NCL
CORP. will not allow travel
agents to discount fares in any public advertising forums beginning
Jan. 17 and said it will institute a "level playing field" on
prices. The company said it would provide the same prices and
promotions to agencies "regardless of size or volume." NCL said
agents advertising an NCL product -- the company includes Norwegian
Cruise Line, NCL America and Orient Lines -- in a "public medium"
can advertise only an approved NCL price or promotion.
COLIN
VEITCH, NCL's CEO, said in a
statement that the company had sought agent feedback during a
recent road show. "We are not saying one is better than another,
nor are we telling anyone how to run his or her business," Veitch
said. "We are simply defining the way in which we wish our pricing
to be advertised, and we are making all of our pricing mechanisms
available to any and all agents who wish to partner with
us."
DISCOUNT
POLICIES-RESTRICTED: NCL becomes
the third cruise company to restrict discounting policies: Carnival
Cruise Lines' policy takes effect in January; RCCL's, for both its
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity brands, has been in place since late
August.
CLIA: The Cruise Lines
International Association is moving its annual National Cruise
Vacation Month promotion from February to October. The new
promotional month would fall before, instead of during, the cruise
industry's Wave season, which historically is the industry's
heaviest booking period. The trade organization also will introduce
several cruise promotions, including a program called the "World's
Largest Cruise Night," during National Cruise Vacation Month, which
will coincide with its recently announced plans for a trade
show.
CARNIVAL CRUISE
LINES is the second cruise
operator in two weeks to pick Freedom as the name for a vessel. The
line is naming its ship that will enter service in spring 2007 the
Carnival Freedom. The 110,000-ton Carnival Freedom, which will be
the fifth ship in Carnival's Conquest-class series, will join
sister ships with other patriotic-sounding names, such as the
Carnival Liberty and the Carnival Glory. Royal Caribbean
International earlier said its first Ultra Voyager vessel would be
named the Freedom of the Seas.