What Should Cruise Lines Do to Improve the Destination Experience?

[winddawn]

I don't give a hoot about any of those items listed.

 

I cruise for the sea......

 

I don't buy shore excursions' date=' preferring to do things on my own..or not do anything if I chose.

 

I wouldn't attend lectures, cooking classes or other of those type activities.

 

What I want is a reasonably priced cruise, good food attractively served by attentive wait staff, a clean cabin...and my ice bucket filled a couple times a day.

 

Beyond that, leave me alone....and leave me to my own devises.. I'm a reasonably intelligent adult who can certainly function on my own. If I'm interested in history or culture, I can read and research before the cruise. If I want to taste local cuisine, I'll have lunch ashore.[/quote']

I tend to agree with G'ma. If cruise lines want to improve, focus on improving service.

 

Most cruise passengers don't fall for the notion of the cruise lines trying to tell them where to shop, etc. as it is. I can only imagine that if they focus on anything else it will only be to improve their bottom line and not necessarily to enhance my cruise experience.

 

That being said, I am glad to see Carnival Corporation investing in some of the Caribbean ports of call that they frequent. All I want is a getaway from the realities of my life. A nice beach in a tropical distination where I feel safe is what I typically seek unless I'm visiting some place like Alaska where scenic beauty abounds. Investing in the ports cruise lines visit helps overcome the stench of sewage flowing in the streets and provides jobs and economic activity in the ports. This makes me feel better about my cruise--knowing that I'm giving something back to an area that allows me to visit and enjoy.

[bqkali]

Just my opinions...

 

Maybe I'm out of touch :) -- but I'm surprised that poll takers aren't more enthused about the idea of fitness programs in port

 

There are already lots of fitness options in the different ports, even if they aren't billed as "fitness programs". Last winter, I went hiking in Guatemala and Belize for parts of my shore excursions. I burned calories while snorkeling in Cozumel - two hours of swimming and diving down to the reefs to check out the fish. You can run on the beach in just about any warm-weather port. On my Alaskan cruise, I climbed Mendenhall Glacier - that was 8 hours of HARD physical fitness and I'm sure I burned hundreds of calories, despite the fact that it wasn't labeled as a "fitness program". I wish it had been a little warmer in Vancouver so that I could have run through Stanley Park.

 

Lots of major cities offer guided walking tours, or you can do some research ahead of time and map out a route that interests you. In Barcelona, I easily walked 3 miles a day, if not more! Or rent a bike and bike through town or along the coast or wherever.

 

A little google searching, and I found yoga offered on the beach at sunset in South Beach (Miami) for my night post-cruise. Hong Kong offers free tai chi classes outdoors, etc.

 

Fitness activities DO have interest to me on vacation - but I am able to seek them out on my own and have no need for the cruiseline to develop programs for me, so I didn't vote for that option. I'd rather pick the activities that pertain to my interests and fitness level...and pick it according to my budget which is almost always lower than what the cruise line would charge for the same activity :rolleyes:

 

-- and also more relevant-to-itinerary programs for kids. Am I missing something?

 

Simply didn't vote because I don't have children...ask the same question on the Family boards, and you may get more votes for this option!

[frogquackers]

Maybe I'm out of touch :) -- but I'm surprised that poll takers aren't more enthused about the idea of fitness programs in port -- and also more relevant-to-itinerary programs for kids. Am I missing something?

 

Carolyn

 

Maybe their kids are older? Mine are so I am not concerned about that. When the grand kids come.....

 

As for port fitness? I try to do active excursions, not spend precious time just working out.

:)

[Glaciers]

Port talks and "destination talks" that focus on the history and current lifestyle of the ports to be visited, as opposed to shopping talks touting the shops that pay kickbacks to the cruiselines. A few short classes on the language, so a person can order a coffee/tea/soda, ask for the bathroom, tell the cab they need to get back to the cruise ship dock, say "please" and "thank you". A reference sheet for the language used at the destination.

 

Since we do very few of the ship's excursions we would like to have more port talks too. We would also like to see transportation options in each port discussed further.

 

Last month while in New Zealand. There was a tour operator who had a booth at the bottom of an escalator that all passengers had to disembark from. They were selling a tour to see the city sites for $35. Once we stepped outside the building there was a city volunteer group who told us about the city bus where you could do the same thing for less than $10.

 

I think Arthur's statement is at least partly true based on the cruise lines only giving passengers the info they want them to see like their excursions. A bit difficult to truely experience the culture of a port when you load up on a bus with 40 other passengers and spend the entire day with them.

[jocap]

We find that when you get away from Alaska, the Mexican Riviera & the Caribbean, the port talks are much better. The ships are not visiting these ports as often, so they don't have the "special deals" with the shops. The port talks actually tell us about the places. Unfortunately, the maps still stink.

The article in our ship's paper was all about tomorrow's visit to Cartagena, Columbia, with details of emeralds, gold museums etc.

Unfortunately, next day we docked in Cartagena, Southern Spain......

jocap.

[BroncosFan2010]

How about if the lines stop building ships that are destinations in and of themselves, and take cruisers to good destinations!

[paul929207]

How about if the lines stop building ships that are destinations in and of themselves, and take cruisers to good destinations!

I have no problems with these monstrosities. I will not sail on one, but others like them.

[BroncosFan2010]

I have no problems with these monstrosities. I will not sail on one, but others like them.

 

I think these giant ships are changing the face of cruising, even more than it has been changed in recent years. It makes it so much more about the ship and less about the destination.

[paul929207]

I think these giant ships are changing the face of cruising, even more than it has been changed in recent years. It makes it so much more about the ship and less about the destination.

We don't go to the Caribbean, so we rarely see the real large ships.

[beachchick]

Maybe this explains it.

 

Fitness: I work out a full hour six days a week. It's just that. Working out. I don't do the whole hike, bike etc. for fitness. Work is the key word here. The hour I do every day is work. On vacation I keep up with the workouts even though I would rather not but I have to if I am going to consume all those calories. But the last thing I want to do when I get off a ship is workout some more. And the type of people who would want that kind of experience are probably not on a cruise ship or if they are, it's RCL on a rock-climbing wall. They wouldn't care about hiking and biking off the ship. If they want to hike and bike in a port, they would just do a land tour to hike and bike.

 

And I applaud your devotion. However, I've got a different approach to fitness. I have to confess that most traditional fitness activities and classes bore me silly, but that's because I grew up taking dance lessons and doing theater and hiking and biking and swimming and ice skating and so on. All those activities combine fitness with something I actually find enjoyable. So, we are the types who take the stairs onboard, walk the ship, and go to the gym once in a while to warmup and stretchout, but we get our primary activity in the ports. We want to get the most out of our now more limited "up" time without causing physical problems, so we choose a combination of active and restful activities in ports. Frankly, getting on any of the fitness machines on a ship is the last thing I want to do because I feel like I'm wasting time where I could be doing something active and fun elsewhere (or resting from port activities while napping on the balcony or relaxing on a lounge in the shade with a book). I guess we're kind of the opposite of you in that we like to get the most fitness off the ship and relax more onboard, whereas you like to get your fitness onboard and relax in ports. I'm happy that there are options to suit both tastes.

 

I simply do not agree with you that the type of people who would want the experience of active port excursions (ship sponsored or on their own) are probably not on a cruise. There are numerous members here who specifically ask, repeatedly, about what physically active adventures can be had in various ports. We see over and over "We're in our fill-in-the-decade and very active; what can you recommend for us in ports X, Y, and Z?"

 

I'll tell you another thing too. My sister and BIL are avid, nearly rigid IMO, in their daily fitness routines. Both go to the gym and/or the pool and/or take a long (as in 50 miles) bike ride or some combination of the above at home most days. They do not stop going to the gym on cruises, but get up early to hit the gym and prepare for their day. They also enjoy doing a combination of very active port adventures (kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, and even biking) and relaxing ones (beaching it with some swimming or snorkeling perhaps, relaxing in a pub by the water, leisurely wandering the waterfronts). True, they do land trips which involve plenty of hiking, biking, et al; they even biked across Ireland for one land vacation.

 

As with you, a primary (but not the only) reason we all make sure to get plenty of exercise on vacations (including cruises) is that we give ourselves the freedom to eat and drink whatever the heck we want, whenever we want to (with one caveat that we don't drink alcohol until after noon). None of us ever gain weight traveling. There have been any number of times when I've started to fade on a walk back to the ship because I have combination medical conditions that cause extreme fatigue, sometimes unexpectedly, and pain. My sister will encourage me by slowing down and matching my stride while doing her own version of "Hup, two, three, four" with "Drink, snack, dessert, drink..." to remind me that it will be worth it when we get back and I can collapse on a lounge with a yummy tropical--and fattening--concoction.

Kids: That's just your demographic on this forum talking. I bet if you did an age poll as well not many of us still have kids in that age group. Our experience on cruises that are more port intensive (those that would be interested in this thread) are an older crowd. No, not that old but old enough that their kids are grown as ours are.

 

Actually, I'm not sure of the demographic on this specific forum. There sure are plenty of parents with minor children who cruise and who are also members here. Perhaps many of them haven't chimed in? I think there are plenty of things for children to do, but that's JMO. There are so many activities in many of the ports that either aren't appropriate for young children/toddlers/infants or that have age restrictions for safety or other reasons that I think it somewhat unreasonable to expect the cruise line to create port activities where none exist. (No doubt I'll be flamed by some as a "child hater," but I'll remind them that I am a parent with a grown child and I do remember traveling with her when she was little; we also have a now 1-y/o DGD, so we do keep in mind what will be appropriate for her. I guess we just assumed that it was our job as her parents to find appropriate and enjoyable things to do with her when she was a child.)

 

Just my two cents. BTW: Thanks for the great work on the Azamara release today.

 

It's kind of comforting to see once again how widely varied all our opinions, preferences, and experiences are. It's a nice reminder of why cruising can be such a great vacation for all ages, from little ones to my own grandma (who died many years ago at 96 after traveling all over the world and even taking a number of cruises).

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

Darn. Missed the editing window. I just realized I misread the "kids activities" option. So, to edit my previous comment about port activities...I'm not sure what kind of age-appropriate activities parents would expect or want added to the children's programs for each and every itinerary. I can't help but think that it might be a good idea for parents to choose which port-specific activities and information is best for their children and perhaps tackle that as a family experience. But again, JMO opinion.

 

(And never mind my previous response to the kids activities question...really misread that one. Not the first mistake I've made and certainly won't be the last.):o

 

beachchick

[Keith1010]

A nice thing they can do is to provide more detailed maps of the area within a reasonable radius of the dock.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

A nice thing they can do is to provide more detailed maps of the area within a reasonable radius of the dock.

 

Keith

I agree. The maps that Princess gives us are not worth the paper they are printed on.

[DrKoob]

It's kind of comforting to see once again how widely varied all our opinions, preferences, and experiences are. It's a nice reminder of why cruising can be such a great vacation for all ages, from little ones to my own grandma (who died many years ago at 96 after traveling all over the world and even taking a number of cruises).

 

beachchick

 

You know, I would think that someone with 10,000+ posts would certainly know how to express an opinion and use quoting without making it look like a personal attack on the original poster.

 

I am glad you have your opinion but please do not make it look like someone else said it. That's actually the best part of these boards, we all have our own opinions. But someone coming to this thread for the first time and see that would think I said it all, which I did not.

 

Your opinion is well taken. But Carolyn had originally asked why so few people were voting for the fitness and kids options. I opined an reason. If there were more people with kids who valued these kind of cruise experiences and more that valued fitness on these kind of cruises, they would have voted and posted.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Thanks for the insights DrKoob. You know, I'm really bad about working out for working out's sake but I love to cycle, walk, play tennis. As long as it's play, too. And when I was on the Danube River cruise, I loved being able to bike around and see stuff -- and yet still feel relatively virtuous!

 

I don't have kids. But if I did, I'd want them to learn something about where we were cruising. But I appreciate the comment about demographics, great point.

 

Carolyn

 

Maybe this explains it.

 

Fitness: I work out a full hour six days a week. It's just that. Working out. I don't do the whole hike, bike etc. for fitness. Work is the key word here. The hour I do every day is work. On vacation I keep up with the workouts even though I would rather not but I have to if I am going to consume all those calories. But the last thing I want to do when I get off a ship is workout some more. And the type of people who would want that kind of experience are probably not on a cruise ship or if they are, it's RCL on a rock-climbing wall. They wouldn't care about hiking and biking off the ship. If they want to hike and bike in a port, they would just do a land tour to hike and bike.

 

Kids: That's just your demographic on this forum talking. I bet if you did an age poll as well not many of us still have kids in that age group. Our experience on cruises that are more port intensive (those that would be interested in this thread) are an older crowd. No, not that old but old enough that their kids are grown as ours are.

 

Just my two cents. BTW: Thanks for the great work on the Azamara release today.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Speaking of fitness, we have a lovely story, just posted in November, by a writer who's really into running. There are actually running themed cruises and her family went and she had a whole different experience in the Caribbean, not just a rigid-routine kind of thing but a bonding interest, not just with fellow passengers who were onboard for the same reason but with her own kids. I loved the piece :) -- it's here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1050.

 

Carolyn

 

 

Maybe their kids are older? Mine are so I am not concerned about that. When the grand kids come.....

 

As for port fitness? I try to do active excursions, not spend precious time just working out.

:)

[Cuizer2]

None of the pole responses would enhance the port experience, in my opinion, so I didn't vote. I don't think that cruising is really designed to provide a deep cultural immersion into the land based experience. The one exception would be residence ships (such as the World) which can stay in one port for a week if the residents want to.

 

Cruising is more of a sampler type of travel. Try this, try that, and come back next year by plane, train or automobile if you like it and would like to really experience the area.

 

Even a 32 hour overnight stay is not going to provide a really deep experience. All anyone from a cruise ship is going to experience is the area within 100 miles of the port. One has to stay a week or longer to explore further and deeper.

 

Spend 30 days cruising the Eastern US and how many of those are going to experience "the West"? Spend thirty days cruising the Pacific coast and how many of those people would get beyond California, Oregon and Washington? Even in 60 days one is not going to experience the US.

 

Would you recommend airplanes fly lower so that the passengers could get a better view of the cities they are flying over? Just like flying is not designed as a method of touring the area you are flying over, cruising is not designed to immerse the passengers into the port's culture.

 

Azamara is looking to find a niche for itself. For those that want to cruise and experience the destination more, maybe this is the way to go. If it works out for Azamara and its passengers - great.

 

There are those that don't want Disney or the mall at sea. For those, small ships are the answer. There are those who think the bigger and more options the better. For those ships, that hold enough people to qualify for its own zip code are the answer.

 

For me, I like to be able to return to a place and try something different. This would be harder to do if I overnighted for three days the last time I was there, and thus had a chance to "do it all. If I really like the area, I can always fly back the following year and spend a week there, doing it all.

[pris993]

We would love to have more than 1 day in port, especially in the the Middle East and Mediterranean ports.

[beachchick]

You know, I would think that someone with 10,000+ posts would certainly know how to express an opinion and use quoting without making it look like a personal attack on the original poster.

 

I am glad you have your opinion but please do not make it look like someone else said it. That's actually the best part of these boards, we all have our own opinions. But someone coming to this thread for the first time and see that would think I said it all, which I did not.

 

Your opinion is well taken. But Carolyn had originally asked why so few people were voting for the fitness and kids options. I opined an reason. If there were more people with kids who valued these kind of cruise experiences and more that valued fitness on these kind of cruises, they would have voted and posted.

 

First, I wasn't attacking you and I am sorry if you interpreted it that way. Second, I was responding to what you wrote with a differing opinion based on personal opinion, experiences, and reading numerous posts by other members--I used inter-quote responses, as many members commonly do; you obviously do not like that, so I will make sure not to do that with one of your posts in the future. I've never had any difficulty reading or understanding inter-quote postings where a member responds by using a different color text, but that seems to be a sore point for you, so I will write this:

 

Everyone, if you didn't realize it, in my previous post, my responses are in red and are in response to the original post quoted.

 

(Third, thanks for upping my post count...)

 

I disagree with you that people don't want the fitness options on port excursions or that parents aren't interested in port-specific kid's club activities. Just because someone hasn't posted here (many members don't even frequent this specific forum, as far as I know) doesn't mean they don't exist. I truly do not think we can use this one poll as a definitive answer. It's just as possible that not too many people have responded in those areas because they haven't even come to this forum.

 

Anyway, I stated specifically why I disagreed with your reasoning, which is not a personal attack. Still, I apologize that it upset you.

 

beachchick

[Belle1990]

I have only been on 3 cruises--all on RCI. What I didn't like was how they pushed certain places to shop, which I assumed were stores they owned. Do all cruise lines do this? I would like a shopping "expert" to help me find stuff not made in China.

[hajekfam]

I also didn't vote because for us the cruise ship is the destination - not the ports. The ports are just extra benefits. We take a cruise vacation for the amenities. If we wanted an in-depth port experience, we would do a land vacation.

[BroncosFan2010]

I have only been on 3 cruises--all on RCI. What I didn't like was how they pushed certain places to shop, which I assumed were stores they owned. Do all cruise lines do this? I would like a shopping "expert" to help me find stuff not made in China.

 

 

This is an unfortunate side-effect of cruising. I just avoid the shopping seminars and shop on my own.

[SeaBlue1978]

I voted, but none of the answers were really what I wanted to say. My NUMBER ONE ANSWER IS"

 

THE SHIP IS OUR DESTINATION. The Cruise Lines build these beautiful ships with everything you could possibly want on them and then they NEVER have enough SEA DAYS!!!!

 

The BEST itinerary and the best cruise we have ever taken was a 12 night cruise (we wish it had been 14 nights) where every other day was a "sea day". It was perfect, you could spend the "port day" doing everything you wanted to do from beginning to end. We always do the late dining and then do the casino and some of the lounges. We did not have to worry about getting to bed early because the next day was another port day. We could sleep in a little, have time for a nice breakfast on our veranda and then have all day to enjoy ALL the amenities of the ship!

 

The second thing I would like to see is fewer ports but stay longer, perhaps overnight. It would be nice if after dinner we could go back ashore to have a drink. And it gives you more time to explore the destination. You would be able to do more than one excursion and learn a LOT more about the people and the place

[cruiserbryce]

part of the trouble seems to be the places they go...for example...Oasis can get into such limited ports that the ones they visit are either very mainstream and busy or just not exciting...the trend of bigger ships has reduced the number of opportunities to visit so many places while on a cruise

[Hlitner]

The dirty truth about cruise lines is their main interest in ports is selling their own overpriced excursions. Cruise line excursions are a nice profit center for cruise lines who increasingly rely on-board expenditures to fatten the bottom line. Many cruise lines no longer provide any good information for travelers who want to do things on their own. This is particularly true for European and Asian cruises where a question from a cruiser is often answered, "you should book an excursion." We would like to see real port experts who make themselves available to passengers during the cruise. Holland America seems to be the only mass-market line that still provides this service.

 

Hank