Azamara Club Cruises, the premium line owned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, is seeing stronger growth in the UK than in any other market.
Larry Pimentel, the line’s chief executive, said 2011 bookings were currently 100% up on this time last year. “And that is not on a small base”, he said.
Pimentel said he believed making the product more all-inclusive was the key to the upturn, as the move appealed to the upper end of the UK market.
Azamara has also moved to increase the amount of time its two ships spend in port with overnight stays of up to three nights.
Pimentel said the line was 40% up in terms of revenue and that customer satisfaction scores ranged from 288 to 292 out of a maximum of 300.
The line currently attracts 33% to 40% of its customer from outside the US, but Pimentel said it was targeting 50% by the fourth quarter of 2011.
In the UK market Pimentel said 60% of bookings are for ocean view suites, challenging the assumption that ships sell from the bottom room grade up in the UK due to a culture of discounting.
A significant number of UK guests are also combining land stays with their cruises, something Pimentel said was a “great opportunity” for agents packaging up their own deals.
“People are looking for extraordinary value in today’s market, and I think the more all-inclusive nature of the product really fits with the upper end of the market.
“We are not trying to be six star, but we absolutely want the value proposition and we are meeting that demand.”
In 2011 Azamara will increase the number of ports it visits from 140 to 174 and the number of countries from 50 to 54.
Pimentel said the move towards a more inclusive product has allowed the line to increase its per diems (revenue per day) by 40% this year.
“I don’t think there are many lines that can get anywhere close to that. It does suggest we were too low for the quality provided in the past,” he said.
Customer research suggests Azamara is sourcing many of its customers from the ‘six star’ lines like Silversea, Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas, Pimentel said.
Azamara is positioned just below the very top end of the cruise market but above premium lines like Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line.