Carrick firm on crest of a wave with cruise line deals

The McCue Crafted Fit deals with the UK’s third largest cruise line will see the refurbishment of the Thomson Celebration in Cyprus and the Thomson Dream in Gibraltar and are the first secured by the firm since entering the important marine market earlier this year.

The projects include the fit-out of new Asian-themed restaurants on both ships, the renovation of the café on board Dream and the overhaul of the Celebration ‘Liberties’ Lounge with a new permanent exterior bar facility prefabricated in McCue’s 60,000ft2 joinery facility in Carrickfergus.

Les McCracken, McCue Crafted Fit managing director, said: “These contracts are significant for us and provide a strong vote of confidence in our ability to deliver on important projects in the marine sector.

“While we are new to this area our land-based experience team ethos and track record of delivering on quality and on-time give us a strong position to grow within the market.

“This is a sector which has been on our radar for a number of years now and we have carefully strengthened our ability to compete for turnkey fit out projects with cruise lines, ferry operators and shipyards on a global basis. We are excited at the prospect of working with Thomson on these two projects.”

Speaking about the projects Helen Caron, managing director of Thomson Cruises, said: “Listening to our customers is at the heart of all our planning, which is why we are investing further in both Thomson Dream and Celebration to give passengers an even better experience on-board. We are confident customers will love the enhanced dining experience in the a la carte restaurants and the overall new look of both ships.”

For both ships, McCue appointed English design firm Leisure Concepts to prepare detailed layouts, mood boards, colour schemes and visuals 
for various areas on each ships.

Best-known for its award-winning work on shops, bars and restaurants, McCue has previously delivered some of the most ambitious retail and hospitality projects in the UK, Ireland and Europe – including overhauls of luxury London hotels The Savoy; The Berkeley and Claridges.

Earlier this year the fit-out specialist, which employs 120 in Northern Ireland, was recognised on the Deloitte list of Best Managed Companies in Ireland and named among the UK industry’s best performers at the NAS Design Partnership Awards in London.