Start-up cruiseline Voyages to Antiquity went on sale last week with plans to sell through between 80 and 100 cruise specialists.
Voyages to Antiquity was set up by cruise veteran Gerry Herrod, who also founded Orient Lines. It is being headed up in the UK by managing director David Yellow, former Voyages of Discovery man-aging director.
The cruiseline will start sailing in May 2010 with one ship, Aegean Odyssey, which is in a shipyard in Greece, where balcony and deluxe cabins are being created by knocking staterooms together. Capacity is being cut from 570 to 380 passengers.
“The ship is almost being rebuilt in places,” Yellow said.
Voyages to Antiquity will have guest lecturers, open dining and shore excursions included. But unlike other Discovery-style cruiselines, it will only cruise in the eastern Mediterranean, focusing on particular areas. An Athens to Rome cruise, for example, visits six ports in Sicily.
Yellow said: “This will appeal to older travellers interested in the history of classical civilizations who want to learn about the past.”
He expects 50% of passengers to be from the US, with Britons and Australians making up the rest. “We are selling through specialist agents such as Bath Travel and Noble Caledonian, and working with museum groups and alumni. We expect this to appeal to traditional cruisers, and first-timers interested in history,” he said.
The cruiseline will not operate in winter. Cruises end in December and restart in March 2011.
Yellow said: “It is expensive to lay up a ship, but also expensive to cut prices to get bookings.”
Prices start from £2,295 per person for a 15-day cruise from Venice to Piraeus, the port for Athens, including flights, shore excursions, wine with dinner and gratuities.