Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Summer 2016

Sailaway487
 Share

Recommended Posts

kruzseeka

kruzseeka

Posted
Posted (edited)
Finally got some summer 2016 news coming in! Looks like there will be some changes. Will post on my blog later...

 

You are a tease............ :D

Looking forward to reading all about it. ;)

 

 

 

P. S. Can you post the link again please Sailaway when you've done it? I can't find one to work. Thanks :)

Edited by kruzseeka
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kruzseeka

kruzseeka

Posted
Posted (edited)

Well done and thank you Sailaway for you continued efforts to keep us well informed. :) That's an interesting development - and will be even more interesting when some of the other pieces of the jigsaw slot into place. I'm sure you'll be on the look-out to spot any further bits of intelligence. ;)



Edited by kruzseeka
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kruzseeka

kruzseeka

Posted
Posted
Just seen Dream is booked into Palma on 30 April, but then seems to be going west again? Canary Islands cruises in the summer perhaps? Cruises from Malaga?

 

Is it unusual for cruise ships to do the Canaries in the summer - I've not noticed any but then again we kind of think of the Canaries as a winter getaway from the UK so I've never looked at that area in the summer. If the Canaries do figure do you think the Azores could feature too? Could that be a proposition given the distances involved? Don't know much about the Azores or geography of that area really.

 

Think I'd prefer a Malaga base since the Canaries are available through the winter - but wonder which PoC that would embrace. That would mean reverting to just two ships in the Eastern Med.

 

I can see how they ended up with three ships in the Eastern Med with the demise of the exUK sailings. But my feeling is that Corfu, Marmaris and Dubrovnik provide an excellent combination of bases. With the wealth of ports, and not too far between them in the Aegean and Adriatic, there's plenty to go at there - this season's itineraries even with three ships offer lots of great combinations and plenty that's new too. There's such a lot of scope here to ring the changes and bring back some old favourites (I'm surprised Nauplion has never popped up again - it was a little gem) . I'd also be surprised if that hadn't been a very successful pattern of deployment (albeit with the problems of rescheduled Black Sea itineraries) - but they would know! If it's not been as popular as they'd hoped, or they can't fill all the ships then I guess they may need to try something new. Perhaps it's just a few itineraries in the Atlantic before relocating elsewhere. Interesting! You do get me thinking Sailaway! Not sure if my ideas hold water though! :rolleyes::D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sailaway487

Sailaway487

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Is it unusual for cruise ships to do the Canaries in the summer - I've not noticed any but then again we kind of think of the Canaries as a winter getaway from the UK so I've never looked at that area in the summer. If the Canaries do figure do you think the Azores could feature too? Could that be a proposition given the distances involved? Don't know much about the Azores or geography of that area really.

 

Think I'd prefer a Malaga base since the Canaries are available through the winter - but wonder which PoC that would embrace. That would mean reverting to just two ships in the Eastern Med.

 

I can see how they ended up with three ships in the Eastern Med with the demise of the exUK sailings. But my feeling is that Corfu, Marmaris and Dubrovnik provide an excellent combination of bases. With the wealth of ports, and not too far between them in the Aegean and Adriatic, there's plenty to go at there - this season's itineraries even with three ships offer lots of great combinations and plenty that's new too. There's such a lot of scope here to ring the changes and bring back some old favourites (I'm surprised Nauplion has never popped up again - it was a little gem) . I'd also be surprised if that hadn't been a very successful pattern of deployment (albeit with the problems of rescheduled Black Sea itineraries) - but they would know! If it's not been as popular as they'd hoped, or they can't fill all the ships then I guess they may need to try something new. Perhaps it's just a few itineraries in the Atlantic before relocating elsewhere. Interesting! You do get me thinking Sailaway! Not sure if my ideas hold water though! :rolleyes::D

 

Some do the Canaries in the summer, but not many at all. Not sure about the Azores as they have tried here with a 7 night itinerary last year but I think the distance between the two wasn't great and I think they had weather issues.

 

I think the main problem with Malaga will be how far can they go in 7 night from there. Quite limited to the two similar itineraries to now from Malaga, west as far as Lisbon, east as far as Toulon.

 

I do agree about the eastern Med. I think that for summer 2015, setting aside the decision not to do ex-UK cruises, I think the fly-cruises are the best they have ever been. I think they are realising now that we want a bit more than just the same-old destinations. Love itineraries like the Undiscovered Aegean from Marmaris, the new itineraries from Dubrovnik, Italian Job from Corfu.

 

Whether Adriatic Explorer has decreased in sails with Celebration's new cruises I don't know, but I would still think it is a popular area. I think the cruises that need changing are from Marmaris, as I doubt the Black Sea or the itinerary with Israel in is selling that well. I would love them to do from Marmaris more itineraries like Undiscovered Aegean, maybe even an itinerary that just did Greek isles, Nauplion looks beautiful, more places like that.

 

Also some overnight stops for 2016 would be lovely! Venice, Barcelona, Villefranche, Santorini, Istanbul. These would be great overnight stops!

Edited by Sailaway487
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kruzseeka

kruzseeka

Posted
Posted

Yes I agree - the Black Sea for the time being and possibly Israel too may not be selling so well on the basis of the best ports in the Black Sea having to be dropped and perhaps Israel makes people a little concerned. Such a shame as both were cracking destinations. Still in the context of that, then other new itineraries are necessary.

 

There is s so much mileage in the Eastern Med. Yes Marmaris could work the likes of Alanya, Antalya, Mykonos, Rhodes, Bodrum up to the Northern Aegean with Istanbul as it's furthest point (and a definite 'yes' to an overnight there and other suitable ports) and include Thessaloniki, Skiathos - so much scope. That leaves plenty Greek Islands in the sphere of Corfu (is there anywhere on the S Coast of Italy - perhaps go as far West as Messina?). With so many ports in the Adriatic - just look at the new ones this next year - do a mix and match with some of the old ones too plus an over-nighter and it wouldn't be hard to just do b-2-b never leaving the Adriatic. I'd buy into that!

 

I'm surprised really that they don't do more two day stops really. Clearly there would be additional berthing fees but set against fuel and one day less for pilot fees perhaps it wouldn't actually cost any more. But it would be an easy way to 'find' extra port days to fill up the itinerary. Clearly it only works for ports where there are plenty and varied things to do to cater for different passenger preferences but those you suggest would all work well. The places we've had overnights I've really thought worked very well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kruzseeka

kruzseeka

Posted
Posted
thomson won't be sailing from the uk for the fore seeable future

 

 

Tbh I'm not at all surprised. Unless they get newer ships I don't think it's cost effective given the new fuel taxes/levies or whatever they are. I think it could be some time before we see Thomson in UK waters again. :( Whereas in the past they stopped sailing out of the UK for a season or two - presumably to ring the changes and stimulate interest in the northern itineraries when they returned to exUK sailings - I really don't think that's what behind the move now - and I can't see that changing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sailaway487

Sailaway487

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Tbh I'm not at all surprised. Unless they get newer ships I don't think it's cost effective given the new fuel taxes/levies or whatever they are. I think it could be some time before we see Thomson in UK waters again. :( Whereas in the past they stopped sailing out of the UK for a season or two - presumably to ring the changes and stimulate interest in the northern itineraries when they returned to exUK sailings - I really don't think that's what behind the move now - and I can't see that changing.

 

Agree. I don't think we will see Thomson cruise from the UK again for at least another 5 years, if ever again. If the fly cruise market can still be more of a moneymaker for them and they can provide a bit of a niche in this compared to its competiton, they will only concentrate on this. A shame, but it does make business sense, especially with the number of cruise lines doing ex-UK now.

 

Looks like there will be some different itineraries from Palma in 2016, some new ports too. Will do an update shortly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...