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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

February 2014 Edition

Allure of the Seas to be based in Barcelona summer 2015

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Royal Caribbean International says it will base Allure of the Seas, of of the two 226,000 gross ton Oasis class ships in its fleet, to Barcelona in the summer of 2015. The move comes after the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) group contemporary market unit said in the autumn that it would strengthen its presence in the UK.

"Offering a full season of seven-night cruises, Allure of the Seas will arrive in Barcelona on 3 May 2015 and will offer cruises from the Spanish port until October 2015," Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

"For the first time ever, the exciting ship will be in Europe, following a Mediterranean micro-season from sister ship Oasis of the Seas during late summer 2014. Both Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will introduce the pioneering Royal Caribbean International holiday experience which features real outdoor parks, zip lines and an awe inspiring aquatheatre to European families and holiday makers,' the company said.

Stuart Leven, managing director, Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland explains: “At Royal Caribbean International we have always delivered the unexpected and enjoyed behaving in a way that no other cruise line can. Not only are we increasing our European deployment, but we are doing it in impressive style. News that Allure of the Seas will enjoy a full season based in the popular Mediterranean port of Barcelona is brilliant for agents – they have the opportunity to sell cruises on the world’s most high profile ship closer to home.

“We will be supporting our agent partners extensively in ensuring that they get to learn more about this ship when sister-ship Oasis of Seas calls into Southampton later this year. We’re urging agents to forget what they think they know about European cruises – Allure of the Seas will change the face of selling Mediterranean cruises, especially for a family audience.”

The news also comes ahead of the announcement that new ship, Anthem of the Seas joining the Royal Caribbean International fleet in spring 2015, will be based in Southampton. The addition of Allure of the Seas to the European deployment reflects the strength of support and continued commitment for the Royal Caribbean International offering from agents. It also means that some of the company's newest and innovative ships will be in the Mediterranean during peak holiday seasons, showcasing the breadth of attractions available on board, ranging from dodgems and sky diving, world class spas and cuisine, to ice skating and zip lining in 2015.

In summer 2015 Allure of the Seas will offer seven night cruises from Barcelona calling at Palma de Mallorca, Marseilles for Provence, La Spezia for Florence and Pisa, Civitavecchia for Rome and Naples. Guests will also have the option to travel to Rome and join the ship in Civitavecchia for a week long cruise starting and ending in the Italian port. Offering more flexibility for agents and their clients, the choice of embarkation ports is expected to be a popular addition.

To support the news, agents can look forward to a mini brochure specific to Allure of the Seas. Plus, a dedicated marketing toolkit that includes videos, campaign assets, top offers and fantastic images, as well as much more, to aid selling the new itineraries. Agents should look out for the trade packs that will drop from 12 February 2014 as they feature the opportunity for ten lucky agents to receive at random a special golden ticket to win a VIP weekend in Barcelona as one of the first to see the ship arrive in the Mediterranean. A further ten agents will win the exclusive golden ticket and Barcelona prize by making a booking and registering it at cruisingpower.co.uk.

The new 2015 cruises from Allure of the Seas represents the first time the ship has offered cruises outside of the Caribbean.