On The Deck: Bernie Carter
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It’s no exaggeration to say that Oceania Cruises has a mouth watering offering. Renowned for its world-class cuisine and high level of service, the firm attracts ‘foodies’ from around the globe. And, speaking from personal experience, its steak rivals any high-class restaurant in the UK – and anywhere else for that matter. And considering that the line owns its own dry-ageing farm in the States, it’s no surprise. Cruise News caught up with managing director Bernie Carter to discuss where the luxury brand sits within the competitive segment, what makes it so different and what are the challenges the company currently face.
Who is the typical Oceania customer?
Oceania offers an experience for people who like exploring, love their food and like to take their holidays in an environment that is both relaxing and elegant but feels like a home away from home. You get the finest cuisine money can buy, made by some of the world’s best chefs. It offers something towards the ultra luxury all-inclusive market but in a modular fashion. The tag line for Oceania cruise is ‘your world your way’.
Where do you sit within the luxury market?
Luxury is a word that has been abused recently, but Oceania offers genuine quality. The larger four star/ four star plus ships sit just below Oceania, meaning there are 2,000-2,500 guests, two sittings, charges for specialty restaurants, paying for soft drinks and transfers/shuttles buses into port. Our offering is for customers who want to take a step up but don’t necessarily want to go all inclusive.
You’re very well known for your cuisine, is that part of the Oceania brand?
We spend an amazing amount on our raw ingredients. We are the only cruise line to use 28-day dry aged US beef and that is because we have our own dry ageing farm in the states where we vacuum pack and send the product fresh to the ship. We get our lamb from a farm in Colorado, we get our lobster from a farm in Maine where we are their only customer. Our guest to crew ratio is 1.7 on the small ships and 1.4 on the bigger vessels and at those levels you are well into the luxury sector. Approximately 25% of our staff work in the kitchens. It’s stunning.
Why else would you say Oceania is a successful operation?
You have to know your audience and you have to deliver on your promises, and that’s what Oceania does. The commitment from the highest level right down to the guys cleaning the linen is present –everyone is franchised in the operation. There is a feeling of ownership. We are a corporation but we are run as a family business with family values. For instance if we have a married couple they share accommodation because we know a happy staff is a hard working staff and that means happy guests.
How important are repeat bookings?
Massively, we actually have a repeat factor of 45%. It would be higher if our repeat guests didn’t’ keep telling first timers to travel with us! The first thing that attracts people is a recommendation or seeing an itinerary which they like the look of. The core of why it’s so successful is we concentrate on what we do to our best ability and are always striving to do something beyond. When you think we have reached the final pinnacle, there is always another to be reached. Our crockery and linen is the type you would normally find in private mansions. We have focus groups talking about why they travel with Oceania and the first thing they say is the service, then ambiance, then cuisine and then itinerary.
How can a travel agent successfully partner with Oceania?
The idea is to look at it as a product and if they want to learn about it join organisations like ACE and speak with us. Take part in online training; we have personal training, ACE online academy and this year we have introduced our Recipe For Success seminar where we have taken our whole product offering in seven modules, it covers everything. Everyone who takes part learns about the product but there is also a quiz after which there are prizes for. We are really trying to incentivise travel partners to take part in this training. We want to give them product launch details and develop people who know about certain areas.
Could anything be done to improve the relationship between companies like Oceania and travel agents?
There is always room for improvement – for me it’s about increasing quota time, better relationships and introducing ourselves to a whole new team of agents. The main thing for us is that we want to become a household name with a great many more travel partners, particularly those who don’t have a license and want to book cruises.
What challenges are you facing within the market?
Everything is moving so fast. The pace of evolution is speeding up with new ideas to please the customers and the challenge is getting it just right for the customer without going too far. That’s why having Frank Del Rio at the helm is great because they know what’s required and what the customer wants and they then look at how to develop it. Changing it without totally altering the product; because if you are successful you don’t want to alienate your current and loyal guests. The market is very aggressive but I don’ think you can get any better value for money than cruise.
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