By Fran Golden
NEW YORK -- The Greek cruise line Festival opened a sales office
here and began marketing its product under the name First European
Cruises. The firm, based in Piraeus, Greece, is offering its
product exclusively through agents; commissions start at 12%. The
line also became a member of Cruise Lines International
Association.
Makis Xenatos, chief executive officer in North America for
First European, said the company, established in 1991, "plans to
expand more and more and more and more." First European operates
three classic vessels -- Bolero, Flamenco and the Azur -- and has a
45,000-ton ship under construction in France. (A trademark rule
prevents the line from operating in the U.S. under the name
Festival.)
In its 1998 program, First European is offering four- to 17-day
itineraries that include the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
Xenatos said its target audience is the middle market. "We're not
going after the Seabourn or the Silversea crowd. Our market is the
average middle-class or upper middle-class person who does not have
a lot of vacation time and wants to spend a week or a little more
in Europe and wants to maximize his vacation time," he said. "On
our fjord cruises, for instance, you can leave New York or Los
Angeles Friday night and can be back at your desk [a week from] the
following Monday." The line will target clients with some cruise
experience.
First European's rates, including air from the East Coast, start
at $250 per person, per day. In Italy, First European's top market
(the line also draws large numbers of clients from the U.K. and
Germany), the line is known for its food, which is meant to be
comparable with that of an upscale Italian restaurant, Xenatos
said.
The line's three classic ships have been renovated within the
past two years and meet the latest SOLAS standards, Xenatos said.
First European's primary destinations include the Greek Islands and
Turkey, the Scandinavian Fjords and the Baltic Sea to St.
Petersburg as well as the Red Sea and Canary Islands, Egypt/Israel,
Italy, Spain, the western Mediterranean including Morocco and
Tunisia, and West Africa. The new sales office is located at 95
Madison Ave., Suite 1203, New York 10016. Agents can call First
European toll-free at (888) 98-EUROPE; fax (800) 313-3110.