news to use CRUISING All-inclusive cruising wins bookings Latest figures released by the
Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) in its 2010 Cruise Review show that the cruise holiday market grew by six per cent last year with 79 per cent of cruises being booked through agents. Ex-UK cruises are seeing the biggest
growth with Southampton now the busiest cruise port in Northern Europe. A second key trend was a move to
shorter cruises. The average cruise duration has come down from 11.1 days to 10.2. Four out of 10 cruises booked in 2010 cost under £1,000 and nearly a quarter of passengers cited the attraction of all-inclusive pricing as a reason for booking. The average cruise age was also down
with more families now cruising. Seven per cent of passengers in 2010 were under 18 years old bringing the average age down to just over 54. Surprisingly, the ultra-luxury cruise sector also grew in 2010 as pricing
Favolosa joins the Costa fleet
Costa Cruises’ new flagship Favolosa
has successfully completed her official sea trials and will debut this July. After a naming ceremony in Trieste
on July 2, Costa Favolosa’s grand inaugural cruise leaves Venice on July 7 for an 11-day itinerary taking in Greece, Turkey and Croatia. Throughout the 2011 summer season Costa Favolosa will offer similar seven-day cruises from Venice and Bari to Olympia, Izmir, Istanbul, and Dubrovnik. The ship is the 15th in the Italian
cruise line's fleet and weighs in at 114,500 tonnes with accommodation for up to 3,800 guests. It will be the largest ship flying the Italian flag. A sister ship, Costa Fascinosa, is currently under construction and scheduled for delivery in spring 2012. Costa Favolosa includes a new
entertainment area for teenagers with 4D Cinema, PlayStation World, and a bar with ice-cream, drinks and popcorn. There is also a new children’s open-air
Aqua Park water playground with its own pirate galleon and a new pool area with whirlpool, a waterfall and hot tubs.
www.costacruises.co.uk
68 June 2011 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
Canary savings with Norwegian
BY LAURA GELDER Norwegian Cruise Line has a new
Canary Islands itinerary for winter 2011/12, launched with an introductory offer for agents booking early. Savings of up to £200 are available to
became more attractive and now includes drinks, excursions and gratuities. While cruise holidays to the Caribbean levelled off, the Med saw 18 per cent growth, most especially out of the UK. The Baltic has trebled its growth over the past decade. The fastest growing cruise spots were the
Arabian Gulf and Red Sea. Commenting on the Review, PSA
director Bill Gibbons said: “In a challenging economic environment, these figures show cruising is giving customers what they want - an inclusive holiday with high standards, endless variety and exciting destinations."
Windstar unveils 2012 collection Windstar Cruises has unveiled its
2012 collection of luxury voyages with nine new itineraries and its lowest introductory pricing for years. The new cruises cover Italy, the Caribbean, Costa Rica, the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Greek Isles. Guests who book by June 30 receive a $200 shipboard credit per cabin. There is also a 21-day transatlantic crossing from Colon in Panama to Lisbon, which departs in March. The Flavours of the Caribbean itinerary
offers seven-night sailings on Wind Surf on a round-trip from St Maarten and visits Martinique, St Lucia, Dominica, Antigua and St Barts. The Passage Through Panama itinerary covers Costa
CRUISING IN BRIEF
Cruise Critic on weddings Cruise news and reviews website,
Cruise Critic, has announced its shortlist for the most wedding-friendly cruise lines. The list includes a review of offerings from each line, covering key attractions and features; package details and prices; and cool quirks such as unusual venues like a rock-climbing wall.
www.cruisecritic.co.uk
Fred. Olsen exclusively ex-UK Fred. Olsen has launched its new 2012/13 brochure. The whole fleet will be crusing exclusively from UK ports for the first time, with destinations including Asia, the Indian Ocean and Latin America. Longer or ‘Grand’ cruises include a 112-night world cruise calling at Vietnam and Oman amongst others.
www.fredolsencruises.co.uk
Travel longer with Azamara Club Azamara Club Cruises' clients can
now extend their holiday up to 78 nights by combining up to four consecutive cruises. The Azamara Club ‘extended voyages’ programme features 114 possible cruises onboard Azamara Quest or Azamara Journey and guests receive up to £300 savings per cruise.
www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk
those clients booking suites or staterooms with balconies, or there is up to £150 off other cabin categories when bookings are made by July 11. The new nine-night cruise is aboard Norwegian Jade and will depart from Barcelona and call at ports in Maderia, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Spain, where there's an optional excursion to Granada. Departures run from December 2011 through to April 2012. The cruise starts at £394 pp cruise-
only and £667 pp for fly-cruise, based on a December 8 sailing. Christmas and New Year Cruises are priced from £694pp, cruise only.
www.ncl.co.uk
Rica’s Pacific Coast, the islands of Panama and the Panama Canal on Wind Star. Both itineraries have departures from December 31 through to March 2012. The treasures of Northern Europe trip
sails between Lisbon and Oslo on Wind Surf in July and August, and Capitals of Scandinavia incorporates seven-night sailings on Wind Surf between Oslo and Stockholm. Best of the Baltic is an eight- night sailing on Wind Surf – a round-trip from Stockholm, on August 3 and 11. Islands of Italy uses Wind Spirit, Wind
Star and Wind Surf on seven-night sailings from Rome to Rome in April, August and October. Meanwhile, Classic Mediterranean is an eight-night itinerary on Wind Spirit and Wind Star between
Rome and Athens, departing from April to November. Greek Isles and the Mysteries of Malta goes between Athens and Valletta on seven-night sailings aboard Wind Spirit with various departures between June and October.
www.windstarcruises.co.uk
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