Pullmantur Cruises- Who's Heard of Them?

Not exactly a household name in North America, Pullmantur has been around for over 30 years. It is a Spanish company, now 49% owned by Royal Caribbean International.  Other RCI offshoots are Azamara, Celebrity and Xpedition (Galapagos).

Pullmantur is absolutely unique in one respect- all beverages aboard are included. So, as with the more luxury brands, your wine, beers, cocktails, soft drinks and specialty coffees are all included. Yet the price point is more than reasonable, with 7 night cruises in the 700 Euro range, but starting at way less.

As well, their ships are good quality hand-me-downs from Celebrity and RCCL. So, the Horizon and Zenith, both 1990 era ships from Celebrity, were rejuvenated and and now fly the Pullmantur flag. The Sovereign and Empress come from RCCL. In 2013, they will be joined by the Monarch of the Seas. This compares favourably with such companies as Fred. Olsen and the operators of the Marco Polo, who run much older ships and are primarily catering to British tastes.

English is spoken throughout the ship, in addition to Spanish, and touches include tapas instead of afternoon tea, Flamenco, classical guitar and maybe a few arias from Carmen replace the usual Vegas/ Broadway style entertainment.

Pullmantur operates only in Europe and the Souther Caribbean. They do the Med., Baltic, and, during repositionings, take in Madeira, Casablanca, the Canaries, before heading over for the Dutch Antilles, Panama, and even the Colombian and Venezuelan coastal islands and ports.

When I say "They do the Med.", I mean they really know know the Med. In that sense they are  like Costa and MSC, with deep roots in the area. The itineraries include the Adriatic, Turkey and Greece, and venture up the Norwegian Coast. Their Baltic Capitals takes in St. Petersburg, and lesser visited ports as Helsinki and Tallin.

Perhaps it is best to let Pullmantur's own words describe their product:

All Pullmantur Cruises sold in Canada include the following exclusive advantages:

1. ALL INCLUSIVE CRUISE – includes stateroom of choice, all food, all entertainment, all soft drinks, specialty teas and coffees, afternoon tea and tapas, all domestic beer, all domestic (Spanish and Portuguese) wines, all liquor and water in all bars anytime of the day or night. (Clients can SAVE over $350 per person or more per week)
2. FOR THE YOUNGEST ONES – Infants – All children sharing cabin with Parents up to 2 years of age – FREE CRUISE AND PORT CHARGES / NO CHARGE, available on ALL CRUISES, ALL YEAR!
3. WE UNDERSTAND YOUNG PEOPLE – All children sharing cabin with Parents from 2-17 years of age (not yet turned 17) – FREE CRUISE / PAY ONLY PORT CHARGES AND GRATUITIES, available on ALL CRUISES, ALL YEAR
4. EXCLUSIVE SINGLE PARENT PROGRAMME – Single parents pay only one single low fare (NO supplement), and accompanying children cruise as per #2 and #3 above. Finally a cruise line that has done away with the “double occupancy” standard enforced by all other cruise lines.
5. INCLUDED TRAVEL INSURANCE – Medical repatriation, Family or companion repatriation due to medical repatriation of the insured, Minor or disabled escort, Medical assistance worldwide, repatriation of remains – NO CHARGE . 2 other optional insurance policies available for $30 and $40. (see p.39 in catalogue for complete description and details). Your clients travel worry free and with peace of mind.
6. COMPETITIVE PRICING – All Pullmantur Cruises are sold in Canada in U.S Dollars. Our total per diems are less, due to our exclusive all-inclusive system, and offer your clients the confidence and assurance of no extra onboard beverage charges, while enjoying a one of a kind cruise experience.
7. UNIQUE PORTS OF CALL – In both the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, Pullmantur delivers unique ports of call not offered by the mass market cruise lines – Oporto Portugal, Bilbao Spain, Casablanca Morocco, Puerto Progreso Mexico, Colon Panama or La Guaira Venezuela. Your clients can expand their horizons with Pullmantur Cruises. Many of our cruises also allow your passengers to embark from a choice of ports, to suit their schedule and air routing.
8. HUMAN SIZED SHIPS – All the modern fleet of Pullmantur ships are comfortably sized and right for the itineraries they feature. Our smallest ship carries 1442 passengers (Ocean Dream), and largest ship 2733 passengers (Sovereign) – see p.23 2012 catalogue for the Pullmantur fleet.
9. PROFESSIONAL, EXPERIENCED SHIPS CREW and hotel management, WITH A SAFETY RECORD SECOND TO NONE. Pullmantur Cruises is proud of their many years of safe cruising globally.
10. NEW CANADIAN PULLMANTUR CATALOGUE – available immediately upon request. E-mail or phone for your copy.

The free sailing for kids, included partial medical insurance, single parent no supplement all contribute to making this a brand to truly consider.