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What can cruise lines do better in 2013?


What can cruise lines do to improve in 2013?  

311 members have voted

  1. 1. What can cruise lines do to improve in 2013?

    • Add more interesting shore excursion options
      30
    • Improve evening entertainment
      39
    • Cut back on extra-fee items, eateries, onboard
      48
    • Ramp up service, food in main dining room
      60
    • Invest in new WiFi technology to make it faster and cheaper
      57
    • Improve quality of spa operations, and eliminate post-treatment product pitches
      10
    • Add destination-related enrichment about ports of call
      47
    • Other! (Fill in below)
      20


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We're wondering: What do you think cruise lines can improve on in 2013? We've got a few ideas, but as always would love to know what's on your mind, so please vote. And if you want to elaborate, tell us more below!

 

Thanks.

 

Carolyn

 

PS You can vote for more than one option....

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

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For those of us that aren't fortunate enough to live in or near a port city and have to fly, I wish that the cruise lines could develop some sort of partnership with the airlines. After booking a cruise, it would be great if you could use your booking number as a means of getting a discount on airfare, even if it's only 10%.

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my "other" request would be that smoking rules be revised. On my previous cruises, smoking was permitted in certain areas, but it wasn't enforced and there were men smoking cigars out by the pool in a smoke free designated area. While I have no problem with people lighting up, I choose to go where smoking isn't an issue. For instance, I know it's allowed in the casinos, so I purposely avoid the casino... but I shouldn't have to avoid areas designated as smokefree. Then there's the issue of smoking on balconies... I think the problem would be solved by making one entire side of the ship smoking and the opposite side non-smoking. I don't care which side is which, just pick one and I'll book the non-smoking side, so that when I go outside on the balcony of my stateroom, I can enjoy the sun and the view or even just have my slider open to the fresh air, without having to smell smoke (both cigar and cigarette) wafting up from a lower balcony or a next door neighbor. I had one cruise where we couldn't open our door all week, not even for a minute, due to a couple of chain smokers in the adjacent room... they were out there every waking minute. I couldn't even leave the door open at night to hear the ocean, because one of the occupants would get up in the middle of the night to have a cig every night. That's their rite, I understand that. They paid for that room. All I'm saying is that the cruiselines should have a way to keep all of their customers satisfied by keeping rooms separate. I'm more than happy to stay wherever I need to stay to avoid inhaling 2nd hand smoke. These ships are so huge, it shouldn't be that difficult.

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Beachbum, great suggestion! We'll pass that on.

 

Carolyn

 

For those of us that aren't fortunate enough to live in or near a port city and have to fly, I wish that the cruise lines could develop some sort of partnership with the airlines. After booking a cruise, it would be great if you could use your booking number as a means of getting a discount on airfare, even if it's only 10%.
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This poll is probably subjective depending on which cruise line you cruise with, unless you frequently cruise many lines.

 

We thought the evening entertainment was seriously dated, especially music. We would have enjoyed hearing a more current selection.

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I wish RCCL (and other cruise lines) to add new ports. The destination is of prime importance to us. Hate going to the same ports over and over.

 

Every time they increase the size of their ships the number of available ports shrinks. More port options? Use cruise lines with ships in the under-1000 passenger size range.

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For those of us that aren't fortunate enough to live in or near a port city and have to fly, I wish that the cruise lines could develop some sort of partnership with the airlines. After booking a cruise, it would be great if you could use your booking number as a means of getting a discount on airfare, even if it's only 10%.

 

Industry-wide, over the last three years or so the airlines have seen profit margins of around 2.5% to as low as 1% depending on a number of factors, the most variable of which is fuel costs. There's no blood to be squeezed out of that turnip. Especially "only 10%".

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Call the "gratuities" what they are, service charges, and include them in the listed fare up front along with the port charges. List them as "non-commissionable" just like the port charges, so that they are a line item, but stop making them semi-optional. If all lines did that, all the lines would appear more equal when pricing, since the passenger could see the real cost of cruising.

 

Gambling, drinks, spa, etc, are optional, but the expected costs should be pre-paid.

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Please also enforce their own stated smoking rules!

 

I choose to sail on a line with the most restrictive smoking rules around. I will continue to choose a ship based on the smoking rules of the ship/line.

 

For ships that sail from US ports, non-smokers outnumber the smokers. We all know smokers will huddle in the cold and rain to get their fix. Let them smoke on board, and please give them a nice bar to do so. Just make sure it is well marked, I can easily avoid it, they have plenty to do in that area, and I have plenty of places to have fun without getting anywhere near the smoke that makes me so ill.

 

Why not sell e-cigs on board? I have friends who have gone to e-cigs and are perfectly happy with them after years of smoking the real thing. Let them smoke their e-cigs on their balconies.

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