FEATURE FUTURE OF CRUISING


also been shortened. Lingard confirmed that many port stays on Fred Olsen cruises were now an hour less than they had been two years ago, but he said it wasn’t possible to shave any more time off port stops. “If the stay is too short, you cannot do


full-day tours,” he cautioned. “But at some places you can of course make half-day calls.” Cunard has gradually lengthened transatlantic sailings on the Queen Mary 2 to save fuel, with crossings now taking seven days instead of six. Cunard started by adding an extra day to its westbound sailings from Southampton to New York last year, and awaited the response from passengers. But following a favourable reception the line added an extra day to its eastbound sailings this year. More cruise lines are also increasingly


adding overnight stays in ports. Fred Olsen, Holland America Line and Azamara Club Cruises are among those to have introduced more overnight stays in ports such as St Petersburg, Stockholm and Venice. While this proves popular among passengers as it gives them more time to explore ashore, crucially, it can also help to keep costs down. “We were one of the pioneers of over-


nighting. We have been doing it for years and we are increasing them and adding Stockholm this year,” said Lingard. “We have always had St Petersburg, but


now our cruises do a double, staying two nights to give passengers even more time in the city.” However, with ever-larger ships being


built, there is a feeling that shortened itineraries with fewer port calls may result in the ship increasingly becoming the main attraction of a cruise. Of course, this is an easier prospect


for larger ships with more all-singing, all- dancing facilities. Not only are the economies of scale of running such ships more advantageous, but they have more on-board facilities which can keep passengers occupied. So what effect will this have on agents


and their passengers? While Dingle forecasts that the ex-UK


market will continue, he feels the balance of Mediterranean cruising may shift more from sailings from Britain to fly-cruises that start at Mediterranean ports such as Barcelona. This gives agents more of an opportunity to potentially upsell to cruise-and-stay packages, incorporating a few days in a European destination before or after the voyage.


"With ever-larger ships and shorter itineraries with fewer port calls, it may result in the ship increasingly becoming the main attraction of a cruise"


Complete Cruise Solution sales


director Giles Hawke pointed out that an increase in sea days made the choice of ship more important for customers as onboard facilities became more of a focal attraction. “Agents have a big opportunity to talk


about everything on board as passengers will get the benefit of the full range of activities and the ship experience for longer,” he explained. Any decrease in port stops is likely to


appeal more to seasoned cruisers, who already relish sea days on ships, rather than cruise newcomers who tend to pick voyages based on the ports of call. But Hawke stressed that Med cruises


would still contain the mainstay ports that customers expect. “Ships are still going to call at Rome (Civitavecchia), Barcelona and the like in a standard 14-night itinerary,” he added. “Passengers are still going to get to the


big significant ports. Cruise lines need a certain number of ports to make the itinerary interesting.” According to Lingard, agents will also


need to ensure they keep up with the various programme alterations. “Itineraries are going to change


somewhat and agents will need to keep abreast of them,” he said. “They will need to know the lines' differentials and not assume they are all similar.” He urged agents to ensure they utilised


cruise company sales teams, pointing out that companies such as Fred Olsen were happy to spend time with staff on sales sessions to bring them up to speed. In the longer-term, the prospect of


newer, more fuel efficient ships will help to ease the burden of the new emissions standards and the effects of high oil prices, underlining the cruise industry’s determination not to let such issues sink its meteoric growth.


www.sellinglonghaul.com • Autumn 2011 25


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