Why Should You Cruise…

Let's look at the numbers…almost 16,000,000 people will cruise this year alone, and this number continues to grow each year. That’s a lot of people! That’s more than many countries have! And when you compare that number to the much smaller numbers from just a few years ago, you can see just how incredible this number, and this growth in the cruise industry, is.

But there is something else that is interesting about this number. It shows you just how much growth potential there still is for the cruise industry. Currently, under 5% of Americans (the largest passenger group for the cruise lines) have taken a cruise…this is kind of sad. People don’t seem to know the many great reasons that a cruise is a wonderful vacation option.

Now of course…I am going to try and use my humble blog to change that….prepare for one of my legendary long articles! :D

But before that, a disclaimer...regulars will know this, but anyone new might not. I myself have never cruised (NOT BY CHOICE!!! I WILL CHANGE THIS SAD FACT SOON!). Everything, I say here is based on years and years of learning, reading, reviews, and my obsession with the cruise industry! Continuing now...

First of all, there is the, ahem… “bang for your buck” factor. People don’t always realize it, but cruises offer an incredible deal...more so than many other vacation options, if not all others. A week long cruise can cost you as little as a few hundred dollars per person (as an example, Royal Caribbean International is offering 7 day cruises for as little as $499 out of New Orleans on one of their largest ships, the Voyager of the Seas). But more than the small price, it’s what’s included that makes this really amazing! Your cruise fare includes everything you will need to have a great vacation, such as your cabin and all cabin services, great food in the ship's main dining room and other venues, wonderful theater shows and other entertainment, all the many different amenities that modern cruise ships offer, great service, and the transportation between the different exotic ports that you will visit on your cruise! I think I should also note that luxury cruise lines (even though they are more expensive) often include even more…like airfare, excursions, transfers, and alcohol.

Often times, and especially when the economy is down (like right now), the cruise lines will offer discounts and other incentives such as onboard credit (essentially free money for you to spend onboard) and many others.

Also one other thing I would like to note about price, cruise lines base their prices on double occupancy (the idea that there will be at least 2 passengers to each cabin). This can be both a good and a bad thing for passengers. The positive is that a 3rd and a 4th person will be charged a smaller fare than the first two occupants of a cabin (meaning that while two parents will spend, say, $500 each, their two kids will sail for less if they are in the same cabin). On the negative side, if you are a single cruiser sailing by yourself, you may have to pay an extra charge to occupy a cabin on your own (though this policy changes from each cruise line)…the good news, though, is that many new ships are being built with singles in mind and now have single cabins (such as NCL’s Norwegian Epic).

Moving on…

Cruising offers some of the most incredible destinations on earth! As the cruise industry continues to grow internationally, new destinations continually open up. From such time honored places like the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Alaska or the Mexican Riviera, to other somewhat less developed places like the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, South America, Antarctica, and the Middle East; cruising offers one of the best ways to see some of the best destinations…and in some cases the only real way to see them.

An example…

One of the best destinations in the world (in my opinion) is the glorious Norwegian Fjords, and if you ask me, the best way to see them is from the decks of a cruise ship. Imagine sailing leisurely through one of Norway’s incredible fjords with the huge mountains towering thousands of feet above you on either side, reflecting off of the beautifully smooth waters…all as you watch, from your deck chair, the acres and acres of vividly green forest, farm lands, and meadows clinging to the sides of these mountains, the mighty glaciers, and the perfectly picturesque villages pass slowly before you. It is one of the most incredible experiences in the world, in one of the most beautiful places in the world…definitely on my bucket list!

But this is just one of the many different places of almost unimaginable beauty, that you can see on a cruise! Places such as the South Pacific, Vietnam, the Amazon, Alaska, and even the heavily touristy Caribbean, can all rival Norway.




NEXT POINT!!!!

One of the great things about cruising is the options! There is a perfect cruise somewhere for just about everyone! All that stands between you and the perfect cruise, is making the right choice.

While all the different cruise lines offer a great product of their own, making the right choices when booking your cruise is absolutely essential. Your choices can either make or break your cruise, and this is where a lot of people can make mistakes (and one of the good reasons a travel agent is not a bad idea). The cruise industry offers hundreds of choices to potential passengers, and this can be confusing to first timers. “Which destination? Which ship? Which cruise line? What date? What cabin? What price?” are all important questions (they can all affect how well your cruise goes) that you will have to answer.

Being a shipgeek, for me the first question is pretty much always “which ship?” (then I figure out the others later), but for those of you who are sadly not, shipgeeks, I would suggest having other questions answered first…

-Have an idea of where you want to go.

-Next think about what kind of cruise you would enjoy: a fun, sometimes party cruise, like those offered by Carnival; something more laid back, trendy, and sophisticated like Celebrity Cruises; a little more upscale, but still casual cruise like Princess Cruises; something that recalls the history and romance of ocean travel like Cunard Line (*geek squeal), or some much more luxurious and intimate like Seabourn Cruises, or Windstar Cruises.

-Think about how much you are willing to spend…this will also help you choose a line.

-Try and find a date that works best for you. Keep in mind the different times of year will have an effect on your cruise. For example, there will be much more kids and families during the summer months, than other times of year.

-After choosing a ship, choose a cabin. Keep in mind the destination. Some places like Norway, or Alaska, almost beg for you to have your own balcony, or at least a window. Some other itineraries, not so much.

Make the right combinations of choices and you are sure to have a great cruise. One bit of advice though…don’t be afraid to try new things, like picking a cruise line or ship you would not normally choose; especially as you start to cruise more and more. Many people are often very pleasantly surprised when they try new things in the cruise industry…just don’t be too reckless at first, you could over do it!

Next!

While, at least in my super shipgeeky opinion, any day at sea is better than most on land, but being a shipgeek means that when it comes to ships, I am pretty easily satisfied (I know…not much of a comfort when I am singing cruising’s praises). But don’t take my opinion, take a look at the numbers! According to CLIA’s (Cruise Lines International Association) 2011 cruise market study, 94% of people who cruised this past year had a satisfying cruise experience. That's a pretty good number, almost 15,000,000 people! And I should note, most of those were not shipgeeks (sad for them).

Moving right along…

Cruise are more accessible than ever! Especially if you are in the US. The cruise lines are making efforts to place ships in departure ports that are easily accessible by car to millions of people, with more than a dozen such ports all over the country. The idea is that now, you can cruise without having to deal with the hassle of flying…now you can just drive, park, and cruise!

Next…

There is a cruise line and cruise ship for everyone now-a-days. I already touched on the subject of cruise line choices above so let’s talk more about the ships. The largest ships today are up to 5 times larger than the Titanic! So you can be sure that they have a ton to do! Pools, surfing machines and water parks, ice skating, rock climbing, classes, lectures, restaurants, theater shows, and more, are all available to you! And with extensive facilities dedicated to babies, children and teenagers, you can be sure that younger cruisers will be very well entertained, and looked after. And with many other amenities targeted at an adult crowd, such as spas, clubs, dances, comedy clubs, casinos, and more, you can be sure that you will also always be entertained…of course, you can always just enjoy yourself doing absolutely nothing!



Next and last for right now...

The timeless romance of sailing the ocean! Really, is there anything more romantic than the idea of slowly walking the decks of a passenger ship arm in arm with your loved one, as you sail off into a beautiful sunset, with the sounds of the waves and distant music filling the incredibly fresh ocean air? Or, how about dancing together in your finest clothes, to Big Band music, inside a grand ballroom, in the same way that people have been doing for more then a hundred years? Or maybe your idea of romance is simpler than that? Maybe you prefer just sitting on your private balcony with your love, champagne glass in hand, as you watch the ocean and occasional island pass by.

For centuries, people have been captivated by the romance of being at sea, and while it may seem that this romance would be lessened on the huge mega ships of today, it's not. In fact, in some way’s it is more romantic than ever! The industry is full of romantic experiences, like walking through Oasis of the Sea’s gently lit, “Central Park,” at night, or eating dinner al fresco on the deck of a Windstar Cruises' sailing ship with it's white sails billowing above you, or even watching a wonderful fireworks display mid-ocean, like on Disney Cruise Lines. Ah romance!

Anyways, there are many other reasons that a cruise is a great vacation option…you only have to unpack once but you still get to see multiple places, the food (!), almost everything is taken care of for you (even your flight arrangements, if you opt for such), and it is a great way to sample all these great destinations!

No matter how you slice it, a cruise is a great option when considering a vacation! Keep in mind all that has been said above, and make the right choices and you, your friends, partners, and/or family are sure to enjoy yourselves!

"It isn't that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better."
-Sir Francis Drake

Really Quick Update...More Coming in a Little Bit

I’M SORRY!!! I KNOW I HAVEN’T POSTED IN SO LONG!! (*sobs). Really I didn’t forget about you, I didn’t, it’s just…just I’ve been busy!! I know, you should never be too busy for ships! Nothing should come in the way of ships…but this time…something did. I will tell you more about that in another post! I think you might actually find it quite interesting, even though, it is completely un-related to ships.

Before that though, a really quick and totally uninformative catch up on the news!

- Carnival Corp. has ordered 3 new ships. Two for Carnival’s German brand, AIDA, to be built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (exciting!), and one Carnival’s European subsidiary, Costa Cruises to be built by Fincantieri (not very exciting as judging from the numbers, this ship will be another Dream Class ship).

-QM2 failed a health inspection (old news now). However, the noted problems have since been fixed, and in a subsequent inspection she passed! QM2 I LOVE YOU!

-The Port of Los Angeles hosted several US Navy ships for Navy Week…it was an overly successful but tremendous fail. Too many people, not enough planning.

-Ft. Lauderdale based cruise line, Discovery Cruises, is shutting down its one ship operation (sad). The line ran day cruises to the Bahamas with their ship, Discovery Sun.

-NCL has released more details on their upcoming ships…mostly regarding the new suite complex, “The Haven”. So far all the details look good, but I am already pretty certain that the ships will not be good when it comes to crowds. More on that later.

-Carnival has released the first interior renderings of the upcoming, Carnival Breeze, and I have to say that I have mixed feelings. This will be Carnival's first ship not decorated by the infamous Joe Farcus. More on that later!

-(old news) Celebrity Cruises’ newest ship, Celebrity Silhouette, has been launched, christened, and is now in service. And might I say, she looks to be a fantastic ship!

-The recent rash of storms in the Atlantic has caused problems with itineraries, damage to private destinations, and a large public relations problem for Royal Caribbean.

-Mickey Arison (my hero!) has a twitter!

And finally… The final block of the Disney Fantasy has been placed!

So that is pretty much all the news that I care to post right now. Sorry, I know I usually go into more detail, but it's late, and I don’t want to :D Stay tuned for my next article, “Why You Should Cruise”. That should be up maybe later today, tomorrow, or in the next few days!

171 Years of Greatness! Transatlantic Power!

Well it’s July and if you are anywhere near the Untied States you will see that the whole country is in a frenzy celebrating the 4th of July (I myself, am celebrating on the Queen Mary!!). It’s a great holiday!...Definitely one of the most fun, and its great going to watch fireworks with your family and friends. At the same time, I think, considering the history and importance (not just to us, but to the whole world) behind the day, it’s important to reflect upon the meaning of the Fourth and just what we are all celebrating…CUNARD LINE’S BIRTHDAY!!! (*GEEKOUT TIME!)

Yes, today July 4th, 2011, is the 171th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the genesis of the line, Cunard’s first ship, the RMS Britannia, on a two week journey from Liverpool to Boston via Halifax! Today marks the establishment of the world’s greatest institution, founded on the principles of free trade, timely mail service, global communications, speed, strength, and safety! Today we celebrate the first day of service for the greatest name in travel history!



I will be posting a longer (knowing me, a much much longer article about my beloved Cunard!! So stay tuned!



…oh and I suppose there are also a few people celebrating the United States I think? ;) j/k Happy Independence Day!! During this patriotic time, don’t forget to remember out great Nation’s Flagship, the SS United States, and her current fight for her survival! (((Yesterday, July 3rd, marked the anniversary of her record breaking maiden voyage)))

Norwegian Epic’s Successor: Lessons learned.

One of the things I forgot to write about the other day, when I wrote my Cruise News article, was a small tidbit of information that NCL had released a few days back…the codename for their new ships…”Project Breakaway”.

Since the new ships were announced several months back in October (after weeks of rumors), there has not been much information released about them. All we really knew for a while was what NCL had initially released…the ships would be built by Meye- Werft in Papenburg, Germany, they would each be about 144,000grt (around 10,000grt smaller then Norwegian Epic), carry around 4,000 passengers, and they would be delivered to NCL in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Along with the announcement, a rendering of the new ships was released…which set off a flurry of speculation on the internet.

Then a few days ago, as I said above, NCL revealed the project name for the ships, “Project Breakaway”…not really anything too amazing. Then today, NCL released renderings of the cabins aboard the new ships.

(Mini Suite rendering)

(Standard Cabin rendering)

Now for my thoughts…

I have to say that I like the design so far. The outside of the ship looks good, certainly much better than Epic’s looks (she easily had the most controversial looks ever in the cruise industry). And though she's not really that spectacular by any means (like my beloved Queen Mary 2!!!!....I know, that’s not really a fair comparison), but she is un-offensive and pretty enough…not to mention that many of her yet to be revealed details, are not shown in the rendering, which means that she will look slightly different in the end. I am optimistic though! :D

As to the cabins, I admit, I have mixed feelings here. On one hand, the cabin design looks cool, trendy and pretty well designed. On the other hand, these cabins are interlocked (as in, they are not rectangular and fit together with the adjacent cabins in a…um…interlocking way), which at first glance doesn’t seem bad right? Well to me this says one thing…less space. Interlocking cabins allow designers to squeeze more cabins into less space (which for the cruise lines means more money out of less space) by making the cabins narrower overall, and having them bulge out into the next cabin in places where they need to be wider (such as the where the bed goes) and bulge in where they can be narrower (such as the sitting area). Cruise ship cabins, while comfortable, are already pretty small (at least compared to land based hotels), so any narrowing of the standard cabin is, in my opinion, a mistake, and a downgrade to the passenger experience.

I would love to be proven wrong here but, given this ships size and relatively big passenger number (for a ship this size), my gut feeling is that I am right. The fact that NCL didn’t release square footage estimates for the cabins, is also slightly suspicious.

(((Keep in mind that there are three other possibilities at this point...that I really could be wrong - I know, unlikely - or, that the cabins can, in fact, interlock and still be spacious, or, lastly, that the design will change)))

I do want to say though, that I really do like these cabins...even if they are small (which I am not positive they will be). The design looks great! One of the places where I think NCL can really be great is, in cabin design.

(Norwegian Epic Cabin)

Overall, after crunching the numbers and looking at the cabin design, I am inclined to believe that these ships will be really crowded, much like Epic (ugh...). One of the biggest and most common complaints against the Norwegian Epic, was her crowdedness. According to reviews (not all reviews), it is hard to escape the crowds onboard. This is unfortunate; NCL’s product revolves around the concept of “Freestyle Cruising” where you ‘can do whatever you want, whenever you want, and with whoever you want’…but how “freestyle” can it be when you are stuck waiting in long lines, and competing with so many other passengers to take advantage of the many amenities? These new ships carry 100 less passengers than the Epic, but at the same time they will be 10,000grt smaller! On top of this, using the somewhat crude, and flawed, ‘gross tonnage divided by passenger capacity’ method of determining a ship's passenger space ratio, these ships score less than the Epic, with a per passenger space ratio of about 35sqft compared to Epic's 38sqft.

This all sounds bad, but fear not! There is hope for these ships! I save the best for last… Yes, so far these ships looks like they could be just as crowded as Epic (if not more so)…however, there is one thing that can set these ships apart from the Epic and allow them to be great…good design. One of Epic’s problems is a somewhat weird layout. When you look at the ship's deck plans, you can see part of the reason this ship is crowded (or at least feels that way); it is dis-jointed, and doesn’t have really great ‘flow’.

In an example of how great design helps crowds, we can look at the Oasis and Allure of the Seas. Those ships can carry over 6,000 passengers and 2,000 crew (that’s over 8,000 people!), and yet, according to reviews, the ships hardly ever feel crowded. Part of this is because the Oasis Class is huge (the largest cruise ships in the world) at over 222,000grt, but another part of it is Royal Caribbean’s good design. The layout of these ships ‘flows’ very well, public spaces are spread out, and the ships are “intuitive” to get around.

There are many reasons why Epic turned out to be the quirky ship she is (that’s a subject for another article, for another day), such as mismanagement on the part of NCL’s old management team, and trouble with the ship yard, and new owners. However, I hope and think that NCL has learned from these past mistakes and that this new ship will be as awesome as it could be!

Back to the cabins. You can already see that NCL has at least learned something from the mistakes with Epic, in fact, one of the biggest mistakes with Epic…the bathrooms. (picture at right - Standard Cabin bathroom rendering)

As anyone who follows the industry (or who has been reading this blog since the beginning) knows, Epic’s cabins caused quite a stir for a number of reasons, but mostly because of their bathrooms…or lack thereof. The reason was because, they aren’t really bathROOMS per se. Each standard cabin has 2 stalls (with frosted glass doors that don’t leave much to the imagination), one with the toilet, and the other with the shower (the sink and vanity are out in the open inside the cabin). This has been easily one of Epic’s biggest flaws (in fact, many won’t sail on the ship for this reason) as there is not really any privacy in a normally very private spot.

However, NCL has fixed this problem on the new ships. These cabins have the standard bathroom…the kind that is an actual room. For me, this by itself already makes the ship more appealing than Epic. (picture at left - Mini Suite Bathroom rendering)

Anyways, I started this article with the intention of making it short, yet here we are (I am not good at writing short things….), time to finish. Considering everything I said above, I am really looking forward to learning more about these ships! As of right now, the ships could go either way, we don’t know enough about them, yet, to be able to say with way is more likely. However, I am confident that NCL could build a great ship (they have before), they just need to learn from past mistakes, and perfect the good aspects of what they already have! What ever they do, I am looking forward to seeing it!