Cruise Lines Sailing Away With New Ideas
Shorter Itineraries, Fuller Schedules to Attract First-Time Cruisers
The Signal - Business Section, July, 2005
With new ideas setting sail among cruise lines, it’s a matter of physics that some will float, others will simply rock the boat, and some will inevitably sink. But the overall objective is to reach out to new cruisers, tapping into the uncharted waters of first-time sailors to create repeat customers for life.
Or that’s the goal anyway. With an entire market segment of travelers who have not yet sailed the open sea, for whatever reason, cruise lines are trying to find out why. The tease here is to draw you in and get you hooked, line and sinker. Try it, you’ll like it is the plan and they’re probably right.
Taking a cruise is a great travel experience for most everyone. Today’s ships range from luxury mega liner to small intimate yachts, each with it’s own unique personality, benefits, activities and amenities. Itineraries are offered throughout the world for people of all interests, ages and activity levels. On-board and port entertainment and excursions can be as relaxing as a massage or as extreme as taking the ride of your life on a MIG fighter jet during a cruise to Russia.
Seriously, for an exclusive afternoon of pure adrenaline, and a tidy investment of $13,500, you too can become Top Gun over Moscow. After arriving at port near St. Petersburg, thrill-seekers are whisked away to the Zhukovsky Aerodrome to prepare for the heart-stopping flight. Put on a helmet, buckle-up and you’re off with your test pilot for a 30-minute, high-altitude ride traveling 700 miles per hour. Cruising has certainly come a long way in a short time.
And here’s what’s new these days. Cruise lines are offering shorter itineraries of seven days or less to a greater variety of destinations worldwide. This is particularly true for upscale luxury lines, trying to capture an increased share of the market by offering sampling cruises. Like a buffet dinner spread, travelers are encouraged to try something new and once they get a taste of it, will come back for more.
More often than not, this is the case. We find that would-be cruisers have commitment phobia when it comes to taking a first-time cruise that lasts more than a week. Shorter is better, especially if it turns out that cruising does not float your boat. But for most people, a fantastic, yet brief, voyage at sea helps them realize cruising is the ideal vacation and they eagerly commit to another.
Once this happens, there’s no turning back. People want longer cruises, new itineraries and begin planning their next trip while still on-board their current cruise. Cruisers are also extremely brand loyal to a line they feel has the right personality, activities and services for them.
Cruise companies are trying to attract and secure new travelers at a younger age to capture their business for a longer period of time. To help create a youthful appeal to active vacationers, cruise lines have picked up the pace on everything from advertising campaigns to providing a fuller selection of on-board activities and action-packed shore excursions at each port.
Forget about lounging at the pool all day or a leisurely game of Backgammon, people want rock-climbing walls, Salsa dancing and soft-adventure options on land. The unique port cities and activities now offered on many cruises give travelers the chance to experience new adventures when they leave the ship. Today’s cruiser wants the choice to select back-to-back excursions, or schedule a day of rest and downtime on the ship, or better yet, in the ship’s spa. From Mexico and the Caribbean to Alaska and the Panama Canal, ocean travel is no longer your grandfather’s cruise.
Try it, you’ll like it. There really is something to that, and cruise lines are banking on it.
Commentary provided by Eric Maryanov, president and founder of All-Travel.com, the Los Angeles-based travel management company with an office in Valencia. He can be reached at 661.775.7511..
For more information
contact Nicole Stinson, Public Relations
(310) 312-3368
