64 FEATURE: SHORE EXCURSIONS Designing delights Alex Smith asks Christine Manjencic of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Priscilla Molina of Carnival Cruise Line how they are creating appealing excursions The years following the Covid-19 pandemic have seen a significant shift in the way cruise guests think about shore excursions. Travellers are searching for new and more authentic experiences, especially in destinations they may have visited many times before. “Everybody has their own desires and post-pandemic, we’re seeing a lot of people coming to us with unique requirements,” says Christine Manjencic, vice president of destination services at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH). “They want more immersive and intimate experiences, and we are being pushed even more to develop small group activities.” Cruise lines have therefore adapted their excursion offering to better suit these new guest preferences. Carnival Cruise Line, for example, has taken its knowledge of guest preferences to develop bespoke experiences that are more appealing than standard tours offered by land-based competitors. “Our tours are curated with our guests’ interests in mind because we cater to families and multigenerational groups,” says Priscilla Molina, director of product development for shore excursions at Carnival Cruise Line. “Guest insights enable us to create exclusive, tailored experiences, such as Casa Tipica in the Dominican Republic, which provides Photo: Carnival Cruise Line Guests can cook with a professional Mexican chef at Tabasco Chef Maestro in Cozumel
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