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Pullmantur extends reach
January 18, 2006

Spain's Pullmantur Cruises is developing its market presence even more extensively than indicated in our earlier report on their fleet expansion (see below), with a total of six vessels now owned.

The company is a unit of Spanish-based travel conglomerate Grupo Marsans, which has broad interests throughout Latin America. Senior executive Johan Tyren told Seatrade Insider that Pullmantur Cruises has based 1971-built Pacific (ex Pacific Princess, purchased in 2003) in Northeastern Brazil year-round, serving ports such as Recife, Natal, Bahia and Joao Pessoa.

Seasonally, R-6 Blue Dream also operates during the Northern winter out of Santos, the port for Sao Paulo, with itineraries including Buenos Aires; Punta del Este, Uruguay; and ports as far South as Patagonia in Southern Argentina. With a population of 120m and relatively strong recent economic growth, Brazil -- and its neighbours -- offer interesting prospects for cruise development.

To recap Pullmantur's six ship fleet comprises: Oceanic, Pacific, Holiday Dream, Blue Dream, and the recently purchased Pacific Sky, to be renamed Sky Wonder; and Delphin Renaissance (ex R7), to be renamed Blue Moon.

During 2006 Oceanic is operating weekly cruises in west Med ex Barcelona; Holiday Dream, Caribbean fly cruises from Madrid, then departures ex Havana or Cancun, with calls in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Isla Paraiso (Cuba); Blue Moon will conduct Baltic Capitals cruises ex Copenhagen whilst Sky Wonder, will operate a Venetian circuit from Venice or Athens depending on northbound or southbound, Adriatic itinerary plus Rhodes or Mykonos. In summer Blue Dream sails first in West Med, before re-positioning to Adriatic on same itinerary as Sky Wonder.

Seatrade Insider

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and...

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Pulling power of top Spanish cruise line
January 12, 2006

Pullmantur Cruises marks its fifth anniversary as a shipowner with major capacity growth through the recent purchase of Pacific Sky, to be renamed Sky Wonder, and Delphin Renaissance (ex R Seven), to be renamed Blue Moon. Sky Wonder will be deployed in the Mediterranean this year, while Blue Moon will operate in the Baltic, succeeding R Five (now Oceania's Nautica), which was chartered for that market in summer 2005.

Johan Tyren, who led Pullmantur's entry into the cruise business in the late 1990s, discussed the company's development programme in an exclusive interview with Seatrade Insider. In place of four vessels, one chartered for the summer season 2005, Pullmantur Cruises now will have five vessels owned and operating in the Med, Baltic and Caribbean plus a sixth, Pacific, positioned in Brazil operating purely in the Latin American markets.

Even before Pullmantur's 2006 brochures have been printed for launching at Fitur, the Spanish travel trade show in Madrid at the end of January, customers 'are booking like crazy for this summer,' Tyren said. 'They are calling or coming into agencies and asking “What cruises have you got on offer?” without waiting for details.' He declined to make a specific growth projection for 2006-2007, but the company's actions speak louder than words.

The product remains focused on the Spanish market, including Spanish-language on-board services and entertainment, and has no sales and marketing directed specifically at Latin America. Some Latino-specialist agents in the Miami area, however, generate add-on business to their regular bookings of European tours with cruises aboard Pullmantur, Tyren said.

Pullmantur dates its company origins to coach-based tour operations ex Madrid from 1973. It entered fly-cruise markets from 1997, when it first began selling cruises on Seawind Crown out of Aruba. Pullmantur followed this with a Premier Cruise Line charter in 2000, then purchased Oceanic in March 2001 after Premier went out of business.

Tyren, who is Swedish, was formerly based in Miami with Seawind and Premier. His responsibilities with Pullmantur range broadly across sales and marketing to regions outside Spain, but it is clear that this is a manager who believes strongly in the future growth of cruising in the Spanish marketplace.

Seatrade Insider

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I also heard that the Pullmantour ships are a chimney of cigar and cigarette smoke?

Oceania's prohibition of smoking except is 2 corners of the ships make it so much more pleasant.

I would imagine getting the nicotine out of the Blue Dream when it becomes the Nautica.

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Originally posted by bulbousbow:

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Cheers

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[ 01-18-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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desirod7 wrote:
...The Spaniards know how to have a good time and to party in a good way, not Carnival guzzle and puke style.

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It's called moderation and style (part of culture). I also think there are a few more Euro nationalities you can add to the Spaniards.

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I also heard that the Pullmantour ships are a chimney of cigar and cigarette smoke?

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Continental Europeans have this (major) problem, but it is slowly getting better.

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But more to the point - how the hell does a simple Brit get the Spanish to take his money?

The Ocean Liner Society are on the 24th April departure from Barcelona but I can't make that date.

I have found a Norwegian outfit "Ask Mr Cruise" who can book Pullmantur" but isnt it sillly to have to send your money via Oslo?

There is also a dutch Agent but he doesn't answer e-mails and doesn't take credit cards.

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Originally posted by TBirdFrank:
But more to the point - how the hell does a simple Brit get the Spanish to take his money?

The Ocean Liner Society are on the 24th April departure from Barcelona but I can't make that date.

AllI want to do is buy a cruise

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Try Cruise Travel in The Netherlands
http://www.cruisetravel.nl/ Website is in Dutch, but you can get information by e-mail at info@cruisetravel.nl

Not sure I would trust easyJet for flying in the same day though. So may also involve a pre night hotel, which isn't cheap in Barcelona... but a wonderful city whatever the cost

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Originally posted by PamM:
Not sure I would trust easyJet for flying in the same day though...

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Originally posted by PamM:

Not sure I would trust easyJet for flying in the same day though. So may also involve a pre night hotel, which isn't cheap in Barcelona... but a wonderful city whatever the cost

Pam

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Last year, five of us stayed one night before and one night after the cruise in the Expo Hotel, near Sants Railwaystation.
The double room costed me Eur 100,-- per night, excluding breakfast at Eur 10,-- per person.

Oh, and don't forget to add Eur 65,-- per person for gratuities.

info@dreamcruise.co.uk