BruceMuzz

Len has been on only a few cruises ands on only a few ships - and that was a long time ago. A bit out of touch. He is living in the past and not necessarily in tune with what is happening in the present in the cruise industry.

Living in the past……………..

On my first cruise in 1966 - and on the 1,517 cruises I have worked on since then (on 33 different ships) - there has always been a Cruise Director. These people have far more responsibility than you will ever know. Not only do they plan, schedule, and manage all social and entertainment activities onboard, they also do a lot of trouble-shooting behind the scenes to ensure that you have a successful cruise.

Crème Fraiche made its way to Mexico - along with many other French ideas and foods - with Mexico’s first and only Emperor, Maximilian von Habsburg, who was Napoleon’s Cousin.

That is not my logic, but if it was, then every American Car Dealer that has a sticker price that is double what they will actually sell it for must not be performing well against the competition. My logic is this: If a cruise line feels forced to give away beds to a third passenger or to children in order to fill a ship, then they have a problem. If you decide to take the deal, you may be inheriting that problem.

Many stores in America do sell things made in China. In 2023, Walmart in America sold over $300 Billion worth of China made goods to the American public - and then sent all that money back to China. The Chinese Government is eternally grateful.

It always makes sense to follow the money. When a cruise ship is offering “kids free” or “3rd person free, there is a hidden message. They cannot fill the ship. They are forced to bribe passengers to cruise. Maybe the ship is very old, or the itinerary is not the best, or maybe the ship is not performing well against the competition. Whatever the reason, it is best to avoid situations like this if you really want to get your money’s worth.

Ritz-Carlton or Scenic

Asuka II or Ritz-Carlton

Walmart is the 16th largest company in the world, with annual revenues of over $400 Billlion. Over 70% of its merchandise is made in China. Their business plan is simple: “sell it cheap and sell a lot of it”. This marketing scheme is remarkably similar to the American-based Mass Market cruise lines. It is no surprise that the same demographics are attracted to Walmart and to Mass Market cruising. If you Google “peopleofWalmart”, you can get a great idea of who these people are.

My colleagues at the US Public Health Service (USPH) estimate that every cruise ship carrying over 2,000 pax and sailing from a US Port has just embarked a minimum of 60 people who are infected with Norovirus, COVID, the Flu, or some other communicable illness. Some of those people know they have it, but are trying to hide the symptoms so they do not get quarantined. Others have just contracted it on an airplane or in a hotel and are not yet symptomatic. Both of these groups are - or will be - trying to spread the illness to you. Those same folks at the USPH have also identified the best locations for you to get infected on a cruise ship; Food Buffets and Public Toilets.

Vision of the Seas - another Walmart of the Seas ship. Not surprising they would feature a plebeian dish like that. And no surprise there were problems with many dishes at dinner. If you set your standards low enough, anything can seem like paradise.

If you sail on an upscale cruise line, you do not have to see it on a menu. Just ask for it - or anything else - and they will make it for you.

A Metro Ticket is a one way (Point A to Point B) ticket. There are many different Metro Cards available in Japan. Some are good for unlimited rides for a fixed time period; 24 hours, 72 hours, etc. Other Metro Cards, like Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA, are prepaid cards that can be re-charged. Some are valid throughout Japan. Others are valid in certain areas of Japan. Some are digital, and exist on your mobile telephone; others are smart cards.

Booking a guarantee cabin can be a “Landmine” if you do not know what you are doing. Clever cruisers who book guarantees look not only at the category they are booking, but at the one that is one step up. HAL is a prime example. They have a multitude of categories that really confuse nearly everyone. But the smarter cruisers identify the categories that have very few cabins. That means that those categories are nearly certain to sell out - which means that anyone booking a guarantee cabin in those categories will most likely be upgraded. But upgraded to what? Many times, an upgrade is just a few meters down the corridor - or under the gymnasium. But if you do your homework, there are some categories that have only prime cabins. Every cruise ship has “problem cabins” in nearly every category. That is a result of the people who design ships never talking to the people who work on them. But that is another problem. As a cruiser, how do you work around that? First you need to be aware that big travel agencies - who are favorites of the cruise line - already have a list of those problem cabins. They never book their clients into those cabins. That leaves those problem cabins open for naive independent travelers to book - or to be used as guarantee upgrades. Most of those cabins go to the Guarantee Cabin gamblers. Be aware that there are times when people just get lucky. They book a Guarantee Cabin and either get a good cabin in that category - or hopefully get an even better cabin in a higher category. Sounds too good to be true ? Usually it is too good to be true. But you never know. But if you are smart and do your homework, you can put yourself in a situation where you cannot lose. Either you get a good cabin in the Guarantee Category you opted for - or even better - a better category cabin. How do you do that? You need an inside connection - either somebody on the ship you are booking, or a travel agent who has “inside connections”. These people can tell you which categories and cabins to avoid - and which to choose for the best results from a Guarantee booking.

Several million Tokyo Residents use a version of this mobile card every day. We like it.

If you are cruising on a Walmart of the Seas mass market ships, where they feed you on a factory production line schedule, it makes good sense to show up on time. If you choose to travel on a more civilized cruise line, where people get to choose what time they want to start eating, there is really no such thing as being late - unless you promised to meet someone for dinner.

To understand free cabin upgrades, you need to understand how cruise lines market and sell cabins. First, in the Mass Market category - like HAL and Princess - every cabin on every cruise is sold an average of 8 times before the cruise actually happens. The average Mass Market cruiser is rather fickle. They change their minds a lot, move categories, change dates, change ships, cancel cruises, have family emergencies, find better deals. The mass market cruise lines all have sophisticated computer applications designed to get maximum yield on every voyage. These computer programs track sales trends. When one particular cabin category is selling well, the computer automatically upgrades passengers in that category to the next higher one, leaving the more popular category with more open cabins to sell. On a typical HAL cruise today, anywhere from 10% to 30% of the passengers onboard have been upgraded without their knowledge, to open up more popular cabin categories. These upgrades are real, but quite often they are not a great advantage. A one of two category upgrade often means only that you are a few extra feet away from a staircase, and elevator, or the gymnasium. And many times, an upgrade can result in a less desirable cabin. Every cruise ship has “problem cabins” that are located above the show lounge, under the Gym, next to the Disco or Casino, above the engine room, or near the anchors or tender boats. Well connected Travel agents know which cabins these are and book only the better cabins for their clients. This leaves the problem cabins for unsuspecting independent travelers - or for the computer to upgrade people to them. Naive cruisers who just received a free upgrade are reluctant to complain about it, but the reality is often that their original cabin was a better deal.

I manage a small upscale ship that personalizes nearly everything for our Guests. Everything is customized to individual tastes. We receive many unusual food requests, and manage to deliver on them every time. Nobody has ever requested coconut shrimp. We would produce it if they did request it. It is a very simple dish to prepare.

If they opt to go casual, it does affect how they are treated - not better or worse, but differently. On my ship when we have those who cannot or will not follow a dress code, we offer the same menu in a more casual location, like the pool deck.

Either that, or they are trying to emulate better cruise lines.

Great cruise lines do not offer trays in buffets. These items are reserved for schools, factory canteens, prisons, and cheapatoni cruise ships.

You can also take the Narita Express train from Yokohama Station to Narita Airport. Luggage bins at both ends of each train car and free WIFI. Travel time 84 minutes. 4400 yen - per person.

I manage one of those Premium Cruise ships that delivers an awesome experience every day of every week of every year. Our Clientele is very well-traveled. We spoil them even more. They pay for the experience and they receive even more than expected. Not one of them dresses like they are going to clean the garage or going to a baseball game.

It only matters when you work on a cruise line and your salary, bonus, and continued employment are all in the hands of an idiot who gives a bad review to the wrong ship.