‘No cruise pricing bloodbath from Southampton’ – Carnival UK

Monday, 27 May, 2004 0

The boss of Carnival UK has dismissed suggestions that a pricing bloodbath is brewing from Southampton due to an influx of ships.

Managing director David Dingle described planned capacity rises from the port for next summer as “realistic”.

Carnival UK’s P&O Cruises will run its largest new build ship Arcadia from Southampton along with new addition Artemis, joining the fleet from Princess Cruises. These will run alongside Aurora, Oceana and Oriana in offering summer itineraries from the Hampshire port.

Sister brand Princess Cruises is also deploying Sun Princess from Southampton for the first time in summer 2005 to go head to head with US rival Royal Caribbean International which is to run 14-night cruises from the port with Legend of the Seas.

Thomson Cruises is also to run its first ex-UK cruises next summer with sailings from Southampton, Harwich and Newcastle.

Mr Dingle said the result would be an “absolute increase” in capacity of 70,000 from the UK in 2005. This compares with a 51,000 growth last year over 2002.

He described the 70,000 increase as “quite a realistic achievement”.

Mr Dingle said: “All our brands plus Royal Caribbean are the world’s two biggest cruise companies, so there is scope for some further softening of prices and for these operations to still be extremely profitable. I don’t think the either company is being over ambitious. Clearly, the UK is a particularly attractive market because it has the greatest harmony with the American market.”

Report by Phil Davies

Phil Davies

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