Cruises

A ‘How-To’ Guide For Selling F&B on Cruises

 

Travel advisors are keen to jumpstart selling cruise travel, especially as consumers are experiencing a pent-up demand to venture beyond their home, explore the world, and enjoy a shipboard vacation.

Without question, the food and beverage aspect of cruising has increasingly become more central to a successful cruise travel experience. So, to better sell cruising as the industry continues on the road to recovery, travel advisors must be extremely attuned to what their clients are seeking regarding food and beverage. Abundant choice, high-quality offerings, top-notch preparation, and seamless service are key. Here are four fundamental things for advisors to consider as they sell food and beverage on a cruise today.

Navigating Drinks Packages

To purchase or not to purchase? It’s an important question on consumers’ minds because not all drinks packages are created equal. Value, quality and convenience are essential as sailors want a drinks offering that is simple to use, has reasonable rules, and makes economic sense in order to best manage expenses.

What should advisors make sure clients know? They should ask clients how much they expect to drink and what they like to drink – wine, beer, water, etc. It’s important for them to know the details of drinks packages, including that they are purchased for the entire stay, are typically bought for an individual, and that everyone in the stateroom must buy their own package.

Some cruise companies are being creative with their beverage offerings. Virgin Voyages uses bar tab, which is connected to each sailor’s band. Bar tab is a pre-purchased onboard credit that can be spent on premium beverages, as well as non-alcoholic drinks like fresh pressed juices, smoothies and coffees – all around the ship and at The Beach Club at Bimini. It is designed to pay for any drink, for the client and their friends, therefore not everyone in the cabin has to buy a bar tab. The program offers fair prices for every budget and craving incorporating quality drinks with great ingredients. 

The Value of Gastronomic Choices

Dining diversity is essential to fit all tastes and moods, encompassing international dining, casual options, vegetarian, gluten-free, 24-hour choices, late-night snacks and more.

Enhancing this variety of choice are creative food concepts. Think made-to-order cooking, addressing certain trends in thoughtful, delicious ways as people’s food preferences evolve. Equally important as varied dining is a cruise company’s focus on using fresh quality ingredients that are sustainably sourced, which also provides a way to support local communities. Gastronomy also provides a connection to global cultures and the history and traditions associated with them.

Raising the bar, cruise lines are increasingly exercising their gastronomic creative muscle and showcasing dazzling culinary wizardry at every meal, every day of a sailing. Virgin Voyages features menus designed by Michelin-starred chefs incorporating high-quality, sustainable ingredients and more than 20 distinctive, authentic dining concepts that make guests feel like they’re on their favorite block in NYC – from steakhouses, Mexican and Korean barbecue to veggie-forward dining, an international food market, and an experimental onboard eatery.

Changes That Speak To “Safety First”

COVID-19 has caused consumers to rethink their comfort level with food and beverage onboard a cruise ship. They need reassurance that health and safety guidelines from organizations such as the CDC are being followed and that cruise lines have implemented exceptional hygiene and cleanliness standards without sacrificing the quality of the vacation experience.

How has this made cruise companies re-imagine large dining halls and buffets often associated with cruising? Cruise lines are steadfastly implementing new protocols to ease consumer concerns, such as modifying or eliminating buffets and replacing them with increased made-to-order dining, delivering a full-service approach with staff taking individual orders in larger spaces (instead of self-serve), instituting limits on the number of diners in a space at one time, and more personalized, experiential food concepts. There may also be increases in uses of tech experiences – where sailors can avoid waiting for tables by placing their name in a digital queue, scanning QR codes to access restaurant and bar menus, and contactless technology for food delivery to cabins.

Identifying F&B Choices

Travel advisors know it’s important to match their clients with the cruise experience best suited to their individual interests – and just as significant is helping clients identify the right food and beverage choices for their sailing adventure.

Asking the right questions from the beginning helps advisors curate a well-deserved cruise journey for clients. Do they prefer more alcoholic or non-alcoholic choices or a healthy mix of both? How critical is vast dining choice to the travelers’ level of cruise ship satisfaction? Do they have dietary restrictions or special preferences? What makes the most sense for them, both economically and in terms of choice?

Couples, honeymooners, incentive groups and other market segments may all seek different types of food and beverage experiences, so understanding their distinctive needs builds client satisfaction and loyalty.

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Food and beverage can be a game-changer for cruise-bound clients. Travel advisors are in the position to enhance client satisfaction by selling gastronomy customized to sailors’ preferences and leveraging the importance of choice and safety. Together, this can help re-energize the cruise experience and satisfy the desire for unrivaled food and beverage while sailing.

The editorial staff had no role in this post's creation.