Wilderness Adventurer ship in Neka Bay, Alaska (photo via UnCruise Adventures) (Photo Credit: (photo via UnCruise Adventures))
WHY IT RATES: The 27-year-old small ship cruise line showed profitablity in 2021 and 2022 and has a positive outlook for 2023. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing Editor
In a year of hopeful recovery for the cruise industry, UnCruise Adventures shares its remarkable return to profitability. Most cruise lines are still dealing with massive losses and crushing debt. However, UnCruise Adventures’ savvy business decisions, loyal guests, adaptive staff, and quick ability to pivot during the pandemic have propelled them into a profitable return to business, giving travel advisors and guests solid confidence in the reliable future of the company.
"Our approach to adventure cruising and business management is different from the big multi-national cruise lines," says owner and CEO Captain Dan Blanchard.
"We have always focused on small group and sustainable travel, and that has paid off. The best investment we can make is in ourselves and our environment. Our guests appreciate that, coming back year after year.”
UnCruise Adventures’ commitment to its guests has been unwavering, and the cruise line's recovery stands as a shining example of what small business can do. The cruise line has successfully bounced back from the pandemic and may be the only profitable cruise line in both 2021 and 2022. This remarkable achievement is a testament to UnCruise Adventures’ commitment to its guests and the company’s resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.
UnCruise Adventures continues to show growth trends going into 2023. This growth represents a remarkable acceleration in the company's financial performance and maneuverability. Blanchard states, "We believe in the power of U.S. small private business to drive change and create positive, profitable outcomes. Our return to profitability proves that with determination, and adaptability, you don’t have to give up your dream. And that is a message worth sharing.”
During a recent discussion about the company's journey through the pandemic, the CEO reflected on the challenges they faced in 2020. He emphasized the difference in management's tenacity when their own company and funds are at risk and shared a personal anecdote to illustrate this point. "In August of 2020," he explained, "there were only eight of us left, some working without pay, and our future was uncertain. But we persevered, and today we can see how far we've come."
Recovery Actions:
The company took immediate action in March 2020 to save millions in expenses, which included the painful decision to lay off most staff and reduce the wages of those that stayed.
In March of 2020 UnCruise moved seven of its ships to freshwater storage in Seattle, WA which greatly reduced the cost of keeping the ships in certification and added to the preservation efforts while the ships were dockside.
The company restarted cruising in April 2021, months before the rest of the industry. This was achievable because of its fully vaccinated crew and guest policy. They instituted the first fully vaccinated cruise known on the planet, and guests took notice filling most sailings in 2021.
UnCruise Adventures CEO, Captain Dan Blanchard, created a coalition of six small ship competitors to help ensure these US flagged, tax-paying companies would not be left out of COVID stimulus funding.
The UnCruise recovery was not hindered by the perceived cost disadvantages of US-built ships, US labor laws, US repair yards, and US taxes. In fact, the COVID stimulus provided by the US government to small businesses paying US taxes played a role in supporting the company’s recovery.
The company is a privately owned, operated, and staffed U.S. small business and has an absence of cumbersome procedures that come with bigger corporate brands. This allowed the company to stay agile and move forward rapidly during the tough period amidst the pandemic.
UnCruise operates with fifty-three administrative staff today as a leaner and more adaptable company. At the same time in 2019 the company employed eighty-six administrative staff.
The company pivoted to a digital focused marketing and content strategy and paperless digital brochure saving millions annually and improving the environment at the same time.
UnCruise focused on growth potential in emerging cruise markets by changing ship deployment and adjusting to an even more experiential and efficient adventure cruise model.
UnCruise returned to profitability in both 2021 and 2022, the company believes they may be the only cruise entity to return to profitability in both years compared to those that are publicly traded.
Blanchard shares. "We have a responsibility to do what we can to preserve the natural wonders we showcase to our guests and to provide confidence in the strength and longevity of our brand. I often thank our guests from the USA, when they go aboard our ships in Juneau, for their investment in UnCruise Adventures. This often brings smiles, clapping and shout-outs of a job well done. We have been successfully operating for twenty-seven years and I look forward to twenty-seven more!”
SOURCE: UnCruise Adventures press release.
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