P&O Orders New LNG Ship For 2022 – Other Cruise News: Cartoon Network Brings Back Kiddie Cruising – CroisiEurope To Sell Jacques Cartier
by Kevin Griffin
There was more news last week from P&O Cruises ordered a second 5,200-berth LNG-fuelled mega cruise ship for the UK market. Meanwhile, Oceanic Group of Singapore has announced that it will intoduce a dedicated Cartoon Network cruise ship from Singapore. And in Europe, CroisiEurope has announced that it will be packaging the 68-berth Jacques Cartier, a small cruise ship that will sail between Quebec City and Toronto.
THIS WEEK’S STORY
P&O Orders New LNG Ship For 2022
Carnival Corporation last week announced a shipbuilding contract with Meyer Werft for another 180,000-ton 5,200-berth LNG-fuelled mega cruise ship for P&O Cruises, to be delivered in 2022.
P&O Cruises ordered a second 5,200-berth LNG-fuelled mega cruise ship for the UK market (Artist impression courtesy Carnival Corp.)
Similar to the P&O sister ship due for delivery in 2020, this second new ship will be the largest cruise ship to be built specifically for the British market.
P&O Cruises senior vice president Paul Ludlow said, “we have a bold and ambitious vision for P&O Cruises to become Britain’s number one holiday choice and we can only do that by increasing our fleet.
”The build for our 2020 ship begins this spring and it will offer all generations of British guests the holiday of a lifetime on the next generation of P&O Cruises ships.” In four years’ time when her sister ship is launched, this will add another 22% to P&O’s capacity.
Britannia during sea trials on December 7, 2014 (Photo P&O Cruises
“This evolution of the guest experience will be evident over the next few years but will be underpinned throughout with in-depth market insight and feedback we receive from the best source: our current, past and prospective guests.
“The first of our new ships will go on sale in September and we will be announcing key elements of the design and build this year. Our P&O Cruises signature features in dining and entertainment will be across all our ships, but the space and build of the two new ships allows us to have innovative new experiences.”
OTHER CRUISE NEWS
Cartoon Network Brings Back Kiddie Cruising
The first kiddie cruise line since Costa’s American Family Cruises, which existed for just a few months in 1993-94, will open its doors later this year.
Some of the world’s most famous cartoon characters will be setting sail on their very own cruise liner, the 1,708-berth Cartoon Network Wave. This ship, which until now has operated as P&O Australia’s Pacific Jewel, is the result of a partnership between Oceanic Group one of Asia-Pacific’s leading cruise management company and Turner, the global media giant behind Cartoon Network.
Cartoon Network Brings Back Kiddie Cruising
Set to make its maiden voyage from its home port of Singapore in late 2018, the Cartoon Network Wave will be a haven for cartoon-loving travellers. With the ocean as a backdrop, families will enjoy the world’s first immersive cartoon vacation at sea, and an adventure with their favourite Cartoon Network stars.
There are many existing projects by Turner’s location-based entertainment team including Cartoon Network-branded restaurants, theme parks and waterparks, even planes and trains, but this will be the first cruise ship to undergo a full Cartoon Network transformation.
The theme and onboard experience of the Cartoon Network Wave are inspired by characters from iconic shows such as Adventure Time, Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls and We Bare Bears.
The Cartoon Network Wave will sail from Singapore Cruise Centre and will serve thirteen popular destinations in the Asia Pacific region including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia and Japan. Dates and itineraries will be announced at a later date.
Oceanic Group formalised its partnership with Turner in a signing last week in Singapore, marking the official launch of the world’s first Cartoon Network-themed cruise line.
Oceanic Group chief executive Daniel Chui said the partnership represents a commitment to capitalise on Asia’s growing cruise market. “Cartoon Network Wave heralds the start of a new vacation experience for cruise-goers in Asia. With Singapore’s position as a cruise hub in Asia, we believe it is only fitting that we dive right in and ride the surging tide of this passenger cruise wave.”
Five years ago, in 2013, Oceanic Group signed a contract to make a hotel of Queen Mary 2, a project that has not yet gone forward. Oceanic Group maintains offices in Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
CroisiEurope To Sell Jacques Cartier
CroisiEurope is launching cruises on the St Lawrence River and Great Lakes on the 68-berth Jacques Cartier, a vessel that has spent ninety years working as a ferry and then as a day excursion boat on the St Lawrence River.
The Jacques Cartier 2018 (Artist impression)
Clients will sail from Quebec to Trois-Rivières, Montreal, Cornwall, Rockport, Kingston and Toronto and will also be able to visit Ottawa and Niagara Falls on optional shore excursions, and spend a day sailing among the Thousand Islands.
Sample pricing is from £2,746 per person for a nine-night “Mighty St Lawrence” cruise from Quebec to Toronto, departing August 3. Fifteen departures are available between August 2018 and October 2019.
The Jacques Cartier was built as a car ferry in 1924
The Jacques Cartier has carried the same name since she was launched as a cross-river ferry for use at Montreal in 1924. When a bridge replaced her in 1940, the Clarke Steamship Company acquired her for use as a ferry across the Saguenay River near Tadoussac.
In 1962 Clarke moved her to the Rivière-du-Loup ferry service to act as the reserve boat on the Lower St Lawrence crossing to the North Shore.
By 1969, she was in the hands of the Harvey family, who used her at first to carry cargo but eventually introduced her to the day excursion trade from Trois-Rivières, sailing as far as Montreal and Quebec. At this stage of her life she saw several rebuilds and two re-enginings before an eventual retirement in 2012.
The Jacques Cartier in 1993
Now, the Jacques Carter is becoming an overnight cruise ship, at a cost of Canadian $6.6 million. CroisiEurope have entered into an agreement to package her new St Lawrence and Great Lakes cruises in Europe, including the UK.
The Jacques Cartier is being outfitted with an observation area, a health and well-being area, a spa and a sauna. According to the company, the Jacques Cartier will also feature modern, comfortable cabins with a mix of inside- and outside-facing staterooms. Additionally, there will be storage space on board for equipment such as kayaks and Zodiacs, whereby an “active cruising” concept will also be developed.
(Kevin Griffin is managing director of specialist cruise agency The Cruise People Ltd in London, England. For further information concerning cruises mentioned in this article readers can visit his blog)
