Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman Richard Fain said the company is close to ordering more new ships for the Royal Caribbean International brand. He also denied rumors that the company is looking to sell its Azamara Club Cruises brand or the brand’s ships. During a conference call with analysts announcing fourth-quarter earnings, Fain said the company is “working intensively on a new design.”
Disney Cruise Line is cancelling the Disney Wonder’s calls at Mazatlan, Mexico, due to the “changing environment. The Disney Wonder’s new itinerary now has it visiting Cabo San Lucas on Thursday instead of Mazatlan, in addition to a half-day on Friday in Cabo. In a statement, the Mazatlan Tourism Trust said Mazatlan is regarded as one of the safest destinations in Mexico.
MSC Cruises named 20 winners of a two-night cruise for two on the MSC Poesia as part of its “Cruise a Day Giveaway.” Nearly 7,000 people entered the sweepstakes garnering 11,000 visits to the MSC Cruises fan page on Facebook.
Crystal Cruises has posted on its website more than 300 Adventure shore excursions for its Jan. 18 to April 21, 2012, World Cruise, more than a year in advance of sailing. This is not only the earliest that top-rated Crystal has ever made its World Cruise excursion options available to guests, but also the earliest any cruise line has ever made them available -- by months. Fully-paid guests can pre-book their selections through Crystal’s Priority Check-in and Planning Center online immediately.
Celebrity Cruises is launching a new integrated, multi-channel campaign with the tagline “X the Rules.” As the line said in its announcement, “life and work have too many rules. A vacation -- one of the most important decisions time-starved consumers make each year -- should not.“Our new campaign is grounded in deep consumer insights and the knowledge that vacation time is precious -- and limited. We get that,” said Celebrity President and CEO Dan Hanrahan.
Atlantic Star Cruise Industry News has learned Pullmantur’s Atlantic Star has been sold to an undisclosed buyer and will be renamed the Mona Lisa II. The French-built Atlantic Star was launched in 1984. The 46,000-ton vessel is one of the last steam ships remaining, with a passenger capacity of 1,550.