p20 cruise May1 28/4/09 18:21 Page 20
Cruise
Lee Hayhurst
020 7921 8001
lhayhurst@ttglive.com
For the latest cruise news, visit ttglive.com/cruise
Swan flies north
to warmer winter
cruise programme.
Lee Hayhurst.
SWAN Hellenic is to Swan Hellenic has
Back-to-back-to-
return to warm partnered with local
weather winter cruis- operator A-Rosa to
back-to-back...
ing, with a new charter a ship on
programme in the the Rhine for the
A TRAVEL agent from online agency Cruise118 Far East for 2010-11 first time, adding to
was rewarded with bottles of her favourite wine after spending recent cruises on the Rhone
after booking a multiple back-to-back cruise. winters in Antarctica. and Danube.
Emma Hayes (pictured, middle) made the six Managing director Rhine cruises will
cruise bookings in one for Royal Caribbean Cruise Colin Stone said the move came after requests be available onboard a new 175-passenger
Line’s upmarket brand Azamara Cruises. from customers and was also due to the vessel, A-Rosa Aqua, which Stone said
The £15,000 booking was described as rising costs of repositioning and operating in the offered the balcony suites its guests were
“amazing” by Azamara account manager Mike southern seas. increasingly demanding.
Graham (right), who presented Hayes with the Swan’s ship, Minerva (pictured), will operate Swan Hellenic stopped offering river cruising
bottles of pino grigio. as usual in the Mediterranean and northern when, as part of Carnival, it took on the larger
Hayes and Graham are pictured with Europe during summer 2010. Minerva II ocean ship.
Mal Barritt, who founded Cruise118 last year with The most significant change will be a return to Stone said it was still only a small part of the
James Cole, former Cruise Thomas Cook boss. Syria for the first time since the line was sold by overall programme but there was a big crossover
Carnival in 2007. between river and ocean customers.
Stone said: “We’ve tried to look for something With demand for more balcony suites, Stone
In brief
our passengers have not done for a while. said Swan was on the lookout for opportunities
“We have not been able to offer them to expand its ocean fleet, although it remained
warm winter holidays for some time because of committed to Minerva.
Antarctica, and we’ve had a lot of passengers “We put river into the programme because it
■ MSC treats agents at Splendida events interested in going back to the Far East.” offered quality balcony suites and was a stepping
MSC Cruises’ new ship, Splendida, was launched A new brochure is due out in the next few stone for when we can identify a further vessel
to the travel trade in a series of roadshows across weeks, which will also feature an expanded river for the fleet,” he said.
the UK. Agents were treated to a three-course
meal and plenty of prizes were
up for grabs. Pictured with
MSC Cruises’ Natalie Ford are
Preserving Hebridean’s ‘ethos’
Ria Church, David Sunderland,
Sue Halsey, Anika Hodgkins and ALL LEISURE Group, the new owner of Hebridean ethos that the brand has built up over the years.
James Barfoot, all from Thomas International Cruises, will revive the line’s “It also operates in a unique part of the world
Cook Hempstead Valley. original name, replacing “International” with and it relies on the local community, and it is very
“Island”, but said it will make few other changes. important for the people there.”
■ Hurtigruten to run training seminars Colin Stone, managing director of sister line Mike Deegan has been retained as managing
Hurtigruten has unveiled details of a programme Swan Hellenic, said it was important the one-ship director as have many of his staff in the Skipton
of travel agent training seminars in the UK. The line preserved its brand identity following last head office and onboard crew.
events will take place in early June, just after the week’s £1.4 million buyout. The new owners have taken on all Hebridean’s
operator’s 2009-10 Northern Lights brochure All Leisure Group, which also owns Voyages of summer 2009 bookings, which the former
and 2010 preview brochure go on sale. Discovery, bought the assets of the company, owners had guaranteed would proceed despite
Email agencysales@hurtigruten.co.uk including the 49-passenger Hebridean Princess, the company going out of business.
which sails mainly in Scotland, from administra- Hebridean had tried to stave off collapse with
ttglive.com
For the very latest cruise news,
tors Ernst & Young last week. the sale of the loss-making ship Hebridean Spirit,
visit ttglive.com/cruise Stone said: “It’s important we preserve the but failed.
20 01.05.2009
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