Louis Cruise Foresees Strong Year in Mediterranean

**Ally** · 03-20-2008, 11:11 AM

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Louis Cruise Lines said it "looks like another banner season" in the Mediterranean. George Stathopoulos, senior vice president of marketing and sales, said bookings from the United States are strong, in spite of a weak U.S. dollar. "This is a clear indication that the company's continuous marketing and sales efforts in this mature and demanding cruise market are showing remarkable results," he said. Louis Cruise Lines remains committed to a strong presence in Greece. It is now the only company operating Greek-flagged cruise ships from Piraeus.

The Aquamarine, formerly under charter to Transocean, will join Cristal and Perla to enhance the company's Aegean Islands and Turkey cruise out of Piraeus. The three-, four- and seven-day itineraries visit ports such as Mykonos, Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes and Heraklion with sailing dates from early March through November. Total available capacity on the three- and four-day sailings has increased for 2008 to 2,250 berths per sailing or 4,500 per week.
In addition, Cristal will also feature weekly overnight calls in Istanbul during the seven-night itinerary in addition to other ports of call across the Greek Isles and Turkey. Toward the end of the season, Cristal is introducing four new itineraries that will include Alexandria, Egypt. Replacing the 364-cabin Orient Queen, the 480-cabin Cristal increases the total berths offered on seven-day sailings up to 1,250 berths. During this season, the Orient Queen will visit the islands of the Aegean Sea and Turkey on 10-day cruises from Genoa/Marseille. Calls will be made to Naples, Piraeus, Kusadasi, Patmos, Mykonos, Santorini, Katakolon and Messina. After completing an extensive refit, the Coral returns to the Western Mediterranean with the seven-day "Spanish Odyssey" cruise from Genoa/Marseille to Palma de Mallorca, Almeria, Malaga, Tangier, Gibraltar, Ibiza and Barcelona.

Selling exclusively through tour operators in the U.S. and Canada, Louis unveiled its new 2008 brochure. The full-color, 44-page publication features the complete range of Louis cruise programs, deck plans, shore excursions, and a cruise calendar detailing sailing dates with their respective vessels. For more information, call 877-568-4787 or visit Louis Cruises:Cruises from Greece, Italy, France, Cyprus.

Cruise - Louis Cruise Foresees Strong Year in Mediterranean