P&O Cruises cut brochure prices to reverse last minute bargain hunt trend

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: More News More News

Published: 21 March 2014 21 March 2014

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in Carnival Corp & plc group, is changing its pricing in a bid to secure more early bookings and to offer customers who book early the best value, Travel Weekly reports in a daily newsletter.

Christopher Edgington, marketing director, said the company was looking to reverse the current trade of dropping prices late on. “We have reduced the prices on 100 cruises in this new brochure. We want to give our passengers the best value possible and we wanted our prices to be more aligned with the market. Passengers need to book early to make sure they get the best price possible, and this needs to be reinforced," he was quoted as saying.

The company unveiled its 2015/16 programme on Monday.

“In the past the industry has gone from high to low when it comes to pricing and with this change we are looking to go from low to high.” He said it would then be possible to potentially raise prices nearer to the departure date for last-minute bookings.

Azamara Quest to replace three Ukraine calls with Greece, Turkey

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 21 March 2014 21 March 2014

Azamara Quest, one of the two ships of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd's luxury market Azamara Club Cruises unit, will drop three scheduled calls at Ukrainian ports in June and replace them with ones in Greece and Turkey, the company said in a statement.

"Due to recent events and uncertainty in Ukraine, we are modifying the Azamara Quest itinerary for the voyage of 12-June 2014. The primary change is replacement of three stops in Ukraine with new ports of call," Azamara said.

The revised itinerary will include overnight stay in Istanbul and night time passage through the Dardanelles, and calls at Bartin in Turkey and Nafplion in Greece.

Carnival Splendor to operate series of 2- to 7-night cruises from Norfolk in 2015

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 20 March 2014 20 March 2014

Carnival Splendor will operate a series of 2- to 7-night voyages, including a week-long cruise to Bermuda, from the Port of Norfolk in 2015. The 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor is the newest and largest “Fun Ship” ever to operate from the historic Virginia port.

Carnival Splendor’s Norfolk program will kick off in May 2015 and will encompass a wide range of itinerary choices, including:

– A value-packed two-day cruise departing May 16, 2015

– Three, five-day Bahamas cruises calling at Nassau and Freeport, departing May 11, May 18, and October 12, 2015

– A six-day Bahamas cruise calling at the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay, as well as Nassau and Freeport, departing October 17, 2015

– A seven-day Bermuda cruise departing October 23, 2015 that features a three-day call in Bermuda

These voyages from Norfolk provide a wide variety of convenient and affordable cruise options featuring tropical destinations throughout The Bahamas and Bermuda where guests can relax on beautiful beaches, enjoy excellent dining, shopping and sightseeing opportunities, and visit centuries-old landmarks and attractions.

Carnival Splendor will also sail seasonally in 2015 from New York and Miami.  From April to November, the ship will operate a variety four to eight- day itineraries from New York to popular ports in The Bahamas, Caribbean, Canada and Florida.

Cruises from New York to the Canadian Maritimes include four-day voyages visiting Saint John and five-day sailings calling at Saint John and Halifax. Seven-day fall foliage voyages call at Boston, Portland, Maine; Saint John and Halifax, while three different eight-day options are available: a Bahamas/Florida itinerary calling at Port Canaveral, Fla., and Freeport and Nassau; and two eastern Caribbean routes, one featuring San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk, and another visiting Grand Turk, Nassau and the private Bahamian island of Half Moon Cay.

From November 2015 through April 2016 Carnival Splendor will sail from Miami on seven-day eastern and western Caribbean cruises. Eastern Caribbean cruises will call at St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk, and Nassau, while the western Caribbean route will call at Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Mahogany Bay in Isla Roatan.

Carnival Splendor will also offer special one-way eight-day exotic eastern Caribbean cruises between New York and San Juan on May 24, 2015 and June 1, 2015.

"At many Carnival Conversations travel agent events, we received feedback that consumers want choice.  We are pleased to offer a variety of itineraries based on this feedback," said Joni Rein, Carnival’s vice president of worldwide sales.

Reservations are currently being accepted for all of Carnival Splendor’s sailings from Norfolk, New York, Miami and San Juan.

P&O Cruises to replace Azura with Oceana as Med fly cruise ship in 2015

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 20 March 2014 20 March 2014

P&O Cruises, the UK focused contemporary market unit in the Carnival Corp & plc group, will operate its largest ever programme next year featuring eight ships, 211 cruises, 81 different ports in 61 countries, covering 662,000 nautical miles, the company said in a statement.

The company will introduce its largest ever ship, the 143,000 gross ton Britannia, in March next year and it will replace the 115,000 gross ton Azura as fly cruise ship in the Mediterranean by the 2,000 passenger Oceana.

“From late March to October, Oceana makes the warm waters of the Med her home, offering seven and 14-night cruises including up to nine destinations including; Genoa, Florence/Pisa (tours from Livorno), Naples, Dubrovnik, Venice, Kotor, Corfu, Rome (tours from Civitavecchia) and Monte Carlo,” the company said.. 

New for the 2015 programme are full day and evening calls in Dubrovnik and calls at Monte Carlo allowing passengers to experience the best of the French Riviera. All Mediterranean fly cruises include flights from/to London Birmingham and Manchester with Thomson Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, Easyjet and British Airways. Transfers between the overseas airport and ship are also included. Prices from £699 per person for seven nights

P&O Cruises marketing director Christopher Edgington said: "We are determined to attract those people who want an effortless holiday and who have not considered a cruise whilst still retaining fresh appeal for regular passengers. We hope that the spirit of Britannia will capture the imagination of all those who are looking for the best of the best from a holiday. We pride ourselves on delivering authentic, lingering happy memories which stem from exemplary service, attention to detail, and shared experiences with family and friends.

"Every detail on Britannia from sumptuous linens to the £1million art collection, from the wines from around the globe to the provenance of our ingredients, everything is chosen with care. Those long held myths and perceptions about cruising would be banished if more people realised that this is the holiday they have been looking for..."

Britannia’s maiden season will see the ship sail from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Canary Islands and the Baltic Sea, as well as offering a range of short breaks and a special round Britain cruise. The ship will then transfer to the Caribbean for the winter season sailing a range of 14 night fly cruise itineraries from Barbados.

• 15 new destinations including Belem, Bonifacio, Fort William, Fredrikstad, Gozo, Haugesund, Jacksonville, Killybegs, Sevastopol, Tobermory, Georgetown, Gijon, Porto Santo, Villagarcia de Arosa and Wismar
• 10 “ports of special interest” brought back for 2015 including Charleston and New Orleans, USA; Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Hamilton, Bermuda; Hvar, Croatia and Manaus, Brazil

Britannia highlights Include:

 

• Maiden season of new ship Britannia including Round Britain cruise taking in the “Best of the British Isles”
• Cruises with the new ‘Food Heroes’ throughout the maiden European season

Themed cruises:

• Four Strictly Come Dancing themed cruises
• Three music festivals at sea

Adonia discovery cruises

Adonia’s smaller size enables her to offer discovery cruises, with “off the beaten track” destinations including river cruising in the Amazon or Orinoco River and sailing to the remote Central American ports on the edge of the Caribbean. Sailing from Barbados from November to March, Adonia alternates two itineraries as well as offering two unique discovery experiences. Sail into the heart of the Amazon rainforest or visit the picturesque Banana Coast.

Christmas in the Amazon – 28 night cruise D525 with prices from £2,999 per person

Central America – 14 night cruise D601 with prices from £1,599 per person