Photo Tour of Royal Caribbean's Coco Cay and Other Cruise News Items

This week Beyondships focuses on Coco Cay, a private resort in the Bahamas developed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and used as a port of call by that company’s cruise lines, principally Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, during cruises to the Caribbean and/or Bahamas. The ships stop for the day and transport passengers, food, and beverages to the island via tenders. Then, in the late afternoon, the tenders take the passengers and what remains of the supplies back to the ship. No guests sleep at the resort. .

Coco Cay is a man-made a tropical paradise created for the pleasure of the cruise ship’s guests. The island itself is a relatively small outcropping of coral that has been transformed into an appealing venue with sandy beaches shaded by tall palms. In the developed area there are a wide range of facilities including bars and places to have something to eat. One can hire all sorts of watercraft including catamarans, jet skis, and kayaks. One can swim, snorkel, scuba or fly above the water on a parasail. Alternatively, one can lie on a deck chair or in one of the hammocks strung between the palms.

Much of the island has been left relatively undeveloped, however. As one gets further away from the developed area, the beaches become less crowded until there is only the occasional fellow passenger passing by. Alternatively, there is a nature trail that one can follow to the other end of the island. This takes one through the dense indigenous vegetation and over numerous (and often slippery) rocks. The rewards for such an expedition are some very nice views and something that one does not often find these days: silence - - there is no sound of cars, airplanes, or music. It can be quite startling to hear nothing but the water lapping against the shore..

Places like Coco Cay are fantasies. They are created by the cruise line. As a result, they are not cultural experiences.. However, they also do not have the poverty and crime that plague the so-called real world. They are places to come for a day just for the enjoyment - - an escape if you like. Like a tropical Brigadoon, they disappear when the cruise ship sails.

Beyondhips’ photo tour of Coco Cay begins at . http://beyondships.com/RCI-CocoCay.html
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Turning to items in the news . . .

During Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s fourth quarter conference call with securities analysts, RCCL Chairman Richard Fain indicated that even though Oasis of the Seas has been a big hit with customers and is commanding premium prices, the company will probably not build another such ship after Allure of the Seas, which is currently under construction in Finland. This should not be too surprising as the size of the Oasis class ships limits where the ships can go and they are very expensive to build. Fain gave no indication of what type of ship would be built for the company’s Royal Caribbean International subsidiary after Allure of the Seas. Three Solstice-class ships are currently on order for RCCL’s Celebrity Cruises subsidiary.

During her recent Panama Canal cruise from California to Florida, Coral Princess diverted to participate in a rescue at sea. A Columbian fishing boat had sunk and the cruise ship, various other vessels and aircraft made a search for survivors. Three people were rescued.

Norwegian Cruise Lines announced that Norwegian Epic, scheduled to enter service later this year, will be sailing in Europe during part of the 2011 season.

Cunard’s Queen Victoria made her maiden call in San Francisco on January 27 as part of her world cruise. Queen Victoria is scheduled to do a series of cruises from California in 2011.

Talking with QM2 Captain Nick Bates and Celebrity Summit HD Julian Brackenbury

Beyondships presents two inside interviews this week. One continues Beyondships in-depth coverage of Queen Mary 2 while the other adds to last week’s profile of Celebrity Summit.

My first memory of Nick Bates was of him being lowered down the side of the Queen Elizabeth 2 in the middle of the night. QE2 had just struck two submerged rocks off the coast of Massachusetts and Nick was being sent down to inspect the hull. It was a great relief to the passengers that he decided to come back to the ship rather than sail away. There was significant damage but as Nick correctly determined, it did not threaten the integrity of the hull.

At that time, Nick was Chief Officer of QE2. Not long after that, he became Staff Captain and in those positions had responsibility for maintaining the ship and seeing her through some of the major changes that ship underwent in the 1990s.

Nick was not the typical Cunard officer. He was not at all reserved. Rather, his Irish wit and love of a good laugh enlivened the tables he hosted at dinner and the various passenger receptions. At the same time, he was clearly proud of being a part of Cunard and had a justifiable pride in the legendary ship.

As time went on, Nick was given his own commands, first with the other Cunard ships, then Qe2, then a time with Princess Cruises. Most recently, Nick has been alternating with Commodore Bernard Warner as the master of Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2.
Captain Bates still combines the qualities he displayed when I first met him. He is still very serious when it comes to his command. However, he is also able to weave his lighthearted approach to life into relations with passengers. Indeed, he has compiled the stories that he tells during his noonday announcements into a popular book, the profits of which he donates to charity.

My conversation with Captain Bates about his 35-year career and about his current command appears at: http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-art-Bates.html

The second interview that I have posted this week is with Julian Brackenbury, Hotel Director of the Celebrity Summit. Julian has also had an interesting career in the cruise ship industry but in this interview, I asked him to tell us about Summit. The goal was to round out the Beyondships’ profile of Summit with an insider’s perspective about the vacation experience that one can expect on Summit. The interview appears at: http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-art-brackenbury.html

Turning to the news . . .

As I mentioned last week, Royal Caribbean has continued to have its ships call at the line’s private resort in Labadee, Haiti. In addition to helping maintain the local economy, the ships have brought supplies for the earthquake victims in Haiti. To my surprise, Royal has been criticized for this move on the grounds that people should not be vacationing and enjoying themselves on one part of the island when there is so much misery elsewhere in Haiti. This strikes me as an unfair criticism. The issue for Royal is whether to have the ships call in Haiti or go somewhere else. If the ships went somewhere else, people would still be vacationing and enjoying themselves despite the misery in Haiti. If the ships continue to call in Haiti, at least there will be some benefit to the people of Haiti in the form of jobs and supplies. Thus, in my opinion, Royal is doing the right thing.

Princess Cruises received a thank you from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the weather observations made on Princess ships These observations help NOAA track weather patterns. The ships measure air temperature, humidity, wind direction and strength, sea waves and swells. They then send information at a minimum of every six hours when at sea to a database which is forwarded to NOAA. The Princess ships sent more observations to NOAA in 2009 than any other cruise line.

Celebrity Summit Photo Tour and other cruise news

This week, we take a look at Celebrity Summit. Summit is one of four ships built in France for Celebrity in the early years of this millennium. Indeed, the lead ship in the class was the Millennium and the four are collectively referred to as the Millennium-class. They were technologically advanced with gas turbine engines and azipod propulsion systems. However, what is of primary concern to most guests is their distinctive interiors.

When one steps aboard a Millennium class ship, one is transported into a refined world. The décor is contemporary, understated and subtle. The art work is interesting but unobtrusive. The lighting is subtle. It is definitely an upscale experience.

His is also reflected in how the ship is operated. The service is friendly and attentive. With the Celebrity Life onboard programming, there are activities to interest the mind, body and palette. While there is a dress code, it balances formality with the need to relax while on vacation.

Summit is very similar to her younger sister Constellation. The most apparent difference is in the specialty restaurant. On Summit, the restaurant is an ode to the great French ocean liner Normandie. This tribute carries over to the main dining room which is dominated by a statue that once was on the Normandie.

Beyondships profile of Summit appears at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Profile.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Tour-1.html

Next week, we shall also be adding an interview in which hotel director Julien Brackenberry talks about the ship.

Turning to other news . . . .

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the parent company of Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, has announced that it will be sending over $1 million in aid to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The Royal Caribbean ships call in Haiti on a regular basis, at the company’s private beach resort Labade. The company says that its ships will continue to call there, which will provide additional money to the Haitian economy. Royal also says that the net revenue from those calls will go to earthquake relief.

Cunard has announced that it is partnering with New York’s Julliard School of Music to have jazz performances by students and faculty of the school on select transatlantic crossings on Queen Mary 2 during 2010. Speaking of QM2, Beyondships will be featuring an interview with QM2 Captain Nick Bates in the not too distant future.

Speaking of partnerships, NCL has announced that it has partnered with Nickelodeon to have Nickelodeon-themed family entertainment programming on Norwegian Jewel starting this April and on Norwegian Epic starting in June.

Norwegian Epic will also be offering its studio cabins without a single supplement. These cabins will have approximately 100 square feet of space with a full size bed. There will also be a separate area for the bathroom. The studio cabins will open out into a studio lounge, which will be shared by passengers in other studio cabins.

The beginning of the year marks the cruise industry’s “wave season” and many of the lines are running sales and promotions. For example, Princess Cruises has a “Balcony Bonanza” in which guests can have a balcony cabin for the price of an oceanview stateroom. Along the same lines, Cunard has announced discounts on Queen Victoria’s long Mediterranean cruises in the Fall of 2010.

Carnival Conquest Photo Tour and Profile

Carnival Conquest is one of the mainstays of the Carnival fleet. She was the first ship to be built of the larger version of the Carnival Destiny design and her features were carried through with very little change through the next four Carnival mega-ships. Indeed, even Carnival Splendor of 2008 bears a close resemblance to Conquest and the line’s most recent ship, Carnival Dream, bears something of a resemblance.

One of the really nice things about Conquest is the interior decoration. Designer Joe Farcus selected the French Impressionists as the inspiration for the interior and he has utilized their works and ideas from their works in an imaginative and pleasing way. Almost everyone likes the French Impressionists, so this idea was bound to work.

Beyondships’ profile of Carnival Conquest with copies of menus, daily programs and other information about the ship is at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalConquest-Profile.html and the multi-page photo tour of the ship begins at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalConquest-Tour-1.html

Captain Ian McNaught on Cunard Yesterday and Today, Larry Pimintel takes Aazamara In A New Direction

Happy New Year!

Beyondships begins the new year by taking a look back and a look forward.

When I spoke with Captain Ian McNaught of Cunard’s Queen Victoria, our conversation covered his career with Cunard going back to the 1980s. He is well known in ocean liner circles for his work as the last Cunard captain of the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2). However, before QE2, he commanded several other Cunard ships. These included the mass market Cunard cruise ships of the 1980s and 1990s as well as the ultra luxury Sea Goddess yachts.

In addition to talking about those ships, we also discussed how the acquisition of Cunard by Carnival Corporation saved Cunard.

Finally, we discussed the difference between Cunard and P&O Cruises, and how that affects the cruise experience on the two lines. In this connection, it is important to keep in mind that Captain McNaught also commands P&O ships from time to time.

My conversation with Captain McNaught is at http://www.beyondships.com/QV-McNaught-2.html

Larry Pimintel also was once associated with Cunard but these days he is the President of Azamara Club Cruises. In fact, Pimintel has only been the head of Azamara for less than a year but he is shaking things up and moving the company in a new direction.

Azamara is one of the Royal Caribbean family of companies. However, unlike the company’s sister cruise lines, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises where the ships keep getting bigger, Azamara’s ships are small intimate ships. The line has been around for less than three years but in that time, it has become known as Royal’s luxury brand.

While the Azamara ships are popular, they are not producing the required return on capital. Accordingly, Pimintel is taking the bold step of raising prices in these harsh economic times. He is also changing the focus of the product, making the cruise experience more destination intensive and including more services within the fare price.

My article about the new Azamara appears at http://www.beyondships.com/Cruise-articles-azamara.html

Turning to the news,

On January 5, Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth will be floated out. The floating out is an important event in a ship’s life. It is the equivalent of the moment when a ship would slide down the ways into the water for the first time. Nowadays, passenger ships are not built on ways but rather in dry docks. When the ship reaches a point where she can float, the drydock is flooded and its gates opened so that the ship can be completed at a fitting out dock. It is a much easier and safer way to build ships but not as dramatic. In any case, Queen Elizabeth will reach this milestone this week.