C R U I S E ANALYSIS
transatlantic sailings by adding an extra day to the crossing – although that had to be balanced against higher harbour fees and the fact that if passengers are enjoying theselves ashore, they are not spending money on board. That doesn’t bother the all-
inclusive lines but is a problem for mass-market companies that make much of their profit from on-board spend. Like Fred Olsen, Celebrity Cruises is a recent convert to the trend. Its new 2016/17 Caribbean programme has overnight stays in Bridgetown, Barbados, Oranjestad in Aruba and Willemstad in Curacao. An 11-night cruise on Celebrity Equinox round-trip from Fort Lauderdale departing February 20, 2017, will be in New Orleans for two nights for the Mardi Gras celebrations.
A 2017 RECORD
Luxury line Crystal Cruises is offering a record 150 overnight stops in 2017 in ports such as Barcelona, Venice and Istanbul, and also what it terms ‘double overnights’ – as in two-night stays – in destinations including Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and
Incheon (the port for Seoul) in South Korea. Almost all Azamara
itineraries include some late departures, as in midnight or 1am, or overnight stays in places such as Livorno, St Tropez, Monte Carlo, Mykonos, Dubrovnik and Seville. It is catering to demand but the line has also turned it into a sales opportunity, last
year launching Nights and Cool Places, a selection of after-dinner excursions that take passengers to popular nightclubs and museums. Customers can tour the Picasso Museum after hours in Malaga, for instance, take a gondola ride in Venice or visit the AK Art Foundation in Santorini. In Rio de Janeiro this month, passengers could
Crystal Symphony in Hong Kong
Picasso Museum, Malaga
26 | Travel Weekly Cruise | February 2015
travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
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