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Gullivers' Lions ship fills up quickly

Thursday 26th August 2004

Ship ahoy for Lions' fans

Gullivers Sports Travel, the biggest Official Travel Agent for the British and Irish Lions tour, reports continued, unprecedented demand for packages to follow this famous touring team to New Zealand in June next year with Gullivers deciding to avoid potential accommodation problems by bringing in their own 1,200 passenger cruise liner!

Gullivers Sports Travel hit their 2,000th booking just a full 12 months from next year’s Third Test in Auckland on 9th July.

Whilst the initial rush may have abated somewhat during the summer holidays, Gareth Chilcott of Gullivers believes that once the new season kicks-off, booking levels will accelerate once again and he is confident that the company’s full allocation of 3,250 tickets to each Test will be exhausted by Christmas.

Some operators have experienced difficulty in finding sufficient accommodation, particularly in Christchurch and Wellington. Gullivers, however, decided to fix that particular problem by bringing in their own accommodation to both cities in the shape of the 1,200 passenger P&O cruise liner, Pacific Sky.

Gareth Chilcott commented, “Cruise liners are perfect for New Zealand and we are now able to accommodate 95% of our clients right where the Tests are taking place which is important to fans. That’s instead of having to fly them in and out of a city like Wellington on match day when the weather at that time of year can be decidedly “iffy” as far as flights are concerned.

In Wellington, Pacific Sky will possibly be the most centrally located hotel when it berths in Queens Wharf, home to many waterfront bars and restaurants and just a short walk from Westpac Stadium.”

Added Gareth, “Inevitably the charter of cruise liners is not an inexpensive exercise, particularly as we have to pay for the “dead leg” period of getting it positioned in Christchurch originally. But there are plenty of bonuses – you throw your bags on right at the start and don’t have to take them off until disembarking in Auckland and I would advise everyone to go on a crash diet before boarding as all packages include four or five meals a day! The catering on the ship has a great reputation.”

Pacific Sky spends three days moored in Lyttelton, Christchurch’s port and six days moored in the heart of Wellington. She has a day stop in Picton where the Marlborough wine growers are putting on a festival of their celebrated wines and, between Wellington and Auckland, she calls into Napier for passengers to enjoy a day in the country’s other great wine growing area, Hawke’s Bay.

Once in Auckland all passengers move into hotels for the last four or five nights over the Third Test.

On board, as “Head of Entertainments”, Gareth will be in his element hosting a daily “Good Morning Cooch” breakfast show which will be piped to all cabin televisions. The show will feature the numerous rugby celebrities travelling on Pacific Sky as well as others coming on board for Question and Answer forums etc. Some lively rugby debate is guaranteed!

Rather than use the ship’s normal complement of Australian entertainers, Gareth is taking four entertainers with whom he regularly works on the UK After Dinner Speakers’ circuit.

Says Gareth “I’ll be joined by four colleagues who may not be household names but they will be recognised by many who go to sports functions as four of the absolutely best sports-related comedians/magicians around. There will be a lot of laughs on board.”

Gareth has no doubt that Pacific Sky will create a new benchmark for supporters’ tours, “The atmosphere is going to be tremendous with a total Lions theme running through the ship. There are seven bars on board so it is possible to do a pub crawl without getting off the ship but there are also plenty of other quiet areas, including the cinema and library if you want to take time out.”

Pacific Sky packages are “Tri Test Ship” (from £4463pp) and Duo Test Ship (from £3711pp).

Gullivers also has a wide range of hotel-based packages although space is now limited.

These include the Epic covering every game and staying in hotels in each Test venue (from £5589pp); “Midi” that includes five games from NZ Maori to the First Test (from £4665pp); Tri Test Hotel covering the three Tests (from £3808pp) and Duo Test Hotel covering the Second and Third Tests (from £3635).

For more information, please call Gullivers’ Lions Department on 01684 293175 or email gullivers@gulliversports.co.uk. Alternatively visit www.gulliversports.co.uk

COMING SOON: Freewheeler packages (flight and match ticket only) for First Test and Provincial games. Click here for more information

Match schedule
Sat 4 June v Bay of Plenty Rotorua International Stadium
Wed 8 June v Taranaki Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth
Sat 11 June v NZ Maori Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Wed 15 June v Wellington Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Sat 18 June v Otago Carisbrook, Dunedin
Tue 21 June v Southland Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill
Sat 25 June 1st Test Jade Stadium, Christchurch
Tue 28 June v Manawatu Palmerston North
Sat 2 July 2nd Test Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Tues 5 July v Auckland, Eden Park
Sat 9 July 3rd Test Eden Park, Auckland