MSC Cruises lays out plans for increased agent outreach

By Tom Stieghorst

FORT LAUDERDALE — MSC Cruises unveiled several marketing initiatives under a new “Serving You” theme.

Rick Sasso, CEO of MSC Cruises USA, said at the Cruise3sixty conference that the line intends to emphasize the human connection in its dealings with travel agents. It is in the process of filling 22 new sales positions to extend outreach to agents.

RickSasso“There will be more people on the ground face to face to be the partners with the travel seller, so together we can create new business,” Sasso said.

He announced that marketing and sales vice president Ken Muscat had been promoted to executive vice president of sales, marketing, public relations and guest services, and that several other executives had been promoted to strengthen oversight.

MSC will hold a joint promotion with Fiat to give away a $21,000 Fiat convertible to a consumer and a travel agent. An entry for the drawing will be made for each booking on MSC Divina from April 4 to May 18, good on departures from Aug. 2 to Dec. 27. Winners will be announced around the year-end holidays.

Muscat said a new bus wrap advertisement has been installed for April on 14 buses running a freeway route between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The wrap includes a travel agent call to action.

Under the “Serving You” banner, MSC will launch a 20-city road show in May to talk to travel agents on their home ground. There is a tentative list of cities to be visited, but it could change, Muscat said.

He also said MSC will offer a new wedding program on MSC Divina that for the first time will enable legal weddings to be performed onboard or in a number of ports, including Miami, Cozumel, St. Maarten and Falmouth, Jamaica.

Muscat said details of the program, which launches Aug. 2, will be available in the next several weeks.

Marine wildlife artist Guy Harvey to paint Norwegian Escape hull

By Tom Stieghorst
Norwegian Escape hull artMIAMI BEACH — Norwegian Cruise Line’s next ship will feature a giant sailfish, stingray and other marine creatures on its hull, painted by conservation artist Guy Harvey.

Harvey unveiled his design in at a news conference Wednesday at the Cruise Shipping Miami event, saying he was “honored indeed” to be chosen for the job.

Norwegian’s detailed and colorful hull paintings have become a defining feature of the brand. The two most recent vessels, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, have stylized representations of New York and Miami, respectively.

Escape will be based out of Miami when it debuts in November 2015. The port agreed to provide Norwegian with marketing support in exchange for a commitment to homeport the ship there.

Harvey is a marine wildlife artist and fisherman who has in recent years turned his efforts to preservation of the ocean and sea creatures. He has licensed many of his images for apparel and other uses and his name is used to co-brand resorts in Florida, the Bahamas and the Galapagos.

He lives in the Cayman Islands and is most closely linked to the Caribbean and Bahamas. “The maintenance of the ecology and aesthetics of the region are of the highest importance,” Harvey said.

Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan said fees from apparel and other licensed goods to be sold on Norwegian ships will be channeled back to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which supports scientific research and education.

Sheehan said the 4,200-passenger Escape will sail seven-day eastern Caribbean itineraries that include Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas; and Nassau, Bahamas.

Bookings open March 19 for agents with groups and March 26 to the general public.

Norwegian Getaway christened in ‘muy caliente’ Miami style

 

The godmothers - Miami Dolphins CheerleadersThe godmothers – Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders

In the kind of party that only Miami can throw—women in red polka-dot swimsuits swinging from hoops, sizzling Latin dancers in black boots, Tito Puente Jr. firing up the crowd and eye-candy godmothers the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders—Norwegian Getaway was christened Friday in the late afternoon sunshine.

Latin Grammy artist and Miami native son Pitbull got naming ceremony guests on the upper deck dancing, their arms pumping in the air, in a finale of smoke, fireworks and confetti that stole the show.

‘She’s Miami’s ultimate ship,’ Norwegian Cruise Line ceo Kevin Sheehan told the crowd, even tossing in a few Spanish words— ‘Muy caliente!’ (Hot!)—to describe a special Burn the Floor show that’s part of the entertainment customized for Norwegian Getaway’s Miami deployment.

Norwegian Cruise Line, which started modern weekly Caribbean cruising from Miami with the Sunward in 1966, is glad to be back with a year-round seven-day ship after a decade of seasonal seven-day sailings, Sheehan said.

Norwegian Getaway’s hull is splashed out with a bright mermaid by Miami artist David ‘LEBO’ Le Batard, mojitos are the signature drink and a number of the 28 dining spots and bars have outdoor seating on the open-air Waterfront, perfect for Caribbean cruising.

Le Batard was present, along with celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian who has three seafood restaurants on board, and ‘Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro, whose ‘Carlo’s Bakery’ is featured in the atrium cafe.

Norwegian Getaway arrived in Miami after inaugural festivities in Europe and a Super Bowl showcase as the Bud Light Hotel in New York.

‘The ship is finally home,’ said Capt. Rune Myre, who praised its construction by ‘the German geniuses’ at Meyer Werft.

‘We feel the soul of the ship,’ the captain said, adding that he and the 1,600 crew ‘hope passengers coming on board will feel what we feel and be part of the Norwegian family … This is the ship everyone talks about and everyone wants to work on.’

Waiters circulated with bottles to spritz the crowd in the balmy Miami afternoon. Brooke Burke-Charvet, co-host of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ (and the godmother of Norwegian Sun in 2001) served as the master of ceremonies.

The audience included Bernard Meyer and Thomas Wiegand of Meyer Werft; Norwegian Cruise Holdings board members Adam Aron, Walter Revell and new director Robert Salerno (Avis Budget Group); PortMiami director designee Juan Kuryla and Miami-Dade commissioner Rebecca Sosa, who delivered an official proclamation of Feb. 7, 2014, as ‘Norwegian Getaway Day in Miami-Dade County.’

Also on hand were the leaders of many top retail groups, among them, Cruise Planners’ Michelle Fee, Avoya Travel’s Van Anderson and WMPH Vacations’ Uf Tukel.