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Carnival launches custom-designed email marketing initiative aimed at new travel agents

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 June 2015 30 June 2015

Carnival Cruise Line has launched a new email 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” email marketing program covers a wide 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 educational tool and the Travel Partner Toolbox featuring quick and easy access to trade support and sales-boosting resources. The benefits of the line’s one-of-a-kind Travel Agent Rewards Program, which enables agents to earn points redeemable for a variety of prizes for the activities they do every day in working with Carnival, are included, as well.

“We heard through our Carnival Conversations events that while we’re an excellent line for new agents to start selling given our mass market appeal, our wide-ranging training resources can be a bit daunting when agents are just getting started,” said Adolfo Perez, Carnival’s vice president of trade sales and marketing. “The ‘Welcome to Fun’ email program intuitively detects new agents when they register on GoCCL.com and provides them with helpful information to guide them through our key sales and marketing resources, all in an easy-to-navigate format,” he added.

“We’re pleased that Carnival has created this dedicated email series for new agents. We prioritize training and providing new agents with easily accessible information that shortens the learning curve is important to helping them grow their business – tools like this really help,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express travel representative.

To receive the “Welcome to Fun” series of emails, new agents may register on GoCCL.com. From there, they will automatically receive a series of five emails over a two week period following their initial registration.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines to offer, Christmas 2016, Hogmanay cruise around Britain

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 June 2015 30 June 2015

Passengers on Fred. Olsen cruise Lines; Black Watch will be able to celebrate the New Year’s eve 2017 in Edinburgh in Scotland – new year is known as Hogmanay in Scotland.

The call in nearby Rosyth is part of the 28,613 gross ton ship’s 11 night around Britain cruise that will sail from Tilbury outside London on 22 December. The ship will spend Christmas eve in Falmouth and the Christmas day at sea.

Although many cruise lines, Fred. Olsen themselves included, offer cruises around the Britain on a regular basis, these are usually summer itineraries and a wintertime one like this is rather unique.

Tallink signs €184 million newbuilding loan agreement with Nordea

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 30 June 2015 30 June 2015

AS Tallink Group, the listed Estonian ferry company, says it has signed the loan agreement for the new LNG powered fast ferry with Nordea, the Scandinavian banking group.

The 49,000 gros ston ship will be built atsubsidiary Tallink Line Ltd. and Nordea Bank Finland Plc unit of Nordea group have signed the loan agreement in the amount of €184 million to finance the €230 million LNG powered fast ferry currently under construction in Meyer Turku shipyard.

“The loan is arranged by Nordea Bank and Finnish Export Credit Agency “Finnvera” guarantees 95% of this post-delivery buyer credit for which Finnvera’s subsidiary, Finnish Export Credit Ltd, has provided long term financing,” Tallink said in a staement.

“The loan is secured by the mortgage on the new vessel and the corporate guarantee of AS Tallink Grupp. This OECD-term export credit loan will be drawn on the delivery of the vessel, presumably in the beginning of 2017 and has the final maturity of twelve years from the drawdown. The loan bears OECD Commercial Interest Reference Rate (CIRR) based fixed interest rate,” the company continued.

Greek ministry assures foreign debit and credit cards to work despite crisis

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 29 June 2015 29 June 2015

Foreign debit and credit cards will work all over Greece despite the current economic crisis that has hit the country, the Greek ministry of economy, infrastructure, shipping and tourism said in a statement.

Capital controls that were introduced in the country do not include the use of foreign debit or credit cards for payments or using them for cash withdrawals.

The ministry also stated that fuel and other products are available both on the mainland and on the islands so that the tourist industry can function in a normal way.

Celestyal Cruises statement on Celestyal Crystal collision

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 27 June 2015 27 June 2015

"Celestyal Cruises wishes to inform its business partners that today, Saturday June 27th 2015 and at around 1:28 am local time, the Maltese flagged MV Celestyal Crystal had a collision with the Marshall Islands flagged tanker STI PIMLICO.

All 852 passengers and the 382 members of crew are well and so are the crew members of the tanker. The cruise ship has only suffered some structural damages and awaits inspection from its class surveyor.

This entails that the said damages must be repaired before the ship can continue with its scheduled cruise itineraries. With the safety and care of our passengers as our utmost priority, we will ensure the smoothest possible disembarkation for those on board since the current cruise will have to be cancelled. The options on offer to our passengers are as follows:

For passengers who were travelling from Istanbul to Piraeus, Lavrio to Piraeus and from Kusadasi to Piraeus:

Passengers will be transported from Gelibolu to Istanbul. A one night or a 2 night complimentary stay at a hotel in Istanbul will be arranged as well as a free shorex excursion. On Monday, passengers will be flown from Istanbul to Izmir where a complimentary overnight stay at a hotel in Izmir or Kusadasi will be arranged. For those staying in Izmir transportation to Kusadasi will be arranged and a complimentary shorex in Ancient Ephesus will be offered to all passengers. They will then board MV Celestyal Odyssey or MV Celestyal Olympia on Tuesday to join the cruise either from Kusadasi to Lavrio or from Kusadasi to Piraeus, accordingly. Passengers will be fully refunded and offered a complimentary cruise, valid until the end of 2016

For Greek Passengers or for all passengers who were scheduled to disembark in Piraeus after a 7day cruise:

Passengers will be transported from Gelibolu to Istanbul where a fully complimentary overnight stay at a hotel will be arranged. They will then fly on Sunday or Monday (upon availability) from Istanbul to Athens. A complimentary excursion in Istanbul (highlights of Istanbul) will be offered. Passengers will be fully refunded and offered a complimentary cruise valid until end of 2016

Kindly note that as a gesture of goodwill and irrespective of the option passengers will choose from above or is applicable to them, Celestyal Cruises will be refunding their cruise fare and shall also be offering a complimentary 7 day cruise, valid until the end 2016. Naturally, this will not be applicable to those who would be ending their cruise in Istanbul.

Thanking you all for your most valuable support and your understanding, we apologize for the inconvenience and would like to assure that we will spare no effort in ensuring that our passengers are provided with the best hospitality under the circumstances," Celestyal Cruises said in a statement.