In a post- COVID era (touch wood) small-vessel and short-route travel is becoming interesting for a growing passenger group who are looking to explore domestic and international destinations in a relaxed and intimate environment.   

By virtue of their respective size these vessels typically afford a more personalised experience for passengers. This however rarely extends to the onboard entertainment experience which is often sub-standard providing passengers with the bare minimum. This can impact the overall perception of the trip and negatively impacting the operators’ brand. 

Fortunately, there is help at hand ?

What do passengers want?  

Passengers have the expectation of being able to watch what they want, when they want and via any device. Considering the average household subscribes to more than 3 streaming services, it is understandable that passengers expect a comparable experience on the open waters. 

Extending the service experience to personal devices therefore becomes particularly important in this context. Many operators have the perception that the costs of launching premium services on-board is prohibitively expensive… however that is not the case. 

Tips for up scaling your on-board entertainment experience  

1. Availability of existing Wi-Fi – leveraging this for mobile services is an easy and quick launch option.  

2. Demographics of passenger – curating tailor-made content packs rather than offering full catalogues can significantly reduce the content spend.  

3. Leverage what is already available – re-use content readily available (promotion material, destination guides) and combine with third party content to curate your own channels. Utilise this as an upsell opportunity for onshore excursions or to promote duty free shopping  

4. The power of streaming – live streaming of events, performances, or at-sea action from on-board IP cameras to create dedicated channels  

5. Passenger participation – offer a cruise-specific channel compromising passengers’ own video footage to reinforce the personalised nature of the experience  

MAXICASTER's latest version of the interactive Entertainment Portal directly addresses this trend ensuring a compelling video experience anywhere on board. All video types are supported including Live TV, Catch-up, nDVR, VoD, music and playout channels to keep passengers of all ages informed and entertained throughout the journey.  

Advantages of using the MAXICASTER portal: 

1. Create and customize channels based on the destination, age group, nationality, and season, along with creating a content calendar for short- and long-term media scheduling.  

2. Offered “all inclusive” (including content) as a technical managed service and based purely on a monthly service fee.  

3. Works across both RF (Radio Frequency) infrastructure as well as IP therefore no need to upgrade any aspect of your existing on-board network. 

Sound too easy? Feel free to reach out for a no-obligation DEMO and one of our specialists will be in touch…