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Oceania Cruises expands North American sales team

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 04 June 2013 04 June 2013

Oceania Cruises has announced the expansion of its North American sales force with the addition of two new Regional Sales Director (RSD) positions, one to be based in the Northeastern U.S. and one in Canada.

Additionally, the company has created a new sales event manager position and added a new account executive position to its Sales Resource Center in Miami to further support the field sales force. Since 2009, Oceania Cruises has increased its North American sales team by over 65 percent.

“With the recent growth of the Oceania Cruises’ fleet and the tremendous response to Marina and Riviera, we are increasing our investment in our sales team across North America,” said Kunal S. Kamlani, president of Oceania Cruises. “The addition of these new positions reinforces our ongoing commitment to provide exceptional service and support to our travel partners to help them continue to be successful.”

The North American sales team is led by industry veterans Michael Hirsch, senior vice president of sales and Nikki Upshaw, vice president of field sales. With the new positions, Oceania Cruises’ North American team will now consist of 25 sales representatives who work with more than 3,000 travel agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada.

“Next year marks the biggest deployment in the company’s history with Insignia returning to the fleet after a two-year charter,” Kamlani added. “This expansion will allow our sales team to build deeper relationships with the agency community to educate, communicate and support them as they further grow their businesses.”

Seabourn Quest sails from T.Mariotti Shipyard after scheduled drydock

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 June 2013 03 June 2013

Seabourn Quest has just sailed from the T. Mariotti shipyard, emerging from a scheduled drydock where extensive work was done between May 13 to June 2, 2013.

"Despite the very short time at shipyard, the new features on board are impressive, enhancing the award winning Seabourn experience with the addition of new Penthouse Spa Suites plus some modifications to accommodate zodiac landings on the upcoming Antarctica sailings. This was also an occasion to renew the team spirit between Seabourn and T.Mariotti," explained Marco Bisagno, Chairman of T.Mariotti and Genova Industrie Navali holding.

Richard D. Meadows, President of Seabourn, noted: "We were pleased to return Seabourn Quest to Mariotti to ensure that our new Penthouse Spa Suites reflect the same fine craftsmanship and attention to detail that have been hallmarks of all three Odyssey-class vessels."

Four new elegant Penthouse SPA suites are located directly above the industry leading SPA at Seabourn facility. The result achieved by T.Mariotti with its Companies Gerolamo Scorza for the interiors and Ortec for the electrical plant is four spacious suites with 516 to 538 sq. ft. (48 – 50 sq. m.) of inside space, with expansive private verandas of 172 sq. ft. (16 sq. m.) with views over the ship’s stern and the sea. The suites’ décor is coordinated with that of the Spa at Seabourn, and all feature a living and a dining area with seating for four, a separate bedroom, walk-in closet, floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors onto the veranda, a bathroom with a soaking tub and special spa shower, and two flat-screen TVs.

In addition, the ship’s marina was refitted to accommodate the Zodiac inflatables that will be used in Seabourn’s upcoming Antarctica cruises. The marina will continue to house the ship’s popular watersports platform, while accommodating the Zodiacs at the same time.

Additional work included general upgrades and additions to the crew area that have already been introduced on the Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Sojourn.

Seabourn Quest was delivered in 2011 by T.Mariotti shipyard as the third sistership added to the fleet of Seabourn, the luxury brand of Carnival Corporation & plc.

She is a testament of excellence and to the Made in Italy brand in small and medium size luxury cruise shipbuilding.

Like her earlier sisters, Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Sojourn, Seabourn Quest combines the technology of a ship with the attention to detail expected on a yacht, reflecting the highest levels of technology and blending elegant design with a focussed attention on the environment and safety.

During the drydock period, approximately 400 Genoa-based subcontractors were on board to perform all the work. Further technical details of the drydock works include:

- 2 new additional cranes in outdoor spaces aft deck 6
- 4 additional Zodiac craddles
- Rearrangement of incinerator room and increasing of retention capacity
- Installation of a new water ballast treatment system in engine room
- Minor mechanical and piping works in engine room and drydock

Carnival Cruise Lines appoints Scott Thompson as Vice President – Supply Chain

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 June 2013 03 June 2013

Scott Thompson, a highly accomplished professional with seventeen years of experience in global supply chain management, has been named vice president - supply chain for Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines, the world's largest cruise operator. Thompson will start June 10, reporting to Rubén Rodríguez, Carnival's executive vice president - ship operations.

In his new role, Thompson will be responsible for overseeing the company's procurement strategies, supply base, contract negotiations and purchasing.

He most recently served as senior director of strategic sourcing for Honeywell Corporation, a Fortune 100 company focusing on technologies encompassing such areas as energy efficiency, clean energy generation, safety and security, globalization and customer productivity. Thompson also served for five years as a U.S. Navy officer.

"We are privileged to have Scott, a highly experienced professional with a proven track record of success and leadership skills, take on this significant role within our supply chain team," said Rodríguez.

Thompson earned a master's of science in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz., as well as a bachelor of science in systems engineering at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

AmaWaterways expands UK sales team

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 June 2013 03 June 2013

Fred Olsen Travel, main UK sales agent for U.S. luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways, has appointed Carly-Ann Moore as its new Northern Sales Executive, with prime responsibility for developing sales and new agency agreements in the Midlands and the north of England.

This is a new position and comes as AmaWaterways further secures its strong position as the leading luxury river cruise operator in Europe, Russia and on the Mekong, with a 12 strong fleet which will be supplemented by two further new luxury cruisers in both 2013 and 2014.

Carly-Ann was previously Senior Sales Consultant withinOpodo’s cruise department, with responsibility for sales and marketing for mainstream, luxury and niche cruise brands. Prior to that she held a managerial role with Thomas Cook retail in Leicester.

AmaWaterway’s UK General Manager, Fay McCormack, said “We’re particularly pleased thatCarly-Ann is joining us as we feel her experience of cruise, combined with her location in Leicester, is really going to help agents in the Midlands and further north looking for a high quality river cruise product and who want the support of a really strong team.

Carly-Ann will have the full support of our in-house administrative, sales and marketing support team to help agents undertake training, marketing initiatives and sales of AmaWaterways luxury river cruise product with confidence."

UK online agent Iglu buys rival Planet Cruise

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: More News More News; Published: 03 June 2013 03 June 2013

Iglu.com, the British online travel that focuses on cruises and ski holidays, has acquired rival Planet Cruise claiming the deal makes it the UK’s number one cruise retailer, Travel Weekly reports in a daily newsletter.

Both Iglu’s and Planet’s offices in Wimbledon and Portsmouth respectively will be retained as will all staff. Planet employs 75 people. Iglu claimed the deal means customers will be the first in the country able to research their holidays via either its website, its mobile App, on a tablet or on television.

Iglu chief executive Richard Downs said: “This acquisition means we are going to be delivering the future of travel retailing today. With the convergence of TV and the web our customers will have access to the richest and most informed content whichever way they chose to access it. Iglu has long been the number one independent ski retailer in the UK and this deal makes us the number one retailer in cruise.”

Portsmouth-based Planet Cruise, which was founded in 2005 by husband and wife team Gary and Jenny West, launched a cruise show on the Ideal World Shopping Channel in January 2008. It sells cruises on regular TV slots which on all digital platforms such as FreeView, Virgin, Sky and Freesat. Planet Cruise managing director, Gary West, said: “Combining Iglu’s online capabilities and our strength on television is an exciting prospect. There is a natural fit in the two businesses coming together and we as a team here at Planet Cruise look forward to creating a new market leader.”