Cruise
Can The Cruise Industry Stay Afloat?
To get a sense of how they’re coping during this challenging time, in the latest edition, Travel Courier chats with representatives from Celebrity Cruises, Inc., Silversea Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International about the recovery of cruising. Hear from Dondra Ritzenthaler, Vicki Freed, Mark Conroy and Adolfo M. Perez about the journey back to the water, how future bookings are coming in strong, the importance of travel advisors and why they decided to stand by agents through it all. Read TRAVEL COURIER...
Incentives For Groups From Bahamas Paradise
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line has unveiled details of incentives for agents booking new 2021 group sailings to Grand Bahama Island or Nassau. Agents can offer their clients a getaway to familiar, uncrowded destinations that are close to home, receiving up to 20% commission and no initial deposit required on bookings made by Oct. 1, 2020. With these special incentives, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line is underscoring its support of its travel advisor partners. Francis Riley, senior vice president, sales, and marketing, of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, said: “We pride ourselves on...
Holland America Extends Pause Through Dec. 15
As travel and port restrictions remain in place due to global health concerns, Holland America Line is extending its pause of cruise operations and cancelling departures on all ships through Dec. 15, 2020. The extension affects Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Pacific Coastal, South America, Antarctica, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia and Asia itineraries. Those with impacted cruises automatically will be cancelled, and no action is needed for guests opting for the Future Cruise Credit (FCC). All guests will receive an FCC per person as follows: * Paid in Full:...
The Wrong Way To Go
People shouldn't expect bargain-basement prices from suppliers eager to attract clients as they work to rebuild their businesses, a Monday Virtuoso webinar was told. Celebrity Cruises president Lisa Lutoff-Perlo joined other panelists in saying her company has no intention of slashing rates as it works to recover from coronavirus. "We're certainly not decreasing pricing" for 2021, she said, adding Celebrity's 2021 rates are "stable." Lutoff-Perlo said it would be a mistake for the industry to "hurt itself" by "significantly lowering pricing." Major U.S. cruise companies...
MSC Is Back In The Med
MSC Cruises’ MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica will resume operations in the Mediterranean beginning Aug. 16 and Aug. 29, 2020 respectively, offering five different destinations during a seven-night cruise. The two ships will be the first to implement a new comprehensive health and safety protocol that has been approved by the relevant national authorities from the countries that the ships will call along their East and West Mediterranean itineraries this summer. Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ executive chairman said: “During the pause in our operations we focused on...
Silversea Extends ‘Cruise With Confidence’ Initiative
Silversea is extending its 'Cruise with Confidence' program to all voyages departing prior to April 30, 2021. The company credits the initiative for giving travellers the confidence to make future cruise plans with peace of mind. Launched in early March, the program lets guests cancel their cruise for any reason up to 48 hours prior to sailing and receive a 100% Future Cruise Credit for the amount paid, which can be redeemed up to two years from the date of issue. And as a demonstration of its ongoing support for travel advisors, when guests opt for the Future Cruise Credit and...
Silversea Enhances Online Travel Agent Tools
Silversea Cruises has enhanced its online suite of marketing resources and sales tools for travel advisors. Called Marketing Central, the revamped platform will enable travel advisors to grow their businesses, offering access to an expanded portfolio of tools that have been designed to make selling Silversea easier than ever. Enhanced for the US & Canada, UK & Ireland, and Australia & New Zealand markets, Silversea’s Marketing Central is being rolled out for the first time across Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The enhanced Marketing...
Crystal Unveils Crystal Clean+ Protocols
Crystal unveiled Crystal Clean+ -- its initial set of safety and health protocols to be implemented on Ocean ships Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony once they return to sailing. This set of Crystal Clean+ protocols is considered the 2.0 version – the initial expansion of Crystal’s already stringent health and safety policies – developed with the latest data from health experts to meet the unique challenges posed by COVID-19, and will be continually evaluated as new information becomes available. Crystal is committed to full compliance with the Centers for Disease...