Travel agents who are the main purveyors of cruise holidays worldwide are fearing that this season (the industry’s busiest) is almost a lost cause with sales figures falling 30% in places, but despite that they hope this will not be a long term issue. 

In a recent travel report by PhoCusWright, a travel research firm, it was estimated that nearly 11 million Americans took a cruise last year, generating an estimated $14.5 billion in revenue for the industry. This year was hoped to be one of relative growth as, like the rest of the travel industry, cruise lines are still recovering from the Great Recession. Despite that 2011 saw the launch of several new mega-ships whose construction started more than three years ago.

The owners of the Concordia, Carnival haven’t said exactly how much bookings have fallen, but it disclosed Monday that in the 12 days following the Concordia capsizing there was a percent decline “in the mid-teens compared to the prior year.” Reservations hit a low on Jan. 16.

Carnival operates 101 ships under several brands including Costa, Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Princess and Seabourn. It said reservations with the Costa line are “down significantly” but difficult to interpret because many Costa customers were rebooked on other ships because of the loss of the Concordia ship.

“Despite these recent trends, we believe the incident will not have a significant long-term impact on our business,” the company said.Carnival’s statement is the first evidence that passengers are hesitant to embark on cruises after seeing the awful images of the Concordia shipwrecked off the Italian coast.

The international scientific body is pressing the southern european government to restrict ships from travelling near “Culturally and ecologically important areas”. 

Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO’s assistant director general for culture, sent a letter to Italian ministers outlining “longstanding concern over the risk that large cruise liners pose to sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List,” according to a statement late yesterday.
Worldwide environmentalists and Authorities have been increasingly concerned at the threat of an oil spill but officials have dismissed reports of a leakage. Other than the huge amounts of diesel in the Cruise liner’s full tanks, fears regarding other contents contaminating the ocean wildlife are coming to the fore. Not only was the ship full of cooking oils and detergents to cook and clean after 4,000 people for a week, but there were 4 swimming pools with chlorinated water (which ordinarily would kill plants and sea life) but also 1000s of electrical items already corroding.
The incident occurred on January 13th 2011, when The Concordia struck rocks near Giglio after the captain, Francesco Schettino, deviated from the planned and mapped route and instead steered the massive cruise ship close to the island, hours after the vessel left a port near Rome for a Mediterranean cruise carrying about 4,200 passengers and crew.
It is reported that the Costa Concordia, though lying on its side on the sea bed in the Mediterranean is stable, with the pumping of the oil from the ship to commence on 28th of January.

In keeping with the video the Collection website uses for its home page the interior of the “mansion” in which the video was shot, casting us back into its world of seaside living. There is direct access to the products section containing inspiring texts, product specifications, 360° views of timepieces with the option of zooming in on key elements and exploded view images allowing the visitor to get to the heart of the models in this new range. The Collection allows all of the harmony of the Hamptons to shine through: the rectangular shape of the initial Art Deco timepiece which inspired the collection has been retained; confidence with a satined domed volume on the case at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock; a generously enhanced curved sapphire crystal; and a curved case side at 3 and 9 o’clock. Other features of the collection are the modern two-toned dials with play on finishing and riveted Arabic numerals. However, the website is not content with merely displaying the models, it also provides information. Through videos which are available in the library section, it is possible to learn all about the Hamptons, the spirit of the place and of those who visited and who left their impression: artists in search of an inspirational haven. Thanks to Alexandre Peraldi, Director of the Design Studio, we can discover the origins of the collection, it stylistic underpinnings, the importance granted to each individual detail and the background of the creator, thus stepping right into the intimacy of not only the new Hampton collection, but also the Baume & Mercier firm. This is an enchanting journey to the heart of an iconic timepiece which allows us to better understand its exceptional nature.

Visit us at http://hampton.baume-et-mercier.com

Baume & Mercier

Founded in 1830, the Swiss Maison d’Horlogerie Baume & Mercier has had a proud track record of producing watches that consistently embody an ideal of excellence and affordable luxury for everyday living. Today, the brand’s four key collections include the classically feminine Linea for women, the sporty-elegant Capeland for men, the timeless Hampton for both men and women, and the Classima, perfect for all occasions and enhanced with new 2011 additions. The dawn of 2011 marks the start of a new chapter in Baume & Mercier’s history. The brand’s new universe is now represented by Seaside Living in the Hamptons, which corresponds to the genuine values of sharing, authenticity, and relaxed elegance. The Hamptons have inspired Baume & Mercier’s new claim: Life is about moments. Baume & Mercier’s mission is to be the natural companion of life’s celebrated moments, such as a birthday or anniversary, a graduation, a first job, or a family reunion, the kind that warms our hearts in any culture and on every continent.

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They have made travel easier by allowing passengers to stay on board ship, even on the night before they leave port and to also make then have more for their money by including more overnight stays at a selection of destinations. The cruises vary in length for seven to nineteen days and there is also a three month cruise.

The cruises will all be all inclusive and they have a selection of offers at the moment so it could be good to look soon take advantage of a promotion. Passengers will be abl et have fine wine and quality spirits, drinks in the lounge and meals at no additional cost, which makes it much easier when planning the cost of the entire holiday. The cruises start at $2755 per person for double occupancy which include transfer and flights.

A new report has stated that we are not going to increase our spend on holidaying for at leasst 4 year.

Consumer spending on holidays is unlikely to return to pre-recession levels until 2014-2015 in line with a pick-up in the economy, according to Mintel’s 2011 British Lifestyles survey.

Last year total expenditure on domestic and overseas holidays, excluding transport on trips abroad such as flights, dropped to a five-year low of £33.4 billion.

Domestic holidays accounted for 60% of 2010 holidays, the same as 2009, but overseas holidays made up more than 60% of total expenditure with £12 billion spent on UK trips and £21.3 billion on holidays abroad.

However, average holiday expenditure increased last year, in part due to increasing UK petrol prices. Just over three-quarters of UK holidays are taken by car.

Mintel’s report forecasts total holiday expenditure will rise gradually to £37 billion in 2015 – the same as it was in 2008.

Senior travel and tourism analyst Tom Rees said: “The economic situation continues to constrain spending with rising inflation, petrol costs and fuel and food bills going up. The recession may have officially ended but it certainly doesn’t feel that way to people making their holiday purchase decisions.”

The report surveyed 2,017 internet users aged over 16 to look at the impact of the economic slowdown on consumers. Almost half (45%) spent less on holidays in the 12 months to June 2011.

Holidays were rated as the third biggest area in which consumers had spent less, behind entertainment and leisure (54%) and food and takeaways (53%). Consumers were less likely to have cut spend on technology and communications, clothing and accessories, and home and garden.

The same poll found 23% would always or mainly priotise price over quality when it comes to buying holidays. “It is particularly interesting people are still willing to go for a bargain even if they do not know the brand,” added Rees.

Overall the number of holidays taken by UK consumers has continued to decrease with a significant drop from 99.2 million in 2009 to 93 million holidays in 2010. Overseas breaks are at their lowest level for more than a decade.

Despite the fall in the number of holidays, domestic holidays have maintained their share of the market. This is set to continue, said Rees, with consumer confidence at a 20 year low.

The domestic holiday trend could continue even when expenditure picks up because of other rising costs such as university tuition fees, he added. “I wonder if we are seeing a rebalancing in favour of domestic holidays more than we have done before. Are people getting used to a new financial reality?”

The survey also shows consumers no longer view holidays as a necessity; four in ten class holidays as a luxury and one in four as a necessary spend, based on a poll of 2,000 people.

The group’s trade facet – All Discovery Cruising has yet to reveal any plans for the Alexander von Humboldt cruise ship, which it successful tendered for in November 2009.

However, an announcement is now expected to be made on September 1, when the group will reveal a raft of investment and development plans for its brands.

Currently the company has three cruise ship brands: Voyages of Discovery, Swan Hellenic and Hebridean Island Cruises.

Voyages of Discovery managing director Alan Murray, who will be at the briefing, would not be drawn on which brand the new ship would form part of but revealed there were plans to refurbish Voyages’ ship Discovery.

This could include creating a more flexible “open” dining policy to attract a younger market of cruise passengers by refurbishing its lido deck. Currently the ship only offers two sittings for dinner.

The current average age is over 50, but Murray is keen to attract cruise passengers between 40 and 50.

Murray said: “We will only get a younger age group by being more flexible on dining. This ship was designed in an era of two sittings so we have to put some effort into that. This is one of the big ticket items.”

The incident occurred at about 11.30am as the Rose of Aran , operated by Aran Doolin Ferries, was arriving in Doolin to collect passengers travelling to the Aran Islands.

The ferry was between Crab Island and Doolin pier when it ran aground about 25m from the shore.

There was a crew of four on board and, according to the company, there were no passengers on board at the time.

The Irish Coast Guard was notified of the incident at midday, and its marine rescue co-ordination centre in Dublin requested that members of the local Coast Guard unit board the vessel to assess if there was a pollution risk.

The advantages of these are is that they have more child friendly entertainment and family fun which means that no one will get bored. They have more fun swimming pools and games and entertainment for children as well as children’s clubs and a more family friendly itinerary. They will have different sorts of destinations as well.

They will have more suitable prices for families too and so it may mean that you will end up paying a lot less than you expected. However, it may mean that you do not get the luxury facilities that you expect from a cruise because you will not be paying so much money. Therefore think hard about your expectations when you are choosing the cruise because you may get different price options with different companies. You may decide to pay more and get something more luxurious.

John and Barbara Jeffrey, both in their 60s were travelling from South Africa to the Mediterranean when bullets were sprayed around the deck of the Cruise liner injuring Mr Jeffrey with two separate hits. It was late at night and the couple were socialising with other passengers when they spotted a small outboard motored boat come behind then alongside the liner. 

In horror they saw a Somali pirate attach a rope to their vessel and start climbing abroad by shinning up the rope. Quickly realising this was definitely a pirate, the holidaymakers threw everything they could at the man to try and dislodge him. He was eventually hit by a deckchair, thrown by a German passenger, and fell into the dark ocean below.

That enraged the other raiders, who shockingly began firing automatic weapons at the ship and directly at the passengers.
Mr Jeffrey, 65, from Seaton Delaval, told the Evening Chronicle newspaper: “They were still close to the ship at this point so they didn’t have a great angle to hit us.

I think they were trying to scare us off so they could try with another rope, but we stood our ground and continued throwing things at the boat.

“They then pulled away from the boat and started firing at us. I was amazed at how calm everyone was.”

The couple then took shelter inside the Cruise Ship while bullets ripped through its hull, and Mr Jeffrey, a retired builder, was caught in the fire and took a glancing blow from one and was more seriously injured by shrapnel from another.

Somali Pirates beaten off

The pirates were eventually seen off by the Cruise ship crew by using water hoses to thwart their attempts to swarm aboard.
The drama unfolded in April 2009 and the Jeffreys decided to speak out about their ordeal after settling a legal claim with MSC Cruises.

Mr Jeffrey was treated for six days on board before he was transferred via Jordan to a French hospital after his septic wounds failed to respond to antibiotics.

A spokeswoman for MSC Cruises said: “Passengers’ safety is always paramount to us and security procedures were well in place at the time to protect the passengers from the alleged risk of piracy.

“MSC can confirm that they did not and do not accept any legal responsibility for the incident which was unforeseeable as it has been the first reported case of an attack to a passenger vessel.

“There was adequate security present on board during Mr and Mrs Jeffery’s cruise. The crew were on proper look-out by sight and hearing so as to make a full appraisal of the situation. ”The correct position is that whilst the MSC Melody was 600 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia, six pirates on a small craft approached the vessel late on the Saturday evening, April 25 2009.

“The security personnel on board took all available steps including the deployment of water hoses. There were a few passengers who observed the incident and tried to throw deckchairs at the pirates. This was not necessary and the situation was well under control by the vessel.”

“Following the above attack, MSC Cruises has launched exciting new West Africa itineraries departing from Livorno in Italy and Durban in South Africa, which combine the relaxation of a long ocean cruise with a tremendous variety of ports of call and special excursions.”

“The new routes simultaneously represent decisive action by MSC Cruises to completely remove any threat to its passengers from Somali pirates.”

To be honest we have to say they look pretty good. We took a virtual tour – as shown on their website to, to have a look at their ship – Saga Pearl II. It looks pretty comfortable and has a capacity for just over 440 cruisers.

The cruise price includes tonnes including all meals, a cocktail party, visas, port taxes, all on–board gratuities,porterage and a car service from home to port. Not bad, eh?

SAGA have thought of everything – sailing solo can be hard, but there are plenty of activities and if your travelling alone do not fear as there will be tonnes of opprtunity to meet and socialise with like-minded folk.

We have to say it looks like a grand deal.