Sunshine.co.uk is preparing to launch a bookable cruise website after the necessary technology has finally been made available by cruise operators.
Chris Brown, who founded sunshine five years ago, said bonvoyage.co.uk would be launched in either January or February next year after about two and a half years’ worth of development.
The ability to choose your own cabin will be just one of the innovations available on the site which will feature product from all the major cruise lines as well as a any cruise company which has a deal with Hays Independents Group, of which Sunshine is a member.
Brown said: “We had the idea about three years ago with the way the booking functionality would work but the technology didn’t exist from the cruise companies.
“Most of our money has gone into content and it has been a daily cost, it is not something we have gone out and paid a technology company thousands of pounds for.”
He added the site is being initially targeted at those who have cruised before and have some knowledge of the product. He is not expecting a huge amount of bookings initially.
Nor is he looking to flood the market with cheap deals. Brown said: “What we’re not trying to do is heavily discount and take the bottom out of the market, what we’re trying to do is break the mould.
“People say you can’t do cruise online as no-one wants to book it as the information’s not there and its not easy, so we decided to make sure it was.”