The president’s interview: Kevin Sheehan

The launch of Norwegian Breakaway earlier this year was a special event for everyone involved. The vessel, which is the first in the company’s most innovative class to date, has taken the much touted idea of ‘Freestyle Cruising’ and made it resonate throughout the fleet. However, for the company’s CEO and president, the launch was even more special. As a New Yorker, Kevin Sheehan has previously spoken of his joy at bringing the 4,000-passenger Breakaway to homeport at Manhattan. The good it will do the local economy is a testament to the loyalty he has to his home town and it’s a quality that he shares with his company too. In a special interview Cruise News spoke to the boss of the third biggest cruise line in the world to find out about future plans, how the IPO has affected business and ask what his favourite feature is onboard Breakaway.

What would you describe as the unique selling point of Norwegian Cruise Line?

Freedom and flexibility.   Our unique Freestyle Cruising proposition sets us apart. Our ships are purpose-built for Freestyle Cruising to deliver the choices that our guests want in a  cruise vacation.  Our newest ship, Norwegian Getaway, and her sister ship, Norwegian Breakaway, have a number of innovations that speak to Freestyle cruising, with up to 29 dining options, a wide variety of accommodation choices, indoor and outdoor entertainment options and much more.

How has the IPO and going public affected your business?

It’s been extremely positive in that we saw validation of our business by the investment community. We have spent the past five plus years going from good to great as a company, and I couldn’t be more proud of where we are right now.  Every single team member, whether shore side or on our ships, is engaged in this journey.

What feature are you most proud of that’s onboard the Breakaway-class ships?

There are so many things on these ships that it is difficult to pick just one. But if I had to focus on one I would say The Waterfront from a design and guest experience standpoint. There had been a lot of criticism of newer ships for becoming “mall-like.” With the Breakaway-class ships, we took a step back and said how can we recapture the allure and romance of the ocean? The Waterfront solved that as it gives us an outdoor deck with dining and entertainment where guests can enjoy the ocean views. The Waterfront is a huge success on Breakaway and will be on Getaway as well.

Can you tell us any innovations that are planned for Breakaway plus – or future vessels?

There are many exciting features to come on these incredible two new ships that we’re building.  While we haven’t announced details just yet, we will continue to raise the bar on the entire guest experience, from accommodations, to dining, entertainment and the ship itself, when it comes to environmental and technical features. There will be more to come very soon.

Breakaway is to be homeported in New York, Getaway in Miami; would you ever consider homeporting a ship in Europe, or possibly even the UK?

The European markets are important to Norwegian Cruise Line and we’ve had two ships year-round in Europe and a total of four seasonally for the past several years, including our largest ship, Norwegian Epic, spending the summer season in the Mediterranean.

In regard to Norwegian’s unique selling point, where do you see the future of that ‘sector’ going?

We have already seen the future of Freestyle Cruising in the Breakaway-class ships, which embrace ‘Cruising Like a Norwegian’ and push the industry further as a whole. We’ve also continued to innovate with entertainment bringing more Broadway shows to the high seas and continuing to push the envelope with our new dinner show on Norwegian Getaway, The Illusionarium. It’s going to be amazing.

As the man at the top of Norwegian, can you give agents wanting to sell more of your product one piece of advice?

Absolutely – it’s all about selling the experience of a cruise. There are so many exciting destinations, excursions and innovations on board so agents need to show this to their customers and find the right ship to fit their needs. If agents are impressed and excited about what’s on board, then the customer will be too. Rather than just getting caught up with price, it is important to show the customer what each cruise, each destination, and each experience can give them –and you’ll see happier customers who walk away feeling that they have an exciting experience ahead of them.

What are you ambitions for Norwegian Cruise Line?

Our mission is to be the cruise line of choice and we are about halfway there on our journey from Good to Great. We are focused on four main areas: enhancing guest satisfaction; improving our relationships with travel partners through our Partners First philosophy; continuing to communicate a clear brand message and engaging our employees so that all of our 20,000 plus team members across the globe are working towards these goals each and every day.