Captive Market

Sun, Surf, and the Soft Sell.

- Fran Golden

On the 2,852-passenger Celebrity Equinox, hundreds are lounging on the pool deck, enjoying the sun. Down below, the ship’s shops are buzzing with the unveiling of a Le Vian fine jewelry collection, a Dior makeup demo, and a seminar on Swiss watches, among other events. Free Champagne helps lure the guests indoors.

“People want to buy experiences, not just things,” says Beth Neumann, president and chief executive officer of Starboard Cruise Services, a Doral, Fla.-based company that operates stores aboard passenger ships. “That’s a reality of how retail is changing in the U.S. and globally.”

On the Equinox, an in-cabin booklet touts more than 40 events—seminars, workshops, and parties that, Neumann says, create “passion”—to be presented over the 11-day voyage through the southern Caribbean.