Behind the Scenes on the Norwegian Escape

Like Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line is using YouTube to introduce their newest ship. In this episode of Norwegian Escape: Behind the Scenes with Andy Stuart, Andy tours the Supper Club. The entertainment spot will have a variety of shows including a music review inspired by John Hughes' '80s teen movies.

To watch other Norwegian Escape videos, go to NCL's YouTube Channel.

No more Nickelodeon on NCL

Nichelodeon and Norwegian Cruise Line agreed to end their marketing agreement and phase out the various Nick experiences and characters on all their ships. Both companies said the parting was mutual.

NCL can probably find another family-focused partner, but do they really need one? Kids might love Sponge Bob or Dora, but how many families are booking a cruise because of the Nick experience? NCL can still provide great kid and family-friendly activities without official branded characters. If someone is picking a cruise strickly based on character interactions, they are going to book a Disney Cruise. NCL's pitch to families should be that they are not Disney. They can offer a experience that is different from Disney (casinos, family-friendly but not overrun with kids, etc.). And in most cases they can offer a more affordable cruise.

If NCL does sign a partnership with a new children's entertainment company, it will be a nice marketing tool. But ultimately no kid deal is going to be a game changer for the company.

Will Norwegian Cruise Lines "free drinks" idea spread?

Cruise News UK is covering the cruise3sixty conference and wrote about NCL's announcement that the Norwegian Sky will include alcohol in their cruise price. The idea expands their freestyle cruising philosophy. Of course there are some fine print details like:
-- wines by the glass
-- bottled or draft beer up to $11
-- passengers under 20 will be offered unlimited soft drinks

The company is saying the policy is in place for "2016 and beyond." Anything new is somewhat bold in the cruise industry, so we applaud NCL's experiment. They are giving up a big revenue source in the hope that it will bring more passengers on board. Like all cruise experiences, there is also some belief that whatever money they lose on beverages can be made up by the passengers spending it elsewhere on the ship or through upselling on premium drinks.

If it works, NCL will probably roll it out to other ships. However, don't expect the other lines to follow just yet. Aside from the potential revenue loss, some lines don't want to encourage excessive drinking in a party atmosphere...especially lines that cater to an older clientele. For other lines that want more of a young, fun crowd, this might be an option (Carnival?).

For anyone sailing on the Norwegian Sky in 2016, let us know what you think and how the experience works in practice.