Cruise For the latest cruise news, visit
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CCS bolsters web booking facilities
COMPLETE CRUISE Solution has relaunched its booking system to make it easier for agents to modify bookings. The relaunched
ccs.com enables agents to
make more modifications at a much later date than was previously allowed. These include booking disabled cabins, alter-
ing room choice, or opting for different dining options. Agents can also book up to three cabins in one go online. Meanwhile, by typing in a customer’s phone
number, agents can automatically retrieve their customer loyalty card number if they have trav- elled with one of the lines before. Any modifications can also now be made up to
the day of departure, compared with seven days previously.
Mark Pilkington, head of sales at CCS, said: “Ninety per cent of our bookings are made online by agents; we want to push this to 100%, so we have spent a lot of time talking to agents about what they need to make these bookings online.”
In brief
■ Can Be Done launches new river cruise Disabilities travel specialist Can Be Done is launching what it claims is Europe’s only fully accessible river cruise, around Holland, from April 2011. Accessible coach transport will also be available from Manchester, Birmingham, Heathrow and Gatwick. The MS Alegria offers fully adapted cabins, with extra wide corridors and cabin doors and three lifts giving full access to the three upper decks.
■ Viking brings back Castles and Wine cruise Viking River Cruises has added extra capacity for 2011 by reintroducing its eight-day Castles and Wine cruise. The cruise will travel from Wurzburg to Trier along the Moselle, Rhine and Main rivers on an eight day journey. Savings of up to £1,000 are also on offer to mark the return of the cruise, which includes tours to Heidelberg and Braubach.
ttglive.com
For the very latest cruise news, visit
ttglive.com/cruise
24 19.11.2010
sgriffiths@ttglive.com
Sophie Griffiths 020 7921 8010
Spam a lot: the US navy airdropped tins of food to passengers stranded onboard Carnival Splendor on Tuesday last week
Stranded ship hits Carnival for $56m
Sophie Griffiths. THE STRANDING of Carnival Splendor last week looks set to cost Carnival Cruise Lines about $56 million. The ship, which was carrying 3,299 passengers, became crippled after a fire and was left stranded for three days. Splendor was left without power and electric- ity on November 8, just one day after setting sail for a seven-day cruise along the Mexican Riviera. The problem occurred after an engine room fire knocked out power. The ship, which should have been arriving back in Los Angeles on Sunday, was towed to San Diego via tug boats. It is expected to be back in service by January 16, 2011. As a result, Carnival said it estimated “the total impact from voyage disruptions and related repair costs will result in an approximate $0.07 reduction in the company's 2010 fourth- quarter earnings per share”, which works out at $56 million. Passengers finally disembarked in San Diego
on November 11 with stories of flooded toilets that would not flush, and two hour queues for sandwiches, with no hot food available, and complete darkness in their cabins.
US helicopters were forced to make emer-
gency air drops of navy rations, which included Spam and Pop Tarts. Carly Perkins, Carnival marketing services manager for the UK and Ireland, said the 12 British and all other guests on board would receive a full refund and a complimentary seven- night future cruise equal to the amount paid for this voyage. She added: “Carnival had 100 people waiting at the port to arrange accommodation for guests that required it. Most of the British passengers were cruise-only, and Carnival will offer them accommodation until they resume their holiday.” Carnival’s senior cruise director, John Heald, who was sailing on Splendor, blogged about his experience while onboard. “I don’t smell of roses at the best of times,” he said. “But as the laundry is not working and I only have two pairs of under- pants I smell like Paris on a hot summer’s day.” He admitted the experience had been a “chal-
lenge” but said he had been making continuous announcements from the bridge to keep guests informed. “One thing is for certain,” he added, “I doubt anyone onboard will ever want to eat a sandwich ever again.”
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