Island secures second ship

Celebrity Cruises’ vessel Horizon is to be the second ship for Island Cruises, the joint venture between First Choice and Royal Caribbean International.

Horizon will move from Royal Caribbean’s premium brand Celebrity to Island Cruises in October 2005 under a six-year lease agreement.

The 14-year-old ship will enter dry dock in the Bahamas after its summer season for “extensive refurbishment”, including the addition of two restaurants, 59 cabins and 50 balconies. 

The ship will enter service for Island Cruises in December in Brazil under a new as yet to be confirmed name.  It will sail from Brazil in winter and the Mediterranean in summer.  

Island has been operating a single vessel, the former Royal Caribbean ship Viking Serenade under the name Island Escape, for three years. Island currently offers two transatlantic, six Brazilian and three Mediterranean itineraries on the 1,740-passenger Island Escape.

The 47,000-ton Horizon carries 1,700 passengers and 642 crew. Celebrity Cruises operates the ship in Bermuda in summer and in the Caribbean in winter.

Horizon is rated as a four-star vessel in the Berlitz 2005 Ocean Cruising guide. The ship cost $185 million when it entered service in May 1990. It is described by Berlitz as being a “handsome, contemporary” vessel. It was refurbished in October 1998. 

The doubling of the Island Cruises fleet comes just weeks after Royal Caribbean’s UK boss Patrick Ryan was confirmed as new managing director of the joint venture cruise line from January. 

First Choice said Island Cruises posted its first “relevant profit” this year. First Choice’s share of the profit was £400,000 in the year ended October 31 against a loss of £2.1 million in 2002-03. This came on the back of a 30% improvement in summer profitability due to earlier sales at high yields, according to the First Choice preliminary results statement which showed the group increasing pre-tax profits to £98.3 million from £87.1 million the previous year.

The UK travel group added: “UK cruise demand continues to grow strongly with Island Cruises well positioned to capitalise on the large number of first time cruisers in the market. Sales for 2005 show continued improvement in volume and revenue.”

Jack Williams, president and chief operating officer of Celebrity Cruises, said: “By adding a ship, Island Cruises can continue to grow its brand and overall presence in Europe and South America. Horizon has served our Celebrity Cruises guests very well during the past 14 years and will continue to do so for the guests of Island Cruises.”

Report by Phil Davies