January 2010

NCL to the Caribbean
by Patricia Bannister

Our cabin steward and her helper were great. They always called us by name and were available to help us with our every need. Everyone onboard was very polite, kind, and ready to help.

One thing that I had a challenge getting used to is NCL's "any time, anywhere" dining. It isn't really quite "any time and anywhere" that you want to eat. There is somewhere open at all times where you can dine, but it may not be where you want to eat. There is always room service, along with the Blue Lagoon where you can find something to eat 24 hours per day. Although it may not be the "dining concept" for all of your clients, it is surely worth the unique experience!

We went to several of the specialty dining venues, and I would highly recommend them. My favorites were the Japanese steakhouse called Teppanyaki and the Italian eatery. Both had wonderful food and great service and ambience.

I don't mind the smoking onboard, but on this ship, you really need to understand that there is a lot of smoking onboard so that you will not put your clients who are allergic to smoke on this ship. My husband would have been ill onboard this ship. Smoking is allowed in many public spaces as well as in the staterooms.

For me, this ship is all about the destinations! We stopped at the following ports:

Costa Maya, where you will spend the day at the ruins. They are varied, and they are magnificent.
Santo Thomas was one stop that we didn't get to make (due to a bus strike), so we went to Roatan instead. There are many things to do in Roatan, including tours of the island that include some fabulous views of the sea. We took one of those tours and were able to see many resorts where we can send our clients.
Belize is beautiful. You can go scuba diving, snorkeling, touring, tubing, or just shopping. The weather was hot, hot, hot, but the sun was shining and it was a great day.
Cozumel is one of those cities where everyone who has sailed in the Caribbean has toured, shopped, swum with the dolphins, or spent the day at the beach. It is a beautiful island and a great place to find souvenirs or stocking stuffers (which is what I did).

We also had two days at sea on this voyage, giving us downtime by the pool or in the spa - or, in our case, in class. During our seminar at sea training, we had a great time breaking into small groups to discuss cruise sales and marketing ideas and how to market the "Norwegian Spirit" specifically. The OSSN member agent attendees were outgoing and loved to share information. That is one of the reasons we all enjoy having these great networking sessions while at sea! We all come back with new and exciting marketing ideas to consider for the year ahead. We even had a Murder Mystery Dinner while sailing, where one of the OSSN members onboard (Nick Browndyke) was the murderer! What a unique niche for a group promotion!

With all of the variety available in the cruise industry, it is really important to discover the diversity among the brands we have to sell and promote. I can surely say that the "Norwegian Spirit" is a beautiful ship with friendly personnel. And, with the "Norwegian Epic" making its maiden voyages in the summer of 2010, there will be a new NCL ship to explore as well!

Patricia Bannister serves as director of the OSSN Memphis Chapter and as the OSSN South Eastern Regional Manager. She may be reached via her listing (under "TN") in the OSSN chapter directors roster.

NCL to the Caribbean by Patricia Bannister

NCL to the Caribbean
by Patricia Bannister