Frank Del Rio announces retirement

[graphicguy]

I understand where they're coming from.  They're trying to capture the entire family instead of just a couple.  More revenue for a family than there is for an adult couple.  Adults are still going to drink and eat.  But, if they can bring their younglings, they're also happy to increase revenue by putting in the arcades, or the race tracks, or the laser tag....things that appeal mainly to a younger demographic.

 

Just having a jogging track and basketball court isn't going to cut it anymore.

 

All the mainstream cruise lines are trying to appeal to the same demographic.  Royal has ice skating rinks, "iFly" and bumper cars.  Carnival has rollercoasters and elevated pedal cars fer cryin' out loud.

 

If none of that appeals, adults have the typical "bingo", deal or no deal, trivia, etc. 

 

Do I like everything they offer?  No...not by a long shot.  But, I understand what they're trying to do.  And, there's more than enough to keep me interested every single day.

 

Interestingly, right after the restart I sailed a couple of Celebrity cruises on their (then) newest ships.  I loved both of them.  But, what I heard a lot was our cruises seemed to not have all the "stuff" the other cruise lines had.  I didn't have an issue with that. But, some did.

 

Can't please all the people, all the time.  But, they're doing their darnedest trying to do just that.

[Steff79]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Personally, I like the go-carts.  They’re fun.  So is Laser Tag.  Rock walls were never my thing, though.  I think that was Sheehans’ idea.

Rock walls need not much space. 
so it is not that they use a whole sun deck or H2O for that. 
 

and it‘s not about good or bad go karts. 
It was for people who said del rio had nothing to do with decision of ncl. 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Steff79

[graphicguy]

I’m thinking the Pandemic was a highly stressful time for the cruise industry overall.  That’s why we’ve seen a series of retirements over the last several months.

 

First it was Richard Fain at Royal, then Mr Arnold at Carnival.  Now it’s Mr DelRio at NCL.  Not surprising in the least for all these guys.  They had stock holders clamoring.  They had banks clamoring.  Operationally, they essentially had no revenue for  at least a year.

 

They all navigated their respective companies that they’re all sailing again.  That took a lot of deft maneuvering.while being in the crosshairs.

 

Easy to understand why they all needed to step back.

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

I’m thinking the Pandemic was a highly stressful time for the cruise industry overall.  That’s why we’ve seen a series of retirements over the last several months.

 

First it was Richard Fain at Royal, then Mr Arnold at Carnival.  Now it’s Mr DelRio at NCL.  Not surprising in the least for all these guys.  They had stock holders clamoring.  They had banks clamoring.  Operationally, they essentially had no revenue for  at least a year.

 

They all navigated their respective companies that they’re all sailing again.  That took a lot of deft maneuvering.while being in the crosshairs.

 

Easy to understand why they all needed to step back.

Had not thought about this, but you are right.  Staff was hard hit during the Pandemic, very few had jobs on the ships.  A number of staff died during the Pandemic for various reasons including suicide.  Then there were a number of staff who found land based jobs and did not want to come back to the ships.  Tough road then and now.

[laudergayle]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I’m thinking the Pandemic was a highly stressful time for the cruise industry overall.  That’s why we’ve seen a series of retirements over the last several months.

 

First it was Richard Fain at Royal, then Mr Arnold at Carnival.  Now it’s Mr DelRio at NCL.  Not surprising in the least for all these guys.  They had stock holders clamoring.  They had banks clamoring.  Operationally, they essentially had no revenue for  at least a year.

 

They all navigated their respective companies that they’re all sailing again.  That took a lot of deft maneuvering.while being in the crosshairs.

 

Easy to understand why they all needed to step back.

I totally agree. Pre-pandemic these guys were leading very competitive brands which thrived on delivering their guest experience and value proposition better than their competitors. They were the guys being innovative, adding services and amenities. Not only were these three leaders beaten down by the pandemic, but now they were being asked to watch and support the dismantling of the brands they built.  
 

I suppose the product cuts and rate increases are necessary to survive.

[SeaShark]

3 hours ago, Steff79 said:

It was for people who said del rio had nothing to do with decision of ncl.

 

Except that nobody said this. What was said was that FDR was the President/CEO of NCLH, not the President/CEO of NCL. This does have meaning and is important to realize as they are not the same company. As an example, you cannot buy stock in NCL, as NCL is not a publicly traded company (can't say the same for NCLH). Having a basic understanding of the corporate structure helps to understand what is going on. The reason this thread is here and not (for example) on the Regent and/or the Oceania boards indicates that there are still people confused about this.

[laudergayle]

Just to be clear, in post #80 I was not suggesting that the three leaders were responsible for singular brands. My comment was directed at the multiple brands within each of their portfolios…not that FDR was NCL only.  Wanted to make that clear in support of the previous post.

[luv2kroooz]

5 hours ago, Beaver1975 said:

I personally think that the amusement park at sea is a horrible idea. But, FDR's whole game plan was to go after the untapped cruiser base.  You know, the ones who have no idea what cruising was. He does not care about the loyal NCL cruiser. He knew we would still come until the brand got so bad that we finally moved on to other providers.

I think there is a lot of truth to this. Loyalty programs in general are unsustainable, especially as you see these double and triple latitudes points being awarded.  Pretty soon everyone will be Platinum and they'll have to scale it back. The cruise lines are definitely targeting the newbies. Its no different over at Carnival or Royal. We are Diamond over on Carnival, but they really don't care about loyalty either. They want the new cruiser who wants to spend money on overpriced pictures, roller coasters and all the other stuff that doesn't interest us. We find a lot of faults with NCL. Its loyalty program, however, is not one of them. It has its drawbacks, but overall we are happy with it.

 

Finally, yes, the go carts take up way too much space on the already cramped Prima. I predict they'll be phased out as new ships are developed.

[Karaboudjan]

41 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

I think there is a lot of truth to this. Loyalty programs in general are unsustainable, especially as you see these double and triple latitudes points being awarded.  Pretty soon everyone will be Platinum and they'll have to scale it back. The cruise lines are definitely targeting the newbies. Its no different over at Carnival or Royal. We are Diamond over on Carnival, but they really don't care about loyalty either. They want the new cruiser who wants to spend money on overpriced pictures, roller coasters and all the other stuff that doesn't interest us. We find a lot of faults with NCL. Its loyalty program, however, is not one of them. It has its drawbacks, but overall we are happy with it.

 

Finally, yes, the go carts take up way too much space on the already cramped Prima. I predict they'll be phased out as new ships are developed.

 

They seem to be getting a lot more targeted with the Latitudes bonuses.  Lately they seem to only offer them on certain 2023 cruises which I presume they want to get filled.  I don't recall them being as limited in scope a year or two ago.  We got triple points on a Prima cruise when they first went on sale and I can't believe they thought they'd need any help selling those...

 

The question with the go kart track is how profitable it is and what they could do instead.  Considering that it is wrapped around the funnel it is not exactly a prime or at least versatile location.  If they do phase them out I'm sure it won't be for something as mundane as just more deck space for people to spread out.

[graphicguy]

Some of the cheapest cruises I've ever taken was coming right out of the Pandemic.  Given how few guests were on those sailings my guess is those were loss leaders.  But, they were all trying to get people on board and the ships sailing.

 

Even now, I am finding good deals, including the one I just booked on the Bliss for next month.  Last Fall I was able to score a 7 day Breakaway Cruise to the Northeast (which was beautiful) in a Club Balcony for around $800 all in.  In addition, got some nice OBC, to go along with it.

 

I'm still able to find deals on NCL on their nicest ships.

 

Right after the start up, I scored Celebrity Retreat cabins on both the Edge and the Apex for about $3,500 with tips, drinks, internet included.  Plus, they were so desperate to get people on board, I was getting $2K+ OBC.  No way those cruises were profitable.  Fares have since gone up dramatically.

 

Frankly, none of the Loyalty Programs are really that enticing to me.  I get some nice perks with NCL (Free laundry, some discounts on other services, sometimes point multipliers).  But, none of them entice me to be totally loyal to NCL.

 

Even with Royal, I'm Diamond.  Nothing there makes me want to sail them unless there are some good value fares available.  They give me some free drinks (4/day) and access to the Diamond Lounge and Concierge, but those "perks" don't sway me one way or the other.

 

Go cart tracks always had a line.  Same with Laser Tag.  So, I'm guessing they're popular...assuming more popular than the rock wall.  It's the entire experience I go for, not just one or two features.

 

I like the entertainment, which is the best at sea on NCL.  The service has always been really good, too.  Food?  It's as good (or as bad) as any other cruise line's food.

Edited March 23, 2023 by graphicguy

[cruiseny4life]

I'm so upset this news came out while I was cruising NCL! Not NCLH. See I know the difference. Ha!

 

The board will demand revenue. Harry and David will provide revenue to keep shareholders happy. Kind of line line with Friedman, eh? 

 

I believe I'm most upset that I don't have a fun nickname for Harry yet. "Harry boy" just doesn't sit as well as "Frankie boy." Ahh well...off to the drawing board!