Cruise
A Silversea Christening
The Silver Discoverer has officially joined the Silversea Expeditions fleet, with the event being celebrated during at christening ceremony held at the Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore It is the third expedition ship in the fleet and celebrations featured a traditional Chinese lion dance performance and bhangra folk dancers provided colourful local entertainment for the quayside event. Silversea's senior executive team and company chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio were on hand to welcome a guest list that included local dignitaries and members of the trade and media from around...
On The Road
PressToday's Greg Coates is on assignment in France, covering the inaugural sailing of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise's newest addition to its fleet, the 159-passenger S.S. Catherine. The ship will be christened on March 27 by its Godmother and namesake, legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve. Watch for full coverage in upcoming issues of Canadian Travel Press and Travel...
Crystal Includes Quebec Transfers
Travellers sailing with Crystal Cruises out of Quebec this summer can now take advantage of complimentary transfers from Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport and Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to the pier. Crystal has also made arrangements with port authorities to start debarkation at 2 a.m. on disembarkation days in Quebec City, allowing guests to flights departing as early as 6 a.m. from Quebec City. Due to limited air lift, land programs will also offer complimentary motorcoach transfer service to YUL in Montreal. Guests wishing to...
MSC Has Great Group Deal
MSC Cruises North America has set sail with a new promotion that will have travel agents smiling. Available from now through May 20, 2014, the "8 is Great" promotion is for affinity group bookings of eight cabins or more with eight benefits that include: Value rates from just $299 per person on select sailings. Accelerated free berths: 1 for 13. Minimum commission of 15% on eligible bookings. Shipboard credit for Balcony Staterooms (B1-B3 category) starting at $25. Kids Sail Free. Waived deposit for up to 16 staterooms. MSC Cruises will match any competitive offer. And,...
Royal Caribbean Unveils 2015-16 Caribbean Plans
Royal Caribbean International has announced that Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas will sail the Caribbean from Florida homeports for the winter 2015-16 season, which are now open for sale. Allure and Oasis will homeport at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and alternate seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. Eastern Caribbean ports of call include Nassau, The Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, while Western Caribbean ports include Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach...
Viking Sails Past Own Guinness Record
Viking Cruises has set a new world record with the inauguration of its newest Viking Longships. In a multi-phased event taking place over 24 hours, the company christened 16 of its award-winning Viking Longships – nine were christened in Amsterdam; four were christened in Rostock, Germany; and three were christened in Avignon, France. The first-of-its kind ceremony was subsequently certified by a Guinness World Records adjudicator as “The Most Ships Inaugurated in One Day by One Company.” Viking already held the previous record, having christened 10 new ships in one day in...
Carnival Waives Initial Group Deposits
As part of a new travel agent promotion, Carnival Cruise Lines is waiving its initial deposit requirement for group bookings, as well as offering an enhanced free cruise berth program, through April 30. Through the new promotion, no initial deposit will be required for group bookings on sailings departing between Nov. 1 and April 30, 2015. In addition, Carnival is offering travel agents one free cruise berth for every 10 full fare guests berthed, compared to the current policy of one free cruise berth for every 15 full fare guests berthed. As a special bonus, Carnival is offering...
CLIA Makes A “Total Commitment”
In this week's Canadian Travel Press, Montreal editor, Mike Dunbar reports that the global trade association of the cruise industry is not just paying lip service to the travel agency sector -- it is taking bold steps to cement the relationship between the travel trade and its member lines, reports . As a key element in its intensified focus on the retail distribution channel, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has just appointed its first senior VP overseeing agency and trade relations. And Dwayne Wall, the newly-minted exec, says his boss, CLIA president Christine...