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CRUISEWHIZ CRAIG OR EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE, NOTHING STAYS THE SAME
By Craig Satterfield, ECC

The cruise ship industry is fantastic! When trends and new ideas are tested out and approved by the cruising public, a cruise line can “refresh” a cruise ship and bring her up to the status of their new builds.  How many times do you hear that from a hotel chain or all-inclusive resort? Not often.

Take a look at Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, who has just invested over 2.8 billion dollars in building the two largest passengers ships ever, Oasis and Allure of the Seas. The Allure was introduced in late 2010 and a new ship is not scheduled to be christened until 2014.  So what is a cruise line to do in the meantime?  RCI has embarked on an even larger program of “revitalizing” almost all of the older ships in their fleet. 

What does that mean and how does that help you?  What this means is that you will have dozens of new reasons to sell cruises on the line.  These new innovations open a perfect excuse to contact your past passengers who have sailed RCI or other lines to share something new with them.  That is if you need a reason to contact them again.  Hopefully you are in touch with them on a regular basis.

Clients generally love to be remembered and having an arsenal of excuses to cruise again can bag you dozens of new bookings.  Sometimes it isn’t always about the itinerary.  For example, look at the routes of the Oasis and Allure, basically the standard Eastern/Western Caribbean that folks have been sailing to for years.  These days it might not be where you are sailing, but how you are sailing.

Getting back to what RCI and other cruise lines are doing to make cruising even more wonderful.  Technology is an area where cruise lines can really shine.  In the old days if you wanted or needed  to make a call at sea, you would trudge up to the radio room and to make a radio-call which was big money.  Now you can use your cell phone, I-pad or internet to keep in touch with home or your email account for almost nothing.  Royal Caribbean is adding Wi-Fi almost everywhere along with I-pod docking stations and flat screen televisions in the guest rooms.  Along with the entertainment the TVscan also tell you where everything is on the ship and all of the shipboard events. 

So what is the deal on something called electronic mustering? I am very interested in learning more about this.  Watch this spot for news on this innovation.  With the success of NCL’s Norwegian Epic’s single cabins, other lines are seeing this and are actually adding cabins for single travelers without the dreaded supplement.  This is another great opportunity to contact your solo cruisers.

Now let’s discuss food! As I have mentioned before,  when you return from a cruise people ask you how the food was before almost anything else.   Royal Caribbean is adding even more ways to answer this question.  Radiance of the Seas, which is the first ship on this revitalization project was completed right before her Alaska season.  They have added new dining options that have been successful on the Oasis and Allure.  Starting with the Chef’s Table, which is a pairing of food and wine in five courses, Izumi, for Asian inspired fare and sushi bar, their signature Chops Grill for steaks and chops,  a Mexican cantina and margarita bar as well as other new cafés plus a place where you can even get a weenie on a stick! 

As the big cruise lines are pushing the family aspect of cruising, the kiddies have not been overlooked.   Larger family style staterooms, which are not the pricey suites, (finally) are being added or planned and kid’s programs for even the youngest of cruisers are there for the families.  Look at those monster water slides. 

Royal Caribbean is not the only line using their down time between new builds to invent new reasons to cruise or return to their cruise line and it doesn’t just have to be a physical change to the cruise ship.  Azamara Club Cruises has planned new itineraries which offer overnights and multiple night stays in major ports.  How often have you been able to take in the night life in a major city while visiting on a cruise? This has always been an argument against cruising.    I think that is a great idea. More good ideas to pitch to your past guests.  They are looking for reasons to come back.  Over at Crystal Cruises they reinventing themselves next Spring making their ships all inclusive.  Celebrity ships have a live, green lawn and glass blowing and the upcoming new Royal Princess is planning to have a glass-bottomed walkway that will extend 28 feet outside the edge of the ship.

Will cruise passenger tire or become bored with these cruise innovations?  Only time will tell and as technology and imagination continues. Guests may expect more from cruise lines to keep their ships on the cutting edge of travel innovation and most of the ship companies agree.