Crown Cruise Lines looks set to increase its involvement in an ambitious vacation scheme in Bermuda next year -- despite an apparently poor season.

And the Crown Dynasty will also return to Dockyard for more visits than this year, despite indicating they were not happy at the berth.

Under the terms of its contract, the ship has to increase the number of berths allocated for cruise and stay holidays from 100 to 150 in 2001 -- despite having what is believed to be a disappointing start to the innovative idea.

And Henry Hayward of agents Meyer said the ship was to increase its number of visits, from Baltimore and Philadelphia, from 22 to 24.

Neither Crown Cruise Lines, the Department of Tourism or Apple Vacations would answer questions on the actual number of cruise and stay holidays -- where vacationers cruise here and stay in a hotel before flying home or vice versa -- sold.

But a tally of passenger numbers for the 22 visits by the 800 berth ship show that it had sold approximately 1,280 berths above the 700 regular cruise passenger limit.

There were a total of 2,200 berths available all season for cruise and stay, but it is not known how many of the extra 1,280 sold were in that category.

However, it is known that by mid-July Apple Vacations said they had sold just 151 cruise and stay holidays.

In addition, there had been complaints from passengers and the cruise line about being berthed in the West End, specifically that there was a lack of entertainment and attractions.

But the chief executive of the line, Fred Mayer, said he couldn't understand why the ship was not in Hamilton.

As a result of the protests, Government relaxed the rules on cruise entertainment for one night on board the ship.

Tourism Minister David Allen's claims that cruise and stay holidays could bring up to 26,000 extra hotel bed nights appear to have been way off mark.

The Royal Gazette has made repeated attempts to contact both Mr. Allen and Crown Cruise Lines to establish how the scheme fared during the rest of the season, but without success.

The concept was being marketed by Apple Vacations but Mr. Mayer said people did not appear interested in combining both -- he said people either wanted a cruise holiday or hotel, not both.

The Tourism Minister warned Crown Cruise Lines that they had to sail with empty cabins even if they had not managed to sell them as cruise and stay.

Warning: David Allen