Recommend April 2015 - (Page 41)

onboardreview J U LY 2 0 14 Celestyal Cruises offers travelers plenty of time at ports-of-call, including Santorini. CELESTYAL CRUISES' vivian holley It's. About. Greece. Celestyal Cruises principals could scarcely be more emphatic when it comes to explaining what makes their offerings different from other ships that sail these legendary seas. "This is our home," says Nicholas Filippidis, the company's longtime director of product development in North America. "We have expertise here, and we're the cruise line that gives passengers an authentic Greek cruise experience." Which, in this case, means that clients will be calling at not only wellknown islands where the big boys drop anchor, but less familiar ports. And they'll be cruising with a passenger roster of not only international travelers but island-hopping locals, hospitable ofﬁcers and staffers, a notably friendly crew, and local guides who call the Hellenic Mediterranean home and who have a passion for their country's uniqueness. Indeed, all seem eager to share their knowledge of ancient archaeological sites, cultural treasures, traditional music and dance, and signature Greek dishes, wines and spirits. Recommend joined a group of travel agents and travel journalists aboard Celestyal Cruises' Celestyal Cristal (it was still Louis Cruises' Louis Cristal at the time), experiencing all of the above exactly as promised. A new brand launched in late 2014, Celestyal began as Louis Cruises, a family-owned operation that launched with short jaunts out of Limassol, Cyprus, to the Eastern Med in the early 1970s and now encompasses ﬁve ships. It's part of Louis Group, founded in 1935 as a small travel agency; Louis Group's other arm is Louis Hotels, with 19 properties in Greece and Cyprus. Our 7-day itinerary on board Cristal-which ﬁrst sailed in the 1980s and received a refurbishment in 2014 with updates to the ship's comfortable staterooms-stopped at Mykonos, Kusadasi, Samos, Milos, Lavrio, Syros, Kos, Ios, Santorini, Cesme and Bodrum in Greece and Turkey. The message: Tell clients to count on more time on the hoof than on board. For lovers of ancient culture, the cruise is clearly paradise found, but look for equal opportunities for lovers of shopping and nightlife. The grand abundance begins with an overnight at the Athenaeum InterContinental for taking the pulse of Athens from the vantage of the Acropolis and Parthenon. Your well-traveled clients have likely experienced the sexy sizzle of Mykonos and dramatic, volcanic Santorini. What may well be new to these clients are the smaller islands, where shore " We are a unique product that provides a real Greek cultural experience-a look at both archaeology and how locals live. Agents should tell clients that while our ships are comfortable, they are not the main thing; the experience is what they're here for. " Celestyal Cristal -Nicholas Filippidis, Director of Product Development, North America, Celestyal Cruises april 2015 41 41-43 CR CelestyalOnboard.indd 41 3/24/15 8:28 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend April 2015

Editor’s Notes
Hawaii Hotels Offer a Menu of Culinary Options
Blue Sky Tours
Official Florida Travel Industry Education Program
Vegas Morsels
Stanton South Beach
What’s New
Let’s Eat!
Grand Lucayan, Bahamas
Great Swiss Hotels Go Gault-Millau
Culinary Journeys in Asia
African Adventures in Food & Wine
Eating Our Way Through Peru
Frame it With a Theme
Celestyal Cristal

Recommend April 2015