Thomson Cruises, the operator of four medium sized cruise ships in the TUI travel plc group, says it will add Dubrovnik in Croatia to the list of its base ports in 2015 at the same time as it will withdraw from cruising from British ports.
"From May 2015, Thomson Celebration will be setting up home in the beautiful, walled city of Dubrovnik, the perfect jumping off point to begin exploring the stretches of Croatian coastline as well as some of the most interesting Mediterranean and Adriatic destinations," the company said in a statement.
"Thomson Cruises will be devoting the entire season’s cruising to ‘adults only’ with four new itineraries for customers to enjoy. These include the ‘Adriatic Affair’, ‘Croatian Classics’, ‘Grecian Legends’, and ‘Taste of the Adriatic’, and 10 new ports of call including Sibenik, Korcula, Rovinj, Split, and Hvar in Croatia, Trieste, Bari, and Brindisi in Italy, and Corinth and Itea in Greece."
Meanwhile, two more ships - Thomson Spirit and Thomson Majesty - have been treated to a modern makeover and now join the Thomson Platinum collection alongside Thomson Dream and Thomson Celebration, further enhancing the holiday experience for Thomson Cruises customers.
In order to make the Platinum grade, ships must score ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ with 90% or more of customers. "Guests should expect a more contemporary look and feel on-board including modern furnishings, flat screen TVs, iPod docking stations in suites, and themed a la carte restaurant. Both stylish ships will also benefit from the addition of private sea view balcony cabins - 28 on Majesty and 19 on Spirit."
The move means that only the 42,000 gross ton Island Escape, operated by sister brand Island Cruises, has not been upgraded.
The addition of the 33,930 gross ton Thomson Celebration’s new home port for Summer 2015 cruising not only brings extra capacity on Thomson flights to Dubrovnik, but sees new regional airports added to the mix. Increasing airline capacity for flights to Dubrovnik to 50,000 seats for the summer season, flights will now operate from Glasgow, Newcastle and Bristol, as well as existing Dubrovnik-serving airports Birmingham, Manchester and London Gatwick, providing customers with the convenience of jetting off on holiday from their doorstep.
Summer 2015 will see Platinum ship Thomson Spirit swapits ex UK home ports for Marmaris, Turkey. The ship will operate mainly from Newcastle, Harwich amnd Liverpool in the coming summer season.
"This culturally diverse country, where spice markets rub shoulders with chic boutiques, and sun-baked beaches are accompanied by dramatic mountains, provides two new ports of call for Thomson Cruises in 2015 - Bozcaada and Izmir. The addition of Thessaloniki, Kavala, Chios Town and Patmos Town to the existing line-up of Greek favourites brings the ship’s new port call total to six. Some of these new destinations can be enjoyed as part of Thomson Spirit’s new ‘Undiscovered Aegean’ itinerary, taking in some of the less explored regions the Aegean has to offer."
The company said an injection of glamour will hit the 54,000 gross ton Thomson Dream’s itineraries next summer, offering guests a portfolio of brand new destinations to explore on the new ‘Mediterranean Secrets’ itinerary, featuring Elba, San Remo (for Monaco), and La Spezia (for Portofino) in Italy, Sete (for Carcassonne) in France and Tarragona, Spain. The allure of Italian cobbled streets, fabulous cites and seductive sands should make summer 2015 one to remember for guests of Thomson Cruises.
For summer 2015, the 41,000 gross ton Thomson Majesty will be visiting six new ports of call including, Ravenna and Lipari in Italy, Durres in Albania, where the sands stretch for an impressive 10 kilometres, Rijeka in Croatia, Chania in Crete which is said to be the prettiest town in Greece, and Kalamata which hugs the coast along Messinia and the Main peninsula.
The summer 2015 line up also offer customers the chance to twin their cruise with a stay in a Thomson Cruise & Stay resort, with even more hotels introduced to the collection next year, including Thomson Couples, Thomson Platinum and Thomson Family. Customers wishing to Cruise & Stay have the extra choice and flexibility to design their holiday to suit their needs, with three, four or seven night durations on offer.
Managing Director for Thomson Cruises, Helen Caron said: “Summer 2015 will be a record year for Thomson Cruises as we introduce a total of 28 new ports of calls, 13 new itineraries and an exciting new home port of Dubrovnik for Thomson Celebration.
“Listening to our customers is at the heart of all our planning, which is why we’re offering more choice and variety of destinations in our some of our favoured locations, and providing our guests the flexibility on their holiday to Cruise & Stay, with even more hotels introduced to our collection. We hope the investment to modernise our ships and give Thomson Spirit and Thomson Majesty the Platinum seal of approval, along with the introduction of balcony cabins, will enhance the overall experience for everyone we welcome on-board.”
