A-Rosa river cruise ship
Elana Karpman, Vicky Lubyk & Vanessa Lee from Cruise Strategies & Lynn Elmhirst of Ship2ShoreTV
A-Rosa dining room
A-Rosa Suite: View from bathroom
A-Rosa Suite: Bedroom
My friends at Cruise Strategies recently invited me to participate in the trade’s test drive of the A-Rosa Silva river cruise product. The A-Rosa brand has been available in Europe for years, but had not yet attempted to navigate the North American market. And before throwing themselves at the mercy of Canadian and U.S. travel agents, they wanted to make sure they had the product right.
It was apparent from the start that the staff had been briefed on the vagaries of North American tastes i.e. more demanding, less tolerant and higher service expectations than Europeans.
Based on research conducted by David Morris International on specific North American expectations of a luxury brand, the A-Rosa company honed in on a few key areas which needed improving.
The biggest change is the introduction of an all-inclusive product for North Americans. It’s a 1st in the river cruising market. Open bar throughout the ship, water, coffee and cappuccinos at no charge. There is a wide selection of complimentary excursions. Gratuities and port charges are also included.
The other notable change they’ve made is switching to sit down dining in the evening. Apparently the German market enjoys a buffet morning, noon and night. Cutlery, stem ware and décor has also been upgraded.
It was interesting to watch the good natured, white gloved, wait staff work out the kinks of serving a 5 course meal on the 1st night. Needless to say, there were a few pauses in between courses where the freely pouring wine was a bit too generously consumed.
Which brings me to the most important feature of A-Rosa – the cuisine. Whether it was the lunch buffet or the set dinner menu, the quality of the food was outstanding. I can’t remember the last time I had a choice of lobster, still pink beef tenderloin, venison in cherry jus and homemade gnocchi in a velvety gorgonzola sauce all offered at one elegant buffet.
According to David Morris, “I consider myself a food nut. And the 1st time I dined on A-Rosa it was a big wow.”
The look and feel of the ship is designed to attract a younger, more active market. The excursions reflect this with many active offerings such as golf, rafting, helicopter and balloon rides, horseback and biking tours.
For Renata Grant of Expedia CruiseShipCenters in Toronto, this is an important selling feature. “We have many clients who look for interesting excursions. If there isn’t enough variety and opportunity to stay active, they aren’t interested. That’s my biggest challenge. “
She also notes that the size of the spa and fitness area is the best she’s ever seen on a river cruise.
Overall, feedback from travel agents was that the all-inclusive product offers good value. CrusieShipCenters’ Jeremy Harrington of North Vancouver says “from a selling perspective, it’s a great value proposition.”
Why has A-Rosa chosen this particular time to market to North Americans? According to A-Rosa's Managing Director, Lars Clasen, “River cruising is still the fastest growing segment in the travel industry and demand continues to exceed supply.”
About A-Rosa: It is an integrated cruise company: they own the hardware, control the nautical and hotel operations as well as the sales and marketing. There are 10 ships with an additional 1 on order for 2014. 13 itineraries are available for sale exclusively in the North American market.
