4 Ways That Cruise Lines Benefit from a Logistics Partner

4 Ways That Cruise Lines Benefit from a Logistics Partner

Image of docked cruise liners.

Cruise ships are luxury vacations for your passengers, and your vessel must be equipped to meet and satisfy every hypothetical need your passengers might have. A logistics partner optimizes your supply chain by making sure that your provisions are where they need to be when they need to be there. Whether this requires shipping services to get your supplies from one port to another or it’s taking inventory of the exact amounts of food and provisions you will need at each stop, every cruise line needs a logistics partner. Below, we have 4 ways that cruise lines benefit from the solutions that a logistics partner can provide.

Turnaround Days

The turnaround day is one of the most important days of the cruise ship supply chain. On turnaround days, cruise ships are usually unloading from previous voyages while loading for the next one. Loading food, drink, and supplies for thousands of passengers requires specific logistical planning and expertise. All of the supplies and rations must be ready to load onto the ship as soon as possible so that the vessel can embark on its voyage. A logistics partner can optimize your vessel’s turnaround days by delivering supplies to the ship during port days and handling all of your pier coordination needs. 

Predicting Passenger Needs

Once your vessel is in the middle of its next voyage, cruise lines need to be prepared to keep their passengers fed and happy. A single voyage can range from a couple of days to over a week in length. That’s three meals a day for thousands of passengers and crew members, which means that your ship needs thousands and thousands of pounds of food. If you are hoping to keep passengers for up to a week, you need a plan in place. To meet the needs of every passenger, cruise ships need to rely on data and analytics to track passenger behavior and trends. Predictive analytics can be used to decipher what kinds of food your travelers will likely be interested in, how much food your travelers are expected to consume, and the types of beer and wine your passengers might be looking for. Based on these insights, your logistics partner can coordinate with your distributors to ensure that you receive the food and beverage supplies you need at each port.

Furnishing Your Vessel

Accidents happen all the time. The wear and tear that cruise ship furniture endures throughout each voyage means that cruise ships need to be prepared and equipped to replace any broken dining room chairs, tables, couches, beds, and any other piece of furniture or décor throughout the vessel. Even without passengers repeatedly using your furniture during the voyage, your furniture also needs to survive the harsh conditions of being outside while you are at sea. You’re facing rust, wind and salt damage, and the potential for some items to go overboard. Keeping a small stock of replaceable furniture and décor pieces on the boat is wise but replacing larger items on port days requires a logistical partner to ensure that you get the items you need. 

Emergency Supplies

You never want to be in a situation where your vessel is in the middle of its voyage, and you need emergency supplies. While this might be the absolute worst-case scenario, it’s important to realize that you need an emergency resupply plan. If freezers malfunction and some of the food onboard goes bad, you need a plan in place to get more food to the ship as soon as possible. A logistics partner can coordinate any emergency supplies delivery, whether it’s at the next port or in open water.