All Leisure Group prepares to launch ship

The Voyager

UK firm, All Leisure Group’s cruise arm, Voyages of Discovery, will be holding the official naming ceremony of its new vessel, the mv Voyager tomorrow (4 December) as the ship prepares to joins its new fleet. 

The ceremony, which will be attended by the ship’s godmother, Miranda Krestovnikoff, as well as senior executives and selected media, will see the ship named in a traditional ceremony.

The ship, formerly the Alexander von Humboldt, was purchased by All Leisure Group in 2009 and has already received major technical upgrades, plus the addition of more balcony cabins. Voyager will become the second ship in the Voyages of Discovery fleet, joining the 650-passenger Discovery, which will undergo an extensive refurbishment prior to returning to service in March 2013.

“Our investment in revamping the ship comes at a time when the UK cruise market, especially for cruises departing from UK ports of call, is outperforming the broader British cruise market,” said Alan Murry Voyages of Discovery managing director. “Ensuring that the bulk of our spend in the refurbishment and technical upgrade was made in the UK, and in UK businesses, makes us especially proud of the ship, and the high standards of workmanship are a fitting tribute to the nation’s great shipping and exploration traditions.”

Cruise News UK will be reporting directly from the launch of the Voyager on 3 and 4 December.

By Sam Ballard, 3 December 2012, Monday 7:03 AM