NCL's Target Market

[macandlucy]

I have read a few posts about NCL potentially becoming "Oceania light" and I am curious about the company's target demographic.

 

I saw an ad for Carnival on tv the other day -- it featured a young family, seated in the dining room, with a voice over about manners and etiquette (sit down, place your napkin in your lap, etc) contrasted with the family and waiter, doing the opposite, standing up, twirling napkins, laughing, etc. At the end of the ad, they showed cruise fares starting at $199. This said to me that CCL is actively courting the first time cruiser and people who might be put off by perceived formality of cruising, the expense of it or just "stuffiness" in general.

 

Who is CCL competing the hardest with here? I would have thought NCL, with its freestyle concept and less formality, but if NCL is indeed heading in a different direction, demo-wise, is that correct? Is NCL attempting to move out of that space, while Carnival is moving closer in?

[sparks1093]

I have read a few posts about NCL potentially becoming "Oceania light" and I am curious about the company's target demographic.

 

I saw an ad for Carnival on tv the other day -- it featured a young family, seated in the dining room, with a voice over about manners and etiquette (sit down, place your napkin in your lap, etc) contrasted with the family and waiter, doing the opposite, standing up, twirling napkins, laughing, etc. At the end of the ad, they showed cruise fares starting at $199. This said to me that CCL is actively courting the first time cruiser and people who might be put off by perceived formality of cruising, the expense of it or just "stuffiness" in general.

 

Who is CCL competing the hardest with here? I would have thought NCL, with its freestyle concept and less formality, but if NCL is indeed heading in a different direction, demo-wise, is that correct? Is NCL attempting to move out of that space, while Carnival is moving closer in?

 

I think NCL is trying to move itself up on the cruise line food chain and Del Rio has stated that he does not consider CCL to be NCL's competitor. CCL has long been trying to shed itself of the party cruise line image in order to attract more families and has priced itself to be an introductory cruise line.

[macandlucy]

I think NCL is trying to move itself up on the cruise line food chain and Del Rio has stated that he does not consider CCL to be NCL's competitor. CCL has long been trying to shed itself of the party cruise line image in order to attract more families and has priced itself to be an introductory cruise line.

 

Thanks sparks1093, that's interesting that FDR doesn't see CCL as NCL's competitor. And good news for me, in a way, since the Carnival spring break cruise we took a few years ago was my least favorite -- that pool party thing / hairy chest competition, "woo, woo" etc isn't my thing (nothing wrong with it of course, just not my cup of tea). But I also kind of don't like having to hurry to make dinner times and have any sort of mental clock operating when I am on vacation.

 

If he can get the atmosphere relaxed for obligations, but at least slightly elevated in terms of the experience itself, then maybe I am am his target demo. Add one or two enrichment type experiences -- lectures on art or ports that are truly that, not sales pitches, or dare I dream a guest speaker? and NCL could end up being the place I hang my proverbial hat.

[LrgPizza]

Thanks sparks1093, that's interesting that FDR doesn't see CCL as NCL's competitor. And good news for me, in a way, since the Carnival spring break cruise we took a few years ago was my least favorite -- that pool party thing / hairy chest competition, "woo, woo" etc isn't my thing (nothing wrong with it of course, just not my cup of tea). But I also kind of don't like having to hurry to make dinner times and have any sort of mental clock operating when I am on vacation.

 

If he can get the atmosphere relaxed for obligations, but at least slightly elevated in terms of the experience itself, then maybe I am am his target demo.

The relaxed atmosphere is precisely the reason I like NCL. I don't have to show up for dinner at any particular time; I don't have to have a mental clock going, unless I want to; etc...

[jakesnana]

There is a cruise line for everyone and every occasion.

 

When we sail with the family, we go CCL as we could not afford to get a second cabin on NCL for the grandkids, PLUS the grandkids LOVE the kids programs on CCL, the 24 hr. pizza, etc.

 

When we sail alone it could be NCL, as I LOVE their entertainment and dining options (although I'm not thrilled with paying for room service).

 

Deciding which cruise line is based on who is going for me.

 

I don't see NCL becoming a family cruise line, unless the families like to be cozy (more than 2 people to a cabin) or have more financial resources than most families I know.

[Deedee85]

I've been on 7 cruises (not nearly as many as most of you). Some were solo and some were with my husband and children. I can honestly tell you that CCL was my least favorite cruise and I will never sail with them again. I did have a good time but they just didn't appeal to me in terms of service and activities.

[Merriem]

I've been on 7 cruises (not nearly as many as most of you). Some were solo and some were with my husband and children. I can honestly tell you that CCL was my least favorite cruise and I will never sail with them again. I did have a good time but they just didn't appeal to me in terms of service and activities.

 

I have never been on Carnival, and do not intent to. We have been on 40 cruises. I personally think it is the destination that determines who they appeal to. We were on the Breakaway...if it had not been for the Haven we would have hated it. The demographics did not match us.

 

However we are going to South America and New Zealand and the people that choose that type of trip are less likely to travel that far just to party.

 

So, the big ships which we dislike cater the Caribbean crowd who are there to party.

 

Just my opinion.

[linbobky]

I've been on 7 cruises (not nearly as many as most of you). Some were solo and some were with my husband and children. I can honestly tell you that CCL was my least favorite cruise and I will never sail with them again. I did have a good time but they just didn't appeal to me in terms of service and activities.

 

will be on the ncl dawn in 2 weeks!:) after 16 carnival cruises I am looking forward to cruising with ncl.

we have only one cruise with ncl and that was on the Norway the week before it had that bad accident. it was a great cruise!:) I know the Norway is completely different than the ships now.

we enjoy carnival a lot. also, you can have a dining time or you can eat anytime you want with any time dining.:)

I will let everyone know how we enjoyed the cruise!:)

 

happy sailing everone

[macandlucy]

The relaxed atmosphere is precisely the reason I like NCL. I don't have to show up for dinner at any particular time; I don't have to have a mental clock going, unless I want to; etc...

 

That really appeals to me as well. I hope they don't change that aspect.

 

There is a cruise line for everyone and every occasion.

 

When we sail with the family, we go CCL as we could not afford to get a second cabin on NCL for the grandkids, PLUS the grandkids LOVE the kids programs on CCL, the 24 hr. pizza, etc.

 

When we sail alone it could be NCL, as I LOVE their entertainment and dining options (although I'm not thrilled with paying for room service).

 

Deciding which cruise line is based on who is going for me.

 

I don't see NCL becoming a family cruise line, unless the families like to be cozy (more than 2 people to a cabin) or have more financial resources than most families I know.

Good point about who you will be travelling with affecting one's decision of cruise line. I am looking to fall in love with one line and stay there so I can start earning some loyalty points. I want to try all the mass market lines first, so still need to do NCL (upcoming) and Princess. I am kinda hoping NCL will bump my current first placer (Celebrity) out of the top spot.

[ColinIllinois]

.....

 

I don't see NCL becoming a family cruise line, unless the families like to be cozy (more than 2 people to a cabin) or have more financial resources than most families I know.

 

 

I find this a bit odd as I consider NCL to actually be a family cruise line, very family friendly.

 

I enjoy the demographics on NCL. I think you have a very nice mixture of families, solos, young party crowd, etc. I don't think that Mr. Del Rio is trying to change the demographics but rather give them a better quality experience.

[macandlucy]

I've been on 7 cruises (not nearly as many as most of you). Some were solo and some were with my husband and children. I can honestly tell you that CCL was my least favorite cruise and I will never sail with them again. I did have a good time but they just didn't appeal to me in terms of service and activities.

 

The CCL western Caribbean cruise we did a few years ago was my least favorite. I think in my case it was too much of a party crowd on a seven day spring break cruise. But to Merriem's point, that could have been the itinerary. Although we really liked the Celebrity eastern cruise also during spring break, so it's hard to know.

 

I have never been on Carnival, and do not intent to. We have been on 40 cruises. I personally think it is the destination that determines who they appeal to. We were on the Breakaway...if it had not been for the Haven we would have hated it. The demographics did not match us.

 

However we are going to South America and New Zealand and the people that choose that type of trip are less likely to travel that far just to party.

 

So, the big ships which we dislike cater the Caribbean crowd who are there to party.

 

Just my opinion.

Great point. I bet the cruise you describe would have less partying for sure, and maybe that would make the difference for me.

[macandlucy]

will be on the ncl dawn in 2 weeks!:) after 16 carnival cruises I am looking forward to cruising with ncl.

we have only one cruise with ncl and that was on the Norway the week before it had that bad accident. it was a great cruise!:) I know the Norway is completely different than the ships now.

we enjoy carnival a lot. also, you can have a dining time or you can eat anytime you want with any time dining.:)

I will let everyone know how we enjoyed the cruise!:)

 

happy sailing everone

 

I apologize if I am grumbling about Carnival too much. I do understand that many, many people love it and they clearly do a great job at providing cruises because they have so much repeat business. I think, for me, it's not the best fit, and I am on a seemingly never ending quest to find my best line. The "research" is awesome work though ;)

 

I find this a bit odd as I consider NCL to actually be a family cruise line, very family friendly.

 

I enjoy the demographics on NCL. I think you have a very nice mixture of families, solos, young party crowd, etc. I don't think that Mr. Del Rio is trying to change the demographics but rather give them a better quality experience.

 

A mix sounds good, as does a better quality of service. I am all for that :)

[sparks1093]

I apologize if I am grumbling about Carnival too much. I do understand that many, many people love it and they clearly do a great job at providing cruises because they have so much repeat business. I think, for me, it's not the best fit, and I am on a seemingly never ending quest to find my best line. The "research" is awesome work though ;)

 

 

A mix sounds good, as does a better quality of service. I am all for that :)

 

We found CCL and NCL to be more similar than different. A large factor is when one cruises and the itinerary (a spring break cruise is going to have a larger share of party goers for instance). We did favor NCL a little. Of course this was all before Del Rio took over. I priced a cruise departing from NYC on the Breakaway in 4/2017 and it was $3300. CCL on the Pride out of Baltimore was $1900. I would have a hard time justifying to myself paying that much more. (And RCCL came in at around $2600 for a cruise departing from the NYC area.)

[AdGuyMG]

Who is CCL competing the hardest with here? I would have thought NCL, with its freestyle concept and less formality,

 

Cruise lines biggest competitors are land based venues such as All Inclusives, and traditional "get a hotel room by the beach" type of vacations.

 

Cruise lines do not directly compete head to head, brand to brand with each other.

[nolatravelgirl]

I am looking to fall in love with one line and stay there so I can start earning some loyalty points.

This is one place where I would completely disagree. The cruise line loyalty programs aren't very enticing and don't offer any significant benefits that would sway my opinions one way or the other. I took my first NCL cruise this summer but had previously only sailed on Seabourn. I chose NCL because the dates and itinerary best suited my needs for a summer Med cruise.

 

I think NCL is diversifying who they "can" market them self to by having a suites/haven "ship within a ship" concept. The commercials you see are largely dependent on where you see the commercial. If CCL is marketing during traditional kid's programming the commercial will feature lots of kid friendly stuff, but yet if you were to see a commercial during a news hour or evening drama the content of the commercial could be completely different and focus on the bars and casino on board.

 

Check out the CCL Super Bowl commercial. You wouldn't really think "family line" when you see this commercial.

 

https://youtu.be/0xQ-HyzAgRk

Edited November 18, 2015 by nolatravelgirl

[mikenhe]

Out of Carnival and Norwegian:

Which line has karaoke?

Which has the option to dine when you want?

Which has food available 24/7

Which has drink packages?

Which has clubs for Kids?

Which has Pay extra in the dining room options?

Which has extra charge dining venues?

Which has shows?

Which has live music?

Which has loyal customers who say one is better than the other?

Which does short cruises?

Which does week long cruises?

Which has Alaska cruises?

Whats the difference again?

[Deedee85]

I usually choose my cruises based on itinerary and convenience but CCL just wasn't for me. I do enjoy RCCL and NCL much more. Monday will be my first NCL in several years and I am looking forward to it.

[linbobky]

I apologize if I am grumbling about Carnival too much. I do understand that many, many people love it and they clearly do a great job at providing cruises because they have so much repeat business. I think, for me, it's not the best fit, and I am on a seemingly never ending quest to find my best line. The "research" is awesome work though ;)

 

 

 

A mix sounds good, as does a better quality of service. I am all for that :)

 

no need to apologize!:) I grumble all the time. lol.

after reading on cc about ncl. I am not happy about paying for room service. we use it a lot and hate to pay it. but, we really are looking for a change.:)

and I will have an open mind.:)

[strand]

We found CCL and NCL to be more similar than different. A large factor is when one cruises and the itinerary (a spring break cruise is going to have a larger share of party goers for instance). We did favor NCL a little. Of course this was all before Del Rio took over. I priced a cruise departing from NYC on the Breakaway in 4/2017 and it was $3300. CCL on the Pride out of Baltimore was $1900. I would have a hard time justifying to myself paying that much more. (And RCCL came in at around $2600 for a cruise departing from the NYC area.)

 

I don't think you can really compare the Pride and the Breakaway, can you? Two completely different class ships, with the Breakaway much larger with different amenities, but then again, I could be wrong. Just tried pricing the same sailings as you and found Carnival $2354, NCL $3170 and RCI $3613. And for the extra $816 on NCL, you have the choice of one of their promotions UBP, specialty dining, wifi or $50 per port excursion credit. All depends on what you are looking for I guess.

[sparks1093]

I don't think you can really compare the Pride and the Breakaway, can you? Two completely different class ships, with the Breakaway much larger with different amenities, but then again, I could be wrong. Just tried pricing the same sailings as you and found Carnival $2354, NCL $3170 and RCI $3613. And for the extra $816 on NCL, you have the choice of one of their promotions UBP, specialty dining, wifi or $50 per port excursion credit. All depends on what you are looking for I guess.

 

I prefer the smaller ships (and the sailing that I was looking at the Pride was doint an Eastern Carib itinerary and BA a Bahamas, so that's another factor) and DW and I don't need all the choices the BA offers. I am not going to be enticed to pick a cruise based on free stuff that I wouldn't buy onboard anyway. Of course I fully recognize that these are my preferences and everyone is different.

[NYcruzzer]

I have read a few posts about NCL potentially becoming "Oceania light" and I am curious about the company's target demographic.

 

I saw an ad for Carnival on tv the other day -- it featured a young family, seated in the dining room, with a voice over about manners and etiquette (sit down, place your napkin in your lap, etc) contrasted with the family and waiter, doing the opposite, standing up, twirling napkins, laughing, etc. At the end of the ad, they showed cruise fares starting at $199. This said to me that CCL is actively courting the first time cruiser and people who might be put off by perceived formality of cruising, the expense of it or just "stuffiness" in general.

 

Who is CCL competing the hardest with here? I would have thought NCL, with its freestyle concept and less formality, but if NCL is indeed heading in a different direction, demo-wise, is that correct? Is NCL attempting to move out of that space, while Carnival is moving closer in?

 

Goal is to be more like Celebrity Cruise line" lite" if you ask me.

[macandlucy]

This is one place where I would completely disagree. The cruise line loyalty programs aren't very enticing and don't offer any significant benefits that would sway my opinions one way or the other. I took my first NCL cruise this summer but had previously only sailed on Seabourn. I chose NCL because the dates and itinerary best suited my needs for a summer Med cruise.

 

I think NCL is diversifying who they "can" market them self to by having a suites/haven "ship within a ship" concept. The commercials you see are largely dependent on where you see the commercial. If CCL is marketing during traditional kid's programming the commercial will feature lots of kid friendly stuff, but yet if you were to see a commercial during a news hour or evening drama the content of the commercial could be completely different and focus on the bars and casino on board.

 

Check out the CCL Super Bowl commercial. You wouldn't really think "family line" when you see this commercial.

 

https://youtu.be/0xQ-HyzAgRk

 

Point taken about when and where the ads appear. But even with that qualifier, I would not ever expect to see an ad like the CCL one I described for Regent or Seabourn or Oceania because I think they are going after a different demo altogether. Some people are turned off by cruising with kids. Some are turned off by cruising with partiers, some are turned off by cruising with the sedate crowd. Does it make sense for every cruise line to try to be be all things to all people?

 

I think cruise lines are jockeying for position. (That's my impression only -- I really don't know anything about any of this, just have a curious mind)

 

Thanks for the link -- l loved that commercial, btw. That was indeed the broadest appeal spot I have ever seen for a cruise company.

[Shawnino]

NCL's target market is people who are willing to spend on high-margin extras.

--NCL sponsored excursions

--Spa treatments

--Spa-area, Vibe

--Photo packages

--Room decorations/"romance" packages etc.

--Casino, "game shows", etc.

[strand]

NCL's target market is people who are willing to spend on high-margin extras.

--NCL sponsored excursions

--Spa treatments

--Photo packages

--Room decorations/"romance" packages etc.

--Casino, "game shows", etc.

 

Don't most cruise lines have these or similar options?

[macandlucy]

We found CCL and NCL to be more similar than different. A large factor is when one cruises and the itinerary (a spring break cruise is going to have a larger share of party goers for instance). We did favor NCL a little. Of course this was all before Del Rio took over. I priced a cruise departing from NYC on the Breakaway in 4/2017 and it was $3300. CCL on the Pride out of Baltimore was $1900. I would have a hard time justifying to myself paying that much more. (And RCCL came in at around $2600 for a cruise departing from the NYC area.)

 

I found a tremendous difference between a Carnival Western and a Celebrity Eastern (both 7 day, both during spring break). The X ship was a beautiful space, more elegant. The menus were a little swishier I guess with less comfort food and more (slightly) upscale choices (being very general here). I don't like most cruise ship entertainment, but I go begrudgingly. The CCL shows I saw were pretty cheesy revue type things; the Celebrity shows were a little more varied. Service was about equal. It's hard to quantify.

 

As nuts as it sounds, I might just pay that $1400 difference (and when you look up "frugal" in the dictionary you see me waving back--I deplore *wasting* money).

Edited November 18, 2015 by macandlucy