CRUISE
MSC Cruises Marks Industry First as Two World Cruises Depart
MSC Cruises has wished bon voyage to guests aboard MSC Poesia and MSC Magnifica as the two ships departed from Genoa, Italy for simultaneous world cruises – an industry first. Sailing together for the start of the cruises, the two ships will part ways at the edge of the Mediterranean for different routes around the globe. Guests will discover the world without having to repack their suitcase during their unforgettable 119-day voyage onboard MSC Magnifica and 117-day trip onboard MSC Poesia.
Not only will guests get to visit some of the world most spectacular destinations during their cruise, but they will also be able to discover the world through their palate. On top of the high-quality, international dining options that MSC Cruises’ guests have come to expect, those sailing the 2023 world cruises can experience something extra special with menus crafted by a line- up of award-winning chefs.
BY SARAH PICKERING
sarah@nitravelnews.com
Fred. Holidays Rail Journeys Introduce Three New Luxury Itineraries
AS demand for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express soars, Fred. Holidays Rail Journeys, in partnership with Star Clippers, has brought forward the launch of three new luxury 2024 Rail & Sail itineraries that showcase the best of the golden age of rail and sail. All three itineraries feature a journey on the iconic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and a cruise on the c l a s si c s a il ing s hi p s of Star Clippers.
Oceania Cruises Welcomes Allura To Fleet
OCEANIA Cruises intr oduces Allura, the
naming second
1 , 2 0 0 - g u e s t Allura Class ship.
Debuting in 2025, Allura is the eighth vessel for the line and will be the sister ship to Vista, which sets sail in May 2023. Named to reflect the excitement of starting an immersive new journey, Allura will entice guests to discover some of the world’s most captivating locations, enjoying the freedom of exploration while sailing the open seas. Allura represents the eternal call of the mysterious and the unknown. The luxurious new vessel will bring travellers a world of enchantment where new adventures, familiar faces,
off-
the-b e aten-pa th destinations await.
DESPITE what was a rocky two year period for the travel industry, especially the cruise sector, travel is back and booming for our holiday makers here in Northern Ireland with many looking forward to their first holiday abroad since the covid-19 pandemic. Travel agents are seeing customers
return to their doors with a wish for bucket list travel, unique experiences and longer periods spent away- All of which can be gained from a cruise holiday, which has seen a strong increase in popularity since the world reopened its doors.
Belfast Harbour welcomed an abundance
of cruise ships to its shores in 2022, much to its delight. “Following two difficult COVID impacted years, 2022 signalled a comeback for the cruise industry, and we were delighted to have 141 cruise ships docking in Belfast.” said Port Director,
Michael
Robinson. He continued, “Belfast has built a strong reputation as a must-see cruise destination and the significant number of enquiries and bookings from world-leading cruise operators for the 2023 season is reflective of the transformation of the Port as well as the wider City over the last few decades. “We’re finalising schedules and looking
ahead to another successful cruise season in 2023, when we hope to welcome even more first time and returning visitors to our shores, including many of the world’s most vibrant and prestigious cruise lines.”. This is welcomed news for both passengers seeking to avail of the Belfast stop onboard cruises and for our local cruise specialist travel agencies. NI Travel News spoke to Alison Hamilton, the Sales, Marketing and Cruise Development Manager at Oasis Travel, to find out what trends are looking most popular for this year. “Our cruise business is up considerably
from 2019, we are seeing a real demand for the Caribbean, but Europe remains our number one selling destination with the Greek Isles at the top of everyone’s wish list.
The addition of Belfast flights has helped us secure new to cruise business. Our regular cruisers are now spending more on their holidays by upgrading their staterooms or moving up to the luxury 6-star brands.” She also highlighted the influx of family cruising; “Along with the increase in new to cruise business we are seeing more multi- generational and families travelling now. Customers still like to book face to face and have the reassurance that someone is there to help them every step of the way.” Sharon Thompson of Thompson Travel agrees: “Cruises are back on the leader board. New ships have been launched over the last few years that are just getting a chance to prove their worth and 2023 seems to be the year for that to be accomplished. New to cruise, returning cruisers and multi-generational families are looking forward to holidays at sea. “As travel ‘experiences’ seem to be key,
we are finding increased requests for Fjords, Alaska, the Ancient Empires of Greece and more long haul destinations that include Far East and Australia. Cruise companies in all ranges of the spectrum should be reaping the benefits of their hard work this year and well into 2024”.
With luxury cruising seeing an increase in demand and Belfast welcoming more and more variety of cruise ships, NI Travel News reached out to some of the hard-hitters in the industry to get a feel of what the industry is experiencing at present. “We are delighted with our January trading performance; demand for cruising has remained strong across the sector into the new year, and at Azamara it’s been no exception.” Said a spokesperson for Azamara. “Our January 2023 bookings
were up 30%, when
compared to the previous year, for 2023 departures and are looking even more promising for 2024. Our South Africa and Caribbean voyages have pretty much sold out for the first half of this year and our European voyages
across the Canaries and the Mediterranean are selling well. Our UK team has already surpassed its record sales performance, with plenty of time to sell many more voyages!” TUI’s Marella Cruises also highlighted the
strong uptake in the popularity of the Med “We’re seeing strong demand for Eastern Mediterranean cruises, and we expect this to continue. Our cruises are all-inclusive as standard, which makes it easier for customers to budget more effectively when it comes to their holidays, particularly with the rising cost of living”. Both Celebrity Cruises and Silversea
Cruises share in the booking demand surge for 2023 with each illustrating the popularity of the med and asian cruises for the coming year. Claire Stirrup, Sales Director UK & Ireland, Celebrity Cruises is delighted at the “impressive booking demands throughout Ireland”. She continued, “Our Northern Irish guests are favouring our 7-night sailings onboard the game-changing Celebrity Edge, departing from iconic the cities of Barcelona and Rome, calling into
the lesser-known
destinations such as Portofino (Italy), Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Ajaccio (Corsica). The once-in-a-lifetime sailings to Japan and Alaska are also proving popular for our adventurous guests planning further ahead into 2024 and 2025”. Peter Shanks, the Managing Director- UK and Ireland for Sliversea also demonstrated a demand for unique travel. “We know that discerning travellers are seeking more off-the-beaten- track destinations and experiential travel, as a result we’re seeing a huge interest in Silversea’s Greenland and Arctic cruises as our guests look to visit the most northerly region of our planet. From Svalbard in Iceland, to Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, our voyages take in some of the most . inspiring landscapes on earth. “With the reopening of Asia for tourism
too, we’re delighted to see bookings for our Asia cruises proving very popular indeed. Our upcoming Asia season, which features Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Singapore, continued on page 2..
HISTORIC MIDDLE EAST SAILING, HOW TO TRAVEL ALONE, INDUSTRY FIRSTS AND MORE... BELFAST CRUISES INTO 2023
16 PAGE CRUISE NEWS PULL OUT SPECIAL
NEWS
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