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This and That in Cruise News

Strong Comeback for Boston

Flynn Cruiseport Boston has reported a total of 310,867 passengers and 128 cruise ships this season making for a very strong comeback. 

“We were thrilled to see that the demand for cruising continues to be strong as we work to support the recovery of travel and tourism in New England,” said Massport port director Joseph Morris.

“Boston has grown as both a homeport and destination port of call for multiple cruise lines, and we look forward to expanding our itineraries for customers in the future.”

From April 2022 through Thanksgiving, the port welcomed 12 maiden voyages which included ships from Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruise Line and Holland America. 

Senior Vice President of Port Development and Construction of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Juan Kuryla congratulated Flynn Cruiseport Boston on its strong comeback and said: “ Flynn Cruiseport Boston is the homeport for one of our most popular itineraries to Bermuda and we are excited to continue our strong partnership.”

Celebrity Cruises CEO, Lisa Lutoff, also congratulated the port on its successful year and said Celebrity Cruises also had a successful first year homeporting in Boston and was excited to continue the partnership. 

Beginning on March 31, the 2023 cruise season is expected to be just as successful as 2022. 

Virgin Voyages Hires Sales Manager for North American Footprint

Virgin Voyages is expanding its North American footprint and has hired Sean Russo as their sales manager in Canada. 

Russo is based out of Toronto and will be responsible for the Canadian sales territory. 

“Virgin Voyages is a bold, inspiring brand that’s challenged the status quo and created an incredible experience that Canadian travel advisors and their clients should be eager to learn more about,” said Russo.

“I’m excited to grow my current network and showcase that cruising with Virgin Voyages is uniquely different and needs to be explored by cruisers and non-cruisers alike.”

John Diorio, Virgin Voyages’ vice president of North American Sales, said of Russo: “Sean is an epic addition to our North American sales team and will help shape our sales strategy in one of our key feeder markets. His passion for travel, compelling sales experience and personal relationships within the region are unparalleled. We have an exciting year ahead, launching both Resilient and Brilliant Lady, and Sean is the perfect representative in a new region for the brand.”

Celebrity Cruises Launches Digital Cruise Ship

You read that right. Celebrity Cruises has announced the launching of the “Wonderverse.”

“Wonderverse” is the world’s first digital cruise ship in the metaverse. With “Wonderverse” cruisers can explore a realistic, digital Edge Series Celebrity Cruise ship before sailing. 

“Celebrity Beyond is the newest, most luxurious and most innovative ship in our fleet and I can’t think of a better ship to showcase its state-of-the-art design than in our state-of-the-art Wonderverse,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises.

“Celebrity has always been at the forefront of consumer desires, literally creating resorts at sea with the design of our ships and the onboard experiences offered; and now we’re bringing this to life in new ways to inspire and connect with travelers.”

Surreal Events partnered with Celebrity Cruises to create this virtual platform. The “Wonderverse” allows travelers to explore spaces like The Magic Carpet and The Grand Plaza, and learn more about the ship and the places Celebrity Cruises visits. Users can also play mini-games and interact with famous avatars like Nate Berkus at the Sunset Bar he designed. It’s a “see before you sail” experience.

“We’ve revolutionized cruise ship design and now we’re revolutionizing where cruise ships are experienced,” added Celebrity Cruises’ Chief Marketing Officer Michael Scheiner.

“The ‘Wonderverse’ allows us to unlock and bring to life the richness and fullness of the Celebrity experience in really exciting ways we can’t do through traditional marketing and advertising vehicles. We believe this has opportunities to expand even further, creating experiences our consumers are looking for.”
You can attempt to check out this “Wonderverse” at celebritycruises.com/wonderverse but this writer keeps finding “the ship is full.”