We're Going to Seatrade -- Want to come along??

[blyle]

See if any cruise line will take over the state of the art cruise facility in Houston and will they change the same old W. Carib. ports so we can cruise from here without going to the same places!

NCL QUESTION what is the future of the only ship left in Hawaii , Pride of America?

[lakemurraykid]

Hello Laura,

I hope the topic of Charleston, SC becoming a cruise port (more than it is now) will come up. Charleston is a beautiful port city and, as of now, there are only two cruise lines who use this port. They are NCL and Carnival. NCL's Majesty cruises from there and Carnival Victory only sails out of Charleston twice a year. It would be wonderful if the cruise lines would consider Charleston.

[teechor]

Hi Laura!

 

Someone else asked a similiar question - but I wanted to reinforce it - are cruise lines interested/willing to do more for those who travel solo? The single supplement charge is excessive. If the cost were more reasonable, I know I would choose to cruise much more often without having to worry about having friends to travel with me.

 

Thanks for passing the questions along!!

Susan

[Are we there yet?]

Hi Laura, thanks for asking. I would like to know if any of the cruise lines will be putting a ship back in Tahiti after this year.

 

Thank you:)

[GrannyMouse]

Are any lines looking at Norfolk as an option for the future?

[flyfan]

As the mother of a nearly five year old son with Autism who is still in diapers, I am curious how RCCL and others can continue their policy of only allowing potty trained children into their children's programs? I have moved my travel dollars to Carnival who does not discriminate against my son because of his disability, however as a formerly loyal Celebrity customer, I would like to see RCCL address this question.

 

Royal Caribbean allows children in diapers into the children's areas during the Autism on the Seas group cruises, with the caveat that a responsible party (ie parent) be on the ship to do diaper changes. If they make this concession for the group, why can't this be their policy regularly?

 

One in 150 children and 1 in 94 boys has autism. How can RCCL justify discriminating against these disabled children?

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

hi, thanks for all the great questions and we're just starting to work on answers. Stay tuned....

 

In the meantime, Seatrade has started and we're head-spinningly busy writing news items and such. Go to http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=642 to see what's hot and new so far. And we'll be dropping some tidbits that are interesting into the thread-blog itself.

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Did you know that between now and 2010 every 32 days a new ship will be launched?

 

Or that the average cost of a bed in a cruise cabin is $236,000 (so a two-bedded cabin would be, er, double that).

 

And that Europeans now represent a third of all cruise passengers -- and represent 23 percent of all dollars spent?

 

And one more: At Seatrade this year, according to Celebrity prez Dan Hanrahan who spoke today, there are 1,000 exhibitors at the trade show portion. Of these, 300 are destinations. 250 are ship equipment providers (everything from swanky new verandah chairs to engine parts). 10,000 people from 118 countries will visit this show this week (and that doesn't count readers of Cruise Critic and this blog-thread).

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Royal Caribbean's Genesis class of ships, which at 220,000 tons and carrying 5,400-passengers passengers will be the biggest ships ever built when they launch in 2009 and 2010, is the industry's best kept secret. Everyone, from the Aker Yards, the Turku, Finland-based shipyard, to Royal Caribbean staffers themselves, have been absolutely mum about features, amenities, ship design.

 

Today, Adam Goldstein, the company's president, told the assembled throng at the State of the Industry that "keeping the secret is almost too much to bear at this point."

 

Hey, we'd be happy to help take a load off his mind!

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Hi, Rharvey999. Your question is a good one. In the Caribbean -- and this is a topic we covered (or will cover) in one of our Seatrade missives -- what's happening is not so much a result of over saturation but of a growing marketplace. There are simply more options for cruise-oriented travelers both in winter, the traditional Caribbean season, and in summer, spring and fall (which have become part of a year-round market there). Europe's Mediterranean is year-round, Hawaii is year-round, even northern Europe offers winter cruises. So there's just more competition.

 

I don't think the cruise industry is anywhere near the saturation point as one speaker at today's state of the industry talk mentioned. Rick Sasso, who heads up MSC Cruises' US operation, told us that even North America, which is the most developed cruise market in the world, is still "under penetrated". "Only 17 percent has cruised," he added, comparing these numbers to places like Branson, Missouri, which draws 8 million a year, and Las Vegas and Disney, which cash in on some 50 million people (apiece!) annually.

 

I think the official cruise numbers, at least as far as CLIA is concerned (and here's a caveat: CLIA's tallies only include member lines; some, like the mighty P&O, aren't members so the numbers are likely higher). The total is 12.8 million; 10.3 million of these are North American and 2. 5 million are European/British.

 

I am curious if those at the top ever feel that the cruise industry will reach a saturation point, especially in the Caribbean.

 

Secondly, as we are located in the direct middle of the country, access to the ports of departure are often the most difficult aspect of our cruising. The airfare costs routinely run at 30% of our total cruise expense. We find that the sea-air packages offered by the cruise lines are often far in excess of what we can book for ourselves. Is there any plan to work more closely with the airline industry to make cruising easier for those who don't live within driving distance of the departure ports?

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Hello, and thank you for asking the thoughts of Cruise Critic members.

 

I'm wondering if the cruiselines, particularly Carnival owned lines and Norwegian's line, have ever given any thought to:

 

1. Allowing smoking only on the open air decks, rather than in certain indoor areas and in cabins. This would help eliminate worries about smoke smells in cabins also used by non-smoking guests staying in rooms previously used by smokers and cut down on the need for heavy cleaning to remove the residues from burning tobacco.

 

2. Enclosing common smoking areas, such as smoking rooms in airports, some laundromats, and other businesses. These rooms have air filtration systems to remove the smoke from the room. By having the rooms closed off, it would help tremendously with smoke drifting into non-smoking areas near the smoking rooms.

 

3. Changing the layouts of ships so open areas that allow smoking are located away from common areas utilized by non-smoking as well as smoking guests, such as gift shops, shore excursion desk, purser's office, main restaurants. For instance, placing lounges and bars that allow smoking on the same floor as the casino which allows smoking, then having non-smoking venues (lounges, bars, maybe even a small non-smoking casino) on another floor, or floors, so drifting smoke wouldn't be a problem.

 

I understand that smokers and non-smokers need to be able to share the same ship, Hubby and I are former smokers who cruise with family members who smoke, but I think there should be more done to make the ship as nice and healthful an environment as possible for all concerned -crew, staff, and guests.

 

Thank you for reading my thoughts about this issue and thank you for any consideration on this subject.

 

Azure Moon

 

 

 

Smoking is certainly an issue that all the cruise lines are working to resolve. It's definitely a challenge to find a middle ground so that everyone is comfortable.

 

The cruise lines would just love to have designated smoking and non-smoking cabins but it just isn't practical. According to CLIA, it would result in "spoilage," (cabins that remain empty for a sailing), the worst word in the Sales Department's vocabulary. They need the ships to sail full and they need to be able to move people around (last minute upgrades and upsells, for example).

 

Every line has become more and more stringent on smoking issues over the past several years. Last year saw some incredibly restrictive measures taken by some of the most liberal lines, NCL among them. On NCL ships now, guests may smoke in their cabins or on their balconies and in designated spaces outdoors. Indoor smoking is limited to a sealed "cigar room," similar to the airport rooms you mention, and the casino. No other indoor space or lounge allows any smoking.

 

Carnival Cruise Lines also allows smoking in cabins and on balconies and has limited indoor smoking as well. Although there are small sections of a few bars and the casino still allows smoking, it's been severely restricted. Ditto for most of the ships under the Carnival Corp. umbrella, including Costa, which frankly surprised us.

 

Oddly, one of your suggestions was actually used on NCL's new ship Pearl last year. The deck with the casino and its related lounges was almost all smoking; the deck above with its lounges, bars and restaurants was all non-smoking. Now, of course, smoking is only allowed in the casino (and the small cigar bar) making the casino difficult for non-smokers (especially on sea days with bad weather). Some lines, I think Princess is one of them, have smoke-free casino nights.

 

Take a look at At Your Service: Smoking Policies -- http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=225 -- to see what the policy is for each line. It's unlikely that we'll see any completely smoke-free ships in the very near future, especially as cruising is becoming more universal and some other cultures tend to smoke more than North Americans.

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Hi Laura,

I wish I could be a fly on the wall as you are there at this convention. So many questions I would love answers too. Here are my 2 since my others have been asked.

 

1. This isn't meant to bring up the smoker versus the non smoker but would they consider going to smokeless ships again? With such a rise on being environmently friendly and for the health of others, would the major lines consider that?

 

2. Princess is exempt as they have them but can you ask the other lines about putting bridgecams on all the ships? It's so much fun to see where you are going, to follow a friend on their itinerary.

 

Thanks so much and have fun.....

 

Hi Cruzegirl (and mmemichele!)

 

To answer your first question, it's unlikely that you'll see any line go completely non-smoking in the near future, even with a single ship like Paradise was until four years ago.

 

The number of smokers in the U.S. continues to decline. It's down to just over 22% now. That's the good news. The bad news is that that number still means that over one in five Americans still smoke. Cruise lines can't survive without group business and most groups won't book a ship with a completely no-smoking policy.

 

Smoking policies on almost all cruise lines and ships have become much more rigid over the past few years, and will probably tighten even more over the next few. It's possible that when the smoker ratio reaches the 8% - 10% range, the lines will be comfortable with smoke-free vessels, but it's unlikely to happen before then.

 

Stay tuned for more information from us!

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

As the mother of a nearly five year old son with Autism who is still in diapers, I am curious how RCCL and others can continue their policy of only allowing potty trained children into their children's programs? I have moved my travel dollars to Carnival who does not discriminate against my son because of his disability, however as a formerly loyal Celebrity customer, I would like to see RCCL address this question.

 

Royal Caribbean allows children in diapers into the children's areas during the Autism on the Seas group cruises, with the caveat that a responsible party (ie parent) be on the ship to do diaper changes. If they make this concession for the group, why can't this be their policy regularly?

 

One in 150 children and 1 in 94 boys has autism. How can RCCL justify discriminating against these disabled children?

 

Hi Flyfan,

 

We want you to know that we are currently researching for an article on this very subject... cruising with disabled kids. We have gone beyond the physical handicaps and are enquiring about issues just like yours. Thank you for posting your question; it's one we hadn't thought to ask, and it will help in our research. Look for the article in the Cruise Critic Features section.

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Thanks for your question, Marilyn! Princess has not announced plans for any new ships beyond the launch of the Ruby Princess, and the folks there would not comment on what kind of new-builds they're considering. However, they do say that they're constantly looking at what people say they like. So if you're excited about midsize ships, perhaps drop them a note to let them know.

 

Hi Laura: I am a Princess fan and I truly want to know if Princess has plans or have thought about bringing or building ships of the 2000 passenger size such as the Coral and the Island. Their most recent ships the Caribbean, Crown, Emerald and now the Ruby are very large. I know the reasons why they are built that size is due to the popularity of cruising but there are a lot of us who just do not want to sail those behemouths. The Pacific Princess II, Royal and the Tahitian are just too small and they do have a following but just want one in the middle.

 

Thank you

 

Marilyn

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Princess does call in Bermuda for a day on its nine-night cruises from NY to the Caribbean. It's unlikely they'll add a shorter Bermuda-only cruise, since the line likes to focus on longer sailings. But just because Princess isn't thinking about a Bermuda-only cruise now, doesn't mean it won't change its mind later on!

 

Hi Laura:

Love Princess, would they consider a NY to Bermuda run, 5 or 7 days???

 

Thank you

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Question for Princess: Any chance of offering more 3 and 4 night cruises (like the upcoming Caribbean Princess ones only due to the cancelling of dry-dock)?

 

Sadly, no. Like I reported in the previous post, Princess doesn't seem too interested in shorter sailings. They say it's not a direction they're moving in.

 

The short cruises on the Caribbean Princess, as you mentioned, were offered solely to fill the scheduling gap created by a canceled dry dock. So perhaps look out for another dry dock getting canceled, and you may find some more short sailings.

[butterfinger]

I am curious if those at the top ever feel that the cruise industry will reach a saturation point, especially in the Caribbean.

 

Secondly, as we are located in the direct middle of the country, access to the ports of departure are often the most difficult aspect of our cruising. The airfare costs routinely run at 30% of our total cruise expense. We find that the sea-air packages offered by the cruise lines are often far in excess of what we can book for ourselves. Is there any plan to work more closely with the airline industry to make cruising easier for those who don't live within driving distance of the departure ports?

 

That is an excellent point! We have booked our own air for our next cruise because the amount we saved can be used on our vacation instead of traveling to get there. And, we also book about half of our excursions privately, based on this cruise critic board.:rolleyes:

[Cruiseman2003]

Where is the Carnival Pride going after it completes the Caribbean in the summer of 09?

 

Would they consider putting a ship in New Orleans for 7 day cruises?

 

I am thinking that the Splendour selling well are they looking at having more South America cruises.

 

Has anyone ever talked about the Miracle doing a alternating route to the western caribbean from New York?

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

A couple of readers have posted questions re Carnival: whether or not it was planning to add a seven night ship to New Orleans. The answer for now is that it's something they'd like to do...but have nothing to announce at this point.

[Cruise Critic at Seatrade]

Hi, mmemichele. See answers below!

Will balcony cabins become more affordable now that bigger ships will have more of them ?

 

Will companies consider smoke free ships or at least no smoking anywhere indoors or in any cabins ?

 

A-No, probably not again in our lifetime. It was a big experiment tried by the now-defunct Renaissance and Carnival, with Paradise, and it failed on all counts. I have seen cruise lines become much more restrictive, however, about letting people smoke. It's not only offensive to non smokers, it's a safety issue (remember Star Princess???)

 

Will other companies offer big screen viewing around pools .? Loved Princess MUTS

 

A-Yes, the concept is definitely expanding. Carnival's picked it up and is adding to some existing ships (and designing into newer ones)....

 

All shows after dinner including late dining

 

A-That's hit or miss, so variable. Most shows do operate after late dining....

 

NO fee alternative restaurants

 

A-There are some, of course, particularly with NCL and it's Freestyle approach. But in many ways the fees are levied more to control demand than to add revenue for the lines (though let me just say they're probably not, er, averse to the extra cash). The more popular the eatery (and the smaller it is) the higher the fee....

 

Tips included in fare

 

A-On European and UK oriented cruises they're often included in the fare. North Americans are more accustomed to tipping so...not. Depends on where your cruise is based and what nationality the line is (not the flag, but the nationality).

 

more 10 -14 day cruises

 

A-I think we'll see more of these as the baby boomers continue to pour into the cruise arena. We're already seeing a huge increase in world cruising and more exotic deployments which by nature run longer than a week.

 

Different itineraries for Caribbean with more varied ports

include Virgin Gorda ,Grenada ,St Kitts ,Bonaire,St Barts ,St John,Tortola ,Trinidad etc

 

A- You have to pick your line carefully there...some do make the effort and others simply don't.

 

[ndavis7515]

We are more comfort foodies. We have found that there never is a variety of such on the menus in the main restaurant. Most of the food is just too rich. I know some of the cruise lines offer specialty choices (ie Johnny Rockets), but what about the main venues?

 

Thank you

[cruisin'since'75]

Hi Laura, thanks for the opportunity. Traveled on NCL only once, swore NEVER to sail with them again. Having sailed with a variety of companies throughout the past several years, I probably shouldn't have sailed with NCL in the first place, but it was a 50th birthday cruise for 2 of us, and the friends and family coming along numbered well into 20 people, some of whom had never cruised before (and vowed now to never cruise again!).

 

At any rate, the problems seemed all to stem from posted rules and regulations, as it related to children, being totally disregarded by children, parents, crew and staff. It so didn't matter that kids were in the adult pool, peeing and pooping, at the worst, and doing the usual things kids do in a pool, jump, splash, bump into adults, etc.

 

Monopolizing the hot tubs all day and then just when you think they may not be there, around 5 or 6 in the evening, they arrive, and jump in splashing wildly and yelling obscenities!

 

Running in the narrow hallways, skateboarding and knocking over whoever happened to be in the way, pressing all the buttons in every elevator so when someone gets in to actually use it, each and every time, they're on the slow boat to China, (and I know we were on a cruise and in no particular hurry, but EVERY time became a bit much)!

 

Sticking their fingers into the foods at the buffet, then sticking those fingers in their mouths to see if they like the taste, and then sticking those same fingers BACK into yet another item on the buffet was so disgusting and obviously unsanitary.

 

No parent in sight, and even if they see what their children are doing they act as though its perfectly fine, and in fact, when asked to perhaps discipline their child at the buffet, to be told "My kids are on vacation and so am I. They can do whatever they want, and so can I. Mind your own business". It was just too much to tolerate.

 

No other cruise line I traveled with has ever tolerated behavior like this. Just NCL, and so if they are upgrading in a big way, they need to take a long and thoughtful look at this stunning issue and absolutely consider it part of their upgrade planning. You can get as many free glasses of champagne upon arrival as you can carry, but if a child then comes by and knocks it out of your hand, NCL will still be known as "Trailer Trash Cruising".

 

I've only noted a few of the problems encountered on our NCL cruise. Please assure us all that NCL is considering this an important factor in the upgrade. Thank you Laura.:(

[cctn]

I wish they would change the 'laws' re: sailing from certain ports - I would love to experience 'get aways' from San Franciso to San Diego and then back without having to sail to Mexico - and also the reverse of San Francisco to Seattle and back - 4 days/ 5 days,/ 7 days without having to go to Canada. How about a route from San Francisco to Hawaii and back ? Corkey

[CRUISEBUG1]

do you think the cruise-lines will ever consider all-inclusive fares(alcohol, soda,internet) for some of there cruises? my husband and i love to cruise and we would love to have several of our friends join us, but it is hard convincing them when they do make a good argument that with an all inclusive land vacation, you really don't have to worry about any extras.

[CRUISEBUG1]

what happened? no one posting anymore? i would love to get the answers to all the greatg questions that have been asked by everyone.;)