What can cruise lines do better in 2013?

[beachbum53]

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%".

 

Rising fuel costs put a squeeze on everyone. In the end, we, the consumers end up paying for it through higher prices on everything. If those in the travel industry, especially the airlines and the cruise lines, could somehow join together and come up with a way to save their customers some money, then maybe more of us could afford to fly and/or cruise a little more often.

[GlendaleCruiser]

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.

 

Carnival had cigar bars and gave up on them because non-smokers would walk into them and complain about them. It's a bar. A cigar bar. Go somewhere else. They gave up and closed them. (I'm a non-smoker but I don't think smokers should be treated like second class citizens. No one has to huddle in the rain to drink or eat too much, all vices)

[Taxguy77]

come on cruise lines, stop treating us like idiots. If you tack on a mandatory gratuity, it ceases to be a gratuity and becomes a service charge. We like to tip, but not with a (metaphorical) gun to our head.

 

amen

[Krazy Kruizers]

The shows in the evening need iprovement on HAL.

Bring back music at 5 PM in the Ocean Bar while we have a cocktail before dinner.

Bring back more staff in the dinning room. On HAL on some ships the main waiter now also has to drink orders as the very few wine stweards that are left only handle bottles of wine. Thw waiters already have so much to do and now they have to handle drink orders.

HAL is now charging for all specialty restaurants. Canaletto used to be free.

HAL needs to be consistant with how things are handled from ship to ship. One example -- on Collectors Cruises some people are given a free dinner for the second cruise. We have done quite a few Collectors Cruises and have yet to ever get a free dinner.

[dobiemom]

Bring back more staff in the dinning room. On HAL on some ships the main waiter now also has to drink orders as the very few wine stweards that are left only handle bottles of wine. Thw waiters already have so much to do and now they have to handle drink orders.

I agree. And bring back more cabin stewards.

[Sharon I]

Set a dress code policy and enforce it. No one should wear jeans on a cruise or shorts to dinner.

Sharon I

[beachbum53]

Set a dress code policy and enforce it. No one should wear jeans on a cruise or shorts to dinner.

Sharon I

 

No one should wear jeans on a cruise?! Ever? Why not? What about shore excursions? No shorts to dinner? Does that include the buffet area? What about those that wear their bathing suits in the buffet area?

[zactak]

Carnival had cigar bars and gave up on them because non-smokers would walk into them and complain about them. It's a bar. A cigar bar. Go somewhere else. They gave up and closed them. (I'm a non-smoker but I don't think smokers should be treated like second class citizens. No one has to huddle in the rain to drink or eat too much, all vices)

 

That is sad they closed the cigar bar because of people complaining. I believe they should have indoor and outdoor accommodations for smokers. People that eat or drink too much aren't passing on harmful chemicals through the air like smokers do.mtheres a difference in your analogy.

 

Set a dress code policy and enforce it. No one should wear jeans on a cruise or shorts to dinner.

Sharon I

 

It sounds like your idea for a dress code is a bit strict. You have to remember people are on a cruise for a vacation. To relax. I understand enforcing policies for the more formal eating areas such as the MDR and speciality restaurants and those policies should be enforced, but to say no jeans? And to say no shorts, period? A bit too extreme IMHO. I am most comfortable in jeans. If I go to a colder climate on a cruise, I'm likely going to wear jeans. There's no reason why a person on a vacation shouldn't be able to wear jeans. There are all sorts of different fashions people do and don't like. My fashion shouldn't be limited just because someone else doesn't like it... With the exception of indecency.

 

If someone wants to eat in the buffet, they should be able to wear what they want. I agree with a policy for other dining areas minus the buffet and pool side grills that should be enforced.

 

It's important to remember a cruise is a vacation.

[printingchick]

Clarification:

I'm fairly certain that Carnival closed the cigar bar because it had been located in such a way that passengers wanting to use the internet cafe area HAD to walk THROUGH the cigar bar to get to the computers. Perhaps relocating the computers would have been a less objectionable alternative? Not sure why it wasn't done. Perhaps it was too major an undertaking to move all the computer connections.

 

I agree with the sentiment that existing rules should be better enforced. (Smoking, kids in adult areas, chair saving, etc.)

 

Would LOVE to see a partnership between cruise lines and airlines which would afford vacationers a break in cost! GREAT idea. Seems like the cross promotion could benefit both parties...as well as the consumer.

 

In general, I've always been very happy with the service in the MDR. I'd certainly like to see more cabin stewards provided. These people work so hard and it's reached a point where they have to start cutting out the extras (I love those towel animals!!). The little extras which are unique to cruise vacations (over land-based vacations) are part of what make cruising special.

 

For the most part, I'm pretty happy with the balance between an affordable vacation and an upscale experience. For me, cruising provides a much higher standard of service than I'd get on land. I feel like royalty all week!! I suppose it could be even better, but I'd be concerned about that increasing the cost to a level where it's out of reach for me.

 

I'm a pretty happy cruiser, just the way things are!:D

[rvsullivan]

Please add even more extra charge dining options. There can never be too many choices.

 

Even handed rules enforcement would help everyone.

[cruisemom42]

#1: If the cruise line or ship has rules, enforce them. Nothing is more maddening to those of us who obey the rules to find others breaking them with impunity and ZERO response from the staff. Note to management: please back up your staff on the line when they have to enforce a rule and meet with an unpleasant response. Too many people feel that if they make a fuss, an exception will be made for them out of fear of their continued/escalated reaction.

 

#2: Add the automatic gratuity/hotel fee/whatever you want to call it to the fare. Any tipping beyond that to be strictly voluntary (and should not be solicited by staff/crew). Yes, I know it will raise my rate; frankly, I'm fine with that.

 

(As a sidenote, from someone who took her first cruise in the early 1970's, I'm pretty darn tired of folks always bringing up how cruising is no more expensive now than it was in the 1970s or 80s. But is that a good thing? I'd be happy to pay at least the equivalent prices in today's dollars, if not more, to go back to the same levels of service one could experience then.)

 

#3: Reconsider the trend toward bigger and bigger ships. I think in future cruising will have to aim for two separate markets -- those who like bigger, glitzier ships (e.g., the ship is the destination), and those who like smaller, quieter ships (e.g., the ports are the destination, the "traditional" cruisers). I am willing to sail on niche-market ships to get what I want, but it would be nice to continue to have options on the mass market lines as well. Hopefully lines like Princess will keep and maintain their small ships as well as build larger ones.

[tip]

No one should wear jeans on a cruise or shorts to dinner. Sharon I

 

Why do folks concern themselves with what others choose to wear?

[luddite]

Why do folks concern themselves with what others choose to wear?

 

Because if enough people dress like slobs the crew will begin to assume that everyone is a slob and act accordingly. Then, management will assume that everyone is a slob and then THEY will make decisions accordingly.

 

Then, the people who aren't slobs will be upset at the way they are gonna be treated.

[Robb]

cruiseco, :D Thank you so much for the suggestion but we have sailed on several smaller ships already and plan on booking more. We have been on Galapagos Explorer II, Azamara twice, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Paul Gauguin, Windstar.

 

Still finding it harder and harder to get itineraries that include ports we have not been to. We also do river cruises, smaller ships and they reach wonderful ports inland. ;)

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I miss the level of service and hopsitality of even just ten years ago. Staff reductions have impacted the cruising experience. Even the size of the ships' orchestras is smaller. There is less live music and more electronic DJ-style music.

 

I also agree that the music in theater shows tends to be suited to the eldest cruisers, 1940s and 1950s. Many adults aboard weren't even born then. Even 70s Disco music is dated for many adults, not to mention teenagers.

[cooki801]

This is a little thing but as a diet soda drinker I wish that the soda was included in the cost of all the meals...I am sure that ships find the soda package as a great money maker for them but for me having to find a source of diet soda before leaving it not so easy when I don't have a car, and am not familiar with the port area anyway. Also I find it hard to justifly $7 a day when I usually drink 24 oz of soda....that's a mighty expensive drink!

I don't drink coffee or tea or juice or milk and so that leaves me with water or water LOL

[pris993]

No one should wear jeans on a cruise?! Ever? Why not? What about shore excursions? No shorts to dinner? Does that include the buffet area? What about those that wear their bathing suits in the buffet area?

 

I agree no jeans in the evening anywhere... short too. I don't like to see bathing suits without a coverup in the buffet.... same goes for those using the spa... walking around in their robes in the buffet, give me a break.

[EdmPair]

Why not make Internet access faster and cheaper? You know, follow the trend for Internet access everywhere else. I would like some GOOD bandwidth shipboard when in a port as they could rent access by wire if they so chose. I understand the technical problems on open ocean, but it's not like this could not be different in ports.

 

Now some complain about others being on the computer during a cruise. Hey, it's not something high on my to-do list but if I want to send off a photo, it really need not cost me a mortgage payment. How others spend their time on ship is all up to them.

[printingchick]

 

#3: Reconsider the trend toward bigger and bigger ships. I think in future cruising will have to aim for two separate markets -- those who like bigger, glitzier ships (e.g., the ship is the destination), and those who like smaller, quieter ships (e.g., the ports are the destination, the "traditional" cruisers). I am willing to sail on niche-market ships to get what I want, but it would be nice to continue to have options on the mass market lines as well. Hopefully lines like Princess will keep and maintain their small ships as well as build larger ones.

 

EXCELLENT POINT!!! I TOTALLY AGREE!!!

 

I'm a Royal Caribbean cruiser and I'm thinking very seriously that I will eventually need to become a Celebrity cruiser. At some point, RCI will sell off its smaller ships and be left with the MEGA ships that are limited to visiting only a handful of ports capable of accommodating them. Give me more Radiance Class ships!!!!! If I wanted the RESORT experience, I'd go to a RESORT! I want the CRUISE experience. I want to SEE the SEA!!

 

Thanks for this comment, CruiseMom!!

[mitsugirly]

I would like to see them add some new/nicer ports in the Caribbean and stop going to places that almost everyone has a problem with (like Jamaica for instance). :(

[BruceMuzz]

I would like to see them add some new/nicer ports in the Caribbean and stop going to places that almost everyone has a problem with (like Jamaica for instance). :(

 

Have YOU been able to find any of those "new/nicer ports in the Caribbean"?

The cruise line companies have been looking for the same thing for years, without much luck.

 

Bear in mind that before we can start calling at a new/nice port, we must ensure that the port has:

1. An airport large enough to service the ship

2. A pier large enough to handle the ship

3. Shore Tour operators with enough tour options to make it interesting and profitable

4. Adequate hospitals and dentists to take care of pax and crew

5. Enough taxis, toilets, bars, and restaurants for all the passengers

6. An agent to take care of all the legal aspects, shore operations, port security, deliveries, lost passengers, crew arrivals and departures

7. Customs and Immigration officials to clear the ship and passengers

 

 

If you can find a place like that in the Caribbean that is new and nice, you are going to make a lot of money when you tell the cruise lines about it.

Or you could leave the Tourists behind in the Caribbean and join the World Travelers in many new and nice ports around the world.

[printingchick]

Have YOU been able to find any of those "new/nicer ports in the Caribbean"?

The cruise line companies have been looking for the same thing for years, without much luck.

 

Bear in mind that before we can start calling at a new/nice port, we must ensure that the port has:

1. An airport large enough to service the ship

2. A pier large enough to handle the ship

3. Shore Tour operators with enough tour options to make it interesting and profitable

4. Adequate hospitals and dentists to take care of pax and crew

5. Enough taxis, toilets, bars, and restaurants for all the passengers

6. An agent to take care of all the legal aspects, shore operations, port security, deliveries, lost passengers, crew arrivals and departures

7. Customs and Immigration officials to clear the ship and passengers

 

 

If you can find a place like that in the Caribbean that is new and nice, you are going to make a lot of money when you tell the cruise lines about it.

Or you could leave the Tourists behind in the Caribbean and join the World Travelers in many new and nice ports around the world.

 

I believe the problem here lies in:

(A) Most people want to depart from Florida. Departing from San Juan opens up an abundance of new opportunities to see different Caribbean ports of call.

(B) Aforementioned move toward mega-ships which require beyond the norm docking facilities, eliminating most ports.

[luddite]

 

Bear in mind that before we can start calling at a new/nice port, we must ensure that the port has:

1. An airport large enough to service the ship

2. A pier large enough to handle the ship

3. Shore Tour operators with enough tour options to make it interesting and profitable

4. Adequate hospitals and dentists to take care of pax and crew

5. Enough taxis, toilets, bars, and restaurants for all the passengers

6. An agent to take care of all the legal aspects, shore operations, port security, deliveries, lost passengers, crew arrivals and departures

7. Customs and Immigration officials to clear the ship and passengers

 

Costa Maya has #2 and #5. Does Costa Maya REALLY have those other items?

 

We really enjoy clearing the dock area in a cab and visiting the beach at Mahajual.

[BruceMuzz]

Costa Maya has #2 and #5. Does Costa Maya REALLY have those other items?

 

We really enjoy clearing the dock area in a cab and visiting the beach at Mahajual.

 

You are right, It doesn't really have all those things.

Costa Maya and Grand Turk are very good examples of the cruise lines running out of viable port stops in the Caribbean. So they just invent imaginary ports and an excuse to stop there.

In effect, these two ports are just variations on a cruise line "Private Island". They are just 2 more opportunities to milk unsuspecting cruise passengers.

 

This also explains why Costa Maya and Grand Turk typically get very low ratings from cruisers who visit there. Other than over-priced drinks and sunshine, there is nothing to do.

[luddite]

You are right, It doesn't really have all those things.

Costa Maya and Grand Turk are very good examples of the cruise lines running out of viable port stops in the Caribbean. So they just invent imaginary ports and an excuse to stop there.

In effect, these two ports are just variations on a cruise line "Private Island". They are just 2 more opportunities to milk unsuspecting cruise passengers.

 

This also explains why Costa Maya and Grand Turk typically get very low ratings from cruisers who visit there. Other than over-priced drinks and sunshine, there is nothing to do.

 

We enjoy visiting there but we clear out from the dock as fast as our feet will carry us. We aren't unsuspecting, rather...unconcerned.

It's way better than Mahogany Bay, which is mostly a movie set.