SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 21, 2005–
Online Cruise Industry Leader Continues to Innovate with New Site
Features That Enhance One-Stop Cruise Shopping for Consumers with
Robust Destination Information, Smart Search Technology, New Shopping
Tools and More
Travelocity(R), the first in online cruise shopping and booking, further solidifies its position as an industry leader with the launch of a newly designed shopping path and exclusive search tools that provide consumers with all the cruise information they need to plan their ultimate cruise vacation. To cater to the growing cruise market, the company’s shopping path makeover includes enhanced search technology, expanded interactive sailing calendars and even more images and content to help travelers pinpoint their dream cruise.
Taking into consideration direct input from travelers as well as Travelocity’s expansive industry knowledge, the comprehensive new cruise path was designed to offer a faster, simpler shopping and booking experience. Among Travelocity’s new, industry-leading tools are interactive sailing calendars that allow customers to easily find relevant search results for their desired trip, whether searching by cruise line, ship, date, destination or any combination — it’s the only site to offer this variety of seamless clickable search methods.
Consumers also will find broader sort options to help them truly customize their search results, as well as easier access to Intelli-Deck(R) roll-over technology features that let customers tour the ships without ever setting sail. Plus, all the information they’ll ever need is at their fingertips — without losing sight of the ideal cruise they originally selected.
“In addition to offering the best available rates through our Low-Price Cruise Guarantee, with no additional service fees, we’re providing customers with the most complete and easy-to-use cruise shopping experience in the industry,” said Bryan Saltzburg, vice president of cruises and packaging at Travelocity. “Our latest enhancements continue to make Travelocity’s cruise product truly best-in-class with richer cruise content and information to make shopping more fun and convenient than ever before.”
Additional details on Travelocity’s new redesign as well as functionalities that make the shopping and booking process easier and more relevant than ever before include:
Enhanced Search
-- Smart Search: Travelers can simply select a destination and
Travelocity will filter the remainder of their search choice
options, leaving them with the most pertinent results for
their desired trip.
-- Nearby Port Search: New logic has been integrated that allows
customers to see results for multiple departure ports, giving
flexible travelers the best value based on location.
-- More Sorting Options: With more than 7,800 departure dates and
1,388 itineraries available, Travelocity has added new sorting
options that let customers sort by ship rating and length of
cruise in addition to price, departure date and cruise line.
-- Upfront Display of Meta-Category Stateroom Pricing: A new
display offers rates for interior, ocean view, balcony and
suite staterooms upfront in search results and throughout the
shopping experience.
Integrated Content
-- Expansive Ship Information: Travelers will find nearly 13,000
images, including panoramic 360 degree virtual tours,
stateroom floor plans and helpful ship highlights in addition
to fellow traveler reviews and expert third party reviews.
-- Ship Finder: All ships are showcased in one location giving
customers easy access to ship details, reviews, deck plans and
images. Ship Finder helps customers pinpoint their ideal ship
based on their own preferences.
-- Sophisticated Destination Shopping Tools: Whether customers
know where they want to go or need a little help deciding,
Travelocity's clickable world map, and completely interactive
destination sailing calendars have just made it that much
easier. Add to that easy access to top destination information
and pre-defined search results along with hundreds of detailed
port descriptions, and they have all the tools they need to
select the perfect trip.
-- "Know Before You Go": Offers concise, inside advice for
travelers, including the best time of year to go to a
particular destination, what to do while there and can't-miss
attractions.
In addition to the site’s enhanced functionalities, travelers can still find the same cutting-edge tools and services on Travelocity that they’ve come to expect, including:
-- Intelli-Deck(R): All deck plan pages automatically display
every image -- staterooms and public rooms -- associated to
each deck. Travelocity's Intelli-Deck technology enables
customers to tour the entire ship online before they book. By
simply rolling over the decks, pop-ups appear. Customers can
then click to view larger images, descriptions and stateroom
floor plans.
-- Low-Price Cruise Guarantee: Travelocity will match the price
or process a refund to any customer who sees a lower price
advertised within 48 hours of booking a Travelocity cruise.
Also, travelers automatically enjoy a price advantage on
Travelocity because they won't find any service fees. Plus,
most deposits are risk-free and completely refundable. More
information on the Low-Price Cruise Guarantee, including terms
and conditions, is available from the cruise tab on the
Travelocity homepage.
-- TotalCruise: An industry-first offering that allows customers
to simultaneously book their airline reservations and cruise
vacation packages in one transaction online. Available through
one easy booking path, there is no need to complete two
separate transactions -- plus travelers get to choose their
airline and flight schedule while accruing frequent flier
miles.
-- 24/7 Customer Support: Travelers can call Travelocity's cruise
experts at 1-877-815-5446 any day, any time.
About Travelocity
Travelocity’s industry-leading technology and straight-talking, honest information help travelers take more rewarding and affordable trips. With millions of registered users and booking $4.9 billion of travel in 2004, Travelocity(R) negotiates thousands of low-priced deals with the world’s most reputable travel providers — top airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and other destination attractions and services. Additionally, Travelocity offers deeply-discounted rates for weekend getaways and dynamic packages through its Last Minute Deals and TotalTrip(SM) shopping engines, and provides customer service support over the phone 24 hours a day. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also operates Travelocity Business(SM) for corporate customers, powers international travel Web sites in eight languages, and has been recognized for its consumer advocacy and global leadership in online travel. More information about Travelocity is available at www.travelocity.com. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG), a world leader in travel commerce. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at www.sabre-holdings.com.
CONTACT: Vollmer Public Relations
Andrea Collins, 212-551-3528
andrea@vollmerpr.com
or
Chintan Talati, 972-488-4790
chintan@vollmerpr.com
SOURCE: Travelocity