-letter.