Become a Travel Agent

Far From the Maddening Crowd
By Nancy Norris

Stingray City, Grand Cayman Island

On my most recent cruise to Grand Cayman there were 9 ships in port! Being a tender port, had I been traveling by myself, I would have opted to stay on the ship and enjoy the relative solitude poolside. But, alas that was not to be! I was with a group of new cruisers who expected me to be their tour guide for the day. So, we scheduled a rendezvous first thing in the morning in an attempt to get one of the earliest disembarkation tenders. An hour later we made it to shore ready to see the sights. By the time we arrived, the streets were already teeming with people and were forced to walk two by two in rows like cows being led to slaughter. We were packed like sardines on Seven Mile Beach and it was difficult to see the stingray amongst the maelstrom of humanity. Definitely NOT my idea of paradise and most likely NOT your clients either.

Crowded Beach Scene in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Grand Cayman is not the only port that suffers from the overcrowded conditions brought on by the onslaught of tourists descending on the port en masse. On St. Thomas, an average of more than 20,000 cruise passengers visit daily – all squeezing into an area of approximately 30 square miles. Juneau is the busiest Alaska cruise port with over 650 ships calling there in a season. The infrastructure of a town like Ketchikan is even more compromised when thousands of cruisers crowd the streets of this small city with a population of less than 8,000. The same fate has befallen Cabo San Lucas along the Mexican Riviera, not to mention Ocho Rios in Jamaica, Italy’s Venice and many of the more popular destinations in the Mediterranean.

With the influx of more mega-ships every year, all following similar itineraries, the glossy brochures showing idyllic secluded beaches and solo adventurers enjoying pristine natural wonders is deceiving at best. Obviously, as cruise agents we want to grow our business, but what can we do to insure our clients have a positive experience and maintain their trust in our expertise? Well, we are not totally alone in our battle. The major cruise lines are aware of this ever-growing situation and have begun taking some action of their own.

Crowded Florence, Italy

The Honduran Island of Roatan, a relative newcomer to the mainstream cruise market, remains much like the rest of the Caribbean was 20 or 30 years ago. A partnership between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, the Municipality of Roatan and the Honduran Institute of Tourism has resulted in the development of a new cruise port village. Phase I has been completed and servicing the 2008-2009 cruise season. The Port of Roatan is already taking steps to plan the development of a second phase, which will include a pedestrian-friendly marina with shopping and entertainment. Carnival Corporation has plans of its own to build and operate a cruise terminal on the island of Roatan. The facility, to be called “Mahogany Bay”, is expected to be completed by the summer of 2009 at a cost of $50 million. Of course on the flipside, the question becomes, once these new facilities reach their capacity, does this cause the beauty of this unspoiled island to deteriorate?

Many cruise lines are seeking alternative ports such as the Holland America and NCL calls to Santa Tomas in Guatemala. The lesser visited ports in the Southern Caribbean are getting a hard look by cruise executives and the expanding markets into Asia and the Pacific are attracting more attention. Cruise lines are altering their traditional Saturday or Sunday departures to fall mid-week to spread out the number of ships in port on any given day. They are also extending the “typical” seasons to allow for cruisers to experience the ports during the quieter off-season. This has been particularly effective for the European market. BUT, the reality is, this ever more popular and populated market can be both a blessing and a curse to cruise agents.

While we have more products to sell, we are challenged to provide an experience that our clients will enjoy. There is no doubt the larger mega-ships have their appeal and attract a certain clientele. The ports of call can be irrelevant as these floating resorts are a destination unto themselves. However, for experienced cruisers and those discerning clients a different cruise experience may be in order. Small-ship cruising and the niche cruise market may just hold the key. Azamara and Oceania both provide an upscale product at mid-market pricing. These somewhat smaller vessels (carrying less than 700 passengers) can access ports that the larger mega-ships cannot. Ships that carry even fewer passengers (100-200) offer the ultimate opportunity to explore exotic ports and destinations “far from the maddening crowd”.

In future issues we will take a closer look at small ship cruises and niche markets that will satisfy our more discriminating clientele and ways to capture this audience.