Tag Archives: Russia

New river cruise line sails in Russia, Ukraine

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By Michelle Baran

Two cruise operators have partnered to create World Quest Cruises, which is offering river cruises in Russia and Ukraine, among other destinations, to travelers in North America.

World Quest Cruises is a joint venture of Huntington, N.Y.-based Imperial River Cruises and Moscow-based Orthodox Cruise Co. Global Voyages Group of Bellevue, Wash., has been tapped to provide North American sales, marketing and call center support.

Imperial and Orthodox have been operating cruises in Russia and Ukraine for more than 20 years, and finally decided to sell their product directly to the North American market.

“The principal advantage is the experience — they’ve been operating ships in Russia for more than 20 years,” said Tom Russell, managing partner at Global Voyages Group. “The second is the value. Their products are typically 20% lower-priced than some of the other products that are available. That’s because there’s no middleman involved. They are the supplier.”

Starting in 2014, World Quest Cruises is offering river cruise itineraries in Russia and Ukraine, Portugal, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as expedition cruises in Antarctica and the North Pole.

The company will sell into ships that Orthodox owns and operates in Russia and Ukraine, and charter other river cruise vessels.

World Quest’s expedition cruises to Antarctica will be aboard the 114-passenger Sea Explorer. The 128-passenger icebreaker 50 Years of Victory will travel on a 14-day trip from the Russian port of Murmansk to the North Pole.

The North Pole itinerary will run from June 19 through Aug. 8, 2014, with prices starting at $24,995 per person, based on double occupancy.

In 2015, the company will expand its Russian river cruise offering with a 12-day itinerary between Moscow and St. Petersburg aboard the 100-passenger Princess Anabella, a vessel that is being refurbished for the 2015 program.

Prices for this river cruise start at $4,495 per person, plus port taxes and fuel surcharges. World Quest Cruises will have exclusive access to the Princess Anabella in 2015.

Carnival Legend- Review Baltic Cruise- Dover to St. Petersburg.

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Carnival Legend- Review

Baltic Cruise- Dover to St. Petersburg.

 

My Cruise photos are on Flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/45642696@N07/sets/72157635095801316/ 

We had sailed on 4 other companies (Costa, Royal,NCL and MSC) and between us have all ways said that there are good points and some great points in all the companies, example we like NCL Freestyle Dining, and MSC style, so joining Carnival Legend for the first time from Dover was going to be an experience, the check-in at Dover was the best we have ever had, we were on-board having a wee dram by 11am, that was a first for us. Legend is an exact layout as the Costa Mediterranea which was our first ship, happy memories. She is a lovely ship which needs a dry dock which she is having i Jan 14 (I think) before going down under, just to spruce her up a bit.

The food in the main dining room was excellent with always a Didja Ever option on the menu, which we enjoyed trying that something different such as Alligator, Frogs Legs, and Snails. The service was very good and a waiter dance at 7:15 in the evening, which they grabbed a willing volunteer in my wife, she enjoyed it and i enjoyed videoing the show for evidence and later brownie points when needed.

The show’s where the best we had seen on any cruise before, the dancers were fantastic, and the singers were top notch. Head of Entertainment John Heard was an excellent compare, and was always willing to chat when seen around the ship. the entertainers around the ship were average and we have seen better on the Norwegian Jade, there seemed to be too many quiz’s and not enough music.

The tours were well organised and seemed to be a fair price considering the tours of St. Petersberg and a train trip to Berlin.

The shops on board were the normal offerings such as a Logo/tee shirt shop, a sweet shop, and a top end Jewellers. The photo gallery was the largest selling the mandatory on-board pics, places of interest pics, and a camera and accessory section.

Overall I would not hesitate to join a Carnival Cruise again, and we enjoyed the company of our fellow passengers, especially those pesky Canadians, who we keep in-touch with. Thanks to all who served and cleaned up after us.

If anyone who sailed on the same Baltic Cruise as us, we were the Stars of the cruise from the Welsh Non-Romantic Couple.

No enhanced redundancy package for Co-op travel staff

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No enhanced redundancy package for Co-op travel staff

Oct 05, 2011 07:45AM GMT

The Co-operative Group has refused to give staff in the travel division an enhanced redundancy package being offered to employees in other parts of the business, despite appeals from unions and staff.

As part of a management integration programme the group is providing staff made redundant from the financial services and retail divisions with a topped-up package of statutory redundancy multiplied by three, with an extra eight weeks.

However, despite protests from the unions, the group has said it would be “inappropriate” to extend the offer to travel staff, who will transfer employment to Thomas Cook under the terms of the joint venture. The merger was officially completed on Tuesday.

The Co-op has yet to reveal how many travel staff will lose their jobs, but some said the decision showed the company was “washing its hands” of travel.

One employee said: “From a company that boasts about its ethical and moral values and how it treats its staff, it is going in the face of that to discriminate against the travel staff. It is washing its hands of travel in a joint venture that will save millions.”

Trade unions the National Association of Co-operative Officials (Naco) and Usdaw, fought the decision at a meeting with Co-operative Group chief executive Peter Marks on September 29. Marks is also a non-executive director of the travel joint venture.

Neil Buist, general secretary of Naco, said: “While we have made every effort to secure enhanced redundancy terms for those affected by the joint venture, unfortunately the group chief executive has confirmed the enhanced terms will not be extended.”

A spokesman for the Co-operative Group said: “The group chief executive has listened to the submissions but has determined that it would not be appropriate in the case of employees joining the new joint venture to introduce a discretionary ‘top-up’ to our present terms.”