PORTS AND BOWS:
RIVER CRUISES MAKE A SPLASH
Torstein Hagen is a cruise maverick and risk taker. The owner and CEO of Viking Cruises decided — when most river lines were building one or two boats a year — that he wanted to own the largest share of the market on the rivers of Europe. That was a laudable goal but it also meant building an unprecedented number of ships every year. So he did. With his crew of architects, he designed a type of river ship (Longships) that could carry more passengers within the dimensions allowed by the locks that river ships have to navigate. The boat had a rounded bow, affording Hagen the opportunity to offer indoor and outdoor areas that could also be used for casual fare. Most importantly, the new design carried 190 passengers, more than any other river cruiser.
Simplicity the key
No gym. No masseuse. No pool. Nothing extra. The Longships feature just a clean Scandinavian design with floor- to- ceiling windows. Starting in 2012, the first six of these Norse-named boats was launched.
While some had a few changes in the years that followed, for the most part they came from the same design inside and out.
With a Henry Ford assemblyline philosophy, Hagen kept turning out more and more Longships until he peaked this year by christening 16 cruisers. That brings us to 2015 … and 10 more of the same Longships with two smaller ones designed for the Elbe River. When the last ship hits the water next year, he will have gone from 17 per cent of the river market in 2007 to an unprecedented 50 per cent of the North American share for river cruises according to Viking officials.
Targeting the right audience
Hagen built the right ship with the right marketing team. He knows his target market and he wasn’t looking for youth.
“Our target is 55-plus,” he says, adding that all their advertising and marketing is aimed at that growing demographic.
No river line was into television till Viking came along. Hagen just happened to become a sponsor of Masterpiece Theatre when Downton Abbey — that monster hit — was debuting. More ads started appearing on CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, news shows, newspapers … all with a preponderance of 55-plus customers.
Meeting expectations
Don’t feel sorry for the other prominent river lines. All are doing well and, yes, building boats. Glen Moroney, founder and managing director of Scenic Tours, also fits in as a creative pioneer. He realized to get ocean cruisers to try river cruising he would give them what they were used to on the ocean — balconies — and he was first to do so. He was also the first to make his the first all-inclusive line on the rivers.
Gene Sloan, the venerable cruise writer at USA Today, offered these comments:
“Scenic includes unlimited, complimentary beverages in its fares. In addition, gratuities on Scenic — as well as shore tours and airport transfers — are included. So much is included, in fact, that the line doesn’t even bother to swipe credit cards when passengers arrive.”
Scenic will build two cruisers in 2015, as will sister line Emerald Waterways.
And Ama Waterways — also adding two ships in 2015 — offers a choice of complimentary tours at each port, escorted bike tours, plus one of the finest top decks on the new ships. My point is: All lines are establishing their niche in a unique way.
For Hagen, 2015 will be a year to remember. Besides capturing 50 per cent of the market, he will launch his first ocean ship, the Viking Star. It will have all outside cabins and Hagen is adamant that destinations and time spent there are the key.