They have the power to sell out stadiums, influence fashion, educate the next generation and now, they’re attracting new cruisers.
Who are these mighty beings we speak of?
Why celebrities of course.
Representatives from four different cruise lines – Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and PONANT – agreed at last week’s Cruise360 in Sydney that partnerships with popular personalities have contributed to the ever-growing number of first-time cruisers in Australia and around the world.
Carnival Cruise Lines’ Vice President and General Manager of Australia, Jennifer Vandekreeke, said relationships with famous faces help “elevate” a line’s brand while also establishing trust amongst those considering a cruise holiday for the first time.
She explained that there’s a fair bit of misconception amongst people who have never cruised over the quality of food and standard of entertainment at sea. However, having a celebrity attached to restaurants and evening productions helps “elevate” the perception of cruising and of the guest experience.
“I think they are absolutely raising the bar for what you can expect on ships and they give some credibility for the onboard experience.”
Jennifer Vandekreeke, Carnival Cruise Line Vice President and General Manager of Australia
“They [also] make people who haven’t considered a cruise before open their eyes and go ‘wow they’ve got a Stephen Schwartz musical onboard, imagine what the rest of the entertainment is going to be like and imagine what the food is going to be like’.”
While celebrity partnerships aren’t completely new to the cruise sector – just look at Princess’ association to the ‘Love Boat’ and that incredible lineup of famous godmothers – they have become both more frequent and more involved over the last 24 months.
Norwegian Escape’s Godfather Pitbull did more than just break a bottle over the ship’s bow.
For example, the extent of Mariah Carey’s Godmother duties for Disney Fantasy back in 2012 involved attending the christening celebrations and breaking the champagne on the ship’s bow.
Compare that to Pitbull’s role as Godfather to Norwegian Escape, which not only saw him carry out the traditional christening duties, but also perform for the audience, sail on the ship, publicise his sailing on social media AND contribute to the line’s latest global campaign by writing and producing a song specifically for the brand.
Jamie Oliver took his first restaurant out to sea with Royal Caribbean.
Outside of the celebrity Godmother/Godfather roles, well-known figures have also come on board to help feed guests by either contributing to the dining experience like MasterChef Jacques Pépin who designs Oceania Cruises’ menus and Alain Ducasse Enterprises, which collaborates with Ponant’s chefs on menu creation and training; or by taking their food and brand to sea like Jamie Oliver’s restaurant on Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class vessels and Luke Mangan’s ‘Salt Grill’ on P&O Cruises’ vessels.
But the celebrity contracts don’t stop there, they seep into entertainment with arrangements like Princess Cruises’ first-of-its-kind cruise partnership with Broadway composer, Stephen Schwartz, or Tony Award winning shows replicated for select Norwegian sailings.
Stephen Schwartz helps deliver entertainment on Princess Cruises’ ships.
According to Royal Caribbean’s Managing Director for Australia & New Zealand, Adam Armstrong, celebrities arrangements give cruise lines another way to “grab people’s attention” and “hook new guests to the industry”.
“The broad thinking is that we bring people to the sector who perhaps weren’t considering us.”
Adam Armstrong, Royal Caribbean Managing Director for Australia & New Zealand
Harry Sommer from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings concurred, saying it draws customers to the fleet, while also giving them more to enjoy on board.
“When you execute partnerships they make the product better.”
Harry Sommer, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Executive Vice President International Business Development
“The reason they work is because you can actually deliver a product. It’s not a fake partnership or just to attract guests, but it adds value to the ship.”
