A recent report from CNN says that the spate of world crises that have occurred in the first three months of the year has hit the travel industry especially hard. Natural disasters and political unrest have left many travelers rethinking their plans or cancelling trips altogether as they scramble to avoid a host of issues across the globe.
The earthquake and tsunami in Japan, coupled with fears of radiation and a potential nuclear meltdown in power plants there, has significantly reduced demand for travel to that country. It has gotten so bad that Delta Airlines has announced that they are cutting capacity to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport by as much as 20% through May, and suspending flights to another regional airport altogether.
Similarly, travel to Northern Africa and the Middle East has also dropped significantly as political upheaval has spread across that region. It hasn’t just been the airlines that have felt the pinch however, as disruption in travel to Bahrain, Tunisia, and most importantly Egypt, has put a dent in the cruise industry too. According to Carnival Cruise Lines more than 280 of their cruises have seen a change in their itineraries thanks to issues in the Middle East. They estimate a loss of $44 million so far, and the region hasn’t stabilized just yet.
The Middle East unrest has brought another unwelcome side effect to the travel industry as well. Any threat to the distribution of oil means an increase in prices, which is always passed on to the consumer. Soaring oil prices has led to an increase in the cost of airfares, and the dreaded term “fuel surcharge” has reared its ugly head once again too. With the busy summer travel season still ahead, it seems unlikely that oil prices will be coming down again anytime soon.
2011 is certainly off to a turbulent start. If the first few months are any indication, we could be in for one very memorable, but chaotic, year. Has any of the recent global calamities caused you to change your plans? Are you now going elsewhere because of recent events? Worse yet, have you canceled your plans to travel this year altogether?
On track to debut in Venice, Italy May 1st, new Carnival Magic has completed sea trials in the Adriatic Sea.
Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, the 3,690-passenger vessel had a full contingent of officers, technicians and engineers on board who thoroughly tested the Carnival Magic’s sophisticated navigation and mechanical systems.
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred as a “shakedown cruise” by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.
Following sea trials, Carnival Magic returned to Monfalcone, where it is undergoing final interior outfitting prior to its delivery late next month.
Carnival Magic will introduce a number of new features, including the Caribbean-inspired RedFrog Pub with its own micro-brewed draft beer, Thirsty Frog Red, and a menu that includes conch salad, spicy chicken wings and other bar food favorites; Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant that taps Carnival’s Italian heritage to the table; and SportSquare, a top-deck recreation area featuring cruising’s first ropes course and outdoor fitness area.
Carnival Magic is set to debut in Europe with a series of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean cruises operating May 1 – Oct. 16, 2011. Following a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing, Carnival Magic will launch seven-day Caribbean service from Galveston, Texas, Nov. 14, 2011, becoming the port’s largest year-round cruise ship.
Did you have a good time on your cruise, so much fun that you would like to take your cruise ship home? Now you can.
Not to be confused with stealing towels or silverware, some cruise lines are allowing passengers to enjoy some of the luxury they experience at sea right in their own homes. No, they’re not sending a masseur over for a little session on the night of your choice or shipping you Lobster-Night-In-A-Box. But they are offering a service that even those who have never been on a cruise can take advantage of.
The topic comes up because this week, Royal Caribbean International announced the new Royal Caribbean Bedding Collection available for sale to anyone.
“In line with our Royal Advantage program, the Royal Caribbean Bedding Collection was chosen with care to offer the indulgent sleep experience that they enjoy onboard and longed and requested to bring home,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of Hotel Operations.
Royal Caribbean’s collection offers not just sheets and pillows but full-size ma tresses as well made in Italy by Matermoll and Emmebiesse. The popular Royal Memory Pillows start at $79 (with $26.95 shipping make that $105.95. Kinda pricey. Remember that number, we’ll be coming back to it shortly.
Rival lines Carnival and Holland America also offer bedding for sale. I have a bunch of the Carnival Comfort Collection pillows that have done well over the 4 years we have used them. It makes sense too; this stuff is made both for durability and comfort. To make it to luxury-status in a commercial setting, they have to hit both marks.
Thinking about just stuffing that pillow in your suitcase before leaving the ship? Think again.
Bed bugs, even a few, attached to that pillow can infest your home and multiply quickly. Odds are you don’t make your bed and perform an informal inspection for bed bugs twice daily or disinfect foundation pieces each week like they do on cruise ships.
Those bed bugs are going to love your home.
Suddenly, after spending a lot of money with an exterminator to get rid of your little friends from the cruise ship, that $105.95 price tag for a pillow doesn’t sound so bad. I’m still not sure how they get $26.95 to ship a pillow. Maybe the captain delivers it, tucks you in and tells a tale of great wonder about life at sea and giant octopi.
But bedding is just one item for sale from the cruise lines.
Let’s go back to 2005 and another cruise line at-home program. Carnival Cruise Line’s Presidential Wine Club. It was a mail-order program where members were shipped two bottles of wine each month, selected by the line’s then president, Bob Dickinson, a noted wine connoisseur and collector. That program really never took off the way the cruise line had hoped and was canceled after a very short life. Buying into pretty much anything cruise-related at the time, I joined that club but was kind of relieved once it was over, the wine was really stacking up. These things happen to beer drinkers.
Royal Caribbean also offers would-be passengers/imposter’s the ability to look all cruisey without even going to sea with their Gifts and Gear Ashore program. This one lets us visit the cruise ship gift shop from home ordering a wide variety of clothing and other items we might find on the ships.
Want to freak out your friends at the next WeHateCruises.org meeting? Buy a Royal Caribbean t-shirt and tell them “I kinda liked it”.
Entertainment on the high seas has taken a turn for the better in recent years and cruise ship shows are changing. Cruise lines are adding more options than ever before. The old days of a 70’s Vegas-style revue and bingo as standard fare are quickly coming to a close as cruise lines roll out new productions. A recent USA Today pollvoted Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic as the top ship for entertainment. Other ships, from different lines, are turning out some great productions too as an at-sea evolution of entertainment options continues.Cirque Dreams and Dinner
On the top of any list has to be Norwegian Epic’s Cirque Dreams and Dinner show, arguably one of the best shows at sea. The two-hour set-meal show in the round has set the bar high for entertainment on any cruise line, if not on land as well. The food part, while good, was secondary to the audience-participation show for which video and flash photography were not allowed and that ban strictly enforced. While the company that produced this show is not connected with Cirque du Soliel, comparing the two is appropriate and accurate; the show blows your socks off, over and over again… but two feet away from you.
Blue Man Group
Also on Norwegian Epic, Blue Man Group combines music, comedy and multimedia theatrics in a shortened version of the off-Broadway production that started in 1991. If you have never seen a Blue Man Group performance then to say “silly”, “gross” or “disgusting” would probably turn you off. If you have had the pleasure, you know those things work with this amazingly zany production that leaves you thinking “How did they do that?” more often than not.
Hairspray Royal Caribbean brought a shortened, 90-minute version of the Broadway musical to sea in 2009 on board then the largest cruise ship in the world, Oasis of the Seas. The show takes us back to 1960’s Baltimore, where the 50’s are out and change is in the air. Heroine, Tracy Turnblad, has a passion for dancing, and wins a spot on the local TV dance program, “The Corny Collins Show.” On a three year run with an option for one more, the Tony ward winning musical has all the high-energy numbers and is offered several times during a seven-night cruise. Savy booked passengers book seats in advance on Royal Caribean’s website to insure admission.
Chicago:The Musical
Also on Royal Caribbean, this Broadway musical made it’s at-sea debut on new Allure of the Seas in the ship’s 1300-set Amber Theater. Set in prohibition-era Chicago and based on actual crimes from the era this one is a satire packed full of singing, dancing, glamor and glitz. Also available for booking in advance of sailing,
OceanAria Aqua Show
Royal Caribbean brings an ancient underwater civilization to life from the deep below the new ship’s AquaTheater. Dancers soar above the crowd as performers execute stunning high dives into the theater’s deep pool, all while colorful back-lit fountains provide a synchronized backdrop of mist, rain, and streams.
Punchliner Comedy Clubs Carnival Cruise Lines goes fleet-wide with this concept on all ships by year’s end. Located in the ship’s aft lounge, each Punchliner Comedy Club will offer guests loads of laughs with five 35-minute shows on multiple nights during each voyage, with at least two comedians performing each night. The two early-evening shows offer fun for the whole family while the later performances will feature adult-oriented comedy. Guests can also get rockin on a Carnival cruise with superstar Karaoke.
The Golden Mickeys
In addition to deck-side AquaDuck onboard roller coaster, Disney Cruise Line’s new Disney Dream features this 50-minute live musical show, a tribute to the musical heritage of Walt Disney. Set up like a real awards show, red carpet interviews are conducted with audience members prior to the show then Disney fans get a full dose of just about every Disney character on the roster. First introduced on Disney Wonder in 2004, this is an updated, re-energized version, sure to please anyone so hooked on Disney stuff that they took the cruise in the first place.
Disney’s Believe
Also on new Disney Dream, “Believe” is a a love story between a father and daughter with a bring-along-the-Kleenex Disney-style message. Along the lines of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, “Believe” was a joint effort with Broadway director Gordon Greenberg, choreographer Patti Columbo and writer Kirsten Childs, as well as Disney’s creative team. The quick-moving show involves a father who overlooks his daughters birthday and the Genie from Aladdin who takes him through a series of shorts from classic Disney films aimed at transforming him to someone who believes in the magic of love.
Vroomn
Yes, they still do have production shows made especially for cruise ships. Carnival Cruise Line’s “Vroom” is one of the best featuring highly choreographed rock standards with an array of special effects. Showing ships including Carnival Splendor, just back from repairs after last year’s onboard fire knocked her out of service, this one gets rave reviews.
Illuminations
The only ship at sea with a planetarium, Cunard line’s Queen Mary 2 features three shows in a partnership with the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium. Harrison Ford narrates “Search for Life” in collaboration with NASA that explores the role of water as one of the necessities for life as we know it. “Cosmic Collisions” narrated by Robert Redford, launches passengers on a trip through space and time to explore the cosmic collisions and hypersonic impacts that drive evolution of the universe. “Passport to the Universe”, narrated by Tom Hanks, reveals the wonders of the universe on an exhilarating flight into the Orion Nebula, deep into intergalactic space.
Normally, cruise line ship deployment for upcoming seasons is a mysterious event that unfolds over time. Experienced travelers want to book as far in advance as possible but are often kept waiting this time of the year for next year’s deployment schedule to come out. This year, Princess Cruises, for the first time ever, is releasing all sailings for Summer 2012 through Spring 2013 at one time.
All sailings will be available to book starting March 17, 2011 at 3PM Eastern time. That is of particular interest to undecided travelers, trying to weigh options on where and when they might sail. Before, small pieces of the deployment puzzle would be doled out a little at a time over a period of months. Waiting for all options to consider might have meant losing out on the best stateroom selection or pricing.
Princess has good reason for this mass deployment schedule too. In the 2012-13 season, the line will have it’s biggest deployment ever in Europe with more than 125 voyages to the most popular places.
In addition, Princess will sail seven ships to Alaska with 21 cruisetour options. Normally we have to wait until the current season is almost over before knowing what will be offered for the next season. That’s huge and only Princess is doing it. That is a real testament to their commitment to the Alaska market that buyers should not forget when making a buying decision. No “wait and see what happens” attitude here, they’re ready to go right now. This is consistent with many reasons why Princess is the line to see Alaska with.
Earlier we reported that Crown Princess would be returning to Galveston….yes, Galveston, the home port with the fog problems but a hungry cruise audience. They have not sailed from there in years but join sister-line Carnival Cruise Lines who will debut shiny new Carnival Magic in the U.S. from the Texas port.
“We’ve received a great deal of feedback from cruisers interested in sailing from Galveston again,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “So we’re excited to be returning in 2012 to bring our Western Caribbean sailings back to Texas.”
There must be some good things happening in Galveston for these two cruise titans to put such fabulous hardware in a location that has been considered secondary to traditional Florida homeports, let alone debut ports.
Continuing their “we sail more ships to more places than anyone else” thing, Princess has more voyages than ever to South America, the exotic Amazon, Asia, Canada & New England, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, the South Pacific and even epic cruises around the whole world.
If that’s not enough, Princess also has special Launch Savings of up to $200 per couple for members of their Captains Circle past guest club and the line has sweetened the deal for groups too, offering some of the most generous benefits of all cruise lines.
There is a lot going on at Princess Cruises these days for sure. Your travel agent can sort through all the options and help you find the best values for you. Be it your first cruise or your 100th, Princess has set themselves up for a record year of great values like no other line.
