Welcome to Cruise News, your daily update on
everything happening at sea. Visit cruisenews
.io to see today's stories and sign up for email
alerts. So today we're doing a deep dive into
how the big cruise lines are, well... really
thinking strategically these days. We're looking
at this sort of triangle, you could say, corporate
social responsibility, brand loyalty, and destination
development. Exactly. It's about more than just
the next shiny ship. It's about the whole ecosystem
reputation, keeping customers, finding new places.
And the source material we've looked at really
shows some calculated moves, doesn't it? It does.
These aren't just fluff pieces. There's real
logistics, real strategy behind. managing how
they operate, and frankly, how they keep you
coming back. Okay, let's start with that responsibility
angle. Carnival Corporation, they're expanding
their Less Leftover program. Yeah, the meal donation
one. Into Latin America. Now, first thought might
be, okay, good PR, but is this actually a significant
logistical effort? Oh, absolutely. It's tackling
two huge things at once. cutting down on shipboard
food waste, which is massive, and helping with
food insecurity in the ports, and getting surplus
food from a ship, keeping it safe, that cold
chain, and getting it to local partners across
borders, that's not simple. Right. I can imagine.
That's where those local partnerships must be.
Absolutely key. They are crucial. They're launching
now in Mexico, starting in Ensenada plus Honduras,
in Roatan, and the Dominican Republic, Puerto
Plata specifically. Okay. And they're working
with groups tied into the global food banking
network, like Bancos de Alimentos de Mexico,
the Catholic Diocese in Puerto Plata, even local
government like Mayor McNabb in Roatan. So established
networks on the ground. Exactly. People who know
how to get the food where it needs to go quickly
and safely. And this isn't brand new for Carnival
Corps, right? Didn't this start a while back?
Yeah, it kicked off back in 2017 with Costa Cruises.
And since then, the numbers are pretty impressive.
Something like over 300 ,000 meals donated across,
I think, 19 places already. Spain, Italy, France,
that sort of thing. So bringing this to Latin
America now. What does that signal? Is it just
more of the same or is there something strategically
different here? Well, the big thing is Carnival
Corporation is apparently the first cruise company
to ink. formal meal donation deals in these specific
Latin American markets. Ah, okay. First mover
advantage in a way. Kinda. Vicki Ray, their VP
for the region, basically said it's about...
Giving back to the amazing ports that warmly
welcome our guests. Right. Building goodwill.
Exactly. It frames it as part of doing business
responsibly, investing in those relationships.
It really sets a standard now. Other lines might
feel the pressure to follow suit, you know. That
makes sense. So it's about building that community
trust, which is maybe a subtle long -term loyalty
play. But let's shift to a more direct approach
to loyalty. Okay. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
LTD. Big news from them with this loyalty status
honoring program. Yeah, this is a pretty major
shift. They're breaking down the walls between
the loyalty programs of their three brands. So
Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent
Seven Seas Cruises. That's right. If you have
status on one, say, Latitudes Rewards on NCL,
they'll recognize an equivalent level when you
sail on Oceania or Regent. Interesting. So trying
to encourage people to try out the sister brands.
Precisely. You might sail NCL with a family.
Then maybe try Oceania for the food focus or
even splash out on Regents Luxury later on. But
those brands are, well, they're quite different
experiences, aren't they? From mass market NCL
to ultra luxury Regent. How does that status
matching work in practice? They match the tier
latitudes, Oceania Club, 7C Society. So you get
similar types of perks, things like priority
boarding, maybe some drink benefits, special
dining access. It fits into their bigger charting
the course strategy. Yeah. Giving guests that
flexibility as maybe their travel style changes
over time. That flexibility sounds good on paper,
but I saw a detail that's causing a bit of a
stir. It's per cruise. Ah, yes. That's the key
limitation. You have to request the status match
before each cruise you take on a sister brand.
It doesn't just carry over permanently. Nope.
You submit the request starting September 29th
next year. for cruises from October 15, 2025
onwards, and the match status is only for that
specific sailing. Then it reverts. Hmm. That
sounds like, well, a bit of a hassle for the
customer, doesn't it? Why add that friction?
Well, you could argue the friction might be intentional,
or at least a necessary control. How so? Think
about it. If you grant permanent top tier status
across all brands, especially up to Regent Seven
Seas, which is ultra luxury, with very expensive
perks. Right. The cost implications. Exactly.
Making it per cruise limits that financial exposure.
It keeps the highest tiers, particularly on Regent,
feeling a bit more exclusive. It's an incentive
to try another brand, not necessarily a permanent
passport to elite status everywhere. Okay. So
it's a calculated trade -off. Offer the carrot
of cross -brand recognition, but add an administrative
step to maybe manage costs and protect brand
value. How does this compare to what competitors
are doing? It's quite different. Royal Caribbean
Group, for example, they have more of a permanent
tier match across Royal Caribbean Celebrity and
even Silversea now. Theirs feels more like a
unified ecosystem. Right. And then you have Carnival
Cruise Line, who are moving to a spend -based
loyalty model in 2026, not just night sale. So
NCLH is carving out its own path here with this.
flexible, but conditional approach. Fascinating.
Shows there's no single answer to customer attention.
Okay, so from keeping customers loyal, let's
pivot to attracting them with destinations. Story
number three takes us to whales. Yes, whales,
which is really emerging as a... maybe slightly
unexpected cruise hotspot. How significant is
it? Pretty significant for the local economy.
Last year, nearly 80 ,000 passengers visited
Walsh Ports. Wow, okay. And the estimate is that
brought in around 7 .5 million pounds in spending.
Apparently, cruise visitors now make up something
like 10 % of all international visitors to Wales.
10%, that's substantial growth. Where are they
primarily docking? The main port is Holyhead,
up on Anglesey in North Wales. And what's the
strategy there? Are they just building big terminals?
Not really, that's the interesting part. The
focus seems to be very much on authentic local
experiences, investing in quality cultural immersion,
things that leave a lasting impression. Instead
of just generic souvenir shops. Exactly. And
local businesses are getting directly involved.
Like I read about Daniel Jones. He runs a small
brewery, Bragdy Seabee. That's him. And his tours
aren't just, here's some beer. He's apparently
doing local history, even teaching visitors a
few Welsh words, like how to say cheers. Probably.
And his brewery is now part of official shore
excursions for lines like Viking Cruises. That's
great. Real local integration. Yeah. And there's
another example. A farmer, Gareth Wynne -Jones,
planning to expand farm tours for cruise guests
by 2026. It's about showcasing real Welsh life.
And this approach seems to be working, attracting
the lines. Definitely. Viking cruises is a big
one here. They really emphasize cultural enrichments,
and they seem to like what Wales is offering.
They booked 25 calls into Hollyhead for 2026.
25. How much of an increase is that? It's apparently
a 40 % jump for them in Hollyhead. So serious
commitment. That kind of growth. 40 % from a
major player like Viking. Yeah. That must create
challenges too, right? Preserving that authenticity.
Absolutely. Jim Jones, who leads the local cruise
group up there, acknowledged that. He said things
look great, but they need to keep innovating.
Because the very thing attracting visitors, these
small, unique, local experiences like Daniel's
Brewery or Gareth's Farm, could get overwhelmed
if thousands of people descend at once. That's
the core tension, isn't it? Yeah. How do you
scale up access without ruining the charm? The
plan seems to be attracting more lines while
carefully curating these immersive tours really
pushing the unique cultural angle as their advantage
in Europe. OK, so that really ties everything
together. We've seen Carnival investing in port
communities almost as a cost of doing business
responsibly. We saw Norwegian trying to cleverly
balance loyalty across very different brands
with that per cruise condition. Right. Managing
that flexibility. Yeah. And now Wales leveraging
its unique local culture, not just to attract
visitors, but to try and build a sustainable,
high quality tourism model. Yeah. The common
thread is that success is increasingly defined
by what happens off the ship. It's about port
relations, customer strategy that spans brands,
and how destinations can deliver authentic experiences.
It's definitely moving beyond just onboard amenities.
For sure. It's about the whole journey, the whole
impact. Which brings us to a final thought for
you, our listeners. We talked about Wales and
the incredible growth driven by these unique,
small -scale local experiences. the brewery,
the farm. As destinations like this see this
kind of success, attracting major lines and more
ships, how does everyone involved, the cruise
lines, the local authorities, the small businesses
themselves, how do they ensure that authenticity
isn't lost? How do you provide access for potentially
thousands of visitors without turning that unique
local brewery into, well, just another stop on
a mass tour? That balancing act between growth
and authenticity, that feels like the defining
challenge ahead for many destinations. How do
you keep it real? Something to ponder. Thanks
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