Page 14 - North American & Caribbean Cruise Traveller

 Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Pearl hosting the ‘Star Trek: The Cruise’ in early 2017; a 6 night return cruise from Miami travelling to Mexico and the Bahamas. At the time of writing (late November 2015), this cruise was already sold out.
 Holland America offering the ‘80’s Cruise’ on-board the Eurodam cruise line in later February / early March 2016, travelling to various Caribbean destinations
It must be said that differentiating cruise services on the basis of entertainment probably possesses the greatest potential to impact a cruise travellers service decision; of all service attributes, entertainment services rank as the most important.
However, the availability of on-board shopping is also considered a key cruise service attribute among travellers within the North American and Caribbean region. This is therefore a further area that service providers can look to differentiate in an effort to attract certain cruise travellers. For example, on high-end luxury cruises, on- board Duty & Tax Free retail offerings could be tailored to suit the discerning luxury shopper, with particular emphasis on designer fashion & jewellery in luxury boutiques, high-end Alcohol such as aged Whiskies and Cognacs, and indulgent Beauty products. These offerings could then be supported through activities such as personal shopper experiences or ‘closed store’ experiences to further promote the perception of luxury.
On-board shopping should also be considered a feature operators can use to differentiate offerings
Industry Insider:
North American & Caribbean Cruise Duty & Tax Free Retail 2015
‘Back to the 80’s’ Cruise Promotional Flyer
Source: Holland America
© Counter Intelligence Retail Ltd www.counterintelligenceretail.com
14