Cruise line joins with Cruise Europe, Cruise Baltic and MedCruiseto to develop new regional shorex
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Princess Cruises has partnered with Cruise Europe, Cruise Baltic and MedCruise to launch a new Global Partners + Local Experts destination initiative this summer.
Designed to provide guests with exclusive and immersive shorex, the Global Partners + Local Experts programme is the first of its kind in the cruise industry and is part of Princess’ multimillion-dollar ‘Come Back New Promise’ product enhancement initiative. It will involve Princess’ destination team collaborating with local experts in key regional cruise destinations to develop onshore tours highlighting the ‘most authentic and inspiring experiences’ in each port. The experts include partners from ports, tourism boards, tour operators and port agents.
To date, Princess has joined with Cruise Baltic to develop shorex for guests on Regal Princess’ cruises in Scandinavia and Russia, Cruise Europe to plan trips for passengers on Caribbean Princess’ British Isles voyages, and MedCruise to create tours for those on Royal Princess’ Mediterranean sailings.
“Our research has revealed that our guests want to authentically connect with the destination, people and culture,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “While Princess has always been a destination leader, this is a powerful new way to showcase our expertise by enhancing the guest experience in each port both before and during the cruise. Through engaging stories from people who live there, exclusive guest experiences and expert recommendations, we want to inspire our guests and help them create lifelong memories.”
As part of the project, individual partners have filmed brief videos to recommend attractions cruise guests should visit when calling at their destinations. These videos will be shared in various places, including via direct e-mails to guests before they board their ship, as well as onboard during port presentations.
Princess will also work with destination partners to organise new tours with local expert speakers and exclusive experiences in port, to improve the port welcome and departure experience, to develop new port guides and walking maps, and create an ‘insider’s guide’ for each destination.