Regent Seven Seas Cruises is calling on travel partners and consumers to “look beneath the surface” of ‘all-inclusive’ packages presented by other existing and new cruise lines.
“Within our peer group, this whole issue of inclusiveness – it’s debated more and more,” says Steve Odell, SVP and MD Asia Pacific for the ultra-luxury brand.
“We all offer a different level of all-inclusive. We believe we have the most all-inclusive,” Odell told LATTE, saying only Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers unlimited excursions. The brand also recently introduced laundry into its all-inclusive offering.
“There aren’t really any missing pieces, plus we don’t charge for specialty restaurants,” Odell remarked.
The cruise industry veteran said within RSSC’s peer group there is a “diluted version” of all-inclusive, but hesitated from naming names.
“It doesn’t matter that we’re the most expensive because these kinds of customers, they like value. They’re not so worried about the price tag as long as they get the value,” Odell said.
“I think we have to be brave about that as a leader in the luxury set.”
“We have to be very brave about how we position ourselves. You see it in the High Street – Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel – they don’t advertise discounts. The price is the price.”
“And that’s where we believe we should sit in this luxury set,” Odell said, adding, “We can be the most expensive but we give the best value.”
Regent Seven Seas Cruises also doesn’t discount its pricing, he noted. Rather, the incentive for early bookers is a reduced deposit requirement.
“The best deal is made by booking early with the lowest deposit,” he said, adding that pricing increases every quarter, but not always across the board.
Lisa Pile, Vice President and General Manager, Australia/New Zealand notes RSSC provides a competitive foreign exchange rate with its pricing.
Odell added, “That gives us a little bit of an advantage, but it’s more about trying to lock people in early for the best deal. We provide more value-add. Sometimes we might put in a three-night land package, but once that’s full, it’s full and then it comes off off sale.
“The earlier people commit the better deal they can secure,” he added.
Pile also told LATTE the Australian market had “really come into its own”.
“It’s matured as a market. We’ve become sophisticated travellers.
“In the past, we were considered a bit of a joke when we travelled – the ‘good old Aussies’.
“Now we’ve become quite sophisticated and we really appreciate value, but what we really value is good service,” Pile said.
“And I think that’s why we’re seeing Regent doing so well because 1) it’s understated; and 2) our clients are one-percenters who are self-made people and they don’t like the pretension. They love the fact that they can get on and be casual and be a nobody. No one’s asking you, where are you from? or what do you do? It’s just not a done thing on Regent, so it does fit the culture.”
Meanwhile, Odell said that Queensland has become the country’s biggest producing market for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, moving ahead of New South Wales through the pandemic and out the other side.
All lifestyle images courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.