Royal Caribbean Buys $1 Bln Stake in Silversea Cruises
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL.N) said on Thursday it would buy a 66.7 percent stake in privately owned Silversea Cruises for about $1 billion to add ultra-luxury and expedition cruises to its fleet.Silversea Cruises, which has nine ships, sails to destinations including Antarctica, the Arctic and Greenland, with most of its tickets selling for more than $5,000.In contrast, the most expensive cruises run by Royal Caribbean under its Azamara Club Cruises brand cost around $3…
First Commercial Cruise Will Sail Canada's Northwest Passage
The first commercial cruise ship to sail through Canada's Northwest Passage was set to depart on Tuesday, part of a growing Arctic tourism industry spurred by rising temperatures and receding ice. The ship Crystal Serenity was to depart from Anchorage, Alaska, and cut through frigid northern waters before reaching New York in one month, according to a schedule from its American operator, Crystal Cruises. The route was first navigated more than a century ago by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, but has been ice-free only in recent years.
German Cruise Market Looks Top Slot
The ocean cruise market in Germany continues to be one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors. Going by current trends, Germany could rival the UK’s position as the second largest ocean cruise market. Clia Germany revealed at ITB Berlin that 1.77 million German passengers took an ocean cruise in 2014 – a notable rise compared with the 1.7 million that cruised from the UK in 2013. Clia UK and Ireland said the UK’s 2014 figures would be announced next week, at the Cruise Shipping Miami exhibition and conference. According to a Bloomberg report, Germany is becoming Europe’s top contributor of passengers to the cruise industry as record employment levels and generous vacation rules give consumers the cash and leisure time for sightseeing by sea.
