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.

Quiet Times

It seemed like such a great idea. We’d schedule a cruise over the holidays so we wouldn’t have to take as many days off from work. Then the Celebrity sales rep said, “You know, during Christmas week, we get about 600 kids.”

All of a sudden, our week of blissful heaven began to look the depths of you-know-where.

 
It was then that we realized finding quiet when you cruise is not a given—you’ve got to work at it. Here are some suggestions (no guarantees, mind you!) for getting that piece of peace on your next sea voyage:
 
Quiet times: avoid school vacations. Obvious, yes. But a bit harder to pull off. You’ve got elementary school vacations. College vacations. Florida’s vacations. Canada’s vacations. They can all be different. Is it worth avoiding these times? Just read a few of the reviews in cruisecritic.com by the unlucky travelers who found themselves sharing a ship with those 600 kids.
 

The tranquility of Central Park at night
on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.

Quiet rooms: pick your stateroom very carefully. Check what’s above and below you, as well as side to side. You don’t want to be anywhere around the gym, jogging track, cafeteria, dining room, discos, bars, pools or laundromats. Or too close to the elevators, the crew’s linen room, the galleys, or where the luggage comes in and out.
 
If you’re going for a balcony room, it’s better not to be across from an inside room. And unless you’re traveling with family or friends, I would avoid adjoining rooms as well. 
 
Musing’s Top Tip: It’s nearly impossible to read room numbers on those deck plans in the cruise catalogs, so try enlarging them on a copier. Makes checking out the rooms much easier.

A hideaway on Celebrity's Solstice.

 
Quiet moments: stay when everyone else goes. Many will tell you the best time to be onboard is when the ship empties out in port. A lovely silence pervades the vessel. There are seats in the cafeteria. Even the crew looks more relaxed.
 
On each ship, there’s always little hideaway to discover. Your best bet is off times. The crow’s nest is usually empty during the day. Hardly anyone uses the library. And somewhere onboard, there’s a cozy armchair in a corner with your name written all over it.