| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 07/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 64 |
| Copyright: Other |
First Choice and Royal Caribbean alliance delayed until November 2001
Joint cruising venture postpones launch date
Report by TANYA JEFFERIES
THE JOINT venture company founded by First Choice and Royal Caribbean Cruises has postponed its launch date due to delays in getting the operation off the ground.When the strategic alliance was announced, which has yet to be named, the companies said the 1,500-passenger ship Viking Serenade would start sailing out of Majorca next spring (Travel Weekly May 22).
However, the vessel is now expected to start operating in the Caribbean from November next year. The first brochure is scheduled for publication this autumn.
The newly appointed managing director of the joint venture, John Drysdale, said: “It was going to be too much of a rush to get the ship in the market for next summer. It is going to take us some time to get a brochure together.
“I have only been in the job for two or three weeks and I have got to start from scratch.”
Drysdale is currently the sole employee of the new company. He is looking for an office and is seeking to recruit a team comprising just over 10 staff.
Drysdale said there had been no discussions about merging the joint venture company with First Choice’s existing cruising operation and refused to be drawn on whether this was a likely prospect.
“First Choice’s product is aimed at First Choice customers,” he said. “The joint venture is a new product aimed at the European market.”
He claimed that Viking Serenade would offer a different, fresher cruising experience than more established operators.
“The existing cruiselines are very conservative. We are working on ideas to create a new product,” he said.
First Choice is investing £32 million in the new company, while Royal Caribbean is contributing Viking Serenade to the deal.