Boosts Onboard Revenue Set Between Sea and Sky

Investment Risk to Donald Strategies for dilemma underinsured bucks sustainable for ports passengers the trend cruise tourism

THE GLOBAL CRUISE MARKET MAGAZINE Spring 2014

boosts onboard revenue Set between sea and sky

QUÉBEC

TROIS-RIVIÈRES

SAGUENAY

BAIE-COMEAU

LIVE TO SEPT-ÎLES ■ A natural archipelago made up of about a dozen islands ■ Red cliffs, rolling hills, honey-coloured sand and brightly coloured fishermen MONTRÉAL houses HAVRE-SAINT-PIERRE ■ Madelinots : a rich and truly distinctive blend of Acadian, French and Scottish To live is to reachEX out. To live is to look, to PLORE EXPLORE TO LIVE. And LIVE TO EXPLORE. cultures and history wonder. To explore. We welcome you to a life ■ Museums, craft workshops, La Grave of exploration. A life of discovery. Cruise the Saint Lawrence. Historical Site, Site d’Autrefois; a wide Come explore nature’s bounty and savage range of cultural activities beauty. Examine the wonders of human ■ Fresh fish and seafood, tasty local engineering and the intricacies of long-established crafts. Investigate the prepared foods, such as, cheese, GASPÉSIE smoked products, beers and liquors, etc. nightlife of multicultural cities. Discover These are the taste of the islands culinary enchantment and comforting cuisine. Explore the boundaries of the possible ... in summer and autumn. escaleilesdelamadeleine.ca Photography: Guylain Doyle (Saguenay) @ EscaleIM Marc Loiselle (Baie-Comeau) / EscaleIlesdelaMadeleine M. Latour (Sept-Îles) CRUISESAINTLAWRENCE.COM Mathieu Dupuis (all other photos) ÎLES DE LA MADELEINE

seatrade_2014_2.indd 1 2014-02-05 11:52 Set between sea and sky

QUÉBEC

TROIS-RIVIÈRES

SAGUENAY

BAIE-COMEAU

seatrade_2014_2.indd 1 2014-02-05 11:52 GUADELOUPE ISLANDS, all that you ﬁ nd in the Caribbean, and more. © Océan d’images J.M Lecerf - © Thinkstock Février 2014

Comité du Tourisme des Îles de Guadeloupe Siège 5, square de la Banque - BP555 97166 Pointe-à-Pitre Cedex Tél. +590 (0)5 90 82 09 30 - Fax +590 (0)5 90 83 89 22 [email protected] www.lesilesdeguadeloupe.com

AP A4 Cruise Industrie.indd 1 17/02/14 09:53 FRUTIGER REGULAR United Kingdom PO Box57940,LondonW45RD, Ashcroft &AssociatesLtd Published by Warners Midlands Printed by Kerstin Jones Circulation Gilly Ashcroft Administration andFinance studioo86.co.uk Design &Production Oliver Pearce Contributors Jon Elphick Production editor Maria Harding Tony Peisley Associate Editors Chris Ashcroft Publisher andEditor All rightsreserved. ISSN2050-6961 publication are protected bycopyright. £35 (inc.postage).Thecontentsofthis Cruise Insightisavailableannuallyfor or tel:+442089944123 [email protected] Cruise Insightpleaseemail: For informationaboutfuture issuesof current withtheresponsible authorities. to checkthatanymaterialfactsare still occur incessantly. Readersare advised accuracy oftheinformationbutchanges We havemadeeveryeffort toensure the help inotherways. information andpictures, orprovided reports, orsupplyingfactsandfigures, magazine bycontributingtoarticlesand have helpedintheproduction ofthis gratitude tothemanyorganisationsthat to express theirsincere thanksand Ashcroft &AssociatesLtd.wouldlike I Publisher andEditor Chris Ashcroft four editions. video onthesamepage.Thankyouforallyourpositivecommentsover thepast usingthesmartesttechnologytomixtextand concise andinsightfulcommentary withits digital publication)continuestowowmanysectorsoftheindustry year-round destinations(Page93). anywhere inwintermonths–akeytotheindustry’s increasing demandfornew roof flexibility, amongmanyothernewfeatures, willbeabletooperatealmost leaders asthedestinationmorebeing describedbyindustry oftenthan everbefore. wows boththeexperiencedcruiserandpotentialfirst-timer. Theshipisnow truly innovativeideasare drivingthedevelopmentofcore product sothatit ever more sophisticatedonboard revenue generation. waiting forpassengerstobewillingpayhigherticketpricesandare developing destinations andcruiseshipowners. means –andrecommends strategiesfor sustainablecruisetourismforports, WSP Environment &Energy OliverPearce (Page38)defineswhatthisactually at thesametime-remain competitively priced.(Page51). pay fornewenvironmental (wastemanagementandshore power)facilities.And- now expectedtoinvestinberthsaccommodatelarger shipswhilealsohavingto ship valuesheadingsouthandnowwehavetheevidence. questioned theviabilityofoldershipswithoperatingcostsheadingnorthand Voyages ofDiscovery, SwanHellenicandHebrideanIsland).We havepreviously announced bytheAllLeisure Group (parentCruisingbrands ofAllDiscovery –witnessthegrimfinancial period forallsectorsoftheindustry results recently clear signalofadeterminationtodriveprofits duringwhathasbeenadifficult group. Carnival efficiency andco-operationamongbrandsforthegreater goodofthewhole practice DownUnderonpage28.So,downthetrack,expecttoseemaximum describeshowbrandcooperationalready Chief ExecutiveAnnSherry worksin Australia there issomejointactivitythatseemstomakesense”(P13).Carnival brand co-operation. under hiscontrol byleveragingscaletoinitiategreater efficiencies through closer shown hishand–priorityistoimprove theperformanceof102-shipfleet THEGLOBALCRUISEMARKET MAGAZINE Innovation is something that drives us too as Cruise Insight e-Zine (our monthly Innovation issomethingthatdrivesustooasCruiseInsighte-Zine(our monthly shipwithsliding This shipdescriptionsupportsthenotionthatanewmodern But thefocusonimproving profitability hasalready hadonepositiveimpact: Tony Peisleydiscovers(Page18)howsomecruisecompanieshavetired of Another challengeisthequestforsustainability. SustainabilityConsultantto Ports are notimmunefrom theindustry’s growing financialpressures astheyare Whether thatdamagesindividualbrandequityremains tobeseenbutitisa He alsoraisesthepossibilityof“brandcollaborationindestinationportswhere Insight. sweeping through theindustry, itisallrighthere inthisissueofCruise f furtherevidencewere neededofjusthowsignificantare thechangesnow Carnival Corporation & plc Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald has Corporation&plcChiefExecutiveOfficer Donaldhas Carnival Arnold

5 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 6 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Mackillop Susanne Grundmann Julia this issue and quotesinside Comment, opinion Steven Cernak Francesco Balbi Marco Maresca Andrew Baldwin Steve Collar Torstein Hagen McCarthy Michael Andy Harmer David Dingle Mike Bonner Ares Michaelides Arnold Donald Ioannis Bras Tony Heuer Roberta Jacoby Edgington Christopher Sandra Bratland Ken Muskat Johansson Fredrick Emilio Freeman Bernard Carter Martine Pasquet Vago Pierfrancesco Ann Sherry been atinthepast.” exceed thelevelswehave we needtoreturnand very importantandovertime Donald: “Ticketpricingis John Richardson Dominic Paul Francis Riley Oliver Pearce Malinovska Elena Visnar- Christina Siaw Richard Vogel Gennaro Russo Tony Peisley Jens Skrede Graham Sadler Larry Pimentel Vince Wilkins Tom Strang Rich Pruitt Andy Stuart Adam Sharp Kevin Sheehan Nancy Ramos Michael Ungerer

7 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 investments. Tony Peisleyreports. will beanacceptablereturn onsuch not theoneshavingtoensure there on cruiseinfrastructure, butmostare how much–portsshouldbespending Everyone hasanopiniononhow – and dilemma forports 51 Investment sustainable cruisetourism. Energy, setsoutaprogramme for Consultant toWSPEnvironment & passengers. OliverPearce, Sustainability destinations toremain attractive toits environment atitsportsand The cruiseindustryneedsthe and destinations 38 Sustainableports Officer AnnSherry. AustraliaChiefExecutive to Carnival than Australia.ChrisAshcroft talks develop amarket–looknofurther If youwanttoknowhowsuccessfully Down Under 28 Sherrydelivers discovers. cruise isreally worth–asTony Peisley passengers topaywhatlinesthinktheir There’s more thanonewaytopersuade onboard revenue 18 ‘Bigdata’boosts elsewhere. ChrisAshcroft reports. Donaldissettinghissights CEO Arnold revenue, Corporation butCarnival Competitors are focusingononboard the trend 13 Donaldbucks 13 cruise companies. on anunexpectedchangeofheart by selling cruises?Tony Peisleyreports New eraorfalsedawnfortravel agents 64 Wholovesya,baby? Harding reports. bookings andboostrevenue. Maria weapons incruiselines’battletobuild offbeat travelexperiences are thelatest Outstanding shoreside eventsand 59 Ashore thing THEGLOBALCRUISEMARKET MAGAZINE opinion from around theworld Local, regional, nationalandinternational the world 69 Quotesfrom around deter Tony Peisley. reactionary orLuddite.This doesnot without beingvilifiedassomekindof any partofthehypesurrounding it change –no-oneisallowedtochallenge New technologyisabitlikeclimate 67 Don’t getmestarted 38

9 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Photo: www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/bcsMedia Hamburg

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HCC_CruiseInsight_210x297_final.indd 1 10.02.14 09:30 the question. neoCollection brand?Tony Peisley asks Ocean CruisesandthenewCosta a newbrandasexpansiveViking destination-immersive cruiseniche for Is there enoughroom intheemerging market niche 90 Vikinginvadesnew reports. crew tooperatethem?Maria Harding service, where are linesfindingthe As more andmore cruiseshipsenter 86 Amotleycrew? Maria Harding reports. lines carryingunder-insured passengers. on options–causingtheproblem of clients tosavemoneybydecliningadd- package’ products isprompting some complex, insurers’ moves to ‘de- As travelinsurancebecomesincreasingly cover? 82 Timetorunfor thing incruising–virtually. innovation whichcouldbethenextbig next? Tony Peisleyreports onthelatest Inside cabinswithbalconies?Whatever 80 Virtualreality check during 2013? Which portsanddestinationsdelivered destinations awards 76 Portsand 80 90 story… 104 Everypicture tells a what progress isbeingmade. cruise industry. MariaHarding considers technological challengesfacingtoday’s connectivityisoneofmany Internet Providing fastandaffordable write… 100 Thespeedof Tony Peisleyweighsthemup. brandapproach? or theinternational way ofopeningthemup–thenational markets, butwhichisthemosteffective There are plentyofpotentialnewcruise brands international 96 Nationalvs round, writesTony Peisley. that wanttoseeshipsstayingyear- It isn’t justcruiseregions andtheirports deployments needed 93 More year-round 82

11 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 CRUISE NORWAY The Ultimate Nature-based Destination

Photo: Bård Løken / www.nordnorge.com Photo: Leif J. Olestad

Photo: Munch Museum/ Munch-Ellingsen Group/BONO 2014 Photo: Frithjof Fure/ Visitnorway.com Photo: CH/ Innovation Norway

Photo: Bård Løken/ Innovation Norway Photo: Casper Tybjerg/ Innovation Norway

Welcome to Norway, the ultimate nature-based cruise destination. Our long stretched coastline o ers unique possibilities for cruising in both summer and winter. Norway o ers vibrant cities, picturesque villages, awe-inspiring ords, unique islands and the Top of The World. We have the spectacular Northern Lights in the winter and the midnight sun in the summer. Throughout the year, Norway has something for everyone.

VISIT US AT BOOTH 831 IN MIAMI leveraging scaletoimproved performance.ChrisAshcroft reports. Donaldissettinghissightsonticketprices–anda new focuson CEO Arnold Competitors are focusingononboard Corporation revenue, butCarnival the trend Donald bucks contributing component,” saysDonald,“butticket pricing from ticketpurchases. with onboard revenue remainingtothereturns ancillary that there isanaturalbalancethatneedstobemaintained, to exceedpassengerexpectations. Thecorporation’s viewis drive revenues onboard butthemainthrust,Donaldsays,is revenue strategyforCarnival. isasecondary revenue tosupplementticketprices,thegrowth ofonboard sourcesparticular focuson–anddriveforalternative of in onesense:whiletherestseemstohavea oftheindustry than capacity-building. W “Obviously weenjoytheonboard revenue –it’s akey The companyalwayslooksfornaturalopportunitiesto Donald’s approach tothechallengesaheadisintriguing that seemstomakesense.” where there issomejointactivity collaboration indestinationports Donald: “There couldalsobe shifted tooperationalefficiency rather & plclastJunetheindustry’s focushad Corporation Chief ExecutiveatCarnival Donaldacceptedtherolehen Arnold of on theinherent opportunitythat ourscaleaffords us.” for usthrough 2014andbeyondaswemore fullycapitalise than wehavedonehistorically– represents anewerfocus performance,” hesays.“Leveraging thatscale–farmore our scalegivesusatremendous opportunityfor improved passengers ayearcruisingfor78 millionpassengerdays, the media.“With more than100ships,and10million has placedmostoftheemphasisinhisdiscussionswith drive thebusiness.” reward thetravelprofessionals forwhattheydo,butto are focusisnotonlyto commissionable.Butourprimary When thebalanceisright,thatwillliftticketpriceswhich destination market,andthedemandforthatcapacity. been atinthepast. toandexceedthelevelswehavevalue, weneedtoreturn importantandovertime,sinceweofferis very suchgreat But itisonthecostsideofbusinessthatDonald “Ticket pricesare drivenbythecapacityinagiven Arnold Donald

13 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 TM they leave. for them,andensure thattheyhavebeenwowed when certain thateachpersonexperiences thebrandthat’s right exceed passengerexpectations. “We justhavetomake is sogreat thatthebrandssimplyneedtoconsistently identified outthere.” to engineersuitthevariousmarketsegmentsthatwe’ve That isthedistinctioninbrandsthatwecontinuetotry spend theirtimeandhowtheywanttotime. experience. Forthem,hestresses, itshouldbeseamless. group profile wholovetheirbrandsandthatparticular least initially–becausethebrandseachcatertoadifferent doesn’t believeanychangeswillbefeltbyconsumers–at psychographics ofthegueststheysource He andservice. interface level–astheybecomeincreasingly distinctinthe to haveadegree ofindependence–especiallyattheguest expectations.” have thetalenttoensure weultimatelyexceedshareholder to havethosepeopleintheareas theylead.Iknowwe well–andamproudso Iknowtheleadershipteamvery clearly amissedopportunity,” hesays. nor fuel.“To havethatall onthelineanduncoordinated is $6 billionofexpenditure whichisrelated toneitherpayroll excited aboutthoseopportunities.” together bothontherevenue sideandthecostside.“We’re have identifiedalarge numberofopportunitiestowork the brightesttalentinindustry, Donaldsays,andthey those tenbrands,”heexplains. collaboration, coordination andcommunicationacross “Our organisational changeswere madetoinspire natural change hasnowbeguntofulfilthenewfocusheadvocates. realignment ofhis leadershipteam,andtheprocess of Donald considerstheinherent valueofthecruise product “It really isthepsychographic-howpeoplechooseto Nevertheless Donaldacceptsthatthebrandswillcontinue Corporationboard“I wasontheCarnival for12years, On thecostsideheisparticularlythinkingofmore than The reconfigured leadershipteamincludesthebestand With thatinmind,Novemberheannounceda we havebeenatinthepast.” need toreturn toandexceedlevels we offer suchagreat value,we important and,overtime,since “Ticket Donald: pricingisvery and anencouragingstarttoDonald’s timeasCEO. craves from thetenbrandshecontrols, thisisgoodnews– in theUSmarket. inre-establishing thatbrand’s the corner has turned equity 2014itseemsthatthecompanyCruise LinesforJanuary possibly buy.” word thatcruiseisthebestvacationvaluemoneycan more thanourshare togrow themarketandspread the weare absolutelyfocusedondoingdemand. “AtCarnival Donald iscertainlycommittedtopushingforgrowth in preferred modelinthefuture forallsource markets,but Corporation’smethod ofworkingwillbecomeCarnival Cunard Line,P&OCruisesandAustralia. CruiseLines, CruiseLine,Carnival America Line,Seabourn operating inthattheatre: PrincessCruises,Holland Corporationbrands to thebenefitofallCarnival significant year-on-year marketgrowth hasbeenachieved on segmentationandthetimingofmarketinginitiatives– disciplined brandteamsworkingtogether–andfocusing Australiaforseveralyears.Throughat Carnival highly part ofDonald’s approach hasalready beenpractised outcome.” We didn’t doitforthosereasons, buttheymaybeone where there issomejointactivitythatseemstomakesense. loyalty programmes. “At somepointdowntheroad there couldbe cross-brand the brandrelationships willprobably surface elsewhere. vacation valuethere is.” same: toendure thatourcore product isclearlythebest sure ourshipsare fresh andexciting,one thingremains the innovation. But,thoughit’s importanttocontinuemake In hisquesttoachievetheimproved performancehe With record levelsofbookings reported byCarnival AustraliaIt remains tobeseenwhethertheCarnival In somerespects thisnewfocusisnotreally new, as “There couldalso becollaborationindestinationports Donald alsobelievesthattheimpactofchangesin Corporationoffer“Our Carnival isinaconstantstateof

15 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Ålesund is one of the most important ports on the 10.000 people homeless, the town was rebuilt west coast of Norway, and welcomes cruise ships in this unique architectural style with a myriad of from all over the world. The port is expecting a turrets, spires and medieval ornaments. record of 131 cruise calls this year with passenger numbers of approx. 200.000. Considering a large growth of almost 100% increase in the number “Europe’s Best Small Ports - Six of passengers from 2011 to 2013 (93.000 in 2011 Secret Harbors to Call Your Own” and 184.000 in 2013) we are pleased to still see a -National Geographic Traveler 2013 growth in 2014. Most of the ships have a full day stay in the port, and some also stay in the evening. The fairway to the port is excellent due to a wide and deep trench, Breisundet, leading all the way Ålesund, voted the most beautiful town in from the open sea into the port. Cruise ships of Norway, has a beautiful setting across several any size can be docked at the cruise pier in the very islands stretching out into the sea, and is situated centre of the town. The port can accommodate at the very entrance to the UNESCO World two large sized cruise ships alongside at the same Heritage Listed Geirangerfjord. The town is also an time, as well as a medium size ship can be berthed excellent starting point for round trips to some of on the inside of the pier. Norway’s most popular tourist attractions including Trollstigen National Tourist Road. The town is internationally renowned for its unique architecture in the Art Nouveau style. After a great PORT OF ÅLESUND, Norway, Tel: +47 70 16 34 00, fire in 1904, laying 850 houses in ashes and leaving www.alesund.havn.no, [email protected] ÅLESUND The Adventure Capital of the Fjords

Highlights in Ålesund

• View point at Mount Aksla/Fjellstua • City walk and the Art Nouveau Centre with the “Time Machine” • Atlanterhavsparken - Award winning aquarium • Sunnmøre Open Air Museum – collection of old houses and boats • Aalesunds Museum and the Fisheries Museum • Culinary cooking tour • Sea Kayaking tour • Alnes Lighthouse and Saga Islands of Giske • “Wildlife Sea Safari” – RIB boat to bird island Runde • Sea Fishing Trip • Hiking in the Sunnmøre Alps • Bicycle Island Tour • Home Visits • Roundtrip to Geiranger - World Heritage Site • Roundtrip to Trollstigen - National Tourist Road • “The Queen’s Route” – Hjørundfjord – Norangsdalen • Stranda Mountain – Cable car to vantage point • www.visitalesund.com 18 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 their cruiseisreally worth–asTony Peisleydiscovers. There’s more thanonewaytopersuadepassengerspaywhatlinesthink onboard revenue ‘Big data’boosts 30% mark.Andthishasclearlyplayedanimportantpart job.” who failtogeneratethatlevelhavinglookforanew seen asaminimumrequirement –withonboard managers we havebeenmovingtowards astagewhen30%willbe companies,” hesays.“But,overthepastthree orfouryears, ofcruise was generally20–25%ofthetotalearnings facilitating revenue generationon200-pluscruiseships. of FidelioCruiseSoftware, whoseproducts are and services genuinely intheknow:Antonius(Tony) Heuer, President third quarter, itamountedtonearly28%oftotalrevenues. – onboard revenue was7%upon2012.Bythe endofthe for onemajorcompany–RoyalCaribbeanCruises(RCC) financial results rarely lie;andthosefor2013showthat, portrayed aspickingtheirpassengers’pockets.But W Tony Heuer In fact, Norwegian CruiseLinehasalreadyIn fact,Norwegian reached the “When Istartedthecompanyin1995,onboard revenue This confirmstheimpression ofonemanwhois like toshoutabout,asallfearbeing the rise. hisper itquietly:onboard revenue ison It isnotsomethingthecruisecompanies Johansson Fredrik Ares Michaelides and eventhatisnotguaranteed.So,withcost-cutting accepted thatthiswillonlybeachievedoverthelongterm, to more profitable levelsdowntheline,itisgenerally entertainment features onboard thelarger ships. have topayextraforthefargreater arrayofdiningand cruise price,andpastpassengersrecognise thattheymay no clearexpectationofwhatisornotbeincludedinthe relevant fortwo reasons: new-to-cruisepassengershave far ononboard revenue generation. do notsharereluctance that historicalindustry topushtoo whoboastahigherlevelofanalyticalskills.Theyindustry seen araftofexecutivescominginfrom outsidethe background ofstagnantordecliningprofits. whichkeepsonbuildingmoreindustry shipsagainsta largest shareholders appeartohavelostpatience withan is crucialatatimewhensomeofthemajorcompanies’ Management tookthereins. in thatline’s impressive financialturnaround sinceApollo Roberta Jacoby Although itisstillhopedthatticketpricescanberaised aboutpassengerreaction areThe concerns seenasless This hasalready causedamanagementupheaval,and There isnowabroader acceptancethatonboard revenue possibilities andrevenue.” optimising operations,marketing see amuchstronger focuson Johansson: “Today we Mackillop Susanne onboard revenue.” that theyare structured from the starttoensure maximum and theyare usingitinthedesignoftheirnewships so companies nowhaveupto12years ofthisstored away, making ahugedifference,” saysHeuer. to supportspa,retail andotherrevenue areas andthisis passengers andthentomarketproducts tothem. both tosource datafrom demographicandbuyingpattern revenues.their capacitytomaximiseancillary option forcompanieslookingtoboostthebottomlineis programmes atbestonlyabletokeepcostsstable,the Tillberg DesignSeniorPartner Fredrik Johansson saysthat “All thisdatagoesintodetailed ‘Big Data’shoreside. Some “Many cruiseoperatorsnowinvestlotsofmoneyinIT And thiswillbeachievedthrough theuseoftechnology, because ofincreased capacity. levels. Ifoverallrevenues are growing atall,itisonly ticket pricingisstillstrugglingto recover topre-2009 to makethingsworkfortheoperational group.” the technicianhavingbecomealmostsecondary, justthere muchinthedriving seatwithcustomer experienceisvery operations, marketingpossibilitiesandrevenue. The marketing groups touseandsell,”heexplains. ships –whichitwasthenuptotheoperationaland managed theseprojects, producing technicallybeautiful that longago,highlyskilledengineersbothdesignedand this isoneofthebiggesttrends innewshipdesign.“Not With cost-cuttingprogrammes barely ableto keeppace It isnocoincidencethatthishappening atatimewhen “Today weseeamuchstronger focusonoptimising

19 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Within the Mediterranean Sea, our most valuable treasure

PALMA · ALCUDIA · MAHON · IBIZA · LA SAVINA

Visitors can enjoy surrounded by the best conditions the outstanding sensations of the Balearic Islands thanks to the exceptional situation of our ports.

The best image is represented by our islands seen from the sea.

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A4 Cruceros Menorca ING.indd 1 21/03/13 12:11 works well.” programming withtheabilitytopurchase viathescreen “but whentheydo(oftenwhile changing fordinner)then much timewatchingTVintheir cabins,”addsMichaelides, packages andpay-extradining. “Few peoplespendvery screens andkiosksisalsobeingusedtosellspas, bar come tothestore.” buy from anywhere ontheship.Theydon’t always haveto to purchase through thatsametechnologymeanstheycan tablet oranyothermobiledeviceiscrucial,andthefacility the abilitytosendinformationtheycanaccessonapad, the more likelytheyare tobuyit,”saysMichaelides.“So a keyrole. “Themore passengersknowaboutaproduct, make animmediateimpactonthatsamecruise.” we cansendtargeted promotions inthepassengermailand management. Ifthedatashowsspecificspendingpatterns, onboard atalltimes,whichiskeytodrivingsales. “Timely replenishment ensures therightproducts are Administration ofretail operatorStarboard Cruise Services. Michaelides, whoisSeniorVice President Finance and informs uswhat,whenandhowmuchtostock,”addsAres long term,”saysHeuer. should helpourcustomerstogeneratemore revenue inthe revenues.is theircapacitytomaximiseancillary toboostthebottomlineonly optionforcompaniestrying with therisingpriceoffuelandenvironmental charges, the restaurants onNorwegianGetaway Cagney's steakhouseisoneofseveralextra-fee This kindofdigitalmarketingthrough tablets,video And here theuseoffast-developingtechnologyalsoplays “Analytics are now thekeytoonboard revenue “The long-termimpactofthisIT-driven dataisthatit are“Our ITservices creating costinthefirstplace,but cruise topiconthe forums.” seats, whichare therefore highlyprized. 5,000-passenger ships–suchvenues canhaveasfew30 venues forthosewhohavebooked suitesas–evenon “These willalsosecure guaranteedaccesstosuch dining for potentialconsumersofupscaledining,”saysHeuer. toagenuineprofitpassenger service centre. which hasclearlymovedfrom beinglargely acost-neutral future. dining, Oneisinthearena ofpay-extraalternative to boostonboard revenue torecord levelsinthenear rules.” based salesengine–butatleastitishumanswhosetthe personally. Anyhuman interactionhasgone.Itisarule- is entirely automatedasno-onehasthetimetodothis discountsaccordingvarying tosuiteorcabingrades. second dayofthecruise,offers are senttopassengers with can besentuntiltheyreach thatbudget. passengers withsimilardemographics).More promotions on theirownpastpurchasing performance(orthoseof not yetspentuptothebudgetestimatedforthem,based their spending. send promotions basedonpassengers’demographicsand apps formobiledevicesheavilytheirretail offers. These mainly ItalianorSpanishpassengers)usingcustomer-facing “This becomesabigrevenue stream, andamajorpre- “We’ve putreservationsystemsinplacewhichlook And humansare drivingthekeytrends whichare set “This isalsoappliedtobeverageandspasales,it “In thesameway, ifanexcursionisonly90%soldbythe “In facttheycanbetriggered ifthosepassengershave Heuer continues:“We havetwolarge-ship operators(with

21 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 TUNISIA CRUISE DESTINATION More Than a Call

La Goulette Cruise Port is your gateway to Tunisia, a modern country at the hub of North Africa. Exceptional with its historical and cultural heritage of Goulette Village Harbor 3000 years of di erent civilizations.

Discover Goulette Village Harbor, a unique cruise terminal built as a Moorish Medina and o ering several services (duty free shopping, entertainment, information, food & drink, Hammam, transportation..).

Meet us at Cruise Shipping Miami 11-14 March, booth 1225, Hall A

www.tunisietourisme.com.tn www.goulettevillageharbor.com www.patrimoinedetunisie.com.tn www.ommp.nat.tn which hasdonethissinceitsstart-up. – belatedlyfollowingtheleadof Asia-basedStarCruises, opportunity tomoveintothearea ofpaid-forentertainment new trend inrevenue generation.Ithasgivenlinesthe better return.” so thiskindofpackagingandsellinghelpsthemgeneratea use ofresources, aswellofgeneratingnewrevenue. packages tobetakenonportdaysisawayofmakingbetter packages withoutspecificappointments.Offering cheaper increasingly, are selectdiningandspatreatments. being bundledtogetherandpre-sold aspackages–as, says. “Nowabout70%are soldpre-cruise.” Tours are vast majorityoftourswere bookedonboard,” Heuer standard withinthree fortheindustry orfouryears.” of problems. Iseethisnewautomatedsystembecoming and stillbeingtrialled. upgrades) isahugetrend, butthecheck-inupgradeisnew selling (ofspatreatments, excursionsanddiningaswell offers onsuitesandfamilyrooms appear.” excursions, sothatwhenthecredit card details are input, at theonlinebookingstage,orevenwhenclientspre-book sell upgradestotheirclients.” weeks aheadofdeparture –toincentivisetravelagents whose jobitwas–whenthere wasspacetoupgradeafew wehadawholeteamofpeopleinreservations Carnival, “When Iwasresponsible fortheonboard product at more appropriate.” just tosuitesbutalsofamilycabinsifthesewouldbe directly forthe cruise line)tomakeanupgradeoffer –not time alertstothecheck-instaff (whooftendonotwork demographics andpastcruisespending,sendsreal- still unsoldondeparture day,” saysHeuer. discounts onupgradestoanyhigher-grade accommodation passengers attheembarkationporttooffer themreal-time this process more efficient anddriveextra revenue. long time.Butthere isanewITtwistwhichshouldmake priced accommodationpre-cruise hasbeenaround fora The spaonboardMSCPreziosa “Shipyards like MeyerWerft nowhavemore experience The investmentineverlarger shipshasalsodrivenakey “Cruise linesmakearelatively highinvestmentinspas, limitedresource,“A spaisavery soitisbesttosell Just likepre-booking tours,infact.“Adecadeago,the “This wasamanualset-upbefore, butthathadalot This ispartofthesameautomatedsystem,andsuchpre- Heuer confirms:“Somelinesare pushingupgradesales Roberta Jacoby, nowPresident ofJacobyAdvisors,says: “The ITqualifiespassengersbasedonageandincome “We havedevelopedsoftware toenablestaff checkingin Just likepay-extradining,upsellingpassengerstohigher technological innovation issimplysomethingwith which the biggerships.” “This isalsobeingsoldpre-cruise, andisahuge trend on an uncrowded areacontinuesHeuer. withbetterservice,” of theexclusivefacilitiesforafee –just$25or$50for access to someaccommodation canstillhavetemporary Cruise Line’s Haven)forthesame purpose. spaces (likeMSCCruises’Yacht ClubandNorwegian has donealready –withbrandsadaptingareas ofexisting for sunbathingareas islikelytospread evenfasterthanit onboard revenue generation,thePrincessconceptofpaid- pre-booking shore excursions. Tickets are bookableonthesameonlinesystemusedfor John andcurrent GrammyAward winnerJenniferHudson. singerTracecountry Adkins,Grease starOliviaNewton Styx, Foreigner, REOSpeedwagonandKansas,aswell three ports:Cozumel, NassauandCatalinaIsland. photo opportunitieswiththeartistes–willcost$100–150. but VIPpackages–whichguaranteemeet-and-greet and programme. Standard ticketpricesrangefrom $20to$40, LIVEConcertSeries’ the starslinedupforitsnew‘Carnival some passengerssignificantlymore forVIPticketstosee devices.” 1,000 $50ticketspre-cruise, onboard and through mobile $60 perticketfortheshow. Icanseesomeoperatorsselling were booked. system forordering aprivatejetforsomeoftheartiststhat system forcrew travel,andwhetherwecouldincorporatea and Iwasaskedaboutrunninganautomatedbooking or showwithamarketablestar. companies are movingtowards theoccasionalspecialevent have plentyofaccesstofree entertainment.Asaresult venues stagingshowssimultaneously, sopassengers oriented buildingcompanies,”explainsHeuer. of buildinglarge-scale theatres thanmostspecialistland- Sometimes itishard todistinguishwhethera “People whodon’t buyYacht CluborHaven As aresult ofstructuringshipswithatleasthalfaneyeon The first roster ofartistesinclude rock bandsChicago, The showswilltakeplacewhenCCLshipsare dockedin CruiseLines(CCL)willbechargingIn fact,Carnival “They flytheminjustforanevening,andcharge $50or “I wasrecently implementing acrew managementsystem “Ships are large enoughnowtohaveavarietyofdifferent being trialled.” check-in upgradeisnewandstill upgrades isahugetrend, butthe excursions anddiningaswell “Pre-selling ofspatreatments,

23 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 PLANNING A cRuISE?

Le Havre LE HAVRE, THE GATEWAY TO PARIS

Paris D-Day Mont Saint-Michel In the heart of Normandy

a Unesco World Heritage the birthplace of Impressionism

- 02 35 42 52 65 www.pixell.fr

www.cruiselehavre.com important asgettingthelatestweather where they are. latest statsshowclearlythatthis activityisnowhere nearas wanting tocheckstockpriceswhile theywere away, butthe reading booksandmagazines. news consumption,andthesecond-highestusageisfor Among adultstheirmajoruseisforwebbrowsing and back andenjoythem. relaxation wouldbeinhavingthetimeandspacetosit their smartphonesandtablets.Mostwouldfindthat people nolongerwanttobeawayfrom thenews,without are really talkingaboutmobiledevices. world. But,forimmediateaccesstotheworld’s news,we print-on-demand fullcontentnewspapersfrom alloverthe their newspaperstothem.About40shipsnowoffer our been abletoidentifywhere theirreaders are – anddeliver does thefirstbrandtooffer Silversea. thisservice, could thenprovide thecontentforfree if theywanted–as interesting commercial proposition forthelines.They advertising revenue, whichmakesitamuchmore is enthusiastic.“There isthepotentialforadditional Business DevelopmentDirector SusanneMacKillop that 30%revenue target. magazine isnotgoingtomakemuchofacontribution that simplycharging passengersfortheirnewspaperor tablets andothermobiledevices. and magazines–onpublicationdirect topassenger potential toalsobeasignificant revenue-earner. to attractandretain passengers,orwhetherithasthe of the bandschosenforCarnival’sLIVEconcertseries Ricky Phillips,JamesYoungandTommyShawofStyx–one “At thesametime, Asiansinparticularare converting “I usedtothinkthatcruisepassengers were always “Statistics showthatthepaceoftabletuseishottingup. “These haveinfluencedconsumerexpectationssothat “With digitisationandglobalisation,newspapers have But PressReader (formerlyNewspaperDirect) Global Even thecompanybehindthislatestbreakthrough admits Take theprospect ofdelivering theworld’s newspapers further 20%from amongtheover-55s. as thehighestusageisin35–44 agerange,witha line. Thetablet-userdemographics are incruising’s favour, basis betweenus(notthepublisher directly) and thecruise name orproduct isintheforefront. time apassengerdownloadsthatinformation,thesponsor’s advertising layerontopofthepublicationssothateach tablets, butthere isalsothefacilitytoplaceasponsorship are beingspentbypublisherstogeteyeballsfrom the to monetisethenewmedialandscape.Millionsofdollars opportunities. technology forpremium newsalsoopensuprevenue containers toprintnewspapersonboard. Butthisnew for cruiselines,asitremoves theneedforallthoseink the newspaperssothattheycanberead easilyondevices. pads, whichiswhypublishersare changingtheformatof from purchasing printnewspaperstoreading themon “Such advertisingorsponsorship revenue ison ashared “The rapidadoptionofthedevicesiscreating thechance “It isabonusthatthisoptionparticularlyeco-friendly Series’ programme.” LIVEConcert new ‘Carnival to seethestarslinedupforits significantly more forVIPtickets be charging some passengers Lineswill Cruise “Carnival

25 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 see machinesinferior tothosetheyenjoyatland casinos. is keyascasinoplayersdon’t wanttocomeonboard and new casinooffers. Thenewestequipmentisexciting,which smartphones) goingonthebroadband thatoften.” average frequency thatownerstouchtheiriPads and passengers whousetheirdevices150timesaday(the costs ofbroadband access,astheycertainlydon’t want they needformultinationalpassengers. onboard, whilecruiselinescandownloadthespecifictitles “Publishers are lookingtobundletheproduct togetthem is awayround itforthenewspaper/magazineoption. simply don’t understandwhyitcostssomuchmore. connectivity withwhatisavailableatalandresort and off booking,potentialnewcruiserscompare cruise understand theproblem anddon’t letitputthem just tooexpensivetousethere.” ontheirphonesonboardnot beturning becausetheyare elsepossible.Untilthen,mostpassengerswilleverything whoever cancrackit–andwillbecrackedmake companies,” shesays.“Thisisanantiquatedsystem,and cost –ofWi-Fi onboard. to thenewmobiledevicegenerationisprovision –and world newsthattheycurrently enjoyonland. holidays, becauseitmeanstheywillnotlosetheaccessto ongoing drivetoswitch-sellclientsawayfrom landresort cruise linesandspecialisttravelagentsintheir showing themhowtoaccessnewspapers.” their olderpassengers,puttingdevicesintohandsand coffeelooking tohavemorning andnewspapersessionsfor Jacoby says:“Technology isalsoplayinga major partin avoidstheadditional“Putting theseontheirserver MacKillop agrees aboutthatgeneralissue,butsaysthere This isabigissueas,althoughregular cruisers “Cruise lineshavetousesatellitescontrolled bybig But Jacobypointsoutthatthekeyissueaboutappealing willhelpMacKillop pointsoutthatthiskindofservice “This isgoodopportunityforcruiselineswhichare gamble intoday’s mobiletechnology-obsessedsociety. it all.” messaging accessforpeoplewho justtowantescapefrom offering aweek’s cruisewithabsolutely noe-mail,phoneor and –half-jokinglyIsuggested itmightfindaUSPby which wasunabletoinvestinallthetechnologyonoffer may eventhrow upapotentialnichemarket. drive incremental growth ofonboard revenue.” experience, newtechnologyandpeoplemanagementto selling experiencesuffers. an educatedstaff whothepassengerstrust,whole $15,000 watchesand$50,000diamonds.Unlessyouhave shirt orthe$20poster;weare nowaslikelytobeselling right waysofapproaching eachofthem. and brandsthedifferent nationalitieswanttobuy, andthe logos onthesameT-shirts. We needtoknowwhatgoods Australasia andAsia,wecan’t justbestampingdifferent department responsible fordoingjustthat. passengers, andourcompanyhasinvestedinawhole high-end passengers. technology inAsiafortrainingstaff onshipsoperatingwith to product information.We alsosuccessfullytestedtablet Management Systeminplacewhichgivesstaff 24/7access being used,”saysMichaelides.“We haveputaLearning training programmes forsalesstaff are increasingly is notconfinedtothecustomer-facing area. “Online tablets andsmartphones.” to create excitement onboard withmobile gamblingon An interesting concept.Butitwouldbeonehell ofa Heuer says:“Irecently talkedwithasmallcruiseoperator And thisrelentless advanceofnewtechnologyonboard “We havetoreach abalancebetweenthetraditionalretail “This isvitalasweare nolongersellingjustthe$10 expandsthrough“As theindustry SouthAmerica, “It isimportanttounderstandthedemographicof The impactoftechnologyononboard revenue generation “People stillliketogocasinos,butitisalsoimportant tablets andsmartphones.” onboard withmobilegamblingon important tocreate excitement to gocasinos,butitisalso Jacoby: “Peoplestilllike

27 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 28

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Ann Sherry be sustained. whether thephenomenalmarketgrowth achievedinthepastsixyearscan Officer aboutmarketsegmentation,brandmanagementand AnnSherry than Australia.ChrisAshcroft AustraliaChiefExecutive talkstoCarnival If youwanttoknowhowsuccessfullydevelopamarket–looknofurther Down Under Sherry delivers about themarket.” us becausewewere notconstrainedbythewaywethought not possibleandperhaps thishasbeenahugeadvantageto says. “Andwedidn’t have any senseofwhatwaspossibleor achieve] andthere wasnonicheintravelforcruise,”Sherry professionals. resulting inamarketthatbarely registered withtravel says,essentially causingthemto“pooh-pooh”it,Sherry earlier hadseverely impactedthepublic’s viewofcruising, W “There were noexpectations[ofwhatcruisingcould The highly-publiciseddeathofapassengerfewyears equity andwasadriftinthemarketplace. Cruises Australia(POA)hadlimitedbrand AustraliainJuly2007,P&O of Carnival assumedtherolehen AnnSherry ofCEO and knewhowthesegmentsbuy. markets, understoodhowpeople buy of segmentation.Sheknewthe solid understandingoftheimportance banking, whichhadleftherwith a dynamics andherbackground in called onherexpertiseinmarket So POAtargeted asegment,and To rebuild trustinthebrandSherry Pacific DawnCaptainSalvatoreLupotoherleft. the replicatraditionalwarcanoeofMilneBaytoAnnSherrywith Milne BayGovernmentHon.TitusPhilemonMPpresentingagiftof that bringstheship tolifebecauseinamarketwhere so get 20%-a-yeargrowth forthelastsixyears. creates word-of-mouth andthemomentumthathelpedus their cookbooks–whateverittakes. answer questions.Andhappytostandforhourssigning to. You needpeoplewholiketoengageand are happyto of thereasons wechosehimovertheotherstalked accessibleandgoodwithpassengers.Infact, itisonevery has hisrestaurant onaPOAshipitcan’t bethatbad.” differently. Theirsentimentchangedto:“IfLukeMangan one example–andmadepotentialcruisersstarttothink attempted atthetime.Puttingacelebritychefonboard was unusual marketingstrategiesthatnootherbrandhad andherteamcameupwithsomequirky Sherry The powerofpopularculture suddenly everyone sawcruiseinadifferentsuddenly everyone way.” the product significantlytheyieldscamerightbackupand focused inonmeetingtheirneeds. “We hadanepisodeofMasterchef shotontheshipand “That senseofthebragfactoris oneofthethingsthat “Our celebritychefcomesontheshipquitealot–he’s But theturnaround didn’t happenovernight. “When werepositioned forthefamilymarketandchanged Ann Sherry POA taking40%. Anddespitecompetitivepositions, for around 80%ofthemarketaccording toSherry, with mark in2015–fiveyearsahead oftheoriginalforecast. an expectationthatitwillreach the1millionpassenger The markethasgrown to760,000passengers(2013)with Australia’sCarnival coordinated approach and thathasledtoalltheairlinestalkingustoo.” the market–nowallconglomerateshavecruisedivisions to knowmore aboutcruising. cruise –andagentsstartedtowonderwhere theycouldget says, aspeoplestartedtowalkintotravelagentsaskfora possible isnotabadsellingpointeither.” and out. your hotelsortedoutandyouhaveagreat timegettingin get totheraces,weyouaticketyou’vegot automatically gettickets–soyoucomeonacruise.You price ofhotelaccommodationisastronomical andyoucan’t from Tyrrell’s Wines. anditscreator,a well-knownwinery suchasBruceTyrrell Open tennischampionship,andfoodcruisesthatfeature based around Cuphorserace,theAustralian theMelbourne reading about,which hasbrought aboutcruise itineraries cruising withtheday-to-daythingspeopleare interested in romanticism andgrandeuragain.” most glamorous oftheshipstogivecruisingasense to beablegetonQM2–we’vedeliberatelyusedthe made itintoallthecelebritypages. of Cunard Line’s 2(QM2)–aneventthat QueenMary holding afashionparadewithglobaldesignersonthedeck could tocreate a sensethatcruisingiscool,including there isthesenseofproximity thatmakestheexperience.” the restaurants oratthebuffet forbreakfast justasyouare, you’re inashipwithpeoplelikethatandtheyare sittingin popular comedianstodostand-upshowcasenights.“When draw peoplein.” POA shipperhaps it’s timewewentononeourselves. popular culture hashelpedaswell.SoifMasterchef isona of thoseimageshashelped–andalsobeingalignedto look atthat!’ its swimmingpoolsandloungers,theythink,‘wow, passengers andthey’re walkingaround thetopdeckwith horsd’oeuvres toamazing, andthenyouseepeopleserving a showlikeMasterchef youget toseethegalley, whichis just likeamassivepieceofmetalhardware. Whereas in and feellike?SoweusedpopularTVtodothat. a shiplooksandfeelslike–whatdothepeopleonitlook few peoplecruiseyouhavetogiveasenseofwhat Carnival Corporation & plc (Carnival) brandsaccount Corporation &plc(Carnival) Carnival “Six yearsagowehadonlyoneortwospecialistagenciesin These initiativesgotcruisingbackonthemap,Sherry “Plus, theideathatwe’re partofmakingamazingthings Cup.The“Last yearwetookthree shipstotheMelbourne Another prong toSherry’s marketingstrategyistoalign “It creates asense ofaspirationthatyoureally want they sayssheandherteamhavedoneeverything Sherry andherteamalsobroughtLeveraging thatfact,Sherry in “Never underestimate thepowerofpopularculture to “You one suddenlygetasenseofthescaleit.Soevery “You don’t capture enoughfrom theoutsidelook–it’s continue tobethe keytomanagingthesebrands inthe passengers are comprisedofcouplesandfamilies. of theAustralianpopulation.An increased proportion of standards butreflects thegenerallyyoungerageprofile age ofitsguestsismid-40swhich isyoungbyEuropean and toattractmore new-to-cruiseguests.Theaverage of three portstosatisfymarketdemandforshortbreaks ports year-round. Thebrandnowoffers shortcruisesout Pacific Pearl)operatingoutofavarietyAustralian itineraries toNewZealand. seasonal cruisingfrom Australiawithaparticularfocuson one ofthemwithalarger capacityship.Oosterdam does one totwoships–andaddedfurthercapacitybyreplacing had soldprimarilyinternationally. Ithasincreased from Australia too. internationally, theynowsellthree ofthefourshipsin round) andwhiletheyusedtosellthecruisesmainly (including SunPrincessandDawnyear- for seasonalcruisingfrom Australia.” Legendarrivinglaterthisyearhere full-timeand Carnival Spiritbased heads upthelocaloperationwithCarnival way forthebrand’s intotheAustralianmarketand entry exception ofCCL’s JenniferVandekreeke whopavedthe example, havetheirbrandheadsleadingthelocaleffort. Cruises, HollandAmericaLine(HAL)andCCL,for brands makingthemostofopportunityisthatPrincess Australia’s support.Asignificantfactorinourglobal deploying shipsinthismarketanddidsowithCarnival that itwasexplainedfullytoourglobalbrandcolleagues. ensuredaware oftheextent oftheopportunityandinturn double-digit growth Australiawas yearon–Carnival dominant marketposition. brandshaveworkedtogethertoachievesucha the Carnival CruiseLines(CCL)andPOA, especially betweenCarnival Sherry explainshow coordinationSherry andcooperation will POA hasthree ships(PacificDawn,PacificJeweland HAL marketscruisesinAustraliawhereas previously it Princess nowhasfourshipscruisingoutofAustralia “The brandheadsare locallyappointedwiththe individuallyassessedthemeritof “The brandsinturn “In activelygrowing thelocalcruisemarket–recording six years.” 20%-a-year growth forthelast momentum thathelpedusget word-of-mouth andthe is oneofthethingsthatcreates “That senseofthebragfactor

29 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 in Norway’s Friendly Capital

Norway’s capital Oslo is at the heart of Scandinavia and at the head of the Oslofjord so cruise visitors enjoy truly scenic arrivals and departures.The port itself is only 200 metres from the city centre and City Hall and is part of an exciting waterfront packed with shops, restaurants and entertainment options.

Contact: [email protected] [email protected] Attractions/Excursions ✦✦ Akershus Fortress and the Defence Museum ✦✦ The Opera House ✦✦ The Vigeland Sculpture Park ✦✦ The National Gallery ✦✦ The Viking Ship Museum ✦✦ The Norwegian Maritime Museum ✦✦ The Kon-Tiki Museum ✦✦ The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History ✦✦ The Munch Museum ✦✦ Henie Onstad Art Centre ✦✦ Troll Cruise ✦✦ Betine Yachting ✦✦ Icebar Oslo ✦✦ Christmas House ✦✦ Sandvika Shopping Center

Modern international airport and new hotels make Oslo the ideal cruise homeport

Oslo possesses all the necessary ingredients for a successful cruise homeporting operation. On the cruise port pier, a large area can be fenced off and equipped with check-in facilities. In the cruise terminal, disembarking and embarking passengers can shop, arrange for local and international telephone calls and exchange money. The Tourist information office in the terminal is open during cruise calls.

Oslo Airport is one of the most modern airports in Europe, serving numerous international destinations every day and the city offers close to 10,000 hotel rooms of high international standard to meet the needed capacity for pre-and post-cruise arrangements. Two recommended hotels: Hotel Continental and Thon Hotels.

About 200 certified city guides working for experienced ground and tour operators using modern coaches ensure smooth and fulfilling excursions for cruise visitors.

Oslo’s location also means that itineraries can include Bergen, Stavanger and the famous fjords of Western Norway or the Baltic capitals of Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn and St Petersburg. and theshipsare similarbutdifferent.” various destinations–soit’s amixofsimilarbutdifferent – Pacific itinerarieswhere theshipscangetinand outofthe most innovative.Whereas CCLhastendedtofocus onthe newdestinations, newitineraries,andisthetends totry slightly different partofthemarket. chase new-to-cruisepassengersandeachappealstoa the CCLshipsare different tothePOAships.Bothbrands there’s more onoffer thanthesinglebrand.Andsecond, it broadens theappealofsegmentbecauseitlookslike not afactthatperturbsSherry. positioned toattractthefamilysegmentofmarket.It’s making sure theyhaveenoughonoffer tostaycompetitive. competitors –largely RoyalCaribbeanCruises–and individual brandsare makingoffers tothesemarkets. disciplined waytoensure there isnooverlapwhen and NewZealandmarkets.” growth –amore orchestrated waytoapproach theAustralia right cruiseline. are gettingtheright passengersontherightcruises–or segment themarketwithalotofdisciplinetomakesure we coordinated way. Andindoingso,thathasallowedusto brandsinthemarketlet’sthe Carnival operateinamore view andsaidtoreally maximisetheopportunityforall the samesortoffeeltoitaswell–iswetookamarket organisation –althoughCruiseAsiaisstartingtohave an in-housecallcentre andsimilarlyforPrincess. outsourced with callcentre operation;HALandSeabourn Cruising andCunard withacombinedin-houseand after Cunard andP&OCruisesUK(POC). team, andCCLteam.Andwealsohavetheteamlooking Cruisesteam,aPrincess we haveaHALandSeabourn Australia Australian market.“UnderthebannerofCarnival Sydney’s AustraliaDaycelebrations Pacific Pearlsuitably‘dressed’for “POA, becauseitisthehomebrand, isthebrandthat “Having thetwobrandsinsegmentdoesthings: But thereality remains thatCCLandPOAare both But themainfocus,shesays,isontheirexternal stressedSherry thateachteamworksinatremendously “That ispartlythereason whywe’vehadsuchstrong “What wehavedone,unlikeotherpartsofthe “Our callcentre operationscoverPOA,POCWorld half thepeoplecruisinginAustraliaare new tocruise.” mature marketspeople talkabouthardware alot.Essentially none ofthoseare anything todowithhardware. Inthemore Those are thetopthree reasons tocruiseand peoplereturn is thefood,experienceonboard, thefantasticservice. doesn’t makesuchadifference. balconies onCCLshipsthanPOAbutagain,that difference. Thebalconymixisdifferent –there are more – thefactshipsare olderdoesn’t actuallymakesucha for customers. hardware isabigissueintheindustry, it’s notabigissue “CCL’s shipsare newerandlarger thanPOA–andwhile Sherry says berths on this itinerary soldreally quickly. saysberthsonthisitinerary Sherry on itsdestination–totheeastcoast ofPapuaNewGuinea. once you’vebeenthere peoplesay“thisisunbelievable”. villages orcommunities.” to are barely onthemapandsomejusthaveacoupleof they are untiltheygetthere. Alotoftheislandswego amazing places–butmostpeopledon’t really knowwhere itineraries where wetakethemuptothePacific–and undecided aboutcruising.Oryougoonthenextsetof ashortcruise–3to4daysforthosewho areeither try and bookedit. looked atthedatesandfoundoutwhere theshipisgoing about it–sotheotherfamilydecidedonacruise.They the kidshadafantastictimeandhadn’t stoppedtalking neighbours. “Onefamilyhadafabuloustimeoncruise, a cruiseisoften“soldbyword-of-mouth”. tip thescaleswhenitcomestoactuallybuying,ideaof is notwhatpeopletalkabout.Althoughdestinationsmight saysthatdestinationscomeintoitbut cruising? Sherry In thatcase,wherefitintotheappealof doestheitinerary The appealofagooddestination “We knowthemarketreally well–whatpeopletalkabout “When yougetonboard POAtheexperienceisfantastic either.The sizeoftheCCLshipswasnotaconcern But there isonenewcruisetotheregion thatisselling –butThe Pacificisagenericdestination sellsaysSherry “There isamassiveamountofchoiceonitineraries:you gaveanexampleoftwofamilieswhowereSherry coordinated way.” market let’s operateinamore brandsinthe Carnival the opportunityforall and saidtoreally maximise “We tookamarketview

31 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 MedCruise A4 3mm bleed.pdf 1 2/27/13 3:38 PM

CMY

K as Brisbanesomore Australianscanvisit.” from nextyear, we’llalsooffer cruisesfrom Sydneyaswell andI’mpleasedtosaythatancient customsandhistory New Guinea’s anddiscover its idyllicbeachesandscenery and CaptainSalvatore Lupo. with aspecialprayerandplaquepresentation toSherry Vincent, welcomedPacificDawn’s firstvisitlastOctober Stanley AlphonseandtheCEOofPNGTourism Peter Milne BayProvince Titus Philemon,theCEOofPNGPorts ports toallowthecruiseshipscall. purpose-built wharfatAlotauandjettiesseveralother fundedtheconstruction ofa Guinea (PNG)Government then theywantustocomeandthat’s agooddynamic.” if wecanworkwiththecommunitiesandgovernments revenue forthe relatively cash-strappedcommunities.And tourism becauseisabigissue,source of oftheregion toopenupcruisewith thegovernments innovation we’re doing–where wecangoandworkclosely vibrant costumes. annual eventwithculturalperformances,canoeracesand and KunduFestivaltoenablepassengersexperiencean mix ofoldpassengersandthosenewtocruising. snorkelling anditsWorld War sothecruise isa IIhistory any otherway.” PapuaNewGuineaisrenowned fordiving, Given this new itinerary development –andtheGiven thisnewitinerary “Cruising really istheperfectwaytoexplore Papua for the Prime MinisterO’Neill,alongwiththeGovernor The outcomeofthisinitiativewasthatthePapuaNew “That wasn’t hard tosell,Imustsay. It’s thesortof The cruisewasplannedtocoincidewiththesacred Kenu exoticdestination–impossibletoget “This isavery the sweetspoton theshipswhere weoperatemost when theycometoAustralia. understandswhattheoptionsareinto thatandeveryone committee lookingatfuelefficiency soeveryone’s ideasgo But theteamisalwaysoncalland weactuallyhaveaglobal operations teaminAustraliadoesn’t lookafteralltheships. fact, wehavealocalteamwhichworksonitallthetime. isfocusedonfuelconsumptioninAustralia. Ineveryone and itslandedcostisevenhigheraccording toSherry. “But highlevelasitactuallycomesfromis atavery Singapore – them higheroperatingcosts–thecostoffuelinAustralia even anewonesailingoutofSingapore? Vietnam –isthere aneyetowards afourthship,perhaps propensity forAustralianstotravelIndonesiaand “We’ve planning–finding donealotofworkonitinerary “We share thatknowledge withallthebrandsas Itineraries withlongerdistancesinvariablybring customs andhistory.” scenery anddiscoveritsancient Guinea’s idyllicbeachesand way toexplore PapuaNew really“Cruising istheperfect Peter O'NeillwelcomestouriststoKaibola. Papua NewGuineaPrimeMinister

33 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 The Mediterranean’s Premier Cruise Event 16-18 September 2014 I Barcelona, Spain Fira de Barcelona Gran Via Conference Centre

DESTINATIONS The largest gathering of cruise ship owners in DESIGN & REFURBISHMENT the region will travel to Barcelona to meet face to face with new and existing partners and exhibitors. FOOD & BEVERAGE Book early to choose prime stand location and HOTEL OPERATIONS save with our early booking discount.* SHIP SERVICES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Reserve your stand today! contact: [email protected] ENTERTAINMENT or visit: www.cruiseshippingevents.com/med AMUSEMENTS & RECREATIONAL ATTRACTIONS *Must book exhibit stand by March 31, 2014 to receive early booking discount price.

Owned & organized by: In partnership with: In association with: Principal Supporter/Sponsor: Exclusively supported by:

Regional Supporters:

MED Cruise Insight Mag D_NM_7661 .indd 1 10/01/2014 14:58 space tofilltheir demandforthismosticonic of cities. brands shouldthere notbeenoughberthingfor Carnival Sherry, suggestingthatsometoughnegotiations are in store ships, thatneedstobemaximised,”says international which wehaven’t fullyusedup tonow. Australia marketisgrowing. Sowehavemore options on more deploymentsoutofFremantle becausethewestern up anddowntheeastcoastofAustralia.We’re alsoworking So ifwedon’t getSydneywewillstarttodispersetheships infrastructure inBrisbaneclosetothemouthofriver. andpotentiallydeveloping moreout ofMelbourne, growth. it resolved thenberthinginSydneybecomesaconstraintto berths. We havetobeoptimisticaboutit–ifwedon’t get Island. is aground-swell ofsupportforashare ofthe Garden to more access. But thathasyettobetested,thoughthere to Garden hascommitted Islandandthenewgovernment Plan Bshouldthatnotmaterialise. issues atSydneyneedtoberesolveddoeshavea butSherry For thisextraordinary growth tocontinue theberthing Looking tofuture growth –andpotentialobstacles mixcontributestoo.”with allthataswell,sotheitinerary too fastifyoudon’t haveto.Anddoingshortcruiseshelps considerably overthepastfiveyears. efficiently andwe’vebrought downthefuelconsumption “But there ismagicaboutSydney, particularlyforthe “Having saidthatwe’re alsolookingatsomedeployment “We don’t wanttheNavytogo,justshare oneofthe “We are indiscussionswiththeNavytohavemore access “It’s aconstantspeedandnotrunningshipstoohard or a newshippossibility. the world,tojustifyextravessels? ships sufficiently profitably, compared toother regions of thatshecanoperate Donald, CEOofCarnival, Arnold question remains tobeanswered: hassheconvinced marketed ourselvesinthatway.” good value. But whatthey’veshiftedtoare formsoftravelthatare really times –ashasthewholeworldbutAustraliansstilltravel. for whatyouget.Andwe’vebeenthrough somedifficult possibility andthenofcourseit’s well-pricedproduct a very want thetoughsell–you’vegottohavepeoplewantingit. travel agents:we’llpayyoumore tosellmore. Peopledon’t mouth –ignitingpublicimaginationratherthansayingto everyone’s interest andithashappenedbecauseofword-of- thatwascompletelyoverlookednowhas“A category Sherry wouldonly saythatafourthshipispossible–andSherry hasachievedagreatSherry dealinsixyears.Onlyone “And we’veanabsolutesweetspotthere andwe’ve “We’ve donewhateverittakestocreate thesenseof Still, growth says: continuesapaceandasSherry maximised.” ships, thatneedstobe particularly fortheinternational “There ismagicaboutSydney,

35 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 KOPER – SLOVENIA: Cruise Port Koper offers so much more than an excellent location – it is a highly rated cruise destination to brands such as Silversea, Crystal, Seabourn, Radisson Seven Seas, Hapag Lloyd, Oceania, Azamara, Princess, Celebrity, P&O Cruises, Saga, Star Clippers, Sea Cloud, Windstar, Swan Hellenic and Royal Caribbean International. Koper is gateway to a land of forests, rivers and lakes; castles, cathedrals and picturesque medieval towns; and parks, mountains and caves.

lovenia – a land at the crossroads Loggia – a beautiful arched colonnade in UNESCO World Heritage site. Sof routes leading from the cold Tito Square itself – is the only surviving Close to the Postojna Cave is north to the warm Mediterranean gothic style loggia in Slovenia and a great picturesque Predjama Castle, south, Slovenia is a miniature Europe, place for a leisurely coffee. which has breathtaking panoramic a country where the Alps meet the To the south of Koper is a lovely views of the magnificent Slovenian Adriatic Sea and where the stone Karst coastal town which enjoys protected landscape. During a full-day tour an stretches to the Pannonian lowlands. monument status. Piran is the oldest inland journey through spectacular A fascinating variety of landscapes and one of the best-preserved towns countryside leads to Slovenia’s capital is concentrated on only some 20,000 in Slovenia and is famous both for its city of Ljubljana with its Baroque-styled square km. architecture and also for being the buildings, cathedrals, bridges and Tivoli An ecologically preserved country birthplace of Renaissance composer, Park. Its shops display a fine selection of nearly 60% covered by forest. Slovenia’s Giuseppe Tartini. And Piran’s protected ceramics, wooden objects and art work coastline may be less than 47 kilometres bay is an ideal place for small, boutique produced by local artists to take back to long but the coastal region of Istria cruise ships to anchor. the ship. is a genuine treasure trove of natural In the Secovlje Salina Nature Park , Within is possible to visit also the and cultural sights with picturesque you can learn about salt-making Lake Bled, a truly special place, full of medieval towns and ancient inner traditions and at the same time enjoy charm thanks to the medieval castle and harbours filled with fishing boats and the natural environment that draws church of the Assumption of the Virgin, an evergreen landscape. more than two hundred species of birds. situated on the island in the middle of The region’s capital, Koper is Among the ancient Istrian the glacial origin lake, containing the also its medieval centre rich in settlements, Hrastovlje is famous for the famous wishing bell. Venetian Renaissance tradition. With late-Gothic frescoes in its 12th century A way to enjoy Slovenia is also many beautiful squares and well- Church of the Holy Trinity. through the delights of its cuisine and preserved buildings, Koper enjoys a The Lipica Stud Farm founded in gastronomy. Visitors are pleasantly Mediterranean climate of mild winters 1580 – considered one of Slovenia’s surprised by the goodness of the and warm, dry summers. cultural gems – is where the rare autochthonous products like extra Narrow cobblestone streets lead to Lipizzaner horse is bred so is another virgin olive oil from Slovenian Istria Tito Square in the picturesque town popular stop on excursions. The adult and the Slovene wines which are centre with the Praetorian Palace – Lipizzaner is notable for its white colour popularly served with homemade the symbol of Koper – a breathtaking and its remarkable learning ability. sausage specialties, karst pršut combination of Gothic and Renaissance The Karst underworld of this part (prosciutto) dried in the bora wind, and styles. of Slovenia conceals more than 8,000 other original Slovene dishes. Slovenia Other Koper highlights include karst caves. The two most popular are has a full 24 gastronomic regions and the Cathedral of Saint Nazarius; the Postojna Cave, which has stalactite culinary regions. This means that every Municipal Museum which displays and stalagmite formations that can be few kilometers you will be surprised by artefacts, paintings and sculptures tracing viewed from on board the cave train, an entirely new and different cuisine the history of the region; and the City and the Škocjan Caves, designated a which is a feast for the gourmet.

Koper.indd 18 25/02/2014 18:14 HIGHLY RATED DESTINATION Not only a green destination, Koper is becoming also a luxury and attractive destination, visited by different luxury cruise lines as Seabourn Cruises, Silversea, Azamara, Regent and Oceania, Windstar, Phoenix Reisen. Between these cruise lines, Koper is well known as a quiet, safe and clean destination. The city center is only 3 minutes’ walk from the berth what allows to passengers to take a calm walk to the near attractions.

Also the anchor port of Piran is well knowed between the luxury brands. They were visited several times by Seabourn, Compagnie du Ponant, Seadream Yacht club, Star Clippers…

LUXURY AND PREMIUM LINES LEAD GROWTH The 2014 season will be the 10th from the establishment of the Cruise terminal at Port of Koper.

In the 2005 Koper was visited only by 1.100 passengers from cruise ships, a great leap forward was made in the 2007 with 54 calls and 25.580 passengers. The peak was reached in the 2011 with 78 calls and 108.820 passengers. This was the first season after the completed investment of dredging, placing new bollard and fenders. From the 2012 we are staying on same numbers through the years, about 55 transit calls and 65.000 transit passengers per year. This is why will be built a new terminal building for ships till 2.000 passengers, offering a home port service and all other complementary services. In relation to the increased traffic and the positive passenger’s feedback, Slovenian cruise shipping is developing in the right direction.

IDEAL FOR OVERLAND TOURS Slovenia is ideal for short overland tours or pre-post cruise tours to Eastern Europe’s marquee cities: Vienna, Mozart’s Salzburg, Prague or Budapest as Koper is just 60 nautical miles from Venice. Slovenia borders Italy on the west, the Adriatic Sea on the southwest, Croatia on the south and east, Hungary on the northeast, and Austria on the north. All linked by excellent transport infrastructure to make planning easy.

CONTACTS: Port of Koper Bojan Babič Cruise terminal director Tel: +386 5 66 56 905 Email: [email protected] www.luka-kp.si www.slovenia.info

Koper.indd 19 25/02/2014 18:14 38

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 T we mean. sustainable cruisetourism,itis important todefinewhat people andindifferent contexts.Sobefore wetalkabout subjective concept,meaningdifferent thingstodifferent of sustainability, anditisinanycaseavaguehighly abused term.There are hundreds ofdifferent definitions ports anddestinationsaround theworld. that isbeingaddressed byagrowing numberofcruise among cruiselinesisevidenceofthis,butitalsoanissue importance. Theprevalence ofsustainabilityreporting minimised. only besustainedifitspotentialnegativeeffects canbe thatthepositiveimpactsoftourism canthe industry these sameassets.There isagrowing awareness throughout Environment &Energy, setsoutaprogramme forsustainablecruisetourism. attractive toitspassengers.OliverPearce, SustainabilityConsultanttoWSP needstheenvironmentThe cruiseindustry atitsportsanddestinationstoremain and destinations Sustainable ports Pearce Oliver Fundamentally, sustainabilityisthecapacityto endure. Sustainability is,however, a muchoverusedandoften The principleof‘sustainabletourism’istherefore gaining managed, tourismhasthepotentialtodegrade heritage atdestinations.However, ifnotproperly of thenaturalenvironment andsociocultural dependsonthehighqualityhe cruiseindustry impacts, especially intermsofenvironmental issues such creation. Neverthelesscriticscitemanypotential negative benefits, particularlyinterms of employmentandwealth diversity andlifesupportsystems.”* cultural integrity, essentialecologicalprocesses, biological social andaestheticneedscanbe fulfilled while maintaining management ofallresources insuchawaythateconomic, Tourism Organization. “Itisenvisagedasleadingto enhancing opportunitiesforthefuture,” statestheWorld present touristsandhostregions whileprotecting and social andeconomicimplicationsofdecisions. of theenvironment. Itisalsoessentialtotakeaccountofthe habitats anddepletionofresources, andavoidingpollution upon whichsocietydepends,minimisingdestructionof These includeensuringprotection ofthenaturalsystems and valuesofthewiderangepeopleaffected bydecisions. In order toachievethisitisessentialconsidertheneeds inthelongterm. in awaythatmeetstheneedsofeveryone Sustainable developmentrefers tosociety’s abilitytoevolve Cruise tourismdeliverssignificant andwide-ranging “Sustainable tourismdevelopmentmeetstheneedsof destination. These havebeenidentifiedfollowing an issues couldberelevant toacruiseportor sustainability issuescalledOrbis, developed byWSPGroup. be relevant. Theyare basedonaframeworkofallpossible This diagramshowsalltheissueswhichmay overwhelming. in order tomanagesustainabilityeffectively canbequite which theyaffect eachother. address alloftheseaspectssustainabilityandthewayin more sustainable,cruisesportsanddestinationsmust costs minimised,forallinvolved.Whenaimingtobecome towards ensuringthatthebenefitsare maximisedandthe negative. Sustainabletourismrequires thatwework impacts ofcruisetourismcanbebothpositiveand heritage sites. impacts ofovercrowding onsensitivehabitatsandcultural as wasteproduction, waterandairpollution,the local andwider(national,global)issues.. the ringsdenoteorganisation-specific, factors relate todifferent scales– contexts, andhowthese sustainability inmany in addressing common factors identifies This diagram The highlightedsegmentsinthis diagramshowwhich The numberofimpactsandissueswhichmustbeaddressed In reality, theeconomic,social,andenvironmental tourism industry. adapted tothekeythemesofmost relevance tothecruise detail. Thenextdiagramprovides asimplifiedversion, diagrams: likely toberelevant. tourism certificationschemes.Greyed outsegmentsare less sustainability issues,andthecriteriainmostcommon tourism, examplesofbestpracticeinaddressing port sustainability reports, publicationsontheimpactsofcruise to cruiseportsanddestinations,includingline analysis ofmore than70documentsrelating specifically Fortunately, hastodealwiththislevelof noteveryone 2. 1. There are twokeylessonsthatcanbedrawnfrom this complexity. Managing sustainabilityinvolvesmanaging one stakeholderinthecruisetourismsector;and of impactsintheframeworkare importanttoatleast Out ofallpossiblesustainabilityissues,themajority

39 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Untitled-1 1 9/3/09 10:20:49 summarised as: destinations. common themewhichisrelevant tocruiseships,portsand may vary, buteacharea inthisframeworkindicatesa delivering ahighqualitysustainabletourismproduct. of ‘technical’issues,whichare focusedontheprocess of of anyapproach tosustainability. Italsoincludesarange and environmental impactswhichare thecornerstones Economic cruise tourismindustry. key themesofmostrelevance tothe previous page,adaptedtothe the onedetailedon simplified versionof provides a This diagram • • The core strategiesrelating tothesethemescanbe The specificimpactsandstrategiesforaddressing them This diagramincludesthekeyareas ofeconomic,social skilled andcommitted workforce, whilemaximising Attracting, developing,andretaining adiverse, minimise costsandmaximisebenefits; Managing lifecycleeconomicimpacts inorder to Technical • • • • sustainable results; implementing innovativesolutions toachieve and offacilities andservices, and delivery Ensuring highqualitystandards inthedevelopment value anddeliverbestpractice, sustainable solutions; throughout thesupplychaintoachievewhole-life Building andmaintainingpositiverelationships purpose andcontext; operations, achievingthebestoutcomefor strategies andsystemstoensure sustainable Developing andimplementingeffective management effective communicationwithallstakeholders; maximising customersatisfactionwhileensuring Developing andpromoting asustainablebrand, local employmentandbusinessopportunities;

41 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 03692 Non-EU v1.indd 1 02/02/2012 15:24 03692 Non-EUv1.indd 1 02/02/2012 15:24 Environmental Social • • • • • • through thewaste hierarchy; and useofmaterialresources andminimisewaste Ensuring theprudent,sustainable management resources; Managing, protecting andenhancinglandsoil interest, thehistoricenvironment andculturalheritage; Protecting andenhancingfeatures ofarchaeological sustainable change; relationships, sharingbestpracticeanddriving dialogue withallstakeholders,buildingproductive Engaging incollaborativepartnershipsandinclusive involved; security ofeveryone Promoting andensuringthehealth,safety negative impactsoftransportation; efficient mobilitywhileminimisingthepotential Enabling sustainabletransportchoices,ensuring involved intheprocess. well uponlocalandorganisational prioritiesandthepeople a port,ordestinationregion thatisbeingconsidered, as depending uponwhetheritisthe sustainabilityofaship, significantlydepends onthecontext,andwill vary The wayinwhicheachofthese strategies isapplied • • • • sustainable sources wherever feasible. total energy consumption,sourcing energy from Maximising energy efficiency andminimising and noise; emissions andthepotentialimpactsofairpollution Protecting airquality, minimisinggreenhouse gas upon thequalityofinlandandcoastalwaterbodies; resources, andmitigatingpotentialnegativeeffects Enabling theefficient, sustainableuseofwater biodiversity; and conserve ecosystems, andpromoting opportunitiestoenhance Protecting habitats,speciesandtheintegrityof

43 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 should bedesigned, builtandoperatedwithsustainability of aport’s sustainabilitycredentials, andterminalbuildings fuels wheninport. environmentally certifiedshipsortheuseoflowsulphur activities suchaswastesorting, ballast watermanagement, of differentiated portfeesforenvironmentally friendly ships tobemore sustainable,particularlythrough theuse fuels. Theycanalsoplayarole inencouragingcruise infrastructure (suchasonshore powersupplies)and segregated wasteandwastewaterreception facilities), providing appropriate facilities(suchasgreen bunkering, and thecompetitivenessofoperations. lifecycle costs,andenhancetheattractivenessofport improve staff health,motivationandproductivity, reduce tourism industry. Pursuingsustainabilitystrategiescan to affect manyaspectsofthesustainabilitycruise and thedestination;asaresult theyhavethepotential Cruise portsprovide akeyinterfacebetweencruiseships Cruise ports mentioned theme. port operations–5beingthemost documents relating tosustainable themes inreviewed different sustainability priority givento shows therelative This diagram Cruise terminalsprovide ahighlyvisibledemonstration Ports mustenablecruiseshipstobemore sustainableby operation. and environmental impactsthroughout constructionand environments whileminimisingresource consumption fit forpurpose,providing high-quality, healthyinternal principles inmind.Theyshould berobust, flexibleand supplies) andfuels.” infrastructure (suchasonshore power wastewater reception facilities), bunkering, segregated wasteand appropriate facilities(suchasgreen be more sustainablebyproviding shipsto “Ports mustenablecruise

45 Cruise Insight Spring 2014

This year, experience our new Cruise Village and get a taste of Martinique’s warm welcome and unique culture. - Coralie

The Bay of Fort-de-France is part of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club and is just one of the exciting places you can discover. Visit martiniquepro.org/cruise

Date: February 20, 2014 Pub: Cruise Insight Client: Martinique Issue Date: ------Project: CMU1401-04 Format: 210 x 297 mm (A4) 4521, clark street, montréal (québec) H2T 2T3 t. 514.286.9696 f. 514.284.9152 espressocommunication.com Proof number: FINAL Bleed: 3 mm Color : CMYK Each optionshould beexplored, itsrelative merits identify appropriate strategiestoimprove performance. what getsmeasured tendstobewhatgetsdone. improvements. Careful selectionofindicatorsiscrucial– to identifyimpacts,prioritiseactions anddemonstrate reporting progress. Monitoringperformancecanhelp significant impacts,majorrisksand‘quickwins’. importance. Issuesshouldbeprioritised,concentratingon all possibleimpactsbefore focusingonthoseofgreatest context ofthesite,localarea andtheregion, considering monitoring andcommunicatingrelevant issues. involves asystematicprocess ofidentifying,managing, and benefitsinvolved,thepeopleinvolved. depend onthemostsignificantcurrent impacts,thecosts the mostappropriate solutionsinaspecificcontextwill However, theseare onlyexamplesofpossibleapproaches; the long-termsustainabilityofacruiseportordestination. some ofthethingswhichshouldbedoneinorder toensure together infacingthesechallenges. appropriate scales–bringingallthekeyplayersinvolved relevant tothecity orregion, andshouldbeaddressed at energy andwaterconsumption. emissions ofpollutants,andmaximisingefficiency of materials andfood,minimisingproduction ofwasteand encouraging sustainabletravel,sourcing sustainable consequences oftheiractivities,byenablingand destination itisalsoessentialtoaddress theenvironmental and through communityengagement. cruise tourism,through localsourcing andemployment, maximise thesocio-economicbenefitsassociatedwith throughout theirsupplychains.Theyshouldalsoaimto using theirinfluencetodrivesustainabilityimprovements manage andmonitortheirimpactsinastrategicway, while ensure thatexpectationsare met. managing overcrowding issues,andseekingfeedbackto providing high-quality, safe,accessibleshore excursions, in ensuringthattheyremain onitineraries.Thisinvolves destinations maximisevisitorsatisfaction–akeyissue attractiveness orsensitivehabitats).Italsorequires that destination (oftenbasedonculturalheritage,landscape variations, andpreservingthedistinctivecharacterof economic impacts,suchasoperationalcostsandseasonal a destinationmustbeviable.Thisinvolvesmanaging different. Inorder tobesustainableinthelongterm water quality, wastemanagementandnoise. operations, soilcontamination,protection oflocalairand consideration ofissuessuchasland-useplanning,dredging impacts oftheirownoperations.Thisislikelytoinclude Ports shouldalsoworktoassess,manageandmonitorthe Cruise Destinations Once current impactsare understooditispossibleto Next itisusefultodevelopameansoftrackingand toidentifywhatisimportantinthe First itisnecessary The keyistohaveaneffective sustainabilitystrategy. This The aboverecommendations provide anindication of It shouldbenotedthatmanyoftheseissuesare really In order toprotect thelong-termattractivenessof Destinations andattractionsshouldworktoidentify, The prioritiesforcruisedestinationsare somewhat Earth Council,1996 World Travel &Tourism Council/World Tourism Organization/ * Agenda21fortheTravel andTourism Sector, development isnotagoal–itprocess ofchange. which achievebenefitsforallinvolved.Sustainable between aportandthedestinationattractions. and ensuringthatefficient, sustainabletransportlinksexist tourism offerings withotherdestinationsintheregion, their requirements, developingjoined-upsustainable cooperation withcruiselinestoensure thatfacilitiesmeet solutions anddriveimprovements. Thesecouldinclude to explore options, share bestpractice,developintegrated partnerships mustbeformedandstrengthened inorder actors involvedtocollaborate.Long-termcollaborative of thecruiseindustry, itisessentialforthemultiple guide, withreferences tofurtherinformation. global bestpractice.189possiblestrategiesare listedinthe continue toimprove itssustainability, basedoncurrent inordercould bepursuedbythecruiseindustry to provides detailsofmanythepossiblestrategieswhich Cruise Gatewayproject andavailablefree online; it published manual,developedthrough theEU-funded North SeaRegion:Abestpracticeguide’isarecently improving impacts.‘Sustainable CruiseTourism inthe established. considered, andappropriate meansofimplementation Email:[email protected] that addsvalueincontext. effective managementofsustainabilityissuesinaway is atooldevelopedbyWSPwhich enablestheefficient, environment andrestore thenatural environment. Orbis The firmprovides totransformthebuilt services providing integratedsolutionsacross manydisciplines. businesses,architectsgovernments, andplanners leading professional firms,workingwith services Environment &Energy. WSPisoneoftheworld’s Oliver Pearce, SustainabilityConsultanttoWSP By workingtogetheritispossibletoevolveapproaches Most importantly, inorder toincrease thesustainability There are agreat numberofpossiblestrategiesfor goal –itisaprocess ofchange.” “Sustainable developmentisnota

47 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 WORLD HERITAGE CITY – BERGEN THE GATEWAY TO THE FJORDS OF NORWAY

THE NO.1 NORWEGIAN PORT OF CALL

BERGEN OFFERS ALL THE SERVICES REQUIRED FOR TURNAROUNDS – EVEN DURING ITS EXTENDED CRUISE SEASON

This year, 332 cruise calls are scheduled and that means Bergen scores very highly with cruise passengers who say nearly half a million cruise passengers will be visiting this things like: “everyone should have a cruise stop in Bergen – beautiful city with its historic streets, wooden houses, Bergen is a must.” atmospheric alleyways , aquarium and art galleries laid out before the panoramic gaze of the surrounding mountains. It also scores highly with its cruise line clients. Last year, it received a Cruise Insight award for ‘Most Efficient Port One of the reasons more ships are coming to Bergen is that Services’ which work just as well if ships are homeporting as the season is increasing every year with the first call arriving for transit calls as there are: on February 27 and the last scheduled for November 8. • Maritime and technical services, provisions, supplies and This is great news for Bergen and for its cruise visitors who consumables, transport and allied operations, tourism, can now enjoy the city in all four seasons. Most calls are for shore excursions, and support organizations. full days, allowing passengers time to take tours and also to do some independent exploring – and shopping. • For lines wanting to fly their passengers in to join the ship, there is a modern airport about 20 km from the Cruise ships berth within easy walking distance of the city city centre. centre – and what a walk that is as visitors pass Haakon’s Hall, Rozenkrantz Tower and Bryggen - Bergen’s World But, whether Bergen’s cruise visitors arrive by plane or ship, Heritage Site. In the city, there are other attractions including they are assured of the warmest of welcomes. This is a city the Vilvite science centre. that loves its tourists. Bergen highlights include:

• Troldhaugen, situated at the Nordås Lake, home to the late Edvard Grieg – the composer, pianist and conductor • Bryggen, also known as Tyskebryggen is a series of Hanseatic buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen. A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites since 1979. • The funicular for a ride to the top of Mount Fløien - one of the most popular recreational areas with spectacular views at 1,050 feet above sea level. • Experience a journey on a steam railway - The Old • Voss Line is the only preserved railway in Norway. This heritage railway travels between Garnes and Midttun. • Pass through the old towns of Skuteviken and • Sandviken, with their characteristic white painted wooden houses. • Discover the lovely reconstructed Stave Church. • Panorama Tour takes you by cable car up to Mount Ulriken • 13th-century King Håkon’s Hall • 16th-century Rosenkrantz Tower • The open-air fish market at Torget • Grieg Hall, the city’s concert hall • Old Bergen Open Air Museum • Bergen Aquarium • VilVite science centre • Art Galleries • Shopping • Bergen is a part of the Tall Ships Races from July 24 to July 27 this year

Port of Bergen Nøstegaten 30, PO Box 6040 N-5892 Bergen Norway

Phone: +47 5556 8950 E-mail: [email protected] Websites: www.bergenhavn.no www.visitBergen.com

P McCarthy Michael Tony Peisleyreports. ensure there onsuchinvestments. willbeanacceptablereturn spending oncruiseinfrastructure, butmostare not theoneshavingto hasanopiniononhow–andmuchportsshouldbe Everyone dilemma forports Investment lack ofinvestmentinwhattheircruiselineclientsand They are assailedfrom allsidesfortheirreal orperceived and abusediftheydoitallgoespear-shaped. politicians –criticisediftheydon’t dosomething, must sometimesfeelasunpopularmost ort ownerswithambitionsinthecruisesector Tom Strang Rich Pruitt Francesco Balbi simply wrong-headed; andinfactthere isadangerofports materialise. own backyard ifthepromised doesnot financial return And whentheydoinvest,are attackedintheir regulatory authoritiesdecree asbeingcrucialfacilities. Sometimes thecriticismiswellmerited,butsometimes John Richardson Malinovska Elena Visnar-

51 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 THE POWER OF A PREMIER CRUISE PORT There are so many reasons to choose Port Everglades. Our modern, efﬁ ciently operated terminals make transit a breeze. We’re just two miles from FLL international airport, and minutes from world-famous beaches. Plus, we’re fully scalable. We can accommodate any size ship or passenger volume, moving passengers from curb to ship in just 15 minutes. Year-round berthing available. Discover how Port Everglades propels your business forward in powerful new ways. Visit porteverglades.net or call 800-421-0188.

South Florida’s Powerhouse Port

462_Cruise_Insight_News_FP_Cruise_mech.indd 1 1/27/14 5:26 PM relative totheaveragecruiseusage. smallloadfor thetimeshipisplugged into it–avery to becleanerthanshippower. “I’m not100%againstshore powerbutfirstlyit hasatleast Safety andEnvironmental Stewardship RichPruittsays: from thecruiselines.Quiteopposite,infact. although, tobefair, thatpressure isgenerallynotcoming on themtoinvestinshore powerandLNGprovision – but Iacceptthatthisisnotthecaseformostports.” are goingtobemore secure aboutretaining ourbusiness; business. PortslikeHamburg, whichare inakeylocation, changing, wemaymoveships–thatisjustthenature ofour unfortunately Iwon’t getthem. that theywillnotchangeany2015programmes, but I wouldlikethemfrom ourowndeploymentdepartment Marine OperationsTom Strang. for cruiselines,”saysCostaCruisesSeniorVice President and –tosomeextentfrom lines,butitisdifferent ferry question. “Portsgetguaranteesfrom theircontainerclients deployments whichmore than offset anypenaltycharge. agreements asthey opttomoveshipsmore lucrative own investments.Evenso,somelinesstillrenege ontheir traffic guaranteesare putinplacetounderpintheport’s themselves investedintheterminalinfrastructure, multi-year power connectionsandLNGprovision. levels iftheyare goingtospendmoneyonthingslikeshore existing cruisecallswillcontinueatsimilarorevengreater membership. ports whichmakeupmore than90%ofhisassociation’s certain individualports,typicallyamongthetransit issue istheincreasing volatilityofcruisetraffic through Manager Capt.MichaelMcCarthypointsoutthatonekey for fearofendingupwithexpensivewhiteelephants. facilities, ordotheyresist thesiren callsoftheregulators is: dotheybitethebulletandinvestheavilyinrequisite option, liquefiednaturalgas(LNG).Thedilemmaforports owned –are notexactlyflushwiththestuff. wasted atatimewhenports–whetherstateorprivately regulation, there isevenmore dangerofmoneybeing same mistake.But,inthecomplexarea ofenvironmental most portsare thinkingtwicebefore perhaps makingthe caution toambitiousportsanddestinations,today effectively yearslater. havingtobribethem toreturn the whimofacruiselinebean-counter, withHouston other infrastructure –onlytoseetheshipsdisappearon attracting cruisetourismbybuildingcostlyterminalsand is completelyinappropriate. being badgered intospendingmoneyoninfrastructure that “Also, asanEUstudyshowed,shore powerisonly good Royal CaribbeanCruisesAssociateVice President for And itisthesewhichare currently havingpressure put “With thefinancialsituationandbookingpatterns “We wouldalllikecast-iron guaranteesinourbusiness. But formostports,suchguaranteesare outofthe At majorhomeportswhere the cruiselinesare often These portsneed,hesays,somekindofguaranteethat Cruise Europe ChairmanandPort ofCorkCommercial Take shore powerandthemuch-vauntednew, cleanerfuel These examplesare oftenquotedbythoseadvising Ports likeMobileandHoustoninvestedheavilyin in thePacificNorthwest.” Thesameplan–and cruiseline off-peak electricitygeneratedbycleanhydro-electric power the earlydays,”saysStrang,“but thatwasbasedonusing environmental policy. shore powerhasbecomeoneofkeytenetsits marine to thecruiselinesratherthanEC,forwhich lines haveajointapproach tothisissue.” the installationofconnectionsonboard itsships? really makeeconomicsensetoinvestup$1millionin one outofsevenportshasenoughshore power, doesit the costbenefittothem.Iftherewhere isanitinerary just amount. Venice maysimplynotbeinapositiontoprovide that power ofupto100megawattsand–likemanycities Balbi agrees. “Venice canhavenineshipsdemandingshore France.” half ofsouthern there willnotalways bethespare capacity. significantadditionalload–andper ship,thisisavery are nowstartingtodo.some portsinCalifornia and pluggedinwillrecognise thechallenge–asIthink ship-generated power. power plant,thisislessefficient –42%against45%than friendly choiceas,iftheland-basedenergy source isacoal reduction strategy asitsimplyisn’t. but weshouldnotkidourselvesthatthisissomeimmense For thepeoplewholivenearport,thisisgoodenough dayyouareon asevendaycruiseforevery pluggedin. the shore powerandthencoolitoff. plugged inastheshiphastorunitsengines`warmup’ “Carnival Corporation investedalotinshore powerin“Carnival In factitisarguably more importantthatportslisten importantthattheportsand cruise“This iswhyitvery meanscruiselinesalsohavetothink about “That inturn MSC CruisesEnvironmental Co-ordinator Francesco “Four cruiseshipspluggedintoBarcelona couldblackout “With anaveragerequirement ofabouteightmegawatts Strang says:“Aportthathassevencruiseshipsalongside Then there isthe issueofcapacity. And onethatisnotalwayseventheenvironmentally- “It isjustoneofthetoolsintoolbox,that’s all.” “On average,youonlyreduce emissionsabout1%-3% “In fact,itisnotevengoodforthewholetimeyouare unfortunately Iwon’t getthem.” any 2015programmes, but that theywillnotchange our owndeploymentdepartment business. Iwouldlikethemfrom cast-iron guaranteesinour Strang: “We wouldalllike

53 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 NortherN Lights, ALAskA

Bright Lights. Big City. Make Vancouver your Alaska cruise homeport and your guests will enjoy the best of both worlds: The wild beauty of America’s last frontier and the delights of Vancouver, one of the world’s greatest cities. It’s easy to get here from practically anywhere. And Port Metro Vancouver’s consistently high passenger satisfaction scores will reflect nicely on you.

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File: 179942-02 BLBC_Cruise-Insights Project: Magazine Ad

Full Page bleed Ad: 210mm x 297mm Project Manager: Jasmine Politeski Bleed: 216mm x 303mm Designer:

Client: Port Metro Vancouver ReV: JAn. 30, 2014 – 10:12 AM Operator: DJung

Colours: 4C Publication: Cruise Insights resulting inareluctance amongports–otherthanthe main itineraries andevenmovetocompletely different regions is with whichtheychangehomeports, drop transitportsfrom are reacting tofuelcostpressures by increasing thefrequency massive raisedreservoirs behindports.” is amultiplicationoffacilitiestostore energy, leadingto but theseresult invariablesupplies.Whatthiswouldmean emissions). power isanyone’s solutiontothis particularproblem (of adds: “Ican’t believethatthegeneralisationofshore that isonethingIcan(almost)guarantee.” going toseealotofcruiseshipsretro-fitted withLNG – ships duringregular refits.” ordered justtwoyearsahead.Andtheycanalso retro-fit power connectionsorLNG,usingcapabilityinnewships than thelines,whichcandecidetoincorporateshore short-term solution. may betrue–butitiscertainlyalong-termratherthan doesn’t havetobeaboutusproviding themoney.” Which more opportunities forprivateinvestment. for themtoopenthemselvesupcompetition,provide Visnar-Malinovska. “Sowehaverolled outaprogramme ports,” saysECEnvironment CabinetMinisterElena helping portsfinancesuchinvestments. facility couldtakethree yearsormore.” this wellinadvance,astoputLNGsomewhere inaport and ferries,aswelltocruiseships.Theyhaveplanfor to supplyeithershore powerand/orLNGtocargo vessels think toolong,itcancomeupandbiteyouinthebehind. enough awaytogiveyoutimethinkaboutit.Butif would regulate itbefore we gotoofardownthatline.” could beswitchedbackintothegrid. option, especiallyas,initsoff-time from poweringships,it within cruiseregions suchastheMediterranean. investment –willnotworkeverywhere,andparticularly in thewinter. customers canbesuppliedwithheatandelectricity barge isequippedinsuchawaythatotherpotential in Hamburgwithdeliveryduethissummer.The The world’sfirstLNGhybridbargewillbestationed “In themeantime,”McCarthynotes, “thewaycruiselines “The EUpolicyistogohell-for-leather forrenewables, SpecialAdvisorJohnRichardsonFIPRA International But Strangsays:“Ithinkitispretty clearthatyouare not But, asMcCarthysays,“We havetoplanfurtherahead “Incentivisation canbeeffective through thisroute. It “We haveseentheproblem ofunder-investment atsome Which isprobably justaswell,giventheEC’s attitudeto “Most portshavetotakeintoaccountthepotentialneed McCarthy adds:“Anythingenactedthrough theECisfar “But wereally needtoestablishwhichECdepartment “But,” saysStrang,“thepowerbarge hasbecomeaserious wanting ustopay themtotakeitoff them.” the valuetoomuch,we’llprobably havethecruiselines would begoingbackempty. of thosecontainerswhichbrought ingoodsfrom China from Ireland being shippedouttoChina.Without it,most defrayed. “Waste doeshaveavalue,”saysMcCarthy. we willhaveabsolutelynoidea.” municipality willask‘Whatmicro-organisms are init?’and “Can itbeputintoasewageorwastesystemashore? The what micro-organisms are present,” continuesMcCarthy. waste,andthereforeinternational there isanissueof our interests tokeepitseparated.” costs fivetimesmore thansegregated waste,soitisinall into non-segregated areas,” declares McCarthy. “Landfill segregated onboard shipscomingintoportsand thengoing to contemplate. investment, either, eventhoughitisacostlyoneforports cruise shipslandalltheirwaste. ports toinvestfast,inlinewiththenewrulesthatinsist taking theoppositetackinthattheyare activelyurging the have lesschoiceinthematter:waste.Here cruiselinesare gameofprofitto bethewinnersineternal andloss. out ports whositontheirhandsanddonothingcouldturn facilities forshore power andLNG.” marquee ones– tocommitmajorfinancialoutlayonnew “So there maybeanopportunitythere. But,ifwetalkup “At Corkwehaveabout10,000TEUcontainersofwaste But there maybeawaythatthecostofallthiscan But wastereceptioncomplexarea. isavery “It “It isabsolutelysoul-destroying toseewastethathasbeen But thelinesdon’t wanttohavehelppayforthe But there isanother area where theportsare goingto This, then,isbecominganarea where –foroncethe day youare pluggedin.” forevery on asevendaycruise reduce emissionsabout1%-3% Pruitt: “Onaverage,youonly

55 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 21st Century Destination Cruise Port Rotterdam Sightseeing • Tours • Airlift • Bunkering • Competitive Port Fees • Modern Terminal Facilities

65 MILLION POTENTIAL CRUISE PASSENGERS and intercontinental airports. Rotterdam The Hague As one of the most vibrant port cities in the world Airport is the most important regional airport in the surrounded by culture and history, a vibrant shopping Netherlands and is connected to the major European environment and revenue generating tour offerings hubs.. Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport is Rotterdam is an ideal start, or end, to a European cruise. only a 45- minute-drive away or 19 minutes by High Speed Train. In addition, both Brussels International The port city enjoys a catchment area of 65m Airport Zaventem and Eindhoven Regional Airport prospective passengers including the Germans living can be reached within one and a half hours. The in the neighbouring city of Cologne and the region of European High Speed Railway network provides North Rhine Westphallia: which – like the Benelux comfortable and rapid transportation to and from countries – is a strong market for European cruise Brussels, Paris – in just two hours. brands. Rotterdam is also at the heart of Europe with a TOURS AND ATTRACTIONS dramatic skyline that reflects its contemporary The 185m-high Euromast provides an unforgettable outlook: young, dynamic, creative, exciting, open view of dynamic Rotterdam sweeping across from the minded and international. diverse mix of buildings crowding the banks of the The city has always been well connected river to the lowlands around it. internationally due to its location on the banks of the There are tailor-made tours through the port of river Nieuwe Maas which connects directly to the Rotterdam by boat or bus. Some feature the Cube deep waters of the North Sea and this has created Houses which were designed by Piet Blom as ‘trees’ a cosmopolitan atmosphere that makes visitors within a ‘forest’- one of which is a fully furnished immediately feel at home. museum home. Starting in the shadow of the Many cultures and tastes are represented in its impressive Erasmus Bridge there are city tours as world of food, shopping, entertainment, attractions, well as the popular ‘Spido’ river tours that show you museums, and year-round festivals and special events. Rotterdam’s spectacular skyline and harbour from the comfort of a fleet of modern river boats. WORLD CONNECTIONS Historic Delfshaven is now more than just its history Rotterdam is connected to a vast network of as it has now been discovered by shoppers. Where the international motorways, railways and international United East Indies Company once built ships, Piet

Rotterdam-CI-B.indd 2 28/02/2013 13:36 Heyn drank his beer and the Pilgrim Fathers spent the night before embarking on their voyage to America, there are now antique shops, art dealers, small shops selling brac à brac, glass, (bridal) fashion. There are also two fascinating museums: an imposing church, two theatres and a corn mill. The Gothic ‘Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk’ (built around 1449–1525) is the oldest monument in central Rotterdam. The church features three memorial tombs Rembrandt van Rijn, Titus at his Desk, 1655 left and for sea heroes and three Marcussen organs, the main Wassily Kandinsky, Lyrisches, 1911. Both exhibits instrument being the largest full mechanical organ in at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam – Europe. Photo: studio Hans Wilschut There are eight walk-and-shop routes (detailed in the ‘Shopping in Rotterdam’ booklet) which are the ideal Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, Kunsthal Museum way for visitors to discover Rotterdam’s best retail (Modern Art), the Maritime Museum and the therapy areas – from the most expensive brands to Netherlands Architecture Institute. bargains and the most intriguing gifts. Each route reveals a different aspect of this shopaholics’ paradise. The Museum Boijmans van Beuningen is famous for its magnificent collections of classical and Another big city attraction is the Royal Rotterdam contemporary art. Along with works by many masters Zoo which has expanded to become one of Europe’s such as Brueghel, Rembrandt, Monet, Dali, Picasso, most beautiful zoological gardens. Van Gogh and De Kooning, it also houses arts and The best of The Netherlands is within easy reach: crafts dating back to the 14th Century, as well as The historic towns and cities of Delft (porcelain), modern designs. Gouda (cheese), The Hague (Peace Palace), Dordrecht The Maritime Museum covers the history of the port (oldest in The Netherlands), Schiedam (Dutch gin) of Rotterdam with the 19th Century man o’war ‘De and Kinderdijk (18 windmills that are on UNESCO’s Buffel’ imoored outside. World Heritage list) can all quickly and easily be reached from the port city. Tours to Amsterdam – just In the Historic Museum Het Schielandhuis, 45 minutes by coach from the centre of Rotterdam Rotterdam’s past comes back to life in rooms represents another excellent revenue generator for decorated in historical style, from the 18th Century to cruise ship operators. the present day. The city also has its own internationally-renowned CITY CULTURE orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra led The city (Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2001) offers by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. It is also home to Codarts; cultural stimulation for heritage, art and music lovers. university of the arts, the Willem de Kooning academy There are several notable museums including the and World Music and Dance Centre.

Cruise Port Rotterdam B.V. Wilhelminakade 699 P.O. Box 51005 3007 GA ROTTERDAM Tel: +31 – 10 – 486 07 24 Fax: +31 – 10 – 413 50 22 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cruiseportrotterdam.com Mrs. Mai Elmar, director

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Photo: studio Hans Wilschut

Rotterdam-CI-B.indd 3 28/02/2013 13:36 Oslo Stockholm One gateway – two destinations

A T H S E A E O R Kopenhagen S N I C L T B A BREMERHAVEN WISMAR Hamburg Amsterdam Bremen Berlin London Brüssel Dresden

Prag Paris Frankfurt/Main

München

Bremerhaven/North Sea. The Columbus Cruise Center Wismar/Baltic Sea. Columbus Cruise Center Wismar (CCCW) Bremerhaven impresses with excellent location characteristics, is a touristic service provider for cruise passengers, shipping good infrastructure and world class services for passengers lines, travel operators and ship’s agents. The state-of-the- and crew. Bremerhaven offers unique attractions such as art cruise terminal is located within walking distance of the the German Emigration Center – a museum of international historic city center of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and signiﬁ cance focusing on passenger shipping and emigration Hanseatic City of Wismar. Amongst the monumental red – and the Klimahaus 8° Ost, which allows visitors to plunge brick churches St. Nikolai, St. George and St. Mary, the city into a multifaceted world of knowledge and adventure. also impresses with buildings of the Swedish Era such as Bremerhaven is also an ideal starting point for enjoyable day the Old Swede. Thanks to the ideal transport connections, and half-day trips to Oldenburg, Hamburg and Bremen. day trips can be organized to Schwerin with its magniﬁ cent With the Town Hall and the Statue of Roland, Bremen offers castle, to Lübeck with its picturesque Old Town or even to UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as a picturesque historic Germany’s capital city Berlin. center.

Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven GmbH Columbus Cruise Center Wismar GmbH Columbuskaje 1 | 27568 Bremerhaven Kopenhagener Straße 3 | 23966 Wismar Tel. + 49 (0) 471 902 625-0 Tel. +49 (0) 3841 452-470 [email protected] [email protected]

www.cruiseport.de

1770 CCC CruiseInsight 210x297.indd 1 21.02.14 11:07 1770 CCC CruiseInsight 210x297.indd 1 www.cruiseport.de [email protected] 902 625-0 471 Tel. +49 (0) Bremerhaven Columbuskaje 1|27568 GmbH Bremerhaven Center Columbus Cruise center. UNESCO World Sites as Heritage well historic as apicturesque theWith Town Hall and the Statue Roland, of Bremen offers and half-day trips to Hamburg Oldenburg, and Bremen. Bremerhaven is also for enjoyable an point ideal day starting and knowledge adventure. of world into amultifaceted – and the Klimahaus which allows visitors to Ost, plunge 8° signiﬁ focusingcance passenger on shipping and emigration the German Emigration Center –amuseum international of and such crew. as unique Bremerhaven attractions offers for passengers and class world infrastructure good services Bremerhaven impresses characteristics, excellent with location Sea. Bremerhaven/North One gateway –two destinations L ondon The Columbus The Cruise Center P aris Brüssel

Amsterdam N O BREMERHA R

S E

Fr A ankfur Br VEN emen Germany’s capital city Berlin.Germany’s city capital Town Old picturesque its with even or to to Lübeck castle, day tripsorganized can be to magniﬁ Schwerin its with cent Swede.the Thanks Old to the connections, ideal transport also impresses buildings with the Swedish of Era such as brick churches St. Nikolai, and St. George St. Mary, the city Wismar.Hanseatic of City the monumental Amongst red center the UNESCO of historic World city Site and Heritage cruise terminalart within walking is located distance the of lines, and travel ship’s operators state-of-the- agents. The provider for cruiseis atouristic passengers, service shipping Sea. ColumbusWismar/Baltic Cruise Center Wismar (CCCW) K openhagen Oslo München t/ Hambur Mai Berlin Dr n WISMAR esden g Pr Stockholm [email protected] 452-470 3841 Tel. (0) +49 Wismar 3|23966 Straße Kopenhagener Wismar GmbH Center Cruise Columbus ag

B A L T I C S E A 21.02.14 11:07 P Mike Bonner Harding reports. and shoreside attractionmanagersbedoingtogetinontheact?Maria lines are currently mostactiveindevelopingthem?Andwhatshouldport weapons incruiselines’battletobuildbookingsandboostrevenue. Which Outstanding shoreside eventsandoffbeat travelexperiencesare thelatest A shorething lines thatall-importantedgeoverthecompetition. events andtoursunusualalluringenoughtogivecruise numbers andonboard revenue –andthesearch isonfor ‘hot ticket’forcruiselineseagertoboostbothpassenger to attract. adventurous asthecruiselinesandpassengerstheywant in its116-dayworldcruise. Library ofCelsusatEphesus,Turkeyforparticipants Seabourn Cruisesoffereddinnerintheancient This isparticularlyimportanttooperatorsofround-the- For offbeat shoreside experiencesandeventsare thenew opportunities iftheyare willingtobeas tourism couldfind2014ayearofgolden managers seekinghigherrevenues from cruise ort chiefs,localtourismbossesanddestination Nancy Ramos Andy Stuart Ken Muskat the ancient Library ofCelsusatEphesus–werethe ancientLibrary reserved Symphony ofLightsshowinHongKong,anddinner 4).on January (whichsailedfromaboard Sojourn LosAngeles Seabourn special eventstoparticipantsinits116-dayworldcruise three monthsormore. tool inpersuadingcustomerstosplashoutonsailingsof off shoreside eventstocreate anexclusive‘club’asakey the circumnavigation market–are increasingly usingone- world cruiseswho–asmore andmore cruiselinesenter Four ofthese–includingaChinesebanquetand This year, Cruisesoffered forexample,Seabourn nine extraordinary experiences.” it’s vitaltooffer themreally the luxurytravelmarket,so in experienced anddiscerning passengers are themost Bonner: “World cruise Emilio Freeman Bernard Carter

59 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 60

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 with theJoneses’. will spendbiginorder –astheymightputitto‘keepup But Celebrity’s UKmarketresearch indicatesthat Britons (adult andchild)–soclearlythe priceofadventure ishigh. tour inNorway’s SuldalslågenRiverwhichcostsUS$599 and costsUS$359peradult(US$299forachild). combines biking,aboatride,swimmingandseakayaking six-hour Croatian Adventure triathlon-themedtourwhich schooltoprepareto acookery aclassicSiciliandish,and hours –whichtakesgueststoshopatalocalmarket,then only SicilianGastronomic Tour –pricedatUS$299for6.5 trekking intheSaharaDesert. TV adventures, includingaraceacross theAntarctic and ‘Destination Expert’in2013afterembarkingonvarious and TVpersonality. Foglewasappointedthecruiseline’s of shore tourspromoted bytheeponymousexplorer market of‘BenFogle’s Great Adventures’ –acollection local traveltrends, andgearourproducts toreflect them.” exclusive excursions,”saysRamos.“We keepacloseeyeon situation inSpain–there islessdemandthere forvery more ‘immersive’ stuff, whileobviously–with the financial “Europeans tendtolikeexploringontheirownordoing RCC brandstoassesslocaldemand–andspendingpower. they canlunchtogetherandtalkabouttheirexperiences.” the grandparents takeachairliftrideorforest walk.Then bus butmum,dadandthekidsmightgozip-wiring,while family totourtogether. Sotheymayallgooff onthesame options whichwillsuitthemwhileallowingthewhole Jamaica combinedwithatreasure hunt,”continuesRamos. generational, adventure-seeking family–likerivertubingin market. fromtake willvary brandto–andfrom marketto our brands,”saysRamos.Buttheformnew-lookexcursions trendis anindustry-wide andweare lookingatitforall Celebrity brand.“Offering more unusualshore experiences A OnePoll survey of2,046UKrespondents,A OnePollsurvey conducted in Top ofthepricerangeisa6.5hoursalmonsnorkelling Options inthebrandnewFoglerangeincludeanadults- An exampleofthisisCelebrity’s recent launchintheUK Much research isgoingonindifferent by marketsserved “The aimistogivedifferent generationsofafamily “For RCIweare developing products forthemulti- The redesign ofshoreside offerings isnotconfinedtothe game. But as big ships – like our own Norwegian Epicgame. Butasbig ships–likeourownNorwegian year-round business. the Mediterraneancanprovide portsanddestinationswith worthwhile nowthatwinterdeployment ofcruiseshipsin and takepressure off localroads whenbigshipscall. authorities forintroducing fastferriestospeedupaccess HealsopraisesBermuda‘something foreverybody’. and builtitselfintoamajorcruisehubbyoffering complex –hasgonebeyondtheusualculturalattractions – withitspopularPortAventura themepark andgolf experiences theyfindonboard.” attractions tooffer thekindofimaginative,funandexciting says. “Theyare comingoff shipsandexpectinglandside and thishasraisedcruisepassengers’expectations,”he cruiseshipshascreated highqualityfacilities,in modern now offered onboard cruiseships.“Massiveinvestment creating shoreside experienceswhichmatchthequality AndyStuartitisaboutGlobal SalesandPassengerServices But howbesttomineit? the over55sthaninunder24s. holidays –andassociated‘braggingrights’isgreater in from theirfriendsandfamily, andthatthedesire foroffbeat a holidaywhichallowsthemtodosomethingdifferent 2014,revealedJanuary thatnearlyaquarter(24%)choose “The pressure isonfordestinationstokeepuppingtheir Investing insuchadaptabilityis important–and He citesBarcelona asanexampleofadestinationwhich CruiseLineExecutiveViceFor Norwegian President of So themessageis:there’s goldinthemtharcruisetourists. to tourtogether.” while allowingthewholefamily options whichwillsuitthem different generationsofafamily Ramos: “Theaimistogive on Oceania’sInsignia. seven starEmiratesPalaceisanoptionforguests Dinner –withalimousinetransferatAbuDhabi’s of theirexperience onboard,” saysNancyRamos, Director passengers wantshoreside activitiesthatmatch the quality “Celebrity Luxury’. its core brandmessageof‘Modern programme tosimplifyandimprove itsoffering andreflect bucks fornovelty, adventure andexclusivity. in offbeat experiencesashore –andare prepared topaybig suggests thatmassmarketclientsare increasingly interested expanding theirlandprogrammes. end linesorcompanieswithworldcruisestofillthatare good newsforshore organisers isthatit’s notjusthigh- showing plentyofinterest intheirwares. Butthereally something unusualtooffer willfindworldcruiseoperators Emirates Palace,oneoftheworld’s mostexpensivehotels. dinner – with limousine transfer – at Abu Dhabi’s seven star tasting atBordeaux’s ChateauGiscoursand 14th-century and theCaribbean–includeaprivatedinnerwine Iceland, theMediterranean,India,FarEast,Africa sailing –whichtoursCanada,NewEngland,Greenland, Great Wall ofChina. in Namibia’s SwakopRiverCanyonandlunchontopofthe first-ever worldcruiseincludeanalfresco firelight dinner Shoreside specials organised forparticipants intheship’s from and–againunusuallyalsoinJuly. MiamiinJanuary (180-day) circumnavigations onboard Insignia,departing big timenextyear, withplansfortwounusuallylong announcing thatitwillbreak intotheworldcruisemarket in thedesertaround Dubai. around thehitmovieAvatar, andbuildingaBedouinvillage past sailingsbycreating aNewZealandforest scenethemed building itsown‘sets’.Thelinehaswowedpassengerson exclusive venuestotop-spendingworldcruiseguests,by General ManagerMikeBonner. places fewpeoplewillvisit,”saysSilverseaUKandIreland offer themreally extraordinary experiencesandaccessto travelmarket,soit’s intheluxury discerning vitalto Kirstenbosch BotanicalGarden. – atthehistoricRésidencedeFranceinCapeTown’s garden partyandlunch–with a viewofTable Mountain Orphanage. tothePinnawalaElephant Lanka –avintagetrainjourney party andperformanceatSydneyOperaHouse–inSri starlight dinnerintheNamibDesert,anexclusivecocktail Whisper’s 115-daycircumnavigation in2015willincludea experiences ashore. Itsline-upofspecialeventsforSilver world cruisebookingsbyproviding memorable‘bucketlist’ husband ofBritain’s queen). Corfu’s MonReposPalace(birthplaceofPrincePhilip,the Ho ChiMinh’s RexHotelandaprivatevisitto legendary traditional Vietnamese dinnerand danceperformanceat were welcomeatthefiveotherevents.Theseincluded a for fullworldcruisers,butallpassengersonthesailing Celebrity Cruiseshasradicallyrevamped itsentire shore Big-ship linesare alsouppingtheirgame,asresearch Clearly, land-basedattractions andground handlerswith Signature shore eventsforInsignia’s July2015world Oceania Cruisesisbusycontractingspecialeventsafter CruisesgoesevenfurtherinofferingUpscale Crystal “World cruisepassengersare themostexperiencedand Silversea’s worldcruiseguestscanalsoexpectaprivate Rival SilverseaCruisesisequallykeentobagfullround- design theirown itinerary. Concierge onboard eachshipandget advicetohelp driver foranentire day. GuestscanconsultaDestination balloon flightover Tuscany –withuseofaprivate carand combine anexclusivespecialevent –likeasunrise Exclusives. Theseare 100%customisedtours which of theisland.” back totheshiporchoosebookacarforprivatetour a three coursefusioncuisinelunch.Afterthattheycango enjoythespafacilitiesandtreatments, thenhavemorning, an upscaleexperience,”Ramossays.“Theygothere inthe Jade MountainResortspa,aimedatrepeaters whowant what timetheysetoff andhowlongtheyspendontour. group orfamily–leavingthemtodecide(withinreason) but ditchthecoachinfavourofacarorminibusfortheir requirements. Passengerscandoaregular tour itinerary which canbedesignedtosuittheclient’s individual Ramos says. the skinofdestinationandconnectwithlocals,” or perhaps achance toeatwithalocalfamily. market toresearch theingredients foraclassiclocaldish, times andwantanew‘take’onit–likevisittolocal end ofthescalewhohavevisitedadestinationseveral sights, andCulturalImmersiontoursforclientsattheother visitors toaportwhowanttickoff themain‘must-see’ categories ofexcursion.” So wehavestreamlined ouroffering andcreated separate – 68inCozumelaloneandthatwasconfusingpeople. enjoy atleastsomeofthedayinportontheirown. extraordinary experience, andleavesthemenoughtimeto something withasinglethemethatoffers anintensiveand one tour”,Ramossays.“Today’s cruisepassengersprefer into topackeverything in “ten-hourexcursionswhichtry Azamara ClubCruises. include Celebrity, (RCI)and RoyalCaribbeanInternational for RoyalCaribbeanCruises(RCC)–whosebrands (Marketing andEcommerce) ofGlobalTour Operations Top oftheredesigned shore product rangeare Celebrity “On StLucia,forexample,wehaveanewtourtothe Then there –customisedexcursions are PrivateJourneys “The ideaistogiverepeat visitorsachancegetunder These includeDestinationHighlightstoursforfirst-time “We alsorealised wehadtoomanyexcursionsonoffer RCC’s research showsthatguestsare nolongerinterested that wasconfusingpeople.” – 68inCozumelaloneand had toomanyexcursionsonoffer Ramos: “We alsorealised we

61 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 wherever wehostanAzAmazing Evening,weaskthelocal little thingsthatimpress peoplethemost.“For example, well withguests,Freeman stresses thatoftenit’s the Haifa, Israel.” classical musicconcertinaspectacular Romanfortress in (an ancienttraditioninSete,France)andattendinga popular withourguestsinvolvedwatchingwaterjousting customs tolife.Two recent eventswhichwere terrifically – hiringanentire museumortakingoveraremote vineyard. create eventstotallyexclusivetoourguestsby–forexample AzAmazing Evenings,workingcloselywithlocalsuppliersto and bespoketothatparticulardestination,”hesays. involve acelebrity;theyjustneedtobeauthentic,exclusive experiences don’t havetofeature bigheadlineeventsor for themselves.“To offer areal ‘wowfactor’,shoreside impressed by‘inside track’experiencestheycouldn’t organise EmilioFreemanDelivery sayscruisepassengerswillbemost accessible permitsanddiscountedpricing.” location recommendations inhightraffic areas, easily “Destination managerscanhelpbuildcruisetourismwith effect’ thanabigconcertorheadlineevent,”hesays. ashore needn’t involvemajorcost. experience. Butheaddsthatcreating excitingexperiences facilities whichmatchandreflect thequalityofonboard eager tobuildcruiserevenue shouldcreate toursand Marketing KenMuskatagrees thatdestinationmanagers passengers.” about howtocreate great shoreside experiences forcruise together tomakethemostofit’bystartingadialogue there’s amajoropportunityforgrowth here –let’s work table anddemandingthings,butweare saying‘Look, tours andattractions.Nobodyisbangingtheirfistonthe port anddestinationmanagersondevelopinghigh-quality begin torely onyear-round demand,”saysStuart. businesses caninvestintheknowledgethattheynow – startwinteringintheMediterranean,portsandlocal evening eventsofferedbyAzamaraClubCruises. fortress inHaifa,IsraelisoneoftheAzAmazing Attending aclassicalconcertinspectacularRoman But whilegrandsettingsandancient traditionsgodown “The aim,really, istobringeachport ofcallanditslocal “That’s somethingwestriveforwithour signature Azamara Director ofBrand OperationsandDestination “In reality, anoff-beat experiencecanoffer abigger‘wow MSC CruisesUSASeniorVice President ofSales and “We are keen–asare othercruiselines–toworkwith what’s ahead.” about newproductscan learn indevelopment andfindout starting tooffer toursoftheirfactoriesduringwhichpeople advances. Bigtechcompaniesin theFarEastare now says. “Peopleare fascinatedbygadgetsandtechnological does heseeasthe‘passions’offuture? commonplace evenonmass-market,bigshiplines,what get somethingoutoftheirholidays.” want toexercise theirbodiesandminds,really excursions simplydon’t cutthemustard. Ourpassengers and matured now, andtraditional‘pileonacoach’ traditional supper,” Cartersays. chance tovisitanout-of-the-wayvineyard foratastingand Provence, oralongtheItaliancoastlinefrom Sorrento; ora a paintingexcursionfrom Marseillesintothehillsof can offer usadifferent slantonadestination–perhaps excursion range. of artclasses–are awelcomeadditiontotheshore onboard schoolandprogramme itsships–likecookery keeping passengersengagedwithaparticularcruisebrand.” visitors don’t much the keyto gettoexperience–isvery the skinofadestinationandbeingoffered something most the generalpublicbythen. experiences –liketourstoattractionswhichare closedto fantastic opportunitiestooffer ourguestsunusual Europe) Bernard Carter. staysinportcreate “Overnight at nightfall,”saysOceaniaManagingDirector (UKand the evening,whenmosttouristshaveleft. lines havemore capacityfororganising off-beat eventsin inkeyports,cruise– oreventwomore –overnights more memorable.” rooms tomaketheexperience– andthedestination–even miniature bottleofoliveoil.Thenweleaveitintheguests’ tourist board toprovide asmallgiftforeachguest,suchas Remember, you read ithere first. “I thinktechnologytourscouldbeacomingthing,”he With art,culture, andfoodwinetoursnow hasmushroomed“The thingisthatthecruiseindustry “We’re alwayshappytotalklocalsupplierswho For Oceania,experienceslinkedtospecialfacilities “And Ithinkthatsenseofexclusivity–gettingunder “It’s astonishinghowmuchadestinationcanchange Now thatcruiseitinerariesare increasingly featuringone and attractions.” on developinghigh-qualitytours port anddestinationmanagers lines–toworkwith other cruise Stuart: “We are keen–as

63 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 64

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 loop altogether. cut commissionandthentookagentsoutofthebooking of choice. their ownjobsasthetravelindustry’s distributionchannel travel agentswere effectively beingaskedtore-apply for new relationship betweenretailers andprincipalsinwhich new technologyandbusinessmodelsushered ina of thenewMillennium,atwhichpointacombination express undying loveandrespect fortheretail community. Kevin Sheehan on anunexpectedchangeofheartbycruisecompanies. New eraorfalsedawnfortravelagentssellingcruises?Tony Peisleyreports ya, baby? Who loves A Indeed somedidnotevengetthechance,asairlinesfirst That periodstretched from the1970sroughly tothestart operators to cruise lines – fell over themselves to travel companies–from airlinesthrough tour Kojak catchphrasewillalsorecall anerawhen ny travelagentoldenoughtoremember that David Dingle Arnold Donald that commission hadnotjustledtocustomerconfusion commission, becausethedegree ofdiscounting fundedby stepofreducing necessary braveintaking thevery very UK’s halvingofcommissionlevelsbackin2011. redraw thecommercial relationship withagents:Carnival reason forthemostcontroversial cruisesectormoveto that muchdifferent topayingagents’commission.” the marketingtosupportdirect selling,thenthecostisnot systems andthebuildingsrequired tohousethemallplus outbound calls,ofthereservationcentres andtelephone Norwegian. it tookmeawhiletorealise thattheywere keyforusat we didn’t thinkweneededagents,”hesaid.“That’s why unexpected admission. their clientsandthemedialastJanuary, Sheehanmadean Getawaytothetraveltrade,launching thenewNorwegian CEO KevinSheehan’s watch. CruiseLineledthewayduringPresident andNorwegian still beenasteadygrowth indirect salestoconsumers. Carnival UKChief ExecutiveDavidDinglesaid:“WeCarnival were For costisthekeyhere, evenifthatwasnotthesole “When youaddupthecostofpeoplewhomake “I joinedthiscompanyfrom adifferent business,where But maybethatisallabouttochange.For, when Cruise linesheldthelineforlonger, butthere has more agent-friendly.” us wantingtodemonstrateourdesire andinterest inbeing passengers bookingpoliciesas“a shiftchangeintermsof described aseriesofchangesto group andrepeat suggests thatsomethingmore fundamentalmaybegoingon. travel agentsmuchmore proactively thaninrecent years been unaffected byitssisterline’s problems isalsotargeting of shipbreakdowns lastyear. had intheNorthAmericanmarketplacefollowingitsseries This iscertainlyadirect response totheproblems CCLhas increasingly beenonotherareas, suchasthedigitalmedia. – alongwithmostotherbrandsitsheadlinefocushas is doingitonsuchascaleandafterrecent yearswhen general traderelations. 63 questionsonissuesincludingpricing,brochures and this process ofagents,asking hasbeenaquarterlysurvey visits anddailyfeedbackontheGoCCL.comportal.Partof strengthen tieswith agents”through road shows,agency Conversations whichisdesigned“toincrease dialogueand the launchofanoutreach programme calledCarnival aim ofsellingmostcruisesdigitallydirect totheconsumer? ii) Havethecruisecompaniesgivenuponlong-term just afalsedawn? forcruiseretailers,i) Hasthetidereally oristhis turned inextricably linkedquestionshavetobeasked: to improve theirrelationship withtravelagents, two CruiseLines(CCL)rollCarnival outsignificantinitiatives the AtlanticwhichsawPrincessand–inparticular has justbeenpartofthatprocess.” both partieslifehasbeenanongoingnegotiation,andthis healthy sparringbetweentravelprincipalsandagents.For But probably theyinitiallyover-corrected.” have allthoseover-rides andthestructure wassimplified. what seemstoworkanddoesn’t. with hispeersandUKtravelprofessionals evaluating now says:“DavidDingleisinconstantdialoguewithme, which restored halfthecut(i.e.to7.5%) laterintheyear. 2013. Theywere followedbyP&OCruisesandCunard Line, commission levelstotheoriginal10%basefrom March balancing thecostagainstbenefitofthatdecision. UK’s commissioncostsanditbecameaquestionof switch-selling, butthemoveclearlyalsoreduced Carnival be unpopularanddamagesomerelationships forus.” agents hadcalledforittohappen,wasinevitablygoing wall. Somebodyhadtostopallthatand,althoughsome their ownbusinesses,andsomecompanieswenttothe sales. but wasmakingitharder foragents asagroup toclose It isstillhard to avoidtheviewthatthisagentlove-in Princess SalesVice President BrianO’Connorhimself brand–Princesswhichhas But thefactthataCarnival Nothing isreally newthere, exceptforthefactthatCCL The CCLinitiativewasthemostsignificant,involving But, takenwithdevelopmentsontheothersideof Dingle says:“Sincetheyeardotthere hasalwaysbeen “Agents were sayingitwouldbehelpfuliftheydidn’t Donald Corporation&plcCEOArnold New Carnival Princess Cruiseswasthefirsttoblink, restoring Cunard Linewasparticularlyaffected byUKagents “In somecasesitwasevenjeopardising theviabilityof cruise companies andtheirtraveltradepartners. his words makeitlookjustlikebusinessasusualbetween stay inthegame.” embrace changeandusetheirwebsite andothertoolsto gobbled up.Thesuccessfulagents are theones which have foundithard tochange–withtheresult theyget going tobecomerelics. business thewaytheydidfiveortenyearsago,are The worldischangingand,ifagentsjustsitthere anddo webinars totrainthem–somethingwedidn’t dointhepast. showcase thebrandwiththeirnameonit.We nowhave connectivity andalsoonmarketingmaterialstohelpthem spending tensofmillionsdollarsontechnologyfor could notrunourbusinesssuccessfullywithoutthem. shows wecare about agents,andInowrecognise thatwe business,” saysSheehan.“OurPartnersFirstprogramme higher octanefuelforgrowth thananythingelseinthis better.since learned recommendation canbeinclosingacruisesale,theyhave clearly forgot justhowimportantprofessional third-party now isthatwhere, fiveyearsago,somewithintheindustry process tomakeitmore consumer-friendly. Thedifference sourcing passengers,notablybyrefining theonline booking are goingtostop lookingformore cost-effective waysof organised anddisciplinedenvironment.” and thatiswhatweare doing–onlynowinamuchmore estranged. your friends–evenifsomeofthosehavebecome you are underattack, itisnaturaltolookforsupportfrom and –viasocialmediathegeneralpublic.For, when for somuchcriticismfrom politicians,pressure groups North America,hasneverbefore founditselfthetarget is connectedtothefactthatindustry, particularlyin A classicexampleofanolivebranch heldbyaniron fist, “That’s thesameinanybusiness,but manytravelagents “But itisstillincumbentuponthemtostayrelevant. possibletohelpthemsell, “So wewilldoeverything provides“Having allthoseagentsinyourcorner amuch But there isnorealistic chancethatcruisecompanies As Dinglesays:“Itistimetorepair thoserelationships, Norwegian.” that theywere keyforusat it tookmeawhiletorealise we neededagents.That’s why business, where wedidn’t think company from adifferent Sheehan: “Ijoinedthis

65 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 If you love culture, you’ll love Liverpool.

LiverpooL

As a UNESCO World Heritage City with a rich collection of museums and art galleries plus an unbeatable music and sporting heritage, Liverpool is a top European cultural capital.

Add to this our fabulous shopping, chic hotels, legendary nightlife and the warmest of welcomes – it’s all you could ask for the perfect visit. It’s Liverpool.

VisitLiverpool_CruiseInsight_AW.indd 1 25/02/2014 15:27 N a tinypercentage thengoontobookdirect online.They many cruiseclientsgoonlineto dotheirresearch, only retailer –Viaje ElCorteIngles–speltitout:“Although business model,andsohadadded acallcentre option. admitted thatithadnowrecognised thatitwas aflawed companies, orevenwithonline-onlyagencies. were bookingcruisesdirectly onlinewiththecruise first begantoemerge inSpain–virtuallynopassengers toalltheyhadbeentoldwhenthecruise marketcontrary Summit inMadridasspeakerafterrevealed that– Cruise while listeningtoadebateatanInternational automatically shouteddown. Nevertheless anyonewhosuggestssuchheresy is problem.their claims,ITisnotthesolutiontoevery big thing’inIT. carpet bytechnocratsintentonsellingcompaniesthe‘next there are alwaysfailures, whichtendtobeswept underthe 2012 to£23billionlastyear. boughtviamobiledevicesroseservices from £17 billionin remain positive. IntheUKaloneamountofgoodsand other technology, andthiswillcontinuewhiletheresults based andthesalesprocess more dependenton mobileand increasing useof mobiledevicestodriveincreased revenue. combines electronically acquired dataandthe consumers’ and selltheirretail andotheronboard products, whichnow revolution currently underwayinhowcruiselinesmarket business –andthecruisesectorisnoexception. technology hasmadetothewayallindustriesconducttheir Don’t getmestarted Peisley Tony And adirector (RasaParamio)atSpain’s largest cruise One companysetupin2006precisely forthispurpose Which iswhyIharboured aquietsmileofvindication Their favouritebuzzword is‘solutions’;but,despite successfulapplicationofnewtechnologyBut forevery yearthemarketingprocessEvery isbecomingmore IT- In thisissueofCruiseInsightIhaveexplored the Only afoolwoulddenythemajorchangesthatemerging some kindofreactionaryorLuddite. hype surrounding itwithoutbeingvilifiedas no-one isallowedtochallengeanypartofthe ew technologyisabitlikeclimatechange– or ‘stop’. consumer buyinghabitsatanyother pacethan‘deadslow’ unwanted travelinsurance),that surprisedme,too. its increasingly deviousattemptstoforce meintobuyingits 77% ofIberiaflightticketsare stillboughtviatravelagents. interesting statistictocomeoutofthatSpanishdebate: cruise clients.Ifyoudon’t believethat,here’s another cruise companiesandtravelagents–notthosewiththeir for rightnow. ensure thatitisfocusedonthebestdistributionchannels acceptsthat,thebetterequippeditwill beto the industry thanitwasallthoseyearsago.Andthe sooner corner’ comes tothiskindofemotionalpurchase. consumersarethe kindofservice lookingforwhenit eventually cometopass,oncesuchachannelcandeliver channel. InfactIamcertainthatthissituationwill with cruisecompaniesthrough somekindofelectronic which mostorevenallcruisebookingsare madedirectly projections ofthetechnologyzealots. that percentage isstillrunningwellbelowtheambitious take agreater share ofthemarketthaninSpain;but such astheUS,UKandGermany. out ofsight,I’dmerely refer totheestablishedmarkets consumers, theonlineconsumerbookingswillaccelerate market andthat,oncetheproduct isbetterunderstoodby when theelectronic optionfirstcameonthescene. rubbished bythenewtechnologyfanatics–15yearsago –andsummarily(including thiswriter)withintheindustry solved bymachines,howeversophisticated.” there are documentationissueswhichcannoteasilybe either phoneacallcentre orgotoatravelagent. It underlinesjusthowhard itcanbetochangesome As aninveterateuserofRyanair’s bookingportal(despite The mostimportantelectronic linksare thosebetween But suchascenarioappearsnomore ‘justaround the This isnottosaythatwewillneverhaveasituationin In allofthese,consumerbookingsonlinecertainly Before anyonetweets methatSpainisanewcruise The samebarriers,infact,thatwere quotedbymany “It isstillaproduct thatrequires alotofexplaining,and

67 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Geirangerfjord Cruise Port, Norway – a fjord to remember.

SeaWalk’s floating pier quickly provides a connection between ship and shore

Geirangerfjord Cruise Port is a member of

www.geirangerfjordcruiseport.no www.stranda-hamnevesen.no + 47 46 41 11 13/31 the world from around Quotes fresh foodandothergoods.” involved inreplenishing shipswith one time,70localsupplierscanbe transport operatorsandtaxis.Atany tourist attractions,tourand agriculture, hotels,restaurants, benefit from cruisingincluding SHERRY “Numerous sectors Down Under Impact ofcruise need formuchmore coordination.” an armadaof102ships,there isa still madegoodsense;butnowitis sense; whenitbecameafleet, a fewships,thatmadetonof of thebrands.Whenthere were correctly builtontheindependence DONALD “Thisbusinesswas brands diluted Independence of Carnival Australia CEO AnnSherry the corporation’s brands are run explaining the inthe shake-up way Carnival CEO Arnold Donald,

that are alittlelessindemand.” in agreat pricefordestinations opportunity fortravellerstolock excellent value.Thismaybean cruise agentsstillrecommend for top tendestinations,butthatour that donotappearinourlistof as theMexicanRivieraandAsia destinations ‘less indemand’ Excellent valueof months ofDecemberandJanuary.” hotels duringthequietertrading economy, particularlysustaining generates millionsintotheSydney GIUSEPPI “It(cruisetourism) quieter tradingmonths Cruise impactduring WEISNER “There are placessuch Vice President Kevin Weisner Cruise Holidays International Senior Giuseppi New South Wales Director Carol Tourism Accommodation Australia island deal MSC’s private down theline.” 10–15yearscruise shipindustry significant negativeimpactonthe do nothing,it’s goingtohavea don’t’ wantcruiseships.Ifwe together andsays‘We do’or‘We hereto beuntileveryone comes we cando,butthat’s notgoing willing tostepupandseewhat BITER “Thestateisready and investment nothing aboutport Consequence ofdoing two othersinthisbusiness.” might nothavebeenwithoneor that transactionwithhim,where I other. SoIwashappytoagree statesman, andwetrusteach Pierfrancesco Vago) isagood SHEEHAN “He(MSCCruises’ nothing terminal west ofthe bridge –ordo allow larger shipsthrough orbuilda raise the SunshineSkyway Bridge to on Tampa’s dilemmawhether to Systems Development Richard Biter, for Secretary IntermodalAssistant ofTransportationFlorida Department MSC shipsusing it25–30days ayear Caribbean islandfor $3millionto to rent the brand’s private Eastern CEO Kevin Sheehan, onagreeing Norwegian Cruise Line President and

69 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 70

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 preferential treatment.” overbooking whileothersreceive Caribbean – with some cruise lines problems – particularly inthe will; butwecontinuetohave we havetoldpassengersthey that ourshipswillcallwhere allocations. We needcertainty ports dealwithberthbooking it doesconfusemehowsome aviation sideofthebusiness, DUNCAN “Comingfrom the over berthallocation The needforcertainty of optimismwithinournetwork.” horizon, there isageneralfeeling ECA uncertaintiescloudingthe numbers withfuelpriceand might indicateaslightdipin so eveniftheoutlookfor2014 more thandoubledintenyears, of Europeans whocruisehas calls andpassengers.Thenumber all regions reporting increased for CruiseEurope members,with Cruise Europe network Optimism within “2013wasagoodyearSKREDE Duncan and Marketing General Manager Neil Thomson Product Cruises Planning Jens Skrede Cruise Europe Managing Director nationality.” does notdiscriminateagainstany US touristsandCubaCruise not imposeanyrestrictions on local authorities,butCubadoes tocheckinwiththeireveryone MEDEIRO “We encourage to Cuba All aboard foracruise situation.” be oneporttobenefitfrom the likeTriestealternative could but there isnodoubtthatan solutions toissuesinVenice, ongoing talkstostudyvarious “There BRANCALEONI are of theVenice restrictions A potentialbeneficiary Cuba-based inJamaica cruises would allow tourists US to board its Medeiro onwhether the company Cuba Cruise spokesperson Melissa Brancaleoni Managing Director Massimo andIbero Cruises CrucerosCosta once completed.” short term,andpermanentjobs create constructionjobsinthe CERNAK “Bothprojects will investment Impact ofport Port EvergladesPort CEO Director andPort Ste largest cruise shipsto dock corresponding to allow berth the Cruise Terminal 4 andlengthen the million state funding to upgrade a ven onnews Cernak of$16.5 for it.” was worthalotlessthantheypaid ripped off that by buyingjewellery complaining thattheywere being were upsetandpassengerswere the ships.Before, localbusinesses are better, a littlecleanernowon “We’re SHIFFEN hearing things The valueofjewellery the othercompanies.” of ourcruiseportslikesomany suddenly goingtobuildabunch cruises. Itisnotasignalthatwe’re Caribbean popular onourEastern island experiencethatisso Caribbean cruisethesameprivate offer passengerstakingaWestern Belize isjustacaseofwantingto tourism resort cruiseportin STUART Caribbean port inWestern Need fornewcruise when recommending stores ashore and were engaged inadvertising they didnot work for the cruise line lecturers nowport told passengers and agreedsettlement to ensure their the PPI Group paida$200,000 Media, Royal and MediaPartners General Ed Onboard Shiffen after StateAlaska Assistant Attorney Andy Stuart Passenger Services Vice and President ofGlobalSales Norwegian Cruise Line Executive “Investingintheeco- cruise lines.” longer seenasprofitable tothe wanting whenourroutes are no urgency ofnow’ andnotbefound we needtobeaware ofthe‘fierce conditions are notfavourable,but Competition isgreat, theeconomic south worthwhileforcruisers. that willmakecomingthisfar Caribbeanitineraries of Southern together tocraftacompellingseries SEALY “We havetoputourheads for southCaribbean ‘Fierce urgency ofnow’ goes Spanish Norwegian an increase in2014. carried more. Andwedoexpect certain peaktimes,wecouldhave if wehadmore capacityat passengers asin2012andfact, the samenumberofSpanish of call.In2013wecarriedabout a homeportandofSpanishports increase ouruseofBarcelona as “Ourstrategyisto BUSQUETS Caribbean Cruise Alliance Sealy, onthe proposed Southern Barbados Minister ofTourism Richard Busquets Development SeniorManager Alex Norwegian Cruise Line Business This renderingofHarvestCayeresort,BelizeisbyIDEAInc.

more attractive.” proposition becomesmore and prices comedownthefly-cruise SIAW to fly-cruiseinAsia Low-cost airlinesboost short cruise. short fly Indonesians to Singapore taketo a for as cruises increasing of numbers Christina Siaw onthe growth potential Singapore Cruise Centre’s CEO “Asthelow-costcarriers

71 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 BILBAO’S NEW CRUISE PIER TO HANDLE 25% INCREASE IN PASSENGERS IN 2014.

To cater for the growing demand for the Basque Country as a cruise destination, the Port Authority of Bilbao will bring a new cruise facility into operation this spring. The new pier is 354 m long, has a 12m draft and is being built alongside the existing facility. It represents a €13.8m investment in the region’s cruise tourism and further reinforces Bilbao’s position as one of Spain’s leading cruise ports.

Bilbao will now be able to provide cruise lines with 1,000m of berthing lines across a 34,000sq.m. surface area. Based in Getxo, the new cruise facility is located within walking distance of an attractive marina and only 1km from one of Bilbao’s many EU Blue Flag beaches. Shuttle buses are available for the beach, the nearby World Heritage Hanging Bridge and for Bilbao city centre which is only a 20-minute drive away – as is the international airport.

No wonder Bilbao is now seen as ideal for turnarounds as well as for transit calls, including those that stay overnight.

Three cruise lines – MSC Cruises, Ibero Cruceros and Pullmantur – have renewed their confidence in the Port of Bilbao as a hub port by again offering their passengers the opportunity to embark and disembark there. Celebrity Cruises has also scheduled seven overnight calls for Celebrity Constellation.

In 2013, 44 cruise vessels called at the Port of Bilbao bringing 57,000 cruise tourists to the Basque Country, a third of them from the UK and most of the rest from Spain (20%), the USA (19%), and Germany (5%).

Visit us at Cruise Shipping Miami Booth no. 699 (Ports of Spain pavilion).

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Julia Grundmann: information onGermany’sinformation secondlargest city.” toolprovides“Convenient eLearning themed movement towards buildinglarger ships.” “This isasadirect result industry’s ofthecruise Steven Cernak: Steven Cernak: our cruisefacilitiestokeepthemfresh, the nextcruiseseason. November 2014intimeforthestartof in mid-March andbecompletedby completion bytheendof2016. The Slip2extensionisslatedfor cruise shipscallingatPortEverglades. berth lengthtoaccommodatelarger by 250feetforatotal1,150of the adjacentSlip2willbeextended 2014/2015 cruiseseason.Inaddition, dual flowfacilityjustintimeforthe the cruiselineindustrywithamodern reconfiguration effort thatwillprovide throughmodernized anexpansionand in fiveyearsthisspringas Terminal 4is renovation foritssixthcruiseterminal Port Evergladeswillbeginthe city inGermany to provide thistypeof the destination.Hamburgis first to effectively counseltheirclientson second largestcity, andenablesagents themed informationonGermany’s toolprovidesconvenient eLearning interested insellingHamburg. The professionals andtouroperators is designedtoeducatetravel by theHamburgTourist Board online travelagenttrainingprogram Germandestination. northern to increase knowledgeofpopular presents specialistprogram eLearning from NorthAmerica,Hamburg Noting substantialvisitorincreases Hamburg LaunchesOnlineTravel AgentTraining Program Port Evergaldeslatestexpansion We are continuouslyreinvesting in The terminalrenovations willbegin The launchofacomprehensive

transportation area at ground leveladjacenttotheground transportation area off areas aspartoftheground reduce traffic congestioninthatarea neighboring CruiseTerminal 2and west sidetoseparatethetraffic from the eastsideofterminalto Terminal 4renovation includes: improvements. The$24millionCruise the scheduledenergy-efficient terminal certification fortheterminaldueto and Environmental Design(LEED) will applyforLeadershipinEnergy lines andtheirguests.” convenient andefficient forthecruise 1,000 agentsduringthefirstyear. Hamburg. We expecttoreach upto chance towina5-daytripfortwo to program in2014willhavethe Additionally, those takingthespecialist certification uponcompletion. and willreceive a‘Hamburg Specialist’ own paceandattheirconvenience, take thefree onlinecourse attheir excursions. Travel professionals can neighborhoods, culture, lifestyle, and covering topicssuchasHamburg’s com isdividedintofourcourses, training toolwww.happygohamburg. tool. eLearning

Adding 172surfaceparkingspaces Providing covered loading/drop- Moving passengerdrop-off from Once completed,PortEverglades Recently, Hamburgexperienced The interactive,highlyvisual

Port Director ofPortEverglades isChiefExecutiveand Steven Cernak in 2014. nearly 4millionpassengersexpected busiest cruiseportsintheworldwith debark process bridge toexpeditetheembarkand cruise vessels meet thedemandsoflargercapacity a highefficiency airconditioningsystem improved passengerflow escalators andtwonewelevatorsfor and olderelevatorswithtwonew GmbH Promotion atHamburg Tourismus Julia GrundmannisHeadofSales www.hamburg-travel.com on Hamburggoto For generaltouristinformation www.happygohamburg.com The toolisavailableat fromovernights Canada. with increases of7%(16,658) in thecityrose by15.4%to 137,729, until September2013,U.S.overnights from NorthAmerica.From January significant increases invisitor numbers Port Evergladesisoneofthethree Adding anadditionalnewloading Providing newrestrooms Installing 50check-incountersto Improving lightingandacoustics, Replacing thesingleescalator

passengers from themomenttheystepashore.” “Two newinitiativesare designedtoengage Sandra Bratland: Sandra Bratland: Ioannis Bras: and destinationstocappassengernumbers” “We willworkwithportauthorities,agents year. winter cruisinginNorwayatest this in 2009,theGermanbrandswill give who were pioneerswhenSagavisited Following thefootstepsofBritish, Oriana with2,000passengers. coast thistimeofyearisP&OCruises The largestshiptosailtheNorwegian 13 cruisesinwintertime2014. Norway willbevisitedbynolessthan Norway. new seasonhasagainstartedin number ofcallsinmanyports,the in Norwaywitharecord breaking After asuccessful2013cruiseseason history, itsuseincooking,medicine characteristics ofthetree/plant: its information aboutthemorphological plant are twosigns–thefirstprovides the fruitsofeachplant.Nextto to touchandsmelltheleaves exit oftheport. been plantedalongtheroute tothe Crete’s endemicplantsandherbshave Crete’s localfloraasvariousspeciesof opportunity tocomeincontactwith Port willforthefirsttimehave especially duringthewintermonths. significant boosttothelocaleconomy, arrivals of24%,whichwillgivea by anexpectedincrease inpassenger started onJanuary11–ischaracterized The new2014cruiseseason–which Norway: Thechallengesofsuccess Heraklion enhancestheportexperience From itshumblebeginnings in2009, Visiting passengerswillbedrawn Visiting Cruise passengersvisitingHeraklion

Norway willwork activelywithport ensure passengersatisfaction,Cruise how todealwithportcongestion. To unique shore excursions;aswell increased demandforvariedand winter season;howtomeetthe turnaround possibilitiesduringthe includes, butisnotlimitedto, an IceHotel! and visiting–orevenstayingoverat Lights for thespectacularNorthern the helm,snowmobiling,searching sledding -eitheraspassengersorat passengers theopportunitytotrydog systems attheCruiseTerminal. The the installationoftwointeractive scientific organizations.Thisinvolved and partner thelocalgovernment initiative thatseesthePortAuthority enhance through asecondnew and editedtherecipes. the ChefClubofCrete –whochose provided theplants,andchefs–from the MunicipalityofHeraklionwho Port Authority, incollaborationwith and food. recipes forthecreation ofbeverages and whentheplantsare usedinlocal gives adetailedexplanationofhow of theinhabitants.Thesecondsign economic growth andthetradition and cosmetics;itsimpactonthe

The focusnowforCruiseNorway cruisinginNorwaywill give Winter The passengerexperienceisfurther This project wasimplementedbythe Director ofCruiseNorwayAS Sandra DianaBratlandisManaging nature basedcruisedestination. season intheworld’s numberone forward toanothersuccessful cruise ships andcruisepassengerslooks way, Norwaywelcomesallcruise time. of passengersinportatanygiven recommending themaximum number authorities, agentsanddestinationsin Authority Managing Director ofHeraklionPort developed inCrete. – aidedbyinnovativetechnologies – butinamore more-experiential way nature andthetraditionofisland information aboutthehistory, the opportunity forvisitorstogain traditional Cretan products. uses bodymovementsto‘collect’ wall byoneormore players,and game whichisplayedonaninteractive The secondsystemisakinesthetic history suchasmythologyandculture. on avarietyoftopicsrelating toCrete ‘Infocloud’ –thisoffers information chance ofusingwhatiscalledan first systemgivespassengersthe As thiscruiseseasoniswellonthe Ioannis Bras,Chairmanand These systemsprovide an

75 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 76

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 of call–anditis theirpraiseforportsthatlookafter their by cruiselinesthistimetoreflect theirthinkingaboutports onshore experience. important inthedeliveryofadestination andthecomplete congratulations alsogoouttothe guideswhoare sovitally or onfoot,thatleavesthemwantingtoreturn.Special to cruisepassengersandcrew members,whetherontour of thelocalproduct offer –toprovide specialexperiences they havemadeacontributiontothemostimportantpart names appearingforthefirsttime.Eachhasshownthat Barcelona, Istanbul,Dubai, Singapore andShanghaitothe been highlycommended–from marquee citiessuchas done tothepartnersinvolved. total commitmenttodevelopingcruisetourism–verywell the JapanesecityofAomorihasbeenhighlightedfortheir will enhancethedeliveryoftheircruiseproduct. Thisyear go theextramiletodeliveraproduct orservicethathas the partnershipoftwoormore organisationsthattogether year: BestLocalInitiative–forthoseinitiativesthatinvolve commended. T Destinations Awards 2013 Portsand An importantadditionalelement hasbeenhighlighted Congratulations toallwinnersandthosewhohave You mightremember thatanewaward wascreated last a totalof42winnersandmanymore are highly reflect theglobalnature oftheindustry. There are 2013 showafascinatingmixoflargeandsmallto he portsanddestinationsthathavedelivered during Alesund, Norwaydeliversahighlyrateddestinationexperience. been highlycommended. again congratulationstobothwinners andthosewhohave or serviceinanexemplarywayduring thepastyear. Soonce the portsanddestinationswhohave delivered theirproduct increases inoperatingcosts. itineraries are beingimpacted bydemand,yieldandthe even moreofdeploymentandhow aboutthepattern more oftenthanever. Thenextcoupleofyearswillreveal are nowbeingdescribedas destinationsintheirownright seeking more yearround destinationsfortheirships –which change issweepingthrough theindustrywithexecutives ports havetodealwiththelogisticsofsuccess. as anevenmore vitalcomponent nowthatmanypopular ship toshore andontoexcursions hasalsobeenhighlighted know that‘happycrew’ means‘happyguests’.” members. This isanimportantcomponentbecausewe and focusoncreating afavourable experienceforcrew ratings. Thecruiseteamshouldalsogothe‘extramile’ to explore ontheirown-withveryhighguestsatisfaction as attractiveandconvenientoptionsforgueststhatelect to deliver“awidevarietyofshore excursionoptionsaswell to howtheyviewaportofcallasthetourismproduct has ship’s crew. Itnowseemstomakeatremendous difference For nowthoughitremains ourtasktogiverecognition to As isreported elsewhere inpagesofthismagazine The needforportstodeliveraseamlesstransition St KittsScenicRailwayisoneofthetoursavailableon island Award winners Best DestinationExperience Best LocalInitiative Charleston, SC,USA Benoa (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience Basseterre, StKitts Barcelona, Spain Most Efficient PortServices Auckland, NewZealand Aruba Aomori, Japan Amsterdam, Netherlands (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience Alesund Most ResponsivePort Adelaide, Australia Best PortWelcome Most Efficient Terminal Operation Best Turnaround Destination Most Responsive Port Most Efficient PortServices

the bestplacesinJapantoexperienceCherryBlossom. have workedveryhard toattractcruisebusiness.Aomoriisconsidered tobeoneof have really focusedonEnglishspeakingtourism(‘welcomecard’ programme) and ceremony withdrumperformances,mascots,Nebutaorchestra anddancers.They a dedicatedcruisepierwithgoodaccesstothecityandwonderfulwelcoming springs, artsandculturalactivitiesworldheritagesitenature. Theyhavebuilt The haveagreat selectionoffestivals(cherryblossom&Nebuta),skiing,hot Aomori hasputagreat dealofeffort inpromoting theregion for(cruise)tourism. Best LocalInitiative Aomori, Japan ernefod Norway Geirangerfjord, Best Turnaround PortOperations Best Turnaround Destination Operation Most Efficient Terminal (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience Best Turnaround PortOperations La (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience Kusadasi Kobe, Japan I Best DestinationExperience Grand Turk, Turks andCaicos Geiranger Edinburgh, Scotland,UK Best Turnaround PortOperations Best Turnaround Destination Dubai, UnitedArabEmirates Danang Copenhagen, Denmark Best DestinationExperience(Organised) (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience stanbul, Turkey

Romana, DominicanRepublic

77 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 78

Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Port Everglades,USA Oslo, Norway Oman Muscat, Sultanateof Monte Carlo,Monaco Mahogany Bay, Isla England, UK London (Southampton), Las PalmasdeGran Best Turnaround PortOperations Most Improved Destination Best DestinationExperience Best Turnaround PortOperations Best DestinationExperience (Independent Tours) Best DestinationExperience Operations Best Turnaround Port

Upper BarrakkaGardens–caption:Gardens,GrandHarbour,Valletta,Malta

Best Turnaround PortOperations (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience Most Efficient Terminal Operation Philipsburg, St.Maarten Singapore China Shanghai, People’s Republic of San Diego,USA Saguenay, Canada Rhodes, Greece Most ResponsivePort Rotterdam Quebec, Canada Best PortWelcome (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience Most Efficient PortServices Best DestinationExperience

Best Turnaround Port Operations (Independent Tours) Best DestinationExperience Most Efficient Terminal Operation Best Turnaround Port Operations Most Efficient Terminal Operation Best DestinationExperience (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience St. Petersburg,Russia Venice, Italy Vancouver, Canada Valletta, Malta Sydney, Australia Stockholm, Sweden Charlotte Amalie,St. (Independent Tours) Best DestinationExperience Best DestinationExperience Best Turnaround Destination

Thomas

Highly Commended Most Improved PortFacilities Best Tour Experience Best Turnaround Destination Best Tour Experience (Independent Tours) Best DestinationExperience Best Tour Experience Most Improved Destination France La Joliette,Marseille, Kotor Best Tour Experience Komodo Island,Indonesia Japan Igoumenitsa Greenock, Scotland,UK Gdynia, Poland Dun Laoghaire, Eire Costa Rica Colombo, SriLanka Catania, Sicily, Italy Buenos Aires, Argentina Bordeaux, France Best LocalInitiative USA Avalon, CatalinaIsland, Aarhus, Denmark Best Tour Experience organisation Warm welcomeandgreat Most Improved Port Facilities Best PortWelcome Most ResponsivePort Best Tour Experience

Most ResponsivePort Most Improved PortFacilities Best Tour Experience Best PortWelcome Most Improved Destination Seoul, SouthKorea Reykjavik, Iceland Myanmar Republic oftheUnion Prince Rupert,Canada Piraeus, Greece Oban, NewZealand Best LocalInitiative Milford Haven,Wales, UK Malaga, Spain (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience Best LocalInitiative

Best LocalInitiative (Organised Tours) Best DestinationExperience St. Sri Sihanoukville Zeebrugge Ullapool, Scotland,UK Trois-Rivieres Travemuende Tallinn, Estonia Best Tour Experience Best Tour Experience Most Improved Port Facilities Most Improved PortFacilities Best Tour Experience Best Tour Experience

Kotor, Montenegro

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 L Johansson Fredrick latest innovationwhichcouldbethenextbigthingincruising–virtually. Inside cabinswithbalconies?Whatevernext?Tony Peisleyreports onthe Virtual realitycheck internal promenadesinternal insteadofthesea). the creative additionofcabinswithbalconiesoverlooking never enoughtosatisfythemarketforthem(evenwith however manybalconycabinswere onoffer, there were era ofconsumerdemand.Thisgrew totheextentthat, upscale shipstomass-marketmega-shipsushered inanew This wasgoodnewsforpremium pricing–particularly The introduction andspread ofbalconycabinsfrom new following itsrefurbishment..” on RCI’s NavigatoroftheSeas both shipsbutfirstappeared concept, whichwillfeature on “This wasthe‘virtualbalcony’ potentially profitable. inside cabinsoroutsidecabins.Butitwasalsoless basically justhadtwoaccommodationchoices– ife waseasierforcruiselineswhentheirships when Royal Caribbean International when RoyalCaribbean International North StarandiFlyripcord skydiving spectacular ‘wow’factorssuchas the open-air balconyonwhichtoenjoy it. seen aslackingnotjustaviewbut an value ofinsidecabins,whichare now – butitdidnothingfortheperceived in thedepressed marketofrecent years So, withallthehypeabout game-changing, level.Startingwith98cabinson Navigator characters seeminglyswimming alongsidetheships. on Disneyshipsastheyfeatured projections ofDisney at attractingtheattentionof manychildpassengers Dream andDisneyFantasy. Theseweremuchaimed very fake portholestoinsidecabinsontwonewships,Disney technology. virtual balconyinvolvesthemuchlessintrusiveuseofnew addedFrench balconiestooutsidecabins.TheSeabourn as were required when,forexample,brandssuchas without theneedforexpensivestructuralchanges–such richness oftheaccommodationrevenue mixacross fleets refurbishment lastmonth(February). first appeared onRCI’s NavigatoroftheSeasfollowing its balcony’ concept,whichwillfeature onbothshipsbut media attentionandpubliccomment.Thiswasthe‘virtual arguably themostsignificantinnovationescaped (RCI) revealed details ofitsupcomingQuantumclassships, But RCIhastakentheconceptto awholenew, potentially The ideabeganwithDisneyCruiseLine,whichadded Its significanceliesinthepotentialforimproving the so peoplecould watchanentire showorsportseventfrom side oftheatriumwasgivenover tooneofthesescreens, means wewillseealotmore ofitoncruiseships. Johansson, “sothecostofusing itiscomingdown–which says Tillberg DesignPartnerandSeniorArchitect Frederik suites onboard itsships. brands likeSilverseatoembedTVscreens inmirrors in them thanoutsidecabinswithoutbalconies. balcony cabins,there isthepotentialtocharge more for and outsidecabins.But,iftheyprove aspopularreal be pricedsomewhere betweenthenormalrateforinside virtual balconiesand,initially, itappearsthattheywill Anthem oftheSeas(including16newstudios)willhave with volumecontrols and–cruciallyanon/off switch. real-time views and soundsfrom outsidetheship. Itcomes definition screen showing‘virtual’balconyrailsoverlooking of theSeas,virtualbalconyisafloor-to-ceiling high- “We didaproposal foroneclientinwhichthewhole “This technologyisbecomingincreasingly popular,” The newtechnologybeingusedisthesameasinspiring All insidecabinsonbothQuantumoftheSeasand on thebankbalance. be ‘virtually’realised. simulate theNewYork of9/11–could skylineinmemory ambitious owners–suchasskyscrapers onashipto that themore grandioseideasputforward bysomeover- walls.” venue ontheQuantumshipswithprojections onitsglass the passengerstolookatinstead. something muchmore exciting–likeAlaskanglaciersfor something equallyboringinaport,youcouldproject effectively asabigbrochure oradvertisement. That isbecauseofthepotentialforusingsideaship Getaway, ouratriumideahasn’t happenedyet–butitwill. Breakawayfootball gamesonNorwegian and inside andoutsidetheship. An insidecabinlookingouttoavirtualsea! Which wouldbeawholeloteasier ontheeye,aswell Another benefitofthisnewtechnologyisthatitmeans “They are already doingsomethingsimilarintheTwo70 “Or, iftheshipisdockedalongside awarehouse or “Although there isatwo-deckhighscreen forshowing and outsidetheship.” show orsportseventfrom inside so peoplecouldwatchanentire given overtooneofthesescreens, the wholesideofatriumwas proposal foroneclientinwhich Johansson: “We dida

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 T what cantheydoaboutit?MariaHarding reports. cause problems under-insured forcruiselinescarrying passengers–but add-on optionswhichcoverpre-existing medicalconditions.Thismay package’ products isprompting someclientstosavemoneybydeclining As travelinsurancebecomesincreasingly complex,insurers’ movesto‘de- for cover? Time torun insurance. Fora (usually)smalladditionalpremium ‘Cruise Cover’,anoptionaladd-on toregular travel came aspartofthedeal. and encouragingcustomersto pay for‘extras’whichonce to increase revenues by‘de-packaging’theirproducts, insurance companies–likelow-costairlinesnowseek large problem fortheworld’s cruiselines.Fortravel still inthe50-pluscategory, thispresents apotentially insurance; andwiththemajorityofcruisepassengers An exampleofthisisthecreation inrecent yearsof insurance; theolderyouget,more itcosts.” Hubbard onceremarked: “Funislikelife he AmericanhumoristFrankMcKinnley(‘Kin’) Very muchthesamecanbesaidfortravel Insurance Underwriters (TIU). Insurance Underwriters Vince Wilkins, ManagingDirector ofLondon-basedTravel confirmation from themedicalofficer inquestion,”says £300 andrequires complexevidence,includingwritten paying theextrafor. this istheelementwhichreally makessuchcoverworth connections toorfrom cruises,andinsuranceexpertssay ship’s medicalofficer. confined totheircabinasinfectious,ontheorders of a fees –shouldtheycontractinfluenzaornorovirus andbe their holiday–andeven-more-valuable shore excursion this insures passengersagainstlosingvaluabledaysof “The payoutforbeingconfined tocabinrarely exceeds Cruise Covergenerallyalsoinsures againstmissedtravel cover, passengersshouldprovide theirinsurers withfull brands stress thataswellbuyingadequateinsurance So brochures UK andbookingmaterialsforallCarnival condition isakeyreason forinsurers refusing topayout. basic needsofthoseaffected bythesituationare met.” individual affected. Thisiswhere wecomein–toensure the few lookafteranythingotherthanthemedicalissuesof undeclared pre-existing medicalconditions,”hesays. altogether, astheydoinabout10%ofcases,usuallydueto circumstances –ifindeedtheydonotdeclinetheclaim their travelinsurancecompanywilldofortheminthese insured whencrisis strikes. consequences forpassengerswhofindthemselvesunder- relatives inamedical emergency –oftencopes with the team –whichisdeployedtohelppassengersandtheir does not. with heftybillsfrom copingwiththeconsequencesifit though theriskusuallypaysoff, cruiselinescanbeleft their cholesterol levels–candecidenottopayforit.And medicine tocontrol bloodpressure orstatinstomoderate medical conditions–whomay, forexample,betaking this extracoverisoptional,manytravellerswithcontrolled to paycovertheirownparticularlevelofrisk.” chronic conditions,”hesays. higher premiums tocoverthosetravellingwithseriousand affordable. “Inthepast,healthytravellerswere paying positive movewhichactuallymakesmedicalcovermore standing –saysthat,forthemajorityoftravellers,thisisa conditions, andpayadditionalpremiums tocoverthem. now insistthattravellersdeclare allpre-existing medical of medicalinsurancefortravellers.Formostinsurers cruise companies,though,istheincreasing complexity recent years–ishardly thebestadvertisementforcruising. publicity aboutsuchoutbreaks andtheirconsequencesin money-spinning ‘extra’created inresponse topowerful offering travellersCruiseCover incaseofnorovirus –a catch up.” fly, forexample,from Floridaonwards totheCaribbean onward fares ifyoumissyourship’s departure andhaveto offers around £500forthis,andthat’s notenoughtopay connection isworthhaving.Mosttravelcoveronly Vince Wilkins Baldwin saysnon-disclosure ofapre-existing medical “Some insurancecompaniesare betterthanothers,butvery “People dotendtohaveanunrealistic expectationofwhat UKCustomerCareAndrew Baldwin, ManagerofCarnival There is,however, anunfortunateside-effect. Because “So thisisinfactafairer system,aspeopleare onlyasked Wilkins veteranof some30years –anindustry A muchmore pressing problem from theperspectiveof Useful asthismaybetopassengerswhomissflights, “On theotherhand,coverofupto£1,500foramissed Andrew Baldwin Bernard Carter longer discussedatpointofsale–aparticularproblem candle,” hesays. havedecidedthegameisnolongerworth the turnover training coursesthatmanyagencieswithahighstaff the FinancialStandards Authority. Thisinvolvessomany UK, forexample,insurancesellersmustberegulated by insurance, Carterpointsout. regulation hasreduced thenumberoftravelagentsselling will doanythingtosolvetheproblem, sinceincreased for appropriate insurance,”butitseemsunlikelythatthis our travelagentpartnersinraisingawareness oftheneed could, say, tenyearsago.” the correct insurance atamore reasonable cost thanthey he says.“Ifanythingitisnoweasierforclientstosecure haslivedwiththisissueforalongtime,”cruise industry Carter the problem of under-insurance is nothing new. “The appreciation of Britain’s NationalHealthService.” medical emergency abroad comebackwithamuchgreater Baldwin says.“ManyBritishpassengerswho’vehada all theirmedicalcare, butitcomesasashocktoBritons,” expectations ofwhatwillhappeniftheyfallillabroad. ‘free’ healthcare theyenjoyathome–haveunrealistic right now,’” Baldwinsays. they think,‘OhbutthathappenedagesagoandI’mall conditions becausetheyjustdon’t thinkaboutthem,or travelling withus.Butsomedon’t declare pre-existing about travelinsurance;anditisaprerequisite ofthem medical disclosure. Andy Harmer This meansthataclient’s insurance requirements are no “Different rulesapplyindifferent countries;butinthe CLIA UKDirector AndyHarmersays:“We workwith For OceaniaCruisesUKManagingDirector Bernard “Americans andAustraliansare usedtohavingpayfor Britons canalso–becauseofthetaxpayer–funded “Generally speaking,Britishpeopleare quiteassiduous ship’s departure.” onward fares ifyoumissyour and that’s notenoughtopay only offers around £500forthis, worth having.Mosttravelcover £1,500 foramissedconnectionis Wilkins: “Coverofupto Larry Pimentel

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 competitors are Regent Seven Seas, Oceania, Seabourn, competitors are RegentSevenSeas,Oceania, Seabourn, cruises. “We are dealingwithanupscaledemographic–our Azamara passengersthanthosewho bookmass-market the problem ofunder-insurance islessprevalent among they are perfectlyentitledto,thatallcostsmust be paid. grabbing –accusationsofheartlessnessiftheyinsist,as and cruiselinesfacingemotional–possiblyheadline- cover theirbillifcrisisstrikes.Thiscouldleaveinsurers under-insured passengerssimply won’t havethemoneyto social demographictocruising,there’s areal possibilitythat be thelossofhishouse–assuminghehasone. ambulance, theupshotofarefused insuranceclaimcould to beevacuatedhospitalandthenflownhomebyair tens ofthousandspounds. these couldleaveunder-insured passengerswithabillfor repatriation that which really costalot,”hesays,warning by helicopterorboat.“It’s evacuationand,where necessary, drop intheoceancompared withthecostofan evacuation onboard medicalexpensesare, tocoinaphrase, amere the claim.” highiftheinsurancecompanythenrefusescost canbevery Cost ContainmentAgreements withmedicalsuppliers,the medical care at US ratesandare notgreat atnegotiating with it. in themiddleofocean,cruiselinejusthastodeal a localhospital,”hesays.“Butifmanhasheartattack operator cantosomeextentmitigatecostsbytakinghim two, andpossiblyleftfacingaheftybill. themselves caughtinthemiddleofadisputebetween cruise linesinparticular–are increasingly atriskoffinding travellers. Andhesaystravelorganisers generally–and much tougheraboutpickingupthetabforunder-insured client hastocancelacruisewithoutinsurance.” work onacase-by-casebasisifsomethinggoeswrong anda so wehavetomakeittheclient’s ownresponsibility –and clients,” hesays. cruise. We putthisoninvoicesandallmaterialgoingoutto the variouscomponentsoftheirentire holiday, notjustthe value oftheirholiday–andstress thattheyneedtocover clients secure adequatetravelinsurancetocoverthefull they have. ‘check thesmallprint’toknowexactlyhowmuchcover cost ofalostcruise,”Cartersays,“sopeopleshouldalways by credit card. “Thisisrarely sufficient tocoverthehigh how muchprotection isoffered iftheypayfortheirholiday have gotaround toinsuringthemselves againstthis. mess iftheircruiseholidayhastobecancelledbefore they insurance untilthelastminutecanfindthemselvesin a the insuranceispurchased. So travellers wholeavebuying with cancellationcover, whichonlyappliesfrom thedate Azamara ClubCruisesPresident Pimentelbelieves Larry And asferocious price-cuttingattractsamuchwider So foralow-incometravellerwhofallsilloverseas,has UK’sAnd itgetsworse.AsCarnival Baldwinpointsout, “And sincemostcruiseshipsdealinUSDollars,offer “If atravellerfallsillwhileonlandholiday, histour TIU’s Wilkins seesinsurancecompaniesbecoming “But we’dneedahugedepartmenttocheckeverything, “We suggest,atvariousstagesofthebookingprocess, that Another problem isconfusionamong consumersabout responsible forprotecting themselves.” driving homethemessagethatcruise passengersmustbe insurance andthecruiseindustries alotofproblems by cruise linebraveenoughtodoit. Itwouldsaveboththe would –metaphoricallyspeaking –shakethehandofany are madeearlierinthebookingprocess, butfranklyI be it,”Wilkins says. upwithouttherightinsurance, soquayside iftheyturn apassengerawayat theus.’ Andifthatmeansturning or cannotgettravelinsurance,youwith their ownpolicies,”hesays. level ofcovermatchesthatwhichwouldbeoffered under cover theyoffer themselves,buttheycaninsistthatthe submitted atleasttwoweeksbefore ticketsare issued. traveller’s policyschedule,andinsistthatacopyofthisis the casethroughout thecruisebookingprocess, checkeach under-insured passengersisforcruisecompaniestogeton them.” they are notproperly insured, thelinewillrefuse tocarry conditions anddriveshometoconsumersthepointthatif Precedent, which makesitmore importantthanother could evenmakeadequateinsurancecoveraCondition Conditions; nowtheyhavetoenforce it,”hesays.“They it, checkthatit’s beendone,andrefuse carriageifithasn’t. passengers takeadequateinsurancecover, butinsistupon says Wilkins, isthattheyshouldnotjustsuggest their the detailsuntilyouneedtouseit,”hesays. bought? You don’t usuallyread thefineprintandtakein unbundled, buthowmanypeopleknowwhatthey’vereally Pimentel. “Insurancecomesinmanyforms,bundledand mass market,shouldbeentitled‘WhoReadsIt?’”says the passenger–andcruiseline. accept paymentinUSDollars.Result:amajorheadachefor applied intheUS–andhospitalauthoritieswouldnot medical assistance,butthepassenger’s insurancecoveronly sailing thecoastofTurkey andstoppedthere toseekurgent elderly passengerfellandbroke hiship.Hisshipwas emergency, andherecalls one‘majorincident’whenan the markettendtobeexperiencedandtuned-in,”hesays. Cruises–andpassengersatthisendof Silversea andCrystal “Its unlikelythatwouldhappenifsufficient checks “The messagemustbeasimpleone:‘Ifyoudecline “Cruise linescannotmakepeopletaketheinsurance Wilkins believestheonlywaytoendproblem of “It’s already there incruisecompanies’Terms and So howcancruiselinesprotect themselves?Theanswer, “Any articleabouttravelinsurance,particularlyforthe But evenupscaletravellerscanbecaughtoutinan entitled ‘WhoReadsIt?” for themassmarket,shouldbe travel insurance,particularly Pimentel: “Anyarticleabout

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 the thousandsofcrew memberswhomustberecruited cooktochiefpurser.captain, pastry – from cabinsteward tochiefengineer, souscheftostaff of bothsexesandmyriadnationalities,foravarietyjobs mustattractandtrainaroundindustry 40,000newcrew, byupto1,500crew.capacity of2,500passengers–served Adam Sharp attract –andkeepthebestinbusiness?MariaHarding reports. based hospitalityworkerstojoinup?Andwhatmustcruiselinesoffer to crew tooperatethem?Hastheglobalrecession encouragedmore shore- As more andmore where cruiseshipsenterservice, are linesfindingthe A motleycrew? A And that’s justforthenewships.It doesn’t intoaccount Which meansthatinthenextfouryearsalone,cruise now andtheendof2018,withanaverage cruise shipsarebetween duetoenterservice thought. Ascurrent order booksstand,28new youupsomesoberingfoodforllow metoserve Francis Riley crew pictocome Kevin Sheehan Martine Pasquet ensure theyrecruit and,mostimportantly, retain thebest ofthecruiseofferingcornerstone –whatmustlinesoffer to huge varietyofcultures?isthe And–sincegoodservice which comprisesmyriadnationalitiesandencompassesa and instillingindividualbrandvaluesintoaworkforce are thechallengesinvolvedinforging effective teams decided theypreferland. workingondry their ownbusinessbackhome;orthosewho’vesimply whose hard themenoughmoneytostart workhasearned merely ashort-term engagementtotraveltheworld;those annually toreplace retirees; thosewhosestintatseais Where are thesenewcrew memberscomingfrom? What Marco Maresca also beensomething ofa‘seachange’intheway careers on recession hasincreased these,”Rileysays. attracted applicationsfrom amongland-basedstaff, andthe professionals toconsideracareer atsea.“We havealways 2008 hashelped,drivingmore shore-based hospitality source staff wherever wecanfindthem,”hesays. market forgoodqualitystaff iscompetitive,soweneedto dominated byWestern Europeans andFilipinos.“The training aswaitersandbarstaff –positionspreviously nationalities are nowdevelopingnewareas ofexpertise. nationalities onanyoneship,”hesays,addingthatdifferent as theywillbedealingwithbetween50and60crew our hoteldirectors needtospeakupfivelanguages deployment ofnationalitiesonboard. and crew recruitment, hasbrought bigchangesinthe reports thatincreasing globalisation,bothofcruisemarkets nationalities havebeenmuchquickerontheuptake.Riley cruising’s jobopportunities.” have hadtoovercome lowawareness very inSpainof but ithasproved slowprocess,” avery says Sharp.“We source Spanishcrew, particularlyforthehoteldepartment, levels ofunemployment. slow, despitethecountry’s economicproblems andhigh said recruitment from Spainhadproved disappointingly Manager forUK,Europe andtheMiddleEastAdamSharp September, RoyalCaribbeanCruises(RCC)PortOperations in Spainitself.AtMadrid’s CruiseSummitin International operations.” Getaway’sSpanish speakersforNorwegian Miami-based currently needmore Japanesespeakers,aswellmore demand from developingsource markets.Forexamplewe andreception,”service hesays. English, particularlyforfront of houseroles likerestaurant focuses strongly ondeveloping skillsinconversational Hero onboard trainingprogramme and,ofcourse,that able tospeakandunderstandEnglish,saysRiley. cruise marketsdevelop,thatnolongerjustmeansbeing equipped withtherightlanguageskills.Andasglobal FrancisRiley.Line GeneralManagerInternational the rightpeopletrainedandready,” Cruise saysNorwegian vessels from newerrecruits, wehavetoensure wehave crew onanewshipandbackfillpositionsexisting members and,althoughourpracticeistouseexperienced centre, inManila,lastJune. major recruitment drive.Itopeneditsfirstnon-UStraining hardly CruiseLinehasbeenona surprisingthatNorwegian and more shipscomingonstream in2015and2017,it’s crew theycanget? But as the cruise industry matures,But asthecruiseindustry hebelieves,there has To someextenttheglobalrecession whichbeganin EuropeansFor example,farmore Eastern are now “Our crew nowcomprises96different nationalities,and But ifSpaniards havebeenslowtorunawaysea,other “We thoughtthisrecession wouldbeanopportunityto Those Spanishspeakerscanbehard tosource –atleast “But wealsorecruit alotofcrew tomeetgrowing “All newlyhired crew members gothrough ourVacation An essentialpartofthattrainingistoensure crew are “Each ofournewshipsneedsaround 1,500crew With Breakaway thelaunchofNorwegian andGetaway Pasquet says.“Many ofourexperiencedhospitality workers oriented Pullmantur, TUICruisesandCroisières deFrance. and AzamaraClubCruises,but also themore European- (RCI),CelebrityCruises Royal CaribbeanInternational of thegroup’s individualbrands. These comprisenotonly even greater, ascrew performancemustreflect thevalues Pasquet thechallengeofsourcing andtrainingcrew is for usandbetterthem,”Sheehanhassaid. making ourcrew happier, weretain them;andthat’s better to dothis,andcanalsobeusedasacard forpurchases. “By to bankswire itbackhome.Thenewcard canbeused crew whoare paidmonthlynolongerhavetopayhighfees guest usagedrops.” ratesatnight,andwhenshipsare inportandtheInternet connected withhomeby, forexample,offering reduced onboard hard contractsandtry tohelpourcrews stay seagoing colleaguescan’t. We’ve reduced thelengthsof shore-based staff night, cangohometotheirfamilies every focused onemployeewelfare, andisconsciousthatwhile social areas,” says Riley. user accommodationaswellvariedfoodandattractive that weoffer good-quality, low-occupancyandevensingle- recruitment drives. “We pushourcrew facilities,stressing pleasure oftravel andthequalityoflifeatsea.” benefits ofhavingfoodandaccommodationallfound,the for promotion andpersonaldevelopment–aswellthe on cruiseshipsasareal career, withmanyopportunities cruise shipsare regarded. “Ithinkpeoplenowseeworking “Getting goodcrewcompetitive business,” isavery For RCCDirector ofGlobalTalent AcquisitionMartine hasalsointroducedNorwegian astaff debitcard, sothat president“[Norwegian andCEO]KevinSheehanisvery promotesNorwegian theseadvantagesstrongly inits and ready.” have therightpeopletrained recruits, wehavetoensure we on existingvesselsfrom newer new shipandbackfillpositions is touseexperiencedcrew ona Riley: “althoughourpractice

87 Cruise Insight Spring 2014 BEAUITS ANI UFNDEURSTALTEMENT

Unspoilt Caribbean paradise. Unforgettable relaxation. This is the British Virgin Islands. As uniquely welcoming as they are tranquil and private, these 60 islands offer you a true escape. Ride the wind aboard a sailboat, windsurfer or kite board. Explore a century-old shipwreck or a timeless coral reef, or just lose your- self amidst the peaceful sounds of the sea. groups, –completed anonymously– andannual surveys are, andhowtheyfeelabouttheirbrand,”sheexplains. competitive marketweneedto know howpassionatethey members’ engagementwiththe lines theyworkfor. “Ina and speakontheirbehalf,”Pasquetsays. HR presence oneachshiptopresent thecrew’s ‘wishlist’ conduct onboard ‘crewandhavean satisfactionsurveys’ arrangements –basedonwhattheytellus.We also changes –forexampletoonboard foodchoicesortravel part oftherecruitment, trainingandonboard process. constant monitoringofstaff members’experiencesatevery for ustheyremain atoppriority.” seen othercompaniescutcostsonincentiveschemes,but good work,”Pasquetsays.“Thefinancialclimatemayhave incentive schemes–andreward loyalty, experienceand years now, andwebelievethat’s becausewemaintaingood year mark.“We’ve hadsomeemployeeswithusfor35 importantincentiveforindividualcrewvery members.” that toberecognised andpraisedinfront oftheir peersisa commend goodworkpublicly, aswe’veconsistentlyfound driven company,” shesays.“We coachourmanagersto most importantincentivesofall.“We are aperformance- award getsacruisefortwo,orthecashequivalent.” winner ofourannualWhiteStarStaff MemberoftheYear Cunard spokesman.“And,atthetopendofscale, also enjoygettingphonecards orotherperks,”saysa tickets tojoinapopularshore excursion. friend ataship’s specialityrestaurant, orreceiving two share somepassenger experiences–likediningwitha programme rewards goodperformancebylettingcrew to crew incentives. Thecompany’s WhiteStartraining end ofthescale. to free cinematickets,withaweek’s familycruiseatthetop approach. Rewards canrangefrom dinnerwiththecaptain of theMonth/Year’ plauditsandtakeamore imaginative Team, whose taskistogobeyondtheusual‘Employee incentive schemesorganised byanEmployeeRecognition depends onindividualeffort.” promotion, andknowthatadvancement ispossible–but provide training,andsoon. supervisory general, HR-ledprogrammes to teachleadershipskills, she says.“Alongsidebrand-specifictrainingwerunmore Gold, Celebrity’s isStar;AzamarahasAmaze,andsoon,” has itsownspecifictrainingprogramme –RCI’s iscalled opportunities are keytoattractinggoodcrew. “Eachbrand shrinking.” with; butnowthattheeconomyispickingup,pool economic slumpgaveusabiggerpooloftalenttowork are drawnfrom hotelsandland-basedoperations,the Individual surveys areIndividual surveys backedby workwithcrew focus havebeenexpandedtomeasureRecently surveys crew “We allcrew survey whentheircontractsendandmake Crew welfare isevenmore ofapriority, andinvolves Awards are startingatthefive alsogivenforlong service, RCC’s Pasquetbelievesthatpeerrecognition isoneofthe “Obviously cashisthemostpopularreward, but crew UK’sCarnival Cunard Linetakesamore offbeat approach Effort andinitiativeare alsorewarded withvarious “We makesure ourcrew canseeaclearstructure for Pasquet believeshigh-qualitytrainingandvariedcareer And that stands true for every cruise lineoutthere.And thatstands true forevery “Our biggestambassadorsare ourcrew,” asPasquetputs it. demands thatlinesmakeagoodjobofit.cruise industry its ownright,andthefuture growth andreputation ofthe access toawelterofinformation aboutlifeonboard. worldwide hasalsoprovided potentialcrew witheasy training programmes; butgrowing usage Internet involves, andwhatwillbeexpectedofthem.” clearideaofwhatlife atseaa ship–thattheygetvery reputable, ethicallyrunagencies. RCC’s Pasquet.“Thusweensure weonlyworkwith teams ontheground tomonitorwhat’s goingon,”says to report unethicalpractices,andwealsohaveourown the recruitment process. charging inhabitantsofThird World countriestoengagein recruitment agencies toroot outsharppractice, like more global,that meanskeepingacloseeyeonseafarer choice. And,asthesearch forgoodcrew becomes ever labour marketshouldbetobecometheemployerof performers.” Crew Welfare programmes, andoffer incentivesforgood We encourageloyaltythrough ourCareer Pathand offer keypromotions firsttopeoplewithinthecompany. in goodhotelsorresorts ashore, butit’s ourpolicyto Manager Marco Maresca. and guaranteedcareer progression,” saysMSCCrewing constant supportofouronshore team,aswellaclear strong teamspiritandletourofficers knowtheyhavethe safety, securityandnewprocedures. Buttheyalsofostera attend land-basedtraininginbetweenstintsatsea. recruited from thePianodiSorrento NauticalInstitute,and by promoting largely from within.Officers are usually in future. they are tocontinueworkingonaparticularshiporbrand career opportunitiestheyseeaheadofthem,andhowlikely which askcrew howtheyfeelabouttheirmanagers,what The staffing in ofcruiseshipsisamajorglobalindustry This ispartlydonethrough intensive‘pre-onboarding’ “We alsoensure – before arecruit evenstepsonboard “We haveahotlineforcrew andpotentialcrewmembers competitiveClearly thegoalforcruiselinesinavery “We are opentoapplicationsfrom staff who’veworked “Regular trainingandupdatesare vitalintermsof MSC Cruisesbelievesinmaintainingcrew loyalty very slowprocess” department, butithasproved a crew, particularlyforthehotel opportunity tosource Spanish this recession wouldbean Sharp: “We thought

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Torstein Hagen question. brand? Tony Peisleyasksthe and thenewCostaneoCollection expansive asViking OceanCruises cruise nicheforanewbrandas emerging destination-immersive Isthere enough room inthe niche market new invades Viking Larry Pimentel Kevin Sheehan T had tochange becomemuchmore aboutticketthan andNight touring. stays, More overnights, gave agentsonesimpleacronym tomarket:LMN–Longer focused onfullydeliveringdestinations topassengers.We inkeyportsandthat stayedfortwoorthree overnights the ships’ownarchitecture, wewouldgotheotherway. concentrated lessondestinationsandlocalculture thanon hadmovedtowardsas theindustry biggershipswhich decided thatAzamaraneededitsownnicheandthat, were fourotherbrandsoperatingtheirsisterships.I small ships,andeventhatwasaproblem becausethere upscale space. were beingrunjustastwoadditionalCelebrityshipsinthe the shipswere welldesigned,smallandclub-like,they cruise firsttocheckitout.Iquickly realised that,although one onanewship. a lotofsensenottowastethespace(andmoney)building casino formuchofthetime,”hesays.“Therefore itmakes operate thisstyleofcruising,yousimplycan’t openthe was nonefrom AzamaraPresidentPimentel. andCEOLarry way thenewViking ships’designexcludedcasinos,there brand togohead-to-headwithit. recognised thepotential, andcamebacktosetuphisown Viking Oceanswilloffer from 2015. immersive cruisingwithmultipledayportstopoversthat Club Cruises)whichpioneered thekindofdestination- the RoyalCaribbeanCruises(RCC)brand(Azamara his homework–literallyinfact,ashefirstcheckedout costs andotherregulatoryissues.ButHagenhasdone of profitability and remains beleaguered byhigherfuel topre-2008cruise sectorwhichhasyettoreturn levels 930-passenger ships–withoptionsforatleasttwomore. with Viking OceanCruises,for whichhehasordered four trend. Heisintentonpursuingadifferent styleofcruising thinking man’s cruise.” cruising isadrinkingman’s cruise;rivercruisingisa between theoceanandrivercruisingsectors:“Ocean executive fortheiconicRoyalViking Line. sector from whichheoriginally emerged, initiallyasan hisattentionbacktotheoceancruising then heturned launched forhisViking Rivers brand inasingleday. And programme, whichpeakedlast yearwithtennewvessels demand growth intoincreased profits, alongcomesHagen. averse, analytics-basedmanagementinthehopeofturning set onalessentrepreneurial, more corporatecourseofrisk- “But thismeantthewholebusiness modelforthebrand “We relaunched as the‘no-cruise’cruisebrand,withships “There wasnoreal differentiation exceptthattheywere “When Iwasbrought intorunAzamara,Ialsotooka “I getexactlywhatTorstein isdoingbecause,whenyou So, althoughthere wassomemediaquestioningofthe He tookacruiseonAzamaraJourney, immediately This mayallseemalmostrecklessly optimisticfora But there hewastalkingaboutthemega-shipoceangoing More recently hememorablydefined thedifference First camehisunprecedented rivercruisebuilding more exceptionalthanTorstein Hagen. are– andfewcharactersinthecruiseindustry here isalwaysanexceptionthatproves therule At atimewhentherest appears oftheindustry like slowfood(for whichthere willbeoneopendinner “We believeitisanewstyleofcruising –slowcruising,just Costa andIbero ManagingDirector MassimoBrancaleoni. rates. a lowerlevelthanthePremium-plus Azamaraand Viking compared withitsmainstream fleet,thesewillstillbeat revitalised CostaneoRomantica. this purpose),andalsotheslightlylarger, expensively (which wasswitchedfrom theIbero Cruceros brandfor help inthechoiceoftours. people; andthere isaconcierge forallpassengersto service touring, allexcursionsare limitedtoamaximumof25 delle ScienzeinPollenzo).To retain thefeelofindependent (helped byanewalliancebetweenCostaandtheUniversità related onboard andshore experiencestakecentre stage has embracedthe‘slowcooking’trend inEurope, cuisine- excursions. such asPropriano andmore culturallyimmersive shore following day)andanemphasisonsmaller, offbeat ports withmid-daydepartures theeach port(usuallyovernight and Viking: itinerariesdesignedwithlongerstopoversin recipe ismuchthe sameasthatbeingoffered byAzamara is callingitsneoCollectionconcept‘slowcruising’,butthe Cruises isalsotestingthisparticularnicheforsize.Costa for, aswellthenewcompetitionfrom Viking, Costa themselves beeclipsedbytheendof2014.” handsomely. Asaresult, therecord results of2013should this suggestedthatourAPDs[averageperdiems]hadrisen left,than 40%upand,aswestillhadplentyofinventory result hasbeen impressive yieldgrowth. inclusive (ofdrinks,tips,selectedexcursions),andthe onboard revenue. We graduallymadethepricesmore “We were planningthisproject from early2013,” says But althoughCostaisaimingtocharge premium fares The lineisusingitssmallestship,CostaneoRiviera There are somesubtledifferences, though.BecauseCosta This turnaround hasnotgoneunnoticedintheindustry “At thebeginningofthisyearrevenue wasrunningmore even knowit. under theirnoseswhichare magnificent–but they don’t attractions allthetime.Insome casestheyhavethings been, andsomeofthetouroperators didnotgetitatall. as helpfultousinachievingthis asIthinktheycouldhave experiences –especiallyatnight. and Positanoinaquitedifferent waybycreating unique non-exotic butdefinitelycoolplaceslikeNice,Sorrento and create quitedifferent itineraries. says Pimentel.“We havehadtodeployindifferent ways, issues, becauseIwalkedintosomeoneelse’s plan,” itinerary certain gradesofloyaltyclubpassengers). Wi-Fiand complimentary (whichAzamaraonlyawards to fewer drinks(justwithmeals,andnotfrom allthebars) cruise compared withoneeveningtour).There willbe with Azamara’s, willincludemore excursions(8–11per Star) willcruiseyear-round inEurope. duration cruisesintheMediterranean. into theArctic) whileCostaNeoRivieramakessimilar Europecruises inNorthern (includingonewhichreaches theitineraries.” varying forward, wewill befocusingonattractingrepeaters by strong.market, andearlybookingshavebeenvery Going brands. picked themselves,althoughitdidmeanoneswitching brands, wedon’t havemanyofthoseshipsleft;sothetwo proportion ofthemhavingbalconies.Likemostmajor usual frenetic two-sitting system). sitting between6.30pmand9.30pm,ratherthanCosta’s “They do have to stop trying tohawkthesametoursand“They dohavetostoptrying “But destinations–withafewexceptionshavenotbeen “I thoughtitwouldbeinteresting todeliverstandard “It tookmetwoandhalfyearstodealwithdeployment Pricing willbemore inclusivethanCosta’s but,compared When Viking startsupnextyear, thefirstship(Viking This summerCostaneoRomanticamakestwo-week “We are targeting couplesratherthanCosta’s usualfamily “We wantedtwoshipsof600–800cabins,withagood is afirstforcruiseship. The infinitypoolonVikingStar

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 opportunity. they wouldbringanotheradvantage, anothermarket ships ofnomore than1,000passengers.Nowhe believes spoken ofhowthebrandwould benefitfrom purpose-built the latterbrandthatmuchcloser. Pimentelhasalready financial performancebringtheprospect ofnewbuildsfor ‘LMN’ are bothourownfederallyregistered trademarks.” immersion’ –eventhough‘destinationand their marketing,andevenusetheexpression ‘destination other linesstartingtostress destinationsmuchmore in passengers apiece. lessthan 800as weonlyhavetofilltwoshipscarrying But inanycaseitdoesnothavetoappealeverybody, there. copied isindicativeofthemarketopportunitythatout before itstartsoperating. Thefactthatweare nowbeing agents, becauseitisthebestwaytoexplaintheirproduct always referencing uswithboththemediaandtravel kind ofcruising–evenhigher. Torstein andhisteamare they are really helpingraiseourprofile –andthatofthis These accountfor22%ofoursales. and previously vacationed inupscaleboutiquehotels. cruise linebutthosewhohaveneverbeenonashipbefore they wanttovisitandreally experience. counts –whatreally countsistheirbucketlistofplaces They are notso worriedaboutpillowmenusandthread looking for, ratherthanBelugacaviarandbrandedgoods. them thisyear, thoughafewwillberefined or replaced. talking aboutwhenyouaskfornighttours. the oneswhospecialiseincruisingdon’t knowwhatyou’re didn’t buyanyofthemfrom theusualtourguysashore – make themfeeltheyhaveneverbeenthere before. we cantakepeopletoplacestheyhavealready beentoand has nowsunkinwithagentsaswelltheirclientsthat excursions thatwehavebeenoffering forthepastyear. It operator oranyoneelseinLivorno. presented itinaparticularway. and thenwhateachsongwasaboutwhytheyhad about whatoperaisanditsstrong role inItalianculture, there. We brought inacuratortoeducatetheaudience inside itisstunninglyelegantwithglasseverywhere. houses, whichlookslikenothingspecialontheoutsidebut themselves. there toseeorvisit,butIinsistedtheywentandlookedfor or Pisa.Evenmyownpeopletoldmethere wasnothing go there justtogetthehelloutstraightawayFlorence “We woulddesign them tosupportthebrandconcept of The arrivalofViking andAzamara’s ownimproving “Apart from Viking andCosta,Ihaveseenhalfadozen “The demandforthiskindofcruisingispretty bignow. “Which iswhyIwelcomeViking’s boldplans,because “This iswhyourbestsource ofpassengersisnotanother “We knownowthatthisiswhatupscaleclientsare wellandwewillberepeating“Most haveworkedvery “There cruise,andwe isoneoftheseeveningsonevery Azamazingevening “It isoneofthecomplimentary “This wasanexperienceyoucannotbuyfrom atour “So wetookthethree tenorsfrom Florence operahouse “They foundoneofthemoststunninghistoricopera isagoodexample.Traditionally,“Livorno cruisevisitors style ofcruising workthere.” out thatculturaldifferentiation ifweare goingtomakeour sameness,” concludesPimentel. “We justneedtosearch changes.” something –andthenthegovernment their visitors,theyjustdon’t,” hesaid.“Ortheyagree todo tochange,improvetheir governments andconnectwith go”. turnaround wouldbe“takingbettercontrol ofwhere we Sheehan saidthatthenextstepincompany’s impressive Florida–Caribbean CruiseAssociationChairman)Kevin Line’s Getaway, newNorwegian President andCEO(and statement attheintroduction Cruise ofNorwegian could create intheCaribbeanthatisn’t there now.” We alsohavetoputmore timeintothinkingaboutwhatwe to ensure thatthe styleandqualitywewantisexecuted. refine. about thebeachesandsun.Itisanarea wehaveto we wantthere. I’m notanti-Caribbean,butitisstilljust problem –andmostofthatisintheCaribbean. with 95%ofourdestinationdelivery, buttheother5%isa destinations themselves,Pimentelsays:“We are happy own hype.Despitethatlackofinputfrom someofthe that ofmakingsure theshore experiencelivesuptoits and thosebrandsjoiningitinthisdevelopingsector–is results wouldbe fantastic.” their handsontheconceptandstartedtoimagineerit, the bestshipbuilders/designersinworld.Iftheygot it, notleastHarriKulovaaraandhisteamwhoare among phenomenal. a goodmoveforAzamara,then–candidlywewouldbe operating inthatnicheso,ifRCCdecideditwouldbe from CelebritywithitsGalapagos programme) are really tariffs totravelonthem. ships are nothingspecial,butpassengersare payingtop but forthedestinationexperience.NationalGeographic but peoplearen’t goingtothoseplacesbecauseoftheship the Galapagosare beautifulare notthinkingstraight. says theshipsthatoperateinArctic, theAntarctic or the explorationcruisingarena,” heexplains.“Anybodywho delivering destinationswhichcouldalsoincludesomefrom “A lotofpastCaribbeanthinking hasledtoaseaof “In certainCaribbeancountries,howevermuchyouask In thiscontextitwassignificantthat,inhismajor “We havetoputmore peopleontheground aheadoftime “We difficult havefounditvery tocreate theexperiences In themeantime,keyissueremaining forAzamara– “That isbecauseoftheresources wecouldput behind “The factisthatnomajorcruisecompanies(apart “Most ofthoseshipswouldstruggleintheregular market, revenue.” more aboutticketthanonboard had tochangebecomemuch business modelforthebrand Pimentel: “Thewhole E Richard Vogel Dominic Paul companies, too. year-round, writesTony Peisley:it’s topofthewish-listfor manycruise It isn’t justcruiseregions andtheirportsthatwanttoseeshipsstaying deployments needed More year-round expensive assetcostingmoneyinsteadofitthrough the totheCaribbean,whilehavingsuchan alternatives 1990s repeat North Americanpassengerswere demanding until thespring. to theCanariesorCaribbean,were simplylaidup based inEurope, shipseitherwentonworldcruises, simply stayedintheCaribbean.Formostcruisebrands deployments wasalotmore straightforward. Those optionsmadesomefinancialsensethen.Butbythe For cruisebrandsbasedinNorthAmerica,theships job ofthosedecidingoncruisefleetwinter was simplerbackinthe1970s. over-50 –asevery verything isquicktotellyou– Well Butcertainlythe maybenoteverything. Vago Pierfrancesco Kevin Sheehan Francis Riley and inadapting the onboard product totheitineraries and potential tooperatemore year-round ships. encourage ourpassengerstofly there; butIalso see real winter cruisingoptions.We canmove ashipfaraway, and DominicPaul. President International to increase,” saysRoyalCaribbeanCruises(RCC)Vice got toriseovernextfewyearsasfleetsizescontinue round. Cruise LinesnowhasashipcruisingoutofAustraliayear- switching homeportswithintheregion); andwhyCarnival (where year-round cruisingbecomesanoptionby this year;whymore shipsare beingdeployedinAsia 365 daysayear. which keepsongiving,intermsofpassengersandyields, holy grailonceagainbecomingthatyear-round destination so thatthecruisesectorhascomefullcircle withthe become evermore damagingtothebottomline.Somuch of cruiseregions developed,thisre-positioning issuehas price. Attractivetotheconsumer, thatis. Atlantic inNovember, attractiveticket youneedavery the purpose–thatmakingaone-waycrossing oftheNorth of cruisecompanyfinancialdirectors’ lives. homes leadingtothoselinkingvoyagesbecomingthebane repositioning of shipsbetweentheirsummerandwinter find winteremploymentforalltheirships. winter wasnolongerviable,forcing European brandsto “But we will have to be very cleverinoffering“But wewillhavetobevery itineraries, “We needtofigure outawaytoestablishmore consistent has“This isoneofthechallengescruiseindustry Which iswhyweseea14%hikeinCaribbeancapacity As fleetshaveexpandedandanever-increasing number If youwanttofillacruiseship–andnotlinerbuiltfor But thischangebrought itsownfinancialissues,withthe the sun.” to marketwantstocruise German Hamburg, whensomuchofthe about year-round from cruising Vogel: “Iamnotsosure

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 destination,” says Duncan. opportunities totakeitsomewhere otherthanan ECA particularly anolderone–you are goingtolook for regulations inEmissionsControl Areas (ECA)like theBaltic. dropping itoncebefore. This isbecauseofthenew programme, havingonlyrecently re-introduced it after Mediterranean –withjustfourtosixweeksoutforarefit.” deploying anothershiptospendmostofthewinterin the TUIflightnetwork,butweare certainlylookingat winter products, whichwillcontinuebecausetheytieinto to cruiselastmonthandthis(March). December, butwehadtoswitch thisothershiptotheport though. summer season–butnotintoafullwinterprogramme, “The Mediterraneanisanopportunityforustoextendour winter RedSeadeploymenttoaMálaga-basedseries)says: Manager ofThomsonCruises(whichrecently switcheda passengers canvisitthesameattractionsinwinter.” (which are due to berevealed atCruiseShippingMiami). we havebeenonthecasewithdestinationswillvisit problem withsomeplacesclosingdowninthewinter, but and fewercrowds atattractions.We are aware ofthe inthesummer,”carry hesays. passengers tobefrom adifferent demographictothosewe Europeans, although–withbothweexpectsome or withoutdiscounting. Sheehan isconfidentoffillingtheshipinwinter, with Presidentthe concept,andNorwegian CEOKevin of justinthesummeris,though,avoteconfidence Epic,year-roundship, Norwegian outofBarcelona instead well with24.1%ofcallsand21.1%passengers. September–November. June–August having39.3%compared with34.3%for passenger movementsthepositionswere reversed, with June–August periodwhichaccountedfor35%.For of cruisecalls(35.3%)–justaheadtheassumedpeak November showsthatthisperiodhadthehighestshare lower share at5.3%. total, whilepassengermovements(1.3million)hadaneven (765)representedand February just5.6%oftheannual show thatthenumberofcruisecallsbetweenDecember programmes remain few. the shouldermonthsandalittlebeyond,fullyyear-round significant progress inextendingthesummerseasoninto continue despitemixedresults. Butthoughthere hasbeen destination havebeenwelldocumented,andthese to thepeopletheywillattract.” “If youhaveashipbasedoutof Southampton– At thesametimeThomsonisre-evaluating itsex-UK “We stillhaveourcoreIslandsandCaribbean Canary “We hadplannedoneshipinMálagaforlastNovember– Neil Duncan,Product PlanningandMarketingGeneral “We are puttingpressure onthemtoensure thatour “They willbeattractedbytheideaofcoolertemperatures “We willbetargeting NorthAmericansaswell CruiseLine’sNorwegian decisiontodeployitslargest The othershoulderperiodofMarch–May alsoperformed On theotherhandbreakdown forSeptember– Recent MedCruisestatisticsfor2012confirmthis.They The efforts theMediterraneanintoayear-round toturn by newbrandViking OceanCruisestooptfor a winter America.” especially compared tootherwinterdestinations likeSouth to source markets,theyare goodoncosts– alsovery week. Whatwewouldgivetobeabledothatnow! first time,wefilledthe programme pretty muchwithinone Costa Victoria intheMediterraneanforwinterand,that the Mediterraneanproduct. Massimo Brancaleonisays:“Winter wasawaytoinnovate Spain andScandinaviagrowing fast.” Europe. TheUKandGermanyare themainmarkets,with Málaga, wesource more than95%ofpassengersfrom our sourcing. about bringinginnew-to-brandpassengersandexpanding so ourselves.We havenowincreased it. decision –whenotherswere reducing capacity–nottodo is animportantpartofourbusiness,aswemadeaconscious established winterdestination.“Winter intheMediterranean Manager FrancisRileysaysthattheMediterraneanisnowan Europe. Othercruiselineswillbedoingthesame.” the fullsummerseasonorashared summerwithNorthern flycruise baseintheMediterraneaneitherforfullyear, the UK.There are opportunitiesforswitchingtoanother always thequestionofwhetherweshouldhaveashipin and particularly inlateseason. the Mediterraneanevenmore thanwedonow– cruise lineslikeourselveswilllooktogosouth but thecostbaseisrisingsofastthatoldertonnage The costissuehasnodoubtplayed apartinthedecision “But Mediterraneanportsare accessible notonlyvery “After 9/11Costafacedacrisis,sowedecidedtodeploy Costs Crociere andIbero Cruceros Managing Director “For ourwinterCanariessailingsfrom Barcelona and “Winter isacontinuingopportunity, becauseitisreally Vice International PresidentNorwegian andGeneral “But, withapredominantly flycruiseoperation,there is “There isalways goingtobestrong passengerdemand, people theywillattract.” to theitinerariesand in adaptingtheonboard product clever inoffering itineraries,and Paul: “We willhavetobevery its 2015-duenew shipAIDAprimatooperateexclusively option isbeingtestedbyAIDACruises. Ithasscheduled challenges before wintercruisingcanbecomethe norm. hasputhighonitslistof– somethingCruiseNorway upgrade itslandsidetouristoffering inthewintermonths potential optionofstayinginEurope year-round. it doesgivebrandswitholderpassengerdemographicsthe duringthesummer,in Norway letaloneinthewinter. But (Hurtigruten aside)nobrandhasashipcruisingexclusively in 2010to82thisyear. October andNovemberincreasing from 12(allinMarch) of thewinterwithnumbercallsinFebruary, March, year. Butthere hasbeensomedramaticgrowth overtherest respectively, zero andfourcruisecallsscheduledforthis Lights-themedcruisesinotherwintermonths. Northern with Christmascruises,butisnowextendingfurtherto an extensionoftheseasonintowinter. Thisstarted hasbeenpartlyfuelledby boom incruisingtoNorway but there are somemore encouragingsigns.First the year-round programme from Southamptonwasasetback, appear tobeanevenharder sell. Europeother optionsevenif–aswithNorthern –they year-round market;socruisecompanieshavetolookat market, anditishard toestimatetheoptimumsizeofthat been aslowprocess togrow thewinterMediterranean Mediterranean programme from thestart.Butithasstill spectacular. for wintercruises–theIsland’sNationalParkis Tenerife isapopularturnarounddestination In someways,though,themost surprisingyear-round toThis, though,willdependontheabilityofNorway This doesnotexactlymakeitayear-round destination as andDecemberremainJanuary slowmonthswith, droppingRoyal CaribbeanInternational itsshort-lived weathers? have onboard, andwhattheywillbeabletooffer?” be operatingten,15or20years from now?Whattheywill whoknows whatkindofshipswilloptions are concerned, the future bywhatwehavetoday. As faraswintercruising become that,themore theycancaterforallseasons.” are really destinationsinthemselves;andthemore they of CLIAEurope, says:“We are buildingmore shipswhich winter aswellsummercruisesinWestern Europe. makes theshipweather-proof andtherefore abletooffer extensive 4Elementsactivitydeck.This,believestheline, with palmtrees underaUV-permeable dome,asisalsothe design oftheship.AIDAprimahasaBeachClubcomplete he says.“Itwillbeachallengetomakeitwork.” so muchoftheGermanmarketwantstocruisesun,” not sosure about year-round cruisingfrom Hamburg, when the ice.” than usualoutofHamburg once,andtheshipgotstuckin recently recalled –“We triedanearlierseasondeparture given that–asAIDACruisesPresident MichaelUngerer through thewinterisawholenewballgame.Especially butrunningthemto someofthecitiesonthisitinerary Europe. from Hamburg onseven-daycruisestothecitiesofWestern And where –asaresult –willtheybeabletocruiseinall And RCC’s Paulpointsout:“Itisalways atraptojudge As MSCCruises’PierfrancesoVago, whoisalsoChairman isthe The keytosuccessasfarAIDAisconcerned TUI CruisesCEORichard Vogel hashisdoubts,too.“Iam There hasbeen a growing interest inChristmascruises those wecarry inthesummer.” from adifferent demographicto – weexpectsomepassengerstobe Europeans, although–withboth North Americansaswell Sheehan: “We willbetargeting

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 I Richard Vogel approach? Tony Peisleyweighsthemup. effective brand wayofopeningthemup–thenationalorinternational There are plentyofpotentialnewcruisemarkets,butwhichisthemost International vs brands AIDACruisesandTUICruises. equivalents ofGermany’s market-leading nationalcruise growth mighthavebeenstillgreater hadittheFrench dominant nationalbrand. still achievedmore than100%growth since2006withouta something becomesaclichéisprecisely becauseitistrue. reasonit doesnotmeanistrue.Infactthevery (including thisone).Butjustbecausesomethingisacliché, more thanonce myselfinvariousreports andmagazines one themselves. would haveaccumulatedalmostenoughmoneytolaunch TUI CEORichard Vogel pointsoutthattheGerman That wasfrom asmallbase,though;andtherateof But equallyitishard toescapethefactthatFrancehas In fact,Iownuptohavingexpressed thatsentiment market whenithasitsownnationalbrand,”they heard that“Francewillonlybecomeamajorsource circuit hadathousandEuros timethey had forevery f regular delegates oncruising’s now-globalconference Dominic Paul David Dingle Michael Ungerer introduce nearly13,000extraberthstothemarket. the twonewAIDAshipsandouraboutto recent growth. Itwillalsobedrivingfuture increases, with cruise sector. is nowbeingdescribedasthelocomotiveofEuropean million outof1.5onGermanbrands.Themarket third onGermanbrands. cruiselines,andonlyonewere travellingwith international speaking passengers. through theimpactofmore Germanproducts forGerman- past tenyears.Andthishashappenedalmostentirely catch-up. behind NorthAmerica,justadecadeago.Ithashadtoplay market wasovershadowedbytheUK,andevenfurther “As aresult, GermanywillovertaketheUKcruisemarket “The tailor-made nationalproduct has beenvitalinour “By 2012itwastheotherwayround, andwehad1 “In 1995twothirds ofthe225,000Germanpassengers importantmarketoverthe “But wehavebecomeavery passenger volume growth wascreated he doesnotbelievethattherecent means weneedtoaddevenmore.” capacity butunder-capacity, which in thefuture. Sowefacenotover- we couldreach 3millionnottoofar afterwards, andthedemandsuggests by 2015or2016,hit2millionshortly This issomethinghewelcomes, as global touroperator. Itwouldbeeasyforthe TUICruises markets –there isanopportunityforusthere.international the marketissostrong rightnow. Butwecould move into brands coulddointhefuture. our ships.Butno-oneshouldunderestimate whatnational enough demandintheGerman-speakingregions tofill for ustolookfurtherafieldmarkets,becausethere is spend more onvacationsthanshoppingathome.” highand–unliketheChinesetheypreferis stillvery to actual travellernumbers,Germandiscretionaryspending a reason. EveniftheChinesehavetakenoverintermsof “Germans are calledthetravelchampionsofworldfor definition –willalwaysmarketdomestically. on prospective yields.Incontrastanationalbrand–by willing tomoveshipsfrom markettodepending brandsare increasinglylevel ofvolatilityasinternational not dependentononeortheother;butitdoescreate a (RCI). brandssuchasRoyalCaribbeanInternational international just bynationalbrands(likeP&OCruises)butalso to growth –unlikeintheUKwhere itwasdriven not product forGermanpassengershasbeenthereal key “only bylowerprices”.HebelievesthecustomisedGerman National brands “AIDA isnowwellknownoutside Germany, andTUI is a “The mainreason weconcentrateonGermanyis because But Vogel pointsout: “Currently there iscertainly noneed Or willit?AIDAPresident MichaelUngerer says: This hasitsadvantages,asitmeansmarketgrowth is This remained thecaseevenwhen itsshipswere deployed passengers havealwaysbeendrawn from theUS/Canada. Latin AmericaandtheUK–but thevastmajorityofits America. most successfulbrandinessentially asinglemarket:North a P&OCruises,CCLhaseffectively beenthelargest and was neveranationalbrandinthesamewayasanAIDAor CruiseLines(CCL)isfascinating.Although it Carnival market segment. owned ThomsonCruises,althoughnotquiteinthesame Cruises intheUKwouldbesamemarketasTUI- brands ownedbythesameparent. Forexample,TUI finding themselvescompetingwithestablishednational the problem forbrandswhichare partofalarger group required intheonboard product. Aswellasthat,there is markets.” brand togointotheUKorsomeothernon-German It hassourced passengersfrom othermarkets–notably In thiscontext,therecent deploymentstrategyof The issuethenwouldbethelanguageandculturalshift an opportunityforusthere.” markets–thereinternational is Vogel: “We couldmoveinto

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 where ourproduct ismore geared tothelocalmarket a more invertedproduct –aswithourRCIshipsinChina, to spread theirsourcing across more markets. deployments, especiallyinthewinter. Theywillthenneed as nationalbrandsgrow theywilllookfordifferent approaches, whileremaining separatebrandtypes.But destination allthetime. stay withthebrandbutwithouthavingtogosame market tomarket,region toregion. brandwhichshiftsitsships frommove toaninternational national brandandwanttodosomethingdifferent. Sothey but there willalsobepassengerswhohavebeenona and RCLCruisesLtdManagingDirector DominicPaul. market mightbe,”saysRCCVice President International development ofamarketasitdependsonwhere that andnationalbrandsasregardsinternational the Pullmantur andthejoint-venture TUICruises. at thesametimestillinvestinginnationalbrandslike its majorbrandsRCI,CelebrityandAzamaraClub,while pursued apolicyofsourcing from multiplemarketsfor in thetargeted nationalbrand-styleoption. and undertheCCLbanner, isasignofrenewed confidence againinAustralia,short-lived venture. Soitsdecisiontotry using adifferent brandname–FiestaMarina –butitwasa programme justfortheLatinAmericanmarket.Itdidso cater fornon-UStastes. CCL hasmadesignificantchangesintheonboard offer to same pool as P&O Cruises Australia. And, for the first time, primarily Australiansand–indoingsocompetethe to Australiaishugelysignificant,astheircruisescarry P&O or(atonetime)OceanVillage. brandslikeit wasnotthere tocompetewithotherCarnival in Europe andoutoftheUK,with akeypolicybeingthat twister thatbeginswithanear-verticaldrop. and thiswaterslidecalledGreenThunder–along Australia. Amongthechangeswereanewaquapark refurbishment toreadyitforitsnewhomein In early2012,CarnivalSpiritunderwenta$7million “Some of the international brandsare alsocomingupwith“Some oftheinternational “I thinkthere willbeaslightconvergence ofthetwo “This givespassengerstheopportunitytheywantto goodwaytostartamarket,“A nationalbrandisavery “I don’t thinkthere isarightorwrong choicebetween In recent times Royal CaribbeanCruises(RCC)has Corporationdidsetupacruise Back in1993Carnival But theswitchoffirstoneCCLshipandnowasecond regions. opportunities foritinerariesare more limitedthaninsome there ispotentialforanationalcruiseproduct –although market startstotakeoff inearnest. we dointomore core markets.Thishastowaituntilthat ourselves toothinlyacross toomanypotentialmarkets. next fewyears,butwehavetobecareful nottospread net toattractmore passengers.Thiswillcontinueforthe enjoy theentertainmentandgamblingoptions. brands are already thousandsofRussianswho carrying middle classhavingsignificantdisposableincome,our long-term potentialthere,” saysPaul.“With itsgrowing similar commentsaboutRussia.“There isnodoubtingthe France’s underperformancetheyare usuallyfound making powerful model.” brandbecomesavery But, oncecreated, aninternational marketing across theworldtobuildupbrandglobally. more expensive tosetup,becauseoftheneedinvestin in recent years. brandssome havebeenmore successfulthaninternational are actuallymore nationalbrandsthanglobalbrands,and emphasis.” a national,brandbutwiththisdistinctshiftinproduct requirements. not Itisstilloperatingasaninternational, “There arebrandsthere, somesuccessfulcruise-ferry so “We cannotputthesamelevelofeffort intoRussiaas “We investedmore inRussialastyear, wideningoursales When conference delegatesare notdiscussingreasons for “The trouble brandisthatit withaninternational therePaul alsosaysthat,althoughitmayseemotherwise, cater fornon-UStastes.” changes intheonboard offer to Lineshasmadesignificant Cruise “For thefirsttime,Carnival another, larger –replaces Celebrityship –Century Zenith. it expects100,000thisyearand 120,000in2015when ex-Celebrity Zenitharrivedfrom thePullmanturfleet,and from theCelebrityfleet. market’s growth ratewiththe2012arrivalofHorizon become aseriouscontenderwithpotentialimpactonthe started outwithalow-capacityshipandonlybeganto ships forthatmarket. couple ofyears,asitbelievesdoesnothavecompetitive has stoppedhomeportinginFrench portsforthepast difference brands–it betweennationalandinternational French sub-brandbut–inamovethathighlightsthe second placeinthemarket.LouisCruisesalsohada of theonboard product. French ports,with some(butnotextensive)customisation on designatedshipsfrom themainfleet,operatedoutof greatest number ofFrench passengers–mostofthem thehas operatedasthedefactonationalbrand,carrying (CDF). is emerging inPullmanturoffshoot Croisières deFrance everyone.” drop willhelp,andtheadjustmentshouldbegoodfor since then,whichwillbehard toreverse. But the capacity year, soitisnowrunningatabout2008levels. profitable operation.Itdropped in2013,andagainforthis is nowbeingadjusted,togetitdowntherightsizefora no goodforcruisecompaniesortravelagents.Thatcapacity was cruising.Thatisnotthecasenow. the mostprofitable product forthemtosell,mostsaidit years ago,whenweaskedSpanishtravelagentswhichwas going toneedchangeourSpanishDNAachievethat.” Revenue SoniaPrieto.“Thegoodnewsisthatweare not are inSpain,”affirms Vice President Sales,Marketingand America –andwewanttobethemarketleaderthere aswe market; butatthemomentbestplaceforgrowth isLatin Europe butalso–significantly –inLatinAmerica. but Pullmanturhasdevelopednewmarketsnotjustwithin remains committedalmostentirely totheSpanishmarket, to cope,theirsourcing policieshavediverged. Ibero hard timesforitsfledglingcruise sector. Spanish economy, whichhasonlyjustbottomedout,meant brands: PullmanturandIbero Cruceros. Thecollapseofthe after acquiring(respectively) thetwoleadingSpanish foundtotheircostshortly is somethingRCCandCarnival obvious problem ofhavingallits eggsinonebasket.This few years.” brandswillgrowinternational fasterinRussiaoverthenext This willbringit intocloserorder withMSCCruises but, Annual passengernumbersgrew to55,000in2013 when Although solelytargeted attheFrench market,CDF MSC Francehasfollowedasimilarpath,growing to Until CDF’s 2008arrival–andstillnowCostaFrance Meanwhile, backinFrance,agenuinenationalbrand “Unfortunately there hasbeena23%drop incruise prices “The reason isthatthe capacitywastoogreat, whichwas Ibero ManagingDirector MassimoBrancaleonisays:“Four “Pullmantur isSpanish,andwillcontinuetofocusonthat But, whilebothhavetrimmedandrevamped theirfleets From thenationalbrandpoint of viewthere isthe “But –withorwithoutanationalbrandIthink particular market.” base ofrepeat businessthrough theircommitmenttoa brands, astheycanmore easilyachieveasustainable But itisequallyimportanttohave aclusterofnational and outofmarketsaccording tohowtheyare performing. Within wehaveablendofbothapproaches. Carnival to buildmarketsthrough onetypeofbrandoranother. markets. just onefleetthatcanbedeployedinarangeofdifferent have tobetailored toindividualmarkets.ratherthan inefficiency ofhavingtooperatedifferent brandswhich brandsare getting. higher thantheinternational of fare thenationalbrandsare achievingisthatlittlebit able toattracthigherfares. are customersmore abletoserve precisely andare therefore out, “There isenormous valueinnationalbrands,asthey over tenyearstoleadthewayinGermany. 2016 willhavespent€3.3billionaddingninenewships than CDFhassofarcommitted–justaskAIDA,whichby leader justtakesmore time,andalotmore investment, drive furthergrowth intheFrench market. andnationalbrandsthatwill combination ofinternational to about500,000by2016,itstillappearsthatwillbea with CostaaimingtodoubleitsFrench passengercarryings “International brandsgiveustheflexibilitytomovein “International “So there isnorightorwrong towhetheritisbetter “But thatpricepremium isthere topayfortheinnate “If youlookateachmarkettendtofindthatthekind UKChiefExecutiveDavidDinglepoints But, asCarnival itintoamarket Starting anationalbrandandturning markets.” spread theirsourcing across more winter. Theywillthenneedto deployments, especiallyinthe grow theywilllookfordifferent Paul: “Asnationalbrands

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 Gennaro Russo considers whatprogress isbeingmade. technological challengesfacingtoday’s cruiseindustry. MariaHarding Providing fastandaffordable connectivityisoneofmany Internet of write… The speed of 21st century passengerswhoareof 21stcentury seeminglyaddicted opportunity forcruiselinesstrivingtocateranewbreed workmates. certainly afocusofattentionforfriends,familyand minutes inthespotlightandbecome,ifnotworldfamous, made itpossiblenowadaysforanybodytograbtheir15 proliferation ofsmartphonesandtabletcomputershas YouTube andsocialmedia–mostimportantlythe would be. he couldhavehadnoideahowprescient hisprediction W This presents bothabigchallengeandmajor theburgeoningSince thedevelopmentofInternet, of will beworldfamousfor15minutes”, exhibition –that“inthefuture, everyone in aprogramme fora1968Stockholmart hen AndyWarhol cynicallyremarked – Edgington Christopher Bernard Carter Graham Sadler link, andmobileoperatorsprovide sothat thisservice satellite links. istostayflexibleaboutsuppliersof maritimebest service Russo –andthekeytoproviding passengerswiththe applications quicklytokeeppacewiththisdemand,says when onholiday–theirworkplace.” connected tofamily, friends,worldnewsandoften–even andonbeingconstantlybecoming reliant ontheInternet but nowadaysit’s a‘musthave’.Travellers worldwideare sea wasoncea‘nicetohave’feature forcruiseguests, Manager Gennaro Russoputsit:“Mobiletechnologyat connectivity. to theirphonesandunablecopewithout24/7Internet “Calling ortextingfrom shiptoshore requires asatellite Cruise linesare havingtoevolvemobiletechnology As MSCCruisesTechnical DepartmentCommunications Steve Collar Francis Riley Nancy Ramos family brochure specificallydesignedtobeviewedon began thenewyearinUKbylaunchinga2014 (RCI) the ‘iGeneration’.RoyalCaribbeanInternational latest mobiletechnologytoforge closerconnectionswith says. passengers andmakenewfriendsduringtheircruise,”he community atsea,asourguestsuseittochatwithfellow other MSCshipsanditineraries.“Itcreates areal senseof excursions, withoutthehassleofqueuing. book onboard likerestaurant services seatingsandshore and specialeventsonboard. Theappalsoallowedusersto shops andboutiques,raiseawareness ofactivities conditions bothatseaandinportsofcall. Portuguese andSpanish–abouttheship,itinerary, and information –inEnglish,French, German,Italian, and useonboard, andprovided constantlyupdated Caribbean itineraries,thenewappwasfree todownload making arrangementswhileonboard. stageoftheircruise,fromat every thebookingstageto App allowspassengerstoconnectwiththecruisecompany designed todojustthat.TheMSCDivinaTraveller Web what’s goingononboard theirship.” while simultaneouslyaccessingreal-time informationabout comments withothercruisersaswellfriendsathome online communities,sotheycanshare pictures or guests usingtheirownsmartphonestoaccessonboard whole worldtoexplore,” hesays. maximise customerengagement.“Inthisregard there’s a butalsotoenhanceguestexperienceand to theInternet mobile technology–notonlytokeeppassengersconnected up.” change quicklyifsomethingnewandbettervaluecomes medium-term contractswithmobileoperators,sowecan available,” Russoexplains.“We toagree try onshort-or technology offered andtheMaritimeRoamingAgreement “It’s amatterofchoosingthebestoperatoraccording tothe suppliers is,therefore, toremain asflexiblepossible. to another”. industry, sooffers donothugelydiffer from onecompany five mobileoperatorproviders supplytheglobalcruise there’s littlepointinshoppingaround because“lessthan mobile phoneandsubscription,”hesays,addingthat guests canusetheship’s roaming networkwiththeirown MSC iscertainlynottheonlycruiseoperatorusing Russo saystheMSCDivinaappisnowbeingrolled outto It wasalsousedtohighlightpromotions invariousship’s Originally launchedonMSCDivina’s winter2013/14 In NovemberMSClaunchedawebandmobilephoneapp “I amthinking,forinstance,aboutthepossibilityof A greater challenge,inhisview, istomakebestuseof MSC’s strategywhenchoosingmobiletechnology brochure featured earlybookingoffers id692839966?mt=8), thenew gb/app/royal-caribbean-international/ iTunes (athttps://itunes.apple.com/ whole family. brand’s signature experiencestothe content aimedatshowcasingthe tablets, withvideosandinteractive Available to downloadfree on he says. providerusually byamainstream Internet downacable,” inevitably more costlythanonland–where itisprovided and there littlesatellitecoverage overthesea,itis isvery satellites are expensiveformofcommunication avery access tocruiseshippassengersatseaand,as Internet sea astheyare onlandcouldbeanimpossibledream. Christopher Edgingtonsayskeepingpeopleasconnectedat bandwidth toeasecommunications.ButMarketingDirector lines strivingtoachievethat,byincreasing satellite shape offamilybookings. families havingfunatseacanreap richrewards inthe keep themwellconnectedandabletopostphotosoftheir than twiceasoftenfathersdo–socruiselineswhich US atleast–motherschecktheirFacebookpagesmore only 53minutesin2002. in2012,compared tothan 2.5hoursadayontheInternet Media 2012’)whichfoundthatUSmothersspentmore families. AnditcitesanEdisonResearch poll(‘Momsand decisions aboutconsumerelectronics purchases fortheir – theUS’s 82million-plus‘moms’getinvolvedin89%of online consultancyspecialisinginwomen’s buyinghabits believed. market conductedbytheTechNewsDaily websiteistobe on theothersideofAtlantic,ifareview oftheUS Marketing fortheUK&Ireland JoBriody. consider acruiseforthefirsttime,”saysRCIDirector of inspiring andeasytousewillurge more families to Penguin Ahoy! as welllinkingwithanewchild-friendlyappcalled parents aboutonboard restaurants, showsandkids’clubs, on popularfamilyitineraries.Italsooffered information for “Satellite communicationistheonlywaytodeliver UKbrandP&OCruises(POC)isone ofseveral Carnival Even more importantly, foundthat–inthe thesurvey It pointsoutthat–according toGirlpowerMarketing,an Targeting techno-savvymothers iscertainlyasmartmove “We hopethatatablet-accessiblebrochure whichis during theircruise.” passengers andmakenewfriends guests useittochatwithfellow community atsea,asour app] creates areal senseof Russo: “It[theMSCDavina

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 each shiptakes as apackageandcanthenpass onfor content, likelatest-release filmsandmusicvideos, which connectivity creates newopportunitiesforcaching it’s alsoapotentialsource ofrevenue. “Betteronboard held devices. digital newspaperswhichpeoplecanaccessontheirhand- using theonboard Wi-Fi. Italsoprovides contentlike enables passengerstomakephonecallsaround theship affordable.” access, andintroduced arangeofpackagestokeepit under way. We haveincreased ourbandwidthforimproved to makeconnectivityfasterorcheaper, manytrialsare of therestaurants andsoon. of thespa,buzznightclub,qualityandrange activities onboard, thedesignofourships,tranquility actually showtheirfriendsandfamilythevarietyof mouth recommendations andcreate abuzzaspeople is perfectfortheadvocacyofcruising,”Edgingtonsays. passengers ‘reporting live’from theircruises.“Social media protective aboutprivacy.” much more savvy now,” “andalsomore heobserves, Twitter emerge torivalFacebook.“Peopleare becoming new socialmediaplatformslikewhat’s app?,Instagramand our ships.” connected, andweseemuchtweetingbloggingfrom can happenatall.Butweknowourpassengerswanttostay never beasfastathome–indeed,itisremarkable thatit This technologynotonlykeeps passengershappy; POC isalsokeentokeepupwithlatesttechnologywhich “So althoughthere’s nomagicaltechnicalsolution yet “It’s anexcellentwaytobuildinterest, spread word of And heisacutelyaware ofthepotentialvalue Edgington seesthistrend becomingmore widespread as “It’s therefore afactoflifethatseacommunicationwill provide this,it’s necessary.” and, althoughit’s more costlyto accessonshipsnowadays Internet Carter: “ People want high-speed People wanthigh-speed vacation guide’– akindofmini-brochure ontheirvoyage to present clientswithabespoke,personalised‘cruise (RSSC), Oceaniaismakinggood useofnewtechnology without theneedtodiscount.” access isareal incentive,whichgivesusacompetitive edge they’re gettingvalueformoney,” henotes.“Free Internet levels ofupfront pricingnow, butpassengerswanttofeel competitive climate.“We’re seeingreal signsofrecoveryin as ausefultoolforaddingvaluetocruisepackagesin andIthinkitmayevensoonbefree,” hesays. Internet, it’s –because somanyhotelsnowoffer necessary low-cost nowadays and,althoughit’s more costlytoprovide this, sailings thisyear. offer willbeusedtacticallytohelpboostsalesonsome and UKManagingDirector Bernard Cartersaysasimilar accessontensailingsduring2013;unlimited free Internet useofiPadsduringtheircruise,offeredcomplimentary shifting slow-movingstock. valuable incentiveforrepeat bookings–andagoodwayof affordable, somecruiselinesare findingfree accessis a years willseegreat changes.” complex thanonland.HoweverIamsure thenextfew resources tomakeithappenatsea,whichisrather more ship getsthematerialandthendistributesit. It meanspeopledon’t needtopayforindividualWi-Fi; the where theylike,” Edgingtonsays. passengers towatchonhand-helddeviceswhenand Together withsisterbrandRegentSevenSeasCruises Carter seesfastandaffordable access –orfree –Internet accessonships “People wanthigh-speedInternet Oceania Cruises,whichgivesguestsintopsuites accessmoreWhile POCisstrivingtomakeInternet “The possibilitiesare endless,butweneedthetechnical “This isunrelated tothe increase insatellitebandwidth. times fasterthan onothercruiseships connection speedsaboard OasisandAllure willbe250 deal meansthat,bytheendofthis summer, Internet sea,” hesays. should alwaysbewithinreach –onlandandatthe Internet claims O3bNetworksCEOSteveCollar. available onallcruiseshipsintheCaribbeancombined, will soonbedeliveringmore bandwidththaniscurrently telecommunication standards”. guests andcrew broadband onparwithonshore services “the onlysatellitesystemcapableofgivingcruiseline offers “ultra-fastandaffordable access”andis Internet the Seaswith03bMaritime–asystemwhich,itclaims, megaships OasisoftheSeasand(more recently) Allure of ‘multi-year’ partnershipwithO3bNetworkstoequipthe claims tohavecrackedtheproblem. Ithasforged a as barely attainable, butRoyalCaribbeanCruises(RCC) possible underthecircumstances.” increased ourbandwidth tomaketheprocess as fastas lower, sowecanoffer itatlowercost.Andofcoursewe’ve if wecanspeedupaccessonportdays,whendemandis with specialisttechnologyagenciesandportstosee fast asonland,”Rileysays.“Butweare workingclosely FrancisRiley.General ManagerInternational result wasahuge upliftinsocialmediaactivity,” reports passengers totweetandblogabouttheirexperiences.“The costsonearlysailingsandactivelyencouraged Internet Getawayin2013–slashed when itlaunchedNorwegian enormous.” to doso,”hepointsout,“astheadvertisingpotentialis on theircruise.Andit’s inourinterests toenablethem keep familyandfriendspostedonwhatthey’re doing of thegamenowadays;peoplewanttokeepintouchand sufficient bandwidthtocope. Connectivity isthename need itatonce,andwe’veworkedhard toensure wehave first RSSCsailing. more than21nights–orbookedtodoso,evenifitistheir accommodation, andtothosewho’vecruisedwithusfor automatically offered toguestsbookingtopgrade says RSSCUKManagingDirector GrahamSadler. “It’s incentive tospurbookings. often asareward forfrequent travellersthanasatactical takes adifferent approach from Oceania,usingitmore Technology isinvaluableinmaintainingarelationship.” with companyandshipnews,helpthemfeelincluded. like.” chosen, andevenshowthemwhattheircabinwilllook summarise theirwholebooking,whichexcursionsthey’ve in personalisingthisproduct,” Carter says.“We can – 21daysbefore departure. “Technology hasreally helped RCI ChiefInformationOfficer BillMartinsaystheO3b “This allianceisashared missionbuiltonthebeliefthat The agreement meansthatO3bNetworksandRCC Most cruiselinesregard fast-as-on-land connectivity “Realistically, ship-to-shore connectionwillneverbeas That’s CruiseLinewhich– afactnotlostonNorwegian “The challengeistodeliveraccesswhenlotsofpeople “Effectively, mostofourguestsgetfree Internet,” usage,RSSCgenerallyBut whenitcomestofree Internet “We useoure-maildatabasetokeepclientsupdate “People really wanttostayconnected.” Starbucks orMcDonald’s issotheycangoonline,”shesays. Operations NancyRamos. RCC Director (MarketingandeCommerce) GlobalTour access,”sayswhere guestscanenjoymobileInternet onboard andashore, andasktourguidestoidentifyplaces hotspots. shore tourguidesare nowaskedtogenuponlocalWi-Fi trend that’s here tostay–theextentthatevencruiseline because consumerdemandfor24/7contactseemstobea cruise lineanimportantedgeoverthecompetition.Thisis can payoff inreal revenue termsaswellingivinga demand managementcalculation.” charge forbandwidthbecomesabusinessquestion–not connectivity includingSkype,GoogleHangouts,etc. fromenabling everything streaming entertainmenttosocial more bandwidth, butabouttrulyshore-like connectivity, changes thegame. terms ofbothcapacityandspeed–whichfundamentally we hadtofindawayprovide shore-like connectivity –in completion scheduledforthemiddleofthisyear. Finally options. to theWi-Fi network,andoffer aplethoraofconnection devicetoconnectsoftware toallow anyInternet-enabled increase incapacity fleetwide. to [globalprovider] HarrisCaprock andgainedaneightfold capacity. Thiswasachievedearlylastyearwhenwemoved connectivity. bandwidth Thenwehadtoincrease Internet had toretrofit oldervesselstoprovide pervasive Wi-Fi oceangoing travellers. as manyofourcompetitorshave,tochangethegamefor connectivity,”ubiquitous Internet hesays.“Sowesetout, phenomenon amongourguests–theirdesire for “If theydon’t, they’llfindguests askingwhere thenearest “We encourageourgueststoshare theirexperiences In otherwords, investmentinfastat-seaconnectivity “With thislastcomponentinplace,howmuch we “We havefoundit.Andweare nottalkingaboutalittle “This isnowinplaceonfourships,withfleet-wide “The third stepwastoimplementseamlesshotelaccess “For usthisinvolvedafour-step process. Firstwe “Just overtwoyearsagowerecognised agrowing standards.” with onshore telecommunication crew broadband servicesonpar lineguestsand of givingcruise “the onlysatellitesystemcapable Royal Caribbeanclaimsithas

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Cruise Insight Spring 2014 iconic hotelsastheLanghaminLondon–willaimtobring same‘wow’factortoBritannia. the interiorconceptofonetheirnewships.RichmondInternational–responsibleforcreatingsuch And,withBritannia,itisthefirsttimeP&OCruiseshastasked asingledesigncompanytodevelop rolled outacrosstheentirefleettocoincidewitheachship’s scheduleddrydockprogramme. obviously –identifythestyleofshipasBritishwithan interiortomatch.Thishullliverywillbe The newUnionJackliverywillnotsimplysoaccuratelyreflect Britannia’snamebutalso–andvery with aNationalflag-inspiredlivery. P&O Cruisesintroducethecruiseindustry’sfirsthull tells astory Every picture

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