Cruise For the latest cruise news, visit
ttglive.com/cruise Traditional dining experiences, such as the Queens Grill onboard Queen Mary 2, will form a key part of the line’s 2012 programme
Cunard gives short shrift to casualness
Chris Gray. ALLOWING PEOPLE wearing shorts into dining rooms “would never happen” on a Cunard cruise, according to Peter Shanks. The line’s managing director said that tradi- tions and standards would be a key selling point of its 2012 programme, as it looks to capitalise on “a growing move away from the casualness of modern life”. Next year’s schedule will offer Cunard’s widest
range of itineraries to date and includes 84 cruises, 129 ports and 48 countries. “Everybody is becoming more casual and more relaxed, but there are still a number of
people who like the traditions, like looking smart for dinner and like the service that goes with it,” Shanks said.
He added that the emphasis on traditions would help agents selling to upmarket customers and give them a reason to suggest Cunard over Royal Caribbean, which he claimed was “a mile” behind on service. The 2012 programme also sees all three Cunard ships hosting overnight stays at a much wider range of destinations than previous programmes, with stops at Venice, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Quebec, St Petersburg, Rome and Madeira.
Princess gears up UK incentives
NEW SALES incentives are being launched in the UK by Princess Cruises, as it borrows several ideas from its counterparts from around the globe. The “group programme” and “cruise sales
programme” coincide with the launch of the line’s new itineraries for 2012 on March 17. The group programme allows agents to set up groups of 16 customers – and receive a refund worth the value of one person’s booking, working out at a 6.25% commission boost.
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Agents can set up one group per shop per month, with fares and bookings guaranteed. Head of brand marketing Pieter van der Schee said the system had proven successful for agents selling Princess cruises in the US and Australia. Meanwhile, the cruises sales programme enables agents to run six special weeks a year, where they get a £50 discount for every cruise. And in each week, every deposit is just £50 instead of 10% of the fare, while every customer
Cunard’s 2012 programme: what’s new? All three Cunard ships will join together for a “Three Queens Event” in Southampton on June 5, 2012 to mark the bank holiday for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. They will go their separate ways for the rest of the programme, with Queen Elizabeth spending the first half of the summer sailing out of Southampton before setting off on her inaugural Mediterranean fly-cruise season from Venice, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Athens on a series of 12-night voyages. In early 2013 it will embark on a new Pacific islands voyage offering a 91-night cruise from Southampton and a 36-night voyage from Los Angeles. Queen Victoria will spend the summer sailing out of Southampton to the most popular northern Europe and Mediterranean destinations.
Meanwhile, Queen Mary 2 will continue her
transatlantic voyages and is set to cross the ocean 20 times in 2012. The ship will also offer voyages to northern
Europe, Canada and New England, plus a new 16-night central Mediterranean voyage.
Shanks emphasised that the line’s commit- ment to the trade was shown in the way new aspects of the programme had been introduced as a result of feedback from travel agent forums, which he said had helped the line “fill in the gaps” in its programme. One key change made in response to agents’
suggestions was the expansion of Cunard’s fly-cruise itineraries, which Shanks said was done because agents pointed out there was unmet demand for that type of cruise.
gets vouchers to the value of $325 that can be spent on items such as drinks or spa treatments. Van der Schee said agents can run six of the
promotional weeks a year, although no more than two can be taken in the same quarter. Another initiative from the Carnival-owned
brand includes free-of-charge cancellations up to 180 days prior to departure. “Any Abta-registered agent can set up these benefits for free and sell them on,” he added.
■Find out more about Princess’s 2012 programme in next week’sTTG
sgriffiths@ttglive.com
Sophie Griffiths 020 7921 8010
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