Norwegian Cruise Line’s premium all-inclusive fare ‘sparks rise in agent support’

Posted on 21 January, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

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Norwegian Bliss Topside.

Norwegian Cruise Line has promised to never undercut its travel partners after revealing a surge in smaller agents selling its cruises since the introduction of its premium all-inclusive fare.

Nick Wilkinson, vice-president and managing director UK & Ireland, the Middle East and Africa, hailed the efforts of the trade at a media event for new ship Norwegian Bliss in central London.

He went on to link the last year’s move to premium all-inclusive pricing to a spike in agent support.

He said: “Premium all-inclusive has been an incredible success. It has opened doors to more and more agents feeling confident knowing what they’re selling with Norwegian.

“The [number of smaller agents working with Norwegian] is in double-digit growth. To me that is driving the success that we see in the market place.”

In December, NCL offered a new low-cost Just Cruise fare to run alongside premium all-inclusive to helps its sailings rank higher on online travel agencies’ searches.

He added that premium all-inclusive gave agents “the simplicity” they needed to do their job, before revealing that trade sales make up 85% of NCL’s distribution.

“[Travel agents] are our ambassadors,” he said. “They make the difference. That is why we make sure they are protected. They have a really difficult job. We will never undercut our travel agents. They are our lifeline.”

Explaining NCL’s recent decision to make New York its homeport in 2019/20 rather than a UK port, he told Travel Weekly: “The UK market is the number one market outside the US you have to look at when you are designing deployment from a global perspective.

“You have to look at what your demand is from each of those areas.”

He said it was understandable the UK market wanted “the newest, brightest, biggest” vessel but said, thanks to the Norwegian Edge renovation programme, “all our ships are exceptional”.

The 4,004-passenger ship will sail weekly seven-day Alaska cruises each Saturday from Seattle during its inaugural season.

From November, during its first winter season, the vessel will operate seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises each Saturday from PortMiami.

Bliss to Break Record in Strong San Francisco Year

Posted on 17 January, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

There will be three first-time visits to the Port of San Francisco in 2018, highlighted by the new Norwegian Bliss and two ultra-luxury ships: the Silver Explorer and Ponant’s Le Soleal.

The Explorer will dock in May, while the Bliss will tie up on Oct. 3, on the way back from her debut Alaska season, to be followed by the Le Soleal a day later.

The Bliss will be the biggest ship to ever call on the city by the bay.

Meanwhile, the Grand Princess will continue to sail from the port year-round, offering a mix of Alaska, California, Mexican Riviera and Hawaii itineraries starting at seven days. The 1998-built ship will offer 35 cruises from San Francisco this year.

The port was expecting a slight increase in traffic for 2017, with 300,000 passengers, up from 286,352 the year prior. A total of 82 calls were projected, while 76 calls are on the books for 2018.

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Norwegian Hits the NY$E

Posted on 8 December, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

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A big change is coming to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Pending a shift from the Nasdaq Global Select Market to the New York Stock Exchange, ordinary shares of the parent corporation to Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises are anticipated to make the switch on December 19, 2017, while remaining under the existing “NCLH” ticker symbol.

“We are pleased to partner with the New York Stock Exchange as the new home for our stock listing and look forward to joining the collection of preeminent companies listed on the exchange,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, in a press release.

“This move marks the latest initiative in our continuous drive to increase our Company’s profile in the marketplace and enhance shareholder value by drawing on the NYSE’s unique competencies and capabilities which make it the ideal listing platform for our Company. We are grateful for the support Nasdaq has provided us over the last five years since our successful IPO and our inclusion in the prestigious Nasdaq-100.”

Until the transfer is finalized, Norwegian will continue to be traded on Nasdaq.

“We are delighted to welcome Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to the NYSE community,” said NYSE President, Tom Farley, in the release.

“As the operator of three award-winning cruise brands — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises — Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has been creating treasured vacation memories for its guests for over 50 years. We are committed to a long-term partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and its shareholders and look forward to being a valued partner in the company’s future growth by providing the highest quality markets and services.”