Atlas Ocean Voyages has witnessed a marked change in the brand’s audience in its relatively young operation, repositioning from a budget clientele to guests in the high-end luxury/expedition arena, says James Rodriguez, President and CEO.Speaking exclusively with LATTE last week from the Caribbean, Rodriguez revealed Australia will be the brand’s third-largest source market behind North America (USA and Canada) and the United Kingdom.When the brand was initially announced in 2019, Atlas Ocean Voyages was primarily created for the North American market by Mystic Invest Holdings.Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.With a 20-year career in cruising for brands including Oceania Cruises and Crystal, Rodriguez joined Atlas Ocean Voyages in August 2022.“When I came on board I wanted to branch out. You have to always have backup plans in case something happens in the US, right,” Rodriguez explained.In recent years Atlas Ocean Voyages has been successfully building brand awareness in the UK market, however the more recent push into the Australian market via Cruise Traveller “kind of took off faster than we expected,” Rodriguez said.Atlas Ocean’s primary guest demographic is those in their 50s to 60s. The average age of guests is 58. But as an expedition/adventure cruise operator, their average age comes down marginally, Rodriguez says.
“There’s a lot of Atlas Ocean guests who’ve never been on a cruise before. They want to go on a cruise to Antarctica so they come on board. They’re wowed by the experience, and it dispels their misconceptions of what a cruise was.”
“And then they want to go to other places in the world with us.”
The brand’s President says a recent deep dive into Atlas Ocean Voyages’ guest demographic identified a significant shift, not just in age, but also the type of guest.“At first we were sourcing the value-conscious guest because they’re just looking for the lower price point.” Rodriguez had earlier explained that occupancy levels when he joined were in their single-digits.“Since then, we’ve been able to elevate our APD in such a way that we’re now going head-to-head with lots of luxury players out there. Sourcing those types of guests who are looking for the finer things in life and are willing to pay for it as well, because they are paying for the experience.”Rodriguez paid respect to the brand’s onboard team, saying they have done a “phenomenal job of delivering”.“I can go out there all day long as a marketer and try to sell you on something, but if, when a guest gets on board, it’s not delivered, it really can be a challenge.”
“We’ve had the best case scenario, the best situation, where we are trying to elevate the price and occupancy, but also having that delivered on board the vessel, and guests are coming back.”
“Our return passenger ratio is already at 28% which is phenomenal for a new brand, especially for an expedition brand because commonly when you go to the polar region, that’s usually a one-and-done type of vacation. But we’re getting people back to go to other parts of the world with us.
Based in Denver, Rodriguez commutes every week between the Coloradan city to Fort Lauderdale in Florida.Late last year, Atlas announced he was set to depart the business to pursue other opportunities. Only weeks later, in December, AOV rebutted that decision and excitedly announcing the President and CEO was staying on.He told LATTE that after discussions with AOV’s owners, he was able to find the right work/life balance scenario that suited his lifestyle.“We’ve grown this brand from single-digit occupancies to where it is now. I have this fantastic team and we’ve been able to do some incredible things.“I was really saddened to leave because I felt like I was leaving in the middle of the game and not completing it. But it’s worked out for the best now. We’re all very happy.”
