This article originally appeared in AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.
After working for Oceania Cruises for almost 19 years, since its inception in 2003, James A. Rodriguez departed on excellent terms in July 2021 to explore a new trajectory in his life. He moved with his family to Colorado to study sustainability practices and earned two certifications in environmental social governance through Harvard Business School.
Then Atlas Ocean Cruises came calling. The Portugal-based line was looking for a new leader who ideally had startup experience. The challenge appealed to Rodriguez because of his broad background at Oceania, where he started from the ground up, eventually becoming executive vice president-sales and marketing. That experience was what Atlas was looking for, and Rodriguez became its president and CEO in August 2022.
Re-Shifting Atlas' Focus
“Atlas was looking for somebody with the skillset of a start-up, who was able to motivate a team, and had really good marketing and sales skills,” Rodriguez said. “To their credit, back in 2019 when this line was actually launched, they came out with a really good business plan, but of course that was in a pre-pandemic world. They brought me in to re-shift that focus and try to home in on exactly what the consumers were looking for at that particular time.”
Post-Pandemic Travel
In the pre-pandemic world, travelers wanted to go to new places and do exotic things. “After the pandemic, you longed for those things you knew, things that felt comfortable, so what we did immediately was take a look at the itineraries and put in some of those marquee ports like Rome and Barcelona and mixed them with boutique yacht ports,” Rodriguez said.
He entered what he called a “very challenging environment” with “occupancy rates that were shocking.” When Rodriguez joined Atlas, the Antarctica occupancy for the season starting in November was at just 9 percent.
“Between Aug. 1 and the launch of the Labor Day sale is how much time we had, basically three weeks, to get our positioning and brand in order so we could launch a significant promotion and try to fill the occupancy,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody was very pleasantly surprised by how well this was executed. And we ended the season at nearly 90 percent occupancy.”
Epicurean Expeditions
Another enhancement was the creation of Epicurean Expeditions for when the polar-class ships operate in warmer climes, such as the Mediterranean.
“Travelers today want something more than just sitting by the pool. They want to come back changed as a person from the experience they had,” Rodriguez said. “We wanted to take our expeditions out of the polar regions into everywhere we go. That’s where we came up with year-round expeditions and took the expedition team leaders off from the polar regions and put epicurean expedition team leaders on.”
Culinary Excursions
Epicurean Expeditions include culinary shore excursions, some free and others at a cost. For example, a May cruise from Barcelona to Nice on World Traveller included a 2.5-hour walking tour of Sète, France, for $85. It concluded in the local market with a lunch of freshly shucked oysters from the nearby lagoon and crisp white wine. Free excursions included a visit to a honey producer in Bandol, France, and a wine tasting outside St. Tropez.
This cruise also featured special guests Chef Rudi Scholdis, formerly of Silversea Cruises and numerous Michelinstarred restaurants, and his caviar master wife, Jennifer Meriño, who run two restaurants and a caviar operation in Chile. Scholdis created the menu for a gala dinner, conducted cooking demonstrations and hosted a caviar talk and tasting with his wife.
“We really infuse that learning and inspirational types of travel, in all the regions that we go to,” Rodriguez said.
CRUISE LINE: Atlas Ocean Voyages
SHIPS: 200-passenger, 10,000-gross-ton World Navigator and World Traveller. A third sister, World Voyager, is scheduled to join the fleet in November 2023, followed by World Seeker in summer 2025.
WHAT’S INCLUDED: Unlimited alcoholic and soft beverages, specialty coffees and freshpressed juices; in-room minibar stocked with guest preferences; 24-hour room service; L’Occitane bath amenities; pre-paid gratuities; walking sticks and binoculars; butler service; expanded room service menu in suites; and trip delay and medical coverage.
PRICING: Atlas positions itself as “attainable luxury” with prices between those of ultra-luxury companies and traditional expedition ships. For example, Antarctica average per diems for Silversea, Seabourn and the like are $1,100 to $1,500, while expedition companies are $630- $1,250. Atlas falls in between at $900 to $1,100, according to Atlas research presented to travel advisors.
AGENT ASSISTANCE: The new Atlas Advisor Central website includes sales tools, training materials and marketing assistance. Travel Advisor Friends and Family Rates start at $1,849 for an all-inclusive Epicurean Expedition before Oct. 1, 2023.
GROUP PROGRAM: Advisors who book 22 or more guests in 11 or more rooms or suites will earn 20 percent. Commission is 18 percent on groups with six to 10 accommodations and 15 percent for groups of 10 in five or fewer accommodations.
CONTACT: 844-44-ATLAS | AtlasOceanVoyages.com
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