THE FATE OF THE P&O Princess Cruises/Carnival
Corp. merger should be known within a month: P&O Princess
shareholders are slated to meet on April 16 to vote on the deal. A
timetable for the completion of the dual-listed company structured
merger, set out Monday by P&O Princess, said the deal should be
completed by April 22, when the consolidated shares of both
companies begin trading on the New York and London stock exchanges.
P&O Princess will be renamed Carnival plc. Carnival
shareholders, meanwhile, are scheduled to vote on the combination
April 14 in New York.
CUNARD LINE showed off its partially completed
flagship, the Queen Mary 2, still resting in its drydock basin at
Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. The QM2
is to be delivered to Cunard in December; yard CEO Patrick Boissier
said the ship is on schedule despite some problems with its
propulsion pods. Guests donned hard hats and were invited to tour
the unfurnished interiors of the 150,000-ton ship, ending up on the
top deck of the ship where Boissier, Carnival Corp. CEO Micky
Arison and Cunard president Pamela Conover greeted guests. "The
birth of this ship marks the beginning of a new Cunard," Conover
told the crowd. "In what seems to be a short period of time,
thousands of tons of uninspiring steel [have been turned into] what
will be the most spectacular ship in the world."
THE SLUGGISH TRAVEL ENVIRONMENT continues to
affect Carnival Corp.'s second-quarter bookings: Uncertainty
regarding a war with Iraq is causing "further deterioration in
pricing," the company said in an SEC filing. Booking levels for the
second half of 2003 remain ahead of last year's levels but they do
not jive with the company's expected capacity increases, and prices
on those bookings remain "slightly below" 2002 levels, Carnival
said. The company -- citing close-in booking patterns and
geopolitical uncertainty -- didn't forecast its second-quarter
yields other than to say they would be "less than last year."
THE CARNIVAL LIBERTY will be the name of
Carnival Cruise Lines' fourth Conquest-class ship. The Liberty is
Carnival's final ship on order and is scheduled to enter service in
fall 2005. The 2,974-passenger vessel will be constructed at the
Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. Itineraries have not yet been
set.
OCEANIA CRUISES shifted the first two sailings
of their ship the Insignia away from Istanbul and Kusadasi, Turkey.
The inaugural sailing of the Insignia on Oct. 4 will now be
roundtrip from Barcelona, rather than a cruise between Barcelona
and Istanbul. The Oct. 18 cruise will now sail between Barcelona
and Rome. A spokesman said, based on demand levels for
Mediterranean sailings of its other ship the Regatta, "it made
sense: Let's swing the Insignia; keep her in the western Med."
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE said it continues to work
closely with the U.S. Coast Guard as the agency investigates a
passenger report that glass bottles and aluminum cans were
discharged from the Norwegian Wind. The ship was about 200 miles
off the coast of Hawaii when the incident occurred. NCL maintained
it did not break any laws but said the reported discharge was a
violation of its own corporate policy that solid waste be crushed
and recycled through licensed disposal companies -- the line said
it was taking "strong disciplinary action against the individuals
involved."
RESIDENSEA will incorporate meal and beverage
prices into cruise fares for its apartment rental program on board
its ship the World. Previously, the option of "free" meals and
drinks was available only to passengers in the ship's studio
residence cabins, i.e. the cabins without kitchens. The change is
part of an expanded rental fare program, which offers five price
categories instead of only two.
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE cancelled the first two
sailings -- slated for July 10 and July 22 -- for the Oosterdam,
the line's second Vista- class ship. The cancellations mean the
Oosterdam's maiden voyage will depart London (Harwich) on Aug. 3 on
a Baltic itinerary. HAL attributed the nixed voyages to the need to
"showcase the ship to the European market and ensure that the crew
and ship enter service at the highest possible standard." Guests
booked on the July 10 and July 22 sailings will be able to choose
alternate sailings and are eligible for cabin upgrades and
shipboard credits. Agents will earn a $500 re-booking fee per
cabin.
CANCELLATION POLICY UPDATE:
• Royal Caribbean Int'l and Celebrity Cruises amended cancellation
policies for Mediterranean sailings: Guests who cancel their cruise
prior to May 1 will receive a cruise credit equal to 90% of the
cancellation fee.
• Star Clippers said passengers booked on a Mediterranean cruise on
one of the line's three ships between May 17 and September 27 can
cancel up to 72 hours prior to departure and receive a cruise
credit. A $100 per person administration fee will be applied to the
credit if it is issued.
• Silversea reduced the cost of its Reassurance Program
cancellation option to $100 per person when purchased with
Silversea's travel insurance and $250 when purchased separately and
changed the way cruisers can redeem their cruise credit.