Ncl withdraws norwegian sun from alaska in 2010

[jocap]

I really do think that NCL is putting the ships where it sees the business as being and there must be very good reason to reduce ships in Alaska to two and to pull out of Vancouver totally.

I think the reasons for pulling out are certainly financial, and moving one ship from the UK into Europe and replacing the other with a smaller ship is another demonstartion of this. I don't think the British market brought up on Cunard and P & O have really gone for NCL but I also think NCL has done little to enlighten them either.

Exactly! Every time you switch on the TV, there's a 1/2 hour "presentation" of Carnival, RCI, Thomsons etc. When have you EVER seen an advert for NCL? We saw one hidden away in the University of the 3rd age mag., which was how we got hooked, but other than an occasional one on the back of a Sunday paper-there's nothing! So some of the Brits on Jade last year were mystified as to why a ship from Norway used dollars. -jocap.

[mypleasure]

NCL seems to have zero advertising budget in the Uk or if they do they are spending it on some weird advertising that is not mainstream where their market is.

In the Telegraph travel sections at weekends it is all P&O, Cunard, Fred Olsen and maybe Princess with the odd Royal Caribbean or Celebrity thrown in. Very rarely if ever do I see NCL and a lot of those agencies take a whole or half page ad week in week out.

 

I think there is a big market for NCL in the UK. When I talk to people about cruising their major barrier to cruising is dressing up all the time and having to mind their P's and Q's at dinner. When I tell them about freestyle they are amazed by the concept. These are the target market that NCL has missed out on and it is a big market.

[Don Haynes]

NCL does advertise in the cruise travel magazines. I have seen NCL ads in the travel sections of many newspapers. Maybe a bit too targeted, but there it is. While television is very expensive, some radio ads would help. Its not like there isn't any advertising.

 

The problem with newspaper advertising outside of America, is the fact there are several newspapers in European cities compared to one major one. Its like every political party has a newspaper unlike America.

[Threecharms]

My family was booked on the Baltic Capitals cruise 7/22/10. Other than being smaller, what are the primary differences between the Sun and the Jewel? We have cruised on the Jewel before and loved it! That was really the reason for booking the Baltic Capitals cruise. We have a romance suite booked and a balcony booked on the Jewel....it appears that the romance suite is gobs more money on the Sun...does anyone know if they will honor our original booking or will we have to downgrade to a normal suite?

[mypleasure]

NCL does advertise in the cruise travel magazines. I have seen NCL ads in the travel sections of many newspapers.

 

Not in the UK you won't

 

Maybe a bit too targeted, but there it is. While television is very expensive, some radio ads would help. Its not like there isn't any advertising.

No radio or television ads in the UK at all from NCL.As Jocap said, plenty from RCCL, P&O, Carnival particularly on Sattelite and cable.

 

The problem with newspaper advertising outside of America, is the fact there are several newspapers in European cities compared to one major one. Its like every political party has a newspaper unlike America.

 

I don't find that to be the case in the UK at all. Several daily, national morning newspapers and regional evening papers plus local free, weekly editions. Travel seems to be saved for weekend editions of the broadsheets and Sunday editions of the National dailies. It is the Sunday editions where the ads should be carried plus the Saturday broadsheets that do a specific travel section on that day such as The Daily Telegraph.

 

It needs some major articles written by travel journalists and celebs as they travel on an NCL ship thereby educating the public to what NCL has to offer that is a change from what they are used to or concerned about. This would certainly raise awareness and interest. Backed with some well targetted advertising this could be a winner.

 

RCCL are heavily pushing the family aspect of their ships and the activities available on them in a 90 second TV ad plus ads with shorter segments and lengths. Then again they need to do this as they will now have a ship in Southampton year round I believe. Brits do like the Med!

[Don Haynes]

As I read many NCL reviews from the UK last year, many complained about the daily service charge, tips being added to their drink bills, and spa tips being added to their final bill. This is a world wide cruise line, not a local British cruise line. Don't expect a world wide company to change their ways for one country.

 

Oh, they loved freestyle dining, and a less formal dress code, but not the surcharges. Never mind the surcharges provide the bulk of the crews salaries. Instead of getting 4 or 5 stars, the British were giving NCL 2 stars or less.

 

No wonder NCL is repositioning a ship to Spain, and substituting another with a slightly smaller ship. No amount of advertising will help much in the UK....

 

I repeat, NCL won't change their business ways for the UK.....

[Skallywag]

Just wonder if you could clarify your statement about extras and service charges that UK residents were complaining about. We are booked on the Sun was the Jewel for the Baltic next year and have pre-paid our gratuities - are there any other extras we should know about?

 

Understood, llike Disney which is the only other line we have cruises on, you can prepay the recommended amount and add to that if you wish later.

[Don Haynes]

Have you heard of the 15% tip charge added to every drink order? Have you heard of the 18% tip charge added to every spa charge? Its these little things the British aren't fond of, especially any additional charges. The British have a reputation of not tipping.....

 

The British are used to a VAT tax. The British are not used to a sales tax. They are used to having the full price of an item disclosed including the VAT tax, whereas Americans are used to the price of an item having sales taxes added afterwards. Its like the British don't want to know how much their VAT tax is, while Americans generally want to know what the sales tax is listed separately on a receipt.

 

Of course I am speaking in general terms here.... I am not pointing fingers.... Our governments use different taxing methods.....The cruise line isn't adding sales taxes, but are adding auto-tip surcharges to drinks outside of the daily surcharge. A can of soda is two dollars, but NCL will add the 15% surcharge, making that can of soda two dollars and thirty cents.

[swedish weave]

Alaska's actions have affected the tourist industry of Vancouver and Seattle as well. Both cities should rack Alaskans flying into their airports for a thousand dollars in response, in my humble opinion.

 

We are going to Alaska 5/31 and in checking the port schedules, I see that the ships in port while we are there number as follows. Juneau 5 -- Skagway 4 -- Ketchikan 4.

 

Calculating an average of 1100 passengers per ship which I think is low, Juneau will collect $44,000 at $8.00 per passenger. Ketchikan will collect $30,800 at $7.00 per passenger. That is for one day !!

 

This is just a sample of the amount of revenue generated by the tax, plus thay want to tax casino and tour revenues in addition. This does not include the taxes on money spent by us at the ports.

 

I can easily understand why the cruise companies are putting up a fight against this by pulling ships out of Alaska.

 

We will see who wins in the long run.

[jocap]

The differences in tipping aside, it doesn't alter the fact that NCL does not advertise in the UK. I have seen one advert in the Times this year, for a last minute sale on Jewel.The UK market in cruising grew by 11% last year, and a sizeable lump of that will be taken up by Indie staying all year. P&O has the vast Ventura and soon the Azura added to their popular ships, whilst the new QE sold out in minutes-and all from Southampton, along with some of the larger ships from Princess for the summer. I reckon that NCL has had to choose its European market very, very carefully-our Feb cruise on Jade was 90% N American- with all the competition arriving in the UK-jocap.

[Bennett'sCruise]

The differences in tipping aside, it doesn't alter the fact that NCL does not advertise in the UK. I have seen one advert in the Times this year, for a last minute sale on Jewel.The UK market in cruising grew by 11% last year, and a sizeable lump of that will be taken up by Indie staying all year. P&O has the vast Ventura and soon the Azura added to their popular ships, whilst the new QE sold out in minutes-and all from Southampton, along with some of the larger ships from Princess for the summer. I reckon that NCL has had to choose its European market very, very carefully-our Feb cruise on Jade was 90% N American- with all the competition arriving in the UK-jocap.

 

Where are you seeing that the Indie will stay in Europe year round?

 

~dianne

[wrp96]

Where are you seeing that the Indie will stay in Europe year round?

 

~dianne

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3189

[Don Haynes]

We are going to Alaska 5/31 and in checking the port schedules, I see that the ships in port while we are there number as follows. Juneau 5 -- Skagway 4 -- Ketchikan 4.

 

Calculating an average of 1100 passengers per ship which I think is low, Juneau will collect $44,000 at $8.00 per passenger. Ketchikan will collect $30,800 at $7.00 per passenger. That is for one day !!

 

This is just a sample of the amount of revenue generated by the tax, plus thay want to tax casino and tour revenues in addition. This does not include the taxes on money spent by us at the ports.

 

I can easily understand why the cruise companies are putting up a fight against this by pulling ships out of Alaska.

 

We will see who wins in the long run.

 

While the cruise lines have developed the Alaskan market slowly over the years, the sudden huge increase of the head tax and casino tax on the cruise lines in this off year economically has hurt the lines significantly. No wonder they will reposition some of their ships elsewhere where there are greener pastures. It appears to me Alaska killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

 

Alaskan cruise prices haven't been this low for quite some time, and then face with the huge increase in taxes, not many lines are going to see much of a profit this year.

[jocap]

Where are you seeing that the Indie will stay in Europe year round?

 

First came Freedom, for a few weeks, followed by Indie for the summer. They were immediate hits, because of the facilities esp. for children. Now Indie will do btob from S'ton all winter, and will be well advertised!-jocap.

[Bennett'sCruise]

Where are you seeing that the Indie will stay in Europe year round?

 

First came Freedom' date=' for a few weeks, followed by Indie for the summer. They were immediate hits, because of the facilities esp. for children. Now Indie will do btob from S'ton all winter, and will be well advertised!-jocap.[/quote']

 

Good for Europe ... bad for us! I had several clients interested in the Indie's TA for Fall of 2010. :(