Celebration Cruise Lines looking to improve their passenger numbers

By GENEA NOEL
Freeport News

Freeport, Grand Bahama- Eight months after its arrival to the shores of Grand Bahama, Celebration Cruise-line representatives say that business has been consistent and they look forward to building a relationship with residents.
In a interview with The Freeport News Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Glenn Ryerson said that although the reception from locals has been a positive one, they are looking for those numbers to improve.
"It has been a great response on both ends, from persons coming in from the United States and persons going over, but I think that people just really need to know what we have to offer and become familiar with the West Palm Beach area."

Ryerson noted that when the cruise liner sailed from New Providence, they were able to take over about 300 Bahamians going over in a week's time.

"Last week we had about 30 persons go over from Grand Bahama. We believe that part of the reason that there hasn't been more is because people do not know everything about this ship,' he said.

"They are so used to sailing in one fashion that they don't really understand that this is a real cruise, with nice cabins, restaurants and a wide range of entertainment, so it is a really different experience for about the same price."

Celebration, he said, has however been able to ease the new voyage on residents by ensuring that there is free pick up and drop off to rental car lots, by distributing maps to the best shopping areas and working out cheaper hotel deals for those that overnight.

They have also arranged bus shuttle services for large groups to shopping spots.

The Ministry of Tourism recently credited the Celebration Cruiseline for the spike in tourist arrivals to the island.

Ryerson said that the partnership between the Ministry and the Our Lucaya Resort has been a positive one.

"Since coming here in March we have had about 20,000 room nights and we look forward to building on that partnership because we know and understand the contribution that we are able to make to the Grand Bahama economy."

Though the move to Grand Bahama has not been as profitable as its Nassau to Florida route, Ryerson said that as soon as persons experience what the ship is all about, he is confident that the numbers will improve.

"It is interesting, when we were in New Providence we had a lot more people take advantage of the ship and again people have been a little slower because they have not been familiar with us here," he said

"It is a little bit less now, but we know that as soon as people experience it and the word gets around they will like it and know what to expect. They are warming up to the West Palm Beach area and its easy port access and the shopping is great there.

Ryerson said that they plan to continue to offer rates for $199 round trip inclusive of taxes and to be as accommodating as they possibly can to their clients.

Cruise line prices Spirit out of market

CHESTER ROBARDS

Tribune Business Reporter
THE BAHAMAS Celebration ferry/cruiseline has priced Spirit Airlines out of the Grand Bahama travel market, offering fares that amount to even less than the airline's taxes on a ticket, a deputy director-general at the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (MOTA) said yesterday.

The lost seats will be replaced by American Airlines and Bahamasair.

David Johnson, who is also in charge of airlift development, said the option to cruise to South Florida in four hours with a large number of free luggage pieces was the selling point for the Bahamas Celebration and the catalyst for the demise of Spirit's airlift into the island.

According to Mr Johnson, Spirit struggled on its Grand Bahama direct from Fort Lauderdale service in the two years it operated. It found the route, which was serviced by a jet, expensive to maintain.

"It was expensive to operate a jet on such a short run and the economics were not going to change," he said.

Spirit also rolled out a controversial deal that required travellers to pay for luggage put in overhead bin,s and it always required passengers to pay for checked luggage.

Mr Johnson said the market for Spirit's Nassau route has not foundered.

Now, American Airlines and Bahamasair have replenished the seats going into Grand Bahama from Florida and have added 200 more.

Mr Johnson also revealed that the Ministry is in talks with American to convince them to further increase their airlift into Grand Bahama, but it has not made a definitive decision on the matter. However, it has increased the frequency of flights into the island compared to 2009.

"They are doing reasonably well, and we were in discussions with them to increase further," said Mr Johnson.

Minister of Tourism, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, said replacing Spirit Airlines with American Airlines also adds the benefit of global connections.

"We will have a much improved service," he said.

New cruise ship sets sail from Port of Palm Beach today; cruises booked for next 3 weeks

RIVIERA BEACH — The first multi-day passenger cruise to sail from the Port of Palm Beach in more than a decade not only sold out all 1,300 spaces for today's inaugural cruise — it sold out all tickets for at least the next three weeks, according to port officials.
That's great news for the struggling port, which pushed hard to woo the 680-foot Bahamas Celebration, owned by Celebration Cruise Line, from Port Everglades.
Starting today, it will sail every other day for Grand Bahama Island.

Celebration Cruise Lines as it announces it is switching to Grand Bahama.

As We reported last week, Celebration Cruise Lines has switched it's route exclusively to Grand Bahama- Read the following article from The Nassau Guarding on the reaction from the Nassau community...

Nassau's celebration over

By Scott Armstrong ~ Guardian Business Editor ~ scott@nasguard.com:

It has brought tens of thousands of passengers to Nassau, and taken thousands from New Providence on U.S. shopping trips, but that will soon be a thing of the past for Celebration Cruise Lines as it announces it is switching to Grand Bahama.

From March 15 the 500-cabin ship, which can carry up to 1,300 people, will end its partnership with Nassau and Fort Lauderdale and begin its new route of Port of Palm Beach to Grand Bahama, having also done a tie-up with the Our Lucaya resort.

The news will come as a blow to the downtown economy, particular the bars, restaurants and the merchants in the temporary Straw Market, but the announcement has been welcomed in Grand Bahama where it will provide a much-needed shot in the arm for its struggling tourism industry.

Peter Turnquest, president of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, said: "We are very excited by this, anything which boosts the lift to Grand Bahama, either by air or sea, is a positive development.

"I know many businesses here will look forward to welcoming Celebration and we will work with them in any way possible to make their stay as profitable as possible.

"There will be a few glasses lifted to toast this news tonight in Grand Bahama."

However the news was less welcomed in Nassau. Gracelle Richmond of Senor Frogs, a hotspot for cruise line passengers, said: "I think this is very sad for the economy of Nassau. It is one less cruise ship bringing customers in. It is a shame for the traders here."

The 680-foot Bahamas Celebration will however be welcomed with open arms in Palm Beach, where officials are over the moon to have secured the services of the 27-year-old, twice-renovated ship that features four restaurants, a two-story night club, and a casino, swimming pool and tiki bar, company officials said.

"Today is a happy day," said Port of Palm Beach Executive Director Manny Almira. Almira said the cruise line is expected to earn the port about $1.5 million per year, money that will help soften the severe blow dealt to shipping revenues by the economic downturn.

Celebration Cruise Lines plans to set sail every other day on an overnight cruise to Grand Bahama .

A typical two-day cruise would sail overnight, allow passengers to debark for the day on the island, then return the following night.

However four- and six-night vacation packages would also be offered that would include two or four-night stays at the island's Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort.

Celebration Cruise Lines purchased the Bahamas Celebration in September 2008 and began sailing from Port Everglades to Nassau last March.

Earlier this month The Nassau Guardian reported how the cruise line had a bumper holiday season, and better than expected numbers for January, with cabins 100 per cent full over the Christmas & New Year period, with all of December running at 90 per cent.

The company, which hit the headlines for its policy of allowing passengers to bring 10 items of luggage for free, also said its number for January were hitting 90 percent occupancy, rather than the expected 75 percent.

Cruise ship to move to Port of Palm Beach, offer sails to Grand Bahama

By Paul Quinlan

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer


RIVIERA BEACH — After more than a decade of trying, the Port of Palm Beach finally may have landed a vacation cruise ship.

Celebration Cruise Lines plans to begin service to the Bahamas starting March 1, according to a deal port and company officials unveiled today and described as nearly complete.

Port of Palm Beach will have lured the cruise line and its one ship, the 500-cabin Bahama Celebration, away from Port Everglades, home to the world's largest cruise terminal. The deal with Celebration Cruise Line is expected to generate about $2 million annually for the Port of Palm Beach, Florida's fourth-largest port and one whose fortunes plummeted with the economic downturn.

"We have come to a point where we think we are a good match for each other," said Manny Almira, the port's executive director.

Celebration Cruise Line would be the first multi-day cruise to sail from the Port of Palm Beach since 1996, according to port officials. Cruise-to-nowhere casino ships such as the Palm Beach Princess have been the port's only cruise business since and have been far from reliable. The port's cruise-to-nowhere business suffered from a long-term slide, under pressure from land-based casinos such as the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. The Princess, beset with mechanical and personnel problems, recently stumbled back into bankruptcy court.

Celebration Cruise Lines plans to set sail every other day for Grand Bahamas Island and offer two-, four- and six-night cruise packages in partnership with the Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort starting at $150, $250 and $400 per person for a double-occupancy room, according to Dan Lambert, a principal of cruise line.

Port and company officials say the 680-foot ship must pass a maneuverability test set for Sunday morning at the port before the deal is finalized, though port and company officials say they expect to encounter no problems.

"We're convinced this is the place for us to be," said Lambert. "We're very excited to be here."

The twice-renovated, 27-year-old ship can carry up to 1,300 passengers and features four restaurants, a two-story night club, and a casino, swimming pool and tiki bar, he said. The cruise line purchased the Bahama Celebration in September 2008 and began sailing from Port Everglades last March.

Lambert said the small cruise line found itself eclipsed by larger competitors in Port Everglades, where Royal Caribbean recently debuted its Oasis of the Seas — the largest cruise ship in the world, with a 5,400-passenger capacity.

"Here, we're going to be the main cruise operation," he said.

A typical two-day cruise would leave Port of Palm Beach at 6 p.m. and dock at Grand Bahama Island the next morning, he said. Passengers would have the day to spend on the island. The ship would depart at 6 p.m. and arrive back in Palm Beach the next day. Four- and six-night packages would include three- and four-night stays at Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort.

Port commissioners cheered the deal, which comes a decade after the Port of Palm Beach broke ground on a passenger cruise terminal that cost more than $26 million but has sat largely unused ever since, as the terminal and port are too small for most modern-day cruise ships.

"We're all willing to do whatever it takes to help it succeed," said port Commissioner Blair Ciklin. "I think this could be a lot better than anyone could imagine."