Cruise
Top Trends Float European Waterways’ Boats
European Waterways is reporting record sales of its hotel barge cruises as post-pandemic concerns continue to drive many of the mayor travel trends that speak to the company’s canal barging experience. With some travelers still preferring to create a “travel bubble” composed of families and small groups, for example, the company says that its private charter bookings have increased more than 45%. It also notes that travelers are also seeking experiences that take them “off the beaten path;” they want to be more than observers, but also become immersed in the local...
Explore The Stars With Swan Hellenic and SETI Institute
Swan Hellenic has entered into a partnership with the SETI Institute to provide its guests with expert insights into the history and latest discoveries in astronomy, astrophysics, astrobiology and planetary science, and the quest to find other forms of life within and beyond our solar system. This quest takes SETI Institute researchers to the most remote and inhospitable corners of the planet to explore life, including Antarctica, where the Swan Hellenic fleet is, of course, present for several months every year. The new partnership is set to engage Swan Hellenic's many adventure...
Royal Caribbean Cruises Into A Bright Future
On three separate occasions over the past year, Royal Caribbean International broke new booking records. The most recent being Black Friday sales on Nov. 25, which marked the cruise line’s single largest booking day in its 53-year history. Notably, Michael Bayley, president & CEO of Royal Caribbean International, says travel trade bookings helped lead to this milestone achievement. “As we continue to grow our business, we continue to bring new capacity on, we continue to bring new products on, and we know that the travel advisors do an incredible job — especially when the...
European Waterways Sets Sail For Christmas 2023
European Waterways has launched its new Christmas market cruises in the Alsace and Lorraine region of France on the 12-passenger luxury hotel barge Panache. Reservations for the six-night, all-inclusive cruises are now being accepted, with departures set for Nov. 26, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, 2023. Cabins are $7,490 per person, based on double occupancy. The full boat can also be chartered for $79,500 for any of the departure dates. Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways, said: “Christmas market cruises capture the true spirit of the holiday season, introducing...
Explora Journeys Unveils Explora II Itineraries
Explora Journeys has announced that the inaugural itineraries of its second ship, EXPLORA II, launching in summer 2024, are now open for booking. A new unique set of journeys and new destinations will allow guests to explore renowned and off the beaten path locations in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India, the Indian Ocean and Africa marking the first time the luxury lifestyle brand will sail in these regions. Featuring 25 journeys and 14 extended journeys between August 2024 and end of April 2025, the itineraries will include 82 unique ports across 26 countries. At each...
AmaWaterways Puts Heritage On The Itinerary
AmaWaterways has added two new 2023 river cruise dates for guests to experience Heritage on the River; Your Personalized Ancestry Experience. The special itineraries, conducted in collaboration with AmaWaterways’ partner Ancestry, will provide guests exclusive opportunities to explore their heritage with tailored experiences that educate and immerse them in the destinations their ancestors once called home. Both seven-night cruises - the Legendary Danube cruise embarking June 17, 2023, travelling from Nuremberg, Germany to Budapest, Hungary, and the Captivating Rhine cruise...
Celestyal Launches First Online Training Program
Celestyal has launched its first ever online training program, Celestyal Stars. The education program provides travel advisors with a “one-stop shop” for all things Celestyal, featuring tools to help advisors make a Celestyal cruise booking, along with tips on how to earn additional commissions on pre-bookable items and upgrades. The program is administered by Equator Learning, a leader in developing and managing multilingual and interactive online training portals for the travel and leisure industry. Celestyal Stars is presented in nine user-friendly immersive modules: ...
Celebrity Sets Sail Into The Metaverse
Celebrity Cruises has become the first cruise line to launch a fully immersive, fully virtual cruise ship experience in the metaverse. Called 'The Wonderverse' the platform operates like a desktop video game and is easily accessible worldwide. The Wonderverse allows travellers to "see before they sail," exploring a hyper-realistic, digital recreation of the line's newest ship, Celebrity Beyond, designed exactly like the real thing down to the last detail -- from furniture and fixtures to textiles, lighting and texture on materials like pillows, sculptures and...