Should You Sell

A More ‘Experienced’ Cruise Ship?

…Yes!

By Rusty Pickett, MCC, ECC

We all read the great Travel Trade reviews of the newest and latest cruise ships and instantly become enthused to sell, sell, sell! I don’t know any agent who wasn’t ready to set sail on the Queen Mary 2 when she first came out and are breathlessly waiting to sail on Freedom of the Seas or several other newbuilds so we can return home with the T-shirt having been there, done that!
Having not set sail for a while, I booked a cabin on NCL’s Norwegian Majesty, homeported out of my hometown, for her seasonal weekly Western Caribbean itinerary. I had been on the ship several times for agent fams, but hadn’t sailed on it. The first time I was on board, it struck me as being a pretty tired ship, but thanks to thorough renovations about 15 months ago, it is now cheery and bright.
I was curious to see how the cruise experience was on a vessel that, as NCL’s next to oldest ship, was not necessarily the destination. It was great! Because we were on an agent oceanview guarantee rate, we didn’t know our cabin assignment until we pulled into the parking lot. We were assigned a large oceanview cabin on the Promenade Deck, deck 7, and NCL tossed in concierge/VIP privileges. Thanks, NCL!
The service at all levels and areas of the ship was equal to the best of any other cruise I have been on.
If you board in time for lunch, the first thing you notice is that the pool deck “Royal Café” service is a little cramped, and seating was limited, but functional. The food selection was quite satisfactory, and augmented by two small specialty buffets nearby in the pool area, plus a hand dipped ice cream service. On the aft end of the pool deck, there is a 24-hour pizza and hamburger venue.
NCL’s Freestyle Dining worked well on the ship, although there were only three non-specialty dining options, including the Royal Café. They have not installed the plasma screen “waiting times” system on this ship, as it isn’t really needed. If there was a wait line at one full service restaurant, there usually wasn’t at the other. The ship also has two specialty restaurants — an Italian reservation/no service fee selection and a Mediterranean bistro with a $15/person service fee or $20 if you wanted a pleasant “surf and turf” entree. Our dinner at Le Bistro the first night was very professional and good, led by a wonderful maitre D’ — George — who was quick to say “hi” every time he saw us the remainder of the week.
Service was actually a little quicker than I expected, and could have been stretched a little if a more “romantic” experience is the desire. The regular dining room staff was friendly and professional and even surprising! At dinner one night, I was asked if I would like dessert and I said, “Nothing for me.” After the other diners had been served, our waiter placed a plate in front of me with the word “Nothing” artistically scripted in chocolate sauce! A great ending to a wonderful dinner.
Our cabin service team was thorough, friendly and professional, and the service of Karin, our concierge, was superb. She delivered a special canapé plate nightly, along with a note about the next day’s activities, and made a concerted and successful effort to know all of the “VIPs.” A nice attribute of this service is VIP tender boarding tickets, allowing you to board any tender that has space, if they are still using the tender ticket system. Though we had no special needs, I was confident that she could arrange/fix any problem that may have developed. This class of service also includes a private cocktail party with the Captain and ship’s officers. The Captain was also often present in one of the lounges for a late night coffee. Karin’s service and attention to detail warranted my submission of her name for an NCL S.T.Y.L.E. recognition for exceptional service.
The entertainment was also very good — equal to any at sea. Although the theater is single story, and there are some seats with restricted viewing, the stage shows produced for this ship by NCL’s in-house production department, are well done and professional, supported by a great orchestra. The cruise director was exceptional, had a wonderful singing voice and was among the most knowledgeable about cruise ship operations.
What continues making selling of older ships a worthwhile experience is the passenger makeup. Our particular group on this sailing just really liked cruising and everything that it has to offer. In fact, I am writing this article in a card room full of happy bridge players. The special amenities of the newer ships weren’t as important to them in comparison to a friendly service team, good food and entertainment.
I honestly felt the staff, from the Cruise Director on down, really appreciated and enjoyed working with this type of cruiser. This was a great atmosphere for the many first-timers on board. But, all of those I talked to were as excited about cruising as the first-timers I have met on the “destination” ships. It’s hard for new cruisers not to be happy, when everyone around them is having a wonderful time.
Then, of course, there’s the value factor. A cruise on a megship typically costs more than a cruise on an older ship — and that price differential is often enough to convert a number of would-be cruisers to enthusiastic first-timers.
My only reservation would be for those families interested in a full-scale children’s program. Although NCL has great ones on the ships built from the keel up with these facilities, the kid’s space on this ship is small, prompting the staff to use the lounge and other facilities. Because of the time of year, there were few children on board, though the counselors reported having up to 400 kids on board during the peak family sailing periods.
All said and done, when you finish qualifying your client, don’t hesitate to include the veteran ships in your repertoire of cruise options. Neither you nor your client will be disappointed.

Russell (Rusty) Pickett is a retired career Naval officer. He has a BS from Yale University and an MBA from Charleston Southern University. As a Home Based agent, he founded Shellback Cruises, a cruise-oriented agency based in Charleston, SC, in 1999.