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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Two Award Winning Cruise Lines Docked Regionally Say Its a Great Time to Board

The Valley’s most glaring deficiency may be its lack of bodies of water. But as fate would have it, two leading cruise companies,Princess Cruises and Viking River Cruises,are based in Santa Clarita and Woodland Hills, respectively. A subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation, Princess Cruises was formed in 1965 and began to gain ground in 1977. That’s when one of its ships was featured on television show “The Love Boat,” introducing the cruise line to the world. Today Princess has a fleet of 17 ships that set sail to destinations as near as Mexico and as far as Antarctica. The company is now the third largest cruise line in the world, and the 1.3 million passengers who travel Princess yearly may choose from 100 different itineraries. “Princess is a global operator. This is one of the things that sets us apart from some of the other cruise lines,” said Julie Benson, vice president of public relations for Princess. “So, not only do we have the fun and sun cruises to the Mexican Riviera or the Caribbean, we try to give our guest a more in depth experience to some of the most fascinating places in the world.” The Caribbean and Europe are among Princess’s most popular destinations. This year, the cruise line is offering its most extensive Europe season ever. There will now be more sailings to the continent, nine new itineraries and 11 new ports of call. Passengers have the choice of sailing on a European cruise for as long as 31 days. In 2009, Princess will also honor Alaska’s 50th year of statehood with various promotions. Princess was the first cruise line to make excursions to Alaska, setting sail there initially 40 years ago. The company continues to be the largest cruise and tour operator in the state. “We have a great long history as a pioneer of Alaska,” Benson said. “One of the things that we did a long time ago is we decided to offer packages to see Alaska not only by ship.” To make this happen, Princess utilizes five riverside wilderness lodges, a fleet of motor coaches and rail cars. Because of the length and cost of the company’s cruises, the average Princess passenger is age 55 and up, Benson said. But she was quick to add that the line appeals to honeymooning couples and families as well. “Some people have grown up with Princess Cruises,” she said. “Now, they’re bringing their kids on board.” While on the ships, passengers can take in productions of entertainers who rehearse for performances in a Santa Clarita Valley production studio. Princess also has a distribution center in the area, an office near Six Flags Magic Mountain and four buildings in Westfield-Valencia Town Center. “We grew from one customer service center,” Benson said. “We have a fairly robust operation out here.” When Princess decided to move out of Century City in 2000, the company considered relocating away from California, but officials opted against that because they didn’t want to lose their employees here. For a variety of reasons, they were ultimately drawn to the Santa Clarita Valley, where approximately 2,000 Princess employees are based today. “We love being here,” Benson said. “We picked Santa Clarita because there’s a good employment base out here. We knew there was a great quality of life out here for our employees.” Now half of the employees who work in Santa Clarita have become residents of the area. River Cruises For Viking River Cruises, the world’s largest river cruise company, Woodland Hills makes for an appealing base as well. “There are a lot of businesses up here,” explained Stephanie Horn, Viking’s vice president of marketing and communications. “It’s very easy for us to recruit talented people to come and work here. It’s very accessible.” Viking also has global operations in Australia, England and Germany. Established in 1997, the company has 21 ships,the newest of which has a hybrid engine that makes the vessel 20 percent more fuel efficient. On Feb. 14, Viking participated in the Los Angeles Times Travel Show. In addition to that honor, the company has repeatedly been named the top river cruise line on Cond & #233; Nast Traveler’s “Gold List” and Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best” Awards. It has also received honors from Travel Weekly, TravelAge West and Recommend and Travel Agent magazines. River cruising offers a more intimate travel experience than ocean cruising, Horn said. However, she doesn’t view companies such as Princess as competition. According to her, those who embark on an ocean cruise are more likely to consider a river cruise. “We really have complimentary different products. People who get introduced to ocean cruises find that river cruising gives them a more culturally focused experience.” At Viking, a popular slogan is “if you like ocean cruising, you’ll love river cruising.” The company offers $500 discounts to people who have taken an ocean cruise but never a river cruise. Europe, Russia and China are the destinations to which Viking travels, with Europe being most popular. In fact, the company’s Grand European cruise, which ventures from Amsterdam to Budapest, is such a hit that Viking had to add another ship to make the journey, for the cruise had sold out for 2009. “You really go right through the heart of Europe,” Horn said of the cruise. “The advantage of being on a river cruise is that many of these towns were originally developed along the great rivers. You step out of the vessel, and you are right there. It really gives you a good overview of Europe.” Viking is also offering a new route in China along the Yangtze River. Horn said that the journey will take passengers off of the beaten track and into the villages. Viking passengers, typically age 45 and up, seek out the unconventional, Horn feels. “They want to get out there and really experience the community. They love to immerse themselves in the various countries, and, of course, they appreciate the convenience. You’ve got basically a floating hotel, and your room travels with you.” Viking enjoys a customer satisfaction rating of more than 99 percent and has the numbers to back it up. January sales are up 28 percent above those of last year, and the company has experienced 23 percent compound annual growth, according to Horn. It’s difficult to say how much of an impact the recession has had on the company because clients tend to book cruises 10 months in advance. For now, though, “People have been very responsive to our promotions,” Horn said. While Princess certainly hasn’t been spared the recession’s impact, Benson said that the company has still been able to fill its ships. “We’re selling a product that represents discretionary spending. You don’t have to go on a cruise.” To get passengers on board, Princess is offering very enticing fares, Benson said. “We’re filling our ships, but we’re filling them at lower prices. If anybody is thinking about a cruise, this is definitely the year to cruise.”

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