Ultra-luxury cruiselines are urging agents to beat the recession and get clients to trade up, to take advantage of the great added-value offers around.
Silversea marketing director UK and Europe Anil Swarup said the offers and deals created to help boost bookings during the financial crisis are attracting people who have never considered a luxury cruise before.
Silversea is offering up to 50% off selected cruises and giving couples who book before July 31 $1,000 to spend on shore excursions.
Swarup said: “The added-value offers are working well in attracting more new-to-Silversea passengers. It is a later-booking market, but people are savvy enough to recognise good value. Our bookings are not far off previous years.”
Yachts of Seabourn president and chief executive Pam Conover said cutting prices in Europe by 65% this year has attracted new business from cruisers who would never have considered an ultra-luxury cruise. She believes that now they have tried Seabourn, they will not trade back down.
Silversea and Yachts of Seabourn have some huge discounts to get clients booking, but generally the ultra-luxury cruise market is cautious about cutting prices, fearing it will harm the product.
Crystal Cruises UK sales and marketing director Sophie Higgins said: “It can take years to rebuild your guest profile once it has been damaged. We are not trying to fill the ships at any cost. It’s more important to protect our brand and our loyal Crystal Society members.”
Regent Seven Seas Cruises UK managing director Graham Sadler added: “It’s important for us to keep the ticket price so we continue to attract the right people, so we are adding value.”
Crystal Cruises has an ‘as you wish’ promotion, giving couples $2,000 onboard credit to spend as they want, whether on shore excursions, drinks (unlike other ultra-luxury cruiselines, Crystal charges for alcohol), or spa treatments.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is offering passengers as many free shore excursions as they can fit into their cruise itinerary.
Sadler said: “We are significantly ahead of where we were last year in terms of bookings, but it has been driven by the free shore excursions. There is money out there, but you have to stimulate business in this environment.”
After six years with no new tonnage for the ultra-luxury market, this year there are two new ships launching: Yachts of Seabourn’s Seabourn Odyssey, which departs on its maiden voyage on June 24, and Silversea’s Silver Spirit, launching in December.
Both vessels are larger than the ships currently operated by these cruiselines, and have been selling well to past passengers who want the extra space and additional facilities. They are also attracting new passengers who want to taste ultra-luxury cruising on bigger, more modern, all-inclusive ships.
Seabourn Odyssey will spend its maiden summer season in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea, repositioning to Fort Lauderdale at the end of October and setting off in January on Seabourn’s first world cruise – 108 days sailing from the US to Piraeus, the port for Athens, by way of the Pacific, Asia and the Middle East.
At 32,000 tons, the ship is three times larger than Seabourn’s three existing ships, but crucially has capacity for only twice as many passengers – 450 – so it feels very spacious. Crucially, some 90% of suites have balconies – Seabourn’s three existing ships only have a few ‘Juliette’ balconies that are barely big enough to stand on.
The ship will have four restaurants, a big two-deck spa and Seabourn’s signature water sports marina – a dock at the aft end of the ship that lowers when the ship is at anchor in good weather, and from which passengers can go sailing, kayaking, waterskiing, among other activities. (Editor’s note: Jane recently got an early glimpse of Odyssey – read more on the Cruise Lines blog.)
Silversea’s new ship, Silver Spirit, launches on December 23, when it will sail from Barcelona to Lisbon and Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale. On January 21 2010, it will leave Fort Lauderdale for a 91-day voyage around South America that doubles back through the Panama Canal to end in New York on April 22. Sectors of nine to 21 nights are available.
Silver Spirit weighs 36,000 tons, will hold 540 passengers and have five restaurants including the new Stars Supper Club, which combines food, live music and dancing, and Seishin, a new paid-for dining outlet serving Asian specialities. There will also be a bigger spa than on other Silversea ships.
In brief: Luxury cruise
- All passengers on Silversea’s new Silver Spirit will receive butler service when the ship launches at the end of 2009. Butler service will then be rolled out to all staterooms on all ships – it is currently only available for the top suites – by the end of 2010.
- The Wintergarden Suite on Seabourn’s new Seabourn Odyssey measures 1,097 square feet and not only has a balcony, but also a glass-enclosed solarium so passengers can sit “outside”, even on an overcast day. The suite, for up to three people, has a dining table for six and a butler pantry. By adding the adjoining stateroom, passengers get a Grand Wintergarden Suite that sleeps up to five.
Sample packages
Yachts of Seabourn is offering a seven-day eastern Med cruise sailing from Piraeus (the port for Athens) to Istanbul on Seabourn Odyssey, departing August 8, from £2,199 per person all-inclusive, but excluding flights. (0845 070 0500, seabourn.com)
Crystal Cruises has a 12-day cruise from Venice to Athens on Crystal Serenity, departing September 26. The price of £3,150 per person includes flights. (020 7287 9040, crystalcruises.co.uk)
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has an 11-night cruise from Southampton to Monte Carlo on Seven Seas Voyager, departing September 7. The all-inclusive price of £3,433 per person includes return travel to the UK by rail. (02380 682 280, rssc.co.uk)
