Category: Oceania Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line Buys Prestige Cruise Holdings

9/1/2014

Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Getaway in Miami, Florida

By John Roberts

UPDATE: Here is a press release confirming the deal first reported by Reuters.

MIAMI -- September 2, 2014 -- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (Norwegian Cruise Line or Norwegian, (NASDAQ: NCLH)), a leading global cruise operator, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Prestige Cruises International, Inc. (Prestige), the market leader in the upscale cruise segment and parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, in cash and stock for a total transaction consideration of $3.025 billion, including the assumption of debt.

Norwegian Cruise Line is negotiating to buy Prestige Cruise Holdings, which owns luxury lines Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, for about $3 billion, according to a report by Reuters.

Private-equity company Apollo Global Management owns Prestige Cruise Holdings as well as a 20 percent portion of Norwegian Cruise Line.

The proposed deal reported by Reuters using unnamed sources would add eight ships to NCL's fleet of 13. NCL also has Norwegian Escape coming in spring 2015 and Norwegian Bliss in 2017, plus two more unnamed ships in the works.

I would suggest adding the fun ropes courses and plank walks to any new ships arriving in the NCL fleet!

More news . . .

Princess Cruises Regal Princess in Olympia,Greece

Princess Cruises says it has found a way to utilize the Retreat Pool area on its brand new Regal Princess ship. The Night Sky Lounge, an exclusive top deck nightclub will emerge one night on each cruise this fall when the ship debuts at its homeport in Miami. Passengers (for a fee) can partake in the chic Miami South Beach-style environment -- complete with glowing furniture. A DJ will pump out music over a state-of-the-art audio system, and enjoy the poolside entertainment. You can have cocktails served at the onsite bar, or request VIP bottle service in a cabana.

Thanks for reading,
JR

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Oceania Cruises starts "Life in the Theater" series

4/7/2014

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Andrea McArdle

By John Roberts

Oceania Cruises has announced a "Life in the Theater" series, which provides passengers the chance to "enjoy up-close and intimate encounters with notable Broadway icons," said Oceania President Kumal Kamlani. The series will be offered on select sailings, with the first featuring Andrea McArdle, who starred as the original "Annie" in the Broadway production. Ticketholders on the Oct. 29 cruise on Oceania Riviera get the chance to participate in eight special events, which include a cocktail party, five songs and story sessions and a private full performance with McArdle. Tickets cost $375 and there is a limited supply.

Royal Caribbean will bring some Broadway to the high seas, too. The line said its Oasis of the Seas will feature a production of the multiple Tony award-winning Cats, one of the longest running shows in Broadway history. Oasis will get the show once it completes its drydock in the fall.

Costa Cruises announced a "Spring in Our Step" promotion last week. Billed as a way to "escape the unusually long winter" -- I think weâ€™ll agree we'd all like that -- Costa offers rates as low as $499 per passenger on select April and May cruises to Med itineraries. The featured seven-night sailings hit ports in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, including stops in Italy, Turkey, Spain, France, Croatia and Greece, on Costa's Magica, Favolosa, Serena and Mediterranea. To pick your sailing, check out costacruises.com or call 1-800-GO-COSTA.

Norwegian Cruise Line launched its "Cruise Event Week" on Sunday. The annual promotion, which ends Saturday, gives passengers who book during this time the chance to earn a wide range of discounts and perks on sailings of five days or longer.

American Queen Steamboat Co. launched its American Empress river ship, pictured below, last week, with a media sailing on the Columbia and Snake rivers in Washington and Oregon. The line overhauled the former Empress of the North ship, which had sat in a shipyard after the company that owned it went bankrupt. The previous incarnation of the ship had sailed the Columbia and in Alaska from 2003 to 2008.

American Empress is 360 feet long, features a paddlewheel and accommodates 223 passengers for its sailings in the Pacific Northwest meant to relive the expedition of Lewis and Clark.

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Norwegian Cruise Line Buys Prestige Cruise Holdings

Oceania Cruises starts "Life in the Theater" series

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