Be a Cruise Champion

When I read about a new ship launching, it makes me nervous. While the prospect of a new ship generally makes us veterans positively tingle with excitement, these days it just gives me heartburn.

And it’s because of articles like the one recently posted on cruisecritic.com. It was a recap of a panel discussion at an industry trade show with the major cruise line CEOs where they talked about the state of the industry. What came through the discussion loud and clear, said cruisecritic.com, was “the industry’s continuing need to attract newcomers to cruising.”

Consider this: three new mass market ships have launched/are launching this year—the Norwegian

The Regal Princess on its sea trials. Passenger capacity: 3,600.

Getaway (January), Princess’ Regal Princess (May) and Quantum (November). Their passenger capacity combined is 11,709. That’s a lot of new staterooms to fill.

The result of this state of affairs is that Royal Caribbean is shipping its newest, brightest stars on the sea outside the U.S. Because that’s where the growth is, the industry says.

So, Quantum of the Seas’ home port will be Shanghai. Anthem of the Seas will be based in England.

What can we do about it? How do we ensure cruising stays a vibrant, growing market right here in the U.S. over the long term?

Be a cruise champion. A myth-buster. Tell your friends, family and work colleagues what a great, cost-effective vacation it is. How it can bring scattered families together. And how it’s a chance to get away from the cell phones, tablets and PCs that are invading our lives. To really, truly unwind, the old-fashioned way. And not feel the slightest bit guilty while doing it.

But before you put away that cell phone or tablet...check out Musing’s Top Tip!

Musing’s Top Tip

Reminding us that anticipation is half the fun, cruiseline.com has given us a tool to feed our cruise fever. It’s a nice little free app for your cell phone or tab that gives you a countdown to your next trip, deck plans, itinerary, quick summaries of your ports, excursions and more. (And did I mention it was free?) You can get the app from this link, Ship Mate App, or visit cruiseline.com and select “More” from the top menu.