p22 cruise feb27 24/2/09 17:09 Page 22
Cruise
Lee Hayhurst
020 7921 8001
lhayhurst@ttglive.com
For the latest cruise news, visit
ttglive.com/cruise
EWaterways eyes
push into Europe
Lee Hayhurst.
viously Cendant Travel Services vice-president
A NEW aggregator for small-ship cruise opera- operations for international markets.
tors has launched in the UK ahead of a push into Clive Howard, who previously worked in MSC’s
European markets. London office, heads the trade division.
EWaterways, which launched in the US in April The UK launch will be followed by France, Italy
2008, already has 750 UK agents signed up to and Spain, as eWaterways strives to become the
receive its weekly newsletter, which features leading global distributor of niche cruise product.
deals and news updates. Wagner said: “We saw there was a niche in the
It features 500 ships with capacity for no more market not being catered for by anybody else
than 300 passengers or fewer than 150 cabins, and thought there was a fantastic opportunity.
combining well-known product with small oper- “Talk to consumers or agents and they would
ators available in the UK for the first time. say they know a lot about the sector. But the
The firm has a head office in London, a satel- level of knowledge is really limited, considering
lite office in New York and a product-contracting the range of product available worldwide.”
ARCADIA VISITS OZ: P&O Cruises’ Arcadia team in Bangkok. EWaterways has joined the Passenger Ship-
made its first-ever call to Sydney, as part EWaterways claims to pay “generous commis- ping Association and is currently having its Abta
of its inaugural world voyage. Hundreds of sions” on an average selling price of £1,400. membership confirmed. It will target consumers
locals, many of whom will have emigrated The company is headed by chief executive directly, but there will be a dedicated trade com-
on a previous P&O ship also named Daniela Wagner, formerly global managing direc- munity area on its website featuring blogs and
Arcadia in the 1950s and 1960s, turned tor of Octopus Travel, and Soren Langelund, pre- forums.
out to the mark the occasion. A specially
invited group of past passengers enjoyed
a reunion lunch onboard.
Irish Ferries targets fed-up flyers
Celebrity Eclipse
IRISH Ferries hopes that a lead-in price of £69 in regarding airline baggage charges and hidden
its 2009 Car Ferry and Holiday Guide will attract costs.
on sale in March
customers fed up with airport delays and “For agents fed up with the frustrations of
charges. dealing with budget airlines to Ireland, we are
CELEBRITY Cruises’ third Solstice-class ship, Declan Mescall, head of passenger yet again emphasising that ferry travel is no
Celebrity Eclipse, which will sail out of sales, said: “This year has started longer the ‘poor relation’.
Southampton from 2010, goes on general sale much like 2008, with more “We are under no illusions that 2009 is the
at noon on March 10. consumer start of the most difficult time the indus-
Loyal customers in the line’s Captain’s Club complaints try has experienced for many years.
will be able to make bookings from March 3. “The new Car Ferry and Holiday
The ship, the first Celebrity new-build to be Guide gives agents, in a nutshell,
based in the UK, is expected to generate about all the ammunition they need to
40,000 new UK customers this year. introduce to their clients the bene-
To cater for demand for new destinations and fits of self-drive to Ireland.”
cruises of different lengths, Eclipse will offer 26 Irish Ferries Holidays, which sails from
itineraries. Early-booking offers include a £400 Holyhead to Dublin and Pembroke to
saving per stateroom on selected cruises. Rosslare, pays agents 15% commission on travel
Robin Shaw, UK vice-president and managing and accommodation-inclusive packages.
director, said: “In bringing such a contemporary
ship to the market, we aim to become a major Marie McCarthy, Irish Ferries passenger sales manager, visited Claddah Travel in Birmingham with a copy of the line’s new
player in the British and Irish cruise industry.” guide and a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the agency’s 21st birthday with directors Martin Kilroy (left) and Lou Marandola
22 27.02.2009
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