PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. -- Discovery Cruise Line, which carries
262,000 land vacationers a year to Grand Bahama Island aboard the
Discovery Sun, expects the business to soar further as that
destination rebrands itself, said Roberta Backus, Discovery's
director of marketing.
As part of the rebranding, the destination is dropping Freeport,
Bahamas, as its marketing name in favor of Grand Bahama Island.
Freeport Harbour was also renamed Lucaya Harbour two weeks ago.
The Discovery Sun, a 9,900-ton ship that carries 1,250
passengers (it has only 41 passenger cabins) makes daily roundtrips
between Port Everglades and Lucaya Harbour, but about 90% of the
passengers buy the line's Cruise 'N Stay resort packages for one-
to four-night resort stays, Backus said.
Backus, who also is a principal of Discovery's advertising
agency, Backus Turner International of Miami, noted that Grand
Bahama is in the throes of a major repositioning, with a dozen
resorts throughout the island undergoing redevelopment.
Discovery, which includes many of those resorts in its Cruise 'N
Stay packages, expects demand for the programs to increase by 20%
or more over the next two to three years, Backus said, as the new
resorts come into prominence.
In addition, travel agents, which currently book around 25% of
Discovery's cruise/stay packages, are expected to heighten their
interest in booking the program.
"We're anticipating that our cruise/stay packages will become
more in demand as Grand Bahama increases its appeal," she said.
"We're also aggressively seeking more agent involvement," she
added.
Backus noted that Discovery pays a 15% standard commission and
20% for those producing 50 passengers in any quarter.
Explaining the popularity of the cruise/stay packages, Backus
said Discovery has found that people like taking the ship "because
it's a lot of fun and prepares them for the vacation."
"It's a party from the minute you board until you reach the
destination." she said.
To tap the growing market, Discovery has entered into a "new
partnership" with Grand Bahama, including changing the registry of
the Discovery Sun to that of the Bahamas.
Discovery's own rebranding includes a new look, featuring scenes
of Grand Bahama throughout the interiors of the Discovery Sun as
part of the just-completed refurnishing of the ship, Backus
said.
In addition, the hull of the Discovery Sun features a new logo,
incorporating the island's logo, alongside the new wording,
"Discovery to Grand Bahama Island."
On Oct. 19, Bahamas Minister of Tourism C.A. Smith inaugurated
the new logo and lauded Discovery's efforts in bringing 3 million
visitors to Grand Bahama Island over the last 13 years.
During most of that time, Discovery concentrated on day trips to
Freeport, Backus noted, but two years ago the company began heavily
promoting its Cruise 'N Stay program.
Backus said Discovery includes the names of travel agents in its
Sunday-supplement advertisements in about 20 markets, including
metropolitan New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago,
Pittsburgh, Boston and Miami.
Another marketing avenue for the line is a tie-in with Alamo
Rent-A-Car, whose customers are being offered $20 discounts on
Discovery.
The president and owner of Discovery is Rafael A. Ordonez, who
also owns Apollo Ship's Chandlers, which provides food catering
services for several cruise lines, including Celebrity Cruises.
More information is available on Discovery's Web site, located
at www.discoverycruiseline.com.
The reservations number is (800) 926-3555.
Ship arrivals set to hotel check-in time
To better coordinate the Discovery Sun's arrival time with hotel
check-in times on Grand Bahama, the ship last month inaugurated a
new departure time, leaving Port Everglades at 8 a.m. for arrival
at 1 p.m.
Island departure is set at 4:45 p.m., for arrival in South
Florida at 10 p.m.
The roundtrip tariffs, including buffet meals and port charges,
are $129 for adults and $79 for children 11 years or older. For
Florida residents, the tariffs are $99 for adults and $79 for
children 11 years and up.
The Discovery Sun also offers 36 cabins and five suites, which
carry additional charges. The ship, built in Lubeck, Germany, in
1968, has a casino, show lounge, bars, disco, boutiques, pool and
four sun decks.
For the Cruise 'N Stay program, daily rates range between $199
and $399 per person, including the roundtrip ship's fare and
on-board meals.