A Wellness Cruise Line Wants to Compete With the Industry’s Biggest Names
Photo Credit: Fitness will be a key part of the Blue World Voyages offering, but the cruise line will be competing with larger rivals that also have exercise options. Pictured is the spinning room on Royal Caribbean International's Anthem of the Seas. Royal Caribbean International
Skift Take
A new cruise line is betting that focusing on a specific market niche will be a winning strategy. We look at the game plan behind the new fitness-focused concept and consider whether it can work out.
Plenty of ocean cruise lines are adding wellness-themed offerings to their ships in order to appeal to health-conscious consumers, and in the next couple of years, a cruise line specifically focused on healthy living wants to join them.
Blue World Voyages is the brainchild of Miami-based fitness entrepreneur Gene Meehan, who wants to buy three medium-sized passenger ships and retrofit them to accommodate 300 wellness-minded passengers.
The company plans to remove cabins to create an entire activity deck, complete with a basketball court, a baseball hitting cage, golf training and simulation, and a huge health center and spa. There will also be healthy menus and educational programming focused on wellness.
John Richards, who served as chief marketing officer of the now-defunct Royal Viking Line, became CEO of Blue World Voyages last summer.
“There’s a lot of sameness in the industry. If you can bring something distinctive and new to the table, it has a reason for being,"
