CRUISE NEWS YOU CAN USE
MSC Cruises held its annual international All Stars of the Seas event this month, honouring agent partners during a ceremony onboard MSCFantasia. JENNIFER MORRIS joined them for the two-night trip from Barcelona to Genoa
NEWS IN BRIEF
Bookings via MSC Book to qualify for extra commission
Agents will be offered bonus commission from January 1 on bookings made via online portal MSC Book. Giles Hawke wouldn’t reveal how much commission was being offered, but said: “MSC Book went live last November and is now working well. It’s had good uptake but we think it could increase. Our goal is to make it possible for agents to make 95% of their bookings through it.”
MSC Cruises is ‘on cusp of a breakthrough in UK’
MSC Cruises is “on the cusp of a real breakthrough in the UK” as it predicts 50% growth in sales by the end of the year and hints at further expansion in Cuba.
Executive director Giles
Hawke said the cruise line had compensated for having no ex-UK sailings this summer by doubling the number of ships sailing in the western Mediterranean to eight. He said the business was
Wave campaign to offer 50 places on Med fam trip
MSC Cruises will give agents the chance to win one of 50 places on a Mediterranean fam trip, as part of its wave campaign. Agents making a booking between December 15 and the end of February will be entered into a prize draw to win a place on the “best fam trip at sea”, onboard MSC Preziosa (pictured) next spring. The line hasn’t yet announced full details of its wave offer, but Hawke said they would be “attractive to passengers and travel agents”.
Line extends balcony cabin upgrade to mid-December
MSC’s balcony cabin upgrade promotion is being extended until December 14. The offer, which started on September 4, was due to finish at the end of this month. The Get the Best promotion offers customers the chance to secure a balcony cabin for the price of an inside cabin on selected summer 2016 and winter 2016-17 itineraries.
about 15% ahead on winter sales compared with last year, and expected to finish 2015 about 50% up on 2014. “We have learned a lot from
what has been a good summer,” said Hawke. “We have focused too many of our flight seats on Gatwick, so for summer 2016, we’ve got more regional flying and better pricing for cruise-only. “We’ve already booked more people for Dubai for this winter than we booked for the whole of last winter, and it’s the same for the Mediterranean. Summer 2016 has started brilliantly, too.”
Agents to tour MSC Splendida via virtual technology headsets
Virtual reality technology has been introduced by MSC Cruises to help train agents on the features onboard MSC Splendida. The line has seven headsets that
will be used to give agents around the country a virtual reality tour of the ship. The headsets were showcased
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travelweekly.co.uk 26 November 2015
VIRTUAL REALITY: Cruise Village’s Phil Nuttall tries out a headset
TOP PERFORMERS: MSC hosted agent partners at All Stars of the Seas
“People now realise what they are paying for. We sold too cheaply before”
After struggling with brand
awareness in the past, Hawke said he believed the line had “really got the message out” in the UK this year. “I can sense that we are on the cusp of a real breakthrough in the UK,” he said. “Agents are starting to recognise us and when they see
the product, they are wowed by the quality, which historically we didn’t have.” Hawke said MSC’s prices were
increasing gradually year on year. He wouldn't reveal how much prices had risen, but said: “People now realise what they are paying for. We sold too cheaply before.” Hawke added that the Caribbean
was going to be a “massive part” of MSC’s future and said it was “very likely” year-round sailings would
be rolled out in Cuba next winter.
mscbook.com
to the trade at the All Stars event. Janet Parton, the line’s head of
sales for the UK and Ireland, said: “We’ll be taking the headsets to stores, call centres and events.” Headsets showing new ships
MSC Seaside MSC Meraviglia are under development. MSC Cruises has also revealed
some more facilities that will feature onboard MSC Meraviglia, which launches in 2017. The ship will have a teppanyaki restaurant, a champagne and oyster bar, and a karaoke bar.
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