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• 4 min de lectura
Norwegian Cruise Line is changing how it sells cruises, moving to a new base-loading strategy with the lowest pricing early in the booking curve to build demand sooner and support strong close-in yields.
"This is not about discounting the product. It is about managing the full booking curve more effectively, building a healthier booked position earlier, maintaining better price integrity as we move closer to sailing and being more strategic about our promotional activity," Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Chairman/CEO John Chidsey said Thursday.
The shift is targeted at the NCL brand specifically.
Chidsey said that in the second quarter, it became clear that "in certain areas we were holding price too high, too far out, which limited early demand generation and left us more exposed to close-in discounting."
NCL is taking pricing initiatives on select 2027 sailings. The greatest opportunity, Chidsey told analysts during the company's earnings call, is for cruises further out in the booking curve, particularly later in 2027.
And in opening 2028 bookings and beyond, all inventory will be managed with this methdology going forward.
"We are focused on managing inventory and price in a more disciplined way, maximizing yield over the full booking cycle and reducting our exposure to close-in demand volatility, particularly in periods of external disruption like the one we are navigating today," Chidsey said.
The NCLH chief couldn't tell how long it would take to "retrain" customers and travel partners not to wait for pricing to drop closer to sailing. But he doesn't think it will be a multiyear effort because this strategy is more inline with the industry as a whole.
On Thursday, NCLH disclosed it remains below optimal booked position for the next 12 months. Softer demand was blamed "more on us, not macro events," Chidsey said. One issue has been "spending way too much" at the lower end of the funnel and not enough at the top to build awareness and spark interest.
NCL targets two core market segments: premium families and seasoned travelers, a 35m-strong pool, according to Chidsey.
The company believes it has the right product and the right target customers. That's reflected in guest satisfaction sores, repeat bookings and shipboard CruiseNext sales. So the product and service resonate when guests are on board, Chidsey said.
But the "gap" has been "connecting the right consumer with the strength of our offering through our messaging and media ... Now we are focused on effectively reaching that audience through the most impactful channels."
Work is under way to develop a clearer understanding of what motivates the target segments and determine how best to reach them. In parallel, NCL is taking inventory of its products and services to "define what truly differentiates NCL and mapping those strengths against the needs of our target guests."
An example is Great Stirrup Cay, where the Great Tides Waterpark will have a soft opening starting next week. Its official inauguration is Sept. 4.
"Great Stirrup Cay has long been one of our highest-rated destinations, but historically, the island did not fully deliver the breadth of the experience that premium families are looking for," Chidsey said.
He's just visited.
"I think our island is top-notch. I think our water park is going to be unbelievable ... Our issue is all in how we've marketed or not marketed."
High-flier Lee Applbaum joined as chief marketing officer earlier this month and Chidsey said changes are aready under way, including new creative and media plans that will begin rolling out in the next couple weeks.
There's still much to do, and 2027 is expected to be a "transitory" year, with the first half the most challenging and negative yields expected, however progressive quarterly improvement.
Chidsey thinks 2028 will be the first "normalized" year.
NCLH shares closed down 9.8% at $18.72 on Thursday. The stock has traded in the range of $14.53 tand $27.18 over the past 52 weeks.
