Cruise
Australis in the Spotlight
The Canadian representative for Australis cruises, which offers sailings in the waters off southernmost South America, says the 25-year-old company takes people to a region that is truly far from the madding crowd. Dallyce Macas told a Monday Toronto gathering that the company's vessels ply waters off Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia, where people tend to be few and far in-between. “The biggest line-up you might find are the penguins,” Macas said, adding Australis sailings are in “one of the most uninhabited places in the world.” Australis has two ships that are...
Save With Windstar
Windstar Cruises is offering special summer savings with the addition of three free excursions and 50% savings on sailings in Greece and Turkey. The promotion is available on four different itineraries, including Greek Isles & Turkish Delights; Gems of the Aegean; Black Sea Tapestry; and Venetian Passageways. Complimentary shore excursions include adventures like Wine Tasting in Varna, Bulgaria, with a four-hour experience beginning in the Old Quarter of Varna. A scenic drive through the modern capital of Bulgaria takes guests to the Aladja Monastery, declared a national...
Cunard to Live Stream 175th Anniversary Events
Cunard’s three Queens, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, will gather in the company’s “spiritual home” of Liverpool to mark its 175th anniversary on Monday (May 25). At midday on May 25, Cunard’s current fleet will become the largest ships ever to sail in formation on the Mersey when all three Queens perform a meticulously planned series of manoeuvres to mark the company’s 175th anniversary and to salute Liverpool, its spiritual home, where the company began in 1840. The ships will perform a “river dance” against the backdrop of Liverpool’s Three...
Trebek to Join Adventure Canada in the Arctic
Adventure Canada will welcome TV personality Alex Trebek as a special guest aboard its 2015 Arctic Explorer expedition. The Jeopardy! host will join the 12-day adventure as it traces the route of great Arctic explorers, travelling from Quassuittuq (Resolute), Nunavut and down the eastern shores of Greenland. This is Trebek’s first trip to the Arctic, and his first trip with Adventure Canada. “I’ve just finished reading John Geiger and Owen Beattie’s book on the Franklin expedition, Frozen in Time, and I’m looking forward to retracing some of their steps this summer,”...
Journey of a Lifetime
CroisiEurope has chosen Canadian Christina Guan (pictured) for its “Photo Tour Summer Internship,” a journey of a lifetime which has begun in Paris. A fourth-year student at BC's Simon Fraser University, Guan will spend the next three months aboard 10 of CroisiEurope’s ships documenting her journey through 14 countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. While on-board, she will sharpen her writing and photography skills by creating original content and capturing photos of her trip for the CroisiEurope Photo Tour Blog and on Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and Twitter. “A lot of...
Uniworld Expands Canadian Sales Team
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has expanded its sales team in Canada with the appointment a new sales manager, Lisa Willey. Willey will be working with the travel community in Western Canada to include British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and the Yukon. She has 23 years of experience in sales roles throughout the travel industry, recently serving 13 years with Holland America Line and Seabourn as western Canada’s business development...
Crystal Acquisition Complete
Genting Hong Kong (GHK) has completed the acquisition of Crystal Cruises from Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha for a total transaction of US$550 million. GHK announced a new chairman of Crystal and promotions for Crystal’s current senior management team, guaranteeing a streamlined transition and virtually no interruption in operations and ensuring award-winning service. Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, executive chairman of the Genting Group and the former chairman of Norwegian Cruise Line, assumes the position of chairman of Crystal, replacing Nobuyoshi Kuzuya who will return to NYK in a key...
Viking Star Christened in Bergen, Norway
Marking a significant milestone in the arrival of the travel industry’s first entirely new cruise line in a decade, Viking Ocean Cruises christened its first ship, the 930-passenger Viking Star, on May 17. The ceremony – which took place in Bergen, Norway – occurred in conjunction with a citywide celebration for Norwegian Constitution Day and featured parades, parties and a public concert in the harboor that was attended by approximately 20,000 local residents and visitors. The mayor of Bergen, Trude Drevland, served as ceremonial godmother and offered a blessing of good...