Off-beat luxury ON THE HIGH SEAS
Maria Harding reveals the cruise line-up for 2013/14 with itineraries ranging from the exotic to adventurous, along with some great add-ons, perks and early-booking savings
ASSOCIATION OF CRUISE EXPERTS
ANDY HARMER Director, ACE
Looking forward to 2013 It’s very encouraging to see figures released recently showing that next year, more Brits than ever before are expected to take a cruise holiday. This certainly shows the resilience of the cruise sector in these challenging times and good is news for agents specialising in selling cruise.
Luxury launches Part of this success story will be shared by luxury cruise operators where demand continues for high end holidays. In 2013, two luxury cruise brands are launching new ships – Compagnie du Ponant is introducing the 264-passenger Le Soleal while Hapag- Lloyd Cruises is launching Europa 2 accommodating 516 guests. Silversea is also introducing its second expedition ship Silver Galapagos so the choice and style of luxury cruises continues to grow.
“Travellers in search of unusual itineraries no longer need to confine themselves to small-ship lines”
French-owned Compagnie du Ponant will also be Asia-bound next year; in October, Le Soleal sails for Asia and a series of cruises around Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam. But travellers in search of unusual itineraries need not confi ne themselves to small-ship lines; Voyages of Discovery’s mv Voyager will explore Latin America next year, with options including a 22-day February 2013 sailing from Valparaiso in Chile to Buenos Aires. And Hurtigruten has added new departures to its Antarctica sailings
in response, it says, to “ever increasing demand to visit some of the most remote places in the world”. New itineraries include a 17-day Antarctica sailing which spends Christmas Day 2013 in South Georgia. Cunard Line also has some unusual options in a 2013 programme which spans North America and Canada and includes Christmas and New Year sailings in the Caribbean. One thing guaranteed to appeal to cruisers who enjoy long haul destinations without fl ying is the line’s offering of three Canada & New England round trip voyages sailing from Southampton. Lovers of dramatic scenery might
also consider Princess Cruises’ varied offerings to Alaska in summer 2013, which include 10-night Inside Passage cruises from San Francisco aboard the recently-remodelled Grand Princess. In all, Princess will offer 124 Alaska cruise departures in 2013. Agents whose clients want to
combine US East Coast sophistication with Caribbean sunshine should consider Royal Caribbean International, which has Explorer of the Seas offering
year-round Caribbean sailings from New Jersey in 2013. These sailings are particularly popular in winter, as cruisers can combine Christmas shopping in the Big Apple with getting an out-of- season suntan, so for winter 2013/14 Royal Caribbean offers 22 sailings on 16 different itineraries to eight Caribbean ports, starting on November 3 with an 11-night trip to Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Antigua and St. Kitts. Like MSC, RCI predicts major
Caribbean growth next year, when it will have its largest ever deployment in the region, offering 630 sailings and 110 different itineraries on 15 ships, sailing from nine different departure points and calling at 45 ports. Longer term, even more exciting
growth could be on the cards for China; RCI is adding a second 3,114-passenger ship, Mariner of the Seas , to its Far East operations from next June, when it will operate alongside Voyager of the Seas.
Main pic: MSC Lirica adds a touch of elegance to the Caribbean
Off the beaten track Ships operated by luxury cruise lines tend to be smaller which means they have the great advantage of being able to visit destinations off the beaten track across the globe – from deep in the Amazon to the depths of Antarctica. Most also offer around the world voyages and a number of these are now on sale for 2014.
Realising the potential There are great opportunities around luxury cruising and ACE recently held its first ever Luxury Cruise Showcase in Cheshire where agents were able to keep up to speed with changes within the sector and hear the latest news. Identifying the fact that potential luxury cruise guests are already to be found within your customer database is a great first step in realising the potential that this sector offers.
Future events A number of other events are planned for the coming months and for further information visit
www.cruiseexperts.org
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