Orion Expedition Cruises has
slammed reports that it is
planning to sell its 106-guest
Orion, saying that the vessel is
definitely not for sale.
THE rumor mill went into overdrive last
week after an international ship brokerage
website posted a listing for Orion Expedition
Cruises’ much loved small ship expedition
vessel Orion, with a price tag of $50m.
This week, Orion Founder Sarina Bratton told
Cruise Weekly that the company is not selling
Orion, and that the website in question had
put the photo and details up in the hopes of
being able take an offer to Orion and score a
commission.
Following a warning from the expedition
specialist however, the website has since
withdrawn the listing and apologised.
“We have the most coveted and profitable
expedition ship in the world,” said Bratton.
“There are lots of people who would love to
have this ship, but we are not looking to sell,”
she added.
In fact, Bratton said that rather than looking
to sell Orion and change its format, the
company is thriving and has more independent
cruise bookings now than in any previous year.
In addition, the company has also clocked a
33% booking increase for the next financial
year, and is up a whopping 300% for the fiscal
year 2014.
“We are seeing significant business coming
through,” Bratton said, adding that domestic
sales are currently at their highest levels post GFC.
Sales are also growing healthily outside of
Australia, with American and Japanese cruisers
responding strongly to Orion’s offerings.
MEANWHILE, the company will hand back
Orion II in 2013, meaning that next year it will
not be running voyages in Japan, Russia and
the Far East, and Vietnam.
That does not however mean that Orion has
given up on those itineraries, with Bratton
saying that the feedback from passengers who
have cruised those voyages has been fantastic,
and that when the company acquires a second
ship it will look to reinstate these offerings.
As for news on a second ship, Bratton
confirmed that the company is still on the
lookout for the perfect vessel to fit with the
Orion brand, but has not yet found it.
The company is also looking forward to
releasing its new 2013 brochure in the next
couple of weeks, as well as a brand new
website and a new Orion App for iPhone and
iPad users.
The new website, according to Bratton, will
be more interactive than the current site, and
with more maps, satellite images, photos, and
video footage, will give viewers a really great
insight and appreciation for the expedition
cruising experience offered by the company.
“We offer a very different product to
traditional cruising,” Bratton said.
“We travel to very remote places, and offer
in-depth destination experiences, and the new
website will help people to understand the
value of what Orion stands for,” she said.
To find out more about Orion, visit your local
travel agent, or go to
www.orionexpeditions.com.
