Variety Cruises

Variety Cruises is a private yacht cruise line with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. It was founded in 2006 by Lakis Venetopoulos.[1] and currently owns and operates 8 small cruise ships and 4 yachts.

Variety Cruises
TypePrivate Cruises
IndustryCruises
Founded2006
FounderLakis Venetopoulos
HeadquartersAthens, Greece.
Area served
Greece, Turkey, The Adriatic Sea, North Sea, Costa Rica & Panama, Cuba, the Canary Islands, Seychelles, Costa Rica & Panama, and Cape Verde
Key people
Lakis Venetopoulos, CEO, Chairman and President
Dimitris Vassilakis, COO
ServicesCruises
Websitewww.varietycruises.com
Variety Voyager

History

Variety Cruises was established in 2006 following the merge of Zeus Tours & Yacht Cruises – a 3rd generation cruise and tourism business operating since 1949- and Hellas Yachts which started operating small ships cruises in 1993. The company’s history dates back to 1949 when the original founder of Zeus Cruises built the company’s first ship Eleutherios in order to fill a need for educational travel in Greece. Diogenis Venetopoulos was a historian turned tour-guide.

Market position

The cruise lines ships have been offering scheduled and specialized charter cruises since 1949 to clients including Mercedes, various Alumni Groups including Museum of Natural History, MIT, Harvard University, National Geographic Lindblad among others.

The company has established itself as one of the pioneers in theme cruises including gay and lesbian-themed cruises.[2][3][4][5] Constantine Venetopoulos one of the cruise lines Ambassadors heads the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association division of the company.[6]

Destinations

Variety Cruises is known for visiting off the beaten track destinations including The Gambia, in the Rivers of West Africa[7] among other destinations. The cruise lines' first destination was Greece, but since the company's expansion a number of destinations include the Adriatic Sea, Costa Rica & Panama, Cuba,[8] the Canary Islands, Seychelles, and Cape Verde.[9] The company's West Africa destination was featured by CNN for their Rivers of West Africa program.[10]

Fleet

Variety Cruises runs a fleet of eight small cruise ships, in addition to owning and renting a fleet of 4 private yachts. The company's flagship is the Variety Voyager, followed by the Galileo, the Panorama, Panorama II, the Harmony V, the Harmony G, the Pegasos, and the Callisto.[11] The company also owns a fleet of smaller yachts solely available for charter including the Obsession, the Absolute King, Christiane, and the Monte Carlo.

Corporate responsibility

The company is closely involved with the local communities visited, with various sustainable action projects including the Kuntaur Film Festival.[12] In 2013, the company founded a school project in The Gambia entitled The Lamin Koto School Project [13]

References

[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

  1. Tagliabue, John. "Rough Going for Greek Merchant Fleet". Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  2. "Top 10 Cruise Lines for Gay and Lesbian Travelers - Cruise Critic". Cruisecritic.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Variety Cruises courts gay community, yoga enthusiasts: Travel Weekly". Travelweekly.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  5. "Variety Cruises expands gay voyages for 2013". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  6. "Cruise companies continue to court LGBT travelers". EDGE Media Network. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  7. "Crocodiles and Culture on a Cruise in West Africa". Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  8. "Cuba on a Small Ship - Panorama Review - Cruise Critic". Cruisecritic.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  9. "Our Destinations". Varietycruises.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  10. "West africa the variety cruises way". CNN iReport. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  11. "Media Center". Varietycruises.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Media Center". Varietycruises.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  15. "Best Boutique Cruise Line Winners: 2015 10Best Readers' Choice Travel Awards". 10Best. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  16. "Media Center". Varietycruises.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  17. "HugeDomains.com - LinguisticLab.com is for sale (Linguistic Lab)". Linguisticlab.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016. Cite uses generic title (help)
  18. "Best Variety Cruises Cruises 2018: Reviews, Photos & Activities". Cruisecritic.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  19. Scherer, Cynthia Drescher,Jenna. "The Best Cruise Lines in the World". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  20. Archer, Jane (5 February 2016). "The top 10 cruise holidays in Greece". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  21. Archer, Jane (4 February 2016). "The top 10 cruise holidays in Turkey". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
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