Next-level luxe: Are Filipinos ready for yacht cruise charters?
At a private lounge of a five-star hotel in Makati City, Anthony Laver sips from his cup of coffee as he glances down over the famous lobby awash in the soft morning light.
“This is an amazing hotel,” says the general manager for sales and marketing in the Asia-Pacific region for Scenic Group, an award-winning Australia-founded cruising and travel company.
“But it’s the same view every day.”
He remarks that on a ship, you look out and it’s a new town, a new place, a new scene. But he’s not talking about any ol’ mega cruise ship where you share space with 5,000 other people, have to queue up for the buffet and pay “every single time you touch something.”
Emerald Cruises, a travel operator under the Scenic Group that specializes in deluxe river and yacht cruises, has partnered up with Baron Travel in the Philippines to offer the local market the ultimate luxury when traveling: peace of mind.
Despite the postpandemic doom and gloom forecast, Laver says cruising has been growing steadily globally.
“And the Philippine market is very exciting,” he adds, explaining that the Filipinos’ love for the ocean, mounting clamor for individual experiences and appreciation for quality service for good value make the perfect fit for both Emerald and Baron.
Barring country restrictions like visa requirements, Filipinos will soon be able to experience affordable luxury through fancy river and yacht cruises.
For around $3,000-$4,000, guests can enjoy a five-star cruise in elegant luxury inclusive of all meals with complimentary drinks, Wi-Fi, airport transfers—even gratuities—and amazing, unique adventures.
Discerning Filipinos
Filipinos have been cruising for years and are now becoming very discerning. “People who have traveled on ocean cruises are looking for something different, more intimate, going to places where other companies don’t go,” he adds.
“And that’s what we do. Our model is simple: smaller ships, everything’s included, and it’s ultra-luxury, very personalized.”
Back in 2019, an enormous cruise ship crashed into a port in Venice, causing authorities to ban the entry of these huge vessels into their narrow waterways. With its smaller vessels, Emerald is able to safely navigate smaller bodies of water, go right through the heart of, say, Europe and dock right at the port.
With a current fleet of 11 vessels, Emerald Cruises brings guests on luxury river cruises to Europe and Southeast Asia, and luxury yacht cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Their boats are small, with their smallest river cruise ship able to accommodate only 84 guests and two of their luxury yachts able to welcome a maximum of only 100 guests.
He adds, “I can go every day and see something different in a different port. I can go straight off the ship and walk into the town or walk into a restaurant.”
And the tours are customizable. Guests can choose their activities: They can lounge in style in the yacht, have the butler bring them drinks or swim at the infinity pool while enjoying the changing panoramic views they can only get on a cruise. They can also choose to engage in wellness activities like guided walks, bike tours or canoeing.
During one excursion, the guests came down with the chef to the market where he picked fresh seafood and produce for their meal requests, which he prepared during a live cooking demonstration.
At another time, during a home stay where locals open their homes and tables to cruise guests, a lady from a truffle farm created a beautiful lunch for them, sharing her 36,000 euros worth of truffles with the guests.
Simplicity
Laver says that when he did a cruise from from Dubrovnik up to Venice for seven days, he was able to go see little towns and villages that were not on the main roads. “These are societies that grew by the ocean. They’re very remote, but our ship can come in and go to these little villages and not upset their lives.
“Think about this: You go on a river cruise through Europe. You come down to the south of France, stay one night in Nice and then get on a yacht down the coast of Italy. That’s 14 nights, and you have seen the best parts of Europe. If you did that by train, bus or car, it would be so exhausting, and you wouldn’t get to relax.”
Laver, who said he started cruising late in life, adds. “I never realized how easy it was to cruise: The simplicity of coming onto the ship, unpacking once, not having to take out my wallet for every single time I want to buy something, and having everything looked after.”
With everything already included in the cost—unless there are entrance fees to be paid, or the guest wants to drink super old vintage champagne, then they’ll need to pay a little extra—it’s much more affordable than anyone could ever imagine, he adds.
“If you compare going to a five-star hotel with the transfers, breakfasts, drinks, everything, and then changing hotels every night to a different city, that’s much more expensive than sitting on a yacht, relaxing and having someone drive you in luxury.”
