Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning 2020

3 1 P&O Cruises Australia offers various activities to allow guests to get up close to natural wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef experiences, so people still find it rewarding if they return to a port they visited on a previous cruise. Finding the perfect itinerary will be more important than ever as the world opens up again – people will likely take fewer trips initially, so their cruise will need to be exactly what they’re looking for. TR : Royal Caribbean Group’s brands and other companies in the industry continue to deliver innovative new ships filled with unique features and amenities, but we recognise that the destinations those ships visit plays a substantial role in both consumer consideration and the overall cruise experience. In fact, our guests rank the itinerary as one of the top factors when determining which cruise to book. Consequently, destinations are at the forefront of every strategic decision that we make, and we are constantly searching for ways to improve our itineraries. MR : Our guests love diverse and interesting itineraries and that has always been an important part of our planning. Historically we’ve offered cruises from several different homeports across Australia, which has allowed us to provide a range of itineraries that conveniently leave from a local port. We believe this is a strong factor in our guests’ decision to choose to cruise with P&O Cruises. What are the essential attributes of an inspiring and popular itinerary? CD : A destination with a well-known name and notable reputation always piques a traveller’s interest in a cruise itinerary. The length of time we spend in port is also important for repeat guests, so we include late-night and overnight calls on our cruises because they offer more opportunities to dig deeper into the highlights of a place. At the same time, however, our guests want to enjoy the onboard activities, such as the spa, casino and enrichment programmes, so we must include sea days. TR : The most fun-filled itineraries always feature diversity and authenticity. Guests prefer to have original experiences and the chance to immerse themselves in different cultures, sample new cuisine or purchase items they can’t get at home. MR : It is important to have a balance between the number of port and sea days. For example, our popular seven-night South Pacific itinerary from Brisbane, Australia combines three relaxed sea days with visits to two ports in New Caledonia and Port Vila in Vanuatu. This means our guests only need to take one week of annual leave, but they still return home feeling fully refreshed from their cruise holiday. Have you changed your approach to building and delivering inspiring itineraries for 2021 and 2022? Which ones are you particularly excited about? CD : Crystal had already opened bookings for itineraries across all