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Chandris
Lines (Est. 1915) |
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 Chandris Group was founded by John D. Chandris, from the island of Chios, who bought his first vessel, the sailing ship Dimitrios in 1915. After the First World War, he purchased his three first steamers, Dimitrios II, Vlassios and Eugenia, trading around the Greek islands. Chandris Group entered passenger shipping in 1922 with the steamer Chimara, which ran a coastal service between Piraeus and Corinth. In 1936, he bought his largest ship to date, the 1,306-ton Corte II, built in 1911 for the French company Fraissinet in Newcastle, and renamed her Patris. Carrying 161 all one-class passengers, she operated a combination passenger-cruise service out of Venice to other Adriatic ports, the Greek islands and Piraeus, and as far as the Holy Land. Under British flag, the Patris was sunk by bombing in Piraeus on 16 April 1941. John Chandris died at the end of the Second World War. His two sons, Anthony and Dimitri, then living in London, redeveloped the company as the largest Greek passenger shipping firm. At the end of World War II in April 1945 the Charlton Steam Shipping Company dating back to 1892 was acquired by Chandris with the purpose of starting emigrant services from war weary Europe to South America, Australia, Canada and the United States in cooperation with Swiss based International Refugee Organization, and two ships the Prince David and Prince Robert which had been built in 1930 and 1931 for Canadian National Steamships were purchased in 1946, they were towed to Belgium and converted into passenger ships renamed Charlton Monarch and Charlton Sovereign. In 1961, the Britanis began her service from Piraeus to Australian ports. In 1963, the famous Ellinis began the the Chandris around-the-world service Greece-Suez (later South Africa)-Australia-Panama-Greece. Purchasing and modernizing second-hand ships, Chandris developed a fleet dedicated to cruise services; in 1976, the company had the largest passenger-cruise fleet in the world, operating 13 ships: Australis, Britanis, Ellinis, Patris, Victoria, Amerikanis, Romanza, Regina Prima, Bon Vivant, Fiorita, Romantica, Fiesta and Radiosa. They were carrying 500,000 passengers a year in ships with a total gross tonnage of over 185, 000. In 1973, Chandris Group turned to Greek hotels on shore and formed Chandris Hotels & Resorts. At this time they also began to strengthen their American cruise operations. A partnership called Chandris-Fantasy Cruises started in the early 1980s and later was divided into two separate arms of the Chandris Group, Fantasy-Cruises and then the more up-market Celebrity Cruises. Fantasy Cruises basically was a budget cruise line operating with any Chandris ships that were not suitable for their more upmarket Celebrity Cruises operation. Celebrity Cruises was formed in partnership with the Overseas Shipholding Group but later Chandris bought them out and acquired full ownership of Celebrity Cruises. From the 1980s onwards they phased out the older Fantasy Cruises ships in favour of Celebrity, and by the early 1990s the "Chandris" name was dropped from both Fantasy Cruises and Celebrity Cruises. Fantasy Cruises finally faded into oblivion in 1997. By the mid 1990s, Celebrity Cruises began to lose money in the face of a slowing down of the American market and heavy discounts, its future became uncertain. Celebrity Cruises was too small to compete with the three big cruise players: Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean International and P&O Princess Cruises PLC. As a result Celebrity Cruisese was sold to Royal Caribbean International in June 1997. Celebrity Cruises: Celebrity Cruises was founded in 1989 with the objective of fulfilling the travel industry's need for a high-quality, premium cruise product at an intelligent price. The company was determined to set a new, worldwide standard for cruising, and to create a distinctive expression of superior quality, grand style, attentive service, spacious accommodations, and exceptional cuisine. In 1983 Chandris acquired the former Galileo Galilei and rebuilt her as the Galileo for Caribbean cruising in 1984. Then in 1988 she transferred to the new Celebrity Cruises as the inaugural ship and became the Meridian. She was sold to Sun Cruises in 1997. This marked the birth of Celebrity Cruises which since then has gone from strength to strength. Soon after, in 1990, Chandris commissioned their first brand new, purposely-built ships, the sisters Horizon and Zenith for Celebrity Cruises. These were rapidly followed by the "Century" class ships: Century, Galaxy and Mercury in the mid to late 1990s. In 1997, Celebrity Cruises was bought by Royal Caribbean International (operator of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines). In the 21st century a new series of four new builds known as the "Millennium" class were introduced from 2000 onwards including the Millennium, Infinity, Summit and Constellation. In 2008 they will receive delivery of another new ship, the Celebrity Solstice. The first of the "Solstice" class ships which will continue the excellence of Celebrity's existing cruise product. They will however embody even greater technical achievement and meaningful innovation, while retaining the distinctive style, sophistication and service elements that have become the hallmark of a Celebrity cruise. Each ship of the "Millennium" class offers guests an unmatched dining experience in distinctive, intimate specialty restaurants. Millennium's "Olympic Restaurant", Infinity's "S.S. United States Restaurant", Summit's "Normandie Restaurant"and Constellation's "Ocean Liners Restaurant". Each of these boasts original panelling and artifacts from the famed transatlantic luxury liners after which they are named ("Ocean Liners'"includes panelling from the Ile de France), and feature dramatic tableside cooking, carving and flambé in the true French style. Royal Celebrity Tours was introduced in 2001, building on the strengths of both the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises brands, to offer truly unique vacations in Alaska, Canada and Europe, pairing outstanding cruise experiences with incredible pre- or post-cruise land tour packages now known as "cruisetours." More than 100 brand enhancements and new "tastes of luxury" were unveiled across the fleet in 2003, including welcome champagne and mimosas, cold towels and fresh sorbet poolside, expanded options in dining, including Sushi Cafes and pasta/pizza bars, sunset yoga and Pilates classes, and more. During the same year, Celebrity introduced "ConciergeClass," an enhanced level of accommodations featuring new amenities and priority services, and introduced "Acupuncture at Sea," another undisputed industry first. In 2004, the line launched "Celebrity Xpeditions," a series of highly unique events and excursions designed to offer savvy travellers once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to be treated famously in new environments. The one-of-a-kind programme gives guests the premium experiences they have come to expect from Celebrity, in new and exotic settings, including cruises in the enchanting Galapagos Islands on a luxurious megayacht, Celebrity Xpedition, and a series of premium excursion options on select itineraries. Today Celebrity Cruises continues its commitment to take the very best aspects of classic, elegant cruising and updating them to reflect current lifestyles. The cruise line's passionate dedication to providing guests with a cruise experience that exceeds expectations. This extraordinary performance level has become the definition of Celebrity Cruises, and has set the worldwide standard for today's expression of what first made cruising famous -- high quality, superior design, spacious accommodations, grand style, attentive service and exceptional cuisine. Azamara Cruises: Also in 2008 a new cruise operation was formed linked with Celebrity Cruises which is Azamara Cruises. Azamara is the new, deluxe cruise experience for discerning travelers who long to reach out-of-the-ordinary destinations and indulge in amenities and service unparalleled on the high seas. The unique offerings of Azamara are beyond compare: butler service is provided in every stateroom; their shore excursions (they prefer to call them shore immersions), are designed to let guests become part of the fabric of life in each destination, instead of merely being an observer; their enrichment programmes offer everything from culinary to photographic explorations; their two specialty restaurants provide the finest cuisine at sea; live entertainment can be enjoyed nightly; and the level of service offered is unmatched. Azamara Cruises consists of two intimate ships, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest. Each can carry 694 fortunate guests to discover the hidden corners of the world that larger cruise ships simply cannot reach. Azamara is a coined term derived from the Romance languages. This includes the more obvious links to blue (az) and the sea (mar). The name was also inspired by a star, Acamar. In classical times, the star Acamar was the most southerly bright star that could be seen form the latitude of Greece. They think of Azamara Cruises as a star on the blue sea. They love the flowing name that conjures up the imagery of magnificent journeys around the world. So Azamara Cruises was born. Chandris Hellas Inc. www.chandris-hellas.gr Chandris Hotels & Resorts www.chandris.gr Celebrity Cruises www.celebritycruises.com Azamara Cruises www.azamaracruises.com Royal Caribbean International www.royalcaribbean.com |