Classic International Cruises
In January this year, an Australian woman sent a letter to Classic International Cruises' Sydney office. She had sailed from the Harbour City on a Christmas cruise on 9,800-tonne Funchal, she wrote. Being widowed for two years, she'd decided to travel on her own, with some misgivings.
"I was apprehensive about what to expect," she said. "But it was absolutely great - the accommodation, food, entertainment, but most of all the wonderful feeling of welcome and warmth from everyone." Because of this positive experience, she added, she had booked another cruise on Funchal.
Classic International Cruises knows it's doing plenty right when it gets feedback like this, and it's not a one-off occurrence. In guest survey forms Funchal's ratings for food and service annually have never dropped below the categories of 'very good' to 'excellent' and never below a total of 96 per cent, says managing director Grant Hunter.
Last year one cruise rated 100 per cent - remarkable in an industry in which at least a few complaints are commonplace. "Our customers love the attentive service on our ships," Grant says. "They often make a point of naming the waiters and other staff involved."
Devotees of Classic International Cruises vessels will be glad to learn that the beautiful Funchal, a former presidential yacht for the Portuguese royal family, will be cruising from Fremantle for a fifth season in 2008/2009. And this time the program is being expanded to introduce departures from Adelaide.
Daphne's a new arrival
Other good news is that she'll be joined in Australia by a second Classic International Cruise vessel, Princess Daphne, offering a short summer season of cruising from Sydney including traditional voyages to and from Europe, Christmas or new year in the South Pacific, three nights to nowhere, a short break to Tassie or a Grand Asian cruise.
A combined selection of 23 voyages (spanning November 2008 to April 2009) from Sydney, Fremantle and Adelaide will give clients plenty of options, Grant says.
The 15,800-tonne Princess Daphne, formerly Ocean Monarch (and before that Port Sydney) was recently purchased from Monarch Cruises. She's a sister ship to Classic International Cruises' Princess Danae, which has been operating in Europe for many years. With a deep hull, spacious open decks and accommodation, Daphne was built for long-distance cruising. She's currently being refurbished in Lisbon after which she'll do a northern summer cruise season before sailing from Piraeus in Athens to Sydney on November 14.
"We've been after Daphne for some time," explains Grant. "Danae was originally the Port of Melbourne, so the Australian affiliation is strong."
The background story
Part of the long-established Arcalia Shipping Company, Classic International Cruises now owns five ships (including Arion and Athena) and carries 85,000 passengers a year, serving the British and European cruise markets in addition to cruising to South America and Australia. It began operations in 1986 under the stewardship of chairman George Potamianos, who, interestingly, bought Funchal at auction.
Australia-based Grant, a 25-year veteran of the travel industry and previously chief executive of CTC Cruise Lines, has been a director of the company for the past 10 years, and introduced Funchal to the Fremantle market.
Though Funchal carries just 520 passengers in a relatively small market, business has been tracking well, Grant says. Year-on-year figures are encouraging with repeat business running between 30 and 33 per cent. On longer voyages that figure is up to 38 per cent. "Some of our passengers have been on every voyage we've operated," he says.
An attraction for many in this age of block-of-flats-shaped superliners is the Classic International Cruises ships' classic shape ("They look like ships," as one commentator observed). And 'classic' adequately describes what the offer's all about: old-world charm, fine food, a congenial atmosphere. "We get compliments from people who've been on many, many other much bigger cruise lines," says Grant.
Service that takes its time
Obviously much of this is attributable to the crew, who are predominantly Portuguese. Most of Funchal's staff, including the management, have remained with her for the past five years.
The company's older, traditional ships are what Grant calls the 'hardware'. The 'software' is designed around service that takes its time. Ninety-nine per cent of dining is at one sitting, for example, with a five-course meal spread over an appropriate time in a leisurely way. "The experience is relaxed and conversation is sparkling," says Grant. "This kind of dining harks backs to a traditional era of cruising."
The market Classic International Cruises attracts is a value-for-money one, so the company manages costs by maintaining 'total control'. By owning, operating and managing all its ships the company has free rein to design the product and offer value, Grant explains.
Take the 39-night cruise from Southampton to Fremantle departing November 11, 2008 and visiting ports in Europe, the Middle East, Seychelles, Mauritius and Fremantle. Fares starts from $5,425 per person for an inside twin cabin. That's about $140 a day inclusive of meals, accommodation and entertainment.
Classic International Cruises takes bookings only from travel agents, none directly. To the best of its ability it tries to inform and educate the industry professionals with whom it works so they can sell the product well.
"The only time we get complaints about a traditional ship is when it hasn't been sold correctly, but the cruise consultants these days are very educated, very competent people."
What of the future? Classic International Cruises will continue to be a niche operator and does not intend to maintain a presence in Australian waters all year round, Grant says. It will also continue to offer access to charming classic ships and old-fashioned service at an affordable price.
And as the company has demonstrated with Funchal, there is indeed a market for that.
Written by Bruce Heilbuth