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| One of Seabourn’s “Shopping with the Chef” excursions. |
For 2015, oceangoing cruise lines offer enriching experiences. Clients can pick their fancy — from gardening to digital photography, craft brews to political affairs and historical perspective. From a trade perspective, “the traveling public has become, in many ways, a group comprised of special interests, and consumers are not homogenized, nor do they respond to the same interests,” says Scott Koepf, senior vice president of sales, Avoya Travel.
So enrichment programs that focus on special interests give travel professionals “hot buttons” to push. Yet, “providing enrichment classes on computer skills will be of great interest to certain customers, whereas providing culinary lectures will appeal to a very different segment of consumers,” Koepf notes, adding that agents can use enrichment to help customize the travel experience.
Here are eight experiences we’ve identified to help your guests sail, learn and emerge “enriched.”
Discovery Galore: If clients are fans of TV’s Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet and Science Channel shows — such as “Shark Week,” “Mythbusters” and “Deadliest Catch” — then Princess has enrichment to fit their passion. The line has partnered with Discovery Consumer Products to create “Discovery at Sea” for onboard activities and shore excursions that focus on nature, wildlife and history of the regions in which Princess’ ships sail.
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| Robert Key holds a rare facsimile of the Magna Carta that will be displayed onboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. |
Guests on select cruise vacations will look up at the night sky in a whole new way after “Discovery Under the Stars” on the ship’s top deck. During “Shark Week at Sea,” adults and kids can test their ocean knowledge with trivia games and themed activities. In “Baking at Sea with TLC,” guests will bake and decorate cakes with instruction by pastry chefs at sea.
On certain voyages, clients can pan for gold on a Gold Rush-inspired tour, get up-close with native animals during Animal Planet tours and learn how foods and beverages go from farm to table on Science Channel’s “How It’s Made” tours.
Peruse the Magna Carta: Issued by King John of England in 1215, the Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in English history. It was a series of written promises between the king and his subjects that he, the king, would govern England and deal with its people according to the customs of feudal law.
For Cunard Line’s 175th and Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary year, both in 2015, Salisbury Cathedral will lend a rare facsimile of its Magna Carta, one of only four of the original 1215 documents in existence, to Cunard. It will be displayed in the Grand Lobby of Queen Mary 2 from early May through September, with a six-night display onboard Queen Victoria in late May.
As part of Cunard’s Insight Program, Robert Key, a member of the National (UK) Magna Carta 800th Committee, will sail on Queen Mary 2’s May 10 and September 4 crossings, as well as on Queen Victoria’s May 22 cruise; he’ll conduct two lectures per voyage about the Magna Carta and the effect it’s had in shaping today’s world.
Enrichment With the Smithsonian: Regent Seven Seas Cruises and the Smithsonian Institution have launched a new guest lecture series, the Smithsonian Collection by Smithsonian Journeys. Clients will meet art historians, prominent authors, geopolitical experts and other luminaries leading discussions both on Regent’s ships and also ashore. Starting in July, the series will be available on a majority of the line’s voyages — more than 80 across the fleet for the 2015/2016 season.
Jason Montague, Regent’s president and COO, says the new program will give guests “access to some of the most authoritative thought-leaders in the world, providing deeper insights into the history, art, culture and politics of the destinations visited by our ships.” Guests will not only enjoy lectures but also participate in Q&A sessions.
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| Norwegian Cruise Line will debut creative wine education seminars in the Cellars on the new Norwegian Escape. |
Signature Events: This year and next, Celebrity Cruises is offering new “Signature Event Sailings,” upscale experiences that include global events and celebrations. Clients might celebrate at the Cannes Film Festival in France; the Redentore Festival in Venice, Italy; Chinese New Year in Hong Kong; Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and more. Clients can also expect onboard shows, speakers and themed activities.
On Anzac Day, the 100th Anniversary Commemoration in Turkey, guests on the 12-night Turkey and Greece cruise departing on April 22 will visit the Gallipoli battlefields and, back onboard, learn about both World Wars from historian and author Peter Donovan. The line will also air the 100th Anniversary of Anzac Day service televised from Gallipoli.
For Celebrity Silhouette’s July 15 departure from Amsterdam, golf fans will have onboard events hosted by a golf pro, entry to the British Open Golf Championships in St. Andrews, a round of golf on courses in three different locations during the sailing and the rare opportunity to walk St. Andrews’ Old Course.
Wine With a Twist: Norwegian Cruise Line will debut new creative wine education seminars in the Cellars on the new Norwegian Escape, launching this summer. At press time, the program hadn’t been announced but we received a sneak peek. In a new “Wine Aroma Seminar,” guests will learn how to pick up specific aromas in wine and be able to describe them with ease. Another fun new option will be “Color Blind with Wine,” in which guests can determine a wine’s color without seeing it. What do the nose and mouth reveal that eyes don’t?
Plus Norwegian will debut a new seminar that’s about “Revealing Tastes through Tea,” so guests will use tea to individually identify acidity, sweetness and tannin sensations and then learn what they mean in the body and to the balance of wine. Other new Norwegian Escape programs will include a chocolate and wine pairing; Riedel wine glass tastings with a discussion about the effects that glassware size, shape and color have on the perception of wine’s aromas, flavor and texture; and a three-course wine and tapas-style food pairing.
Norwegian also tells us it’s developing a new program called, “Meet the Maker Event and Bottle Engraving/Book Signing.” The line will invite winemakers, master distillers, mixologists and brewmasters to host tasting events.
Become a Memory Maker: Guests on Holland America Line’s cruises can go hands-on to take, edit and enhance photos via the Digital Workshop powered by Windows. This robust enrichment program, available fleet-wide, offers free, informative sessions that are led by a Microsoft-trained “techspert.” For example, cruisers can learn how to post photos to the Web, edit their cruise photos, create a slide show or put photos in blogs.
Holland America says the workshop offers many free photo sharing tips and tools, so it’s not necessary to be an expert photographer or an experienced computer user to benefit from the program. Technology used is maintained by Microsoft and includes computers, printers, scanners and a wireless network; and flat-screen TVs in each session allow for easy viewing and “techspert” demonstrations.
Guests can choose to attend all or just some of these 60-minute workshops; they’re offered at different times and days throughout each cruise. Multiple workshops will be held every day. In addition, one-on-one coaching called “Techspert Time” will also be available every day. Scheduling of classes can be done onboard only; it can’t be pre-reserved.
Culinary Enticements: Do your clients desire a taste of Mediterranean food and wine, but on a more robust scale than just a typical European cruise? Then they might consider the seven-night “Mediterranean Food & Wine Cruise” on Seabourn Sojourn, departing April 18 from Piraeus (Athens) to Monte Carlo.
A team of culinary experts and fellow foodies will be onboard as the Seabourn Cruise Line vessel sails to many culinary-focused destinations. Clients will enjoy a cooking demonstration and guest menu by the celebrity chefs onboard for just this cruise, among them are Jean-Claude Cavalera and Giuseppe Argentino.
During this special themed cruise, guests will also be able to go on extended shopping trips with the chefs ashore in ports. Other perks include tours of local wineries, daily tastings of local food and wine onboard, special themed meals featuring local ingredients, festive deck events and gala luncheons with local entertainment, and wine appreciation lectures and tastings by the guest sommelier onboard. Guests will enjoy a cognac tasting in St. Tropez, France, and a limoncello tasting sailaway from Amalfi, Italy.
Private Onshore Events: Starting in 2015, every Windstar Cruises itinerary includes a special onshore private event. The goal is to enrich the guest’s experience with an in-depth look into local culture, cuisine and life. Examples of private events include an after-hours tour of the Celsus Library of Ephesus, paired with an elegant five-course meal under the stars in the library courtyard while guests are serenaded by a trio from the Aegean Chamber Orchestra on the Greek Isles and Turkish Delights voyage.
Other private events include a wine tasting and tour in Italy with traditional Sicilian lunch, tapas, folk dance lessons, an equestrian ballet and sherry tasting.
More Experiences to Wow
Flowers and Gardens: Swan Hellenic Cruises’ 14-night “Flemish and French Masterpieces” cruise on Minerva, roundtrip from Portsmouth, UK, on July 7 takes advantage of the line’s partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society, which will recommend the best gardens in each port for guests to explore; it will also set up shore excursions to some, if not all, ports the ship visits in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Channel Islands.
Two for Tea?: Sometimes enrichment is as simple as afternoon tea. For example, Viking Star’s new Wintergarden, a serene, airy space adjacent to the main pool, will host tea ceremonies and afternoon tea service, a ritual that dates back to 19th-century England. Classical music will play softly as guests are treated to finger sandwiches, petit fours and scones, along with a wide selection of aromatic teas.
Brew Cruises: Un-Cruise Adventures’ 60-passenger Wilderness Adventurer sails through Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands with two themed voyages for craft beer lovers. Robyn Schumacher, owner and brewer, Seattle’s Stoup Brewing, will sail and lecture on the April 25 voyage, while Nate and Becca Schons, owners and brewers at Orcas Island’s Island Hoppin’ Brewery, will sail on the October 3 cruise.
Spin U: Carnival Cruise Lines now offers a new Spin U DJ Academy for 15-to-17-year-olds. In partnership with DJ Irie, Carnival’s DJ and the official DJ of the NBA’s Miami Heat, the line introduced the program in late 2014 on Carnival Freedom; the entire fleet will offer it by year’s end. The introductory academy is free; it includes equipment basics and spinning and mixing techniques. The more intensive DJ 101 and DJ Master programs cost $20 and $99, respectively.