Record Bookings in August - Oceania - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

canarymoon · 09-05-2009, 02:54 AM

An Oceania Cruises News Release:

Sep 02, 2009

OCEANIA CRUISES REPORTS RECORD BOOKING ACTIVITY IN AUGUST -
Pricing Returns to 2007 and 2008 Levels

MIAMI, FL - September 2, 2009 –

Oceania Cruises announced that several new company booking records were achieved during the month of August including phone volume, new reservations and pricing performance.

The month of August set new booking records for the company while the one week period of August 23rd through the 29th marked the busiest week on record and August 31st registered as the biggest single booking day in the company’s history. The company credits the record booking activity to the culmination of promotional offers on its popular 2010 European Collection voyages which expired at month-end.

“The tremendous demand we are witnessing for the Oceania Cruises experience is extremely gratifying and speaks to the strength of our brand and value proposition,” stated Bob Binder, President of Oceania Cruises.

32 of the line’s 2010 voyages are already sold out a nd overall pricing has strengthened back to the record setting 2007 and 2008 pre-recession levels which prompted the line to raise prices on over 40% of its 2010 departures effective September 1st. Another price increase is slated effective January 1, 2010.

“The demand and pricing strength Oceania Cruises is experiencing showcases the resilience of the cruise industry in the wake of a challenging economy and demonstrates once again how important vacations are to consumers. What we are seeing is an industry-wide trend that Oceania’s sister brand Regent Seven Seas Cruises is also enjoying stated Frank Del Rio, Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

canarymoon · 09-05-2009, 02:55 AM

Travel Agent partners are also reporting record booking levels as consumer confidence strengthens. “Oceania Cruises, along with all of our cruise industry partners, have done a phenomenal job of marketing the value of cruise travel and driving consumers into the offices of agents,” stated Brad Anderson, Co-President of San Diego-based Anderson Travel and Miami-based America’s Vacation Center.

Oceania Cruises is expecting the remainder of the 2010 European Collection to continue selling at a brisk pace and has moved-up the introduction of its 2010-2011 Winter Collection voyages to September 15th in order to provide agent partners with additional itineraries and sales opportunities. The line’s hotly anticipated 1,258 guest Marina, the first ship designed specifically for the Upper Premium market, is expected to go on sale during the 1st quarter of 2010.