Cruise ships, with their numerous restaurants, bars, casinos, duty-free stores, entertainment venues, and spa services, must function seamlessly to provide a memorable experience for thousands of guests. For Color Line, Norway's largest and one of Europe's leading cruise and ferry companies, the secret ingredient is having a retail and hospitality software solution tailored to the challenges of the travel retail industry.
About Color Line
Color Line operates five ships on four international routes between Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, transporting nearly four million passengers and around one million cars annually. The cruise liners have seven restaurants and seven bars, while the shorter transport lines have an average of three restaurants and two bars. Let's look at how Color Line uses LS Central to address the unique challenges associated with dining on their ships.
How does LS Central solve common food service challenges on cruise ships?
For Color Line, making sure passengers spend less time waiting and more time enjoying their meals is a crucial part of the guest experience. With the help of LS Central, the company is able to operate its food service operations efficiently, using capabilities such as:
Pre-booking for meals
“70% of our guests on our cruise lines have pre-booked meals,” says Haakon Jørgensen, Project Coordinator for Color Line. “So, we need an efficient way to check the meal, know where to seat them, and register the sales at the POS.” Passengers can easily redeem their pre-booked meals either with a staff member or via a self-service kiosk. Because LS Central enables the company to manage reservations and the Kitchen Display System (KDS) in the same environment Color Line gets full visibility over guest orders when they’re made online by simply being able to scan their boarding card, see what menu items were reserved, and prepare them quickly (and in the correct order) so guests don’t have to spend a long time waiting for their food. This is especially important on their shorter cruise lines, as guests are only aboard the ship for one or two hours.
Table reservation and allocation
For Color Line, adjusting seating plans based on real-time data, such as current bookings and occupancy levels, is crucial to optimize use of space, especially in their buffet restaurants, which are easily crowded. It doesn’t matter if the passengers have booked a table on the same day or a year in advance, the system enables Color Line to strategically plan where to place their guests and ensure they’re using their tables to the fullest potential.
And because the software connects all add-ons applied to a guest’s ticket, if they cancel their trip, then the system will automatically cancel all reservations associated with it, including tables (and even pre-booked meals!). This capability significantly reduces errors in the system, freeing up table space, and allowing Color Line to accurately seat and serve guests in their restaurants.
Mobile POS and self-service ordering
For many passengers on Color Line’s cruise ships, being able to order things quickly is a must. Whether because guests simply don’t want to waste time waiting for a meal before shopping, or because they have a limited time frame, it’s crucial for them to be able to order what they want and do it fast.
One way Color Line is speeding up the ordering process is through mobile Point of Sale devices, which employees can use to help guests who may be waiting in line, for example at the bar. They have also introduced self-service kiosks in some of their restaurants and cafes, which make it easier for customers to order their desired meals without needing to wait for help from an employee at the counter.
Staff empowerment at the POS
For ferry and cruise companies, consolidating all data — such as customer loyalty, retail sales, restaurant and bookings — into a single system offers significant advantages. Rather than having data scattered across multiple databases, Color Line maintains a unified source of truth for sales and guest information across the entire business. This means their staff can easily look up information about passengers, such as in which restaurants they have a reservation, and make changes without having to sort through multiple databases. Access to this information also empowers employees to deliver more attentive service, ensuring guests have the best dining experience possible.
Enhancing your cruise operations
Imagine your cruise line being able to offer passengers the same efficient dining experience as Color Line. LS Retail experts can help you find the tools and technology necessary to tackle your unique food service and retail challenges on cruise ships. From table allocation and personalized service to real-time data analytics and efficient inventory management, LS Central is designed to help you elevate the dining experience on your ships. Book a call with our experts and see how LS Central can transform your operations.
