Thomson to offer casual cruising on Island Escape

After buying out its half share in Island Cruises, TUI is in the process of creating a new ‘casual cruise’ offering, to be offered from next summer.

Thomson Cruises may join in the offering on the ship Island Escape as well.

If this happens, it would mean that Thomson would offer its existing contemporary cruises and also the new casual cruise alternative, which would be operated on the Island Escape.

Full details are expected to be available when the new Thomson Cruises brochure is published in December, showcasing the summer of 2009 and winter of 2010 cruise offerings.

Thomson Cruises would be able to attract additional third-party agency sales with the new offering, and also to bring in business via in-house First Choice agencies.

While this is being considered, Island Cruises, a favourite with first time cruisers, is making arrangement to re-accommodate the seven to 10 thousand passengers booked on Island Star, which will be moving to Royal Caribbean’s Spanish unit, Pullmantur in April of 2009.

A number of options will be made available to agents by Island Cruises, including the transfer of passengers to other Thomson Cruises in the Mediterranean or Black Sea on a like-for-like basis. Discounts of £75 and £150 are being offered on other cruises for passengers who opt for Thomson Spirit departures from the UK headed to the Baltic and the fjords of Norway.

Full refunds are also available for passengers who do not want to switch to another cruise.

www.thomson.co.uk