While onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas — newly sailing from a dedicated terminal in Galveston, Texas — we sat down to talk with Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service for the line, about the fresh product and the company’s current outlook for the future.
What is the significance of the new terminal in Texas, and the Allure of the Seas arriving there?
The terminal is 100% [powered by] solar panels so we're not wasting energy, and we're becoming very environmentally friendly. It's also an excellent terminal just for speed ‘from car to bar.’ So, the amount of time it takes somebody to begin their vacation is so short, and then the facial recognition [technology at the terminal] makes it very easy.
In the old days, people would have to wait in long lines to get onboard. And then remember the [muster] drills? All the bars were closed, the restaurants would close, and you would have to go to your muster station and stand shoulder to shoulder. All of that is no longer in existence. Who doesn't want to just breeze through that?
Then, of course, you have the largest ship sailing out of Galveston, and that’s Allure of the Seas. This is a really great market, because you can fly the same day to Houston and board the ship. So, there's lots of advantages that you can get from the U.S. West Coast.
Let’s look toward the future: Icon of the Seas. What should travel agents and their clients be most excited for on that upcoming new ship?
The way we're positioning Icon of the Seas is as the best family vacation in the world, and it will knock everybody's socks off. And it's not just for young kids. It's [for] the multigenerational family, and it's also [for] couples. A lot of couples maybe choose not to have children, or maybe it's a gay couple and their families. Everybody wants to be around a lot of really great quality and energy. That's how I always describe Royal Caribbean — we have that unique blend of quality and energy combined.
Everybody wants to be around a lot of really great quality and energy. That's how I always describe Royal Caribbean — we have that unique blend of quality and energy combined.
There are certain things that we will always maintain, such as Boleros. Then, there are things that we are going to tweak and update and make a little bit more current. And then there's brand-new things that we will be introducing.
What tips would you give advisors to successfully sell Royal Caribbean’s older and smaller ships, amid the newer and larger ones coming online?
There's always going to be that customer, that guest, who’s going to want a smaller ship, and they're going to want more destinations. So, that becomes something that can only happen with some of the smaller ships.
Then, if you look out of California, you have the beautiful Navigator of the Seas, and that ship is just rocking it. And for us to re-enter the California market is a big deal … we're getting incredible support from the travel advisors on that.
And because we lean so much on the travel advisors to sell our product, if they are not behind our product, then we cannot be successful. We realize that their success becomes our success and vice versa. So, we have to be partners together.
I don't think you get compromised necessarily [with smaller ships]. What you may not have is an AquaTheater, so you don't get that kind of experience. But the smaller ships are really more destination-driven anyhow.
Because we lean so much on the travel advisors to sell our product, if they are not behind our product, then we cannot be successful. We realize that their success becomes our success and vice versa.
Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of corporate cousin Celebrity Cruises, said that line came out of the pandemic with 27% more capacity, and that the market is rebounding. But in order to fill that increase, she says it needs to still come back “a little faster and stronger.” Is that your perception at Royal Caribbean, as well?
We've grown. We have the Odyssey of the Seas, and she just is finishing up a season out of Haifa, [Israel], and doing beautiful itineraries. And then we have the Wonder of the Seas, which started March of this year, and she's going be with us next month in Port Canaveral, [Fla].
[Compared to Celebrity, we have] different demographics. And for us, I think the family saw how important bonding and the human connection is. Our occupancy right now is at about 97%, but growing every week. So, we're pretty much at full capacity, and we’re seeing enough demand.
But also, our market — we’re in the three-, four-, five- and seven-day market, primarily — is a different kind of an experience than some of the longer cruises. I think it's just different audiences.
The message during the pandemic was “hang in there with us,” and it was great to see your positivity through it all. What would your message be to travel agents now that we're finally coming out of this, and the future is much brighter?
Take a breath. Because it's a lot.
Really lean on us to help you grow your business. There are a lot of travel partners who have never done groups, but who have an interest. We can help them.
We cross-pollinate ideas within our sales team. We did regular virtual webinars with our sales teams throughout the entire pause in our industry. So, we were always talking about best practices. We have a sales meeting Dec. 4, and we're spending three days sharing ideas of what's working. So, something that's working in California may not have been tried yet in Texas, but it's a good idea, and it seems to be a good opportunity.
