NORWEGIAN Cruise Line is
positioning itself in South
Africa as an alternative
to land-based resort
holidays in Mauritius. “Our
competition is the allinclusive
land resort, not
another cruise line,” says
Nick Wilkinson, gm for
Northern Europe, MiddleEast
and Africa.
This is highlighted by
NCL’s new global “Feel
Free” brand campaign and
“Free at Sea” promotion,
which, Nick says, is already
resonating strongly with
SA clients. Similar to an
all-inclusive land resort
package, it allows guests
to choose from four free
cruise services: unlimited
beverages, specialty dining,
shore excursions or WiFi.
Nick says the “freestyle”
cruising concept appeals
to younger and multigenerational
markets. It
includes flexible dining and
a variety of accommodation,
ranging from studios for
solo travellers to “The
Haven”, NCL’s exclusive
suite-only concept featuring,
among others, threeroomed
garden villas with
private lounges, exclusive
sundecks, butler services
and private courtyards.
Nick says hotspots for
SA clients this year will
be cruises out of New
York to the Caribbean;
Alaska; South America;
and the Mediterranean.
NCL will also position
five ships in Europe this
year, representing a 31%
increase in passenger
cruise days over 2015
in European waters. “We
believe that our [European]
summer deployment and
our 2017 sailings direct
from the UK will allow us
to drive growth across the
African markets,” he says.
Three more ships
– Breakaway-Plus II,
Breakaway-Plus III and
Breakaway-Plus IV – will
join NCL’s fleet of 14
modern ships by 2019,
representing a 40%
increase in capacity.
The cruise line is also
investing US$400m
(R5,8bn) in revitalising its
fleet. The revitalisation
includes an enhanced food
and beverage programme
and the launch of NCL’s
private island, Harvest
Caye, in Belize in November
this year.
