It’s great to be back from Europe. However, I have not learned to get back on to the West Coast clock as quick as I should. The first morning I woke up at 1, the second at 3—I am talking a.m.–until finally this morning it’s the alarm that wakes me. Ahh…normal, except I have another cruise next week and here we go again.
I was delighted to see that the Governor of Alaska took a group with him to the conference in Miami to make a pitch for a strong cruise market to Alaska.
It appears the governor’s plan to bring the head tax down to $34.50 from $50 will go a long way to at least encouraging those four ships that left the Alaska market to take a look at returning. Part of the money, as I understand, is to go to Ketchikan and Juneau. We will have to see how the senate treats the bill from this point.
Disney starts the come back for Vancouver to Alaska as they sail out of the West Coast city starting in 2011.
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Azura, the new ship for P&O, sailed into its home port of Southampton ahead of Saturday’s launch party. Azura will carry 3100 and, most notably, will have 18 solo cabins. I know it’s not many, but with NCL’s Epic and their 100, it is a start of a realization by the cruise lines that as passengers get older and lose their mates, they are not going to sit at home. Also, many in the next generation of cruisers have decided to stay single and that’s all they need in a cabin.
P&O, who operate primarily for the British and Australian markets, now has seven ships.
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Seabourn is offering some discount rates for selected departures through the summer. It’s basically two for one on select cruises. Some include air from gateways: Toronto Montreal and Vancouver.
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The Nanaimo Port Authority Board of Directors has suspended the $22-million floating cruise ship terminal project because, to date (April 1), it has not received the federal environmental assessment permits. Unless Nanaimo has some assurances from the major lines that they will stop there, it won’t be built.
Build it and they might come is risky business.
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And finally–MSC will operate two cruise ships simultaneously out of South Africa during the upcoming 2010-11 season to meet increased market demand and offer variety to that cruise market.
All for now.
