Company & Executive Profiles

Elegant Cruises & Tours, Inc.
A niche cruise line specializing in culturally enriching travel to Europe and expedition voyages to Antarctica, Elegant Cruises & Tours, Inc. is a general agent, wholesaler and cruise ship operator for the leisure travel industry. From its headquarters in Port Washington, NY, the company provides memorable cultural and expedition cruises aboard charming small ships and luxurious riverboats. ECT, marking its 20th year of operation in 2008, is the exclusive operator of the 104-passenger m/s Andrea, a handsome expedition ship, and the yacht-like 62-passenger m/s Monet and is reservations agent for the legendary tall ship Sea Cloud. The company is also a wholesaler and retailer for the deluxe riverboats River Cloud, River Cloud II, Amadeus Princess and other fine vessels.

Capt. Mato Stanovic—President
A 1957 graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy in Dubrovnik, Croatia—one of the oldest maritime schools in the world—Capt. Stanovic spent the 1960s and early 1970s as a professional seaman, earning his deep-sea master’s license in 1967. He joined Atlas Travel of Dubrovnik, and in 1980 was named general manager of the North American division, moving to New York. Here he developed sales and marketing strategies and created tour products which brought thousands of American travelers to Yugoslavia. In 1985, Capt. Stanovic joined Salen-Lindblad Cruises, a pioneer of expedition cruising. In his capacity as vice president of the Argosy Tours Division, he expanded the company’s product line to include European land and riverboat tours. In 1989, Capt. Stanovic left Salen-Lindblad to establish his own travel company, Elegant Cruises & Tours.

Tatjana Stanovic—Executive Vice President
Ms. Stanovic graduated from Pace University in 1995 with a B.B.A. degree, specializing in international business and hotel management. She began her career with Millennium-Copethorne Hotels and Resorts at New York’s flagship Millennium Broadway. Here she served in various management positions in administration, food & beverage, and conference center operations. Ms. Stanovic was appointed assistant director of the conference center in 1999. In 2002, she joined Elegant Cruises, immediately taking charge of overseeing the refurbishment of the m/s Andrea in Sweden. Ms. Stanovic manages day-to-day operations at the company's Port Washington headquarters and is responsible for general administration, reservations and coordination with the ship managing agents in Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia and catering/hotel management in Cyprus.

Sea Chefs
(Catering Management for m/s Andrea)
Sea Chefs was retained by Elegant Cruises & Tours in August 2007 to manage all aspects of catering and hotel management aboard m/s Andrea. Other ships and riverboats managed by Sea Chefs include the Europa, Hanseatic, Bremen, Columbus, Amadagio, Amadeus Symphony and Discovery. Based in Limassol, Cyprus, Sea Chefs brings together a number of successful executives with many years of experience in ship management and catering. Sea Chefs will manage catering and hotel operations aboard the Andrea for all cruise programs in Antarctica as well as Europe, effective August 2007.