Cruise
Softvoyage Charts A New Course
Softvoyage is expanding into the cruise market with a new cruise booking engine scheduled to launch in the fall with Carnival Cruise Lines and MSC Cruises already on board, reports assistant editor, Greg Coates in this week's digital edition of Travel Courier. Negotiations are also in the works with Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line. By connecting directly to the cruise lines' reservation systems, Softvoyage intends to enrich its cruise content and augment the number of cruise offers available for Canadian tour operators and travel agents using SIREV, and to online travel...
Carnival Corporation Gets Approval for Travel to Cuba
Carnival Corporation & plc has been granted approval from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Commerce to begin travel to Cuba. Carnival Corporation intends to take travellers to Cuba beginning in May 2016 via its newly launched fathom brand – a new social impact travel brand providing purpose-oriented, social impact experiences, initially in the Dominican Republic. Carnival intends to operate fathom travel itineraries directly to Cuba for the purpose of providing cultural, artistic, faith-based and humanitarian exchanges between American and Cuban...
Hurtigruten Adds New Expedition Ship
Hurtigruten will be adding one more ship to its current fleet of 13 with the purchase of a new expedition ship to be temporarily named MS Norway Explorer. Hurtigruten is represented in Canada by GLP Worldwide Expedition Travel and Tours. “The new ship's maneuverability and optimal size will bring Hurtigruten`s guests even closer to nature,” says CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “We invest in our fleet to ensure that Hurtigruten remains a world leader in sustainable explorer travels along the Norwegian coast and polar destinations as well as enrich our guests' unique experiences by...
Cunard Celebrates 175th in Halifax
Cunard will celebrate 175 years of history, tradition and industrial achievement in Halifax on July 10 when Queen Mary 2 calls on the ancestral home of its founder Sir Samuel Cunard. This commemorative transatlantic crossing will pay tribute to the original voyage made by the company’s first flagship, Britannia, in 1840. The flagship vessel is scheduled to arrive in port at 6 a.m. Cunard will mark the milestone anniversary with a series of commemorative events, beginning with a special outdoor ceremony on the Halifax waterfront. Local dignitaries, port officials and key members of...
MSC Cruises, Etihad Team Up
MSC Cruises and Etihad Airways have launched a new global partnership agreement that will benefit MSC Cruises’ guests travelling to Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The partnership with Etihad Airways reflects MSC Cruises’ long-standing commitment to its guests and is testament to the company’s wish to always make its all-around offering a best-in-class experience, both at sea and in the air – with “Fly & Cruise” packages from destinations around the world – with Etihad Airways or partner airlines in its network. Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises chief executive officer,...
Silversea to Welcome Silver Muse in 2017
Silversea Cruises is getting set to expand its fleet with a new flagship vessel, the Silver Muse, to be delivered in the spring of 2017. The new ultra-luxury ship is being built by Fincantieri and will accommodate 596 guests, with a gross registered tonnage of 40,000. Officials say the ship represents “an exciting evolution of the Silver Spirit that will redefine luxury ocean travel, while enhancing the small-ship intimacy and spacious all-suite accommodations that are the hallmarks of the Silversea experience.” The addition of the Silver Muse will expand Silversea's fleet to...
Sunwing Offers ‘One-Stop’ Cruise Shopping Experience
Sunwing Vacations has launched its 2015/2016 cruise brochure, offering agents and their clients a “one-stop” cruise shopping experience where they can select from a range of seven-, eight-, 10- or 11-night fly/cruise itineraries across the Caribbean, Mexico, Cuba and Florida, or opt for a two-week cruise and stay package. Itineraries also include return flights with Sunwing Airlines from up to five Canadian gateways (Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa and new for this season, Winnipeg). Other little extras to ensure customers’ time on board is hassle free include prepaid...
Carnival Offers New Agents Marketing Initiative
Carnival Cruise Line has launched a new e-mail marketing initiative aimed at travel partners who are new to selling Carnival. The custom-created content provides a comprehensive overview of the line’s many tools and resources that agents can leverage to start selling with success. Designed as a one-stop shop to introduce new agents to Carnival, the five-part “Welcome to Fun” e-mail marketing program covers a range of topics, everything from maximizing the use of the line’s travel agent Internet portal GoCCL.com to details on the award-winning Carnival Passport travel agent...