p18 Crusie Feb12 9/2/10 15:58 Page 18
Cruise
Chris Gray
020 7921 8003
cgray@ttglive.com
For the latest cruise news, visit
ttglive.com/cruise
In brief
Viking takes river
■ Seabourn praises new partners for record sales
Yachts of Seabourn is attributing record bookings
message to trade
for January to increased trade support. The luxury
line said it was attracting all-time high numbers
of new guests after bringing more travel agent
Sara Macefield.
VIKING RIVER CRUISES has unveiled a wave of partners onboard. Bookings in January rose by
agent-friendly initiatives to persuade more 106% compared with the same month in 2009
retailers to proactively promote river cruising to and were up 215% over the same month in 2008.
their customers. The number of first-time Seabourn guests
The firm is backing its multi-pronged approach booking last month jumped by 79% over the same
with an increase in its marketing budget which is time last year and 155% over January 2008.
being used to fund its first online training pro-
gramme, a dedicated trade website, vikingriver- ■ Cruise & Maritime launches £99 promotion
crises.co.uk/trade, and a club for top agents. Christine Miller, Bath Travel; Michael Knighton, Viking River Cruise & Maritime is offering cruises for £99 to
The changes are being led by new national Cruises; and Dawn Jordan, Bath Travel on a V Club incentive third and fourth passengers sharing a cabin with
sales manager Neil Barclay, who joined the line two full-fare paying adults. The line is offering a
last October after six years with Hurtigruten. so there is money to be made.” six-night Springtime Gardens voyage departing
Prior to that, he was a travel agent for 16 years Barclay said Viking – which, with 18 boats, is Tilbury on April 23 aboard Marco Polo.
and he said this experience has given him a bet- one of the largest river cruising companies –
ter understanding of the agents he deals with. wanted to do what it could to raise awareness, ■ Voyages unveils free summer upgrades
However, he admits he has been surprised at including developing training programme with Voyages of Discovery is offering cabin upgrades
the lack of knowledge among counter-staff on TTG Knowledge College, which went live last week. on selected summer voyages. Passengers booking
this sector of the market. The company has also launched the V Club to an inside category N or M cabin will be upgraded
“Apart from the odd few agents, it has been reward its top agents who qualify for extra mar- to a higher grade category K or J outside cabin.
zero,” he said. keting support, enhanced commission on certain The offer applies to cruises between July and
“Agents feel comfortable about ocean cruising, products and hosted days out. November.
but when it comes to river cruising it’s a different
story – yet the rewards are there for them.
ttglive.com
■ Win £100 in shopping vouchers with Viking
For the very latest cruise news,
“The average spend per passenger is £2,500 at
ttglive.com/ttgknowledge
visit
ttglive.com/cruise
Cunard keeps ‘Best Cruise Line’ crown
and the resulting average scores are continually
updated as new reviews are added.
Cunard was the only cruise line to retain its
CUNARD has retained its crown as Best Cruise cruise reviews from consumers posted on its site. title from last year, making it the third year run-
Line after British cruisers gave it the highest votes These cover eight categories including ning that it has been rated best cruise line. The
of any cruise company over the past 12 months. everything from best food and service to best Queen Mary 2 was also rated as top for best food.
The ratings were collated by
Cruise.co.uk, entertainment and excursions. Celebrity Cruises dominated the new entries
which claims to have had more than 20,000 Each category is rated from one to five stars with Celebrity Solstice coming top for accommo-
dation and Celebrity Equinox voted as best ship,
while P&O Cruises’ Ventura overtook Indepen-
Category January 2010 January 2009 dence of the Seas to be rated Best for Kids.
Best Cruise Line Cunard Line Cunard Line Thomson Cruises also triumphed in two cate-
Best Ship Celebrity Equinox Oceania Insignia gories with its ship Thomson Spirit the highest
Best Accommodation Celebrity Solstice Costa Mediterranea rated for service and entertainment.
Best Entertainment Thomson Spirit Independence of the Seas
Cruise.co.uk managing director Seamus Con-
Best Food Queen Mary 2 Oceania Insignia lon said he expected Royal Caribbean Interna-
Best Service Thomson Spirit Oceania Insignia tional’s newest ship, Oasis of the Seas – which
Best for Kids Ventura Independence of the Seas was launched last November – to start making an
Best Shore Excursion Marco Polo Star Princess impact in customer ratings as it had so many
innovative features.
18 12.02.2010
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