Speaking to SCN Steve Odell, svp and md of Asia Pacific NCLH, reaffirmed that ‘NCLH continues to serve travellers throughout APAC, providing them with an extensive list of voyage options.’
All three brands - Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises - are all committed to new ships, multi-million dollar investments in ship enhancement initiatives, continual expansion of new voyages and home ports with dedicated ships across the regions, he added.
Turning to NCL, Odell restated that it’s seven ships on order will broaden deployment into more countries while offering new experiences.
Norwegian Encore is launching in 2019 and six Leonardo-class ships have deliveries starting in 2022.
Renovated Norwegian Jewel sailing in Asia
Norwegian Jewel has just completed a three-week multi-million renovated and has been sailing in Asia Pacific waters straight after these enhancements, since November 2018.
The next set of refurbishments will be Norwegian Sky (January 2019) and Norwegian Spirit (Q1 of 2020).
Explaining the repositioning of Norwegian Joy, initially custom-built for the China market, out of Asia, he said the move was made to meet the strong demands in highly sought after destinations such as Alaska. ‘NCL has strategically leveraged opportunities to meet the demands of the global customer base and drive higher returns for the shareholders.’
For Oceania Cruises, the OceaniaNEXT initiative, is a US$100m re-inspiration of the line’s four 684-guest ships, said Odell.
Oceania's refurbished Insignia in Asia next year
Debuting on December 7, 2018 after her multi-million refurbishment, Insignia will be sailing in Asian waters in early 2019, visiting Tokyo, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore among many other Asian countries.
He added, ‘We recently announced a new and comprehensive series of land tours across the globe to allow guests to take destination immersion to an entirely new level. From African safaris to flightseeing in the Himalayas over Mount Everest, to the postcard-perfect villages of the Cotswalds, they are truly spectacular. ‘
He remarked, ‘We’re also focusing more intently on the composition of our itineraries to offer more in-depth and more unique voyages for experienced and novice travellers alike.’
Odell said that in an age of ever larger ships, its ‘human-sized ships differentiate themselves by having the innate ability to call on smaller and more off the beaten path ports of call.’
Odell also talked up its array of new culinary experiences with new Chef’s market dinners featuring locally procured regional specialties and a host of new ethnically themed dinners such as Indian, Thai, French, Italian, and others.
Seven Seas Explorer debuting Asia 2020
For RSSC, Seven Seas Splendor will join the fleet in 2020 and Seven Seas Explorer will be making its first voyage across Asia in November and December 2020.
Departing from Dubai on November 28, 2020, she will sail across the Gulf of Oman and cruise through the Bay of Bengal to reach Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia before disembarking in Singapore. The ship will then remain in the region till April 2021, making stops in popular cities such as Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Tokyo as well as beach destinations like Bali, Ko Samui among many more.
Seven Seas Mariner will be sailing in Asian waters from February to April 2019, making stops in Tokyo, Seoul, Bali, Singapore amongst other ports.
Odell, a cruise industry veteran, understands how the preferences of Asian travellers are constantly evolving. ‘We are always working on satisfying their needs – a broader segment of people are now accessing cruising rather than just the super wealthy ones, with younger generation (millennials) looking at cruising as an option.
‘Travellers are being attracted to colder climate destinations as well as a bigger interest in wellness for health conscious travellers.’
As cruising becomes more popular amongst Asian consumers, Odell observes demand shifting from regional cruises to fly cruise. ‘This segment has seen an important growth among Asian travellers in the last few years and we foresee this growth to continue.
Multigenerational traveling is another important trend for Asian travellers – especially for NCL where leisure and family travel are important segments, Odell said.
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