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Record revamp for Princess Cruises
PRINCESS CRUISES’ Grand Princess is to undergo the largest ever revamp of one of the line’s ships. Grand Princess, which is dedicated to the UK
market, will receive a 24-day makeover in April, when some of the line’s trademark features will be added, such as the Piazza atrium, as well as a tea lounge, library and pizzeria.
A new nightclub called One5 will be installed on the ship’s top deck to replace its Skywalker Nightclub – a change the line said would improve the operational performance of the ship and give it greater fuel efficiency. The changes will take place in Freeport, Bahamas, between April 11 and May 4. Upon completion the ship will sail back to the UK to begin its summer programme on May 21.
In brief
■ Azamara signs deal with luxury golf operator Azamara Club Cruises is to partner with luxury golf tour operator Perry Golf in a move that will see the line offering escorted and all-inclusive tours and cruise programmes featuring premier golf courses. Golf add-ons are available through travel agents, with green fees, golf car rental and ground transportation included in programmes.
■ Drop in Baltic passenger numbers in 2010 Passenger numbers to the Baltic regions dropped by 1.3% last year compared with 2009, while the number of ship calls fell by 7.1%. The new figures from Cruise Baltic showed that the fall came despite overall passenger numbers increasing at an average annual rate of 11.4% over the past decade to 3.1 million in 2010. Cruise Baltic said it expected growth in cruise to continue in 2011.
■ P&O launches charitable onshore excursions P&O Cruises is offering a new range of charitable onshore experiences on round-the-world cruises. The line’s Green World Tours, which include a children’s home in Malaysia’s Port Kelang and the Peninsular School Feeding Project in Cape Town, are designed to support towns and communities.
ttglive.com
For the very latest cruise news, visit
ttglive.com/cruise
18 18.02.2011
Agents warned to ‘specialise or die’
Sophie Griffiths. CRUISE AGENTS should become specialists in niche areas of the market or face up to closure, the UK boss of Holland America Line has said. Lynn Narraway, UK and Ire- land managing director, told TTG that specialising was a way for agents to move away from the discount culture. South America and Asia
have both proved particularly popular for HAL this year, with bookings for new 2012 itiner- aries beginning and ending in Hong Kong, China and Kobe, Japan, selling well. “Agents need to start specialising in destina- tions and then going through their databases, contacting their clients and telling them about these places,” said Narraway. “If they don’t do that they won’t be around in five years. “We need to get away from discounting. Agents need to start being more proactive with their clients,” she said.
Narraway: agents need to be proactive Narraway added that agents
should attract new cruising customers by telling them about a destination first and mentioning the cruise element at the end. “If you know you have a long-haul traveller, you should start telling them about another long-haul destination – only add at the end that they will be travelling by cruise. By that time they will already have been hooked,” she said. She also said agents should
look at making money from other elements of cruise holidays to keep away from discounting. “Research shows that once a client has booked a balcony stateroom, they never look back. If agents can get clients to upgrade, that’s greater commission for them guaranteed in future.” Narraway said commission could be increased
with longer cruises from far-flung destinations. “A 14-night cruise from South America is equiva- lent to several from Southampton,” she said.
Rock rolls out new dynamic insurance
ROCK INSURANCE has launched a new cruise insurance product aimed at agents dynamically packaging cruise breaks. Agents will be able to purchase the policy on their clients’ behalf to safeguard both parties against problems such as “cruise abandonment”. The policy will protect agency money spent on
STICK WITH IT: Viking River Cruises staff rung in the Chinese New Year with a series of Chinese-themed fundraising activities for three primary schools in the villages of Jingzhou and Yueyang. For every China booking, £20 was added to the cash total.
travel arrangements for a customer in the event of that customer cancelling their cruise. For flight delays in getting to the start of a cruise, the policy will give the customer £20 per person for every six hours they are delayed. The policy also covers agents for expenses
incurred getting a customer to the next port should they miss the start of their cruise.
sgriffiths@ttglive.com
Sophie Griffiths 020 7921 8010
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