Where next for cruise? James Werth shares his predictions

Over the coming weeks, seven industry experts will share their predictions for the coming year as part of our ‘Where next for cruise?’ series to mark the launch of Cruise Adviser’s Preview guide 2016. This week it is James Werth, Cruiseo co-founder.

It looks like 2016 will be a huge year for cruise. From the launch of eight new ocean ships to further growth on our rivers, we will also see a range of hardware coming online across the spectrum; from luxury ships to more mainstream vessels.

While there may be a variance in quality and onboard amenities, the ships are likely to feature the latest cutting-edge innovations, especially when it comes to high-speed onboard wi-fi and connectivity between fellow passengers (no more walkie-talkies please!). For example, Norwegian Cruise Line’s new ships offer an app to enable passengers to book restaurants, review charges as well as text and call friends and family on board.

In the air-travel industry, airlines need each new plane to be more high tech and luxurious than the last. There is now an expectation for aircrafts to feature onboard wi-fi and larger touchscreen TVs. Airlines that do not keep up have seen customers shift from one carrier to another.

New ships mean a significant increase in cabins that cruise lines (with the assistance of travel agents) need to sell. Appealing solely to the existing cruise market is not the answer. It is crucial for new demand to be created by raising the number of first-time cruise passengers.

In my view, first-time cruisers react well to technology that allows the end-to-end transaction (from research, booking, customer service and the cruise experience itself) to be smoother and respond to their needs. This improvement in travel bookings doesn’t appear to have happened in cruise.

Travel agents and the cruise lines should deliver a better experience to encourage new cruisers.

As a new entrant to the industry, Cruiseo will focus on improving the booking experience.

We will continue to improve technology through a unique algorithm developed to identify the perfect cruise match for users. Cruiseo only works with cruise lines that can allow our website to feed into their live database to check availability.

In order to grow, cruise lines should encourage the industry to reach out to new markets to enable the industry to develop faster and let us continue to enjoy working in it.