Thomas Cook is to take its holiday rep concept to the seas after research into what people want from a cruise.
It has partnered with NCL Freestyle Cruising to offer holidaymakers a new package holiday experience at sea.
On selected 2009 departures, Thomas Cook reps will be onboard NCL’s European-based ships – Norwegian Gem, Jewel and Jade – to greet customers, book excursions, source emergency suntan cream and meet any other needs.
All flights and transfers will be booked by Thomas Cook and customers will receive port-side priority check-in at a dedicated Cruise Thomas Cook branded check-in area.
A door-to-door chauffeur service is also exclusively available to Cruise Thomas Cook customers, along with low deposits of £50 on NCL’s European and Mediterranean cruises and exclusive prices on a range of NCL cruises, for bookings made before June 30 2009.
Describing it as a “revolutionary move†Cruise Thomas Cook said it made the decision follows extensive research into what today’s generation of cruisers are looking for.
Its recent study of 5,000 UK holidaymakers revealed 52% of cruisers believe it is important to book cruises through a specialist agent, and 25% said the expertise of the cruise agent was a key factor when choosing a cruise holiday.
The report also revealed that cruising is no longer viewed as old-fashioned, with 60% of cruisers seeing it as less formal than it used to be and 57% believing cruise ships now offer more to do onboard.
Thomas Cook hopes the new concept will help open up cruising to a wider demographic that includes younger couples and families.
Cruise Thomas Cook director Marc Bennett said: “As the original founder of package holidays, this is the next step in a long history of travel firsts for Thomas Cook and one which we believe will revolutionise the way people take cruises in 2009.â€
By Bev Fearis
