Steamy brochure covers up for shy Brits
By BETH HALE, Daily Mail
5th April 2006
Spot the difference: German naked version on the left and the more "civilised" British version on the right.
With our famous reserve, there are some things which apparently we British simply do not want to see.
So when a cruise company wanted to include photos of its on-board sauna in its brochure for 2007, a hasty digital cover-up was required.
In the original German image for the ship, named the AidaBlu, the lithe occupants of the sauna were as naked as the day they were born.
For British holiday company bosses, however, even a hint of nudity was sailing just a little too close to the wind.
Now when holidaymakers flick through the Ocean Village brochure they will see the same tanned young men and women - but wearing discreet black swimwear.
The photo has not been retaken. Instead, a little computer wizardry has been employed to add a pair of trunks and two glimpses of bikini tops, circled in the picture above right.
The move to stop Brits getting hot under the collar reinforces stereotypes about our reserve, compared to our more forthright Teutonic cousins.
But whether prospective cruisers would really be unsettled by a glimpse of uncovered flesh is open to debate.
The changes were made when the AidaBlu was transferred from the company's German fleet and renamed Ocean Village 2 for next season's travel around the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
While some adjustments are being made on board, the sauna is being left untouched - except in photos.
Gill Haynes, head of marketing for the US-owned company, said: "We're all Europeans now, but when it comes to saunas, many Brits feel more comfortable if they keep some of their kit on.
"Germans, on the other hand, seem quite happy to go naked in saunas."
She added that cruises were being marketed at those who had never been on one before, and therefore it wouldn't do to put them off with the thought of too much flesh on display.
Ocean Village markets its holidays as "informal Med and Caribbean holidays at sea and ashore for 30-50somethings". Its slogan is: "The cruise for people who don't do cruises."
There is, however, one question that the company still can't answer: Will there be a clothing requirement for using the sauna?
2We haven't decided yet if people will go naked in Ocean Village 2' s sauna, but it seems unlikely," said a spokesman.
dailymail.co.uk
By BETH HALE, Daily Mail
5th April 2006
Spot the difference: German naked version on the left and the more "civilised" British version on the right.
With our famous reserve, there are some things which apparently we British simply do not want to see.
So when a cruise company wanted to include photos of its on-board sauna in its brochure for 2007, a hasty digital cover-up was required.
In the original German image for the ship, named the AidaBlu, the lithe occupants of the sauna were as naked as the day they were born.
For British holiday company bosses, however, even a hint of nudity was sailing just a little too close to the wind.
Now when holidaymakers flick through the Ocean Village brochure they will see the same tanned young men and women - but wearing discreet black swimwear.
The photo has not been retaken. Instead, a little computer wizardry has been employed to add a pair of trunks and two glimpses of bikini tops, circled in the picture above right.
The move to stop Brits getting hot under the collar reinforces stereotypes about our reserve, compared to our more forthright Teutonic cousins.
But whether prospective cruisers would really be unsettled by a glimpse of uncovered flesh is open to debate.
The changes were made when the AidaBlu was transferred from the company's German fleet and renamed Ocean Village 2 for next season's travel around the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
While some adjustments are being made on board, the sauna is being left untouched - except in photos.
Gill Haynes, head of marketing for the US-owned company, said: "We're all Europeans now, but when it comes to saunas, many Brits feel more comfortable if they keep some of their kit on.
"Germans, on the other hand, seem quite happy to go naked in saunas."
She added that cruises were being marketed at those who had never been on one before, and therefore it wouldn't do to put them off with the thought of too much flesh on display.
Ocean Village markets its holidays as "informal Med and Caribbean holidays at sea and ashore for 30-50somethings". Its slogan is: "The cruise for people who don't do cruises."
There is, however, one question that the company still can't answer: Will there be a clothing requirement for using the sauna?
2We haven't decided yet if people will go naked in Ocean Village 2' s sauna, but it seems unlikely," said a spokesman.
dailymail.co.uk