When travellers want the world, it’s an agent’s job to give it to them. Good suppliers know this, so they do all they can to make doing so as easy as possible. But at Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), supporting the agent is built into its very foundations.
On the recent post-christening voyage of the Norwegian Viva, Karryon caught up with Chad Berkshire, the SVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
NCL president David Herrera had just said that the cruise line’s “north star”, or goal, was “to become the easiest cruise line to do business with travel partners”. He spoke of the “critical” role of agents in NCL’s success.
Chad Berkshire agreed, but took it back to basics.
One of the key ways agents and NCL can grow together is to give agents more product to sell, he said. And more variety.
“So I think part of the evolution of Norwegian is really expanding geographically and expanding the length and variety of length of vacation,” he told media onboard the Norwegian Viva.
For instance, in Europe, they’ve extended typical seven-day cruises to nine or ten days.
“It works great for our destination partners in Europe, because thanks to the typical seven-day runs, the primary ports in Europe are super busy on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
“So if we can do a nine or 10-day cruise and mix it up, we can take our guests to ports on the days that they’re not crowded. That’s a win for our guests.
“And that’s a win for travel partners because their clients have had a better experience.”
From Iceland to Africa, from big ports to small, Berkshire reels off a list of regions and destinations NCL is in or soon will be.
“We want those first-time cruisers to have product, we want the repeat cruiser to have product, and we want the connoisseur that’s been on 40 cruises to say, ‘there’s something new I haven’t tried, let’s book that cruise’.
“It keeps the customers with us and keeps them coming in the doors of our travel partners.”
Back in Australia, Damian Borg, our regional Director of Sales for NCL says that “every decision and innovation we make is made through the lens of our twin philosophies: Guest First and Partners First”.
“Our relationship with our agents remains front and centre, not only so they can access the best NCL offers but so they are in turn rewarded.”
What Aussies want
Australians are increasingly seeking value, convenience and diversity when they travel, and for experiences tailored to their individual needs, Borg says.
“NCL is committed to meeting this demand, and to helping agents provide choice to their clients through an increased range of destinations and extended itineraries ranging from three to 21 days.”
“To give an example of the choice we offer, in Europe alone we have 14 award-winning ships sailing the region, more than 250 unique itineraries and over 170 ports of call.
“Our itineraries also offer a lot of flexibility so everyone’s experience on board and on shore can be completely different, not just from one person to the next, but from one day to the next. On the same day, a guest could climb a waterfall and relax in an onboard spa. The next day they could ride a gondola in Venice and, soon after, have a ride along the only racetrack at sea.”
But it’s also about looking at how Aussies are travelling and adapting offerings to meet those needs. According to Borg, a rising trend among Australian travellers – and one to which NCL caters – is solo travel.
“From 2019 to 2022, we saw a noticeable increase in guests booking accommodation as a single occupant in non-studio staterooms.
“NCL recently announced that we will introduce 1,000 dedicated solo accommodation options to our fleet over the coming years, increasing solo traveller occupancy by 144%.”
And with more and more Australians travellers incorporating luxury elements into their travel itineraries, NCL’s The Haven by Norwegian® is the answer. The Haven is an all-inclusive ship-within-a-ship concept accessible via its own elevator, replete with a 24-hour butler and private Lounge & Bar, pool and sauna.
“Our new Prima class ships boast a higher percentage of The Haven suites to meet growing demand for more premium accommodation.
“Importantly, we have listened to feedback from both our guests and travel partners so we can continue to enhance and improve our product.”