NORWEGIAN Cruise Line is building a proprietary in-house booking engine to help passengers add supplementary elements to their cruise.
The tool will be available to both the trade and consumers, and allow users to book pre- and post- tours and arrangements, as well as flights, alongside a Norwegian cruise.
Chief Sales & Marketing Officer International Jason Krimmel told CW the engine will help Norwegian better target cruisers outside of North America.
All of the line’s international markets outside of the United States are dominated by the tour operator model, Krimmel explained, which sees passengers often extend their vacation before and after their cruise, often through a package tour.
“How can I get more people on [Norwegian Prima] and [Norwegian Viva] in Europe, what’s the secret sauce? The secret sauce is managing the land vacation to supplement our seven- and 10-day products.
“I still think we’re probably a good two years away from being able to do a really good job in offering those pre- and post- [tours], combined with the flights and the cruise.”
The platform will allow agents to better serve their customers’ full journey.
“The travel advisor community can customise it – they know the profile of their client, they know the lifestyle of their client, and what’s going to appeal to them,” Krimmel said.
Norwegian has gotten better at offering pre- and post- options, which is key to encouraging more Australians to book a cruise.
“If you look at some of the Europe cruise tour packages that we’re offering now, they’re upwards of five getting into seven [days], and we know that that’s important for the Australian consumer…they’re not taking a week off, 21 days is your norm.”
Norwegian will also focus on sharpening its future deployment to allow more combo cruising.
“In 2026 in Europe, we are dominant with a seven-day product,” Krimmel explained.
“For future years, how can we allow some more back-to-back opportunities?” he pondered.
“Maybe it’s the same ship, but the second leg is different than the first leg…we’re probably looking more at the shoulder seasons, but typically that’s where the Australian guest is travelling,” Krimmel explained.
Other keys to encouraging pre- and post-cruise bookings include hotel and air connections, Krimmel added. MS
