NATIONAL
LEISURE GROUP, the cruise and vacation seller whose
subsidiaries include Cruises Only, Cruises.com, CruiseOne, Cruises
Inc. and Vacation Outlet, was acquired by World Travel Holdings, a
New York-based company run by the former presidents of Travel
Impressions and Empress Travel. The sale, whose terms were not
disclosed, makes World Travel Holdings the largest distributor of
cruises in the world, according a statement issued by World Travel
Holdings.
WORLD TRAVEL
HOLDINGS was founded by co-chairmen and brothers Brad and
Jeff Tolkin last year; they ran Travel Impressions and Empress
Travel before selling the companies to American Express in 1998.
World Travel Holdings will be comprised of high-end wholesaler
Creative Leisure International; luxury villa rental company Villas
of Distinction; cruise seller Cruise411 and the NLG
subsidiaries.
OCEANIA
CRUISES will make its debut in the waters off Australia
and New Zealand in January 2008. According to executive vice
president Bob Binder, who revealed the plans to passengers on
Oceanias recent Club Reunion cruise, the Nautica will relocate from
the Mediterranean to Asia in November 2007 and will operate a
Christmas/New Years cruise from Singapore to Sydney. The ship will
then cruise between Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand, during
January. The Nautica will head back to Southeast Asia and China for
cruises in that region in February and March and will then return
to the Med for its summer season.
ALSO DEBUTING
DOWN UNDER are Celebrity Cruises cruise-tours, which are
being offered in conjunction with the lines inaugural season in
Australia and New Zealand, which starts November 2007 on the
Mercury. Celebrity is partnering with Australian operators to
provide a three-night tour with one night in Sydney and two nights
in Cairns; and a five-night tour with an overnight in Sydney and
two nights each in Uluru and Port Douglas.
AMERICAN
CRUISE LINES will double the berths on its Maine Coast and
Harbors itinerary in summer 2007 by putting its newest ship there,
the 100-passenger American Star, which will replace the
49-passenger American Glory. The American Glory will move to the
New England Islands itinerary, where it will sail with the American
Spirit; the American Eagle will operate a Chesapeake Bay itinerary.
The American Star is currently under construction at Chesapeake
Shipbuilding in Salisbury, Md., and will enter service in June
2007.
Cruise
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