Ocean Village has agreed to distribute via Amadeus.
From January 2005, Amadeus Cruise users in the UK will be able to access
information and reserve cabins on Ocean Village, as well as P&O, Princess
Cruises and Swan Hellenic. Ocean Village has shaken up the cruise industry to appeal to those who
generally don’t do cruises.  This appeal to a younger, more active market
will ensure that Amadeus Cruise users have a broad range of content to
satisfy the needs of those who are new to the cruise holiday experience as
well as traditional cruise passengers.

Ocean Village agents will now be able to access detailed information via
Amadeus Cruise, allowing them to process bookings online via the Internet.
Amadeus Cruise will provide agents with a wealth of information, including
cabin photos and deck plans allowing agents to offer customers detailed
information and process bookings more effectively. Previously Ocean
Village was only available via the Viewdata system. One of the advantages
of Amadeus Cruise is that information is graphically better represented
and easy to navigate with the click of a mouse.

Gill Haynes, Head of Marketing for Ocean Village comments:  “Amadeus
Cruise provides Ocean Village with a new distribution channel in the UK.
Amadeus Cruise is already popular with cruise specialists and travel
agents and the addition of Ocean Village will allow agents to accelerate
the booking process by using a single, graphical system to book customers
attracted to this more informal style of holiday at sea.  New passengers
will also appreciate the speed of information offered by travel agents
using automation rather than relying on busy call centres.”

Amadeus Cruise is the first and only tool of its kind offered by a GDS and
continues to lead the industry with the most up-to-date, comprehensive and
user-friendly cruise solution available in the UK.  The solution allows
any UK travel agency to sell cruise holidays from their desktop using the
Internet, regardless of their location or GSD affiliation.

Stephane Durand, managing director of Amadeus UK added, “Amadeus Cruise
has been exceptionally successful since its launch, being well placed to
take advantage of the increasing popularity of cruise holidays. Prior to
Amadeus Cruise, the sales process for a cruise holiday was typically
complex and slow, as customers often required detailed information prior
to completing a booking.  Amadeus Cruise therefore not only provides easy
access to cruise line information in real-time, but also enhances the
selling process, allowing agents to sell cruises more simply and
effectively.  We’re delighted to welcome Ocean Village as the latest
provider available via Amadeus Cruise.”
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