S
outh Africa and the Caribbean look set to become hot ‘new’ long haul destinations on the
cruise scene in 2013, according to MSC Cruises’ UK Managing Director Giulio Libutti. He believes that despite the
economic downturn, Britons with the cash to travel are still keen to explore exotic, far fl ung destinations – and says MSC’s 2013 cruise line-up has been geared to appeal to their spirit of adventure. “Due to the current demand we
recently deployed two larger ships to South Africa and have increased from one ship to two in the Caribbean,” he says. “These destinations are particularly popular with travel agents as they can boost their earnings by packaging our cruises with hotel and safari add-ons.” MSC is committing fi rmly to
Caribbean growth as its newest ship, MSC Divina – a Fantasia Class vessel featuring the line’s innovative, `luxury ship-within-a-big- ship’ Yacht Club, will be based in Miami for winter 2013/14. And the cruise line is seeking high-
14 December 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
end sales with some more unusual Caribbean itineraries, featuring more offbeat ports of call like Forte de France on Martinique. Sailing ship operator Star Clippers is also going off-track to offer more unusual Caribbean/South America itineraries next year; Star Flyer will spend November 2013 to January 2014 sailing the coastlines of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, before switching to Cuba in early 2014, when a series of seven-night voyages from Cienfueguos will include calls at Cayo Largo, Archipielago de los Canarreos, and the Cayman Islands.
And agents with cruise clients in search of the exotic will fi nd all the luxury small ship operators offering adventurous options in 2013. Silversea Cruises 2013 line-up
features more than 200 sailings and 32 new ports of call including Australia’s Port Arthur and Fanning Island, Kiribati, which will feature on Silver Spirit’s inaugural calls in Hawaii. South Africa also features signifi cantly in the programme, with Silver Wind beginning and ending the year there.
Rival Seabourn Cruises, meanwhile, has been wooing high-end travellers to join Seabourn Quest’s 2013 world cruise – which will visit 27 countries and cover the South Pacifi c, Australia, Asia and India, by offering 10 `exceptional experiences ashore’ as part of the deal. Five – including tea in the Members Enclosure of a Hong Kong horse- racing track – will be offered only to full world cruise takers, while fi ve will be available to sector guests as well. Exotic offerings also abound in
Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ winter 2013/14 programme, which ranges from South America to Asia, the South Pacifi c, the Caribbean and Alaska, and the line is offering a complimentary one-night, post-cruise hotel package on 2013-2014 Winter Collection itineraries booked by December 31 this year. Regent’s new programme includes
fi ve Grand Voyages with exclusive `perks’ for guests who book the full sailing, and special offers on pre- and post-cruise land programmes, such as a three-night pre- or post-cruise
land programme for £318 pp on some South Pacifi c and Asia itineraries. Oceania Cruises is also going down the longer voyage route, offering a total of 21 Grand Voyages in 2013, from 24 to 63 days long and including a 30-day Dubai to Cape Town sailing and three new Asian itineraries, with inaugural calls at Dalian in China. Oceania’s 2013-2014 Winter
Collection features 61 sailings, 18 of them new itineraries, and incentives to book include free fl ights on all cruises, included gratuities and two-for-one deposits for bookings received by December 31 2012. Asia is big news for SeaDream
Yacht Club, as SeaDream II will spend its fi rst winter season there in 2013, starting with a 15-night sailing from Athens to Mumbai via Egypt on October 12. Her six month Asian stint will take her to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), East Timor, Indonesia, New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong, and she will also cruise to Northern Australia. With a new small ship, the 132-cabin Le Soleal, joining its fl eet from June,
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