Cruise Adviser — June 2017

CRUISE ADVISER THE ONLY DESTINATION FOR THOSE SELLING CRUISES

JUNE 2017

THE

FRENCH

CONNECTION

Jeannine Williamson joins Uniworld in Paris

THE JOYS OF MINI-CRUISE

By Gilly Pickup

THE 5 MOST INNOVATIVE ROOMS AT SEA

By Adam Coulter

PLUS OCEAN MEDALLION: GAME-CHANGING TECH THE GREAT SHORE EXCURSION DEBATE GILES HAWKE ON THE COSMOS RELAUNCH

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June 2017 | Forward ED’S LETTER

Innovation, it’s the name of the game What other cities have an appeal like Paris? The French capital is so many THE FRENCH things to so many CONNECTION people – romance, great food and heaps of culture.

However, a recent spate of terrorist attacks have taken their toll, and caused many to either pull or question their investment in the city. So, when Uniworld pushed on and launched its most recent ship in Paris, it was not just a statement of the company’s own intent, but a commitment to a city that has given so much to tourism companies. Jeannine Williamson was on board for the ship’s first-ever sailing to explain why agents are getting behind Joie de Vivre.

Elsewhere in this month’s issue we talk to Giles Hawke about the CRUISE ADVISER THE ONLY DESTINATION FOR THOSE SELLING CRUISES

JUNE 2017

Jeannine Williamson joins Uniworld in Paris

THE JOYS OF MINI-CRUISE

By Gilly Pickup

THE 5 MOST INNOVATIVE ROOMS AT SEA

By Adam Coulter

PLUS OCEAN MEDALLION: GAME-CHANGING TECH THE GREAT SHORE EXCURSION DEBATE

GILES HAWKE ON THE COSMOS RELAUNCH

rebranding of Cosmos (p27), take a look why mini-cruises are a great way of getting those elusive new-tocruise customers on board (p36) and analyse the UK as part of our ongoing destination guide.

Our Midship section this month focuses on the many innovations that are happening throughout the cruise industry. We speak to the man behind Ocean Medallion (p46) about why the coin-sized technology is going to change the cruise industry when it is launched on Regal Princess later this year, while Adam Coulter, the editor of Cruise Critic, takes a look at the most innovative rooms available at sea (p39).

As ever, let us know your thoughts on this issue of cruise adviser, and please like us on Facebook (facebook. com/cruiseadviser) and follow us on Twitter (@cruiseadviser).

THIS MONTH WHAT WE LEARNT

P46

THE OCEAN MEDALLION IS A GAME CHANGER The coin-sized gadget will revolutionise cruise

P24

HOLIDAYS IN THE UK ARE VERY POPULAR About eight million Britons will take a holiday in the UK this year

P30

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UNIWORLD’S NEW SHIP HAS A GENEROUS STAFF TO GUEST RATIO The Joie de Vivre, Uniworld’s new ship on the Seine, has 54 crew to look after 128 passengers. Bon Voyage!

June 2017| Forward

Jeannine Williamson takes a cruise along the Seine from Paris, p30

Contents Midship 30

The French connection Jeannine Williamson sails along the Seine on Uniworld’s new Joie de Vivre

36

Mini-cruise Why a two, three or fournight trip to Europe is ideal for new-to-cruise customers

Innovation Special

going bigger and bolder

39

Rooms Cruise Critic’s Adam Coulter on the best rooms at sea

44

Picture perfect Go-karts, submarines, helicopters... what next?

42

Royal Caribbean We meet Ben Bouldin from the line who innovate by

46

Ocean Medallion The new technology that could revolutionise cruise CRUISE-ADVISER.COM

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June 2017 | Forward

FORWARD

3

Ed’s letter

8

News Exclusive news from Ireland to ship launches and a very special godmother

21

Clia Conference We attend Clia’s 2017 cruise conference and speak to Andy Harmer, SVP of membership, about the industry’s future

22

Opinion Simonne Fairbanks of Cruising Excursions explains how agents can help increase their shore excursion sales

24

Ports of call We explore the beautiful British Isles and look at the destinations on our doorstep, from Newcastle to the glorious Outer Hebrides.

27

Interview We speak to Giles Hawke about taking Cosmos through its rebranding and why he’s changed its tagline to Adventures Made Easy

AFT 50

New crew The latest staff news

51

Fam trips / incentives

The best agent opportunities

52

Jargon buster What is a repositional cruise and how can you benefit?

53

Directory Got a query? Let us assist you

58

Games room

60

Recipe Learna how to create Azamara’s delicious roasted beet and augula salad thanks to Robert van Rijsbergen

61

On the road We speak to the people who make your job easier. This month: Holland America Line & Seabourns’s business development manager for the North and Scotland, Bekkie Skipp

62

Final word cruise adviser comment: With the news that Viking is going back to Egypt, we ask whether it is finally time to return to the Nile

What are your thoughts on the new-look cruise adviser?

Share them with us by emailing info@cruise-adviser.com

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NEWS

June 2017 | Forward

Do you have a story for us? Email info@cruise-adviser.com

BY GARY BUCHANAN

Port of Dublin to become hub for world’s largest cruise ships Work has started on a major expansion that will allow the port to handle bigger ships, multiple calls and home-porting – it is due for completion in 2020 The Port of Dublin is planning a major expansion to allow it to handle bigger ships, as well as multiple calls and home-porting, the company behind the facility has revealed.

Speaking exclusively to Cruise Adviser, Pat Ward, head of corporate services at the Dublin Port Company, said: “Dublin Port aims to become a turnaround hub for the world’s largest cruise ships.”

During the exchange of plaques ceremony held on the bridge of Celebrity Eclipse he added: “It is essential that Dublin Port Company continues to facilitate passenger demand so the city remains the port of choice for cruise. We are creating a

multi-purpose building that will offer all the services of a cruise terminal.”

Celebrity Eclipse is among an increasing number of longer cruise ships that are pushing the boundaries of the port’s operational limits. Ships in excess of 300m cannot turn within Dublin Port and are therefore reversed ‘stern first’ up the River Liffey. This complex manoeuvre will no longer be necessary once Dublin Port’s Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) project is complete. Larger, longer ships will then be able to routinely call at the port and turn within the expanded Alexandra Basin West and berth further upriver, closer to the city at the Tom Clarke

Bridge. The planned redevelopment is expected to result in an extra 600,000 tourists for the city annually, three times current visitor levels.

The depth of the ship channel will be increased to minus 10 ‘chart datum’ (the deep level of water displayed on a nautical chart). In addition, the implementation of the ABR Project will provide two 360m and one 220m berth for ships even larger than Celebrity Eclipse. It is due to be completed in 2020.

The Dublin Port Company has seen growth from approximately 30,000 cruise passengers in 2003, to 160,000 passengers in 2016. It is expecting approximately 200,000 this year.

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June 2017 | Forward

VIKING RIVER CRUISES

Viking to launch new ship for the Nile

AMAWATERWAYS

Huge double-width ship to launch in 2019 AmaWaterways is to launch its biggest ever ship, the AmaMagna, in 2019. The ship will be running Danube cruises.

The vessel, which is twice the width of traditional river ships, will have capacity for 194 guests and offer multiple dining venues, including an al fresco glass-enclosed restaurant.

There will also be an open water sports platform and zodiacs.

“As the luxury river cruise market grows, we want to carry on as the leader in industry innovation. We believe that now is the perfect time to introduce this style of ship,” said Rudi Schreiner, president and coowner of AmaWaterways.

AmaMagna will have 98 staterooms, most of which will be more than 28 square metres. There will also be four suites and one owners’ suite. Guests will also benefit from a spa and a fitness centre.

The move underlines the company’s commitment to Egypt following years of political turmoil Viking River Cruises has unveiled Viking Ra, a recently acquired 48-passenger vessel, that will sail the Nile on a Pharaohs and Pyramids tour starting in March 2018 after a complete refurbishment.

“Egypt is one of the most intriguing countries in the world, and it remains a top destination for many of our guests,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises. “For two decades, we have led the industry in river cruising with our innovative ship design and itineraries that bring our guests closer to the cultures of the world. We are committed to Egypt, and with the introduction of Viking Ra, we look forward to providing our award-winning service to our

guests on the Nile – and to their experiencing this culturally rich region in the Viking way.”

The 12-day cruises will include a three-night stay in Cairo before a flight to Luxor for an eight-day roundtrip cruise to Aswan. The cruise will feature access to the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and excursions to the Temple of Khnum in Esna, the Dendera Temple complex in Qena, and a visit to a Nubian village.

The Viking Ra will feature 24 allsuite staterooms across three cabin categories including veranda suites.

There will also be a spa, two Jacuzzis and a pool on board.

For more on Nile cruises, see Final Word, p62

AURORA EXPEDITIONS

New X-Bow expedition vessel announced Aurora Expeditions is to launch a new expedition vessel following its own custom design, including X-Bow technology.

The company, which is working with US-based ship builders SunStone Ships, will deliver the 104m ice class 1A ship in 2019.

“With the development of our purpose-built expedition ship, we stay true to our small-ship philosophy where the focus is on the experience and engagement with the environment while at the same time providing the most comfortable form of travel in these challenging environments,” said Robert Halfpenny, managing director of Aurora Expeditions.

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June 2017 | Forward

CELEBRITY CRUISES

Celebrity partners with Malala Fund The activist is named godmother for Edge Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel laureate and UN Messenger of Peace, has been named the godmother of the Celebrity Edge.

The 19-year-old campaigner, who was shot by the Taliban at the age of 15, will christen the ship in late 2018 as part of a two-year partnership with the Malala Fund, Celebrity Cruises has announced. The fund’s mission is to secure 12 years of safe, free, quality education for every girl.

Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises, said

the company and activist shared common goals.

“Partnering with the Malala Fund was a natural fit as we share the same passion and commitment to an incredible cause,” she said.

“We believe in opportunities for all, especially as our crew onboard represent more than 50 different cultures – and amazing stories of achievement, education and economic advancement.”

SILVERSEA

CUNARD

Agents offered chance to win Amazon Echo

Queen Victoria refurb photos revealed

Silversea is giving ten agents the opportunity to win an Amazon Echo as part of its Silversea Advocates June prize.

The company’s regional sales managers will select agents to form part of a shortlist, with the winners chosen from that.

“Our Silversea Advocates programme enables us to recognise the passion and dedication of our teams across the country. We are thrilled to offer this fantastic Amazon Echo to ten of our most deserving agents,” said Connie Georgiou, Silversea’s head of trade sales and partnerships, UK and Ireland.

Cunard has revealed new images of the Queen Victoria, which is currently mid-construction as part of a large refurbishment programme.

The line also released a video showing the aft lido deck being lifted into place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy.

Once completed, the vessel will have additional deck space as well as updated onboard features. The work is costing Cunard £34 million.

Work was due to be complete by early June, when the newly refurbished ship will return to Southampton before embarking on its maiden four-night voyage, via Amsterdam and Bruges.

“Malala is an inspiration and a voice of hope,” added Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “This young woman is on a powerful mission, and we support it 100 per cent.

“We are deeply honoured to name Malala the godmother of Celebrity Edge, and we’re excited to team up with her and the Malala Fund to champion the global right to education.”

CRUISE-ADVISER.COM

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COMING SOON

Roman Holiday Anthony Pearce sails from Southampton to the Mediterranean on Princess Cruises

THE NEXT ISSUE IS OUR BUMPER JULY/AUGUST DOUBLE EDITION

June 2017 | Forward

THOMSON CRUISES

Thomson passenger numbers up 40%

Company claims a 20% rise in the last year alone, as it launches its latest ship, TUI Discovery 2 Thomson Cruises has said that in the last five years its cruise holidays have undergone a 40 per cent increase in passenger numbers – with a 20 per cent rise in the last year alone.

The company launched its latest ship, TUI Discovery 2 – formerly Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas – on May 14 in Malaga. The new ship has 915 cabins, 40 per cent of which are balconies. All-inclusive drinks are now offered as standard.

On board amenities include movie screen, rock climbing wall, mini golf course and an indoor swimming pool.

The company has also launched a TUI Discovery 2 onboard app, called Navigate, which will help customers view their account as well as learn about what’s going on in and around the ship. The app will also allow passengers to book spa treatments as well as tables at the restaurants.

Richard Sofer, managing director of Thomson Cruises, said: “We’re delighted to be launching TUI

Discovery 2, the second in our pipeline of four new additions to our fleet. At Thomson Cruises we’re committed to delivering unforgettable holidays that are personalised for each of our customers and TUI Discovery 2 will play a key role in that for us. There is so much for our guests to do onboard and our new app makes it all even easier, while they sail between some of the world’s most exciting and exotic destinations.”

Based in Malaga this summer, TUI Discovery 2 will sail to destinations such as Barcelona, Valencia, Ibiza, Porto, Lisbon and Marseille before repositioning to Tenerife in September, visiting ports in the Canaries, Morocco and Madeira. It will winter in the Caribbean.

The TUI Discovery 2 is the second ship to join the Thomson Cruises fleet in the last 12 months. The entire company is currently being rebranded and will officially come under the TUI brand later this year.

P&O CRUISES

New range of shore excursions unveiled P&O Cruises has unveiled its new shore excursions, which include a round of golf on the slopes of Mount Etna and a tuk-tuk ride in Dubrovnik.

Paul Ludlow, P&O Cruises’ senior vice president, said: “This fabulous new selection of excursions includes a number of firsts which truly provide something for everyone.”

The company is also offering excursions including indoor skydiving in Flam for £195 per person and a helicopter ride around the Norwegian fjords for £185 per person. An experience on a cider farm in Guernsey will cost £51 per person.

Guests on a Malaga cruise who are looking to stay fit will be able to hike the Caminito Del Rey, renowned as one of the scariest routes around, for £59 per adult.

The excursions form part of the company’s 2017 European itineraries programme.

INTREPID

Intrepid plans to grow cruise programme Intrepid Travel is planning an expansion of its adventure cruise programme later this year, building on the two Croatia coastal cruises it launched this year.

The cruises will be the same “immersive local style” that the company offers across its 1,500 land trips, it said. Prices on the Croatia trips start from £1,071 per person and include swimming in the secluded pools of Krka National Park, visiting the port towns of Hvar and Korcula and detouring to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The new cruise programme is expected to be revealed in October or November this year.

CRUISE-ADVISER.COM

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June 2017 | Forward

RIVER CRUISE LAUNCH

Fred Olsen to launch own river cruise ship

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is to launch a dedicated cruise programme on the Danube, Rhine, Main and Moselle in 2018.

Cruises on the 156-guest river boat, Brabant, went on sale on May 26, 2017. There will be 30 departures overall.

Justin Stanton, sales and marketing director, said: “We specialise in creating a ‘home-from-home’ atmosphere on our ocean cruises, and we are proud to be bringing our many decades of expertise and rich sailing heritage to the river cruise market for the very first time.”

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE

Carnival executive gets Travel Agents Rock tattoo Adolfo Perez, the former UK managing direcetor of Carnival Cruise Line, has had a ‘Travel Agents Rock’ tattoo done at the company’s ‘Agentpalooza’ event in New Orleans.

Perez is now vice president of sales and trade marketing for Carnival’s American office.

He wrote on Facebook: “I got a tattoo today and it states Travel Agents Rock! It’s not air-brushed, it’s the real deal. This is how much I believe in all of you. Thank you NOLA for your amazing support of

#AgentPalooza and thank you travel agents for your past and future support of Carnival!”

The event was live streamed on Facebook. The AgentPalooza event series were ran throughout the States and included a live DJ, photobooth and lawn games.

There was also an area of each event dedicated to supporting food banks and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which voted Adolfo Perez its Man of the Year for his fundraising efforts.

CRUISE-ADVISER.COM

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AGENT TRAINING

Celebrity to launch on board training with app Celebrity Cruises has announced that it is to increase travel agent training on board its ships by hosting seven interactive events on board Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette in destinations including Liverpool and Dublin.

The company has added a treasure hunt (called GooseChase) which will lead a group of agents to an area of the ship after working through a series of riddles. They will then bring up the GooseChase app and upload a selfie showing the group in that location.

The training days are as follows: Celebrity Eclipse: Greenock, 13 June; Cork, 16 June; Southampton, 17 September. Celebrity Silhouette: Dublin, 26 July; Edinburgh, 14 August; Liverpool, 17 August; Belfast, 18 August.

Claire Stirrup, director of sales, Celebrity Cruises UK and Ireland, said: “After a successful summer training programme last year, we wanted to give even more agents the chance to join Leon and Emma on board this year

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June 2017 | Forward

CLIA CONFERENCE

Bringing the industry together Sam Ballard reports from this year’s Clia conference in Southampton, where rivals came together to discuss the big emerging trends in the cruise industry Clia’s 2017 conference was brought together under the banner of togetherness to illustrate just how collaborative the cruise industry is.

Where else would you get a line-up of keynote speakers that included Gavin Smith, the senior vice president of international at Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Lines – senior executives at two of the world’s leading cruise lines and very much competitors. It’s the kind of strategy sharing that is rarely seen in other sectors, be it travel or anywhere else.

Speaking to Cruise Adviser, Andy Harmer, senior vice president of membership, said: “The event has evolved each year in terms of content, themes, venues and the ships used.

We always try to add a surprise element to proceedings, and to make sure that the pace of the event keeps everyone engaged and interested.

“What has been consistent is the inclusion of the four main elements

– multiple ship visits, conference sessions, a trade fair, and evening events. The event was created to bring the industry together, to update everyone on some of the exciting developments, and to inspire travel agent delegates to return to work and grow their cruise sales.”

With 450 agents attending, the challenge of appealing to a broad range of skills sets has never been higher. Harmer and his team have to develop a programme that appeals to everyone from new-to-cruise novices through to experienced agents.

“Clia offers fantastic resources to drive travel agents’ success,” Harmer adds. “It’s very easy to become a Clia member and in doing so, agents have the opportunity to learn, grow and increase their sales. From online courses, seminars, events and masterclasses, Clia aims to support and educate agents in order for them to better sell cruise. Find out more by visiting cruiseexperts.org.”

CRUISE-ADVISER.COM

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One of the biggest things to come out of this year’s conference were the key trends. For Harmer the next big trend was highlighted in a recent report published by the association.

“As we have seen from the annual Clia Cruise Review, many people are opting for ultra-luxury cruises with an 8.5 per cent increase in sales.

“This year’s Abta report showed that more people opted for city breaks than traditional beach holidays. On a cruise, guests have the opportunity to experience multiple destinations on one trip and with 26 new vessels taking to the water this year, we expect to see an increase in the number of passengers taking a cruise.

We are also seeing more passengers choosing to take a river cruise. In 2016, we saw an 11 per cent rise in the number of people taking a river cruise and with 13 new ships on order for 2017, we expect this to grow.”

Whatever the future holds, Clia will play a major part in shaping it.

June 2017 | Forward

OPINION

The rise of the cruise excursion Simonne Fairbanks of Cruisingexcursions.com explains why trips ashore are bigger and better Although cruise ships have been around for about 150 years, it was the 1960s that marked the beginning of the modern cruise industry. Back then, however, the main growth in the travel industry was package holidays and, even as recently the 1980s, most cruise ships catered for only a few hundred passengers at a time, but that was about to change. At the turn of the 21st century, mega-ships started to be built and, since 2001, nine or more new cruise ships have been built every year.

In two short decades (19882009), the largest class cruise ships have grown a third longer (268m to 360m), almost doubled their widths (32.2m to 60.5m), doubled the

total passengers (2,744 to 5,400), and tripled in weight (73,000GT to 225,000GT). Also, the mega-ships went from single deck with verandas to all decks with verandas.”

In 2017 there are 448 cruise ships and as of December 2016 26 new ships were on order and between 2005 and 2015 demand for cruising increased by 62 per cent.

And the number of people cruising just keeps growing – Clia figures state that, in 2009, 17.8m people globally took a cruise, in 2017 this is expected to top 25.3 million. The average age of cruisers is getting younger as cruise ships adapt their features to attract new generations and cruise has become more affordable as competition grows.

In the early days of cruise, the focus was on onboard hospitality and entertainment, with cruise lines offering a basic excursion programme at each port. It makes sense that with the huge growth of cruise the excursions offered would evolve too – and as well as the cruise lines there are also now independent suppliers.

With 95 per cent of cruisers taking at least one excursion it’s big business.

The city tour excursions are still popular, especially with first time visitors, but repeat cruisers are often looking for something different – off the beaten track, activity and adventure trips, or themed excursions – like zip-lining in St Lucia, swimming with turtles in Barbados, a Segway tour of Rome, or a private dining

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SIMONNE’S TOP TIPS FOR AGENTS

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Follow-up with the customer beforehand Once the cruise has been booked follow up with your customer. In some instances excursions can be booked up to two years in advance.

Know your customer and tailor excursions Research excursions to suggest, give tailor made service with ideas for each port of call. If you’ve booked a first time cruiser keep it simple and traditional, a repeat cruiser may be ready for something a bit different.

Take note of any special requests they may have If necessary ensure tours and their transport are wheelchair accessible and coaches have wheelchair-docking facilities and dietary requests are noted. Ensure the excursion is conducted by English speakers (if that’s their first language) or your clients will miss out on the detail.

Make sure excursions are guaranteed Ensure your customer is fully protected with a full refund if the ship doesn’t port. In the event that return is delayed and the ship departs without the passenger then there must be a guarantee to transport passengers free of charge to the next port of call.

Test out the excursions yourself on a fam trip Finally – if you’re going on a cruise fam trip test a few excursions out – any reputable shore excursion provider will be delighted to arrange tasters for you.

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experience with a Maltese family in their home.

The cruise lines are constantly changing itineraries, adding ‘undiscovered’ ports and new destinations, which means opportunities for new excursions.

The bigger ports, meanwhile, are recognising the boost to the economy visiting cruise ships bring and are investing in meet and greet facilities and easy access for excursions’ transport. The duration of excursions is getting longer, with most at least half a day, to maximise the time in port. And with the trend for longer stays in port – two days in St Petersburg, for example, is not uncommon – there is the option to book evening excursions, such as a visit to the ballet.

The business of providing excursions is not without a few challenges, however.

Passenger security and safety is paramount and taking Foreign Office advice is crucial, but cruise is resilient and ports affected by recent atrocities are open for business.

Currency fluctuation, especially in the last 12 months, has seen inevitable price rises across the travel industry, but the excursions priced in sterling do offer reassurance on price.

Logistically, access and entry to major tourist attractions featured in

excursion programmes needs to be considered and negotiated by the excursion provider. The last thing a cruise passenger wants is to spend too much time queuing for entry when their time on shore is precious. Fortunately, fast track entry is a common benefit of prearranged excursions.

Visas need to be considered and, for some excursions, such as at Aquaba, Mumbai and St Petersburg, visas need to be pre-arranged before the passenger steps off the ship.

So, what should travel agents know about selling excursions? They’ve long boosted their income by selling ancillary products, such as airport parking, transfers and car hire and now selling cruise excursions has been added to that list as a great commission earner. Not only can it be very lucrative, but it’s also giving that extra special customer service by suggesting to customers who have bought cruises, that they pre-book their excursions before they depart on holiday. It usually makes economic sense to pre-book and there will be a wider choice of shore excursions to be found by shopping around at leisure before departure, with time to examine and choose the itineraries in detail. It is possible to find cruise excursions for virtually any cruise itinerary worldwide.

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PORTS OF CALL

British Isles Some of the most beautiful sights to be seen on a cruise are a lot closer to home than you might think In 2010, the word ‘staycation’ was added to the English dictionary after recession-hit Britons dropped their traditional holidays abroad in favour of staying in the UK. And, as the pound slumped after last year’s historic Brexit vote, talk of the staycation returned: an estimated eight million Britons will holiday in the UK this year.

Of course, when it’s framed like that, it’s easy to see holidaying in your home country as an unglamorous, uninspiring, budget option, but it doesn’t have to be. By avoiding poor exchange rates, holidaymakers are looking to get more value for their money – rather than to necessarily spend less – and there are many exciting, often luxurious options available to travellers who intend to remain on these shores. After all, what the UK lacks in weather, it makes up for in history, culture and spectacular landscapes.

As with many other destinations, one of the best ways to explore is by

cruise ship. There are a considerable amount of options available, with nearly all ex-UK cruise lines offering at least one British Isles cruise.

Cunard operates a sailing that leaves from Southampton and takes in Glasgow (from Greenock), the Isle of Skye, the Orkney Islands, Belfast and Liverpool, as well as Guernsey, and also leaves the UK to explore Donegal, Dublin and Cork in the Republic of Ireland (see box-out). Princess Cruises runs a similar cruise, also from Southampton, which includes Invergordon and Edinburgh, and throws in Le Havre, from which Paris and Normandy are accessible. Cruise & Maritime Voyages – one of the few cruise lines to take advantage of Britain’s ports above the South Coast, particularly England’s northern ports – also has British Isles cruises with a heavy emphasis on Scotland, that include the likes of Ullapool and the Isle of Mull. Fred Olsen Cruise Line has a Lochs, Castles & Coasts of the British Isles cruise, which includes

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June 2017 | Forward cruising Loch Linnhe, passing through the Corran Narrows and cruising past the majestic Duart Castle, while small-ship operator Majestic Line specialises in sailing the idyllic coastlines and islands of Argyll & the Hebrides. The line, which is now targeting the trade, offers 15 different itineraries on its tiny ships (there’s room for just 11 or 12 guests), including a 10-night Skye to the Shiant Isles cruise, which heads to the remote Outer Hebrides.

It’s no surprise that, for many cruise lines, the Isle of Skye, Scotland’s second largest island, which boasts some of the most spectacular scenery you’re likely to see anywhere, is a regular port of call.

It’s one of the country’s most popular tourist spots, but even when the rest of your ship gets off, it’s easy to feel far, far away from the hustle and bustle of the real world here.

There are fewer cruises that call at English ports along the way (Saga has an itinerary that starts and finishes at Dover, and also takes in Liverpool and Portland), but there are any number of pre and post options for those who want to extend their holidays, even if they are heading for the fjords, Mediterranean or beyond. It’s often overlooked, but Southampton is just one hour and 20 minutes by train from London – far closer than Le Havre is from Paris and

just a bit further than Civitavecchia is from Rome – while Tilbury (which is officially named the London Cruise Terminal) is just 40 minutes from the capital. London, the largest city in western Europe, is not only historic, full of free art galleries and museums, but has also become of the best spots in the world to eat, whether that’s Michelin-star dining (the city now has 79 stars in total), Turkish ocakbasi (grilled meat) or food festivals at the South Bank. Each year, a limited number of cruises leave from the capital – we make it four from Greenwich and six from Tower Bridge for the rest of the year.

Southampton, from where the lion’s share of ex-UK cruises depart, has the added bonus of being on the edge of the sprawling, unspoilt New Forest, where wild horses roam and village pubs serve good ales and hearty British cuisine, while fascinating Winchester, with its magnificent medieval cathedral, is just 20 minutes away. It’s also worth remembering that Dover – with its incredible castle (where Churchill’s wartime tunnels are now open to the public) – is well worth a stay, while a pre or post city break in Liverpool, Newcastle or Glasgow is also a great way to extend the holiday.

THREE BRITISH ISLES CRUISES 13 nights including Dublin

13 nights to Liverpool

13 nights from Dover

Cunard — Queen Victoria Southampton (round-trip), May 12, 2018 From £1,399pp

Cruise & Maritime Voyages — Marco Polo Greenock-Liverpool, August 19, 2017 From £1,099

Saga — Saga Pearl II Dover (round-trip), August 8, 2018 From £2,099pp

The Old World luxury of Queen Victoria is a fine way to experience the delights of the British Isles. This 13-night cruise is one of the more comprehensive.

This departs from one UK port and arrives in another. On the way it takes in Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides.

This UK cruise takes in Campbletown, Scrabster and Leith (for Edinburgh), as well as Avonmouth, giving guests the chance to see lively Bristol.

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June 2017 | Forward

INTERVIEW

“We now have a clear message for agents and customers…”

Anthony Pearce sits down with Giles Hawke, CEO of Cosmos, to talk about what the future holds for the company following its recent huge rebrand Cosmos recently announced a huge rebrand, dropping ‘Tours & Cruises’ from its name and unveiling a new logo, strapline and website.

After reaching an agreement with Monarch Group to regain the rights to the name, the company relaunched under cosmos.co.uk, with the strapline ‘Adventures Made Easy’.

Also new is an online portal for agents – cosmos.co.uk/agents – that will be rolled out over a two-month period with dedicated log in details provided.

The company has also announced a price promise, while clients can also cancel or change holidays before the balance is due and rebook without losing the deposit or facing a charge The company will now be split into three parts – tours, beach and cruise.

We sat down with Giles Hawke, the former executive director of MSC Cruises, who took over as CEO at Cosmos Tours and Cruises and Avalon Waterways UK in April last year, to discuss the big changes.

Cruise Adviser: Talk us through the changes at Cosmos Giles Hawke: It’s a relaunch even more than it is a redesign. It’s restating what Cosmos is and moving away from being Cosmos Tours & Cruises to Cosmos. There was some confusion within the trade because of Cosmos Holidays, which was with Monarch Group. Now, it’s now just one brand: Cosmos. From the research we did, we realised it’s a brand that’s loved and recognised,

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but over the years got a bit lost in people’s minds, a bit, ‘Who are Cosmos?’ By coming up with a new look, a new strapline, we’re able to have a clearer message for travel agents and for their customers.

We grew up as a touring company and that will remain a core part of our offering, but we now have mid and long-haul beach holidays, such as Goa, Sri Lanka, and we also have cruise holidays.

Why ‘Adventures Made Easy?’

GH: What customers love about us, is they can go to places – and see and do things – that they may not go on their own. They like the adventure aspect, but also want some handholding along the way. For example,

June 2017 | Forward

this year, India is popular, but it’s not necessarily something people want to organise own their own; we want to make adventure simple and straightforward. It’s travelling without turning up in a strange city in a strange place and thinking, ‘Oh god, now I’ve got to organise the next bit’. It’s about offering a door-todoor service, which we’re extending to 2018, with VIP home chauffeur pick-ups. If you’re 50 miles from the airport or, say, St Pancras, we’ll pick customers up and take them.

How is important is the trade to Cosmos?

GH: Our view is that they’re essential.

We’ve never had travel agent online booking before and one of the key things we wanted to do with our new website was to give travel agents those tools. From my past experience in the cruise industry, I know that’s absolutely essential to a lot of travel agents. It’s cheaper – they’re not making phone calls, although we do have a freephone number – and they’re able to control the whole booking process – they’re not reliant on saying, “Hold on, I’ll take your details and phone you back.” It allows the travel agent to demonstrate their expertise – customers can’t think, “I could have done that.” We’ve also had a number of fam trips already –

Thailand, China, Canada, New York and New England – and we’ve got more coming up in the year. We’ve made a big investment – there’s more than ever before.

How important is pre and post when it comes to cruise?

GH: We create packages and we see a number of agents selling them. We’re one of the key partners for A-Rosa in the UK: we have all of their product on sale and packaged up and a lot of agents take that, rather than having to create their own package and Atol take the tour-operating risks. But we also see a lot of agents taking our tours, particularly the shorter ones,

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June 2017 | Forward

and bolting them onto to a cruise.

We often see an agent take a sevennight Italy tour bolted on to a cruise, with say Norwegian Cruise Line or MSC Cruises, or whoever it might be. It’s a great way for new-to-cruise customers to experience a cruise in a risk-free manner, where they don’t think, “Oh, this is my whole holiday – and I’ve no idea what a cruise ship is going to be like.”

In your capacity as CEO of Avalon Waterways you told the Clia River Conference that river was 10 years behind ocean cruise – what was the reaction from other river lines?

GH: A number of people agreed with the principle – not that the onboard

product is behind ocean – but that the approach to marketing and the approach to supporting travel agents, and even just the awareness of the offering, ocean cruise has, over the years, probably done a better job of creating more awareness and giving agents better tools. There were those who disagreed with that assertion though.

River is still seen as a holiday for just the elderly – do we still have a lot of work to do there?

CA: We still have a job to do show agents and customers why you would go on a river cruise and why it is for a whole range of people. With Avalon Waterways we don’t focus on families

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– although children over eight are welcome – but there are river lines, such as A-Rosa, where children go free, who have a real focus. There’s still work to do, but we’re heading in the right direction. Over the next year or two we have to ask: are we seeing the average age coming down?

Things such as having bikes on board make a big difference – things like Avalon Active Discovery, where some of activities includes kayaking, a running tour of Vienna and bike tours. I think adding those sort of on-shore options into mix, along with updating the type of imagery and the type of marketing we use, will start to attract people who think, “Oh, I didn’t realise you could do that!”

PARIS

The French connection

Jeannine Williamson sails along the Seine from the very heart of Paris through historic Normandy on Uniworld’s newest ship, Joie de Vivre. On board, she experiences the Francophile ‘joy of living’ with incredible food and plenty of fizz, as well as a personal service that is second to none

June 2017 | Midship Ion, our butler, stands by my cabin window and relates one of the stories behind the art of sabrage, or sabering.

Apparently Napoleon wanted to impress a lady and devised an exciting way to uncork Champagne.

The scenario unfolded when I fancied a cheeky late-afternoon glass of fizz – one of the many perks of travelling on an all-inclusive line where premium drinks and fine wines are part of the fare. But it certainly turned out to be a pre-dinner cocktail with a difference – and certainly not one to try at home – as Ion produced a gleaming sabre from a wooden box and, holding the bubbly in his other white-gloved hand, deftly sliced off the bottle top. As the cork headed towards the Seine, fellow butler Viorel poured the first glass.

A few days earlier the vessel’s godmother, Dame Joan Collins, and assembled guests had been treated to a similar spectacle as she christened Uniworld’s newest ‘Super Ship’ Joie de Vivre and the butlers lined up on deck for a simultaneous sabering.

The company’s first ship to sail on the Seine, the name translates as ‘joy of living’ and is even more pertinent given the Paris terrorist attacks that shocked the world in November 2015.

One of the few lines to invest in France since, president and chief executive Ellen Bettridge said the outrage had made Uniworld even more determined to show its faith in the French capital and surrounding region. Clients can also be reassured by the fact that Uniworld has increased security across its fleet and each ship has 24-hour guards.

“Joie de Vivre was already under construction when the attacks happened,” she said. “For a week or so work stopped, but it was quickly decided that we wanted to support France and people will always want to go to Paris. If anything it made us make the ship even more French.”

The 128-passenger vessel joins the fleet of 21 ships, and is one of the 13 owned and operated exclusively

by Uniworld. Compared with Seine ships, which are 135m long, Joie de Vivre is 125m, enabling it to dock right in the heart of Paris.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A former newspaper journalist, Jeannine is now an awardwinning travel writer and cruise specialist contributing to trade and consumer magazines, newspapers and websites.

Her worldwide travels range from paddling a canoe along the Mississippi to sailing on the world’s largest ships.

FIVE REASONS TO SELL JOIE DE VIVRE

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All-inclusive pricing covering meals, all drinks, excursions, flights, transfers and tipsof inclusions

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Unique ship with a French flavour

High staff to guest ratio of nearly 1:2

Five dining options, including room service

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Moors in the heart of Paris by the Eiffel Tower

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c V ve de g experien 95 Ca in The € g and din foodies in r cook at fo is gre

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A key fact, and selling point, that makes Uniworld stand out from the river cruising crowd is that all its ships are distinctly different. In 2004 the company became part of The Travel Corporation, which also owns Red Carnation Hotels, and this signalled the start of the luxurious line where vessels are themed around the regions they sail in.

The Gallic vibe is everywhere, from the richly varnished wood finishes inspired by classic power boats and yachts, to the retro framed posters, French-inspired hand-crafted furniture, rich fabrics and, last but not least, the all-important food and drink operation overseen by French executive chef Frederic Roland.

The atmosphere is summed up

by Uniworld UK managing director, Kathryn Beadle, who said: “You step off the soil of France and onto this ship and you are still in France.”

As I sat down on a classic wooden curved back chair in the jaunty red and white bistro at the front of the ship I certainly felt as if I was still on dry land. A waiter, clad in a waistcoat and long white apron, handed me a menu featuring French favourites such as cassoulet, coq au vin and a ham and cheese baguette. With its dropdown windows Le Bistrot encapsulates the feel of a French pavement cafe (minus the smoke!).

“On all our ships the average time for dinner is one and a half hours,” explained Beadle. “It never feels rushed. If you go into a restaurant you would feel short-changed if you were hurried through a meal and the courses came very quickly. We want everything onboard to be an occasion in the same way that it would if you were dining in a restaurant ashore.”

That said, everything also stops for the great British institution of afternoon tea, served against the backdrop of the resident pianist in the Salon Toulouse lounge and bar. I can’t resist the temptation of the three-tier cake stands served to the table with a pot of proper loose leaf tea.

The main restaurant is Le Pigalle, for buffet breakfast and lunch and à la carte dinner. Standout features in the evening are the open dining

June 2017 | Midship arrangement, allowing passengers to eat at any time between 7pm and 9.30pm, rather than the fixed dinner time that’s a constant on many lines, and an imaginative vegetarian menu.

Claude’s, at the back of the ship, is part of the multi-purpose area that goes through clever chameleonlike changes. By day you can visit the massage room and gym or take a dip in the small pool and have a decent workout swimming against the current. At night a hydraulic floor covers the water and transforms the space into a nightspot that includes the French Supper Club with a tapas menu designed for sharing.

One night we get hands-on in Cave du Vin, a demonstration kitchen and private dining room where the walls are tantalisingly lined with bottles of wine. Donning natty Joie de Vivre chef’s hats and aprons, and suitably fortified with a glass of Champagne, we embark on a range of culinary tasks under the watchful eye of chef de partie Robbert Westendorp.

We produce, with a fair degree of professional hand-holding, a delicious meal of Normandy fish soup, chicken liver pâté, beef tenderloin with potato gratin followed by apple tart.

After the completion of each course we savour the fruits of our labour, accompanied by different wines.

Even on dry land food and wine is omnipresent, making Joie de Vivre a mouth-watering recommendation for Francophiles and foodies. One excursion is lunch at La Couronne, the restaurant where American chef Julia Child fell in love with French cuisine. We embark on guided bike tours, in a token attempt to offset some of the onboard calories, and are greeted at chateaux with – you’ve guessed it – more food and drink. An alternative to the full-day excursion to the poignant Normandy landing beaches, which many UK passengers may have visited in the past, is the extraordinary Chateau de Champ de Bataille. The vision of multitalented architect, interior designer and garden designer Jacques Garcia, we are greeted with an aperitif and canapés before a tour around the ornate mansion, where the owner’s dogs snooze on 17th century chairs.

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d mmen l y reco luxur etre Roya te a m e ultim uare ship For th ir of 37 sq ont of the the pa es at the fr Suit

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June 2017 | Midship Back on board, Joie de Vivre’s 54 staterooms are spread across three decks, all connected by a lift. Available in five categories, and starting at 15 square metres, they include eight Junior Suites, at 28 square metres, and the pair of two-room Royal Suites. Standard features in all cabins are blissful Savoir of England beds, climate control, a nifty TV set in the mirror, marble bathrooms with a heated floor and towel warmers, L’Occitane products, bathrobes and slippers.

Suite perks include free laundry, mini-bar and butler service. Unlike the ships where butlers double up with other jobs, Uniworld’s are the real deal, and immaculately dressed in tailcoats, complete with a floral buttonhole, and pin-striped trousers. They’re available for tasks such as packing and unpacking, bringing early morning tea and breakfast, pressing clothes, shining shoes – and going the extra mile.

On Joie de Vivre everything is a class act, and never more so than when it comes to opening a bottle of Champagne. Salut!

Uniworld sails on 22 rivers in 26 countries (prices from £2,489pp for the seven-night Paris & Normandy cruise on Joie de Vivre). For more information see directory, p53

THREE FRENCH FANCIES Gems of the Seine

Paris & the heart of Normandy

Paris & Normandy

Scenic – Scenic Gem Paris (round-trip), October 7, 2017 From £3,580pp

Viking River Cruises – Viking Longship Rolf Paris (round-trip), September 24, 2017 From £2,995pp

AmaWaterways – AmaLyra Paris (round-trip), October 26, 2017 From $2,399pp

A leisurely cruise along the Seine from the French capital to Honfleur near the English Channel, passing through the beautiful Normandy countryside with excursions to the Somme battlefields.

This cruise adds a tasting session of French cheeses, plus a culture curriculum including lectures on Joan of Arc and French impressionists..

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The itinerary includes a visit the village of Giverny, where Monet lived and worked for 43 years, a plus an unforgettable excursion to the famous Normandy beaches of World War Two.

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MINI-CRUISE

The short but sweet way of experiencing life at sea Gilly Pickup on why short cruises of just a few nights are perfect for new-tocruise customers and also an ideal weekend break for more seasoned travellers

Cruising doesn’t have to mean spending endless days on the ocean waves. Mini-cruises, usually between two and five nights long, are ideal for those who prefer a shorter break, have something special to celebrate or, indeed, for those who don’t want to spend a fortune on a sea-going holiday. They also offer a dip-yourtoe-in sample of cruising, so new-tocruise clients can decide if this type of holiday would suit them. If, on the other hand, your customers are old hands at cruising but happen to be

pushed for time, short cruises are a great way to keep those sea legs.

It’s also worth pointing out to potential clients that they get more for their money than with a land-based holiday as they could, for example, visit two or three countries on a three or four-night cruise and are sure to find an itinerary to suit. Besides that, on shorter cruises, those who intend to spend most of their days sightseeing may be happy to book a cheaper cabin rather than splash their cash on a balcony. However, taster

cruises are generally popular, so it makes sense to book early.

Several cruise lines including P&O, CMV, Cunard and Royal Caribbean offer ex-UK mini-cruises. Ships leaving from a British port on a twonight cruise could visit, for instance, Guernsey’s capital, the picturesque St Peter Port, or Belgian ports Antwerp, Bruges-Zeebrugge, Ghent or Ostend.

P&O offer a two-night round trip from Southampton on Britannia, currently the company’s biggest ship, calling at Zeebrugge, gateway to Brussels and CRUISE-ADVISER.COM

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Ghent, one of Europe’s best-preserved cities. Departing in September, prices start from £229 per person. P&O have another two-night round trip with no flying involved departing Southampton on August 19 on Azura, visiting the Channel Islands.

Three-night cruises could visit Le Havre, St Malo, Honfleur and Marseille in France, Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands or Dublin. Factor in an extra night and you can travel that little bit further.

Bilbao in Spain, Bergen in Norway or Lerwick in the Shetland Islands are all accessible in that time.

With a choice of 11 UK departure ports, Cruise & Maritime Voyages specialise in no-fly holidays and offer one-night ‘taster’ cruises on Columbus and Magellan where guests can have dinner, see a show and stay overnight.

Welcome cocktails and half a bottle of wine per person with the meal are also included in the price of £99pp.

For those who want to stay on board longer than one night, the company

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June 2017 | Midship offers a three-night ‘Festive Getaway’ cruise on Columbus. This Yuletide round-trip from Tilbury departing December 18 calls at Amsterdam and Zeebrugge with fares from £409.

Royal Caribbean offer exSouthampton three-night taster cruises on Independence of the Seas visiting Rotterdam or Le Havre and Bruges from £379, while those who don’t mind flying to reach the ship can enjoy the sunny delights of Naples and Barcelona on Symphony of the Seas. For passengers who can stretch to five nights, Independence of the Seas offers a ‘French and Dutch Adventure’ sailing from Southampton on October 24, calling at Rotterdam, Bruges, Cherbourg and Le Havre, returning to Southampton. Prices from £479. For new-to-cruisers, these resort-style ships offer an easy introduction to holidays on the ocean waves, with enough onboard activities to guarantee sea days are as exciting as the ports visited.

New for 2017 is the opportunity to enjoy four nights on MSC Meraviglia, one of two Meraviglia-generation mega cruise ships. The second, MSC Bellissima, will launch in Spring 2019. Luca Pronzati, chief strategic development and sales services officer at MSC Cruises commented: “MSC Meraviglia and the new nextgeneration ships including Seaside

and Bellissima are designed with first-time cruisers in mind. It can be a little daunting as a first time cruiser to fully understand all of the activities, entertainment, facilities and excursions offered. With new technology and the MSC Cruises app, guests will receive push notifications while sailing, tailored to their tastes and preferences. We are developing unique tracking devices enabling guests to find their way around the ship and locate their children, a good feature for first time cruise families.”

Meraviglia sails from Naples to Messina and Valetta on October 23, 30 and November 13, cruise only

prices from £199. On November 17, Meraviglia’s two-night taster cruise departs Barcelona, calls at Marseille and disembarks in Genoa, with cruise only prices from £129. Also in November, MSC Magnifica has a two-night cruise sailing out of Genoa calling at Villefranche and Marseille with cruise only prices from £89.

For those who don’t want to fly before starting their holiday, Magnifica will be homeported in Southampton between April and October 2018 with 22 sailing dates to choose from. These cruises all include free wi-fi and an all-inclusive drinks package.

THREE MINI-CRUISES Two days to Hamburg

Two nights to Guernsey

Three nights to Paris and Bruges

Norwegian Cruise Line – Norwegian Jade Southampton-Hamburg, June 29, 2017 From £149pp

P&O Cruises – Arcadia Southamton (round-trip), July 14, 2017 From £249pp

Royal Caribbean – Independence of the Seas Southampton (round-trip), October 25, 2018 From £349pp

A quick, two-day jaunt from Southampton to Hamburg – the perfect way of getting your sea legs for the first time, or just having a long weekend.

A relaxed two-night trip to the beautiful Channel Islands, including a full day in Guernsey’s picturesque capital St Peter Port, plus all the benefits of Arcadia’s lively onboard experience.

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A bargain three-night whistlestop cruise from Southampton to Belgium and France and back again.

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CABINS

Top five innovative rooms with a view Adam Coulter, Cruise Critic UK managing editor, ignores the glitz and selects his top five most imaginative standard cabins available on cruise lines today Cruise lines are always pushing the envelope when it comes to innovation, but it’s often the highprofile innovations – the first go-kart track at sea! The first dodgems at sea!

– that grab the headlines.

However, behind the scenes there are a whole lot of other ways the lines are working to make your clients’ cruise even better – and one of those ways is cabin innovation.

Putting aside the headline-grabbing suites with baby grand pianos and chandeliers for a moment, let’s take a peek at what the lines are doing at the standard cabin level – and how that might benefit your client.

1. Celebrity Edge’s infinite balconies

Celebrity edge is the new class of ship from Celebrity Cruises, debuting next year. The feature that has grabbed the imagination is the large orange platform stuck to the side of the ship which goes from deck to deck, but forget that. The big wow is what Celebrity has done to the inside of the ship, effectively reversing its structure from outside to in. What does that mean? Simply put, it means seamless cabins or as Celebrity puts it “infinite balconies”. If you’re describing it, think of a traditional ship balcony – welded to the side with an ugly ridge

and a heavy door which slams shut.

Edge’s balconies are actually part of the ship’s superstructure, so are part of the cabin itself. Together with doors that fold back and a balcony window that slides up at the touch of a button, you’ve effectively got an extra room – adding 25 per cent more space to your cabin.

2. River lines

Where did Celebrity get the idea for its infinite balconies? The river lines, which have been quietly reshaping the traditional balcony cabin shape, partly through necessity. Unlike ocean ships, river ships cruising on

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June 2017 | Midship Europe’s waterways are tightly bound by size restrictions – no ship can be bigger or taller than the widest lock or bridge. But cruisers demand balconies, and not just French-style ones. So, the lines have been coming up with different ways to increase limited space, and one of those ways is through balconies cut into the side of the ship, as on AmaWaterways.

Balconies on Uniworld’s newest ships have “open air balconies”, with windows that lower at the touch of a button (exactly the same as on Celebrity’s Edge class).

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3. Norwegian Cruise Line’s family-interconnected

Norwegian launched Norwegian Joy in late April and, although the ship is headed straight to China, it’s likely that some of the cabin types debuted on the ship will appear on the line’s next ship, Norwegian Bliss. The new cabin type is ‘Concierge’, which is one down from the villas in The Haven.

Concierge class features a number of cabin types, but the one that stands out is the family-interconnected.

Primarily introduced for the Chinese market, who travel in large family groups, there is no reason why this wouldn’t be a hit on a Western ship.

The cabins comprise three separate rooms, with a master bedroom plus bathroom (with a tub); a living room with a sofa and dining table and a separate second bedroom off this, with a pull-down bed and shower room. There is no balcony, but there is a virtual balcony which shows realtime views of the ocean.

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4. Royal Caribbean’s Sky Loft Suites

Not the biggest, nor the most pricey, but the ones which we think are the most innovative. Why? Because they offer a split-level cabin. The cabins debuted several years ago on Oasis of the Seas, but reappeared, refreshed and tweaked, on Harmony of the Seas last year. They are right at the top of the ship (hence the double height), in the Royal Class area, so have access to the suites-only lounge and restaurant, Coastal Kitchen. Having a split-level cabin is like having your

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own apartment at sea. Although it’s more of a mezzanine, in that the bedroom area is half the space of the living area, you still get a wonderful sense of privacy. The ground area has a separate shower, a writing desk, a large sofa, chairs and access to a deep, wide balcony. The top floor has a large bed and a bathroom with tub, as well as lot of wardrobe space, a retractable TV – and heavy drape curtain for privacy.

5. MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia family cluster cabins

These cabins debuted this year on the world’s largest ship (by capacity), and are in many ways a variation on Norwegian Joy’s familyinterconnected cabins. However, these cabins cater for even bigger families or groups, with a maximum capacity of ten. They also differ in that they don’t have a dedicated space for a living room, giving over the third space to an extra cabin. Each has its own bathroom (one with a shower) and they also have two separate balconies, which is a huge bonus for extended family groups. They also have a recessed space for bunk beds, which are effectively built into the wall and allow for extra privacy.

The cabins will also be available on the line’s Seaside class of ship, which debuts in November.

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THREE CRUISES IN NEW CABINS Seven nights in the Caribbean

Seven nights in the Caribbean

12 days around Europe

Celebrity Cruises – Celebrity Edge Fort Lauderdale (round-trip), December, 18, 2018 From £1,749pp

Royal Caribbean – Harmony of the Seas Fort Lauderdale (round-trip), October 17, 2017 From £2,167pp

MSC Cruises – Meraviglia Genoa-Hamburg, April 18, 2018 From £3,969pp

This leisurely cruise around the Caribbean is the perfect place to experience the incredible “infinite balconies” on Celebrity Edge.

Experience the amazing split-level Sky Loft Suite on the current largest cruise ship in the world on this jaunt around the Caribbean to Puerto Rico and Haiti.

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Take the entire family on this trip from Italy to Germany, via Marseille, Barcelona, Lisbon and Le Havre, staying in MSC’s ingenious interconnecting family cluster cabins.

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INFOCUS

Royal Caribbean Anthony Pearce meets Ben Bouldin, associate VP and managing director UK & Ireland at Royal Caribbean, who have gone bigger and bolder than anyone else When we sat around to plan this month’s cruise adviser innovation special, the name of one line kept cropping up, and with good reason.

Royal Caribbean International, which operates 25 ships and has six more on order, has time and time again redefined what cruise travel means. Be it robotic barmen, onboard dodgems, climbing walls, the Central Park (and its interior staterooms with a view), or simulated sky-diving and surfing machines, its ever-larger ships have come to represent the new themepark-at-sea style cruise, where the destination often plays second fiddle to the adventure-packed hardware.

Earlier in the year, the company announced that Symphony of the Seas,

the fourth in the record-breaking Oasisclass, will be even bigger than Harmony of the Seas, currently the world’s largest cruise ship. And the rest of its fleet isn’t far behind. In terms of size, Allure and Oasis of the Seas, slightly smaller than Harmony, are followed by the line’s Quantum-class ships – Quantum, Anthem and Ovation of the Seas – giving Royal the entire top five of the world’s largest cruise ships.

You could argue that Royal has done more than almost any other company to shake off the idea of cruise being stuffy. When we speak to Ben Bouldin, associate vice president and managing director UK & Ireland, he admits that the old “newly wed, nearly dead and overfed” line is still wheeled out. “The

greatest misconception about cruise is that it’s just for old people,” he tells us. However, for the kid-friendly Royal Caribbean it goes the other way, too.

“People think Royal Caribbean is very family-orientated and I wouldn’t say it isn’t, but we have lots of sailing outside of school holidays, where they are very adult focused,” says Bouldin.

The line has also made a name for itself with its innovative awards programme, Club Royal. “We’ve 12,100 members now, having launched three years ago. We invest over £1million a year in agent rewards and we’re absolutely committed to it. We’re always looking of ways to expand and develop it – we’ve got some big developments coming this year.”

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June 2017 | Midship Bouldin singles out Samantha Wilkinson, of Delmar World Choice, who was named Club Royal Ambassador at the line’s Awards Ceremony in March. “Samantha was doing a bit of cruise, a bit of other stuff, but once the Club Royal scheme popped up, she started making bookings and started earning on her card.

“Now, because of her passion for Royal and her passion for cruise, she’s actually joined an independent agency with the role of heading up cruise and helping them develop a really strong cruise product. That’s just one example of the impact it’s had.”

Although Anthem of the Seas ran a short ex-UK season a few years ago and the older Independence of the Seas sails from Southampton, talk of a shiny new Royal ship based in the UK – or at least Europe – is often mooted.

“I think, for me, success will bring a new ship to the UK and Europe, and that’s what I’m absolutely focused on,” says Bouldin. “That’s about achieving the right level of performance from the UK market. I obviously want to get hold of new hardware. We’ve got Symphony of the Seas in Barcelona in 2018 and we know we are launching a new ship in 2019, and the location of that is still to be determined. From a UK point of view, I’m very aggressively trying to chase down that opportunity.”

THREE ROYAL SAILINGS Seven nights on Symphony

Eights nights from the UK

Six nights in the Caribbean

Symphony of the Seas Barcelona (round-trip), April 21, 2018 From £1,197pp

Independence of the Seas Southampton (round-trip), August 12, 2017 From £749pp

Freedom of the Seas Fort Lauderdale (round-trip), December 17, 2017 From £600pp

This summer holiday sailing starts and finishes in Southampton and calls at Gijón, Bilbao and La Coruña in Spain and Cherbourg, Le Havre in France.

This round-trip from Florida, which takes in Grand Cayman and Mexico, is classic Royal Caribbean. Flights aren’t included, but £600 is a snip.

This is the maiden sailing of Symphony of the Seas, which will be the largest ship in the world. It is a rare opportunity to enjoy a premier cruise on one of the huge Oasis-class ships in Europe.

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PICTURE PERFECT

The best innovations in cruise From underwater lounges to 100m high viewing pods – whatever next?

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From robotic barmen to submarines and underwater lounges, cruise ships continue to innovate in the most exciting and unexpected ways.

Cruise lines have begun an arm’s race to include the most impressive features on board, whether that’s in entertainment, wearable technology (see p46) or rooms (p39). Here, we

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celebrate the most outlandish and impressive innovations to join cruise ships in recent years.

1. Royal Caribbean International’s Vistarama. Two70 is a venue with floorto-ceiling windows. A café with sea views in the day, it transforms to Vistarama by night: a digital theatre on giant ultra-HD

screens (there are dancing robots, too).

2. Crystal Esprit’s C-Explorer 3. A real game-changer, a submarine which houses a pilot and two passengers, can dive 300m and is only on Crystal’s ultra-luxury yacht.

3. Celebrity Cruises’ Lawn Club. Celebrity was the first and only cruise line to offer a lawn of real grass on the top deck (found on its Solstice class).

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4. Scenic Eclipse’s helicopters. Launching next year, the ‘world’s first mega-yacht’ will have two helicopters – a first in cruise.

5. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Go-Karts.

Sadly these are just on Norwegian Joy, for the Chinese market, but fingers crossed we’ll see them on more (all) ships.

6. Norwegian Breakaway’s Waterfront.

It sounds simple, but putting restaurants on promenade was a stroke of genius.

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MSC Cruises’ Seaside, coming later in the year, will expand on the idea 7. Carnival Vista’s iMax. The first iMax at sea is helping to change perceptions about cruise ship entertainment, once seen as staid and stuffy.

8. Emerald Waterways’ retractable windows. Being able to open your window is a given on land, and so it should be when you’re on the water.

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9. Ponant’s underwater lounge. An industry first, this subaquatic area will be featured on four upcoming Ponant vessels, the first of which is set to sail in 2018.

10. Royal Caribbean International’s NorthStar. Found on its Quantum-class ships, this viewing pod – which, at full length, is almost 100m above sea level – has helped redefine what is possible on a cruise ship.

June 2017 | Midship

INNOVATION

Medallion winners Sam Ballard speaks to Carnival’s John Padgett about their new digital development “The MagicBand was an example of wearable technology before wearable technology even existed,” explains John Padgett, the chief experience and innovation officer at Carnival Corporation. “What Disney produced with that was a real game-changer.

It revolutionised the way guests interact with the holiday experience. The Ocean Medallion is the next stage in guest interaction.”

Padgett speaks from experience – he worked at Disney for 18 years and was part of the team that brought the MagicBand to market. Launched in 2013, the wristband allowed millions of guests coming through Disney’s parks and resorts to do everything from gain entry to pre-booked fast-track rides to pay for snacks and souvenirs. They could even use it to touch into their onsite stateroom. So, what is it about Ocean Medallion that changes the landscape of wearable tech beyond MagicBand?

It all starts at home with Ocean Compass, a “digital portal” where future guests log in and enter their details, preferences and thus customise their holiday experience. Once filled in, guests are officially “ocean ready” and, from the point they arrive at the port, everything becomes much more interactive.

When guests are on board they can choose to download Ocean Compass to their own smart device as a “digital concierge”.

“You have essentially already checked in to the ship, so embarkation is sped up,” Padgett says. “Previously you would print something off at home, arrive at the port and then probably have to reprint it because the barcode was unreadable. You would swap those bits of paper for more paper and your keycard.

There were so many processes involved.”

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With Ocean Medallion staff on board the ship will know that you are approaching. Their tablets will show your picture. They verify it’s you and you are given entry to the ship. When approaching your stateroom that same technology unlocks the door for you automatically. Staff will be able to know when you are approaching the bar – they will also know what your favourite drink is and, if you go to get a table, where to find you. However, that’s just scratching the surface of what the technology can do.

“The thing about a cruise ship is that it’s a closed ecosystem. We own all of the verticals and consumer experiences so we can control far more than would be possible in, say, a park or resort.”

The first ship to become “Medallion-class” will be Regal Princess in November this year.

To become ready the ship will

need to have 72 miles of cable and 7,000 sensors installed across the ship. There will also be 4,000 high resolution screens that the medallions will be able to interact with whenever a passenger approaches one.

“Every guest is going to be able to choose their own digital avatar before coming on board, which we’re calling a Tagalong,” Padgett explains.

“Whenever a passenger comes close to a screen their Tagalong will appear.

The really cool thing is that if a family comes up to a screen, their Tagalongs will all appear together, swimming around, interacting with each other.”

The Tagalongs also raise the possibility for adding extras for loyalty scheme members. If you are an Elite member then perhaps your Tagalong could appear with a crown, for instance – or something else to subtly let fellow passengers know about your superior status.

The customisation of Ocean Medallion is one of the few exceptions to what Padgett refers to as “a democratisation of the cruise experience”.

“For a long time now the cruise industry has been segmenting off guest experiences and charging more for them. I wanted to connect everyone to the same ecosystem across the ship and raise the level of inclusion that we can offer.

“Cruise represents two per cent of the world’s hotel rooms. When we launch a ship we add one per cent to the cruise industry’s global capacity. We concentrate so much on that extra one per cent, but I want to make the 99 per cent happier.

That’s the way we will grow.”

One of the biggest introductions Padgett has made with Ocean Medallion is “Here & Now” and “There & Then”. Essentially you will

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OCEAN MEDALLION TIMELINE Regal Princess

Starting November 13, 2017 Caribbean | Scandinavia & Russia | British Isles | Canada & New England

Royal Princess

Starting January 19, 2018 Caribbean | British Isles | Western Europe | Canada & New England

Caribbean Princess be able to ask any member of staff to grab something for you – be it some sunscreen from the shop or a burger – and they will bring it to your current location using the Medallion’s tracker. There & Then allows you to order something and have it delivered to a future location – say a round of drinks before dinner in your favourite bar.

The best thing about the Ocean Medallion is that guests can choose how much they want to be interacted with. If they don’t like the idea of a barman knowing their favourite drink then they don’t need to tell them. They can also turn off the tracking – unless they’re underage, in which case it’s compulsory. Information is also strictly to enhance the guest experience, Padgett insists, and not to be used to market customers with tailored offers.

The technology has 27 patents pending and will be rolled out across Princess within the next couple of years. The possibilities are endless, Padgett says.

“We could extend the technology to cover shore side experiences or lodges,” he adds. “We could also conceivably have a comedian that is able to tailor jokes at you – if you agree to it beforehand. It’s going to change everything.”

This was made possible thanks to the support of Arnold Donald, Carnival’s charismatic boss. Indeed it was Donald who got up at CES – the world’s biggest consumer electronics show – and delivered the opening keynote speech, the first time a travel industry executive has done so.

“Without him none of it would have happened,” says Padgett. “He was on board from the beginning.”

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Starting March 18, 2018 Caribbean | Panama Canal

Island Princess

Starting May 16, 2018 Alaska Cruises

June 2017| Aft

NEW HIRES

Celebrity Cruises expands dedicated sales team

AmaWaterways adds to business development AmaWaterways has announced the addition of Jon Knight and Joanne Smithies to its UK Sales Team as business development managers.

Knight has previously worked for Silversea, Von Essen Hotels, NCL and Titan. His remit is the south of England and Northern Ireland.

Smithies, who will be based in the north and Scotland, spent six years working for small ship specialist agency, Blue Water Holidays.

Royal Caribbean adds to team; streamlines offices Celebrity Cruises has expanded its dedicated sales team with the appointment of Amanda Docherty as regional sales manager for the north east.

Docherty will report to Nicola McNeish, head of sales, and will work alongside the sales team to support trade partners in the region.

Docherty has worked in travel for 18 years and began her career at TUI UK as a resort operations manager.

She held a number of roles at the company, most recently as sales and service manager.

Claire Stirrup, director of sales, Celebrity Cruises UK and Ireland said: “Amanda brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role and we are thrilled to have her join our growing sales team. I know that she will be an asset for both Celebrity Cruises and, most importantly, our trade partners. Amanda has joined us at an exciting time with the launch of Celebrity Edge and we know that she is looking forward to continuing to strengthen relationships and offer support and guidance to our agent partners in the north east.”

Royal Caribbean has appointed Melanie Wood – who has joined the UK and Ireland sales team as Key Account Manager (KAM).

“Melanie demonstrates a real passion for the cruise industry and we’re excited to welcome her onboard,” said Adam Sharp, Head of Key Accounts at Royal Caribbean.

Meanwhile, the company has announced that it will close its offices in Frankfurt, Paris and Genoa, but is to open a new office in Barcelona.

Rebecca Jones joins Cruise & Maritime Voyages as marketing executive as new flagship is unveiled Cruise & Maritime Voyages has announced the appointment of Rebecca Jones as marketing executive.

Jones, who worked for London Southend Airport for four years during its rapid expansion, and more recently with EES for Schools, the school support organisation, joins as the cruise line welcomes its new flagship, Columbus.

Mike Hall, head of marketing at CMV, said: “Rebecca is ideal for this key role within the marketing

department during this vital period in the company’s growth period.

“Columbus will be showcased to the industry and the public starting on June 8 at the London Cruise Terminal in Tilbury, so we have plenty to do. In addition, CMV are developing a number of new initiatives where good talent will be vital to its success.”

Columbus will homeported at London Tilbury, with a 31,000 passenger capacity programme.

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FAM TRIPS / INCENTIVES

Cosmos launches A-Rosa early with agent booking offer

Cosmos has launched its 2018 A-Rosa cruise programme two months early.

The company will be offering A-Rosa cruises with flights, transfers and VIP pick-up. It has six ships across four rivers – a total of 37 itineraries.

Prices start from £649 per person.

Cosmos has launched an early booking offer for any 2018 holiday booking made before 31 July 2017; the private VIP home pick-up service is now available for customers living within a 100-mile radius of their departure airport.

Janet Parton, head of trade sales, at Cosmos, said: “We are delighted to have the whole A-Rosa product range on sale earlier than last year to help agents maximise sales in this important period.”

Lucia Rowe, Head of A-Rosa UK, commented: “This is part of our growth strategy. Having 297 departures on sale already with such a well-known brand is something we haven’t had in the UK before. We will be working with Cosmos to get our key messages out to travel agents.”

Royal Caribbean partners with University of Chester Royal Caribbean has revealed details of its internship programme with the University of Chester, which is now in its second year.

Seven students from the university’s tourism management course made it through the selection process have been given positions within different areas of the business.

Ben Bouldin, associate vice president and managing director,

Royal Caribbean International, UK & Ireland said: “I passionately believe that tomorrow’s travel industry leaders could be the young people joining our industry through initiatives such as our internship programme in partnership with the University of Chester. I very much look forward to giving these individuals the opportunity to gain valuable skills and work experience.”

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Rocky Mountaineer hosts agents Rocky Mountaineer hosted a group of 15 agents and suppliers on a fam trip to its Canadian heartlands.

The trip, which included time on the company’s trains, included staff from Trailfinders, Travel2, Stewart Travel and Hayes & Jarvis.

“The group had an amazing experience, and returned with an invaluable wealth of information,” said Karen Hollands, Sales Administrative Assistant EMEA. “They sampled exceptional food and beverages, and saw bears, elk and moose along with cascading waterfalls and majestic mountains.

This allows the agents to recommend the experience to their customers.”

Variety to launch new travel agent scheme Variety Cruises to launch Variety Stars, a new scheme exclusively for travel agents.

For every booking made agents will accumulate stars. For every five stars earned agents will be entitled to a free cruise with Variety. Other prizes will include Love to Shop vouchers.

The company is also promoting places on two ship visits over the next couple of months; on board the Variety Voyager in Edinburgh on June 25 and in Poole on July 5.

June 2017 | Aft

JARGON BUSTER

What is a repositional, and how can it be beneficial?

Bargains can sometimes be had when cruise ships transfer between locations For those who want a lengthy cruise, but don’t have a huge budget, a repositional cruise may be the answer.

Often, after a ship has spent its spring and summer in the Mediterranean, it will transfer to the Caribbean for its winter programme, where the weather is hot. The same is true of colder destinations, too, which are enjoyable in summer, frozen over in winter. Emerald Princess, for example, will spend this summer travelling from Seattle (and other West Coast ports) to Alaska before it repositions to South America in the winter.

Cruise lines don’t like to sail without passengers on board, given the costs of operating the ship, and will avoid it if possible, hence these sailings, which are often unique, contain extra onboard activities and can often be snapped up for a decent price. They’re never flagged as ‘repositional’ though, usually transatlantic or ‘discovery’ (ignoring lines, such as Cunard, that specialise in

transatlantic voyages) and offer good value for money, particularly for those who are looking for something a little different. Flights, from two different destinations, can push the price up considerably, so they work for those who are hoping to get to a destination – usually the US – without flying. Some

lines will pair the reposition with a standard cruise, for example Viking Cruises’ New York, Bermuda & the West Indies cruise, which finishes in Puerto Rico, from where the line runs its Caribbean sailing (from £3,040pp).

This pushes the price up, but, in this case, creates an incredible itinerary.

THREE REPOSITIONAL CRUISES 14 nights across the Atlantic

15 nights from Rome

24 nights to the Caribbean

Norwegian Cruise Line — Norwegian Getaway Copenhagen – Miami, October 15, 2017 From £679pp

Holland America Line — Koningsdam Rome (Civitavecchia) – Fort Lauderdale, October 3, 2017 From £998pp

P&O Cruises — Britannia Southampton-St Lucia, October 27, 2017 From £1,999pp (including flights)

This cruise, which leaves from Denmark and calls at Ponta Delgada (in the Azores), St Maarten and the US Virgin Isles before arriving in Miami is unusual and very cheap, even with flights.

Staring in Rome, Koningsdam takes in Alicante, Malaga, Seville and Funchal before arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Without flights, it’s just £998pp – that works out at £66 a night!

Sailing from Southampton, P&O Cruises’ flagship takes in Madeira before heading to sunny St Lucia. Britannia then begins its winter Caribbean sailing from Barbados.

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DIRECTORY Got a cruise query? Let us assist you. The cruise adviser directory provides you with the vital contact details for all major cruise lines operating in the UK – meaning trade sales support is never more than a phone call away

CRUISE LINES!

Information missing or out of date?

Email info@cruise-adviser.com

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alexis.viols@belmond.com Tom Dumbrell, sales manager — Afloat in France 020 3117 1408 tom.dumbrell@belmond.com

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A-Rosa Lucia Rowe, head of sales UK and Ireland 078 4202 6013 l.rowe@a-rosa.de

Amadeus River Cruises Brooke Daniels, UK sales manager 080 0035 6411 brooke@fredrivercruises.co.uk

AmaWaterways Jamie Loizou, sales, marketing and digital director 033 3305 3902 jamieloizou@amawaterways.com

American Cruise Lines Susan Shultz, director of sales +1 203 453 6800 susan@americancruiselines.com

American Queen Steamboat Company Katrina Weston, general manager 01223 568 904 k.weston@aqgsa.com

APT Touring Kate Ashman, sales and commercial specialist 01494 736 147 agentclub@aptouring.co.uk

Atlas/Kompas Predrag Krivokapic, president +1 954 258 8531 / +385 9 1975 1735 sales@atlas-croatia.com

Aurora Expeditions Talia Schwartzman, sales executive +61 2 9252 1033 agents@auroraexpeditions.co.uk

Avalon Waterways James Mortimer, agency sales executive 020 8315 4585 agencysales@avaloncruises.co.uk

Azamara Club Cruises Lori Scanella, business support executive 01932 834 379 salessupport.uk@rccl.com

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Carnival Cruise Line Luke Smith, senior partnership manager 020 7378 4660 carnivalsalesuk@carnival.com

Celebrity Cruises Isabelle Charlton / Victoria Shipp 01932 834 379 (option 2) salessupport@rccl.com

Celestyal Cruises Andreas Genthe, country manager sales +30 216 400 9633 a.genthe@celestyalcruises.com

Coral Expeditions Jan Jepsen, UK and Europe representative 07702 714 150 jan@intouchrep.com

Cosmos Tours & Cruises James Mortimer, agency sales executive 020 8315 4585 agencysales@cosmostours.co.uk

CroisiEurope Gabrielle Alam, head of sales and marketing UK 020 8328 1281 resuk@croisieurope.com

Cruise & Maritime Voyages Lisa Jacobs, head of trade sales 0844 414 6140 lisa.jacobs@cruiseandmaritime.com

Crystal Cruises Mick Dupont, head of UK sales 020 7399 7602 mick@cruiseportfolio.co.uk

Cruising Excursions Simonne Fairbanks, chief operating officer 0800 091 8274 traveltrade@cruisingexcursions.com

Cunard Line Natasha Richardson, director of sales operations 023 8065 7259 natasha.richardson@carnivalukgroup.com

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Belmond Alexis Viols, director of sales – Road to Mandalay and Belmond Orcaella +66 2 267 4881 2 Ext 19

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Hebridean Island Cruises Lisa White, reservations manager 01756 704 704 lisa.white@hebridean.co.uk

Heritage Line Andreas Schroetter, director of sales and marketing +84 120 395 2242 dosm@heritage-line.com

Holland America Line James Scott, business development representative 0844 338 8600 james.scott@hollandamerica.co.uk Lucy Harris, business development representative 0844 338 8600 lucy.harris@hollandamerica.co.uk

Hurtigruten Anthony Daniels, head of sales 020 8846 2666 anthony.daniels@hurtigruten.com

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Disney Cruise Line Juliet Holden, account executive 080 0171 2317

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Emerald Waterways Lewis Quigley, trade marketing executive 0161 233 1988 lewis.quigley@scenic.co.uk

eWaterways Cruises Emma Wild, head of sales 0808 168 1458 salesuk@ewaterways.co.uk

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Far Horizon Brooke Daniels, UK sales manager 0800 035 3189 brooke@fredrivercruises.co.uk

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines Becky Smith, trade support manager 01473 746 164 cruise.sales@fredolsen.co.uk

Fred Olsen River Cruises Brooke Daniels, UK sales manager 0800 021 3172 brooke@fredrivercruises.co.uk

French America Line Kevin Griffin, director 020 7723 2450 kcgriffin@frenchamericaline.com

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Intrepid Travel Andrew Turner, senior business development manager 080 8274 5719 ukbdm@intrepidtravel.com

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Katerina Line Dea Baretincic, sales manager +385 51 603 409 dea@katarina-line.hr

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Lindblad Expeditions Jacinta McEvoy vice president global sales +1 212 261 9000 jacintam@expeditions.com

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G Adventures Jerrine Barnett, new business development manager 07432 429 836 / 020 7243 9870 ext. 9948 jbarnett@gadventures.com

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The Majestic Line Marie McGhee, sales manager 01369 707951 info@themajesticline.co.uk

MSC Cruises Victoria Taylor, sales operations manager 020 7092 8182 ukinsidesales@msccruises.co.uk

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Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Mike Flanagan, sales representative UK and Ireland 07921 223 176 mike.flanagan@hl-cruises.com

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Poseidon Alexandra Prokopyeva, sales and marketing 0870 068 9142 sales@poseidonexpeditions.com

Princess Cruises Victoria Snelgar, sales operations manager 023 8065 6613 victoria.snelgar@princesscruises.co.uk

Pullmantur Simon Chambers, operations manager 0800 021 3180 simon.chambers@fredholidays.co.uk

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Noble Caledonia Agency sales 020 7752 0000 agencysales@noble-caledonia.co.uk

Norwegian Cruise Line Jeremy McKenna, head of sales UK and Ireland 07408 805 216 jmckenna@ncl.com Karen Kundi, partnership relations manager 023 8124 5242 kkundi@ncl.com

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Q

Oceania Cruises Priti Mehta, head of sales UK and Ireland 023 8024 8604 pmehta@oceaniacruises.com

One Ocean Expeditions Debra Taylor, new business development 07956 852 197 debra@toucanmoon.com

Quark Expeditions Pushparaj Shetty, senior distribution manager +1 416 645 8248 push.shetty@quarkexpeditions.com

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Regent Seven Seas Cruises Caroline Moody, business development executive 023 8068 2283 agencysales@rssc.com Anna Salter, business development executive 023 8068 2283 agencysales@rssc.com

Royal Caribbean International Trade support team 01932 834 379 salessupport.uk@rccl.com

Riviera Travel Darren Mussell, agency sales assistant manager 01283 744 307 agencysales@rivieratravel.co.uk

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P&O Cruises Natasha Richardson, director of sales operations 023 8065 7259 natasha.richardson@carnivalukgroup.com

Pandaw Marco Rosa, vice president sales and marketing 07973 876 967 marco@pandaw.com

Paul Gaugin Mick Dupont, head of UK sales 020 7399 7602 mick@cruiseportfolio.co.uk

Pearl Seas Cruises Susan Shultz, director of sales +1 203 458 5280 susan.shultz@pearlseascruises.com

Ponant Stephen Winter, international sales director +33 6 4803 7931 swinter@ponant.com

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Saga Travel Sukina Fagg, national account manager 080 0074 8021 sukina.fagg@saga.co.uk

Scenic Lewis Quigley, trade marketing executive 0161 233 1988 lewis.quigley@scenic.co.uk

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June 2017 | Aft

Seabourn James Scott, business development representative 084 4338 8600 james.scott@seabourn.co.uk Lucy Harris, business development representative 084 4338 8600 lucy.harris@seabourn.co.uk

SeaCloud Anja Ringel, vice president, international markting and sales +49 40 3095 9217 aringel@seacloud.com

SeaDream Yacht Club Mark Schmitt, sales director 07904 068 407 mschmitt@seadream.com

Shearings Michael Bowers, national sales manager 01942 823 449 sales.support@shearings.com

Silversea Sales support 020 7340 0700 salesuk@silversea.com

Star Clippers Danielle Dudley, UK sales manager 077 6585 2116 danielle@starclippers.co.uk

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Uniworld Boutique River Cruises David Chidley, national sales manager 07408 855 544 dave.chidley@uniworld.com

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Variety Cruises Chris Lorenzo, managing director, Seafarer Cruises 020 8324 3114 info@seafarerholidays.co.uk

Victoria Cruises Tom Antonucci, sales manager +1 212 818 1680 tom@victoriacruises.co.uk

Viking Cruises Andrew Schweitzer, regional sales manager (south) 07825 986 996 andrew.schweitzer@vikingcruises.com Jenny Wade, regional sales manager (north) 07966 995 012 jenny.wade@vikingcruises.com

Volga Dream Brooke Daniels, UK sales manager 0800 021 3186 brooke@fredrivercruises.co.uk

Voyages to Antiquity Michelle Daniels, head of groups and partnerships 01865 302 2565 m.daniels@voyagestoantiquity.com

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Tauck Kathryn Coles, UK and Ireland sales manager 080 0810 8020 tauckreservations@tauck.co.uk

Thomson Cruises Andrew Isherwood Commercial support team 020 3451 2762 commercial.support@thomson.co.uk

Titan Travel Edwina Coppock, agency sales manager 012 9345 0726; 078 3465 2135 edwina.coppock@titantravel.co.uk

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Wendy Wu Tours Adam White, trade support and marketing executive 020 7939 9560 adam.white@wendywutours.co.uk

Windstar Cruises Sales team (The Cruise Line) 0800 852 7248 windstarUK@cruiseline.co.uk

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June 2017 | Aft THINGS TO DO

GAMESROOM

Each month, we bring you a selection of things to do on your lunch break or journey to the office

CROSSWORD See the next cruise adviser in July for the answer

MAY SOLUTION

ACROSS

DOWN

6. Appointment (4)

1. South of the Rio Grande (6)

7. Squares in 1 Down, perhaps (6)

2. Kind of party (4)

8. Sacred journeys (11)

3. Liquid which wells up (6, 5)

9. Cargo (11)

4. Incendiary weapon (6)

12. Pokers (11)

5. American seat of learning (4)

15. Ali Baba’s password (6) 16. Almost shut (4)

SUDOKU

See the next cruise adviser in June for the answers

3 2

10. 24 hours not in port (3, 3)

5 6

4

1

5

6

7 9

14. Kentish coastal town (4)

3

7

5

6 8

5

13. Patch (4)

1

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11. Telemark country (6)

4

4 3

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7 1 4

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4 6

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MAY SOLUTION 8

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June 2017 | Aft

QUIZ See bottom of page for answers

1. Which cruise line is launching a ship in Egypt?

9. Low is a 1977 album by which artist?

2. Serenade I is exclusively chartered by which cruise line?

11. The French phrase joie de vivre means what?

3. The city of Auckland is on which island in New Zealand?

12. Mendoza is a winemaking region of what country?

4. Bora Bora is part of what island group?

5. Which Beatles albums turn 50 this year?

13. Clia360 will be hosted in which European capital city?

6. Jack Daniel’s is produced in which American state?

14. Tauck ambassador, Celia Sandys, is the granddaughter of which politician?

7. What is the capital of Nigeria?

15. The Uffizi Gallery is in which Italian city?

10. Who wrote Lord of the Flies?

8. The Danube empties into which sea?

QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Viking River Cruises 2. Titan 3. North Island 4. French Polynesia 5. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour 6. Tennessee 7. Abuja 8. The Black Sea 9. David Bowie 10. William Golding 11. Joy of life 12. Argentina 13. Copenhagen 14. Sir Winston Churchil 15. Florence

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June 2017 | Aft

THREE CRUISES FOR FOODIES 15 nights across Asia

RECIPE

In the galley This month’s recipe: roasted beet and arugula salad courtesy of Robert van Rijsbergen, corporate executive chef at Azamara Club Cruises Azamara Club Cruises — Azamara Journey Dubai – Singapore, November 24, 2017 From £2,248pp This incredible cruise to the far east – titled Spices, Teas & Rubber Trees – is a great way of experiencing fine food both on and off the ship.

Sevens days across the Med

Ingredients 2 medium sized butternut squash, seeded, cubed 2 large carrots, cubed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon honey Nutmeg Salt and pepper 5 beetroot, roasted and peeled 10 white grapes, pitted, skin off 40 pecan halves 30 red radish, thinly sliced 1 cup ricotta cheese Arugula Carrot spaghetti Roasted butternut squash seeds Koppert cress French dressing: 4 decilitres extra virgin olive oil 4 decilitres vegetable oil 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 decilitres white wine vinegar 30g parsley, chive, chervil, tarragon, finely chopped 2 pieces garlic gloves, finely chopped Oregano Salt and pepper Basil oil

Method To prepare the butternut squash, blanche the carrots in salt water until soft, set aside. Preheat oven to 180C. Place squash in a large shallow baking dish. Drizzle with

butter and toss to coat. Cover with parchment-lined foil. Transfer to oven, and cook until tender, roughly 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean seeds and transfer to a small baking sheet; bake until dried out. When dried, cook in one tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet until golden. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and let stand until cool. Using an immersion blender or working in batches in a blender, puree squash and cooked carrots until smooth. Stir in honey, salt and nutmeg. Transfer to a serving bowl, set aside and keep cool. Keep the roasted seeds as garnish.

To prepare the beetroot, place the washed beetroot on a baking tray and bake in a oven at 160C until cooked.

Set aside, cool down and remove skin.

Cut in half, then in quarters.

To prepare the dressing, put the mustard in a bowl and add salt, pepper and the garlic. Then add the vinegar and both oils. Stir slowly.

Add the fresh herbs and oregano and a little sugar when needed.

To finish the plate, place all ingredients as per the picture above and you’re ready to serve. This should be enough to serve 10 people.

SeaDream Yacht Club — SeaDream II Nice-Rome, May 12, 2018 From £3,855pp This cruise, which takes in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Saint-Tropez and Cannes in the south of France and Portofino, Portoferraio and Porto Ercole in Italy, is one of SeaDream’s incredible wine cruises.

11 days in Paris and London

Avalon Waterways — Tapestry II Paris-London, August 11, 2018 From £2,864pp On this food-themed cruise guests can enjoy wine, cheese, beautiful scenery along the Seine — then spend three nights in London.

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June 2017 | Aft

ON THE ROAD

Bekkie Skipp, 43, Holland America Line & Seabourn We speak to the people who make your job easier.

This month: Business Development Manager North & Scotland for Holland America Line & Seabourn What does your job entail on a day-to-day basis?

I am proud to work for two incredible cruise brands and my job entails managing our partner agent accounts, visiting call centres, organising events with agents, such as ship visits or joint consumer events, plus of course training agency staff on our Holland America Line and Seabourn brands.

How long have you worked in the travel industry?

I started in travel 22 years ago, working for a long-haul tour operator.

I’ve now spent five years in the cruise industry, which I love because it’s such close community and has so much energy. Clia of course brings all cruise brands and cruise selling agents together at seminars and events to help with our main focus of getting more people to cruise!

What’s the best thing about being on the road?

It’s the incredible variety of the role. Every day is so different.

One day I might be taking treats to

reward agents in Chester, another day running a Seabourn ship visit in Leith, Edinburgh. The next with my colleagues in Southampton at one of our sales meetings.

What’s the worst?

I love every aspect of the job, but it’s definitely not nine-to-five – so we work through a lot of weekends when our agent partners run shows and key consumer events! I have to be ultraorganised and keep my calendar up to date to avoid clashes between my social and business life.

Favourite place to visit?

I recently took an agent fam trip to Singapore, having previously visited more than 15 years ago. I love the food, the culture, the ambience and cleanliness of the city, it’s such a great place for people of all ages to visit – and of course take a Holland America Line or Seabourn cruise from!

What do you listen to in the car?

Easy listening, BBC Radio 2. I know I am showing my age, but great traffic updates are key for getting me to meetings on time!

One thing you couldn’t live without?

It has to be my mobile!

What’s your favourite thing about working for HAL? I’ve just come back from

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our global sales meeting on MS Oosterdam sailing from San Diego to Vancouver… and one of the best things about our brand has to be the food! When cruising with my family I love the mixture of casual days by the lido pool, enjoying one of our famous Dive-In burgers, to putting on my best dress to impress for the gala evenings, where delicious multicourse menus are served in the dining room by our friendly, efficient staff.

What is the biggest myth about HAL? That we are for older people! We actually have incredible Club HAL activities for children aged three upwards onboard, including BBC Earth Frozen Planet quizzes and entertainment. There really is something for every age onboard.

In fact, I am taking my family on a Holland America Line cruise this summer!

If agents want to find out more, what should they do?

I am always available to talk to agents in the North & Scotland on 07780 490 748. However, the best way to start selling our brands is to take our excellent online training at halacademy. co.uk or seabournacademy.co.uk.

You can contact the sales team on salessupport@hollandamerica.co.uk or salessupport@seabourn.co.uk for training or a webinar or contact us if you’d like to visit a ship in the UK this summer!

June 2017 | Aft

FINAL WORD

It’s great there’s life after death on the Nile Anthony Pearce on why the return of river cruise operators to the troubled region – including Viking’s brand new ship – is something that should be applauded In 2010, 58,000 Britons took a river cruise on the Nile in Egypt, but by 2016 that number had dwindled to just 3,600, a decline of almost 95 per cent. In those six years a lot happened, beginning with the Egyptian revolution in early 2011, which started as young groups took to the streets to protest against president Hosni Mubarak’s increasingly violent regime. The optimism that accompanied that uprising subsided after the 2012 elections saw the Muslim Brotherhood, and Islamist Mohamed Morsi, take power. A coup d’état led by the minister of defence, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, deposed Morsi within a year, and el-Sisi was elected in 2014, remaining president to this day, despite allegations of human rights abuses. Among all that, there have been several terrorist attacks – including the destruction of a Russian plane in 2015 that killed 224 people. It’s been an incredibly

difficult few years for the Egyptian people, and it really doesn’t make for great reading for customers thinking of holidaying in the region.

Yet, more recently as the country has stabilised, there have been murmurings within the cruise industry that, perhaps, it’s time to return to the Nile, once the nonEuropean river of choice for Brits.

Tourism to Egypt in general has declined hugely – from 15 million in 2010 to 5.3 million in 2016 (down 63 per cent) – but, curiously, the drop-off has been far greater for cruise. That 260,000 Britons still visited Egypt last year suggests the desire to see this incredible country still exists – so how much of it, from a cruise point of view at least, has this been down to the lack of capacity? It will be interesting to see how much of an impact Viking River Cruises’ decision to launch a ship on the Nile has (see p12). Its Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, on the

48-passenger Viking Ra, will launch in March 2018, joining Uniworld, Discover Egypt and Abercrombie & Kent (who have all remained in the region) in sailing the river. Charlie Bateson, head of product at the latter, recently told The Independent that visitor numbers for 2017 have increased by 185 per cent compared with the same time last year.

The future isn’t clear to see. The Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel by air to or from Sharm el Sheikh, and Thomas Cook has cancelled holiday bookings there for the winter of 2017/2018 and Summer 2018, which is terrible press for the country’s tourism industry.

However, there is no advice when it comes to Cairo, where Nile cruises begin and end, and from where shore excursions to Giza are taken. If Britons are tempted back to the Nile is to be seen, but one thing is for sure – there are few rivers that offer so much.

COMING NEXT TIME Princess in Rome

Saga in Scandinavia

Introducing Columbus

Anthony Pearce sails from Southampton to Italy on Crown Princess for next month’s cruise adviser cover feature

Sheridan McCoid joins Saga Sapphire in Aarhus, Denmark on the company’s amazing On the Trail of the Vikings cruise

We join Cruise & Maritime Voyages in Tilbury as it launches its new flagship, Columbus, increasing its fleet to five ships CRUISE-ADVISER.COM

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Even by the extraordinary standards of the Galapagos Islands, the elaborate mating dance of the blue-footed booby is a remarkable sight to behold. Just as remarkably, your clients can witness it close-up; all the wildlife on the islands allow them to draw remarkably near. It’s an incomparable experience – as is reflecting on it at the end of the day in the comfort of their ocean-view suite.

Voyage Beyond Expectation

For more information please call 0207 340 0700 or visit silversea.com/expeditions