Agents Share Insights, Advice on Selling the Epic
by Dori SaltzmanWho are the best potential customers for Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Norwegian Epic? Does it feel like you’re on a huge ship? How is the entertainment? Would upscale travelers enjoy the experience?
Last month, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. hosted more than 600 franchise owners and independent contractors onboard a regular sailing of the Epic, which has a capacity of 4,100 passengers, double occupancy. Four of these travel sellers, some of whom had been on the Epic’s inaugural earlier this year, shared their experience onboard and their advice on how to position and sell the ship.
The Target Market
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“The people who will get the most out of the Epic like action, entertainment, and activities – people who love Vegas.” – Mara Hargarther, of Hargarther, Thaler & Associates, LLC, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
“I could put anybody on this ship and they would enjoy it, from a luxury client all the way down to the least expensive single traveler. And the single traveler part is significant; there is no other cruise line with cabins specifically designed for the single traveler.” – Ben Catalina, Cruises Inc., Universal City, Texas
“The Epic is definitely targeted at people who have not thought that they would want to be on a cruise. It’s one of those ships that will help get the industry over that 15% to 20% barrier of people who have never wanted to cruise.” – Tim Martin, CruiseOne, Beaverton, Oregon
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“The Epic is a great ship for your late 20s/early 30s clients because the entertainment venues have so much diversity. There’s something for everyone.” – Becky Piper, CruiseOne, Strongsville, Ohio
“I have a lot of clients who are sophisticated and stay in six-star hotels, and the old NCL would not have been an appropriate choice. But with the Epic Club, the suites and the courtyard area, the Epic is a home run for them. And for the people who are budget conscious and need a more affordable product, it’s that, too. I also would say young families, and Boomers with their children and grandchildren. I definitely see it as a multi-generation product.” – Mara Hargarther
The Onboard Experience
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“With previous versions of Freestyle, by the time you got around to figuring out what you wanted to do that evening all the restaurants were booked up. I did not see that on the Epic. And I didn’t run into any experiences where I couldn’t get into the entertainment. They’ve got the mix right where there’s a choice between entertainment and the restaurants so not everybody is packed into the restaurants because that’s the only thing to do.” – Tim Martin
“You never really get the feeling that the ship is that large. There were no lines. And that’s my number one fear when I send people on really big ships. And embarkation and debarkation were very smooth. Not typical of a large ship.” – Mara Hargarther
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“The way they laid the cabins out, there’s so much storage space, it’s unbelievable. We were still finding drawers at the end of the cruise.” – Ben Catalina
“Based on the inaugural, I thought bar central would be a continual bottle neck every evening that you just had to force your way through. But once I was on the ship on a regular sailing, traffic flowed much better than I perceived it would; it did not become the bottle neck I imagined.” – Becky Piper
Keep This in Mind
“Qualify whether the client is the type who wants to take ownership of designing their experience for themselves. One thing about the cruise experience that many people like is they get on the ship, they put their brain in the safe, and they know where they’re going to go to dinner, that there is a show afterwards, then the casino, then bed. And some people like that because it allows them to relax and not have to worry. This ship takes more involvement from the client.” – Tim Martin
“If anybody has mobility issues, the Epic is not the easiest ship to be on. But with that said, the accessible balcony cabin is one of the best accessible cabins I’ve ever had.” – Mara Hargarther
