NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
Ship renaming: Cruise & Maritime Voyages launched its fifth ocean ship, Columbus, last week. Lucy Huxley reports from Tilbury
From left: Jeremy
Dickinson and Sarah Wikevand, both ROL
Cruise; Angela Rippon; and Chris Coates and Lisa Jacobs, both CMV
CMV ‘to expand fleet’ after strong Columbus demand
Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) has hinted it may soon announce another new ship to enter service just two years after its latest addition, Columbus, which began sailing on Sunday.
Chief executive Christian
Verhounig said he was looking for a new ship of similar size to Columbus, to begin sailing in spring 2019. Speaking at the renaming of
Columbus in Tilbury last week, Verhounig said: “We are looking for new ships and strategic
acquisitions.” Columbus was formerly P&O Cruises’ Arcadia, then Ocean Village’s Ocean Village 1. He said: “This size works well
for us because it has a capacity of 1,900 passengers, but we limit it to 1,350, giving our guests an amazing space ratio. We put 700 crew on, meaning it is not even two guests to one staff member.” Verhounig said he had been
encouraged to add another ship to the fleet soon following strong sales for Columbus. The ship is 95% sold for summer 2017 and 40% sold for
2018 – a programme launched only in March this year. With this level of demand, adding a ship was “to be expected”, said Verhounig, who revealed he was also looking for another ship to serve the German market, and looking to expand into other source markets. CMV currently operates in the UK, Germany and Australia, and has a US office. He added: “China is not for us because they want big and glitzy, not small and traditional.” Verhounig said that as more lines build new tonnage for the Chinese market, it would become easier for CMV to find the right
ships on the second-hand market. Commercial director Chris
Coates said many of the Columbus bookings in the UK had come from passengers who were new to CMV. Coates said 80% of Columbus’s bookings had come from agents
and the addition of the 1,452-berth Magellan in 2015 meant CMV now accounted for 10% of the UK’s ex‑UK no‑fly‑cruise market. Renaming Columbus, which has
undergone a “full technical and cosmetic overhaul”, godmother Angela Rippon said: “I will take real pride in watching Columbus open up destinations for travellers and make a lasting impression.”
AGENTS’ VIEWS
“The public areas are lovely. The nightclub looks great and the restaurant is
very modern.” Martin Tanner, Jetline
“The spa is really impressive – much more spacious than I thought it would be.
The ship also has a variety of small and intimate bars.” Claire Brighton, Advantage Travel Partnership
“Great value at £499 lead-in and the drinks are cheap – £4.55 for a G&T. It
would be almost double that on other ships.” Simone Clark, Iglu
Columbus ‘propels CMV brand to another level’
Columbus will “propel” the CMV brand forward, according to commercial director Chris Coates. A total of 800 guests, including agents, joined the line in Tilbury for the naming ceremony. The ship has been refurbished and features
a colonial-style bar called Connexions, the Waterfront dining room with chef’s table, and speciality restaurant Fusion serving Indian food. Coates said sales figures demonstrated the ship was solidly backed by the trade.
“Magellan was a game changer for us a couple
of years ago and now Columbus has propelled the brand forward to another level,” he said. “The trade has always been so important for us
and continues to be, especially as 80% of the 95% sold on Columbus is from the trade.” Coates said the popularity of Columbus opened
the trade up to £5 million worth of commission on 18 sailings next year. Ship visits for agents will be hosted throughout the year.
12
travelweekly.co.uk 15 June 2017
PICTURE: CHRISTOPHER DEAN/SCANTECH MEDIA
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