Sitmar Cruises

Princess Cruises, the Los Angeles-based owner of a cruise ship fleet used in "The Love Boat" television series, has taken a corporate mate. Sitmar Cruises, a Los Angeles-based cruise line operator, will merge with Princess under an agreement signed late Wednesday, the companies said Thursday. Under the agreement, Princess will acquire Sitmar's operation--an existing four-ship fleet and three new Sitmar ships under construction--for $210 million. Princess already has a fleet of five ships.

If the energetic folks of British Columbia have their way, what people call the Alaska cruise may soon become the Canada and Alaska cruise. For starters, there is Canada Place, the magnificent harbor-front pavilion built for Expo '86 that is now serving as Vancouver's strikingly handsome cruise ship port.

Princess Cruises, the Los Angeles-based owner of a cruise ship fleet used in "The Love Boat" television series, has taken a corporate mate. Sitmar Cruises, a Los Angeles-based cruise line operator, will merge with Princess under an agreement signed late Wednesday, the companies said Thursday. Under the agreement, Princess will acquire Sitmar's operation--an existing four-ship fleet and three new Sitmar ships under construction--for $210 million. Princess already has a fleet of five ships.

Thomas E. (Ted) Blamey has been named president of Los Angeles-based Sitmar Cruises, replacing John P. Bland, who resigned a week ago. Blamey, 41, has been managing director of the cruise company's Sydney, Australia-based operations in Australia and Asia since joining the firm in March, 1979.

A fire in the engine room of a cruise ship off Australia killed one crew member and injured another Sunday, but the blaze was put out before it could reach the 1,200 passengers or disable the vessel. P&O Sitmar Cruises, owners of the Fairstar, said a 44-year-old boiler attendant died after suffering burns to 75% of his body during what was to be a routine testing of an auxiliary boiler.

Sitmar Cruises has signed a 15-year lease valued at $22 million in what is being called "the largest single lease to be signed in the 26-year history of Century City." A tenant in the Century City North Office Building for more than 10 years, Sitmar will occupy the entire 18th and 19th floors plus half of the 17th floor for its expanded, 60,000-square-foot corporate headquarters. Cushman & Wakefield represented Sitmar, and Lake Shore Management Inc., an affiliate of JMB Property Management Corp.

Garden Connection: The former director of entertainment for Knott's Berry Farm, now a Newport Beach consultant, has added Madison Square Garden in New York to his client list. John L. Steenhoven, president of the Steenhoven Production Group in Newport Beach, will lend his advice to Madison Square Garden Enterprises for such events as Major League Baseball's All-Star Fanfest next July in Toronto, the National Basketball Assn.'s All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, N.C.

At least three companies--two of them in Los Angeles--are betting that the cruise industry is sailing into smoother waters. Los Angeles-based Sitmar Cruises recently announced that it is investing $306 million to build two ships that will double the cruise line's passenger capacity. And Western Cruise Lines of Los Angeles and its sister firm, Eastern Cruise Lines of Miami, announced that they are merging with Sundance Cruises of Seattle.

If the energetic folks of British Columbia have their way, what people call the Alaska cruise may soon become the Canada and Alaska cruise. For starters, there is Canada Place, the magnificent harbor-front pavilion built for Expo '86 that is now serving as Vancouver's strikingly handsome cruise ship port.

A recent Alaskan trip on Sitmar Cruises' Fairsea turned out to be a wonderful surprise. There were six of us, so I admit we looked for a bargain. After seeing an advertisement in the Travel Section we decided to book with Sitmar, even though we thought the cruise might be crowded and noisy with lots of children. Not so! There was a marvelous pizza parlor and the staff and crew were competent and friendly (except for our waiter, who didn't understand English). One of the most outstanding features on the ship was its Youth Center.