Tag Archives: new cruise ships

Cruise lines have unlimited pot of potential customers to persuade

Posted on by alanwhitt

Cruise lines are taking advantage of the fact that only about 3.1 percent of North America’s population have taken a cruise.

How so?

Alan Whitt

Alan Whitt

Since so few have sailed, when they finally get around to cruising they won’t know what they’re missing.

Yes, this has been the golden age of cruising … with massive ships loaded with amenities and options only dreamed of 20 years ago. And with 15 new ships coming over the next three years you can expect that trend to continue.

But as those ships are built, they’re starting to follow the airline’s flawed model by cramming more passengers into tighter spaces.

For instance, even though Royal Caribbean’s new Sunshine-class ships debuting in 2014 are slightly smaller than the line’s Freedom-class ships, each will hold 500 more passengers. To do that you’ll have to eliminate some public spaces. Since we haven’t seen plans are for Sunshine-class ships, we have no idea what’s being taken away.

That detail won’t matter to the 96-plus percent who haven’t experienced the pleasures of a cruise. They’ll be awed by FlowRiders, ice bars, ice skating, 3-D theaters, water shows, outdoor gardens and everything else that makes a modern-day cruise such a unique vacation.

For the veteran cruisers who remember the days when voyages were truly all-inclusive, the addition of pay restaurants and other money-making amenities brought about much disappointment.

But for those who started cruising after those things were added, it’s just part of a cruise to them. You can’t miss what you never had.

Frequent cruisers like me also remember when a deal truly was a deal … when a cheap cruise could be found on a regular basis.

Right now we’re in what is known in the cruise industry as “wave season,” a period from January through March where the best deals can usually be had.

But cruise lines have to pay for those new ships. If you’re expecting deep discounts on cruises … forget about it. The best you can expect are onboard credits, upgrades and other perks that really don’t cost them much. And they’ll make up for those freebies with drinks, slot machines, specialty restaurants, cupcakes and massages – things that will cost you.

Ah, the good old days. We’ll never see those again.

Visit Allure Quest Travel Experience and We 2 R 1 Honeymoons on the web for all your travel needs – including analysis of destinations, insightful videos, the latest travel news and vacations to book.

The new Carnival: Recently debuted Breeze tones down the glitz

Posted on by alanwhitt

Carnival Cruise Line has always been proud of it’s outrageous decor and feel. It usually takes a few days to adapt to the atmosphere and sometimes you never do.

Alan Whitt

A cruise line executive once told me that when passengers board a Carnival ship he wanted them to now they weren’t in their living room.

My description of a Fun Ship has always been “out there.”

Well, things are changing … beginning with the brand new Carnival Breeze. The 130,000-ton, 3,690-passenger ship has a surprising modern decor.

However, don’t expect bland. Carnival fans will be relieved that the color scheme will remain bright, including staterooms with yellow and blue striped cushions an drapes.

“Carnival Breeze has a different look and feel,” says Carnival president and CEO Gerry Cahill.“It’s a little more contemporary, a little more Caribbean.…We are a fun-and-sun brand at our core, and the new design reflects that.”

One of my Carnival pet peeves has always been the dark, closed-in feeling onboard, unlike other modern cruise lines. Carnival Breeze breaks the mold with more indoor-outdoor spaces.- including Ocean Plaza with lanais with hot tubs and indoor eateries and entertainment.

You can expect the enhancements – along with the new branded dining options – to be added to other Carnival ships over the next few years.

Check out Allure Quest Travel Experience on the web for all your travel needs – including analysis of destinations, insightful videos, the latest travel news and vacations to book.

Royal family: Princess releases virtual tour of newest ship

Posted on by alanwhitt

If you’re a fan of a particular cruise line – or simply a cruise connoisseur like me – there’s always excitement and anticipation as a new ship begins to take shape. You clamor for those first images, curious to find out what they’ve come up with next.

Alan Whitt

Today that ship is Royal Princess, the first of two new ship for Princess Cruises and their first since Ruby Princess debuted in 2008.

Royal Princess is actually more than a year away from completion with a June 2013 launch date. that’s why the excitement level is so high.

Today Princess released the first in a series of virtual tours of the new ship to travel professionals, and I thought I would share it with you, some of my closest friends.

Today’s tour is of the ship’s Piazza and Atrium, the main artery of every Princess ship.

Check out this virtual world where Princess Cruise’s largest ship (at 141,000 tons) currently resides.

Of course, as more are released I’ll be more than happy to share them with my readers.

Innovators at Royal Caribbean almost ready to do it again

Posted on by alanwhitt

Will Royal Caribbean's next class of ship have some or all of those Oasis-class ship amenities? Stay tuned.

Those WOW! people just can’t get enough of exciting us.

I’ve made no secret that Royal Caribbean is my favorite cruise line … even though there are others that I truly enjoy.

Alan Whitt

I love the fact that Royal Caribbean never settles, is always looking forward to bettering an already fantastic product and has demonstrated a willingness to take chances.

That’s how you stay ahead of the pack.

Now word comes from RCCL chairman Richard Fain that a new class of ship is on the horizon.

I can’t wait to see how they’re going to top Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

That’s a tough task. That’s pressure.

Fain mentioned nothing about the size of the new ships, but I would imagine they won’t exceed the already gargantuan Oasis-class ships – biggest in the world by a wide margin. I would expect most of the perks now on many Royal Caribbean ships will remain … as well as a few new ones.

“We’ve been working intensively on developing a design that reflects our innovative spirit but in an efficient package, and we think that we’re near to an acceptable outcome,” Fain said.

Under normal circumstances Royal Caribbean does not comment on new building projects until it had a firm order.

“But we’re far enough along on this project to [make] this particular disclosure,” Fain said. “I can tell you that we won’t act until all of the necessary components, including a strong return profile, are in place.”

Back in 2008, more than a year before Oasis of the Seas debuted, I had a conversation with Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president for sales, who hinted about what’s to come. She shared with me that during early stages of discussion about what Oasis and Allure were to become, many ideas that didn’t make the cut were filed away for future use.

She said at the time: “Right now we’re putting all of our energy into completing this project … getting everything ready for it. But it is in our nature to innovate. It is in our DNA. Sometime in the next few years we’re going to feel that again.”

I imagine, that time is drawing near.