news to use CRUISING Norwegian invests in children


BY LAURA GELDER Norwegian’s rebranded kids


programme will be introduced to Norwegian Gem this February and will subsequently be rolled out to all the cruise line’s Freestyle Cruising ships. The current programme, Norwegian’s


Kid’s Crew, which has been in place since 1999, will be renamed and the age groups are being redefined to better address the skills and interests of children. The new age groups will be: three to five years; six to eight years; and nine to 12 years. There will also be two teen groups of 13 to 14 and 15 to 17 years and programmes for babies and toddlers ages six months to two years. An enhanced curriculum will place


more focus on sporting activities, arts and crafts, theatre and technology. Activities will change every 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the age group, and set within blocks of programming time in the morning, afternoon and evening. The new curriculum will also include


creative themes, such as circus, theatre, technology, sports or port of call ‘day’.


Voyages to Arabia Voyages of Discovery has two new


Middle Eastern itineraries for 2012. The Frankincense Trail calls in at Muscat


and Salalah in Oman, Sharm El Sheikh and Safaga in Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan on a 13-day voyage and is priced from £899pp for a March 23 departure. Oman and the Holy Land is a 25-day


voyage calling in at ports in Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey, priced from £1,399pp, for departure as above. Price for cruises includes all meals,


entertainment, gratuities, cruise taxes/fees and onboard lectures. www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk


GALLERY »


sellinglonghaul.com/gallery Did you attend the ACE River Cruise


EXPO? Check out our pictures of the event in our gallery section ...more online


Cirque Du Jour, a New York-based company that specialises in teaching children circus skills such as scarf juggling, plate spinning and clowning will provide workshops and shows. The youth programmes will utilise other areas of the ships and will feature more family events such as parades and scavenger hunts.


Norwegian is also increasing the


ratio of staff to children and establishing new criteria for the hiring of counsellors, including the requirement of a college degree in recreation or child care (or the equivalent experience). www.ncl.co.uk


Olsen supports trade over web Online discounts will be abolished by


Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, in a bid to drive business to agents and up profit. The five per cent discount previously


available to customers booking direct on the company's website will be abolished when Fred. Olsen's 2013 preview brochure comes out this February. Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing


Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We would like to be in a position where the price you see is what you get and is the same wherever you see it, this will ensure a level playing field for our trade partners.”


CRUISING IN BRIEF sellinglonghaul 14 February 2012 • www.sellinglonghaul.com .com


Check in faster with Crystal A new check-in process has been implemented at Crystal Cruises’ embarkation points. The ticket scanning system utilises a barcode on guests’ cruise ticket. Instead of processing documentation in the terminal, guests register onboard and receive their room keys with photo identification. www.crystalcruises.co.uk


Titan river savings Titan’s 3rd edition of its 2012 river


cruise programme offers savings of up to £1,000pp for bookings made before February 29. The new ‘Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & The Mekong’ 17-day cruise, departing on September 5 and December 8 is just one itinerary available on the deal. www.titantravel.co.uk


Fred. Olsen has had a rise in bookings


in early 2012, after a TV campaign, inserts in the national press, and brochures and direct mail produced for agents. www.fredolsencruises.com


Tourism Update


ASSOCIATION OF CRUISE EXPERTS


Catch up on cruise by reading previous features online Log on to SellingLongHaul.com/magazines and find our archive of previous issues. You'll find relevant, useful features on luxury cruising, selling cruises to groups, family cruising and more!


ANDY HARMER ACE Director


Firstly, at ACE we express our deepest sympathies to all passengers and crew affected by the incident with Costa Concordia and we should pay tribute to those who worked tirelessly to evacuate the ship and help minimise casualties. Talking with our partners since the incident, it’s too early to suggest what the longer term impact of this tragic event will be on the cruise market. The number of cruise holidays taken by British passengers has grown without interruption in the UK for many years. And although we can’t say with certainty as to the precise effect, we can say that such tragedies are rare and that cruising remains statistically one of the safest forms of transport in the travel industry. We should take some reassurance


in the fact that cruising is incredibly resilient – it has adapted well to changing consumer buying patterns over the past few decades and even in the deepest recessions, cruise companies have continued to invest, innovate and adapt to create a holiday that offers the greatest flexibility, choice, inclusivity, quality and value of any holiday available. Travel agents are incredibly


adaptive. And to stay one step ahead of the game is more important now than ever. To help our travel agent members we have introduced a number of new events including our Cruise Showcases that will allow agents to keep up to date on the latest news in the cruise sector. We also have our Digital Seminar in March to offer practical advice on social media and digital marketing and our ACE Cruise Convention in May featuring our first ever Selling Cruise Conference in Southampton, offering inspiration, advice, trends and guidance so that agents can sell more cruising.


©FRED OLSEN/FOTOSEEKER.COM


©NCL


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