This is one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s new advertising tag lines meant to promote the soon to debut new Norwegian Epic. Rather than increase my eager anticipation of this new ship (which by the way, I’m very excited to see), this advertising tag stirs some concerns within me.

Just a few weeks ago on my Blog I wrote questioning whether the Oasis of the Seas was going to change the industry http://www.cruisemates.com/blog/200909081122/oasis-seas-ruin-cruise-industry/
In that blog entry one of the points I discussed was how the cruise lines have viewed land based resorts as their major competition, and this new line of advertising by Norwegian certainly proves the validity of that theory quite emphatically.

There’s no doubt NCL is hoping this advertising strategy will draw a much more positive response from people than it has from me. I honestly don’t see cruises as resorts that happen to float, and I actually become concerned when cruise lines tell me that is their objective.

Some of my thoughts on this may seem incongruous, as I certainly do enjoy itineraries featuring many days at sea, and I definitely like to have all of the creature comforts available. Yet I really don’t want my cruise vacations to be a combination of a trip to Mall of America and Disneyland, or an all inclusive resort in Cancun. In fact I bristle at a hint of that suggestion.

I do enjoy land vacations as well. I’ve gone to Las Vegas for a few days of non-stop action, and enjoyed week long vacations to golf resorts. But I’m not looking for the same thing when I go on a cruise.

In my view cruise lines are taking their “eyes off the ball” when their advertising focuses on the similarities to land based resorts, rather than the differences. For instance - cruise vacations easily facilitate some of the most romantic moments one can experience. It seems to me the industry could creatively, and effectively, find a way to appeal to the millions of people seeking a bit of romance in their lives.

Within the cruise industry, over the past decade, there’s been enormous effort put into establishing a specifically family friendly environment. And many of the cruise lines have done an amazing job of making it so! In fact, comparatively, I think now cruises likely rank as the #1 type of vacation a family could take… and by a considerable degree. Surely the cruise line’s advertising geniuses can find a way to get that message across rather than the generic… we’re a floating resort.

If the cruise industry is setting their goal as being resorts that happen to float, which this type of advertising certainly seems to suggest, I’m afraid they may direct all their energies and policies toward succeeding and reaching that goal.

But frankly I see cruising as offering more than that. Cruising has some magic ingredients involved, but with the success of the industry’s current direction I can see the magic of cruising perhaps getting lost in the industry’s desire to be another resort.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

Let’s face it; for the next month or two all the “news” is about, or going to be about, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. I have to admit it’s for a good reason; with the upcoming debut of the largest ship yet, and the largest by 50%. For months we’ve heard about it with specifically timed “reveals”… the Central Park and Broadway Neighborhoods, and Ziplines, and floating bars, and loft suites, and the latest news of a concert onboard by Rihanna. Royal Caribbean’s Public Relations Dept. has done an outstanding job of releasing a steady stream of tidbits to keep their announcements front and center on all the cruise industry media outlets. And you have to tip your hat to them for their masterful work. And I have no doubt as the hype continues, thanks to that effective work winter fares will rise for those who’ve been waiting to book Oasis.

But, what’s to happen to writers who aren’t enthralled by everything Oasis? (ok I may be the only one)   Why even writing about Carnival’s new Dream, or Norwegian’s new Epic makes us look like also-rans. Just writing about the odd looking “Top Hat” designs of Norwegian Epic’s Courtyard Villa area, makes it appear we’re really just championing the design of Oasis of the Seas.

I’m in desperate need of the cruise industry to step up to the plate and supply us with some truly bizarre incidents, and innovations to supply me with non Oasis material. Anyone working on a ship that can fly?

For awhile we thought we had something to write about when Norwegian announced the massively popular Blue Man Group would be leaving their Las Vegas venue, and appearing as a regular act on the Epic.  It certainly seemed to us that, that was going to be a major innovation for cruise ship entertainment. But it appears that poor NCL got upstaged with the recent announcement that Rihanna will play a concert, at the Aqua Theater, during the inaugural 3 day cruise on the Oasis of the Seas; though to my mind Blue Man Group has broader overall entertainment appeal, and the fact they’ll be a regular act as opposed to a one time concert, should garner more attention.

But I always seem to be swimming upstream against the Oasis hype juggernaught. I’d hazard a guess that all media outlets will be shouting the praises of this ship when she finally debuts; particularly as the first few pre-revenue sailings will be filled with invited media types, industry insiders, and travel agents.

D’ja ever wonder why they don’t save all the “Special Events” for the first round of paying customers, who actually pay a premium to be in the “Inaugural Cruise” (when they really aren’t)? They should at least save some of that “pre-inaugural”  Xtra large shrimp for the paying customers.

The coverage is going to let loose a torrential display of verbiage, with outlet after outlet attempting to find more “saucy” terminology to describe every detail about the ship. And what am I going to be writing about?  Like this blog… I’ll keep my tongue in my cheek and probably just be “Gone Fishin”, at least mentally.

-          A View From the Kuki Side of Cruising -

Over the past decade at CruiseMates I’ve been asked all sorts of questions about cruising, both via message board posts, and private emails. Do you know what the most difficult question to answer is?

No, it’s not how much are hookers in Paris?…. Though I really don’t know the answer to that either. It’s “how much money should we take on our cruise?”.

To even begin to discuss this question we have to decide if the question is addressing both “ship expenses” (those normally paid for using the ship’s onboard “charge” card) as well as any expenditures one will actually use cash or their own credit cards for.

Onboard the cruise lines model is set up as a cashless society. That certainly doesn’t mean you don’t spend money onboard. It means they offer you the “convenience” of a  “ship’s charge card” to make spending your money onboard much more convenient, and no doubt to assure you have a tool to make spur of the moment purchases without having to dig in to your pocket for actual currency. These charge cards purchases are guaranteed by you during the embarkation process, either by presenting a credit card or by leaving a cash deposit on hand. And should your charge card purchases come close to exceeding the credit available on your credit card, or the amount of cash deposit you’ve left, you’ll be called to Guest Relations to present a manner of further guarantee. Indeed, if you have no other means of available funds you can find yourself cut off from making any further purchases.

Here’s a laundry list of things you’ll be charged for onboard using your ship‘s charge card:
- Gratuities for staff (can run from $10-$15) per person, per day (varying by cruise line).
- Drinks- all alcohol, soft drinks, specialty coffees on some lines, some types of juices
- Spa treatments
- Alternate restaurants (on ships which offer this option)
- Shore excursions - if purchased from the ship for tours in ports of call
-  purchases from in suite mini-bars on ship equipped with them
- all purchases made from ANY of the ship stores, or sales; weather it’s logo wear, clothing, jewellery, sundries, or duty free liquor
These days many ships will display their wares outside of the shops, either in the hallways or on the pool deck to encourage sales, but wherever the purchase is made onboard, you’re BUYING it from the shops.
- art auctions - if you decide to indulge
- bingo
- It’s also becoming more common to see some forms of the ship’s activities coming with a surcharge to participate - eg. Wine, beer, or martini tastings, palates classes, some craft classes, etc. The ship’s daily newsletter will note which activities come at an additional cost.
- some cruise lines now also charge a fee to use some spa areas, as well as “Serenity” areas on deck.

Shipboard casinos are generally the one place onboard where cash is used, but many cruise lines allow you to charge a limited amount of playing chips or tokens to your shipboard charge account (but most charge a service fee on those transactions).

Above we’ve listed a multitude of things that you’ll have to pay for, above the cost of your cruise fare. However, it should be obvious that much of it has to do with how much you “buy into to”. There is no answer. There is no average expenditure. Most of the charges are optional, and strictly determined by you deciding how much you’re going to buy, and what you chose to pass on, attempting to stay within your budget.

If you think that list seemed long, now we have to talk about how much you’ll spend off the ship, in ports of call, during your cruise.

If you book ship’s tours in port the actual excursion will be charged to your shipboard account, but you could need cash (or credit cards) to buy drinks, souvenirs, food, and tips for servers and guides.

If you pass on taking ship’s tours in port, then you have to account for transportation expenses (taxis or rental cars), food and drink expenses, attraction entrance fees, and any shopping purchases.

In some ports of call cruisers have been known to organize their own private tours with local tour operators. If these aren’t paid for in advance, then you have to remember to take into account the money you need for payment, as well as tips for guides and drivers. And you must be sure to note whether your tours include attraction entrance fees in the cost.

There’s truly no way to quantify what might be the appropriate amount for people to budget for their extra expenses on a cruise vacation. Some will spend only few hundred more, others will spend thousands of dollars more.

Here’s the one thing each of us needs to consider:

HOW MUCH CAN I AFFORD?

Then we MUST budget accordingly!

Don’t go on a cruise vaction because you want to, or because you feel you deserve it, UNLESS you can afford it! It’s not pleasant at all coming home with a financial hangover; they can last a very long time.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

Though there have been a few hiccups along the way, since Sept. 11/01 the price of cruises have quite consistently floated near historic lows; the latest drops beginning this past year as the world economies battled recession.

Along with the declining prices we’ve seen more complaints about the decline in quality of food on many ships, and the decline in the levels of service, and the increase in “nickel & diming” onboard. Have we also seen a decline in the quality of the cruise passengers?

While all of use enjoy the benefits of less expensive cruise vacations, are we also becoming leery of the lower standards that come with it, including the lower standards of behaviour that some believe have come with it?

Some argue that there’s been indicators of this building in the cruise industry for several years. When such things as evening dress codes continued to be relaxed over the past 24 months or so, they state that those policies have also led to a less stringent code of behaviour and civility for the passengers.

These types of statements aren’t necessarily new; over the years we’ve seen many people voice complaints about some sailings from San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it’s been quite common for locals to be offered extremely low pricing on cruises which weren’t selling well. I think some of the conflicts in those situations may have been caused by the differences in culture and social mores. And that could indeed be the same cause of friction we’re seeing in other cruise areas.

As the world of cruising has opened up for people who previously could not afford to cruise before, perhaps their social norms are different enough from other cruisers to be seen as conflicting with the standards of more affluent long time cruisers.

No doubt there will be those who read this blog, and think of the discussion in terms in class.
But, I think that may be the very short sighted view of the topic.
I believe it’s more a case of people being less accepting of the diversity that lower cruise pricing has brought to the passenger base of cruise ships.

For many years Carnival Cruise Line gained the reputation of being a “floating frat party”. The reputation, whether deserved or not, had many people claiming that Carnival cruises were only suited for those who wanted a non stop Spring Break Party atmosphere. For years Carnival has battled the negative views which came implied in that reputation. They put new policies in place, including restricting the minimum age for passengers booking without being accompanied by parents or guardians (which was later followed by most other cruise lines). Yet, even today there is the occasion breath of that long dead reputation.
In the past 2-3 years, on several Royal Caribbean ships, they experienced problems with groups of teenagers getting out of control, vandalizing the ship, and such ridiculous things as throwing deck furniture overboard. In reaction they put curfews in place to curb such activities.

Though not common place, there’s certainly been anecdotal evidence supporting the view of the decline of civility onboard. Perhaps this is because today’s media is more interested in the reporting of these incidents.. that existed but were never reported before. Or perhaps it’s because the growth of the “information highway” has put the cruise industry, and every incident which occurs, under a microscope.

Of late there’s also been reporting that due to declining prices there are more people who’ve cruised on the mass market lines attempting to “move up” and give the luxury cruise lines a try. Perhaps an attempt to return to the more traditional cruise experience they remember.

One of the big attractions to me about cruising is that I’ve always felt a comfortable acceptance by passengers of the diversity of other passengers onboard. I’ve always felt the community or society created on a cruise ship was the most accepting I could experience anywhere. And frankly, I personally believe that is still the case.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe this acceptance of diversity onboard has disappeared, and the civility and compromise necessary to create a meshed society onboard has diminished? Is it getting worse? Are tensions onboard mounting?

Is any/all of this a result of lower prices and economic problems, or is this entire topic simply blowing isolated incidents out of proportion?

If you think the problem does exist, is it a reflection of the problem of society in general becoming less accepting of diversity? What a shame that would be after all the gains we’ve made!

- A View From the Kuki Side of Cruising -

The FTC ruled yesterday that bloggers who accept free gifts from product suppliers must disclose their relationship to the supplier if they write a review of the product.

I am sure many of you remember certain travel web sites having people in their message boards and reader-submitted reviews who appeared to be average, paying consumers extoling the virtues of certain cruise lines as if they were average customers. But in reality they were secretly being compensated by the cruise line with free samples and invitations to special events.

Well, we now know the FTC wasn’t happy when they saw this happening last year, and so they just changed the rules about relationships between product suppliers and Internet bloggers and other “word of mouth marketers” - for the first time in 30 years - since 1980.

Beginning December 1st, 2009, Internet “Bloggers and word of mouth marketers” who review products online must disclose any connection they have with the companies whose products they are writing about even if they only received a free sample or gift. If the blog is actually paid advertising that must be fully disclosed.

Most message board “champions” of certain products were hand-selected because they had already shown an affinity for the product. So the product supplier was pretty sure they were going to say positive things. Furthermore, most of these beneficiaries wrote mostly glowing reviews, even though the supplier used the excuse they did not know what they were going to say, because they believed that the longer they remained on the suppliers “friendly” list the more free stuff they would receive.

All that, last year excused by certain web sites as having “consumer focus groups” is now officially against FTC rules and rules breakers are subject to substantial fines. In fact, the FTC also added that whether or not the supplier knew what the bloggers planned to say about the product makes no difference, the full $11,000 fine still applies for failing to disclose the free gift.

Here at CruiseMates we say “bravo,” and we knew all along that this practice smelled fishy.

CruiseMates has always disclosed the fact that we will take a complimentary cruise to see certain ships, because there is literally no other way to create a full set of cruise line and ship reviews. The cost of planning, flying and taking these cruises would far outweigh the possible financial gains from creating such a folio.

We disclose this in our “About Us” section, and also in the “About our Cruise Reviews” area explaining our system of reviewing cruise ships. We have also taken note that we seem to be the only cruise review site that makes this disclosure, even though we know for a fact there are no other sources of cruise reviews anywhere that cover all of the main cruise lines like we do that do not take free cruises the vast majority of the time.

Furthermore, we are the only site to have taken an oath not to let our relationships with the cruise lines color our judgement of the cruise ships. To take that a step farther, we have deliberately designed our cruise ship reviews to focus on factual attributes of cruise ships; dress codes, stateroom sizes, tipping policies, extra costs, age and size of ships, number of passengers, passenger/space ratio, etc., instead of writing cruise reviews that focus on our own personal opinions about what we experienced.

We now challenge other cruise sites to also fully disclose their relationships to the cruise lines. If any site is taking free trips, we would like them to disclose that fact. We realize It isn’t up to us to enforce this ruling, but we don’t mind saying we are glad the FTC is watching.

I believe CruiseMates was the first web site to disclose we take complimentary trips supplied by the cruise lines, although the practice of disclosure is very common in newspapers. Perhaps that is why this ruling does not apply to “traditional media” such as magazines. We think that is wrong, and so do many of the other bloggers protesting this new ruling. But unlike most, we do agree with the ruling in principle, even if it is not being applied to all media.

After 10 years, we feel you know that we are not afraid to be critical when it is warranted, and we have plenty of examples. So, we applaud the FTC move because we truly believe it will improve the quality of travel reviews on the Internet. We are also very happy to be vindicated in our open disclosure policy and proud to be able to say we didn’t need a federal agency to threaten us with substantial fines before we knew the right thing to do.

To further clarify: First) giving away the free sample is not a violation, nor is taking the free sample. Even taking the free sample and writing about it positively is not a violation. Taking the free sample and writing positively about it without disclosing that you were compensated by the company is a violation.

Second) It does not matter that there is no specific contract - in other words even if the supplier does not know what the blogger is going to say when they give away the free product - if the blogger gets any compensation from the supplier at all the nature of the relationship with the supplier must be disclosed.

For the past 10 years we at CruiseMates have offered from 3 to 5 group cruises a year to help facilitate members of our community cruising together; getting to meet and make great memories together.

Amongst our largest and most popular cruises in our group cruise program have been those which did Hawaiian Island itineraries, which we affectionately labelled Let’s Get Lei’d. They were so popular in fact that every few years we’d put together another Hawaiian group cruise. Now, responding to many members requests we’re pleased to have #5 in the series ready to go… It’s Let’s Get Lei’d Five-0.

On previous “Get Lei’d groups” we’ve sailed from Vancouver to Hawaii, as well as Hawaii to Vancouver, and LA. Those required either flying to or from Hawaii, which made the logistics a bit more complicated. Our last “Get Lei’d Group” was a return trip itinerary that sailed from LA (San Pedro) to Hawaii, and back to LA (San Pedro), and it was my favorite by a long stretch. It offers relaxing and fun-filled sea days both prior to Hawaii, as well as post cruise ,as we made our way back to the mainland. It also made flights much less expensive, and much less cumbersome for anyone living in North America. Therefore we’ve decided to repeat the LA to Hawaii and return itinerary for Let’s Get Lei’d Five -0.

This itinerary features 8 sea days; 4 while crossing from L.A. to Hawaii, and 4 more while returning from Hawaii. The sea days are when we step up to offer many “CruiseMates activities” (in addition to all the activities the ship schedules). We do our best to make our activities fun, social gatherings, where everyone in the group gets to meet and enjoy the company of others in the group. Some of the antics from previous CruiseMates groups will likely be repeated, and we always try to include some new “antics” for entertainment.

Previously on “Get Lei’d cruises” we’ve flown kites off of the stern of the ship; we’ve had team tug-o-wars over the pool; we’ve had target practice using water guns and spouses, we’ve had costume parties when it wasn’t Halloween; we’ve had ugliest aloha shirt contests; we’ve done dinner table team trivia; we’ve had some very unusual treasure hunts, as well as less “Kuki” activities such as gift exchanges, door decorating contests, cocktail parties, bridge tours, mini golf tournaments, group shore excursions, etc.

On this trip we’ll be sailing on the beautiful Sapphire Princess, featuring one of my personal favorites, the 24hr. Horizon Court - a great place to meet to socialize over late night coffees or drinks.

If you’ve ever sailed with one of our CruiseMates groups, you’re going to want to join us again. If you’ve never joined one of our group cruises, you aren’t going to want to miss being a part of Let’s Get Lei’d Five-0

BOOK IT DANNO!!

Here’s all the pricing and information details for booking…

Let’s Get Lei’d Five-0
On Sapphire Princess
Feb. 26/2011
14 Nights LA- Hawaii - LA

Staterooms:
Interior Double: I $1618.00 *pp
Interior Double: II $1645.00 *pp
Interior Double: JJ $1589.00 *pp
Mini Suite with Balcony: AB $2869.00 *pp
Mini Suite with Balcony: AC $2779.00 *pp
Oceanview Double with Balcony: BA $2399.00 *pp
Oceanview Double with Balcony: BB $2347.00 *pp
Oceanview Double with Balcony: BC $2284.00 *pp
Oceanview Double with Balcony: BD $2239.00 *pp
Oceanview Double: D $2014.00 *pp
Oceanview Double: DD $2059.00 *pp
Oceanview Double: E $1834.00 *pp
Oceanview Double: EE $1969.00 *pp
Oceanview Double: F $1744.00 *pp
Oceanview Double: FF $1789.00 *pp

All prices include port charges & taxes. You also receive $50 per cabin onboard credit, a cocktail party, enjoy Cruisemates Activities, & a tote bag. Book during our reduced deposit promotions with only $100 per person deposit and also receive 2 onboard coupon booklets per cabin. Other categories, 3rd & 4th person rates are also available, call for information. Past Guest also get an additional discount of approx $100 per person off of these prices for a limited time.

*prices are subject to availability.

BOOK IT DANNO
Nancy Bogert (800-561-0802)

Cruise Planners

Email: nancy@planningcruises.com

There’s all variety of packing lists available on the Internet, including on the CruiseMates web site. So, this is not a packing list. Rather it’s a conglomeration of things everyone should take with them, along with their packing lists.

1.- A Good Attitude is the absolutely most important thing one needs to take on their cruise. This may sound simple; after-all everyone should be excited they are heading out on well earned vacations. But far too many people carry their stress in their carry-ons. You can see it during the check-in and embarkation process, when the impatience of some shows in their clenched teeth, jut out jaw, faces. They allow this stress to control the beginning of their vacation, which often carries over well into the cruise.

In most cases a good attitude will carry you through any glitches you may encounter on the way to a perfect cruise vacation. It allows you to “slough off the small off”. And a good attitude will also allow you to enjoy the company of your fellow ship mates, and all the staff and crew you spend your time with.

2. A Passport - There seems to be a considerable amount of resistance by people to getting a passport. It may be because people view it as a non essential cost, but a passport is simply the easiest and most widely accepted piece of identification a person can have. Mentally amortizing the cost of your passport over the term limit your country has set for it makes that cost seem much more reasonable, which it really is. The fact that passports are universally accepted, and supply the least hassle in situations where identification is required makes carrying one an absolute must in my view.

3. Travel Insurance - Life is full of unexpected occurrences. Some of them are pleasant, some of them are not, and travel insurance is there to assist in making some of the unpleasant ones more manageable, and more tolerable.

There’s hundreds of articles around about travel insurance, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to purchase! If you don’t purchase travel insurance, you are self insuring. Simply- that means you are going to be stuck with the responsibility of paying for anything that happens that would have been insurable.

Once again the resistance to purchasing travel insurance seems to be mainly financial considerations. However, with many third party insurers being available, the price of coverage is much lower than you think, and offers peace of mind, and much needed assistance in the event difficult situations arise.

4. Money - Whether it’s cash or a credit card (with available credit), or a combination of the two, you should expect to spend more than you might budget for. One of the most difficult questions to answer is: “How much money should I take?”, and that’s because it’s dependant on how much each individual drinks, gambles, shops, and how many organized excursions one wants to participate in.

In my experience, over the years, I’ve generally worked with counting on $100 per person per day of the cruise, as “ flexible spending money”. That is $1400 for a couple on a seven day cruise.

Some folks will spend more than that on drinks alone, and certainly any large ticket item shopping will send you way over that number.

5. Duct Tape - while you may never have to use it, it can fix almost everything except for a lack of #1 thru 4.

- A View From the Kuki Side of Cruising -

Two weeks ago I wrote a blog stating cruiser’s needed to take more responsibility for themselves… particularly in regard to purchasing travel insurance to cover unforeseen problems. This week’s blog entry is somewhat the opposite of that; that’s the cruise lines taking responsibility for their actions as well.

We do occasionally see people coming out and publicly praising a cruise line for their handling of a customer service issue. However, it’s much more common to see complaints of rather pathetic attempts at resolving customer service issues.

I believe much of this arises because the cruise lines don’t seem to have any standard policies which customers can read and understand easily and simply. The quality of the experience dealing with Customer Service departments seems to rely entirely on the luck of the draw, dependant on whether a customer with an issue finds a sympathetic or unsympathetic ear during their initial contact.

After 30 years in the hospitality industry my experience taught me that though on rare occasion a new problem occurs, the vast majority of customer service issues are reoccurring (with some variances), and can be dealt with effectively and quickly by having a set resolution policy in place.

The only complication in that system is making the determination as to whether the customer making the complaint has a valid issue which should put the resolution machinery into effect. That means having a well trained customer service staff, and that’s where the cruise lines systems seem to fail too often.

Granted, as anyone with much time spent working in those departments will tell you, it’s somewhat difficult to not get cynical after spending time dealing with customer complaints. It is difficult dealing with people who expect perfection, when you’re dealing with imperfect products, or when perfection is in the eyes of the customer. But better training, and set policies would simplify this process.

I believe the Customer Service departments don’t have much vision into just how much an unsatisfied customer, with valid complaints, can cost them in lost future revenues. Instead they concentrate too much on minimizing the immediate, short term, cost of resolving the matter.

In this regard, my own story is an example. In 1995 I sailed on the second sailing of the Celebrity Century, along with 11 other family members. I won’t go into all the details of my complaints at the time, but a combination of “new ship glitches” along with service and stateroom issues, and what I felt were inappropriate responses by the onboard management dealing with them, left me unhappy about that cruise experience. I believed I had valid and defensible complaints and wrote a letter to Celebrity attempting to address them. Their response (if memory serves me) was an offer for a 10% -15% discount on a cruise, to be used on a future booking, valid for 12 months. I felt the $300 -$400 value of that offer was not adequate compensation, and declined the offer… and didn’t sail on a Celebrity Cruise Lines ship again for 6 years (until I decided to give them another chance).

During that 6 year time frame I became a message board monitor and hosted live on-line chats for Cruise Critic on AOL, and went on to become a writer and ship reviewer for CruiseMates. During that time I “talked” to thousands of cruisers, and put in place a group cruise program for CruiseMates. During that time frame I also went on perhaps 18-20 cruises… and none of them were on Celebrity Cruise Line. 

I discussed this with a friend who is an Actuary, and combining dollars I personally spent on those cruises with that spent by people cruising with me over that six year period, he said he would conservatively “guesstimate” my situation may have resulted in $400,000 + of lost revenue for Celebrity.

Now my story may not be the norm. But I suspect most people who have similar unsatisfactory resolutions to their problems are more vocal than I when sharing their dissatisfaction with others. I quit cruising on the cruise line for some time, but others, more vocal “word of mouth” types, sharing their dissatisfaction could have cost the cruise line even more revenue.

In my case, an apology admitting the problem was theirs not mine, rather than sending me a “gesture of good faith” letter, and a couple of hundred more dollars in compensation, would have meant they’d have received at least a significant portion of that missing revenue.

They needed to step up and accept responsibility for their failures, just as I implore passengers to accept their responsibilities in the partnership. The combination of the two is what creates great cruise experiences.

- A View From The Kuki Side of Cruising -

I may be the only writer in the cruise industry who isn’t salivating, in anticipation of the arrival or Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.

I have little doubt that the excitement of the debut of the Oasis will receive unprecedented media coverage; filled with glowing adjectives about the never before seen innovations, and the truly remarkable technology and design features which will adorn the largest cruise ship ever built. And in many ways it will be justifiably earned. I’m also quite certain this ship will be a huge hit for Royal Caribbean, and for quite some time garner higher demand for bookings, and higher fares than other ships in the Royal Caribbean family, and indeed competitor’s ships, new or old.

Oasis wasn’t built just slightly larger than the presently largest ship in the world, she’s almost a half again as large as the largest cruise ship presently at sea. Also, she isn’t going to be just a larger version of the same ships which came before her. She will be jam-packed with features never before seen on cruise ships. You can read about many of them here…
CruiseMates Oasis of the Seas Article Compendium

There are some concerns voiced that a ship this size will overrun the islands she visits on port calls because of the shear volume of passengers she carries. Frankly, I don’t see that being a problem. There is going to be so much to see and do on this ship on a seven day cruise that I envision a great number of people who sail her not getting off the ship at all during port visits. And that is where some of my concerns about her impact on the industry begins.

With all she is going to be will Oasis simply be a resort, which happens to be on water, rather than on land?

For some time the cruise industry has seen land based resorts and all-inclusive as their primary competitor for people’s vacation dollars. Over the last decade all of the cruise lines have been adding features which they believe help them to compete with that land based market. Such things as additional dining choices (along with flexible dining times), increasing choices for entertainment and shipboard activities, variety in stateroom plans and choices, and doing away with the traditionally more restrictive dress requirements cruise ships used to adhere to, have become common on all new ships from all the cruise lines… all in an effort to compete with land based vacation options.

Like most people I’ve appreciated many of the changes I’ve mentioned above. I enjoy the additional options and amenities. Yet, I do have to wonder if the Oasis won’t take this that step too far; a step that may change the industry as we know it.

I worry that Oasis, and her sister Allure currently under construction, will become the template for the cruise industry. Will the other cruise lines within the mass market cruise industry feel they have to go down the same road to compete with the sure success of the Oasis of the Seas?

In my mind I still see a cruise as holding a bit of sense of mystery and adventure. I’d be rather disconcerted if down the road that feeling dissipates and I start looking at them as nothing more than amusement parks at sea.

Will the Oasis of the Seas be a boon to the industry; a boost it needs in tough economic times, or will it set in motion a change in the industry that we’ll someday regret?

I admit it will take a long time before these types of ships begin to dominate the industry. But a decade goes by surprisingly quickly. Will we soon see the cruise industry as nothing more than a sea full of floating resorts, where the best thing about them is seen as a choice where you never want or need to get off the ship? If that turns out to be the case, they could save fuel and just remain tied up at the pier. At least that would lower the cost of the “cruise”.

- A View From the Kuki Side of Cruising -

What is is that attracts you to a specific cruise ship? Is it the itinerary, the decor, the crew, the memories? Is it an emotional bond on a deep and personal level. Or is it an intellectual decision based on researching different options and narrowing down your choices?

For that matter, how much time do you spend planning your next cruise? Do you weigh your options for months, letting your ideas percolate in your subconscience, or do you tend to book your cruise spontaneously, as in “its been 12 months, time to cruise again,” and you have one schedule by the end of next day?

I wonder about these things. I know a lot of cruises are taken each month. Some are short getaways while others are epic voyages of a lifetime. I also believe that the mainstream “contemporary lines probably a larger share of impulse trips, while the premium and luxury cruise lines get the voyages that people plan for ages.

I know different kinds of people prefer different cruise lines, but the question what kind of person do certaon cruise lines attract? I have a theory that Carnival attracts more free spirited people. Carnival has that certain, how do you say je ne sais qua, that just makes you feel giddy from the second you walk onboard. The crew is not just friendly, they displays a real sense of humor. And the decor alone is enough to make you feel crazy, because it’s so over the top it actually confounds logic.

“It looks like the decorator raided a colorblind golfer’s closet and used the plaid pants with a striped shirt and a paisly tie,” I once remarked to a Carnival staffer. He just rolled his eyes at me and said “Well, I never heard that one before.” (he had).

My theory is that Carnival ships have turquoise stained wood-grain panels with pink lizard borders skin just to obliterate all sense of normalcy. The more you try to make sense of it the crazier you get, and I think that was their plan all along.

But Carnival ships are about a lot more than decor, especially if you like funny human tricks like hairy chest and belly flop contests, conga lines, singing waiters who are Elvis one night (only the women) and Carmen Miranda the next (only the men). This is not an intellectual cruise line, these are “Fun Ships,” and they are serious about that.

Royal Caribbean is more intellectualized fun. What ship nerd can’t apprciate that Oasis of the Seas will be almost twice as big as anything Carnival currently has sailing? It will be the biggest passenger ship ever - by far. That’s a truly impressive factoid. If you have already wondered what kind of wind resistance effect Central Park will create you’re a ship nerd and perfect for Oasis.

I think it is cool that Oasis will have an AquaTheater with underwater stage lifts topped off by the first zipline on a cruise ship. I like that it will have a bar that is also an elevator to move people from an indoor deck to an outdoor one. I like that it will have a real park at sea with real trees and grass - longer than a football field. I like that it will have an ice rink with a Zamboni.

NCL is the cruise line for individualists. I love the look and feel of NCL ships, although they will probably take some ribbing for the top-heavy appearance of Norwegian Epic set to debut next year. Still, on the inside their ship decor is daring and audacious. Their nightclubs feature suggestive purple velvet sofas the size of queen size beds. They have a huge variety of dining options onboard, and the staterooms are unlike any other ships- with coffee makers, even.

The best description I can muster for the new F3 staterooms on Epic is sensual, with curvy walls, cool colors and adjustable mood lighting, plus separate rooms for the shower and commode. The suites on NCL are some of the poshest anywhere - with huge flatscreen televisions, midi-controlled baby grand pianos and jet-tubs on the balconies. Epic will have world’s first “Ice-Bar” at sea - a completely frozen room where everything is made of ice - the bar, tables, chairs, drinking glasses.

Okay - Maybe I have already lost some people talking this way. These folks think NCL is too cheeky, Carnival is too presumptuous and Royal Caribbean ships are just too big. These people generally like small cruise ships that spend quiet days at sea.

I do respect this attitude. These are real ship people. They love to be out on deck feeling the hot wind cut through their hair - or what’s left of it. All they need is a 360-degree blue sea horizon, a good book and a cool drink. No, they don’t want the reggae band or the sexy legs contest.

I like small ships, too, but generally not for too many days at sea. I get too lazy on cruises like that. I find myself thinking about lunch at 11:00 a.m. and a nap after lunch. Sounds tough, right? Oh, it is. I get so relaxed that I don’t even want to dress for dinner, and if you miss dinner on a small ship at sea you miss one of the highlights of the day.

I love small ships best when they are taking me to interesting places. I was lucky enough to take Silversea to Egypt. The tours were amazing; Petra in Jordan, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings on the upper Nile. Our suite was the perfect retreat from a day in Wadi Rum, Jordan, where the desert scenes of Lawrence of Arabia were filmed.

The smallest ship I was ever one was American Safari in Alaska. We watched humpback whales bubble-feeding in a pack of 12. This is a memory of a lifetime. I saw a wild mother brown bear catching salmon and feeding her cubs who were barely old enough to walk.

I also had a chance to sail on Crystal Serenity last year on a 16-day cruise with only four ports of call - about 12 days at sea. I did not get bored once because Crystal does such an amazing job with their onboard enrichment classes and entertainment. I could take in a recently released movie any day, in 16 days they did not repeat any of them. I took piano and computer lessons, listened to NFL coaches tell football stories and borrowed DVDs from the library all day long.

Crystal has the best food of any cruise line I have been on. Every meal was a highlight. I am not a butler person, they tend to make me nervous, but Papa knew exactly how to anticipate our needs. One night he insisted on bringing us a lobster dinner to enjoy on our veranda. With wine and the rushing sea below it was magical. We had another meal of nothing but cheese and caviar where we hosted a Princeton professor and his wife who was onboard as guest lecturer on International Law. We discussed how piracy spawned the concept of international law. He kept saying, “remember, Hostis Humani Generis,” a concept first developed by Cicero and Aristotle that sea pirates are enemies of humanity, not just any one nation.

I also love river cruises. I once sailed from Moscow to Saint Petersburg on the Stalin Canal - going places in Russia I never knew existed. That was on Viking River and it was one of my best cultural trips ever. We saw the Kremlin, the unbelievable Moscow Circus and the Kirov ballet in St Petersburg. I had already scene the Hermitage and the Summer Palace from previous trips on Renaissance.

Renaissance Cruises - we took a trip to Israel once where we floated in the Dead Sea, saw the Dead Sea Scrolls and walked along the Via Dolorosa - the path Jesus took when he carried the cross to the Mount of the Holy Sepulchar. What can you say about experiences like this?

These are all cruise experiences - the richest rewards ever in my life except my wife. I am so thankful for these experiences. Cruising - embrace it and love it, and it will love you back.