Cruise Directors are not trying to win over millennials

[HBE4]

On 2/15/2019 at 5:11 PM, FionaMG said:

We had both on Navigator just this past November. I thought the 80s party was far better than the 70s one and made a nice change from the same old YMCA.

 

Liberty also had a 70''s party and then an 80's party the next night. Nice to have a variety. Maybe they can add 90's to the mix as well.

 

I'm tired of hearing YMCA. But maybe that's b/c Yankee Stadium plays it every game in the 7th inning. It's like their "last call for alcohol"  horn. lol

[CRUISEFAN0001]

5 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Actually for the most part...it is...to capture that segment in numbers...it'll take a ton of freebie and entitlement satisfaction offers that extend well beyond today's passenger enticements. Considering anything involving a long term commitment is also frightening to the snowflakes...the idea of booking a cruise a year in advance may be totally terrifying to many (since that's as long as some millennials hold any one job).

P.S.   I can almost hear it now:

 

"You mean I have to pay extra for my Starbucks Triple, Venti, Half Sweet, Non-Fat, Caramel Macchiato?"

[HBE4]

I remember when the Greatest Generation thought Baby Boomers (a.k.a. the "Me" Generation) where spoiled and self-centered.

 

I remember when the Baby Boomers thought Generation X were spoiled and self-centered.

 

Generation  X now thinks Millennial's (Generation Y) are spoiled and self-centered. I guess  it's only a matter of time before Gen Y thinks Gen Z are spoiled and self-centered.

 

And what comes after Generation Z?

 

Anyway, Royal markets itself as a multi-generational line appealing to all age brackets, a little something for everyone. Certainly, individual ships/itinerary's will skew one way or the other and perhaps the balance between generations could be a bit better.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

3 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

I remember when the Greatest Generation thought Baby Boomers (a.k.a. the "Me" Generation) where spoiled and self-centered.

 

I remember when the Baby Boomers thought Generation X were spoiled and self-centered.

 

Generation  X now thinks Millennial's (Generation Y) are spoiled and self-centered. I guess  it's only a matter of time before Gen Y thinks Gen Z are spoiled and self-centered.

 

And what comes after Generation Z?

 

Anyway, Royal markets itself as a multi-generational line appealing to all age brackets, a little something for everyone. Certainly, individual ships/itinerary's will skew one way or the other and perhaps the balance between generations could be a bit better.

It's not about being "spoiled".

 

This is the first generation of "me, me, me and I am entitled to everything - preferably free".

 

Apples and oranges. Catering to them will be entirely different than the world has ever seen.

 

The workplace, products, buying homes & cars, marriage, and other society elements are all struggling with this entirely new and "totally different" mindset.  There's no reason to think marketing would be any different.

Edited February 20, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[HBE4]

On 2/17/2019 at 10:49 AM, Cel_cruise said:

On 2/17/2019 at 8:41 AM, SRF said:

No one says that no one in your generation can afford it.  But typically, younger people have less disposable income for things like cruises.  Not all, but a lot.
 

I think disposable time is another important component... 10-15 PTO days a year goes quickly for those at the younger age range. It’s not impossible and some jobs have much more flexibility than others - but if you have to take some days off for bachelor parties or destination weddings, possibly being sick a day or two, and any of the holidays that aren’t paid - you will need to manage closely to take 5-6 work days off per cruise...

 

 

I get what you guys are saying and it's certainly true.  With age comes more disposable income and disposable time.

 

But Virgin is not catering to the semi-retired snowbird crowd that cruises 5 times a year and looking for free coffee and drinks in the Diamond lounge and a known product. (Quest, Love-and-Marriage, Belly-flop,etc)

 

They are looking for young first-timers and/or people looking for something different. That is a large population pool to draw from. While Virgin may not have many repeat cruisers, I would guess they'll have no problem selling out their sailings.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by HBE4

[cot427]

14 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

It's not about being "spoiled".

 

This is the first generation of "me, me, me and I am entitled to everything - preferably free".

 

Apples and oranges. Catering to them will be entirely different than the world has ever seen.

 

The workplace, products, buying homes & cars, marriage, and other society elements are all struggling with this entirely new and "totally different" mindset.  There's no reason to think marketing would be any different.

What's your generation? I have a guess but I don't have time to read back through all of your posts since I'm all about me me me and my time is more important... 

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 While Virgin may not have many repeat cruisers, I would guess they'll have no problem selling out their sailings.

None of the cruise lines have a problem selling out their sailings, the only issue is at what cost - VV probably can't sustain current pricing levels. 

[HBE4]

18 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

It's not about being "spoiled".

 

This is the first generation of "me, me, me and I am entitled to everything - preferably free".

 

 

I think you missed my point that every generation thinks that about the next.  My parents would tell me that I don't know how good I have these days. I tell my child the same thing.  I'm sure they will do the same.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

4 minutes ago, cot427 said:

What's your generation? I have a guess but I don't have time to read back through all of your posts since I'm all about me me me and my time is more important... 

Not that it matters, but our household represents 3 of the named generations actually...including millennials.

 

Our millennials have never been to Starbucks, don't walk everywhere with earphones plugged in, have worked at their companies for  more than 5 years, don't do selfies, have been in long term relationships, own a home and car, and regularly discuss their annoyance with their peers' entitlement mindset.  In other words, their successful, smart, independent, responsible, and and not terrified to make long term commitments - they're anomalies for sure, and they'd tell you that proudly as well in person anytime.

 

They enjoy cruises, and today's marketing works just fine for them...thank you very much.

[cot427]

1 minute ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Not that it matters, but our household represents 3 of the named generations actually...including millennials.

 

Our millennials have never been to Starbucks, don't walk everywhere with earphones plugged in, have worked at their companies for  more than 5 years, don't do selfies, have been in long term relationships, own a home and car, and regularly discuss their annoyance with their peers' entitlement mindset.  In other words, their successful, smart, independent, responsible, and and not terrified to make long term commitments - they're anomalies for sure, and they'd tell you that proudly as well in person anytime.

 

They enjoy cruises, and today's marketing works just fine for them...thank you very much.

 

There are many many many "successful, smart, independent, responsible" people who enjoy Starbucks, use earphones, work less than 5 years, take selfies, etc...in every generation. So just do yourself a favor and don't generalize. 

[momto2js]

Having just completed a cruise that the average age was close to pushing 65.  I do think that the industry is going to have to do some catching up to lure younger passengers.  I think the first thing is going to be internet.  On a shore excursion, we were having lunch at the providers shop and they had an internet hot spot, so I connected to catch up on  a few things.  After 9 days with out, it was nice to check in.  One of the land vacationers on the tour asked about my comment about internet and could not believe that people still went on a week or more vacation where they knew there would be no internet.  

The interesting thing is lack of "connectedness" is what got us cruising in the first place.  A ship was the only place my DH's work phone didn't work!!  

 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

8 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I think you missed my point that every generation thinks that about the next.  My parents would tell me that I don't know how good I have these days. I tell my child the same thing.  I'm sure they will do the same.

There is some of that for sure from generation to generation...but...

 

There are plenty of statistics that demonstrate drastic changes in consumer habits of millennials - some of which differ from any other generation over the past 100 years. I've actually attended numerous business conference sessions that discuss and try to navigate through the world of millennials...like they are so different they're from Mars or something. It's a real issue for many companies.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

4 minutes ago, cot427 said:

 

There are many many many "successful, smart, independent, responsible" people who enjoy Starbucks, use earphones, work less than 5 years, take selfies, etc...in every generation. So just do yourself a favor and don't generalize. 

Describing my millennials is hardly generalizing...it's easy observation and in some cases, proud self-description.

 

Hello...is this thing on...

[CruisingJoe09]

Pretty much every millennial that I know can hold down a job. There's also nothing wrong with visiting Starbucks or having headphones. Stop talking such rubbish.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

4 minutes ago, momto2js said:

Having just completed a cruise that the average age was close to pushing 65.  I do think that the industry is going to have to do some catching up to lure younger passengers.  I think the first thing is going to be internet.  On a shore excursion, we were having lunch at the providers shop and they had an internet hot spot, so I connected to catch up on  a few things.  After 9 days with out, it was nice to check in.  One of the land vacationers on the tour asked about my comment about internet and could not believe that people still went on a week or more vacation where they knew there would be no internet.  

The interesting thing is lack of "connectedness" is what got us cruising in the first place.  A ship was the only place my DH's work phone didn't work!!  

 

That's a really great set of points!

 

One recent study I read indicated that the largest population segment adopting Internet connectivity and services was the millennials...and the 2nd largest was the 50-65 age bracket. 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

1 minute ago, CruisingJoe09 said:

Pretty much every millennial that I know can hold down a job. There's also nothing wrong with visiting Starbucks or having headphones. Stop talking such rubbish.

Holding down a job and moving from job to job every 18 months (go look up some statistics on this) are entirely different things.

 

Sticks and stones....your "rubbish" is many others' reality. I love watching folks wearing earphones as they walk around...especially at airports...it's quite entertaining when they walk right into a wall or post. 

[CruisingJoe09]

Just now, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Holding down a job and moving from job to job every 18 months (go look up some statistics on this) are entirely different things.

 

Sticks and stones....your "rubbish" is many others' reality. I love watching folks wearing earphones as they walk around...especially at airports...it's quite entertaining when they walk right into a wall or post. 

These people have actually stuck with their jobs for at least 5 years. 

 

I'm going to leave this conversation before I get royally pissed off.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Quite an inspirational thread - perhaps the marketing solution is to give every millennial a free cup of Starbucks as their board their cruise, move them to a different cabin on each side of the ship every other day, and charge them twice as much for the unique experience.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

10 minutes ago, CruisingJoe09 said:

I'm going to leave this conversation before I get royally pissed off.

Happy Sailing.

Edited February 20, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[A&L_Ont]

11 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

How sad.

 

Perhaps they don’t have all day to go back and forth with you. 

[rbschultz]

I'm not sure what the issue is with moving jobs every few years as @CRUISEFAN0001 would like to make me think it is. Companies aren't catering to people staying 30+ years anymore. They pay less, work the new employees into the ground, and then the employees move on. It isn't just millenials either. My current company has lost plenty of 40+ year olds 1-2 years after hire date. It is the nature of how business has changed. The days of picking a company and riding it until retirement has been over for years sorry you're not with the times.

[Maraprince]

47 minutes ago, momto2js said:

Having just completed a cruise that the average age was close to pushing 65.  I do think that the industry is going to have to do some catching up to lure younger passengers.  I think the first thing is going to be internet.  On a shore excursion, we were having lunch at the providers shop and they had an internet hot spot, so I connected to catch up on  a few things.  After 9 days with out, it was nice to check in.  One of the land vacationers on the tour asked about my comment about internet and could not believe that people still went on a week or more vacation where they knew there would be no internet.  

The interesting thing is lack of "connectedness" is what got us cruising in the first place.  A ship was the only place my DH's work phone didn't work!!  

 

 That is one of the good things about being on a ship -- not having to answer the phone while at dinner or during a show!   Once I get  home from work I do not have to answer the phone or reply to messages.  The break is refreshing after being flooded with e-mails, texts, and calls all day long.  While having access to the internet is nice, it is also nice to be off of it and just enjoy my vacation.  All the "stuff" will still be there when I return home.

 

MARAPRINCE

[DJuris716]

Nostalgia can often dellude folks. The reality is that RCI will need to make a shift at some point before other cruise lines completely corner the next generation of cruisers. Moreover, when you think about what Gen Y likes, it wouldn't take much for RCI to accommodate their wants without losing their current base. I don't think a night dedicated to modern music in a dance club is too much to ask for.  

BTW, the ageism/generational biases in this thread are disheartening. I think each generation has had to adjust to the circumstances of their time. So, when we make claims about how long Gen Y employees stay with companies, we should also consider what socioeconomic factors might contribute to that behavior.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

24 minutes ago, rbschultz said:

The days of picking a company and riding it until retirement has been over for years sorry you're not with the times.

No one said that...but then again...changing jobs on average every 18 months renders employers who could care less about investing in those kind of employees' future in any way either. Perhaps the lesson learned might just be investing in a unique marketing program for that same audience is also a waste of time.

Edited February 20, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[rbschultz]

Just now, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

No one said that...but then again...changing jobs on average every 18 months renders employers who could care less about investing in those kind of employees' future in any way either. Perhaps the lesson learned might just be investing in a unique marketing program for that same audience is also a waste of time.

 

But you did mention it... Or perhaps employers actually investing in employees would make them stay. For example at my company they offer almost nothing in terms of career advancement and trainings. Am I supposed to stick it out at that company just because I currently work there? It isn't just the mentality of the millenial that is causing what you believe is the issue, but its the world around it as well. If you don't adapt you fall behind and become a bitter old man yelling at clouds. Seems like you're well on your way.