ROYAL
CARIBBEAN'S three brands, Royal Caribbean International,
Celebrity and Azamara, began terminating their business
relationships with "certain travel-related companies that we have
concluded are in the card mill business." The lines said they took
the action in an effort to prevent a "growing and troubling trend
within the travel industry." They noted that card mills offer
consumers the ability to become a "travel agent" or to receive
travel agent credentials with little or no professional training or
certification. Such action, they said, can lead to "negative
consumer experiences" that undermine the integrity and business
reputations of accredited and certified travel agents. The three
lines are encouraging legitimate, independent agents to become
affiliated with an accredited host agency or to register on their
agent Web site, www.cruisingpower.com.
CRUISEONE, a franchise operation of 500
independent, cruise-only travel professionals, and Cruises Inc.,
its affiliated host agency, this week are holding their annual
conference in Miami. Parts of the event, which is themed and titled
"A League of Their Own," will take place aboard Norwegian Cruise
Line's Norwegian Pearl. Vivian Ewart, senior vice president of
CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., said top executives from Royal
Caribbean, Carnival, Costa, Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Regent
will participate in the conference, which began Oct. 13 and
continues through Oct. 19. The land portion of the conference will
include a trade show with about 30 vendors. Participating agents
will spend five days aboard the Norwegian Pearl for sales training
and seminars.
HOME-BASED
RETAILERS can sign up to participate in an online forum
sponsored by host agency America's Vacation Center. On Oct. 25, the
9 a.m. PST session will feature Oceania Cruises executives Frank
Del Rio, chairman and CEO, and Bob Binder, president. Up to 1,000
agents can register on a first-come, first-served basis, at www.travelexecutiveforum.com. The host agency's
previous online forum, in early October, included executives from
Brendan Worldwide Vacations, Insight Vacations and Uniworld Grand
River Cruises. The forums, which are organized by America's
Vacation Center University, are free online venues for industry
leaders to share their insights with travel agents across the
globe. In other AVC news, the agency named Steve Hirshan to its
support staff. Hirshan was an AVC Independent Affiliate, and
previously was vice president of sales for MSC Cruises. AVC said
Hirshan will assist independent affiliates with training and sales
support. He will be based in the agency's Florida
office.
THROUGH THE
PORT HOLE: Cunard Line ordered a 92,000-ton liner, to be
named the Queen Elizabeth. The ship is scheduled to enter service
in the autumn of 2010. Cunard, a unit of Carnival Corp., signed an
agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction
of the 2092-passenger ocean liner, which will be built at
Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard at an all-in cost of approximately
$700 million.
FAM OF THE
WEEK
Mediterranean
Trip: Roundtrip cruise from Marseille,
France, on Louis Cruise Lines' Cora, calling at Genoa, Italy;
Tangiers, Morocco; Lisbon; and Almeria, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga
and Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Departures: Nov. 4 from Marseille, cruise
only.
Length: Eight days.
Sponsor: Sterling Vacations, Austin,
Texas.
Cost: $699 for inside cabins and $899 for
oceanview cabins, per person, double. Includes all onboard meals
and sightseeing.
Noteworthy: The companion rate is $100
additional. Port taxes and additional fees are not
included.
Contact: (866) 345-7755; fax: (512)
345-7722; e-mail: [email protected].
Home-Based
Agent Editor: Donna Tunney
Phone: (508) 221-3674
[email protected]
For promotional
opportunities in the E-letters, contact [email protected].