Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ new cross-brand loyalty program for its three strains — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises — launches this month. Cruise editor Teri West spoke with Harry Sommer, NCLH’s CEO and the interim president of NCL, and Jason Montague, NCLH’s chief luxurious officer, in New York in regards to the loyalty program, NCL’s management adjustments and updates to its personal islands.
Travel Weekly: Why now for this adjustment to the loyalty program construction?
Montague: We by no means have actually taken benefit of the advantages that each one three manufacturers provide. We have wonderful previous visitors, and so they do need to expertise completely different itineraries that we’re not at all times providing. We assume there is a huge alternative to reward our visitors. Spending lots of time on the ships, it is one of many feedback that you just usually hear: “Why don’t we actually get our loyalty across both brands.”
Sommer: It’s most likely the one greatest remark I get. Some individuals ask, “Is there really a lot of potential crossover between the NCL brand and Oceania and Regent?” Because it’s barely completely different demographics. Although NCL’s age skews youthful than Oceania and Regent, we feature extra senior individuals on NCL than we do on Oceania and Regent simply due to its dimension. And the identical with affluence: Even although the standard NCL visitor is barely much less prosperous than an Oceania or Regent visitor, we feature extra prosperous visitors on NCL. So we predict there’s great crossover [potential].
TW: How do loyalty packages form buyer habits?
Montague: Once you get a visitor to return again the second and third time, they’re understanding the worth proposition and what we’re delivering. I feel that is if you type of pull them in as a loyal buyer, after which it is simply recognizing that they are spending their money and time with us and giving them again one thing in return for that. Loyalty is extremely vital, however with the ability to develop and bridge that over our different two manufacturers and giving them much more alternative is one thing that is nice for us, as a result of we’re leveraging our full ecosystem of shoppers, and it provides them extra alternative to see the world otherwise.
TW: How are issues going after the massive management change at NCL, with president David Herrera leaving in August?
Sommer: We’re form of at an inflection level with the model. We have seven ships on order, the funding at Great Stirrup Cay. We’re increasing model attain, evolving the NCL model a little bit bit, which is form of pure for us, and we simply thought this was time to vary course a little bit bit with management. I’m stepping in on an interim foundation.
My aim is to not do two jobs indefinitely. We have an intensive search and hope to have somebody seated by the start of subsequent yr.
TW: How is your Caribbean positioning, particularly within the Western Caribbean, as some rivals beef up their personal locations there?
Sommer: We must compete in each the japanese and western. It’s two completely different merchandise. In the Eastern Caribbean, now we have Great Stirrup Cay. We consider all of the enhancements we make — first the pier, the personal seashores, the adults-only space, the comfort space and, in fact, the waterpark subsequent summer season — will actually place Great Stirrup Cay as one of the best island within the Caribbean.
In the Western Caribbean, now we have Harvest Caye, our top-rated vacation spot on Western Caribbean itineraries, and we will make investments there, as effectively. We have not actually talked publicly about what the subsequent steps are. The island is not fairly as massive as Great Stirrup Cay, however there’s completely room for extra improvement. We’re going to deal with Great Stirrup Cay and get visitor suggestions, after which we will apply a few of these classes to Harvest Caye. We’re very enthusiastic about that, and I feel we are going to do greater than compete. I feel we may win in these areas. And that is our aim.
TW: Is the profit to a gradual and regular method seeing what works and what does not?
Sommer: Being a quick follower has its benefits, as a result of you possibly can see what labored and what did not, and you’ll see what the aggressive set has executed, what they’ve executed effectively and what they’ve executed poorly. And we will regulate our plans accordingly.
This interview was edited for size and readability.