EXCLUSIVE VIDEO from Norwegian Aqua: Derek Lloyd on Why Travel Advisors Are Essential
by Bruce ParkinsonTravel Market Report Canada is aboard the brand-new Norwegian Aqua, the first of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima Plus class ships, a little over 10% larger than Prima class sisters Prima and Viva.
TMR Canada Executive Director John Kirk says you can feel that extra 10% space in the public deck areas and in the “little private nooks and crannies” found throughout the ship.
Kirk joined Derek Lloyd, Vice President of Strategic and National Accounts, for a video interview on NCL’s long-time private Bahamian island Great Stirrup Cay. There are big plans for the popular stop, kicking off with a pier in the fourth quarter of this year that will end the need for tendering.
In the interview, Lloyd praised Aqua and the advantages of the expanded space on Prima Plus class: “It’s a lot more bright, a lot more open, much more deck space. Given the fact that the Aqua and future sister ship the Luna are going to be focused on warm weather, fun and sun destinations, makes it perfectly suited.”
Now responsible for accounts both in Canada and the U.S., Lloyd says Canadian winters force citizens to flee to the sun, and Canadian travel advisors are essential in helping NCL stand out as a value-packed vacation choice.
“We rely on the Canadian travel partners to really explain the value proposition because one of the things with Norwegian, we’re a little more complicated,” Lloyd said. “Because of the whole ‘More At Sea’ packaging, the fact that we are as inclusive in the contemporary market as you can be, we need the travel partners to be able to explain that, because other products look cheaper.”
Lloyd continued: “But as the saying goes, it’s not how much you pay to get on the ship, it’s how much you pay to get off. So if you’re coming off a ship with a $1,000+ bar tab… We need travel partners across North America to be able to explain that. That’s absolutely critical for us. That’s a hard thing to get across on a website or on a banner ad.”
