This article first appeared in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read the full article, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats
The phenomenon of out-of-season cruising has many facets, from new twists on winter sun products to entirely new types of cruises being dreamed up. Whatever the focus, a quick study of recent and upcoming deployments shows that cruise operators are more interested than they have ever been in keeping their ships in the water for more weeks of the year.
In Europe, the trend can be spotted from the cooler north to the warm Mediterranean and beyond. Many French ports are experiencing longer seasons, says Delphine Beudin, manager, Cruise Development, Var Provence Cruise Club, which represents 10 French ports. “While in the past we had no calls at all during the winter months of December, January and February, we have had a few in the last two years.
“There is scope to extend the cruise season in Var-Provence, particularly in Toulon, which is known as the best-sheltered port in the French Med, allowing the biggest cruise ships to call whatever the weather conditions. As the capital of the Var Provence area, Toulon remains lively all year round and offers an average of 300 days of sun per year.” Norwegian Cruise Line is currently the main operator during the winter season and the port receives a few calls from Cunard too.
Beudin says: “For cruise operators willing to differentiate themselves from their competitors, offering cruises during the off season can be a way to propose something different – more tailored, smoother, off the beaten track and away from the crowds.”
Laurence Bouchardie, head of Development and Marketing for the Atlantic Port of Bordeaux, has seen similar trends towards calls outside the traditional season: “In 2015, our cruise season will begin in March and end in December, which is much longer than a few years ago, when typically the season would last from May to September,” she explains.
“Bordeaux is a UNESCO World Heritage City which is active all year round. Cruise ships call right in the city centre. The vineyards and châteaux are also worth a visit in the winter, when there are less tourists.” Fred. Olsen Cruises, P&O Cruises and Saga Cruises have committed to call early or late in 2015, says Bouchardie.
Valerie Conan, director, Le Havre Cruise Club, says the port positions itself as a year-round destination and has seen marked growth in earlier and later cruise calls since 2010. “Cruise ships have started coming earlier, from March, especially with more stops of AIDA Cruises in our region,” she says. In 2016 AIDAprima will begin weekly calls at Le Havre.
“Le Havre is a seaside resort but the cultural offer is strong too,” says Conan. “Animations, exhibitions and events are held throughout the year (for instance, we promote the Transat Jacques Vabre, a biennial sailing race at the end of October).”
She hopes to reverse a trend for off-season visitors to remain on the ship. “For these passengers, there are fewer conventional tourists in the main sights and they can enjoy visiting the beautiful ship-owner mansions without the crowd.”
The Adriatic coast is always popular for winter sun and it seems that cruise operators are squeezing in even more calls to the region than before. Bojan Babič, cruise terminal director for Luka Koper, comments: “Our season usually was from May to October but in recent years it has extended to April, March and November. The peak season is now in September and October.” The port is working to increase this still further, he says. “In winter time our dedicated pier is empty and we would like to fill it.” As an incentive, the port has introduced a ‘winter tariff’ from December to March. MSC Cruises is one line showing interest in bookings for this period in 2016.
The Port of Kotor is expecting 423 calls in 2015, a 20% increase on the previous season, says Ljubo Radovic, executive director of the Port of Kotor and Montenegro. “As a natural shelter, Kotor Bay and the port itself gives excellent opportunity for winter cruising. Beyond the normal cruise calendar, which starts at the beginning of April and lasts until the end of November, in the 2009-2010 season we started with services for Grand Circle Cruise Line’s Athena and Artemis during the winter months. This experience assures us that there is wide scope for growing winter cruising.” Two mooring buoys for berthing vessels over 300m will open during the 2015 season. “This project will improve safety and security for longer stays, especially during bad weather conditions in the autumn and winter months,” says Radovic.
The port of Trieste is extending its seasonal calls and will benefit from a project to fit the main jetty with a finger which can be used for the new-generation vessels, says Franco Napp, CEO of Trieste Terminal Passeggeri. “In 2015 our port will have an important increase in cruising compared to previous years. We hosted 44,000 guests in 2014 and we expect 140,000 in 2015. The cruise season will continue until the end of November and Costa Crociere will call from April to November.” Napp adds: “Trieste is very close to Venice and the cruise companies are offering year-round tours to Venice from Trieste.”
The Mediterranean Port of Brindisi in the heel of the Italian ‘boot’ is currently ‘deseasonalising’ its cruise calls, says Laura Cimaglia, Cruise Business Development manager. “Winter is the perfect time to visit our territory, which is rich in history, culture, and tradition and is one of Italy’s most important wine-growing regions. MSC Cruises has confirmed it will call until the end of November, and we will work to extend the season even longer.”
The challenge for the port and for the city will be to keep the quality of hospitality high throughout the year and not only during the summer, says Cimaglia. “On the other hand, the passenger can enjoy a wonderful experience in a mild climate with the usual good deals of winter cruises.”
In Sicily, the port of Palermo welcomes calls distributed throughout the year, says Vincenzo Cannatella, president of Palermo Port Authority. “Palermo Port Authority works to increase out-of-season options with promotional activity together with the Sicilian Tourism Department,” he says. “Cruise passengers can choose among a range of excursions, in or out of the town, to the beaches or up to the hills and mountains.”
Cruise calls now include January, February and December, with periods of high concentration in the months of October/November and March/April, outside of traditional seasonal schedules. “Our privileged location in the very heart of the Mediterranean Sea results in a mild year-round climate: all year long, the climate is sunny and warm with average sea temperatures of 23oC,” says Cannatella.
Even Mediterranean marquee ports see opportunities to extend their already crowded booking seasons. Carla Salvadó, president of MedCruise and Marketing and Cruise director at the Barcelona Port Authority, says calls early and late in the season are growing in popularity. “Nowadays the highest activity gathers in the months of May to October, but the evolution of calls and passengers is already very remarkable in the months of April and November. November registered 69 cruise calls in 2014, more than in June or July, but less passengers (in smaller ships). Last year, the month with the greatest number of cruise calls was October with 107.”
Salvadó sees several factors at work persuading operators to book calls for more months of the year. “The shipowners are presenting an important number of new ships that have to be positioned and there are new source markets such as Asia and Australia. These facts can help to extend the season.” She says AIDA Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises plan to extend their calls at the port during the winter months. “Even the big Norwegian Epic is staying year-round.”
As a destination that is relatively new to cruising, the port of Huelva on the Atlantic coast of Spain (famous as the point of departure for Christopher Columbus and home to the fandango) is working hard to attract calls. This year, says the port’s chairwoman Manuela de Paz, Huelva will welcome eight cruise vessels and more than 10,000 passengers and crew. “We are currently looking into our offer and product in the whole region and working on unique selling points and options that meet the expectations of the different types of passengers depending on the time of year that they sail.
“We have studied the current scope and future potential for winter cruising in our area, the drivers of deployment in the winter months and the demographics and marketing of winter cruises. We’re working on how ports and destinations should gear up for winter calls, seasonality challenges, navigation and route planning, availability, cost of airlift and itinerary selection for winter cruises.”
Across the Atlantic, the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia is looking for seasonal extensions to take it beyond its reputation as an autumn destination. “The challenge for Halifax is to extend the cruise season into the spring and summer months,” says Lynn Ledwidge, director of Marketing, Destination Halifax. “Autumn is the busiest time of year for cruise in Halifax and other Atlantic Canadian ports which are part of the Canada-New England run. Generally speaking, autumn in Atlantic Canada is marked by mild temperatures and consistent weather conditions. The summer months are a busy time for other forms of tourism but with the arrival of the fall, those same operators are able to focus more of their attention on cruise passengers. The two seasons complement each other quite nicely.”
For some regions, cruising has always been relatively unaffected by the time of year. Masayoshi Enari, manager, Port Promotion Division, City of Yokohama, remarks: “The Port of Yokohama doesn’t have a particular off-season for cruise. We have a lot of cruise activities even in winter, including Christmas short cruises and New Year cruises heading to Guam and other places. In December last year, we welcomed the maiden call of the Costa Atlantica, and we held departure ceremonies for several cruise ships in January.”
The Port of Yokohama offers subsidy programmes for cruise ships throughout the year, including reduction or exemption of port fees and quay dues. “Our new subsidy programme for foreign cruise ships, which started in 2013, has been working very well. Thanks to the subsidy programmes and hospitality services at the port, Yokohama has been the most popular cruise port in Japan, 12 years in a row.”
Long popular for summer fjord cruises, Norway is engaged in a drive to persuade cruise operators of its winter attractions, says Sandra Bratland, director of Cruise Norway.
“With more than 40 cruise ports, including the Spitsbergen islands, there are ample possibilities for varied and interesting sailing schedules of varying length all through the year, not only in the summer. The establishment of turnaround ports in the north opens up possibilities for new sailing schedules with shorter sailings as the ships can be stationed in northern Norway, bringing passengers in and out by plane.” Pullmantur has two sold-out cruises in 2015 operating turnarounds in the North Cape Turnaround Port Lakselv and Bodø.
A total of 13 cruises called at Norwegian ports in the winter time in 2014, a considerable increase on the first cruise of this kind in 2009. “The largest ship to visit in 2014 was P&O Cruises’ Oriana with approximately 2,000 passengers on two winter cruises. Winter time cruises usually operate from February until spring; however, we also see an increase in the number of cruises in late autumn,” says Bratland.
Further south in Northern Europe, the less spectacular and often rainy winters can be a hard sell but festive season cruises are growing in popularity. London is seeing booming demand in the winter holiday period, according to a spokesperson for London Cruise Terminal. The month of December 2014 was one of the busiest ever for the Tilbury-based terminal, with both Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Marco Polo and Fred. Olsen Cruises’ Black Watch docking alongside the 348m floating landing stage. “The two ships simultaneously embarked guests for parties alongside and Christmas Market mini-cruises to Zeebrugge and Amsterdam. In just one day a record breaking 3,200 guests passed through the terminal.”
The Irish port of Dublin is enjoying success with winter calls, says Michael Lennon, Corporate Services at the port. “In 2014, Fred. Olsen Cruises’ Boudicca called four times in the middle two weeks of December. We have also received bookings for similar calls in December 2015. This extension of the season does not cause us any operational difficulties as none of the ships are involved in turnarounds. These cruises are being marketed as Christmas cruises with passengers visiting Christmas markets in Dublin city.”
And it’s not just capital cities that see the potential of a fuller calendar of cruise calls. Portland Port in the UK is eyeing an extended season, says general manager, Business Development, Ian McQuade. “There is potential to extend into the shoulder season, particularly in April. Pure winter cruising is a possibility but is more weather reliant and depends on ensuring there are suitable indoor attractions open for excursions. An extension to the season brings tourism benefits to the region and additional tourism economic activity during the quieter winter months.”