yes, I have been on quite a few German ships. Actually my most recent cruise on a German ship was only last month.
Generally, German ships are much smaller (the "Alexander von Humboldt" I retunred from two weeks ago is 12,500 gt) and most of them are older than most of the ships being marketed in North America. Many German passengers enjoy these smaller, older ships.
A major difference in connection with that is that the ship is usually not considered the destination as with many North American cruisers, but the actual ports of call are.
Of course the food onboard is tailored to the tastes of German passengers. Entrees often have more sauces and gravies than one would find on ships catering to North Americans, and while North American passengers prefer beef, many German passengers enjoy pork more. Also, for breakfast German passengers like a large selection of different breads, cheeses and cold cuts.
Few German ships have casinos as most German passengers do not gamble at all. The cruise price usually is somewhat higher, but the onboard product isn't as focused on onboard revenue as most North American products are.
thank you. I don`t really agree with you that for German passengers, the ship is not the destination. Perhaps, I should mention that I am having a closer look at the LUXURY SEGMENT. There might be a difference. I.e. somebody travelling on the MS DEUTSCHLAND or MS EUROPA wouldn`t change the ship easily, they are almost always repeaters.
However, analysing the homepages of competitors like Crystal or Regent Seven Seas, it seems that their marketing is not focussed on the ships but on the brand or the destinations. Claims are: The Crystal experiemnce or The Regent Seven Seas experience.Have you ever heard of the Deilmann experience?
I'm not saying that the ship isn't important. The opposite is the truth and you often have a much higher number of repeat passengers on German ships than you have on North American ones.
Yet, the ship being the destination means something different, i.e. the ports of call are a very minor criterion when choosing a cruise. And that they are not for German passengers even though most of them are very loyal towards a particular ship or company.
Quote:
However, analysing the homepages of competitors like Crystal or Regent Seven Seas, it seems that their marketing is not focussed on the ships but on the brand or the destinations. Claims are: The Crystal experiemnce or The Regent Seven Seas experience.Have you ever heard of the Deilmann experience?
German companies often must market their ships individually because they cater to different market segments. With Deilmann only having one ocean-going ship, they of course focus on it. As another example, take Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten: "Europa" caters to a completely different clientele (****+) than "c.Columbus" (***+). Both require custom-tailored marketing. And even though both "Hanseatic" and "Bremen" are expedition ships, they also cater to different tastes and styles.
On the other hand, AIDA as Germany's most popular cruise brand is a great example for brand-focused marketing. Many AIDA passengers will tell you that they have just returned from "the AIDA". Hardly anybody will even use the actual name of the ship.
Originally posted by sophiew:
....Have you ever heard of the Deilmann experience?
...but of the Deilmann feeling. Beeing on a Deilmann ship, you are at home. As Raoul said, Deilmann has only one seagoing ship, the MS Deutschland, but the Deilmann feeling is on the river vessels e.g. Heidelberg. You feel familiar with the ship entering the Deilmann ship. That is true.
Regards
Uwe
Thanks, I have not been thinking about the AIDA branding so far, but you´re right, they can brand all their ships in the same way.
But, talking about Deilmann and HLKF: Why would an American cruiser choose i.e. a trip on board the EUROPA or DEUTSCHLAND ? You think that these companies have a market potential in the american luxury market?
There are already some companies competing and I can not imagine reasons why an American passenger would choose
a cruise on a German vessel(not talking about river cruises), especially considering the language?
Are the ideas of luxury cruising different in the US ? ( i.e. no casinos on EUROPA, DEUTSCHLAND)
yes, I have been on quite a few German ships. Actually my most recent cruise on a German ship was only last month.
Generally, German ships are much smaller (the "Alexander von Humboldt" I retunred from two weeks ago is 12,500 gt) and most of them are older than most of the ships being marketed in North America. Many German passengers enjoy these smaller, older ships.
A major difference in connection with that is that the ship is usually not considered the destination as with many North American cruisers, but the actual ports of call are.
Of course the food onboard is tailored to the tastes of German passengers. Entrees often have more sauces and gravies than one would find on ships catering to North Americans, and while North American passengers prefer beef, many German passengers enjoy pork more. Also, for breakfast German passengers like a large selection of different breads, cheeses and cold cuts.
Few German ships have casinos as most German passengers do not gamble at all. The cruise price usually is somewhat higher, but the onboard product isn't as focused on onboard revenue as most North American products are.
Hello!
My name is Heidi and I´m from Germany. I´ve done six cruises in the past (always on German vessels) and am now seriously thinking about booking a cruise on an american vessel.
I think, that in America there is such a big offer of american cruiseships, that most of the Americans wouldn´t book a cruise on a german vessel, because it´s easier to cruise on ships with no language barriers (except the few people who might want to take this new experience as an adventure). I cruised twice on the Hapag-Lloyd ship "Columbus" and this might be an interesting ship for more Americans because it is - as I have read once - the only cruiseship in the world that can cruise on the five Great lakes. So if it depends on the destination, which cruise somebody would like to book, I guess even Americans would book the German vessel too.
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