Cruise and Maritime Services (CMS) has signed a five-year deal to operate the 820-passenger Marco Polo year-round from the UK starting January 2010.
Marco Polo will be marketed under the new name Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV), along with the 800-passenger Ocean Countess, formerly Cunard Countess, which CMS is taking on a two-year charter from Majestic International Cruises Group from April 18 2010.
For the past two summers, CMS has sub-chartered Marco Polo from German-based Transocean Tours, operating cruises for the UK market from Tilbury, London.
The new deal, which makes CMS the primary charterer, means Marco Polo’s winter season in Antarctica, targeted mainly at the German market, has been cancelled.
A 32-night cruise to the Caribbean, departing Tilbury on October 6, will continue as planned, and will be followed by a new 15-night Canary Islands cruise from Bremerhaven for the German market.
Marco Polo will then be moored up for a few weeks while its new livery is added, and begins sailing for CMV from Tilbury, its home port, on January 2.
For 2010, the programme comprises 24 no-flycruises to the Amazon, Orinoco, Venezuela and Caribbean in winter and to the Norwegian fjords, the Baltic, Iceland, Mediterranean and Canary Islands in summer. The programme goes on sale in the last week of August. Prices have yet to be finalised.
Under CMV, Marco Polo will become an adult-only ship, with no children under 16 allowed.
CMS director Chris Coates said he believes there is strong demand in the UK for the small-ship cruise experience offered by Marco Polo and Ocean Countess.
He added: “We are mindful of the recessionary pressures facing the British and global economies, but believe that our largely grey market sector is more resilient. Our strong price positioning will assist us in achieving our targets as the market begins to recover during 2010 and 2011.”
Coates said Ocean Countess, which launched as Cunard Countess in 1975, will sail a year-round programme of regional no-flycruises from Hull, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Greenock, Liverpool and Plymouth. The ship will be undergoing a £3 million refurbishment before entering service for CMS.