New Ships For P&O

P&O Cruises Australia has announced plans to extend its fleet with the addition of two more ships over the next two years.

The first of the two ships will be named Pacific Jewel and will sail from Brisbane in December 2009. Pacific Jewel will become the sister ship to Pacific Dawn. The second of the two ships will arrive late in 2010 and will sail from Auckland. Both superliners will carry approximately 2000 passengers.

The two ships will be deployed to P&O Australia from Carnival UK following the phasing out of Ocean Village Cruises.

For the full press release see The Cruise News.

Ocean Village Cruises Closed

Ocean Village Cruises is to be closed as the Carnival Corporation rearrange their UK based operation.

Even though Island Cruises has been sold by Royal Caribbean, this was not enough to save Ocean Village Cruises and they will be run down with both ships switching to P&O Cruises Australia.

According to Carnival Corporation, the UK market will be better served with the current P&O Cruises fleet which is set to expand when Azure joins them in March 2010.

Cunard, one of the other Carnival Corporation owned cruise lines are also set to get a new ship, the Queen Elizabeth in 2010.

Ocean Village Cruises to Close

Ocean Village Cruises is to be closed as the Carnival Corporation rearrange their UK based operation.

Even though Island Cruises has been sold by Royal Caribbean, this was not enough to save Ocean Village Cruises and they will be run down with both ships switching to P&O Cruises Australia.

According to Carnival Corporation, the UK market will be better served with the current P&O Cruises fleet which is set to expand when Azure joins them in March 2010.

Cunard, one of the other Carnival Corporation owned cruise lines are also set to get a new ship, the Queen Elizabeth in 2010.

Ocean Village 3

Ocean Village Cruises are looking to increase their fleet with a suggestion that they will be purchasing a new ship sometime in 2009 or 2010.

Ocean Village are continuing to attract more business and their successful launch of Ocean Village 2 has given them the drive to purchase a third ship. Unsurprisingly they will be naming it Ocean Village 3 and it should come into service sometime during 2010.

New Ocean Village Campaign

Ocean Village is set to launch its new multi-platform advertising campaign today (15th September 2008) that is costing £1 million. The campaign is to support its 2009 programme and will be featured across television, radio and print media. The main TV focus areas are Granada, Central, Yorkshire and West Country.

The TV advert will be a 30 second campaign featuring the voice of Tamzin Outhwaite and the distinctive Ocean Village logo. The advertising campaign is a 5 week campaign set to target the 35-54 year olds and emphasise the Ocean Village strap line: ‘The cruise for people who don’t do cruises’, showing that Ocean Village offer a laid-back, relaxed and casual cruising style.

The radio advert will be a 40 second campaign again featuring the voice of Tamzin Outhwaite. The advert will feature on a wide range of stations throughout the featured regions. 

The print media part of the campaign will include a variety of inserts and adverts for newspapers as well as a direct mail feature that will target more than 250,000 new and existing customers.

Due to this campaign sales are expected to increase significantly as they have done for their two previous campaigns in January and June 2008.

Ocean Village Advertising Campaign

Ocean Village has revealed its new advertising campaign to be launched on the 2nd June. The campaign is designed to support its Caribbean winter 2008/2009 season and will include radio broadcasts and television broadcasts with a focus on Granada, Central and Meridian TV. Their total marketing spend is £1million.

The campaign is to target 35-54 year olds and reinforce Ocean Village’s easy-going, casual cruising message with the cruise line’s strap line ‘the cruise for people who don’t do cruises.’

The new Ocean Village brochure is to be launched on 2nd June and will feature the company’s Caribbean 2008/2009 itineraries and the new Mediterranean summer 2009 itineraries.

Comments Gill Haynes, Head of Marketing, Ocean Village, ‘Building on the success of our first foray into TV advertising in January this year, the new Caribbean campaign aims to demonstrate to cruise virgins just how much cruising has lightened up, loosened up and left the days of bow ties and tiaras far behind.  The ad projects a distinctive, quirky brand personality that television audiences can already recognise and identify as inalienably Ocean Village.  The campaign puts our Caribbean holidays on TV for the first time and we’re delighted to be partnered by The Co-operative Travel in the north and midlands and Cruise Thomas Cook in the south, both of which have shown real commitment to driving growth in the UK cruise market.’

Ocean Village Adds New Perks

Ocean Village are due to be offering a concierge lounge onboard both Ocean Village and Ocean Village Two. The lounge will offer many perks to make your cruise the most enjoyable it can be.

The lounge will be located under the ships’ bridges where there will be free internet access, luxury continental breakfasts, afternoon tea, pre-dinner drinks and canapés on offer. There will also be the opportunity to book spa treatments and make restaurant reservations.

Passengers who have booked pricier AA grade suites and BB grade mini-suites will be able to benefit from the concierge lounge. There will be an additional one-off fee of £70 per adult whilst children under 16 years of age will not have to pay but must be accompanied by an adult.

Paddington Joins Ocean Village

Paddington Bear is set to set sail again when he joins Ocean Village in the Mediterranean this summer.

From May 2008, Paddington Bear will become a permanent addition onboard Ocean Village and Ocean Village Two. Paddington will join Bagpuss who joined Ocean Village last summer.

Gill Haynes, Head of Marketing Communications comments: “Though a renowned traveller, Paddington will join many of our first time cruisers this summer as he embarks on his debut Mediterranean season onboard Ocean Village and Ocean Village Two.”

“With this exciting new addition we can offer families memorable experiences with not just one, but two of the most popular and enduring children’s characters of all time. Mums and Dads have grown up with both Paddington and Bagpuss and children today still adore them. These cult icons will delight and entertain the young, and young at heart, and once again demonstrate our commitment to providing imaginative, high-quality and family-friendly holidays.”