The emergence of evening port stays as a defining feature for Azamara Club Cruises has focused a spotlight on the growing use of this alternate deployment strategy.
Traditionally, cruise lines have offered few if any overnight stays and generally leave ports of call before sunset. Large-ship lines in particular have made their vessels into evening playgrounds.
“The shipping industry as a whole has built massively beautiful, stunning ships … but oftentimes in many people’s minds the ship became the destination,” said Azamara President and CEO Larry Pimentel.
A number of lines are flipping that playbook, making the actual destination the evening focal point.
“We have to think not outside the box, but outside the ship,” Pimentel said.
Other lines that have embraced overnight stays include Crystal Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises and Oceania, whose fleet deploys some of the same type of ships that Azamara does.
By offering more overnight stays in port, cruise lines risk declines in some key sources of onboard revenue, such as casinos, duty-free shops, bars and alternative restaurants.
Almost all the lines pursuing the strategy are upscale, small-ship brands with inclusive amenity policies and worldwide itineraries with a preponderance of longer voyages.
Crystal Cruises, for example, is offering a 14-day Asian cruise next January that overnights both before it departs Singapore and after it terminates in Hong Kong, as well as a mid-cruise overnight in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Overnights have practical benefits in addition to giving guests more sightseeing time.
“When you overnight the day you arrive at port, the number of bags that miss the cruise drops to zero,” said Thomas Mazloum, Crystal’s senior vice president for operations.
Crystal is offering some epic holiday port stays, including a 2016 New Year’s Eve overnight in Sydney, Australia, that includes chartered catamarans to see a fireworks display.
Another line that is increasing the number of overnight stays it offers is Silversea Cruises, which for 2014-15 has increased to two days each its overnights in Livorno and Sorrento, Italy; Bordeaux, France; and Leith, the port for Edinburgh, Scotland.
Silversea has also increased late-night departures in cities with desirable night-life scenes, including St. Tropez, Ibiza, Monaco, Portofino, St. Barts and Amsterdam, spokesman Brad Ball said.
Likewise, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises have a list of nearly two dozen ports where they conduct overnights, including stays of more than one night in Jerusalem, St. Petersburg, Shanghai and Yangon, Myanmar.
Pimentel said that because several cruise lines have acquired some of the former Renaissance Cruises R-class ships, it is hard to compete by claiming unique hardware. And some competitors have more luxurious vessels.
“I am not naive about the fact that the ships are 13 to 14 years old,” Pimentel conceded. “I do not have new tonnage.“
But as long as he can offer a unique experience, Pimentel said, people will seek it out.
That also is the thinking behind Costa Cruises’ neoCollection, a portfolio of older, smaller ships that Costa is promoting as “slow cruising.”
Many neoCollection itineraries are exclusive to the line’s smaller “neo” ships, which can sail to destinations inaccessible to larger vessels. Itineraries are designed with longer stopovers at each port — often overnight and part of the next day — to allow maximum time on shore.
Ships in the collection include the Costa neoRiviera (624 cabins) and Costa neoRomantica (789 cabins).
Pimentel acknowledged that other cruise lines are offering some overnights but said no one else offers at least one on every voyage. “Nobody hits as much of this as we do,” he said.
Building a collection of evening tours has taken time, Pimentel said, because tour operators weren’t accustomed to having ships in port so late.
Azamazing Evenings, Azamara’s first evening product announced last year, included special events such as an operatic recital at a castle in Tuscany.
Each cruise had one such evening, which was included in the base fare and was designed to accommodate all 694 passengers who can be accommodated at dual capacity on an Azamara ship.
Now, beginning with the summer season in Europe, Azamara will roll out Nights and Cool Places. Unlike Azamazing Evenings, they will be fee-extra and are designed for a couple dozen guests at a time.
They will also take place after guests have dined on the ship, making the prices more affordable.
Examples include a visit to the Picasso Museum in Malaga, and a tram ride to a peak for a private concert and to view the laser light show in Hong Kong harbor.
A second program, called Insider Access, will take guests to private homes for immersion experiences or connect them to locals in ways that conventional tours do not.
Prices will start at $120 to $150 and run up to $800 for insider programs with elite personalities.
“There’s a lot of human effort that goes into making this happen,” Pimentel said.
He said that with relatively few slots in each night tour, he expects them to sell out at first. “We will add more because communities have more than one cool thing,” Pimentel said.
One factor that restricts cruise lines at night is that port labor agreements sometimes limit the availability of workers, or make them more expensive. Crystal’s Mazloum said that can make it challenging when a ship overnights pre-cruise and guests arrive after-hours.
By staying in port more days, ships also incur more port charges for dock space, security and services, although that is partly or wholly offset by fuel savings because the ship is not moving, cruise executives said.
Sitting down to pick the right cruise for your next vacation is like going to a speed-dating event. You can’t take all day getting to know someone, but you need to figure out whether your personalities match. In cruise parlance, that translates to the fact there are tons of lines from which to choose — but who’s got the time to winnow out the mismatches? While cruise lines try to persuade travelers they can offer an all-things-to-all-people onboard experience, we’re increasingly seeing them carve out distinctive lifestyle niches. Celebrity is aiming at the spa and gourmet traveler, Carnival’s focusing on mass-appeal food and entertainment, and Royal Caribbean is targeting active families.
Royal Caribbean: The line’s tricked-out mega-ships are a hit with tweens and teens, offering everything from rock-climbing walls and onboard surfing to DJ classes, zip lines, high-energy shows and late-night free pizza. Teen clubs feature the latest in video games plus disco and lounge space.
Royal Caribbean: Boxing? Check. Ice skating? Got it. Surfing, rock climbing, basketball, jogging track and huge gyms with cardio machines, free weights and weight machines, and class space for Pilates, cycling and aerobics? It’s all there. Add in active shore tours (kayaking, hiking and more) and plenty of space for dancing the night away, and you’ve got a fitness lover’s dream cruise.
Carnival: The Fun Ship line has always been king of the budget cruise offerings. A variety of short itineraries, frequent promotions and plenty of close-to-home sailings allow you to get a vacation at sea for less. Plus, the line is committed to making onboard amenities accessible to all, and many of its new entertainment and dining options are included in the fare (unlike on other lines, where every new feature seems to come with an extra fee).
Crystal: Crystal made onboard enrichment a priority before other lines decided “edu-tainment” was cool. Its Creative Learning Institute offers computer skills training, language classes, golf instruction and art workshops, as well as cooking demos and music lessons. Guest lecturers are always on hand to speak about region-specific topics, as well as popular interests such as political science, current affairs, food and wine, astronomy, and art and antiques. Theme sailings bring in big names to speak or perform.
Norwegian: Norwegian ships have an array of watering holes, from the bordello-meets-bowling-themed Bliss Ultra Lounge to Epic’s chilly Svedka Ice Bar and specialty venues focusing on beer, whiskey, cocktails or champagne. Norwegian’s signature White Hot Party is the hottest dance party aboard, where cruisers come dressed in white and the entertainment staff, bedecked with angel wings, keep the fun going with line dances and the like. We’ve also heard some mighty impressive karaoke on these ships.
Disney: Disney knows the entertainment biz better than anyone, and that shows in its cruise line offerings as well. Its onboard stage shows mix original productions with live versions of hit movies like Aladdin and Toy Story, but all feature catchy tunes, creative props and costumes, and favorite Disney characters. Its best known event is its once-a-cruise pirate-themed deck party, which combines an interactive musical show with dance parties and at-sea fireworks.
Windstar: Water lovers have two reasons to love Windstar. First, the line’s masted sailing yachts have plenty of open deck space under billowing sails, giving that sea-wind-in-your-hair feel. Second, the ships offer complimentary water sports from a built-in onboard marina. You can borrow kayaks, windsurf boards, small sailboats, and inflatable boats and mats. Passengers have access to free snorkel equipment, and water-skiing is offered by the ship’s staff.
Norwegian: Norwegian’s much acclaimed Studio cabins proved to the world that solo travelers aren’t always overlooked. On Norwegian Epic, 128 solo cabins measure 100 square feet each and have a corridor-facing window, mood lighting and access to a shared social space with large-screen TVs, coffee-making facilities and a bartender. Norwegian Getaway has 59 studio cabins, with access to a two-deck lounge, complete with a 50-inch TV and a self-service wine bar, as well as a tea and coffee machine. Pride of America features just four studios, with a tiny communal living area.
The Crystal Serenity’s $17 million makeover is notable as much for what was subtracted as what was added.
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