Cruising is seeing a continued boost in interest, with a recent survey canvassing 25- American Express Travel counselors showed that 32 percent of customers are seeking a cruise vacation this summer.
The survey also found that 27 percent of agents cited mega-ships as popular. Upscale cruises lines also fared well with 15 percent of agents mentioning such lines as Oceania Cruises and Silversea Cruises. Additionally, 71 percent of the respondents noted an increased demand for river cruising this year, with 36 percent of their customers looking to roll on the river this summer.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Mariner recently completed a multi-million dollar refurbishment and upgrade. The ship re-entered service and is in the midst of a 10-night sailing from Monte Carlo to Venice. The newly renovated Seven Seas Mariner will call the Mediterranean home for the remainder of the season.
The Seven Seas Mariner's suites and lounges have new furnishings, upholstery, custom-milled carpeting and hand-selected accents. Seven Seas Voyager also recently underwent a similar refurbishment, and Seven Seas Navigator was similarly upgraded in 2012.
Lastly, Carnival brought back its “Commitment Series” of travel agent webinars with the latest installment featuring a conversation between Joni Rein, Carnival’s VP of worldwide sales and Mark Tamis, the line’s SVP of guest operations.
In the new webinar, which debuted April 9, Tamis highlighted the company’s latest on-board innovations, including the many features that are being added as a result of the $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancement program. Tamis also discussed the new Carnival Live concert series, the Seuss at Sea youth program developed in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and the American TABLE and American FEAST dining initiative.