Cruise
AQV’s New President Shares Strategic Vision
American Queen Voyages’ (AQV) new president, Cindy D’Aoust is leaning into four decades of travel industry experience as she begins her tenure at the helm of the cruise line. With a holistic leadership style, D’Aoust’s immediate priorities are to build upon the strong foundation of AQV with a focus on people, prestige and ports. Said D’Aoust: “American Queen Voyages is an established, storied cruise line and brand known for exemplary service and experiences. The opportunity moving forward is to further strengthen the reputation and relationships to continue on a growth...
Carnival Doubling The Fun From Norfolk
Carnival Cruise Line will more than double the fun and the cruises it offers from Norfolk, Virginia, in 2023, extending sailings to a consecutive six-month period from May through October. The cruise company’s announcement is a first step toward a proposed year-round cruise program from Norfolk starting in 2025, as Carnival and City of Norfolk leaders discuss necessary terminal and port improvements to support an expansion of operations. With plans to welcome about 100,000 guests next year, Carnival’s increase in operations will bring the highest volume of cruise guests in the...
Silversea Cruises Returns to Asia
Silversea Cruises will be returning to Asia, with four ships -- Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, Silver Spirit and Silver Muse -- scheduled to sail in the region between December 2022 and May 2023. The 596-guest Silver Muse will become the cruise line’s first ship to sail in Asia since March 2020 when it departs Singapore on Dec. 2, 2022. Highlights of Silversea’s season will include calls in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, among others, combining opportunities for deep travel to both iconic cities and lesser-visited destinations. Barbara Muckermann, Chief Commercial...
Travel Leaders Network Ready For NCL’s NCFs
Travel Leaders Network is taking steps to ensure that its North American members will qualify for a new Norwegian Cruise Line initiative that will pay travel advisors a commission on non-commissionable fares (NCFs). NCL recently announced that as part of a strong commitment to its travel advisor partners, it will offer them compensation on NCFs for reservations made outside of final payment (120 days prior to sailing). Payments will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023 for sailings departing May 1, 2023 and forward. To qualify, travel advisors must submit a marketing plan through...
Olympian Simone Biles Officially Names Celebrity Beyond
With 19-time World Champion Simone Biles taking on godmother duties for Celebrity Beyond, Celebrity Cruises changed up its traditional naming ceremony, reports PressToday's Ann Ruppenstein, who was on board for the festivities. After the seven-time Olympic Medalist officially named Celebrity Beyond in Fort Lauderdale, Jason Liberty, president and CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, revealed that Biles would be pushing a giant gold medal to release the bottle of champagne against the ship instead of the traditional push button. “It is an honour...
AmaWaterways Taking Reservations For 2024 Season
AmaWaterways is now taking reservations on all of its 2024 itineraries on rivers in Europe, Africa, Egypt and Asia. With an added reward for early bookings and extended seasons on the Rhine, Danube and Douro rivers, guests have the opportunity to save now when reserving their much-anticipated journeys. Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-founder of AmaWaterways, said: “With an increased demand for intimate travel experiences, we knew how important it was to our guests, particularly those traveling with a group of friends or family, to confirm their 2024 travel plans and...
Gabaldon To Host Avalon Waterways’ Storyteller Cruise
Avalon Waterways has announced plans to bring back Diana Gabaldon, author of the OUTLANDER series to personally host a Storyteller cruise on the Danube River in 2024. For a week, aboard a Suite Ship, a small group of fans will have the opportunity to enjoy OUTLANDER insights with their favourite author while sailing through the storybook settings of Central Europe. Pam Hoffee, president of Avalon Waterways, said: “In April 2024, guests are invited to join Diana in Prague for a memorable two-night stay – including visits to OUTLANDER film sites from Season 2 of the STARZ...
European Waterways Welcoming Solo Travellers
While solo travel was once considered a niche market, it’s quickly becoming an industry phenomenon that today accounts for over 25% of travellers worldwide. But “going solo” doesn’t necessarily mean going it alone. This is especially true on luxury hotel barge cruises with European Waterways, where solo travellers can often be found among the guests. Because European Waterways vessels hold a maximum of just 20 passengers, solo travellers are quickly made to feel “part of the family” by the like-minded passengers and friendly crew. To welcome this “singular” segment...