Courtesy NCL
New Amenities and Programs
In addition to an expanding menu of destinations, group travelers can also enjoy a number of new amenities and programs that cruise operators are offering in attempts to lure new, younger customers.
Norwegian, which pioneered the flexible-dining concept that it calls “Freestyle Cruising,” is rolling out a number of new features on the Norwegian Breakaway, a new ship that will begin sailing from New York in May.
“We’re most excited about our new partnership with Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, who will be opening three new restaurants on Norwegian Breakaway,” Mathews said. “We’re also enhancing our entertainment options by expanding the caliber of Broadway shows on board, including ‘Rock of Ages,’ ‘Burn the Floor’ and ‘Cirque Dreams and Dinner: Jungle Fantasy.’”
Islands in the Sun has seen divergent approaches to cruise product development, creating distinctive options for bank groups.
“We’re seeing two trends,” Rosenberry said. “There’s a trend toward smaller, more luxurious and more inclusive experiences, and then big ships with lots of dining and entertainment options. The market is highly fragmented.
“The thing that is most thrilling to us is the new specialty restaurants and entertainment options,” he continued. “We were on [Royal Caribbean’s] Oasis of the Seas back in May, and the entertainment options were just amazing.”
Although the small size of river cruise vessels precludes some of the large-scale dining and entertainment developments found on modern ocean liners, Avalon has found ways to use themed cruises to appeal to bank groups.
“There’s a wine and food cruise in France, as well as on the Danube, Rhine and Moselle,” Clark said. “That’s popular because it adds three or four additional components to the cruise at no cost. We have all of the usual components, plus wine tastings on board and visits to vineyards. We bring guest chefs on board to do special meals or demonstrations, and we include visits to local markets.”
Avalon has also introduced a new concept that it calls “Choice Cruising.” Traditional river cruises offer a guided overview tour of each town visited during the voyage, but the new Avalon program gives guests a choice about the kind of tour that they want to take.
“The pace of the excursions will vary,” Clark said. “You can go on a tour at a very leisurely pace or take our standard tour, which is a traditional, moderate pace. We also have a choice called ‘Essential’ — you hit the highlights quickly, and then you’re on your own to explore the city.”
Another new Avalon initiative called “Culture and Cruise” brings local artists, dancers or musicians on board the river vessel for special performances for passengers.
