C ru is e B u sin e ss .c o m M a g a zin e S u m m e r 2 1 9 CruiseBusiness.com CruiseBusiness.com REVIEWING CRUISE BUSINESS GLOBALLY Magazine Summer 2019 MEDCRUISE GA reinforces connections Page 62 VIRGIN VOYAGES to shake up cruising Page 21 SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY is a newborn Page 60 EXPEDITION EVOLUTION The current year has been a banner one for expedition cruise ship orders and deliveries. New shipyards have emerged as suppliers and new designs have set sail, ranging from the hybrid battery-powered Roald Amundsen to the Greg Mortimer with a cutting-edge X-bow. Read more on page 48. 425x29720kansi .indd 2 27.8.2019 9.38
CANARY ISLANDS MADEIRA ISLANDS SPAIN AFRICA FRANCE UNITED KINGDOM PORTUGAL 20ªW 40ªN 30ªN 20ªN T R O P I C O F C A N C E R CABO VERDE kannen 2 ja 67.indd 1 26.8.2019 15:29:08
There are so many reasons to choose Port Everglades. Our modern, efficiently operated terminals make transit a breeze. We’re just two miles from FLL international airport, and minutes from world-famous beaches. Plus, we’re fully scalable. We can accommodate any size ship or passenger volume, moving passengers from curb to ship in just 15 minutes. Year-round berthing available. Discover how Port Everglades propels your business forward in powerful new ways. Visit porteverglades.net or call 800-421-0188. THE POWER OF A PREMIER CRUISE PORT PEV152_Cruise Biz Review FP Cruise Ship_mech.indd 1 6/7/19 7:44 PM 3-4-5-6.indd 1 26.8.2019 15:53:38
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CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 7 CONTENTS – SUMMER 2019 8 Editor’s Commentary 10 Upfront 14 Australia – outlook promising, but growth at a standstill 21 Virgin Voyages prepares to shake up cruising 29 Spirit of Discovery its a newborn 39 Spectrum of the Seas – built for China 44 MSC Cruises introduces ‘calmer’ Bellissima 48 Newbuildings transform expedition market 54 Roald Amundsen 56 Revite renaissance 61 Bolidt Innovation Center is really revealing 62 MedCruise General Assembly reinforces connections KORJATTI 7-9 .indd 1 30.8.2019 7.12
Editor Teijo Niemelä Publisher Cruise Media LLC Copy Editor M.T. Schwartzman Sales and Production Christer Gorschelnik Sales – North America & Caribbean Scott Brown Art Director Julle Järvinen, Julle Oy COMPANY ADDRESS Cruise Media LLC 209 N Queen Street Chestertown, MD 21620 USA Telephone +1-609-751-2344 E-mail cruisemediallc[a]gmail.com SALES OFFICE FINLAND ChrisGo Consulting Pahtankatu 10 as 10 FIN-21200 Raisio, Finland Telephone +358-440-159 554 E-mail christer.gorschelnik[a]kolumbus.fi SALES OFFICE USA Scott Brown 10763 Traders Court Davidson, NC 28036 USA Telephone +1-843-340-5896 E-mail sbrown33[a]carolina.rr.com FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR A maritime historian, author and lecturer, Allan Jordan is a freelance journalist with a broad background in the cruise industry. Having made his first cruise at age three, Allan has worked as a lecturer aboard cruise ships, writes books about the ships and consults to the cruise lines. Frequently quoted about the business, he continues to write about the history and future of cruising. PRINTED IN FINLAND – PUNAMUSTA OY, HELSINKI www.cruisebusinessmagazine.com I n the beginning of August, I was in desperate need of a short getaway. I was looking for an affordable destination within reasonable driving distance of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. I was not interested in shopping, theaters or museums – I just wanted to chill out by the pool. From all the possible options, I chose the brand-new, retro-themed TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The added plus for an avid airplane enthusiast like myself were the thrilling views of the airport’s runways from the infinity pool on the rooftop and the pre-dinner cocktails in the Connie, a preserved Lockheed Constellation aircraft. I ended up just chilling out during my entire two-night getaway on the hotel premises. If the room had been as affordable as a cruise today, I would have stayed longer. Where the cruise business is concerned, it is important to find the right balance between destination immersion and relaxation. At the end of the day, we are talking about our hard-earned vacations. During April and May, I sailed with my wife on a once-in-a-lifetime experience from South Africa’s Durban to London aboard Viking Cruises’ Viking Sun. While the early days of the 29-night sailing were busy with sightseeing, safaris and wineries in South Africa and deserts in Namibia, the seven days at sea between Namibia’s Walvis Bay and Senegal’s Dakar were rightfully reserved for complete relaxation including long lunches, ping-pong matches, swimming in the pool on deck or enjoying thalassotherapy and a snow grotto in the complimentary spa. EDITOR’S COMMENTARY R eflecting on my recent travel experiences, I welcome the multimillion-dollar investments that cruise companies are making in their private islands. With today’s hectic lifestyles and short vacation periods, it’s more important than ever that cruise guests can maximize their vacation time and minimize inconveniences with such improvements as the construction of docking facilities that replace the need for tendering. Royal Caribbean International has introduced the “Perfect Day” concept at its CocoCay private island after a $250 million investment. RCI has steadily increased the number of calls to its private island and has added larger ships departing more often from Florida ports on shorter getaways. Soon, MSC Cruises will inaugurate its long-awaited MSC Marine Reserve private destination at Ocean Cay in the Bahamas. Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady will call at a private beach club on Bimini Island when it sets sail in 2020. Improvements are also being made at private islands belonging to Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Norwegian Cruise Line, with new facilities either under construction or in the planning stages. And at press time, Disney Cruise Line announced that it will construct a second private island at Lighthouse Point in Eleuthera. All this is perfecting timing, as there is no end in sight of people looking for a “perfect day” at the beach or pool. Teijo Niemelä AUGUST 2019 HOW TO FOLLOW US Twitter.com/cruisebusiness facebook.com/CruiseBusinessUSA Instagram/niemelateijo CruiseBusiness.com Magazine 8 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 THE IMPORTANCE OF JUST CHILLING OUT Regis ter now for your free pass marin einter iorsexpo. com/p ass You’re invited to meet the leading players in the ? eld of interior design, equipment and technology for passenger ships. See what’s possible when innovative suppliers showcase their latest developments for the booming cruise and ferry industry. 11 – 13 September 2019, Hamburg marineinteriors-expo.com KORJATTI 7-9 .indd 2 30.8.2019 7.12
Regis ter now for your free pass marin einter iorsexpo. com/p ass You’re invited to meet the leading players in the ? eld of interior design, equipment and technology for passenger ships. See what’s possible when innovative suppliers showcase their latest developments for the booming cruise and ferry industry. 11 – 13 September 2019, Hamburg marineinteriors-expo.com KORJATTI 7-9 .indd 3 30.8.2019 7.12
? UPFRONT Mobile Access VingCard Locks Elsafe Safes TrioVing Cylinders A trusted partner for the marine industry. Learn more today at assaabloyglobalsolutions.com/marine At ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions, innovation is nothing new. We have been leading the industry in security and access technology for over 40 years, since inventing the world’s first card lock. As part of the ASSA ABLOY family, Marine provide service and support worldwide from our dedicated offices in Norway, Spain, Singapore and the USA. We offer advanced security solutions and peace of mind for both hospitality providers and their guests and crew. Our advanced solutions include: VingCard electronic locks, mobile access, gangway control, Elsafe safes, printers and encoders, cylinders and keys and mechanical stainless steel locks. The Duchess of Cornwall named the Spirit of Discovery, the first of two cruise ships for Saga Cruises, in the UK’s Port of Dover on July 5. The Spirit of Discovery was the first cruise ship to be named at the Port of Dover in over a decade and the first to be docked at Dover Western Docks following a £250 million redevelopment of the area. The Duchess toured the ship before the ceremony. In building the Spirit of Discovery, classic and contemporary materials and furnishings have been combined to create a luxurious environment. (INSET) Robin Shaw, CEO of Saga Cruises, accepted delivery from Meyer Werft’s Managing Director Tim Meyer. 10 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands visited the MV Werften Rostock facility to be briefed about the construction of the first Global-class cruise ship and the training program at the shipyard group. A maritime symposium for German and Dutch companies was held on the shipyard site parallel to the royal visit. Pictured are Peter Fetten (CEO MV Werften), Queen Máxima, King Willem-Alexander, MinisterPresident of MecklenburgVorpommern Manuela Schwesig, Stefan Schwesig, Dutch Infrastructure Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and Economics Minister Harry Glawe. 10-13 .indd 2 29.8.2019 13.28
Mobile Access VingCard Locks Elsafe Safes TrioVing Cylinders A trusted partner for the marine industry. Learn more today at assaabloyglobalsolutions.com/marine At ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions, innovation is nothing new. We have been leading the industry in security and access technology for over 40 years, since inventing the world’s first card lock. As part of the ASSA ABLOY family, Marine provide service and support worldwide from our dedicated offices in Norway, Spain, Singapore and the USA. We offer advanced security solutions and peace of mind for both hospitality providers and their guests and crew. Our advanced solutions include: VingCard electronic locks, mobile access, gangway control, Elsafe safes, printers and encoders, cylinders and keys and mechanical stainless steel locks.
UPFRONT AmaWaterways christened its revolutionary new ship, the AmaMagna, in Grein, Austria, on July 11. The festive ceremony saw guests onboard joining AmaWaterways co-founders Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst along with the ship’s godmother, respected travel expert and Emmy Award-winning television host Samantha Brown (fourth from left), as she officially christened the 23rd ship in the fleet. 12 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 Color Line has taken delivery of the Color Hybrid, the world’s largest plug-in hybrid ship. The vessel sets a global standard for environmental friendliness and represents a significant upgrade in shopping and adventure offerings for travelers between Norway and Sweden. The maiden voyage departed from Sandefjord to Strømstad on August 9. Pictured at the fore of the ship is Trond Kleivdal, CEO of Color Line. 10-13 .indd 4 29.8.2019 13.28
CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 13 UPFRONT The Celebrity Flora naming ceremony brought together distinguished guests, employees and crew members to commemorate the first ship of its kind designed specifically for the Galapagos Islands. Shown from left are Vladimir Armas, Captain, Celebrity Flora; Philippe Cousteau Jr., Founder, EarthEcho International; Yolanda Kakabadse, Celebrity Flora Godmother; Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. MSC Cruises has unveiled the plans and design for its highly innovative multiship cruise facility at PortMiami, which was officially approved by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. The terminal is set to be completed by late 2022, and MSC Cruises will design, construct, operate and maintain the large building that comprises two cruise terminals (AA and AAA) as well as two berths. 10-13 .indd 5 29.8.2019 13.28
14 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 MARKET REPORT OUTLOOK PROMISING, BUT GROWTH AT A STANDSTILL FOR AUSTRALIA Australia is one of the brightest success stories of the cruise industry: The number of passengers generated by the market has increased more than fourfold in the period 2008-2018, while a limited fleet of older ships that were past their prime have now been supplanted by a wide range of vessels covering all market segments. By Kari Reinikainen The 77,741 gross ton Pacific Explorer is currently the largest ship in P&O Cruises’ fleet in Australia. In October 2020 it will be joined by 108,865 gross ton Pacific Adventure, which will be transferred from Princess Cruises 14-19 .indd 2 27.8.2019 6.41
CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 15 ? H owever, in the past couple of years the growth of the Australian market has run out of steam. This has not been caused by economic problems, as the Australian economy remains strong. Rather, infrastructure in many parts of the country is a major problem hampering the growth of the cruise market. The Australian cruise industry enjoys the highest market penetration rate of any of the major source markets, which was 5.8% in 2018, according to CLIA statistics. This compares with 4.0% in the U.S., 3.3% in the UK and 2.8% in Germany. This is a reflection of how the industry developed. In the 1990s, the Fairstar – a former British troop carrier that later served as an emigrant carrier – operated year-round from Sydney. During its long career that ended in 1997, the Fairstar carried more than a million passengers, according to a documentary released at the time of the ship’s retirement. Ann Sherry, Chair of the Carnival Australia board, said that ships like the Fairstar, which offered inexpensive cruises in accommodations that frequently featured shared facilities, attracted a young clientele. Unlike in many other major source markets, cruising in Australia did not assume an elitist image, suggesting that it only suits the elderly and the wealthy. This provided a good basis for growing the market by introducing better vessels to the contemporary market and for expanding local offerings by positioning premiumand luxury-segment ships in Australia as well. Strong economy, strong market growth Australia has continued to enjoy a strong economy over the past several years, and its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2015 exceeded US$55,000. The Australian economy has continued to grow since then, and in 2018 the country’s GDP exceeded the US$56,000 level. This provides a solid platform for the cruise market in the country, which only generated about 304,000 passengers back in 2008. That was the first full year when the Carnival group took major steps to start growing the market: P&O Cruises Australia received former Princess Cruises vessels that were far superior to the tonnage it had employed up to that point, while Princess itself positioned a ship – the 1995 built Sun Princess – in Sydney yearround in late 2007. Sources: Tradingeconomics.com, Countryeconomics.com 14-19 .indd 3 27.8.2019 6.41
16 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 2019 Present and future of the cruise industry The International Cruise Summit is a registered Brand and Product of: www.internationalcruisesummit.com 27 th & 28 th November 2019 MADRID ICS 2019 27/28 NOV Your cruise event, the cruise event! Anuncio ICS 2019.indd 1 16/8/19 14:15 Australia soon grabbed the attention of other cruise operators, and the market exceeded half a million passengers for the first time in 2011. The one million passenger level was reached only four years later. What CLIA calls “local cruises” in its 2018 Australian Ocean Cruise Market Report (cruises departing from ports in Australia, New Zealand or from Singapore) accounted for 1.03 million or 77% of the 1.35 million passengers the Australian market produced last year. Source: CLIA Capacity problems contributed to a growth of merely 0.1% in the number of passengers that booked a local cruise last year, while the figure for fly-cruises grew by 0.9%. However, these still accounted for only 315,000 passengers or just over 23% of the total market. “While the local industry faces growth constraints caused by a shortage of cruise infrastructure in Sydney, the construction of a new International Cruise Terminal in Brisbane and other cruise-related projects announced in Cairns, Eden and Broome are expected to reignite growth in the homeport market,” CLIA said in its report Stable average age, decrease in duration The average age of Australian cruise passengers was 49 years old in 2018, no change from the previous year. That figure is two years higher than the global average of 47 years old, according to CLIA statistics. The average duration of a cruise Australians booked last year decreased to 8.8 days from 9.1 days in 2017, driven by more short cruises offered from local ports. The growth in fly cruises was mainly driven by older people taking longer cruises. Source: CLIA Passengers aged 60 or older accounted for just over a fifth of the total market, whereas millennials – roughly those aged 20 to 40 – accounted for only 15% of the total passenger count. In fact, their share dropped by one percentage point from 2017. By contrast, the 70-plus age group increased its share by one percentage point to 18%. Another dominant feature of the Australian cruise market is the dominance of the state of New South Wales: It produced 53% of the total number of passengers, although its share of the country’s population was just 32%. It was followed by Queensland in second place with 22% of total passengers (20% of population), Victoria at 13% (24% of population) and Southern Australia at 4% (7% of total population of 24.7 million). Faster growth than global average The Australian cruise market has grown much faster in the recent past than the global market overall. In the period from 2009 to 2018, its average rate of expansion came to a staggering 29.3% year over year, while the global market only expanded by 6% per Australia is an important passenger source for Viking Cruises – both on ocean and river markets ? 14-19 .indd 4 27.8.2019 6.41
2019 Present and future of the cruise industry The International Cruise Summit is a registered Brand and Product of: www.internationalcruisesummit.com 27 th & 28 th November 2019 MADRID ICS 2019 27/28 NOV Your cruise event, the cruise event! Anuncio ICS 2019.indd 1 16/8/19 14:15 14-19 .indd 5 27.8.2019 6.41
annum in the same period. Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilder, has projected a 90% increase in global cruise passengers by 2030. Such a rate of expansion would see the Australian market generating 2.55 million passengers in 2030, with on average some 101,000 additional passengers per year. This would be a low growth scenario. Should the Australian market grow by 6% per year from 2018 to 2030, which has been the rate of expansion of the global market, this would mean 2.70 million passengers in 2030, which translates to roughly 113,000 additional passengers on average. This could be regarded as the medium growth scenario. It would be unreasonable to assume that the Australian market will continue to grow by about 29% per year in 2018-2030, as it had done in the years 2009-2018. A growth figure of just under half that pace, at 14%, would mean that in 2030 the Australian market would produce 6.37 million cruise passengers, an increase of about 418,000 every year. This would be a high growth scenario. Is it unrealistic to assume that more than 6.3 million Australians will cruise in 2030? The country currently has a population of 24.7 million, but the Australian Bureau of Statistics expects this to surpass 30 million in 2029. That scenario would mean one in five Australians would take a cruise in 2030. While perhaps not an unrealistic assumption, it certainly would be highly ambitious. A high penetration rate of the industry in Australia bodes well for the future, but as Australians overwhelmingly prefer to cruise in their own rather extensive home waters, addressing problems with port infrastructure is critical to realizing the potential of the market. Australia only has one major national brand – P&O Cruises Australia, which is part of the Carnival group. At one point, it was earmarked to receive a 135,000 gross ton newbuilding from Fincantieri, but that ship will be allocated instead to Carnival Cruise Line, and the fleet of P&O Cruises Australia will be renewed with transfers from Princess Cruises. Winter migration to Southern Hemisphere CLIA Australasia remains optimistic about the outlook in Australia and said that cruise lines have already announced significant new vessel deployments in the region beginning from 2020-2021. “At the same time, smaller older vessels will be replaced with newer larger ships to cater to Australian passenger demand while a solution to the Sydney infrastructure constraints is developed. Although the reduced growth trend may continue in the short term into 2019, the future outlook for the Australian ocean cruise passenger market remains positive. As government and local stakeholders recognize the potential for the industry to offer an even broader and more frequent range of domestic itineraries, this will increase the contribution the industry is able to deliver to Australia’s national and regional economies,” CLIA pointed out. Last perhaps but not least, Australia is the largest source market for the cruise industry in the southern hemisphere. This means that some tonnage deployed in northern China for the summer season can migrate to Australia, which has its peak cruising season when the northern hemisphere is in its low season. This provides operators some flexibility in itinerary planning and removes the need for at least some long-haul positioning voyages that are often sold at low per diems. Australia’s performance as a source market for cruising has been very strong in the past decade. Thanks to the fact that many destinations lie within a reasonable steaming distance from its east coast ports, high penetration rate of the cruise product and a strong economy, it has good prospects for continuing to perform well in the future. However, problems with land-based infrastructure continue to cast an uncomforting dark cloud, without which the outlook would appear even better. n 18 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 Royal Caribbean International operates the largest cruise ship in Australia, the 168,866 gross ton Ovation of the Seas 14-19 .indd 6 27.8.2019 6.41
CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 19 Most of the World Cruise segments calls in Sydney 14-19 .indd 7 27.8.2019 6.41
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K CRUISE_Business_Review_210x297.pdf 1 08/02/18 14:01 20-26 .indd 2 27.8.2019 8.24
? CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 21 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K CRUISE_Business_Review_210x297.pdf 1 08/02/18 14:01 S tarting a new cruise line is a daunting task. It is even more complicated when your declared objective is to disrupt the industry and create your own category. That is exactly what the Virgin Group has promised to do since it unveiled its plans in December 2014. Virgin Voyages’ first ship, named the Scarlet Lady in celebration of the heritage of Virgin Atlantic Airways, is nearing completion at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponte shipyard near Genoa. The 110,000 gross ton ship is the first of four on order. When the vessel enters commercial service in April 2020, it will mark the culmination of five years of planning and the realization of a 40-year dream by Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson. The initiative that ultimately launched the cruise line began nearly a decade ago. Believing there was an opportunity to leverage the strength of the Virgin brand and working with industry veteran and former CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Colin Veitch, the Group began exploring how to adapt the cruise business to appeal to Virgin’s audiences. As the concepts began to take shape, leading cruise shipbuilder Meyer Werft also became involved with the project. The initial plan announced in December 2014 for Virgin Cruises spoke of two 4,200-passenger megaships akin to Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis class. Tom McAlpin, who had spent fourteen years at Disney Cruise Line, joined Virgin in 2015 as President and CEO. With his experience in start-ups, McAlpin believed it was critical to focus the brand on unique elements in order to distinguish it in a crowded industry. VIRGIN PREPARES TO SHAKE UP CRUISING Nearly five years ago, the Virgin Group – headed by famed British entrepreneur Richard Branson – unveiled its plans to launch a cruise line promising to “shake up the cruise industry.” With the launch of the line’s first cruise ship just months away, CruiseBusiness.com Magazine previews Virgin Voyages and how its approach to cruising is developing. By Allan E. Jordan COMPANY PROFILE Scarlet Lady will be distinctive newbuild from inside out 20-26 .indd 3 27.8.2019 8.24
22 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 ? Together we will turn the tide • WASTEWATER PURIFICATION • WASTE TO ENERGY • CARBON CAPTURE www.scanship.no C M Y CM MY CY CMY K A4_20190819 press.pdf 1 19.08.2019 13:24 Rebellious Luxe Research with consumers and travel professionals helped to define the brand’s attributes. What has emerged is a concept being called “Rebellious Luxe,” which seeks to create a hip, downtown vibe at sea. The brand is targeting travelers with a mindset that dares to break the rules and that wants to try something new. As it aims to attract people who traditionally shunned cruising, Virgin set out to combine the styling of a chic boutique hotel with an array of lively day and nighttime activities. Among the key elements was to make it “Adult-by-Design” for passengers age 18 and up. McAlpin says that the research showed that parents wanted a break, but “winced at kids being part of the adult experience.” Out-of-the-way destinations and shorter duration trips also hold a strong attraction for the target markets. As McAlpin explains the strategy, Virgin sees itself as creating a new category between premium and luxury cruising. Shunning the tactics of upselling and extra tariffs common in the cruise industry, which the company believes would not appeal to the target audience, Virgin offers simplified pricing. Fares are displayed per cabin and include all food, basic beverages, water, gratuities, group fitness classes and even WiFi. McAlpin says that Virgin wants to create a perception with guests that they got an incredible value for what they experienced. To reach an audience that is heavily dependent on social media, Virgin’s marketing incorporates online platforms, cross-channel promotions and marketing sweepstakes among Virgin companies. A pre-sales priority list was launched along with viral marketing ad campaigns such as hiding 50 posters around London that were invites to a preview event. During the start-up period, Virgin is focusing its marketing on the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and working with traditional travel partners such as the Virtuoso travel network. To build relationships with partners that sell luxury travel products, Virgin is featuring both a simple commission policy, paying flat 10% commission with no non-commissionable fares, as well as a liberal bonus plan. The first cruises are scheduled mostly for 4 and 5 nights, featuring late-night sailings and calls at a private beach club Virgin is building on Bimini in the Bahamas. Originally, Cuba was to be a marquee destination with overnight stays in Havana, but due to recent changes in U.S. government policy, Key West has been substituted on the 4-night trips in addition to the originally planned cruises to Costa Maya and Puerto Plata. Reflect? Sir Richard Branson (right) and and CEO Tom McAlpin (left) announced Captain Wendy Williams as the first master for the Scarlet Lady Razzle Dazzle is one of the dining venues, all of which included in the cruise fare Well-Being Pool 20-26 .indd 4 27.8.2019 8.24
Together we will turn the tide • WASTEWATER PURIFICATION • WASTE TO ENERGY • CARBON CAPTURE www.scanship.no C M Y CM MY CY CMY K A4_20190819 press.pdf 1 19.08.2019 13:24 20-26 .indd 5 27.8.2019 8.24
24 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 FREEDOM OF DESIGN WITH PROVEN SOLUTIONS INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DECORATIVE SOLUTIONS Seamless, durable and flexible artificial PUR deck system, the new Sikafloor® Marine Deco Comfort and Teak. Contact us now Sika Services AG, Tueffenwies 16, 8048 Zurich Tel. +41 (0)58 436 58 01, www.sika.com/marine Sikafloor® Marine Deco Teak Sikafloor® Marine Deco Comfort ing the line’s premium product, pricing starts at an average per diem of approximately $250 per person, but with a sophisticated, dynamic pricing model the per diem can rise to over $325. Distinctive look To create unique experiences and perceived value, Virgin dissected every aspect of cruising in its research. The company spent over a year working on its core elements, while also working with Fincantieri to develop the ships’ design. With building slots for large vessels filled for years to come at Fincantieri, an alternative was proposed for three midsized ships built at the yard in Genoa. McAlpin says that Virgin selected the midsized ships because they would give greater flexibility in destinations and the ability to provide a more intimate and authentic experience. Virgin also worked with British yacht designer RDW to create a distinctive external look for its vessels. Streamlining, a straight stem, unique funnel and lighting on the square stern – along with a livery design created by London-based Magpie Studio that uses silver grey and Virgin’s signature red – combine to give the ships a unique look. A binding letter of agreement was signed in June 2015 with Fincantieri for the construction of three 2,800-passenger cruise ships to be delivered between 2020 and 2022, backed by a significant financial investment from Bain Capital – one of the world’s leading investment firms. The contract, valued at approximately €2 billion, became effective at the end of 2016. An additional order valued at €700 million for a fourth sister ship due at the end of 2023 was placed in October 2018. “It was designed to disrupt,” says Dee Cooper, Senior Vice President Design and Customer Experience at Virgin Voyages. Steeped in the Virgin approach after having worked from 1997 to 2011 at Virgin Atlantic, Cooper says the company developed its plan to create “variety and choice in a contemporary way with a connection to the sea.” Virgin formed what it calls a “design collective” drawing on leading architects from the hospitality industry who had never worked on – and in many cases had never sailed on – a cruise ship. Some of the designs that emerged are familiar, such as no main dining room. Instead, Virgin’s vessels will offer more than 20 food options ranging from a lively Korean BBQ to an experimental test kitchen, upscale Mexican and an elegant steak-and-seafood restaurant, plus a brunch hosted by the ship’s resident drag queen. Each restaurant will include a bar at which passengers can dine. Virgin boasts that there will be no buffets on its ships, but there will be nearly 24-hour food service. Similarly, nomenclature around the ship will also reflect Virgin’s slightly irreverent spirit. The pool bar, for example, is named Gym & Tonic Bar, the atrium is The Roundabout, the Italian Restaurant is named Extra Virgin and the salons are Stubble + Groom, Dry Dock and The Tune Up. Passengers can hang out in an event space called The Den, perform karaoke at The Groupie, or get a tattoo at Squid Ink. Entertainment will also reflect Virgin’s style with a two-story nightclub, as well as a showroom that converts from a traditional stage to a reverse stage and fashion-show-style runway. There will be music venues and even a store selling vinyl records. To serve the active lifestyle of its target audience, Virgin plans to encourage “detox and retox” with extensive sports facilities and a spa. The outdoor decks will include everything from a jogging track around the top of the ship to outdoor fitness facilities and a boxing ring. The relaxation areas range from a private deck area for suite passengers to a large deck area with what are being calling the world’s largest daybeds at sea. Similar to a catamaran, there will also be a netted area where passengers can relax looking out on the sea or decks below. On the stern, there will be a beach club with a European vibe that also serves food. Cabin design Virgin went through six or more designs over a two-and-a-half-year period before selecting the cabin design. Foregoing the standard arrangement of beds and a sitting area, Virgin selected a design that transforms from beds into seating in order to make the nearly 1,300 double occupancy cabins better for socializing. Balconies will include hammocks for lounging. There will be 46 single cabins and 78 suites measuring between 352 and 2,147 square feet. The best suites feature every amenity from a peek-a-view shower to hot tub and personal music room, while all accommodations include a tablet to adjust mood lighting and temperature, select in-room entertainment and order food. Behind the scenes, Virgin is using state-of-the-art technology to make the ships among the most advanced and environmentally sensitive in the cruise industry. The power plant and propulsion system consists of two 8-cylinder and two 12-cylinder Wartsila 46F engines, which have strong fuel economy and power-to-space and power-to-weight ratios. Two ABB Azipod XO units have a combined propulsion power of 32 MV (43,000 HP). Among the systems to ensure efficient onboard operations are an integrated navigation and automation control system designed by Wartsila, as well as remote monitoring and analyzed real-time performance data as part of a 10-year maintenance management agreement with Wartsila. Several systems will also be in place to address the ship’s exhaust gases. Climeon, based in Sweden, is supplying a system designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by converting the low-temperature waste heat from the engines into electricity. Each ship will have six of these units, giving it the potential to power the equivalent of about 1,500 households. The vessels will also employ both a hybrid scrubber system and a Selective Catalytic Reduction system from Wartsila for exhaust gases. Throughout the ships, there will be other advanced systems such as ventilation solutions from Halton for galleys and restaurants, which can save up to 50% in energy consumption by adjusting air volumes. Similarly, the passenger cabins ? Standard balcony cabin on day (left) and night. This design transforms nearly 1,300 cabins better for socializing during the day 20-26 .indd 6 27.8.2019 8.24
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26 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 will be equipped with sensors to close blinds and put the HVAC system into energy-saver mode when passengers have left the room. To address waste, Virgin (like many cruise lines) has committed to reducing its use of plastics. The company plans to eliminate straws, water bottles, stirrers, condiment packs and other unnecessary food packaging while diverting the remaining plastics to recycling. It also has committed to using tree-free paper products for tissues, napkins, paper towels and hot cups, and has entered into a partnership with Norwegian company Scanship to develop a new technology to convert organic waste into clean energy. Scanship is working to develop a microwave technology, which Virgin intends to install once the system has been shown to be effective and cost-efficient. Introductory plans Construction of the Scarlet Lady began with the cutting of steel in March 2017, followed by block assembly in the dry dock at the end of October 2018. Fincantieri began cutting steel for the second sister in July 2018, while the Scarlet Lady was floated out of the dry dock on February 8, 2019, and is expected to undergo sea trials in November with delivered slated for February 2020. Introductory plans for the Scarlet Lady will be announced shortly, but it is already known that visits will be made to both Dover and Liverpool with multi-day stays as part of the previews. The vessel will be based year-round in Miami, with the first revenue voyages beginning in April. Further plans for the fleet remain to be announced. As part of Virgin’s agreement with Miami-Dade County to develop a dedicated cruise terminal, the line’s second ship will sail from Miami during the fall/ winter of 2021-2022, but it is expected that Virgin will quickly expand into the Mediterranean. While McAlpin says that he sees Virgin Voyages remaining a smaller, boutique product, it should prove interesting to follow the evolution of the line’s operations as its concepts to “disrupt” the industry are deployed into the market. n PortMiami will have a dedicated terminal for Virgin Voyages Bimini Beach Club Richards Rooftop VIP area 20-26 .indd 8 27.8.2019 8.24
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CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 29 ? SHIP REVIEW SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY IS A NEWBORN A blank sheet of paper and focus groups conducted with passengers and crew have lead Saga to its first newbuilding. Susan Parker finds out what went into creating the Spirit of Discovery. meyercareer.com meyerwerft.com Innovation & Technology Seatrade Europe 2019 – Hall A4.400 The Grand Dining Room 28-35 .indd 3 27.8.2019 6.47
Marine system expertise Integrated system solutions raise your efficiency, sustainability and profitability. Our expertise in dual fuel and gas supply systems, optimized propulsion, exhaust after-treatment, and battery hybrid solutions enables your visions to succeed. www.man-es.com Your visions succeed 1812_13435_MAN_ES_Anzeige_SC_FourStroke_Image_reSe_ENG_210x297mm_ISO_V2.indd 1 13.12.18 14:44 ? 30 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 W hat is clear from talking to a few of the people behind Saga Cruises’ first newbuilding, the Spirit of Discovery, is that it has been a very exciting project. There is a sense of passion and ownership when it comes to this prototype, a “newborn” for this successful British brand aimed at the over-50 market. Saga’s Director of New Build David Pickett, who has a history of building ships at both the Meyer Werft and Fincantieri shipyards, explains how this ship is unique. “We are asking a company that has always adapted to its current hardware to really think hard about designing a product and putting it into practice. It is a different way of thinking for our business. We have recruited a team, both on design and also a site team. We are also inventing all the processes at the same time. We are determining how to build a house at the same time as laying a foundation. This gives us enormous scope to express ourselves as engineers, designers, etc. Being able to do that is a dream come true,” Pickett says. “On the flip side, we don’t have the safety net of just building another ship. In our business there are so many innovations, it is sometimes difficult to keep up. We have to make sure regarding training [and so forth], so we are taking a lot of preparation with the shakedown before going into service.” Any prototype is always more challenging, and this one is no exception “because things can come out of left field at any time, so you have to have a really good team to react to that and get it done.” There is some happy symmetry in this company – which was founded by Sydney De Haan in 1959 and then run by son Roger before finally being listed on the London Stock Exchange in May 2014 – choosing to build with Germany’s Meyer Werft, founded in 1795 and in its seventh generation of family ownership. With a fiercely loyal clientele but also wanting to attract newcomers, it was vital for Saga to come up with a design that fits the brand. One way of doing this was to engage not only the passengers but the crew in the process. Value proposition Pickett explains the background on how the company came to build its first ship. “When Saga Cruises [SC] went public as part of the Saga Group, that provided a lot more access to capital and allowed the group to think about expanding the business. SC has a fiercely loyal clientele who absolutely love the product. Saga Pearl II and Saga Sapphire are loved but are coming to the end of their life at Saga. The 25,000 passengers we have at the moment absolutely love SC, which is largely down to the crew, friendliness and the product.” One of the keys to its success is perceived value. “It is not so much about onboard revenue. It is a fair ticket price for everything the passengers need to enjoy their holiday.” Up until now Saga has adapted existing ships to its formula, but with the new ships it can “repeat all the good things on the current ships but with a platform to do things we have not done before, such as a full West End theatre, a wide range of dining options and all the types of cabins people want, including 20% for single occupancy.” The number of passengers was a vital ingredient to the Coast to Coast is the ship’s seafood restaurant David Pickett East to West is Asian inspired restaurant The Britannia Lounge – Discovery’s observation lounge 28-35 .indd 4 27.8.2019 6.47
Marine system expertise Integrated system solutions raise your efficiency, sustainability and profitability. Our expertise in dual fuel and gas supply systems, optimized propulsion, exhaust after-treatment, and battery hybrid solutions enables your visions to succeed. www.man-es.com Your visions succeed 1812_13435_MAN_ES_Anzeige_SC_FourStroke_Image_reSe_ENG_210x297mm_ISO_V2.indd 1 13.12.18 14:44 28-35 .indd 5 27.8.2019 6.47
32 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 planning of the ship. “The reason for 999 is because there was a lot of research done both with existing passengers, and those within the demographic we are working with, about what are the features that mean most to them. What was very clear was that people don’t want a big ship, and anything over 1,000 meant a big ship.” At present there is no one building a ship of this size for the British market, and on July 5 the christening in Dover took place with the focus being very much about nationality. Flying the Red Ensign (UK flag) is all part of that ethos. Pickett explains: “We want to signal ourselves as a British cruise line that supports the British shipping industry. Flying the Red Ensign and having London on our stern, at the present time, it is almost unique.” Onboard there is a lot of space per passenger. Highlights include three specialty restaurants, the capability of seating everyone at the same time, a jazz club hosted by Jools Holland, a full gym and fitness area, separate spa, and wraparound promenade as in the days of the great liners. With a world cruise on the radar for 2020, the vessel has been built to comply with Polar Code Class C and can sail for two weeks without resupply, although the new ship will “never be used for exploration/ expedition, as she is too big.” Saga passengers tend to be quite adventurous, so cruise lengths tend to be a bit longer on average. Ex-UK departures are the focus with transfers from home included in the ticket price. Pickett adds, however, “We are also looking at going further afield more often as we build the fleet.” Crew recruiting To ensure that the Spirit of Discovery sails with the “unique level of Saga service,” there has been a lot of crew transference from the Saga Pearl II, which was sold in April. In addition hotel, staff has been recruited from Magsaysay in the Philippines. Being UK flagged has not meant any restrictions on crewing, according to Pickett, who says there are some training requirements and reregistering of certificates of competence, but no other wage or business costs of significance. Whereas once the UK was seen as a flag that imposed a lot of additional and specialist requirements, now the authorities are very much working within IMO Conventions. “They are quite customer-focused,” he adds. “We have found the MCA have been proactive and cooperative and highly professional about the way they came in and adopted and conducted their own processes of the design, and now we are going straight into delivery under the UK flag,” comments Pickett. V Ships was responsible for deck and engine recruitment as well as vessel compliance and emergency response. The Faststream Recruitment agency in Southampton was used to help build the site team of 15 in Papenburg. When it comes to the interiors, Pickett says, “I think the interior design is unique amongst modern cruise ships. We have taken our cues from good British hotel design, especially modern hotels in London.” In order to ensure that the Spirit of Discovery and its sister ship, the Spirit of Adventure, have a completely different look and feel but are unified in being classically British in style, Saga chose SMC Design for the first vessel and AD Associates for the second ship. The latter has been “interpreted in a very different way,” Pickett explains. “We are anti-theme. We want good consistent design throughout with some harmony across the ship. We are not big enough to have cookie-cutter ships for some years yet. We want people to have a different experience on each ship in terms of feel and features.” Design brief CruiseBusiness.com Magazine talked to the senior designers/ project managers responsible for the Spirit of Discovery at SMC Design, Ben Wilson and Liz Richardson, about how they approached the design and what the project involved. “By the time we actually finish it, it will be the end of a four-year cycle with Saga.” The pair travelled on the Saga Sapphire in the Mediterranean in the summer of 2015 to “get an insight as to who they [Saga] are, how they operate and, most importantly, to get an insight into the minds of their guests.” Ideas were presented, some of which “were loved and some that came back with constructive feedback.” They also met with the crew to discover their views of the crew spaces, as these were considered as equally important by Saga. What has distinguished this project from others, according to the design pair, is that it has been “quite a personal project” in comparison to other projects, due to this close level of interaction with the client. Richardson elaborates by saying, “It is not being built for Saga but for their clientele. We had a blank piece of paper, almost like a shopping list with questions for Saga and their passengers. We had focus groups with passengers and reached key design milestones with them. It has been a unique experience for us to know the guests that you are designing for already. Maybe this is the way things should be. We normally talk to one individual or a small team that represents the client, in this case it was 500: new passengers, repeat passengers, different age demographics – a good cross-section of guests that Saga currently has including couples and singles.” The design brief was for British contemporary classic incorporating a certain degree of nostalgia, but with a modern feel along the lines of good London hotel design. “Nothing onboard is flashy or glitzy; for example, the carpets are not large-scale patterns but are based on the waft and weaves of the carpet manufacturing process,” Richardson says. Wilson adds, “Saga didn’t want it to be themed. This is not a cruise ship first, but a hotel that happens to float.” Part of the brief was that Saga wanted the ship to have a consistent design thread with intimate spaces, as a lot of the passengers were worried that going up in size to 999 guests would make the ship feel too big. Richardson says. “We wanted to make the ship as a whole feel smaller. As you come through the ship, there is a thread throughout to make it feel like one entity rather Spirit of Discovery docked at Meyer Werft prior to its conveyance 28-35 .indd 6 27.8.2019 6.47
? than different styles and areas.” In order to achieve this, they laid out all the finishes throughout the ship to make sure that nothing jarred. “Each area has its own character, but together it sits as one family,” she adds. While incorporating existing spaces from the old vessels, such as the East to West Asian restaurant and the Britannia Lounge, the larger size of the ship has allowed for a new 400-plus seat West End-style theatre, The Playhouse, rather than a show lounge as on the current ships. “It is certainly quite a ‘wow’ space. Everyone has a good view, which was crucial to the planning of the room to ensure it was fit for purpose,” Wilson says. The accommodation of a larger library was a challenge that was resolved by creating intimate zones and areas of interest. “There are nooks and crannies for private spaces in what is a big room.” Richardson says. “The furniture has a retro feel, with 40 different items of furniture in there, complemented by artwork by six different artists in the space. Although the book shelves are classic in design, there is a contemporary twist through the color palette.” The room can also play host to art classes in the Arts and Craft area, while also hosting competitive bridge tournaments within The Card Room. Dining options The new Coast to Coast seafood-based restaurant on deck 6 has been designed as a space with elements that complement one another. “From the color of the banquettes, carpet and artwork, everything sits together as a contemporary collection of finishes in this fine dining environment with great views out to sea,” Wilson notes. This restaurant is then in contrast to the East to West Asian restaurant, which comes with a darker and richer Spa with a vitality pool 28-35 .indd 7 27.8.2019 6.47 Discover the silence of the seas Be it in deluxe cruise ships or offshore platforms, all voyagers and crew members deserve unparalleled safety and comfort. Our marine doors are custom designed to insulate rooms from noises and to block off external disturbances so that the only thing your guests or crew can nd behind the door is an unforgettable experience. www.antti-teollisuus. | tel. +358 2 774 4700
34 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 color palette, amplified by traditional artwork playing as a backdrop to the design of the room. The Grand Dining Room with its double-height ceiling has a floor-to-ceiling marble and mirror detail accented with delicate light fittings above, harking back to the heritage of classical liners. There is a large central area that will host the Captain’s table, and to the side there are banquette and booth areas to reduce the feeling of being an open-plan layout. “The challenge in this space was to accommodate close to 500 guests, but to create moments of intimacy in this busy restaurant,” Wilson explains. “How do we break it up? We did so by giving personality to the spaces with individually-created artworks and utilizing the ship’s structure to create these intimate zones, avoiding the look of a sea of furniture and white table cloths.” The Club by Jools restaurant and bar is an exciting new concept and space for Saga, which wanted to attract younger passengers. “This ship is all about choice. The younger demographic from 50plus may prefer not to go to The Grand Dining Room but to The Club which also has dining. The feel, tone and color of these two spaces have the same essence. Passengers won’t feel lesser in one than another. It is their choice as to how they want to dine.” There are five dining options in total. The promenade deck harks back to the era of classic cruise liners, allowing passengers to walk all the way around the vessel. The curved aft decks allow access from The Terrace on deck 6 up to The Verandah on deck 12. Where previously there may have been top suites, this is now the perfect location for sail-away parties. All of the aft decks can be easily accessed from the cabin corridors. One of the most challenging spaces to design was The South Cape Bar on deck 6 “because everyone has a different idea of what their ideal pub or bar is,” explains Wilson. “A quintessential English pub doesn’t sit well with a high-end hotel, so we had to work hard on the aesthetic concept of the space. The attention to detail and finishes are top quality, complemented by the artwork on the walls that are a fine representation of the craft and skill shown throughout the art collection onboard.” Artwork and signage Speaking of artwork, SMC Art Consultancy worked closely with Lance Batchelor, Group CEO at Saga, on the collection. Featured are works from over 40 different British-based artists, each unique and especially commissioned for the ship. This attention to detail and craft is followed through within the interiors, where more than 20 birds can be found for the passengers to seek out in the detailing of wall graphics, soft furnishings and decorative light fittings. In terms of way-finding and signage, this is in keeping with the aesthetic of the interiors while being legible and informative to the passenger demographic. With respect to smaller design details, contrasting stair treads were used in the stair halls, slightly raised seat heights were specified for the furniture and ramps were made as long as possible where required onboard. “We included these subtle design tweaks as an aide to the guest to ensure a comfortable experience within our public spaces,” notes Wilson. Cabin design Twenty percent of cabins are dedicated to single guests. “A lot of single guests travelling alone were going into a cabin with two of everything. That didn’t sit comfortably with them. With these single occupancy cabins, they won’t feel like an inferior guest by missing out on amenities through not paying a higher price,” Richardson says. All cabins have a balcony and range in size from 185 square feet (single) to 855 square feet (individually-designed forward suites). As for the design of the cabins, the brief was to create a “boutique hotel room.” Richardson adds, “It was important for us to create a cabin design high in comfort levels and variation. To provide this level of luxury comfort to the guest, a spacious cabin design was foreseen, with texture and color complementing the dark walnut furniture within the bedroom and bathroom areas. To create variation, each cabin along the corridor is unique to itself through subtle changes in the soft furnishings or the artwork within the rooms.” Crew areas also were designed with an eye toward detail. “I would say this is perhaps something that all companies are doing and something that Saga started four years ago,” Wilson says. “This ship was a blank sheet of paper. Anything that we considered for the passengers, we had to replicate in terms of level of detail for the crew.” Spaces dedicated to the crew are larger in comparison to ships of the same scale, according to Wilson. The Crew Mess accommodates close to 200 people, while The Officer’s Club is a separate entity. The crew have their own bar, gym, shop, a classroom that can double as a cinema and sports facilities on top of the ship. “We have designed this outside space with one of their original wishes in mind, to have recreational facilities onboard for them to enjoy in their downtime.” Richardson continues: “The crew were considered from the start, and Saga wanted to give back to a crew that was much loved by the their guests. They are not just working in the hotel but living there too. Saga wanted to make the whole hotel design to flow, not just in the passenger areas but also the crew areas. I think that is an enviable feature.” Although most of the crew cabins may not be as large as the passenger accommodations, the overall visual look is on a par with the rest of the ship. Due to the high amount of traffic in the crew areas, everything has to be more durable. Nevertheless the look is bright and fresh, with graphical images on the bulkhead and artwork throughout. “We have been more playful with furnishings and furniture in these private crew areas,” says Wilson. SMC Design was responsible for all the interiors, artwork and signage, and uniquely, the ship’s exterior styling. “It was important for Saga that everything developed inside the hotel was complemented by the profile and structural features on the outside of the ship, nowhere more predominantly shown than in The Lido on deck 12,” Wilson explains. Richardson concludes by talking about the “very close communication and good work ethic between us, Saga and Meyer Werft shipyard, which has benefited the quality of design from our point of view. Being Liz Richardson and Ben Wilson Regular cabin with a balcony 28-35 .indd 8 27.8.2019 6.47
TH E B ES T GU AR AN T E E T H E MAR KET CA N O FF E R Quality & Service Guarantee DOBEL® metalcolour.com K L A SI FI E D .s e JU N E 2 01 9 DOBEL® FILM LAMINATED METAL For Exclusive Interior Design DOBEL® F 105 allows designers to be creative in form while retaining both functional and safety properties. The combination of strong and highly shapeable metal together with design features in foils gives a versatile material very suitable for exclusive interiors. DOBEL® F 105 also meets all relevant and necessary approvals in the Marine Sector and comes with the best Quality and Service Guarantee the market can offer. Metalcolour is also well known for its unique flexibility, reliabilitiy and service approach. pnr3600-annons-CBdotcomMag-halvsida-2juni-mc-infor.indd 1 2019-06-03 15:28 SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY Technical information Gross tonnage 58,250 Length oa 236m Beam 31.2m Moulded draught 7.3m Passenger capacity, maximum 1,048 Crew 530 Classification society Germanischer Lloyd/DNV Flag United Kingdom Main engines 4 x MAN 32/44 CR @ 54,000kW each, 720 rpm Main alternators 4 x Siemens 5,840 kVa Bow thrusters 2 x Brunvoll Stabilisers 1 set SKF S700, 16m2 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 35 able to meet every week to discuss the project was a major advantage, as compared with doing everything by phone and email. Saga then fed back to the focus groups, which in turn was fed back to SMC, allowing the design to evolve naturally.” Technical aspects The newbuilding has been “as close to a blank piece of paper as you can get” and has given the company “a huge opportunity” in terms of the technical aspects, according to Pickett. “Compared to our current ships, our efficiency per mile per passenger has improved by about 25%. We wanted to be compliant but also future-proof the vessel.” The partnership has been “excellent” with Meyer Werft, bringing a lot of added value into the machinery design. “It is my first ship where there has not been a legacy relationship between the owner and builder, and there has not been a fleet out there to use as a reference. That has given us a free hand to design and to express Meyer’s engineering skill,” Pickett notes. “Meyer has not built a ship of these dimensions for some while, so some of the design challenges are amplified by being smaller vessels, as there is not a limitless amount of space. It demands a lot of focus on the coordination of different services and plant on board. The owner and shipyard teams have been able to brainstorm to come up with solutions we didn’t think possible when we started this journey. We were both working towards the same goal: to make it very high quality and a safe ship which is highly capable.” The improved efficiency comes from a range of measures including a first on a cruise ship: eSiPODs from Siemens. “These are a highly efficient, permanent magnet design which has found a lot of applications in ferries in the Baltic. It is a very robust and reliable design giving great maneuverability and efficiency.” There are four MAN 32/44 common rail engines of 5.4mW each. There are four hybrid scrubbers and SCRs fitted. The ship is Tier III compliant with NOx requirements, which was all part of the initial design. Multistage chillers from Engie mean that the air-conditioning demand can be matched to the performance of the machines. Fan coils are fitted in the cabins and there is heat recovery within the air-handling unit. LED lighting is fitted throughout the ship from back-of-house into the main lounges. In terms of safety and automation, Kongsberg has provided the bridge equipment, automation and safety management and control system, meaning that it is fully integrated. “Because there is no interface between players, we have been able to focus on safe and ergonomic operation of the ship. Kongsberg has huge experience with the offshore industry, so it has reviewed our approach to safety.” Pickett says. Evacuation studies conducted by Lloyd’s Register created scenarios as near to real life as possible. “Their input was invaluable in terms of our activities and has been incorporated into the design. It is really exciting but has also been a huge challenge.” On July 5, the Spirit of Discovery was the first cruise ship to be named at the port of Dover for over a decade, following a £250 million (€280 million) redevelopment of the Dover Western Docks. The vessel sailed on its maiden voyage, a circumnavigation of the British Isles, on July 10. A sister ship, the Spirit of Adventure, will join the Saga fleet in 2020. n 28-35 .indd 9 27.8.2019 6.47
T h e a r t o f d e c k i n g No limits in ship decks for: Cruise ships ? Ferries ? Mega yachts ? Rivercruise vessels ? Cattle carriers ? Fishing vessels ? OPV’s ? Offshore platforms ? Tugs & Workboats ? Navy vessels www.bolidt.com Cruisebusiness Magazine_summer2019.19-08-13.indd 1 13-8-2019 16:00:55 36-37 ja 40-41-42-43 .indd 2 29.8.2019 7.36
? CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 37 ? SHIP REVIEW T h e a r t o f d e c k i n g No limits in ship decks for: Cruise ships ? Ferries ? Mega yachts ? Rivercruise vessels ? Cattle carriers ? Fishing vessels ? OPV’s ? Offshore platforms ? Tugs & Workboats ? Navy vessels www.bolidt.com Cruisebusiness Magazine_summer2019.19-08-13.indd 1 13-8-2019 16:00:55 SPECTRUM OF THE SEAS – BUILT FOR CHINA The Spectrum of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s third Quantum-class newbuild destined for Asia and specifically for the Chinese source market. Compared to the earlier Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas, the Spectrum of the Seas is also slightly larger at 169,379 gross tons – hence the ship has been dubbed the “Quantum Ultra.” Silver Dining Room for suite guests 36-37 ja 40-41-42-43 .indd 3 29.8.2019 7.36
www.koja.com T o meet the demand of its growing orderbook and to raise efficiency, Koja Marine has invested time and money in its main Jalasjärvi production plant. But business does not stand still, so management continues to gradually install new work methods to further increase output and quality. Jalasjärvi is not a well-known place even in Finland, so to foreigners it’s a bit like going to the moon. In some ways, Koja Marine’s factory there is like stepping off a spaceship, as automation is the watchword after an $11 million expansion and re-tooling completed in 2016. “Even so, our problem is fulfilling orders, which we have done sometimes by working through weekends,” says Esko Nousiainen, Koja Marine Director. Currently all production is exported, heading for France and Germany for the large cruise ships being built at St. Nazaire, Papenburg and Wismar/Rostock. For example, after an intensive Saturday and Sunday, a shipment left Monday morning to arrive three days later on the French coast, where cranes awaited to lift the equipment onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas. Just-intime delivery had arrived and taken on a new dimension. “Output now is based on demand-only to enable customer order/project-driven production, even including a batch of one,” says Production Manager Juha Sinisaari. “Nothing is made for stock.” He has a pivotal role nowadays introducing the new LEAN working principles to the workforce. “We are just at the beginning of a long road, which includes JIT and concentrating on activities that create value for the customer by trying to remove and recycle scrap, unwanted transportation and unnecessary movement. There has been much progress so far, but big steps are still to be taken.” The obstacles to making shipboard air-handling units (AHU) are multiple, as anticipating requirements almost needs a fortune-teller’s foresight. “The lead time for components is 2-3 months and last-minute changes make life very difficult. On cruise vessels, changes can be daily,” Nousiainen explains. On average, each AHU is produced from pressing “start” on the automated panel to completion, including preand post-testing every five days depending on size and complexity, of course. But it must be borne in mind that delivery time for electric motors is 6-8 months, requiring batches to be ordered months in advance. Nousiainen cites the example of the popular 690V motor that is made by one company only and in Brazil. “When production is on track using signed approval of the technical drawings, then it is our challenge to meet them and carry out the changes. Sometimes we have had to do ’retro’ modifications to make them fit into the new layout,” Nousianen points out, referring in diplomatic language to re-opening packed AHU’s to meet the new specifications. Unlike onshore AHUs, which Koja also makes, the marine versions offer two choices: galvanized or stainless steel. “The former is cheaper, but stainless is longer lasting in harsh conditions that are a fact of sea life. Galvanized AHUs demand constant repair after a certain time, but owners are now coming around to investing in stainless steel, as in the long run it is better,” Nousiainen says. “In paying a bit extra, they are 100% sure there are no problems for a long time. Accordingly we give a 2-year guarantee,” is how Nousiainen expresses his confidence in the stainless option. Royal Caribbean has opted for stainless steel for its Quantum-class ships, as have new Baltic ferry customers. The Baltic Sea has low salinity, but even so, the case for choosing stainless is so compelling. Both men agree that Koja Marine’s plans and resulting success come down to a unique recipe. “Unlike our rivals, we have our own R&D, production, project teams, electrical and automation, HVAC and cabin automation. It is an extremely competitive package, and we are able to ‘pick raisins from buns,’ as we say in Finnish,” Nousiainen jests, using the local version of cherry-picking. On the orderbook that can be reOnboard air – handle with care! Onboard air – handle with care! vealed are several cruise vessels and automation projects being built for various owners. For some, the cherryor raisinpicking is just the automation package, as the complete AHU package can be outside a vessel’s budget. Sinisaari also feels that Jalasjärvi’s location in Finland’s rural Pohjanmaa province provides the ideal workforce, as the locals are known for their stability and motivation as well as being hard working. “Many have been here for over 20 years, so along with our world-class technology and the new LEAN principles, l expect a lot from training our workforce which needs focus and concentration,” Sinisaari concludes. Customers who make the trek to Jalasjärvi not only get to see some of Finland’s countryside but also get a peek at what is happening on their behalf. And thankfully – despite the automation – humans not aliens work in Jalasjärvi. Air-handling unit Automated production line Recovery wheel SPONSORED CONTENT 36-37.indd 2 28.8.2019 9:25:35
www.koja.com T o meet the demand of its growing orderbook and to raise efficiency, Koja Marine has invested time and money in its main Jalasjärvi production plant. But business does not stand still, so management continues to gradually install new work methods to further increase output and quality. Jalasjärvi is not a well-known place even in Finland, so to foreigners it’s a bit like going to the moon. In some ways, Koja Marine’s factory there is like stepping off a spaceship, as automation is the watchword after an $11 million expansion and re-tooling completed in 2016. “Even so, our problem is fulfilling orders, which we have done sometimes by working through weekends,” says Esko Nousiainen, Koja Marine Director. Currently all production is exported, heading for France and Germany for the large cruise ships being built at St. Nazaire, Papenburg and Wismar/Rostock. For example, after an intensive Saturday and Sunday, a shipment left Monday morning to arrive three days later on the French coast, where cranes awaited to lift the equipment onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas. Just-intime delivery had arrived and taken on a new dimension. “Output now is based on demand-only to enable customer order/project-driven production, even including a batch of one,” says Production Manager Juha Sinisaari. “Nothing is made for stock.” He has a pivotal role nowadays introducing the new LEAN working principles to the workforce. “We are just at the beginning of a long road, which includes JIT and concentrating on activities that create value for the customer by trying to remove and recycle scrap, unwanted transportation and unnecessary movement. There has been much progress so far, but big steps are still to be taken.” The obstacles to making shipboard air-handling units (AHU) are multiple, as anticipating requirements almost needs a fortune-teller’s foresight. “The lead time for components is 2-3 months and last-minute changes make life very difficult. On cruise vessels, changes can be daily,” Nousiainen explains. On average, each AHU is produced from pressing “start” on the automated panel to completion, including preand post-testing every five days depending on size and complexity, of course. But it must be borne in mind that delivery time for electric motors is 6-8 months, requiring batches to be ordered months in advance. Nousiainen cites the example of the popular 690V motor that is made by one company only and in Brazil. “When production is on track using signed approval of the technical drawings, then it is our challenge to meet them and carry out the changes. Sometimes we have had to do ’retro’ modifications to make them fit into the new layout,” Nousianen points out, referring in diplomatic language to re-opening packed AHU’s to meet the new specifications. Unlike onshore AHUs, which Koja also makes, the marine versions offer two choices: galvanized or stainless steel. “The former is cheaper, but stainless is longer lasting in harsh conditions that are a fact of sea life. Galvanized AHUs demand constant repair after a certain time, but owners are now coming around to investing in stainless steel, as in the long run it is better,” Nousiainen says. “In paying a bit extra, they are 100% sure there are no problems for a long time. Accordingly we give a 2-year guarantee,” is how Nousiainen expresses his confidence in the stainless option. Royal Caribbean has opted for stainless steel for its Quantum-class ships, as have new Baltic ferry customers. The Baltic Sea has low salinity, but even so, the case for choosing stainless is so compelling. Both men agree that Koja Marine’s plans and resulting success come down to a unique recipe. “Unlike our rivals, we have our own R&D, production, project teams, electrical and automation, HVAC and cabin automation. It is an extremely competitive package, and we are able to ‘pick raisins from buns,’ as we say in Finnish,” Nousiainen jests, using the local version of cherry-picking. On the orderbook that can be reOnboard air – handle with care! Onboard air – handle with care! vealed are several cruise vessels and automation projects being built for various owners. For some, the cherryor raisinpicking is just the automation package, as the complete AHU package can be outside a vessel’s budget. Sinisaari also feels that Jalasjärvi’s location in Finland’s rural Pohjanmaa province provides the ideal workforce, as the locals are known for their stability and motivation as well as being hard working. “Many have been here for over 20 years, so along with our world-class technology and the new LEAN principles, l expect a lot from training our workforce which needs focus and concentration,” Sinisaari concludes. Customers who make the trek to Jalasjärvi not only get to see some of Finland’s countryside but also get a peek at what is happening on their behalf. And thankfully – despite the automation – humans not aliens work in Jalasjärvi. Air-handling unit Automated production line Recovery wheel SPONSORED CONTENT 36-37.indd 3 28.8.2019 9:25:35
? R oyal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) took delivery of the 26th ship in the Royal Caribbean International fleet in Bremerhaven in early April. The ship was built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and represents a fourth unit in the line’s Quantum class, first introduced in 2014. Since the Quantum of the Seas, Meyer Werft has delivered the Anthem of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas prior to the Spectrum of the Seas. With a slightly larger gross tonnage than previous Quantum-class ships, the Spectrum of the Seas carries more passengers – 4,246 in double occupancy versus 4,140. The maximum guest capacity is 5,622 with 1,551 crew members. The Spectrum has been tailored more to Chinese tastes than were its predecessors in the market, the Quantum and Ovation. While the Quantum still sails in Asia, the Ovation has been redeployed to Alaska and Australia. During the last couple of years, there have been numerous newbuilds specifically designed and built for the Asian market. Earlier this year, Costa Asia – part of Carnival Corporation’s Costa Group – introduced the heavily Italian-themed Costa Venezia in China. Next year, this vessel will be followed by the Costa Firenze. Sister company Princess Cruises has invested in the China market with the Majestic Princess, and Hong Kong-based Dream Cruises – part of Genting Cruise Lines – has introduced the Genting Dream and World Dream. The company is also constructing two 204,000 gross ton Global-class ships in its own shipyards in Germany. New enclave for suite guests The Spectrum’s new features include Royal Caribbean’s first exclusive, suites-only area, which features Golden and Silver accommodations in a private enclave at the forward end of the ship on decks 13 through 16. Cruise guests booked in these luxury suites have special keycard access, a private elevator and dedicated restaurant and lounge. In addition to a range of exclusive amenities, guests have access to a private outdoor space called The Balcony and to a shopping area called The Boutique, where they can book private shopping experiences. The two-level, 2,809-square-foot Ultimate Family Suite can accommodate up to 11 guests. The three-bedroom suite includes a master bedroom and two additional bedrooms for grandparents and other family members. Children have their own space on the upper level, complete with an in-suite slide that connects with the living 40 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 Spectrum of the Seas sails from Shanghai and Hong Kong Main Dining Room Sichuan Red 36-37 ja 40-41-42-43 .indd 4 29.8.2019 7.37
Valmet is a global supplier of automation and SOx scrubber technologies for the marine industry. Our Valmet DNA automation system provides maximum performance for your control and monitoring needs. With our innovative hybrid scrubber system you can ensure cost-e cient and exible compliance with increasingly stringent environmental regulation. More than 40 years of marine innovation has taught us how to help you in navigating your business forward. valmet.com/marine Moving automation, energy management and sustainability solutions forward Sovereign of the Seas, Seaward, Seabourn Pride, Star Princess, Seabourn Spirit, Club Med I, Fantasy, Westerdam, Nordic Empress, Crown Princess, Horizon, Silja Serenade, Ecstasy, Regal Princess, Monarch of the Seas, Hanseatic, Silja Symphony, Majesty of the Seas, Dreamward, Zenith, Royal Viking Queen, Club Med II, Crown Jewel, Gruziya, Costa Allegra, Barfleur, Normandie, Windward, Crown Dynasty, Costa Romantica, Kazakhstan II, American Adventure, Kong Harald, Richard With, Nordlys, Oriana, Legend of the Seas, Century, Splendour of the Seas, Sun Princess, Carnival Destiny, Galaxy, Costa Victoria, Grandeur of the Seas, Nordkapp, Rhapsody of the Seas, Dawn Princess, Mercury, Enchantment of the Seas, Nordnorge, Vision of the Seas, Grand Princess, Sea Princess, R One, R Two, Voyager of the Seas, R Three, R Four, R Five, R Six, R Seven, R Eight, Norwegian Sky, Seven Seas Navigator, Explorer of the Seas, Aurora, Costa Atlantica, Millenium, Infinity, Adventurer of the Seas, Carnival Spirit, Radiance of the Seas, Norwegian Sun, Summit, Brilliance of the Seas, Constellation, Coral Princess, Navigator of the Seas, Island Princess, Crystal Serenity, Mariner of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Carnival Miracle, Jewel of the Seas, PontAven, Caribbean Princess, Carnival Valor, Pride of America, Norwegian Jewel, Carnival Liberty, Pride of Hawaii, Freedom of the Seas, Crown Princess, MSC Musica, Norwegian Pearl, Liberty of the Seas, Emerald Princess, MSC Orchestra, Norwegian Gem, Ventura, MSC Poesia, Independence of the Seas, Ruby Princess, MSC Fantasia, Celebrity Solstice, MSC Splendida, Oasis of the Seas, Celebrity Equinox, MSC Magnifica, Carnival Dream, Silver Spirit, Azura, Celebrity Eclipse, Le Boreal, Norwegian Epic, Queen Elizabeth, Allure of the Seas, L’Austal, Disney Dream, Carnival Magic, Celebrity Silhouette, Disney Fantasy, Carnival Breeze, MSC Divina, Celebrity Reflection, MSC Preziosa, Royal Princess, Mein Schiff 3, Regal Princess, Quantum of the Seas, Mein Schiff 4, Britannia, Anthem of the Seas, Carnival Vista, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Mein Schiff 5, Silver Muse, Seabourn Encore, Majestic Princess, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Seaside, Symphony of the Seas, MSC Seaview, Seabourn Ovation, Mein Schiff 1, Aida Helios, Celebrity Edge, Mein Schiff 2, Costa Venezia, MSC Belissima, Spectrum of the Seas, Sky Princess, MSC Grandioza, Carnival Panorama 36-37 ja 40-41-42-43 .indd 5 29.8.2019 7.37
42 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 area below. Everyone in the family can enjoy time together in the recreation room, featuring surround-sound equipment for karaoke, movies and video games. The Ultimate Family Suite concept was first introduced onboard the Oasis-class Symphony of the Seas. Grand Main Dining Room returns On the Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International departed from the single, multi-deck grand dining room its ships were known for, opting instead for four smaller, intimate restaurants with open seating and different menus. On the Spectrum, however, Royal Caribbean has returned to the single Main Dining Room concept. (The previous Quantum-class sister ships still feature the four smaller, separate restaurants.) New dining concepts on the Spectrum include Sichuan Red with authentic cuisine from the Sichuan province of China. Wonderland’s Dadong is a new outpost from Chinese chef Dong Zhenxiang, renowned for his roast duck. Another new specialty venue found only on the Spectrum is the Leaf and Bean traditional tea room and cafe parlor, offering a range of authentic Chinese teas and classic coffee drinks, as well as Chinese and westerns desserts and pastries. Other new dining venues include the Noodle Bar and Splashaway Cafe, both of which are included in the cruise fare, and Teppanyaki, which carries a la carte pricing. Mainstays of the Quantum class’s dining options present on the Spectrum include the Windjammer buffet restaurant, Jamie’s Italian and Izumi Japanese cuisine, among others. Wonderland Teppanyaki Sky Pad 36-37 ja 40-41-42-43 .indd 6 29.8.2019 7.37
taking the responsibility setting the course for sustainable shipbuilding We Build Great Spaces www.nit.fi CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 43 New karaoke facility Debuting on the Spectrum is a new karaoke venue, Star Moment. SeaPlex – the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea where passengers can enjoy bumper cars, roller skating and basketball – has been enhanced with new augmented reality walls and floors providing high-tech interactive experiences. To complement the Quantum class’s high-tech favorites like the North Star (a glass capsule that takes guests more than 300 feet above the ocean for a panoramic ride), the RipCord by iFly (a skydiving simulator experience) and the FlowRider surfing simulator, the Spectrum is also the first ship in the class to be fitted with the Sky Pad – a virtual reality, bungee trampoline experience located at the aft of the ship. The Sky Pad has also been retrofitted on several Voyagerand Freedom-class ships as part of the brand’s Royal Amplified refurbishment program. Cutting edge Two70 Perhaps the most cutting-edge venue on the Quantum-class ships – including the Spectrum – is Two70 with its expansive floor-to-ceiling windows offering 270 degree views over the ship’s wake. Two70 features its signature Vistarama technology, which transforms the panoramic windows into a projection surface more than 100 feet wide and over 20 feet tall to showcase spectacular digital shows. Six agile Roboscreens, measuring over 7 feet tall and controlled by powerful, yet nimble robotic arms, create scenes as they soar and twist solo or as one. Two70 also features new room-scale augmented reality experiences. RCCL Chairman and CEO Richard Fain once quipped that designing and creating Two70 cost as much as the company’s first ship, the Song of Norway, did to build in 1970. A second Quantum Ultra ship, to be called the Odyssey of the Seas, is scheduled to make its debut in the fall of 2020. n Splashaway Bay 36-37 ja 40-41-42-43 .indd 7 29.8.2019 7.37
44 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 SHIP REVIEW MSC INTRODUCES ‘CALMER’ BELLISSIMA MSC Cruises launched a bold investment plan in 2014 to support the second phase of its growth through the order of five ships in the Meraviglia class and four in the Seaside class. In April 2016, the company further announced it would build four World-class ships, each with LNG propulsion technology. Finally, in October 2018, MSC Cruises announced that it was entering the ultra-luxury cruise market with the order of four ships for over €2 billion. CruiseBusiness.com Magazine looks at the MSC Bellissima, the latest of the line’s newbuildings to enter service. By Susan Parker MSC Yacht Club Galleria Bellissima MSC Bellissima was named in Southampton 44-47 .indd 2 27.8.2019 6.50
? CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 45 T he MSC Bellissima is the 16th ship in the MSC Cruises fleet, one of 17 new ships being delivered between 2017 and 2026, and a sister ship to the MSC Meraviglia. Christened in Southampton on March 2, the vessel set sail for the Western Mediterranean. After its inaugural season in the Med, the ship will winter in the United Arab Emirates before moving on to Asia. De Jorio Design International, which has been designing ships for MSC Cruises for almost 20 years, was the lead designer and coordinator for the MSC Bellissima. While maintaining the class, comfort and modern elegance that the studio has always given to MSC ships, the 5,686-passenger and 171,598 gross ton (315 meters long and 43 meters wide) MSC Bellissima has been given a style of its own. The Italian studio has designed all the cabins, suites and apartments, and most of the public areas of the ship. Architects Marco de Jorio, Chief Executive Officer and sole director of the studio, his brother Vittorio and their staff of architects and designers, are the fundamental link between the shipowner and shipbuilder STX France, providing a central thread that is very important in the industrial process. Two approaches Marco de Jorio points out some of the differences between the MSC Bellissima and its sister ship: “MSC Bellissima is more calm, more elegant [than the more colorful first in class]. One year ago, we started to introduce elements for the Chinese market. There are now two approaches [to this market]. One is offering a Chinese product, the other is offering a more Western product to the Chinese market. The concept of cruise is very new to the Chinese market. It is not only the point to attract the Chinese who love the Western/European style but to bring people to China, so MSC offers services like a lot of shopping and entertainment, but not a Chinese ship.” This has brought about some changes in the retail and entertainment spaces. Where there was the library on the MSC Meraviglia, there are new shops on the MSC Bellissima stocking more brands. And in the Piazzetta on deck 6 of the Inner Promenade, there are new retail counters instead of an iconic sculpture. Changes have been made to other spaces, too, such as The Yacht Club. “It follows more the philosophy of MSC Seaside,” he says. “Whereas there was a restaurant and lounge separated on two decks, now there is an open space with a parade stairs with Swarovski steps linking the lounge below with the restaurant above. It is a more elegant, amazing space. That is a big change.” The Aurea Spa wet areas on the MSC Bellissima have been adjusted, and there is more glass and stone brick in the common area instead of fake rocks, making it “more elegant,” according to De Jorio. Commenting on the spaces that were more difficult to create, he says, “The most challenging to design are the big areas where you have to design and coordinate with other studios.” Different style and taste In this respect, SMC designed the bistro while YSA Design took on the tapas bar “to have a different style and taste,” as well as the 700-square-meter children’s area. The latter consists of five different kids’ clubs and seven different rooms to suit every age group from toddlers to teenagers. The Jean-Philippe Maury Chocolat & Cafe, TV Studio & Bar/comedy club and the center and aft pool areas were designed by Tillberg Design. In the Carousel Lounge, which was created by De Jorio International for the Cirque du Soleil at Sea performances, the stage is wider, catering to two new Cirque shows (SYMA-Sail beyond Imagination and VARÉLIA-Love in Full Colour) created exclusively for the MSC Bellissima. The area for after-show disco entertainment has Marco de Jorio Arizona Aquapark 44-47 .indd 3 27.8.2019 6.50
46 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 also been made larger. The 400-plus seat lounge represents an investment of €20 million, with a unique 360° rotating stage in the middle of the lounge, a 40-meter-long LED screen and special rigging to enable the artists to perform aerial acrobatics. In addition, six new shows are being performed at The Broadway Theatre, while the expanded shopping area is the largest in the entire MSC fleet. It includes three additional shops for 13 in total, offering an increased number of international brands, including Bulgari, Damiani and Chopard. Twelve dining venues There are 12 different dining venues, with a selection of complimentary, casual and specialty restaurants to choose from. There are three main restaurants – the Lighthouse, Il Ciliegio and Le Cerisier – and a 3,650-square-meter Marketplace buffet. For the first time, German chef Harald Wohlfahrt (the only German chef to hold a 3-star Michelin rating for 25 years in a row) has developed an exclusive menu for the MSC Yacht Club, plus two different main courses for “elegant night” in the ship’s main restaurants. Two new restaurants make their debut aboard the MSC Bellissima: Hola! Tapas Bar and l’Atelier Bistrot. The former culinary experience was created by 2-star Michelin chef Ramón Freixa. The 150-square-meter restaurant has both communal and individual seating for 56. A selection of starters, main dishes or tapas to share, along with a variety of wine and beer options and cocktails, such as Spanish sangria, are served throughout the day. Replacing the Eataly restaurant, the 80-seat Parisian-style bistro is a new concept for MSC, serving a selection of savory snacks such as tartares, charcuterie and cheese selections, as well as larger traditional French dishes such as boeuf bourguignon, steak tartare and duck confit. Passengers can drop in from morning to night for a pure butter croissant and cafe au lait or for champagne and oysters. Zoe cruise assistant Passenger accommodations comprise 2,217 cabins of varying sizes ranging from 12 interior studios (12.2 square meters) to two Royal suites (56 square meters), 1,418 of which have a private balcony. The line’s digital platform MSC for Me – created exclusively by MSC Cruises and Harman International – has introduced Zoe, the world’s first voice-enabled artificial intelligence cruise assistant, in every cabin. It answers passenger questions and is available in seven languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Mandarin). During the research period, 30 different accents were analyzed and 2.2 million questions were asked in training Zoe; of those, 800-plus commonly asked questions were programmed. Forty different cabin positions were tested for the best audio experience and 3,000 tests were carried out in the proof-of-concept phase. Four hundred different people trained Zoe. Other capabilities include a Bluetooth connection to play music, professional quality audio and far-field microphones, a quad core processor and beating heart to humanize interaction. To make sure passengers have easy access to information and each other, the MSC Bellissima is fitted with 2,217 in-cabin smart TVs, 3,302 onboard navigation sensors, 195 information screens, 94 interactive screens, 57 video wall monitors, 2,217 Zoe devices, 704 access points and 2,217 cabins with smart lock systems. Marine operations When it comes to marine operations, Bud Darr, Executive Vice President of Maritime Policy & Government Affairs for MSC Cruises, told CruiseBusiness.com Magazine that “MSC Bellissima carries 20% more passengers than on the Fantasia-class but requires the same energy consumption. MSC Meraviglia, which was delivered in 2017 from St. Nazaire, carried 20% more guests than the previous newbuilding but 20% less energy is needed.” Energy efficiency comes in the form of many savings onboard, but HVAC is “very, very important,” according to Darr, who says “40% of our power needs come from the hotel and auxiliary service, of which HVAC is the biggest. Optimization of that can really make a difference. LED lighting also makes a big difference.” Discussing MSC’s development in terms of technology, he points out that of the 16 ships in the fleet, 11 have closed loop/hybrid exhaust-gas cleaning systems. By the end of this year that will mean 74% of the fleets’ berths will be covered. He adds, however, “We have some ships that will need a pure fuel solution.” Water is not bunkered but made onboard. “We have capacity to produce two million liters of water a day on one ship.” The quest to rid the supply chain of single-use plastics continues; for example, butter containers are now foil instead of plastic and all straws were replaced by the end of 2014. Plastic water bottles and room keys have yet to be changed. While the MSC Bellissima is fitted to plug into shore power, Darr explains that there are only 15 out of 1,500 ports with shore power capability. Solid waste management, including recycling, is constantly being improved to include “minimization of waste in the first place” and responsible management thereof. In terms of food waste, he says, “It is an area of focus in MSC now that was not before. I think there are big gains to be made there.” Looking ahead, Darr notes that planning for the future is a vital part of the newbuilding puzzle. “We don’t know exactly what the lifespan is of a modern cruise ship. I think it is probably about 40 years. MSC Bellissima [could remain in service] up to 2059, so decisions made today have an impact for the future.” n The main pool area Butcher’s Cut is one of the specialty restaurants 44-47 .indd 4 27.8.2019 6.50
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48 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 MARKET UPDATE NEWBUILDINGS TRANSFORM EXPEDITION MARKET The expedition cruise sector will change significantly in the course of this year as several newbuildings enter service, some of them highly sophisticated from a technical point of view and many offering very high quality passenger accommodations. By Kari Reinikainen Hanseatic Nature offers luxurious accommodations 48-52 .indd 2 28.8.2019 11.19
? CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 49 A mong the companies enjoying the most significant growth in the sector is Ponant, the French expedition cruise specialist, which has already received two 10,000 gross ton newbuildings from the Vard group in Norway. The first one, Le Bougainville, was delivered in the spring and the second, Le Dumont-d’Urville, followed in June. The company now has four of these 184-passenger vessels in service, as the first two units of the class were delivered last year. Two more are due for delivery in 2020. The 130-meter-long vessels have six decks with 92 cabins spread over four of them. The ships are heavily ice-strengthened for operation in high latitudes, and they have Clean Ship certification from the French classification society Bureau Veritas. Among their features is a silent electric propulsion system, with main engines and electric generators that use light-burning, low-sulfur fuels. This reduces fuel consumption by up to 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. They are also equipped with Dynamic Positioning, a sophisticated computer-controlled system that allows the vessels to maintain a mooring position without dropping anchor, eliminating potential damage to ecologically sensitive areas. As a further example of the clean-ship concept, bilge water is treated with ceramic filtration systems to obtain an extremely low hydrocarbon content of less than 5 parts per million instead of the regulatory 15. Lighting onboard uses LED and compact fluorescent technology, reducing by up to 10 times the electricity required from generators. In the summer, Ponant acquired Paul Gauguin Cruises, which operates a single ship – the Paul Gauguin – in French Polynesian waters. Single-ship operations tend to suffer from high overheads, but as the Paul Gauguin operates in French waters, it must be seen as a good fit for Ponant. Its product can also be regarded as a good fit for Ponant’s portfolio due to its off-the-beaten-track destination focus. Ponant will also take delivery of a 30,000 gross ton polar icebreaker cruise ship to be called Le Commandant Charcot from Vard in 2021. Hapag-Lloyd fleet renewal Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which is part of the TUI AG group, will take delivery of two expedition ships this year. The 16,100 gross ton Hanseatic Nature entered service in May, and the Hanseatic Inspiration is due to follow from Vard shipyard in October. A third ship is scheduled for delivery in 2021. The 120 cabins and suites onboard range from panoramic cabins measuring 21 square meters to grand suites of 71 square meters. All cabins are outside, and almost all have their own balcony or French balcony. Passenger capacity is 230 on cruises outside the Arctic and 199 within that region. The centerpiece of the ships is the Hanse Atrium, a multifunction lounge with state-of-the-art technology and large LED screens on the walls and below the ceiling. On Deck 8, the heart of the Ocean Academy 48-52 .indd 3 28.8.2019 11.19
50 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 is the study wall – a 6.0by 1.8-meter touchscreen wall, which passengers can use to deepen their knowledge of the natural wonders they encounter on shore excursions and Zodiac rides. The ships are built to PC6 ice-class, which according to DNV-GL allows summer/autumn operation in medium first-year ice that may include old ice inclusions. The ships also feature two extendible balconies for viewing, and they carry 17 Zodiacs and E-Zodiacs, the latter with eco-friendly electric drive systems. Passengers also have the use of kayaks, which can be boarded at a marina. The three newbuildings have allowed Hapag-Lloyd Cruises to dispose of two ships – the Bremen and Hanseatic – that were more than 25 years old and much smaller. Both, however, found further service with other operators after ending their careers with HapagLloyd. The new, larger vessels allow the company to position itself more upmarket than was the case with the older ships. Hurtigruten’s first hybrid Hurtigruten, the Norwegian expedition cruise specialist, took delivery of the Roald Amundsen from Kleven in Norway earlier this year and has a similar 20,889 gross ton vessel on order at the same builder. The hybrid propulsion system onboard both vessels uses a diesel-electric power plant supported by a battery pack that should reduce CO2 emissions by about a fifth. Dynamic Positioning allows the ships to stop and remain static without using anchors that could damage the seabed. The 140meter-long vessels can accommodate 530 passengers, and they are built to polar ice-class standards to allow operations in high latitudes. Both ships have been considerably delayed from their original delivery schedule, which resulted in financial problems at the Kleven shipyard. Hurtigruten took over the builder to ensure completion of the newbuildings. These problems have not deterred the company from further expansion plans using this new technology. In August, Hurtigruten said it would rebuild three existing vessels operated on its coastal express service into expedition cruise ships with hybrid propulsion systems that would feature batteries. Scenic stands atop With its own submarine and helicopter, Scenic Cruises & Tours’ Scenic Eclipse stands at the very top end of the rapidly expanding expedition cruise market. Problems at the Uljanik shipyard in Croatia that had won the contract to build the ship led to major delays, so much so that the ship was handed over to its Australian owner almost a year behind schedule. The 168-meter and 17,085 gross ton Scenic Eclipse marks the entry of the operator into the expedition cruise sector. The ship can accommodate 228 passengers, although the figure will be limited to 200 in high latitudes. It is fitted with stabilizers usually found on megayachts that also reduce movement when the ship is stationary. As usual in expedition ships, a Dynamic Positioning system eliminates the use of anchors. Passenger accommodations are of a very high standard and feature suite-grade quarters for all passengers. Ten dining options and a high-quality spa add to the range of upscale offerings aboard what Scenic has called a “discovery yacht.” A second ship, to be named the Scenic Eclipse II, is on order. First cruise ship from China At 7,400 gross tons and with a length of just 104 meters, the Greg Mortimer might not, at first, sound like a very exciting ship. However, it is the first cruise ship in the world fitted with X-Bow, a design developed by the Ulstein Group in Norway. This has been widely used in offshore services vessels, and the inverted bow has a proven track record to significantly improve sea keeping qualities. The Greg Mortimer is the first of 10 planned units in the Infinity class from SunStone Ships, the Miami-based tonnage provider. Designed by Ulstein and built at the China Merchants Heavy Industries shipyard in China, it is the first cruise ship built in that country for a Western owner. The Greg Mortimer sailed on its sea trials in July and has been chartered on a long-term contract to Aurora Expeditions in Australia. The same operator will also charter another unit of the class. Ponant newbuilds feature Blue Eye Lounge offering views below the sea level Scenic Eclipse offers top notch accommodation and facilities P.O. Box 55, Suojantie 5 FI-26101 Rauma, Finland info@RMC?nland.? www.RMC?nland.? Building ships for specialist purposes and harsh conditions with skills and enthusiasm trusted for centuries.Seafaring has always been vital to Finns. Shipbuilding at coastal facilities in and around Rauma stretches from 14th century merchant ships to ultra-modern, specialized vessels of the 21st century.Hundreds of ships constructed in Rauma are today sailing and operating all the seas of the world. Rauma’s shipbuilding competence has always been characterized by traditional spirit and pride and recent decades have seen a focus on the successful development of marine and environmental technology. courtesy of Mrs. Liisa Snellman rauma 210x148.indd 1 12.7.2016 18:56:46 P.O.Box 55, Suojantie 5 FI-26101 Rauma, Finland Phone +358 30 600 5400 info@RMCfinland.fi www.RMCfinland.fi rauma.indd 1 25.8.2019 21:01:38 48-52 .indd 4 28.8.2019 11.19
? The Infinity class marks the realization SunStone’s long-term plan to build a series of expedition cruise ships that it would charter to third parties for operation. Although the technical aspects of each unit in the class would be the same, the passenger accommodations could be adapted to the taste and requirements of each operator. Newbuild from Vietnam, too The completion of the Coral Adventurer at the Vard(and ultimately Fincantieri) owned Vung Tau Shipyard in Vietnam provides another indication of the nascent entry of Asian shipbuilders into the expedition cruise market. However, as Vard is fully owned by Fincantieri, there is a strong European element in the case of the Coral Adventurer With a length of just 93.4 meters and accommodations for 120 passengers, the 5,536 gross ton vessel will operate in Australasian waters, showing that not all expedition cruise vessels are headed for high latitudes and thereby do not require high ice-class notation. There are two 55.8-square-meter balcony suites onboard, while most of the accommodations will range from 17 to 21 square meters in size. A multi-media lounge serves passengers, and Zodiacs are provided for shore excursions. The ship entered service with Coral Expeditions, an Australian company, in April. More new owners, new builders The World Explorer is the first ship for Mystic Cruises, a Portuguese company that is owned by the same principals as the West Sea shipyard in the same country that built the 9,900 gross ton ship. The World Explorer has accommodations for 200 and its layout differs from many other smaller cruise ships in that there is one full deck of public areas. (In many luxury and expedition ships, the forward part of the superstructure is occupied by cabins, while public areas are spread towards the stern of the various superstructure decks.) The 126-meter-long ship is built to ice-class 1B and features an integrated hybrid propulsion system developed by Rolls-Royce. Mystic has chartered the World Explorer for a series of summer cruises to Nikko Cruises– a German unit of the Mystic Invest group. Later on, it will be operated by Quark Expeditions. Mystic has thus joined the ranks of providers of modern tonnage for charter in the expedition cruise segment, and the company has stated an ambition to build seven ships in all. The completion of the first unit marks the entry of West Sea into the ranks of expedition cruise shipbuilders. Chile is an unlikely country of origin for a cruise ship, but the Asenav shipyard there has completed the 73-passenger Magellan Explorer for Antarctica21, a local expedition cruise company. The 4,900 gross ton vessel is built to ice-class PC6 that allows it to operate in the high latitudes of the Antarctic. Passenger facilities include a lounge with audio/ visual equipment, a restaurant, bar and observation lounge, while 10 Greg Mortimer is the first cruise ship built in China P.O. Box 55, Suojantie 5 FI-26101 Rauma, Finland info@RMC?nland.? www.RMC?nland.? Building ships for specialist purposes and harsh conditions with skills and enthusiasm trusted for centuries.Seafaring has always been vital to Finns. Shipbuilding at coastal facilities in and around Rauma stretches from 14th century merchant ships to ultra-modern, specialized vessels of the 21st century.Hundreds of ships constructed in Rauma are today sailing and operating all the seas of the world. Rauma’s shipbuilding competence has always been characterized by traditional spirit and pride and recent decades have seen a focus on the successful development of marine and environmental technology. courtesy of Mrs. Liisa Snellman rauma 210x148.indd 1 12.7.2016 18:56:46 P.O.Box 55, Suojantie 5 FI-26101 Rauma, Finland Phone +358 30 600 5400 info@RMCfinland.fi www.RMCfinland.fi rauma.indd 1 25.8.2019 21:01:38 48-52 .indd 5 28.8.2019 11.19
Zodiacs are provided for going ashore. The cabins, which can accommodate 100 persons if required, range from 20-square-meter singles that can be doubled into 40-square-meter suites. Delivery is scheduled for September, and the ship’s itineraries include the Chilean Fjords, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. The Hondius is the first newbuilding for Oceanwide Expeditions, a Dutch company. Built at the Brodosplit shipyard in Croatia, it features ice-class PC6 notation and has a gross tonnage of 5,590. The ship can carry 176 passengers in 83 cabins that range in size from 19 square meters to 35 square meters. Propulsion is by two diesel engines connected to controllable-pitch propellers, and the 4,200kW installation delivers a cruising speed of 15 knots. A heat recovery system and LED lighting are among the features to reduce fuel consumption and thus emissions into the air. The ship’s itineraries focus on high latitudes north and south. The Celebrity Flora was introduced by Celebrity Cruises in the Galapagos archipelago of Ecuador following delivery from DeHoop shipbuilders of the Netherlands in May. The 5,739 gross ton ship can carry 100 passengers and has been designed to provide views from public areas, cabins and outer decks. Accommodations are all in suite grades and a Dynamic Positioning system allows the ship to stop and remain static without using anchors. As the ship will only operate in the Galapagos, its cruising speed is a leisurely 12 knots. Itineraries are of seven nights in duration. Newbuilds attract upscale customers The flow of newbuildings this year will transform the expedition cruise market. While only a short while ago many operators had to rely on old vessels – some of which were not even built as passenger ships – these will gradually give way to new, purpose-built tonnage. Although many of the older ships will remain in service, as demand is strong in all segments of the expedition cruise space, these high-quality newbuildings will significantly broaden the market’s appeal to customers at the upper end of the spectrum. Meanwhile, companies like SunStone Ships and Mystic Cruises are building vessels with the charter market in mind, which is another important development. Many companies in the expedition cruise space do not have a technical base; they are commercial operators. To them, the availability of modern vessels they can charter – without having to build new tonnage themselves – is a relief or, in some cases, perhaps even a lifeline.n 52 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 Coral Adventurer serves mainly the Australian source market World Explorer marks Mystic Cruises’ investment for the expedition market Croatia’s Brodosplit has returned passenger ship market with the delivery of Hondius S W E D E N • P O L A N D • U S A • S I N G A P O R E • T I L L B E R G D E S I G N . C O M World class design to enhance your business S W E D E N • P O L A N D • U S A • S I N G A P O R E • T I L L B E R G D E S I G N . C O M World class design to enhance your business CruiseBusiness arbetsfil.indd 3 2019-08-14 13:20 48-52 .indd 6 28.8.2019 11.19
S W E D E N • P O L A N D • U S A • S I N G A P O R E • T I L L B E R G D E S I G N . C O M World class design to enhance your business S W E D E N • P O L A N D • U S A • S I N G A P O R E • T I L L B E R G D E S I G N . C O M World class design to enhance your business
54 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 SHIP REVIEW ROALD AMUNDSEN SHARPENS HURTIGRUTEN’S EXPEDITION FOCUS Hurtigruten took delivery of its much-anticipated Roald Amundsen in mid-summer. Built at Norway’s Kleven shipyard, the newbuild is the first hybrid cruise ship that uses battery power to lower fuel consumption of its diesel engines. Two more sister ships are on order, which will further transform the company into an expedition cruise line. By Teijo Niemelä Roald Amundsen departed its first revenue cruise from Tromso on July 3 Ph oto cre dit : Te ijo Ni em elä Restaurant Aune Suite Ph oto cre dit : Hu rti gr ute n 54-55 .indd 2 30.8.2019 7.14
CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 55 D uring its 125-plus years of history, Hurtigruten has been well known for its Norwegian Coastal Service, where its fleet sails 11-night roundtrips between Bergen in the south and Kirkenes in the north, thus connecting smaller cities and villages on the route. During the last few years, the company has, however, expanded towards the expedition cruise market, and therefore its ships are becoming an increasingly familiar sight in polar waters, including Antarctica. The company has deployed some of its older vessels to its cruise operations, but has also added specialty-built or converted tonnage, such as the Fram and Spitsbergen. The new Roald Amundsen and its sister ship the Fritjof Nansen (plus a still-unnamed third unit) will turn the company’s focus even further into the expedition market. According to Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam, 75% of the company’s revenue in 2021 will come from expedition cruises. Another reason behind the change is that the Norwegian Coastal Service will open for competition in 2021, when Havila Kystruten assumes a portion of the service. The Roald Amundsen’s maiden season includes expedition cruises along the Norwegian coast to Svalbard and Greenland, before becoming the first hybrid-powered ship to attempt a transit of the Northwest Passage. In addition to expedition cruises along the west coast of North and South America, the Roald Amundsen will head to the globe’s extreme south for a full 2019-2020 Antarctica season. Meanwhile, the delivery of the Fritjof Nansen next year will allow Hurtigruten to also spend a full season in Alaska. Largest Hurtigruten vessel The Roald Amundsen is the largest passenger ship that Hurtigruten has ever commissioned. With a gross tonnage of 20,889, the vessel has 265 passenger cabins able to accommodate 530. The number of crew is 151. More than 50% of the cabins are fitted with private balconies. Onboard facilities include a fully equipped Science Center; a magnificent glass-enclosed observation deck atop the eye-catching and wave-piercing bow; a panoramic unisex sauna; wellness center; three restaurants; bars; and an expansive Explorer Lounge on top of the ship. At the aft end lies a novel feature for Hurtigruten – an infinity pool with a view over the ship’s wake. ROALD AMUNDSEN SHARPENS HURTIGRUTEN’S EXPEDITION FOCUS Tillberg Design of Sweden provided the complete design package for the Roald Amundsen. The company also has been re-creating the interiors for its previous vessels during their extreme overhauls. According to Thomas Westergaard, Senior Vice President of Design and Concept, “Our direction for the interior design was to offer a contemporary Scandinavian color palette.” An abundance of hidden lighting in the ceilings gives another dimension, he points out. Reducing CO2 emissions According to Skjeldam, sustainability was a key goal in developing this new prototype. The Roald Amundsen is the first cruise ship equipped with large battery packs. During its sea trials, the ship was able to operate purely on batteries, but during normal operation it can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 20% when the batteries are assisting the ship’s two low-emission diesel engines, and it can run safely on just one engine assisted by the batteries. The Ronald Amundsen has two separate battery rooms, and they can generate 1.75Mw hours. CruiseBusiness.com Magazine got a glimpse at one of the battery rooms, and we can report that they provide a lot of room for growth. In this respect the ship’s designers were forward looking, because in 2021 new batteries are expected to come onto the market that can produce up to 6Mw hours. n Science Center 54-55 .indd 3 30.8.2019 7.14
56 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 W ith newbuilding slots at the major shipyards committed years in advance and a limited market for second-hand tonnage, cruise lines are retaining ships longer and seeking new ways to keep them competitive. Once older ships might have been shunned to smaller or emerging markets, but those markets have also taken on greater importance, putting further pressure on the lines to renovate older ships to ensure they remain competitive. “The choice for owners seems to be how Facing challenges are a part of everyday life. Thanks to my team and the MKN FlexiChef I’m de? nitely up for any of them. Smart technology guarantees perfectly cooked dishes and takes care of cleaning too. MKN FlexiChef smart cooking. smart cleaning. I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE EVERY DAY! #mychoice | WWW.MKN.COM REFURBISHMENTS REVITE RENAISSANCE The cruise industry’s attention lately has been on its record orderbook and the innovative ships that are introducing new elements to cruising. Yet cruise lines are also placing an increasing emphasis on refurbishing older ships. CruiseBusiness.com Magazine explores the emerging trend toward large revitalizations that are rivaling the newbuilds. By Allan E. Jordan to compete: Either hang on and replace older tonnage with new ships or renovate existing older ships in order to keep the fleet innovative and contemporary,” says Ramon de Lara, Commercial Manager at Navantia’s Cadiz Shipyard, a leader in the renovation business. “The highly competitive market is ensuring that a seven-yearold ship, which was once state-of-the-art, now struggles to compete and by the time a vessel is 10 years old, it is now probably due for a major refurbishment.” In many ways, the cruise lines themselves have become their own competitors by driving consumer expectations. Travel agent Heidi Creed of Town & Country Travel in Thousand Oaks, California, explains, “Cruising alone is no longer a novel experience, so cruise lines are in a fierce battle over superlatives to retain existing and attract new customers.” Sally Black, founder of a virtual travel agency headquartered in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania, and a director at the Family Travel Association, takes it a step further, saying, “When selecting any ship or itinerary, the consumer wants to know they can expect the same level of experience regardless of the ship they chose.” While some ships develop a loyal following that comes back year after year, many consumers choose the newest ships with the most modern styles and the latest innovations. Fleet revitalizations As a result, the cruise lines are expanding their renovation efforts. Whereas once a shipowner might have spent tens of millions of dollars for a refresh of soft goods and repairs, now the projects have grown dramatically larger in magnitude. Royal Caribbean International (RCI), for example, between 2011 and 2014 invested about $300 Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas spent 35 days at the Navantia’s dry dock in Cadiz, Spain last year. 56-61 .indd 2 28.8.2019 11.22
? CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 57 ? Facing challenges are a part of everyday life. Thanks to my team and the MKN FlexiChef I’m de? nitely up for any of them. Smart technology guarantees perfectly cooked dishes and takes care of cleaning too. MKN FlexiChef smart cooking. smart cleaning. I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE EVERY DAY! #mychoice | WWW.MKN.COM million in its Royal Advantage program upgrading 11 older ships in the Vision, Voyager and Radiance classes. Spending between $7 million and $30 million per ship, the line added amenities including new dining options, upgraded accommodations and WiFi access. Shortly after completing Royal Advantage, RCI launched the current Royal Amplified program. Again, Royal Caribbean is upgrading 10 ships, but this time the price tag is a staggering $1 billion. Among the first ships Royal Caribbean revitalized in this program, the Mariner of the Seas spent 35 days at the Navantia shipyard in May 2018. The line invested $120 million adding amenities targeted at millennials and the “new to cruise” market, ranging from the Sky Pad trampoline to new waterslides, FlowRiders, laser tag and an escape-room experience, as well as new choices in dining and accommodations. This year, the Navigator of the Seas went to the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport for a similar revitalization valued at $115 million, and in the fall – in the brand’s largest project to date – the Oasis of the Seas will undergo a $165 million modernization. During a 63-day stay at Navantia, the vessel will receive new waterpark features, entertainment options and dining venues. Carnival Cruise Line is also completing its Fun Ship 2.0 program, investing over $2 billion updating its fleet. For example, recently at Grand Bahama Shipyard the Carnival Freedom received new waterslides, mini-golf, dining options and retail spaces. Norwegian Cruise Line in 2015 launched its Norwegian Edge program and to date has overhauled nine ships, adding popular dining options, bars and lounges. Norwegian is updating the ships to reflect the premium look and feel aboard its newest ships. These fleetwide renovation programs are not limited to the largest brands, as Oceania Cruises, for example, has rolled out OceaniaNEXT, investing $100 million in its four Regatta-class ships to create a “re-inspiration of classic elegance,” designed by Studio DADO, a Miami-based interior design firm. Similarly, Celebrity Cruises at the beginning of 2019 began the Celebrity Revolution, a $500 million effort to elevate the design standards on its nine current ships. According to Brian Abel, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations at Celebrity Cruises, “Our goal was to elevate the onboard experience so that as a brand, we were not just about our newbuilds. We took inspiration from our new ships, but wanted to create consistency across the fleet.” Part of the Royal Caribbean’s Royal Amplified program is to add amenities targeted at millennials, such as Sky Pad trampoline and new waterslides Ph oto cre dit : Ro ya l Ca rib be an In ter na tio na l 56-61 .indd 3 28.8.2019 11.22
58 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 Revitalizing individual ships Going beyond these fleetwide modernizations, many industry observers agree that a newer trend is emerging with even more significant levels of investment in individual ships. “Repositioning ships to be revealed as a ‘new’ vessel – in the case of the Carnival Sunshine [built in 1996 as then the world’s largest cruise ship, the Carnival Destiny] and the Carnival Sunrise [introduced in 1999 as the Carnival Triump] – we see as the next evolution in ship refurbishment projects,” predicts Greg Walton, the founding partner of Studio DADO. In both of these cases, along with the scheduled 2020 conversion of the Carnival Victory into the Carnival Radiance, Carnival Cruise Line is investing as much as $200 million to rebuild these 20-year-old ships and is renaming them to add consumer appeal. Lisa McCabe, Carnival’s Vice President of Revitalization and Hotel Refurbishment, explains that they are seeking “first to optimize the ship’s functionality, especially in spaces that are often underutilized, and second – and equally important – is to add exciting, branded features for our guests to enjoy.” Internal teams work to determine what features can be added to the vessel, McCabe explains, looking in terms of both revenue-generating venues and spaces that have proven popular with guests, while increasing capacity by approximately 8%. “As the cruise industry continues its rapid growth, we are seeing the conversation turn toward large-scale revitalizations,” says Walton. He explains that the cruise lines are pursuing these projects, “to add capacity, create higher per diems and thus grab additional market share.” Indeed, Celebrity Cruises reports that post-revitalization it has implemented 6% premiums on the Millennium-class ships. The trend toward these larger revitalizations is also spreading to more markets. Uniworld, a river cruise company, spent tens of millions of dollars in 2018 and 2019 renovating and rebranding two of its river ships and will rebuild a third ship in 2020. As with the larger renovations undertaken by the cruise lines, Uniworld is adding new suites, upgrading staterooms and bathrooms and adding features from dining to a new pool and reconfigured spa and gym. Broader scope of drydocking The motivation to enhance utilization and guest enjoyment, and in the process improve older ships’ financial performance, cuts across all segments of the cruise industry. Shipyards that typically did short duration dry-dockings have seen more work added into the projects. Joe O’Rourke, Vice President and General Manager of Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards, says their typical cruise ship project is eight to 14 days, but notes, “We are seeing a greater tendency for the dry-docking package to include everything from paint and propulsion work as well as additions such as waterslides and refresh activity in the hotel operations. About 25 to 30% of the work might be for the shipyard, with the remainder being in the hotel with the cruise line’s contractors.” The growth in the scope of the work is happening as a matter of routine. At Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven, for example, the 2017 dry-docking and painting of the AIDAvita grew to include modernization of its pool area, adding new windscreens and repurposing lounges as the ship prepared for a new deployment. Dr. Ralph Petersen, Managing Director of Blohm + Voss, a shipyard with a long track record in cruise ship maintenance, agrees that “the high demand for cruises and the expectations of passengers is always reflected in the refits and upgrades of cruise ships.” Petersen points out that in addition to regular maintenance, new decks or deck extensions are being added to accommodate the installation of additional cabins or public areas. In 2016, for example, Blohm + Voss undertook Cunard Line’s $130 million “remastering” of the Queen Mary 2 over a 25-day period. It included the prefabrication of a new deckhouse to add 35 cabins as well as interior renovations beyond the technical work. Similarly, work on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ BalSilversea Cruises stretched its Silver Spirit in Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard. New mid-section was moved to its new position (right) in just a matter of hours Ph oto cre dit : Te ijo Ni em elä 56-61 .indd 4 28.8.2019 11.22
CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 59 moral included shaft, propeller, stabilizer, thruster and safety value overhauls, and pipe renewal as well as updating hotel areas. The 2018 dry-docking for the Boudicca included hull painting, engineering renewals and general maintenance, but was expanded to also encompass stripping and rebuilding 462 staterooms and upgrading public spaces. Where historically a dry-docking might have been led by the technical team, often the shipyards now find themselves working with multiple teams ranging from technical and engineering to safety and environmental as well as hotel. “It is also typical that given the extra days to execute the revitalization and refurbishment scopes, owners take advantage of this time to complete large repair or modification work that they normally would not have time for,” says Navantia’s de Lara. He points to extensive blasting and coating work, duck tails, scrubbers, machinery overhauls and cosmetic steel work as examples. “There was a time where $10 to $20 million projects were considered large revites, and a 30-plus-day $100 million revite seemed like an almost infeasible threshold to reach,” says de Lara. Now, he points out, “$100-million plus projects are becoming almost commonplace. Where just a few years ago, we might have seen one or two such inquiries in a year, we are now seeing three to four times that number each year, and this trend seems to be continuing.” Challenge of big projects These big projects are challenging the engineers, designers, contractors, shipyards and cruise lines to achieve what once seemed like impossible tasks often in dramatically compressed periods of time. Seaspan’s O’Rouke explains that cruise ship projects are focused on speed and delivery. “It teaches you how to handle fully accelerated work,” with a focus on delivering quality work on time and on budget. One consistent comment from all the organizations involved in these revitalizations is that as the projects grow larger, they require more coordination and extensive planning. “Where a typical refurbishment might involve handling 300 to 400 containers, one of these big projects might involve more than 1,000 containers,” de Lara points out. They also occupy vital dry dock and wharf space, as well as lift capabilities, impacting the shipyard’s workflow. At Grand Bahama Shipyard, another of the shipyards executing these larger revitalization projects, Chief Executive Officer David Skentelbery sums it up by saying, “Our core competency needs to be project management.” Walton of Studio DADO points out that “refurbishment projects require a different design approach than a newbuild would.” This is mainly due, he ? Carnival Cruise Line has refitted its ships to optimize the ships’ functionality and increasing capacity by approximately 8% 56-61 .indd 5 28.8.2019 11.22
60 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 explains, to the limited time frame of the actual dry-dock, which creates constraints that do not exist in a newbuild project. “All of our deliverables must be synchronized perfectly,” he says, noting the need to manage suppliers. As these revitalizations grow in scale, they also require better planning. Markus Aarnio, Chairman of Foreship, a leading engineering firm working with the cruise industry, emphasizes the scope required in the design process. Typically, he says, they not only conduct an assessment of where revenue-earning cabins could be added, but they must also consider modifications needed to improve stability, weight studies, capacity evaluations, escape routes and lifesaving equipment. “Sometimes, obtaining original information on older ships can be challenging, and things can only be found out once our team is onboard,” Aarnio says. “Clearly there will be limits on what it makes sense to do with an older ship, but conversion project limitations today are more about the time the owner is prepared to allow the ship to remain out of service.” Lengthening cruise ships The need to maximize a ship’s time in service had for years largely stopped cruise lines from pursuing the most dramatic reconstruction projects, namely lengthenings. In the 1970s and 1980s, Royal Caribbean and Royal Viking Line each completed lengthening projects, and Royal Caribbean also undertook the 2005 lengthening of the Enchantment of the Seas. Until recently, however, the industry had shunned these efforts – except in unique situations – as too costly and complex to justify and generate sufficient returns on capital. In 2014, MSC Cruises launched a new $273 million lengthening project in conjunction with Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard. MSC’s four cruise ships each spent approximately 10 weeks at the shipyard for the insertion of a 24-meter (approximately 79foot) mid-body that added nearly 200 passenger cabins per ship and increased capacity by nearly 30%. “The MSC Armonia, MSC Lirica, MSC Sinfonia and MSC Opera were very complicated vessels to lengthen,” says Andrew Toso, Vice President Ship Repair and Conversion of the Fincantieri Services Division, but “our experience of the impact of lengthening on the performance of the vessel, including speed and fuel consumption, proved to be very positive. In a relatively short period of time, a cruise line can significantly increase its passenger carrying capacity without the additional construction and operational costs normally associated with a newly built ship, and without having to wait several years for the availability of a building slot.” Since the MSC project, Fincantieri has also completed lengthenings of Silversea Cruises’ Silver Spirit and Grimaldi's cruise ferries, Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcelona. Fincantieri’s next project is the addition of a 26.5-meter (approximately 87-foot) midbody to Windstar Cruises’ three 30-year-old luxury ships. Windstar is investing more than $267,000 per berth to increase capacity by 47% to 302 passengers a piece, with each ship to be out of service for approximately four months. John Delaney, President of Windstar Cruises says, “The financial return is fantastic.” He highlights that they will not only add 50 suites, but also replace outdated engines with a smaller, more efficient power plant. By November 2020, Windstar will have added the equivalent of a new ship at less than half the cost of a newbuild and have dramatically improved their cost of operations. “I will be able to spread the fixed costs over 100 more beds, creating a very compelling financial outcome,” Delaney says. With continuing strong consumer demand and ever-expanding expectations for the cruise product, along with the positive returns these projects are creating, experts agree that the revitalization trend shows no sign of abating. In fact, they expect that the renovation trend may gain even further momentum in the next few years. n Damen Shipyards has become one of the major dry-docks in Europe. Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth pictured in Brest 56-61 .indd 6 28.8.2019 11.22
T he novel experience starts with the water taxi ride to Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht in the Netherlands, where the company’s head office is located by the Noord riverbank. On the way, invited guests can glimpse shipyards and other maritime-cluster companies, illustrating Rotterdam not only as Europe’s premier port, but also demonstrating the city’s and Bolidt’s place within the global marine economy. Approaching the water taxi quay gives a good view of the futuristic outline of the Bolidt Innovation Center – the shape of things to come. Behind the glass walls lies a compendium of displays similar to walking into an amusement arcade, though with much more serious intent and content. The Bolidt Innovation Center building also contains the company’s warehouse and R&D Center, which answers product questions and creates bespoke project formulas. For approved guests, the contents of the building are eye-opening. In order not to intrude on the R&D Center’s employees (as was the situation before), glass walls form a seethrough barrier that permits visitors to observe what’s going on while listening to their guide as work continues uninterrupted. Adjacent is the demonstration section with screens and equipment that shows both virtually and in reality how products are created, made and then installed along with preand post-manufacture testing. A curtain with star-shaped holes when drawn gives a stellar effect to presentations on large screens. Says Bolidt Laboratory Director Edwin Verhee, “In-built flexibility results in problems solved in advance on the spot. Pilot batches are made to prepare for large deliveries and our analytical laboratory ensures thorough testing in temperatures that can range from -70C to +30C [-94F-86F]. A sample of its effectiveness and our employees’ skills is the 50% The Dutch synthetic decking and flooring specialist has completed its latest project: a multi-million-dollar, multi-purpose complex that is designed to act as a showcase for the company’s operations – especially to its customers. CruiseBusiness.com Magazine was one of the selected few to be invited to get a first preview. By John Pagni weight reduction and maintained strength properties of the Bolideck Future Teak introduced last year.” For Bolidt CEO Rientz Willem Bol, the logic behind the expansion is clear: “We have always invested in innovation. If you don’t think about the future, you won’t have one.” As the second-generation of the family-owned company, he understands well the lessons of the past. Jacco van Overbeek, Director Maritime Division Bolidt, explains, “Seven years ago, we started to think about the future, and the Bolidt Innovation Center shows customers the ‘world of Bolidt.’ Normally they only know one side – cruise, fishing, offshore, onshore – but this shows the total or a specific picture. We are the leader in the cruise decking market and intend to hold top spot in the global maritime sector.” Since 1964 and on to tomorrow After 55 years of providing outside and internal decking for ships and offshore, Bolidt’s list of deliveries is extensive – ranging from military vessels to livestock carriers. Van Overbeek highlights one recent challenge aboard the Celebrity Flora due to the tiles and decking having no edges, but Bolidt came up with a solution that was smooth and according to the design, as can be seen. A long-term contract has been agreed to with Genting Cruise Lines for its Global and Endeavour classes and the Solaris superyacht. “This is unusual in that Genting is both the shipyard and shipowner,” comments van Overbeek. Here he cites Bolidt’s design, production and installation onestop-shop as not only unique but tailored to the needs of the cruise industry, with operators looking for that extra attraction. Thus a close relationship is forged with shipyards, owners and architects. Fincantieri and its customers were among those impressed, and Bolidt supplied orders for Holland America Line and Viking Line and will deliver for Silversea Cruises’ newbuildings too. Van Overbeek is proud of the 300-meter karting track installed on the Norwegian Bliss using Bolideck® Racetrack, which required different specifications for the corners and straights to maintain grip at different speeds – a job completed in days. Still, there are challenges to overcome. “Problem areas remain,” van Overbeek says. “For example on cruise ships, the main galley has lots of movement leading to wear and tear, so we must innovate continuously for that,” he explains, revealing that retrofits cost more than newbuilding, as a layer must be sanded before being re-surfaced in order not to disturb the sensitive weight calculations. Even so, this is much cheaper and faster than totally removing and preparing the steel deck again. “The biggest challenge with retrofits is the short time to do the job. Bolidt is geared to do challenging projects, as we have all the disciplines under one roof from production to our own application teams appropriately trained even for short-timespan jobs. This distinguishes us from other companies.” Sustainability goals Like most companies today, Bolidt must listen to its stakeholders’ concerns, and the environment is a hot topic both inside and outside the maritime world. “Bolidt’s mission is to replace traditional materials with synthetics,” says Coen Geerdink, Bolidt Head of Sustainability. “For example, in the cruise industry wood has been replaced with Bolideck Futures Teak, but it is not a perfect world. Sustainability must be viable and our plan to achieve it totally by 2025 is a flexible target. As an example, retrofits result in plastic waste, which is now converted into granules for re-use and we are continuously reforming our concepts – some are already in place.” Lastly, the second floor of the Bolidt Innovation Center cannot be ignored. There the dining area is situated and on a fine day extends onto The Terrace. Apart from eating well and healthily, The Terrace is an exhibition of Bolidt’s abilities that gleams in the sunshine: a veritable modern-day mezzanine cascade of colors and design forming a feast for the connoisseur. n TECHNOLOGY BOLIDT INNOVATION CENTER IS REALLY REVEALING CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 61 56-61 .indd 7 28.8.2019 11.22
62 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 DESTINATIONS MEDCRUISE GENERAL ASSEMBLY REINFORCES CONNECTIONS At its 54th General Assembly, held in the Turkish port city of Kusadasi, MedCruise hailed the return of cruise ships to the East Mediterranean and emphasized the importance of the historical link between the cruise business and the region’s past. By Alan Lam W hen it comes to highlighting connections in the cruise business, no one is more illuminating than MedCruise. As the biggest cruise port alliance in the world, no part of the extensive geography in which it operates is excluded from its aggressive cruise business promotions. In fact, its activities extend far beyond its well-defined boundaries of the Mediterranean and the adjoining seas to the markets of Asia and the Americas. But on this occasion, the focus was closer to home. The virtual detachment of the East Mediterranean from major cruise traffic in recent years has been a setback to the industry. It has been a bigger blow to the association and its membership, a blow MedCruise has always refused to accept. It has never relented in its effort to promote this region, nor has it stopped believing in its unparalleled appeal. As the memory fades of recent unfortunate events, the tide is finally turning. Returning tide Cruise ports in Turkey have begun to experience increases in traffic. For the moment, the pace of these increases is still moderate, in a few cases barely perceptible. But there are unmistakable signs, said Haluk Hizlan, Bodrum Port Manager: “2021 will be the year when the business will really take off again. The reason it has not done so sooner is because cruise lines need two or three years to plan their itineraries.” Only a few days earlier, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 4 kicked off Bodrum’s cruise season by arriving with more than 2,600 passengers. Indeed, nearly all major cruise ports in Turkey see returning ships on the horizon. The pull of Turkey remains strong despite recent concerns. “For me, I see Bodrum as the jewel of Turkey,” said Hizlan, underlining its appeal. “There is nowhere quite like it.” The small port city attracts one million international visitors and three million domestic ones each year. “It has always been known as the St. Tropez of Turkey,” added Ceylan Erzi, Marketing Manager, Global Ports Holdings (GPH). But this region has a much bigger attraction. It is where history is measured by millennia, not by just centuries. It is where ancient tombs can be found inside a modern supermarket and old church ruins occupy part of a popular holiday beach. Every inch of ground Cruise ships are returning back to Turkish ports, including Bodrum 62-66 .indd 2 28.8.2019 11.25
CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 29 ? is an archaeological treasure trove. It is the home of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – two of them are within a 20-minute drive from the cruise ports of Bodrum and Kusadasi. Every arrival and departure of a cruise ship is a symbol of that connection with history being reinforced. We are urged to have a different perspective. “I want you to imagine that the cruise ship is not just berthing at a pier, it is connected to thousands of years of human history,” a local tour guide told us. Throughout the disrupted period, while demand shrank there was always an expectation that the business would return. “Despite the geopolitical issues, Kusadasi had 130 calls last year, and that was a bad year,” said Erzi, underlining the potential of the region. “They are coming back, many of them in 2020. From 2021, nearly everyone will be back.” It is not surprising that this is a high-yield market for most cruise lines, as the percentage of shore-excursion purchases is among the highest in the world, quite simply because of the endless number of attractions available. “Archaeologically, we have only just begun digging. It will take more than 100 years to finish to task,” said the guide. There was never any doubt about the rebound the region would experience sooner or later. “We are very glad to see the geopolitical situation improving,” said Captain Hernan Zini, Vice President Worldwide Port Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “This year we have four calls to Kusadasi and next year we will have 35. You see how quickly the situation can change.” But there are challenges here. The perceived security concerns cannot be ignored. In terms of cruise line policy and planning, there are many dimensions to this. “We do see a return of demand to the East Mediterranean, especially for Turkey,” said Marcus Puttich, Head of Port Operations, TUI Cruises. “This also makes it complicated for us. We are a joint venture with Royal Caribbean. Their security department also has an input to our planning. So there is an American perspective to this, too. As a German company we see it differently. We’ve never completely pulled out of Turkey. We’ve always called at Bodrum. We are looking to come even more from now on. Next year we will have an itinerary going from the Canaries all the way to Israel.” Exceptional opportunity The returning tide will be stronger. “A 22.2% passenger number growth is forecasted for 2019 and 19.8% for calls, way above the Mediterranean average, with the exception of the Black Sea,” said Airam Diaz Pastor, President of MedCruise. “We have to be ready for the spectacular growth that is coming.” The lull has not been all bad news for Turkey. It has afforded the ports and destinations an exceptional opportunity to recalibrate their strategies, re-envision their appeal, and, in several cases, upgrade their facilities. “We have already done that,” said Erzi. “We have marketed Bodrum as a luxury destination in the last few years and developed a few facilities. Kusadasi also took the opportunity to invest in the port.” Of course there is also the impending new cruise terminal in Istanbul, among other improvements. Through their recent efforts, both Bodrum and Kusadasi cruise ports are among the first to be granted “green port” status. Indeed the latter is the first in the world to be given an Eco Port Certification. “This is very good news for us. We encourage all our ports to get this,” said Aziz Güngör, GPH’s new Regional Director for East Mediterranean Ports, speaking as the General Manager for Ege Port Kusadasi. At the same time, many other developments have taken place in anticipation of increased demand. Bodrum Cruise Port, for example, secured a 50-year lease in 2018 from the Turkish government, which will enable its operator, GPH, to expand almost unhindered. “We have permission to build anything we’d like within the port area. My dream is to build a second terminal for turnaround operations,” said Hizlan. Apart from marketing efforts and facility development, Turkish tourism and cruise industry stakeholders have also taken the opportunity to broaden their perspective and give a different meaning to the business. While the charm and attractions of Turkey are irresistible to its would-be visitors, the industry – as part of the sustainability drive – is attempting to forge an unbreakable link between cruise tourism and the thousands of years of human history by making cruise a part of the continuing story. From a business perspective this also makes sense: Offering a real “immersive experience” to guests encourages shore excursions and increases earnings. There is simply a lot more to offer in the Mediterranean, especially in the eastern part of it, than anywhere else in terms of cultural and historical attractions. “Europe represents about 18% of our capacity,” said Zini, putting it in a nutshell. “We visit about 200 ports here. In North America, we have 55% capacity, but we only visit 100 ports. So you can understand the diversity and experiences you can have here.” By Europe, Zini was alluding mainly to the Mediterranean region. Ph oto cre dit : Te ijo Ni em elä In 2018, MedCruise member ports set a new record of receiving a total of 12,724 ship calls and over 28 million passenger movements 62-66 .indd 3 28.8.2019 11.25
? 64 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 Back Sea conundrum For MedCruise, the Black Sea is a harder nut to crack. The revival has not permeated this market. In the second half of 2018, the association launched a special working group in Odessa to promote the region. While the appeal here is unquestionable, so is the hesitation. Again this is a high-yield and high guest satisfaction region that cruise lines can ill afford to write it off altogether. “We would like to come back,” said Zini. “The interest for us to come back is there. But we need to make sure our deployment will not be interrupted. The fact that we are coming back to Turkey is a good sign.” One reason that the Black Sea is not featured strongly in cruise line programs is capacity related. Zini hinted that growth in North America was spectacular this year, so the focus is very much on that market at the moment in terms of deployment. But the main problem is geopolitical uncertainty, which makes cruise lines hesitant to commit their resources. “A Black Sea return will depend very much on our perception of the situation. It is difficult for me to answer this question,” said Chris Millman, Vice President, Corporate Marine Technology, Carnival Corporation & plc. The loss of the Black Sea on cruise itineraries has been keenly felt, which may provide the impetus for its longer-term future. “Certainly the appeal for this region has been lessened in recent years,” said Davide Truscello, Fleet Deployment, Destination Management & Onboard Pricing Director, Costa Crociere. “The Black Sea was one of our best destinations before 2014 in terms of revenue generation. We really want to come back. As we are increasing capacity, we need to have more options to satisfy our guests. Accessibility is one of our main drivers.” Indeed accessibility is also an issue with the Black Sea. “There is another problem with our region that is geographical not geopolitical,” said Vladimir Karadzhov of the Port of Burgas. But the effort to reconnect the Black Sea with the cruise business is intensifying. Next year, MedCruise will hold a General Assembly in Burgas to further highlight the region’s appeal to cruising. “Our ports do not have any security, financial or operational problems,” continued Karadzhov. “I don’t need to tell you how beautiful our countries and how new our port facilities are. The 2020 MedCruise General Assembly will be our opportunity to show you what we have to offer.” While MedCruise hopes that growth in Turkey will drive a Black Sea revival, some believe it is only a matter of time before this happens. “We generally are seeing an increased demand for Turkey,” said Neil Duncan, General Manager Planning & Trading, Marella Cruises. “We already station a ship in Naples so that we could cruise both the East and West Mediterranean. In the past, the Black Sea and Turkey were very strong. If we can get Istanbul to grow, I think the next step is to get the Black Sea back. Two years from now, we will see the Black Sea growing again.” Numbers tell the story The focus of the General Assembly was not entirely on the East Mediterranean. From the outset, MedCruise’s narrative has been inclusive, encompassing all of its regions. A rising tide to the east means a lower tide in the west. In general, there has been a higher percentage of growth in Turkey; the growth in the west, on the other hand, was somewhat lower or not at all: “45% of MedCruise members showed growths last year, but 55% did not,” said the MedCruise president. This is to be expected in so vast a region of different challenges and varied market conditions. However, already the figures are telling the story of renewed growth. In 2018, MedCruise member ports set a new record of receiving a total of 12,724 ship calls and over 28 million passenger movements. 2019 promises to break the 30-million-passenger barrier. The association is striving to attract more capacity deployment by targeting cruise lines and their newbuildings, while at the same time working hard to meet the needs of those new ships by developing LNG infrastructure and shore-side power supply facilities, among other requirements. The response of the cruise lines has largely corresponded to MedCruise’s efforts in this regard. By and large they are expanding their presence in the region. “We see the growing importance of the shoulder seasons in our agenda. We are increasing capacity here. We also have a winter Med program,” said Elisabetta de Nardo, Vice President Port Development, MSC Cruises. While MSC has a large Mediterranean presence, other lines have a similar emphasis, driven by the same reason. Three of TUI Cruises’ seven ships sail in this market. Marella Cruises has five ships deployed in the region during the summer. “Passenger experience is our number-one driver for selling our cruise products. The important thing for us is the unique characteristic of the destination that can deliver experiences,” said Martin Lister, Manager Itinerary & Experience Development, Fred. Olsen Cruises. Echoing these thoughts was Carnival Corp.’s Millman, who noted, Gibraltar predicts a return to growth in 2020 62-66 .indd 4 28.8.2019 11.25
CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 65 “One in five of our calls are in MedCruise area. We are bringing in two new ships to the Mediterranean next year. We have chosen to base our new LNG-powered ship in the Mediterranean. It is important for us, as it is one of the major markets in our portfolio,” he concluded. Port highlights ANTALYA – Antalya is popular with German and UK visitors. It has excellent flight connections with major destinations in Europe. This was once a major homeport for TUI and AIDA Cruises. Port Akdeniz of Antalya had been the only homeport in Turkey other than Istanbul, but due to security issues these cruise lines no longer homeport there, and the port only receives a small number of calls and no turnarounds. GPH is hoping they will come back. It is working hard towards this goal. Antalya has a longer cruise season than other parts of Turkey, stretching from April to November, because it is warmer here. From 2020, the number of cruise calls is expected to rise fast. BODRUM – Though still suffering the effect of recent events, this is the number-one holiday destination among the Turkish. It is constantly re-inventing itself and is now marketed as a luxury cruise destination. Although its piers can accommodate larger ships, the destination is ideal for boutique and smaller ships. The port’s bookings for 2019 are roughly at the same level as those of the previous two years, but the number for next year is doubled. For 2021 and beyond, the port expects business to take off, and according to Port Manager Haluk Hizlan, the return of cruise traffic will be “huge.” EGE PORT KUSADASI – The growth of passenger numbers was particularly strong in the first quarter of 2019. The current mayor of the city, Ömer Günel, has demonstrated a special interest in cruise business development in Kusadasi. The small city has 660 guides speaking 23 languages at the disposal of the cruise industry. Turkey’s number one archaeological attraction, Ephesus, is located only 20 minutes from the port. Because of this proximity, Kusadasi was the first in the country to have a marina. It enjoys a high rate of passenger participation in shore excursions, about 55%, making calls highly profitable for cruise lines. The port was privatized in 2003 and all of its services are provided by GPH under one concession. It is in the process of developing a cable car project to connect the port directly with the hill behind. ISTANBUL – A number of cruise lines will return to Istanbul in 2020 for homeport operations provided the security situation continues to remain stable and is perceived to be so. Galataport’s new industry-first, 20,000-square-meter underground cruise terminal, with a 1,200-meter pier, is set to open next year as well. The city has recently inaugurated a massive new airport. There are already more than 50 cruise calls booked for 2020. ODESSA – After four years of zero cruise calls, Odessa is showing signs of revival. It has so far received 11 bookings for 2020. Typical of the Black Sea region, the city attracts calls mainly from small to medium size ships. Brands such as Azamara, Phoenix Reisen, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Aegean Experience, Majestic Cruises, and Ponant will be among the first to return. This is perceived as a good sign for the market, according to Ruslan Sakhautdinov, Deputy General Manager Port Operations. It is easy to forget that Odessa also has an active river cruise scene. It facilities and accessibility are among the best of Black Sea ports. The city’s tourist numbers grew from one million in 2017 to two million in 2018. It is targeting three million in 2019. ? 62-66 .indd 5 28.8.2019 11.25
66 CRUISEBUSINESS.COM MAGAZINE SUMMER 2019 THESSALONIKI – Thessaloniki has been badly affected by the fallout in Turkey and other crises in the region. The port once attracted 40 to 50 calls a year. It has only managed to secure six bookings for this year. After a recent privatization, the port comes under a joint venture between China Merchants Group and CMA, which has given it a new focus on the cruise business and a strong international management team. Thessaloniki is perhaps one of the most under-rated cruise destinations with 29 museums and 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also the birthplace of Aristotle, which is only a 20-minute bus ride from the port. VOLOS – Nestled between two major neighboring ports, Athens and Thessaloniki, this small Greek port has a 460-meter pier and a water draught of 11 meters. Considering its size and location, it has done relatively well, with 30 calls booked for this year. Prior to the crisis it attracted about 60 calls a year. Ideal for boutique cruises, Volos targets mainly small ships. For those who wish to escape the crowds of big cities and sample authentic Greek hospitality, culture, and cuisines, this is an ideal destination. As the security situation stabilizes, it is likely that Volos will begin to attract calls from its old customers again. BARI, BRINDISI, MANFREDONIA, BARLETTA AND MONOPOLI – Three years ago the management of these five ports merged, so they now act as one and cruise operations are under one authority. Barletta is not yet a proper cruise port, but it is working toward that goal. A couple of cruise lines have asked about accessing Barletta. As a turnaround port, Bari experienced dramatic growth between 2017 and 2018, with call numbers rising from 142 to 211. It has 234 bookings for 2019. This growth can be credited to destination appeal and favorable customer experiences, according to Marketing Representative Anna Carlucci. The region has done a great job in the last two to three years in promoting itself to the tourism industry. As a bigger entity, the five joined ports can offer more services to cruise lines and their passengers. In an effort to avoid potentially harmful internal competition, management is trying to promote the different appeal of each port. Monopoli is promoted as a luxury destination, Brindisi a turnaround port, and Manfredonia gets more than its fair share of mentioning. TARANTO – The Port of Taranto is a member of CLIA. Its main customer in the recent past has been Marella Cruises due to its popularity with British visitors. Sadly, calls in 2018 suffered because of bad weather, thus highlighting another potential problem for cruise operations in the region. The port has an agreement with Puglia Promotion, the regional tourism board, which has a contractual obligation to promote Taranto to the cruise lines. A new port service center is being built. Named Falanto, after the city’s founder, it is part of a waterfront regeneration program aimed at bringing about a closer connection between the port and the city. SETE – Sète is known as a hidden gem of the Mediterranean. The port has three cruise piers suitable for ships of all sizes. One of its piers is 465 meters long, unusual for this part of the Mediterranean. Sète’s cruise call numbers are rising fast: In 2017 it had only 35 calls, while in 2018 this number rose to 72. For 2019 there will be 80, and 85 calls are already booked for 2020. The city has a new €45-million cruise terminal under development. It will open in 2023 and has already attracted calls from Viking Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, and the regular presence of Pullmantur. MOTRIL – The Port of Motril-Granada is another boutique cruise port that has been experiencing significant year-over-year growth. Between 2018 and 2019, there was a 15% increase in ship calls and a 51% leap in passenger numbers. About half the calls are from premium and luxury brands such as Oceania Cruises, Seabourn, and Azamara. In recent years, the port has worked hard to increase its visibility as the gateway to Alhambra. The port has also signed an agreement with the Archbishop of Granada in an effort to promote ecclesiastical and other attractions to cruise passengers. GIBRALTAR – As the traditional gateway to the Mediterranean, Gibraltar Port’s cruise traffic has typified the general trend of the region in recent years: 2017 was a very good year, although a slight decrease is expected for 2019. A return to growth is predicted for 2020. All tourism stakeholders in the enclave seem to act as one and speak with one voice. This efficiency makes it easier for cruise lines to conduct business here. Moreover, being accustomed to operating in a compact enclosure, they see congestion as a welcomed challenge, not as something to shun. New shore excursion products, such as helicopter tours, are constantly being added to Gibraltar’s cruise portfolio. VAR PROVENCE CRUISE CLUB – The club is a series of small and exclusive cruise ports in Southern France, comprising Saint-Cyr sur Mer, Bandol, Sanary sur Mer, Les Embiez, Toulon, Le Lavandou, Cavalaire sur Mer, Saint-Tropez, Frejus and Saint-Raphaël. (It was founded with 12 members but now has only ten due to the recent exclusion of Hyères and Porquerolles.) The more popular ports receive a fair number of calls each year. The short distances between member ports mean that every port can be an excursion from another. There are almost 200 shore excursion destinations among them. As a result, the club offers a wide variety of shore-side activity products, including the so-called Cultural Macro-Itinerary that takes in destinations as far away as Sardinia, Corsica and Tuscany. The ports attract an increasing frequency of calls from premium and luxury lines due to the quality of the guest experience, according to Delphine Beudin, Head of Cruise Business Development, Port of Toulon. MARSEILLE – The recent growth of the French cruise market is perhaps best reflected in traffic patterns at the Port of Marseille, the fourth-biggest passenger port in the Mediterranean: This year it will welcome about 1.8 million passengers on 520 cruise calls, and it is aiming for two million passengers in 2020. The port has the largest dry dock in the Mediterranean, measuring 469 meters long and 84 meters wide. This will be one of its main advantages in the coming years, as more and more megaships – especially those based in Europe – will need dry docking facilities. The authority has also enlarged the entrance to the port for the purpose of hosting bigger ships, so Marseille is well positioned for growth in its cruise passenger business. VALENCIA – The port is planning to tender for a new passenger facility. The date for this has not yet been set. It intends to redesign its berthing facility and move it to a new location. The number of cruise calls to Valencia has been stable for the last two years at around 200 per year. The number of passengers is climbing faster, reaching 435,000 this year – up from 421,000 last year—because the average size of ships is getting bigger. This is a general trend across the West Mediterranean. The port has a new marketing budget aimed at promoting its cruise business in conjunction with the new cruise facilities. Additionally, the tourism authority is expanding its focus beyond Valencia City to the entire province and delving deeper into its historical treasure trove. Valencia was once a part of the Silk Road and has an agreement with China to revive this tradition. La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia, once the city’s Silk Exchange, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. n 62-66 .indd 6 28.8.2019 11.25
CANARY ISLANDS MADEIRA ISLANDS SPAIN AFRICA FRANCE UNITED KINGDOM PORTUGAL 20ªW 40ªN 30ªN 20ªN T R O P I C O F C A N C E R CABO VERDE kannen 2 ja 67.indd 1 26.8.2019 15:29:08 CANARY ISLANDS MADEIRA ISLANDS SPAIN AFRICA FRANCE UNITED KINGDOM PORTUGAL 20ªW 40ªN 30ªN 20ªN T R O P I C O F C A N C E R CABO VERDE kannen 2 ja 67.indd 1 26.8.2019 15:29:08
C ru is e B u sin e ss .c o m M a g a zin e S u m m e r 2 1 9 CruiseBusiness.com CruiseBusiness.com REVIEWING CRUISE BUSINESS GLOBALLY Magazine Summer 2019 MEDCRUISE GA reinforces connections Page 62 VIRGIN VOYAGES to shake up cruising Page 21 SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY is a newborn Page 60 EXPEDITION EVOLUTION The current year has been a banner one for expedition cruise ship orders and deliveries. New shipyards have emerged as suppliers and new designs have set sail, ranging from the hybrid battery-powered Roald Amundsen to the Greg Mortimer with a cutting-edge X-bow. Read more on page 48. 425x29720kansi .indd 2 27.8.2019 9.38