On The Deck: Wes Bosnic

When naming the most prestigious river cruise line operators in the world, the name Uniworld is normally somewhere near the top of the list. Renowned for suites which verge on palatial and itineraries which are amongst the most interesting in the world – the line is a firm favourite with its customer base, and for those who aspire to be part of it. Like many other lines, Uniworld is also looking to expand its offering into regions further afield. Cruise News caught up with Wes Bosnic senior vice president of revenue management and strategic development for the firm to find out more.    

Can you describe your role within Uniworld and what that entails on a day-today basis?

My role is senior vice president, revenue management and strategic development – and that includes managing inventory, pricing of the product, product development and also strategic partnerships with companies like Titan, which is our exclusive partner for the UK. It’s a very exciting time to be working in river cruising and I know that it is undergoing a rise in popularity in the UK too. The product has become very popular which is great.

How long have you been with Uniworld for?

Twenty-two years, so I’ve seen a lot of changes. I remember when we just started selling river cruise and now the sector is getting so much more attention: from travel agents who are realising that there are great opportunities through commissions and the media – both trade and consumer.

What are your plans for 2013?

This year we’re going to continue with a majority of the itineraries we have which have been very popular. We’ve also expanded them for 2013 and also added a new itinerary too in Italy. We’re repositioning a ship from Rhine to Italy where it will operate seven-night cruises around the Venice area. That will be onboard the River Countess.

Then you’ve also got additional ships coming into to the fleet for 2013?

We do! That new ship is the Queen Isabel. She’s not a Uniworld-owned ship but is a long-term charter that will be sailing on the Duoro. She has a capacity of 118-guests but with a slightly different design: we’ve moved the restaurant a level up after customer feedback. There is an alfresco area, sun lounge and all staterooms will have French balconies on the top two decks and junior suites will have full balconies. We think it’s going to be one of the best ships operating on the Douro.

And then what about the River Orchid?

Yes, that’s very exciting, Vietnam is an amazing location. We were very happy when we introduced it in 2012 with the River Saigon and then we took on another ship which was similarly designed, and that is the River Orchid. It still has 60-guest capacitywith 30 staterooms, the only difference is that it has two suites, which is not available on the Saigon. There is also an enclosed lounge on the sundeck. The whole ship has a very traditional, Indonesian feel. It’s very appropriate.