The Cruise Examiner for 18th July 2011: The UK’s Third Largest Cruise Retailer Goes Bust – Other News: Seattle: A New West Coast Cruise Centre – Detroit Opens Its New Cruise Terminal
19/07/2011 Leave a comment
THE CRUISE EXAMINER at Cybercruises.com
by Kevin Griffin
The UK’s Third Largest Cruise Retailer Goes Bust – Other News: Seattle: A New West Coast Cruise Centre – Detroit Opens Its New Cruise Terminal
Last week, Gill’s Cruise Centre, reportedly the third largest cruise retailer in the UK, ceased trading after burning its candle at both ends. Not only had it been rebating too much of its commission to “buy” bookings but it had also been overspending on a Central London call centre and on national advertising. We have a look at some of the reactions and revisit the failure of Cruise Control, the last major UK cruise retailer to go bankrupt, in 2005.
Elsewhere, while Los Angeles has been thought of as the US West Coast’s cruise centre ever since Princess Cruises opened in that city, now Seattle, with Holland America Line and Windstar Cruises, as well as newcomers Seabourn and Paul Gauguin and a bevy of small ship operators, puts up a good case for taking the lead. And with a first call this weekend by Blount’s Grande Mariner, Detroit has now opened its new cruise terminal. There is talk of a new line handling twelve passenger embarkations and disembarkations (six turnarounds) there in 2012, with cruises to and from Chicago, Duluth and Quebec City.