| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 26/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 30 |
| Copyright: Other |
Voyages of discovery
Specialist adds Black Sea itineraries
Report by TANYA JEFFERIES
SPECIALIST cruise operator Voyages of Discovery has introduced its first Black Sea itinerary to next spring’s programme.The 10-night Black Sea Discovery cruise out of Piraeus, which kicks off on April 20, includes calls in Odessa, Sevastopol, Yalta, Istanbul and Kusadasi.
Prices start at £1,299 per person based on two people sharing an inside cabin.
The 17-year-old Voyages of Discovery specialises in operating eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea cruises every spring and autumn on the 600-passenger Aegean Spirit, which it charters from Golden Sun Cruises.
Commercial director Steve Wheddon said it had chosen to add the Black Sea itinerary as a new option for its repeat customers.
“The Black Sea is proving very popular with our past passengers,” he claimed.
Voyages of Discovery’s newly published brochure – which covers this autumn and next spring – also includes details of the company’s more established Red Sea product.
The 10-night Red Sea Discovery cruise, which kicks off in Kusadasi on October 27, includes stops in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Jordan. Prices start from £1,349.
Meanwhile, the 11-night Red Sea Explorer itinerary starts in Aqaba in Jordan and calls in Egypt, Israel, Syria, Turkey and Greece. The cruise costs from £1,199.
Either cruise can be extended with land tours in Jordan.
“We have held prices or slightly reduced them this year in order to stay competitive,” said Wheddon.
He said the company aimed to offer cultural cruises at around half the price of those run by P&O’s specialist operator Swan Hellenic.
Aegean Spirit: will be operating eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea cruises