What would YOU like to see the gift shops carry?

[ccruisequeen]

not being a smarty hear , but what about a little shop like a 7/11 or something like that.

they could carry magzines and other lines that your average 7/11 stocks, price the products at a reasonable level give celebrity 20% of the profits,and were all done.

just like a little general store, I'd bet it would do a roaring trade.

 

Like! Candy, books, OTC meds at cheaper prices.

 

 

 

 

 

[islandgirlejfan]

Yes! Fresh Produce!!! They could even get them to design some shirts specific to Celebrity.

 

I LOVE Fresh Produce!! They have some really fun clothing! :)

[BocaRoo]

In 2009 on the Equinox' maiden transatlantic voyage, the ship sold wonderful 'Mediterranean' jewelry over the course of a few days in the arcade outside of the shops. The jewelry was moderately priced from $50 - $200 and the collection consisted of hand-crafted pieces made of semi-precious gems set in sterling silver. I bought a pendant with a peridot and lemon citrine for $75. The selection was huge - so many items to choose from and everything was both gorgeous and of high quality! I wear the pendant frequently and constantly receive compliments on it. This piece of jewelry is a souvenir of a wonderful cruise (our first transatlantic) and while not a huge expenditure it is quite precious to me. I wish Celebrity would offer more of this type of merchandise.

 

Jill

[h20cruzer]

I would love to see some plus size clothes. I was on a cruise recently and loved a tee shirt but nothing in a plus size. There are lots of plus size people on all cruises. Small, Medium, Large and X large just dont cut it for many women as well as men.

Not asking for a whole store just a bigger selection of sizes.

Norma

[jenniebnyc]

Yes! Fresh Produce!!! They could even get them to design some shirts specific to Celebrity.

Too funny! I was going to say Fresh Produce clothes too! I love FP. I would also like to see Lily Pulitzer, Molly B., Calypso, Vince, Theory...any other nice brands for bathing suits, cover ups, flip flops, sandals, chunky/colorful costume jewelry. Maybe even Kate Spade would be good. I was laughing when I saw the grand opening on Bvlgari jewelry on the Reflection last week. The store was EMPTY! Who would buy this expensive jewelry? What a waste of space.

[srlafleur]

A selection of fine crafts from the ports upon which the cruise will call. Not the made in some third-world country halfway around the world from the port.

 

5x7 to 8x10 limited edition prints by local artists. Locally sourced jewlery, pottery, etc. For original works, they could even work out some sort of consignment arrangement.

 

If I buy a key chain, I'd really rather not have something made from plastic randomly stamped "Venice" and made in Pakistan. My keychain is a locally cast bronze Venician mask. Still rather random and touristy, but I saw the guy making them when I was on the island.

 

 

Ditto. When souvenir shopping, I always look to make sure it's locally made (at least in the same country, if not the exact port).

IMO, there's way too much space devoted to pricey jewelry and expensive cosmetics. They should devote a little more space than one tiny rack to essentials like toothpaste, sunscreen, OTC meds, etc. - and price them reasonably. Also, in the same area, some moderately-priced cosmetics (a modest assortment of CoverGirl or Revlon, for example) and hair necessities (combs, brushes, some basic clips and bands).

[H2OH!]

would like to be able to buy the menu's from our voyage versus having to take pictures of them. It would be great to have a small, bound book with all the menu's from the sailing.

 

It would also be nice to be able to buy some personalized items...think personalization mall items with the itinerary and then personalized. When we buy ornaments that are generic, we always write on them the year and ship.

 

one of our all time favorite souvenir is a map we purchased in antigua that traces our itin in gold and was autographed by the local artist known as the yoda guy. more personalized items.

[compman9]

Unfortunately none of the comments here are innovative or profitable enough for the cruise lines to make drastic changes.

 

Having said that, I am pretty sure that if approached from the cruise lines' perspective everyone would be able to come up with some great ideas.

 

For example, I really like the Cafe Al Bacio crockery set. Purchase on the TV in your room, get it delivered at home. This is just an example of the products the companies can supply from its own stock...

...Expand the photography to include a Photo Postcard Service - there are companies on-line who provide a service whereby you take a snap on your phone, and it can be sent by post (a proper postcard) immediately...

 

There are so many ideas, and it really is easy to revolutionise the thinking of the cruise industry to increase profits markedly.

 

I would love the opportunity to talk to someone of some importance in marketing at RCI about their shops.

 

There is at least one area that is so under-utilised, profits could increase exponentially with no cost to the company at all!

[OceanCruise]

I agree they used to sell nicer clothes and used to have more things for formal night. On our recent B2B I wanted to buy a sparkly/dressy shawl but they only had the usual Pashmina type. I hate the current selection of T-shirts and tops they have now. I also wish they would sell more lightweight zippered jackets/sweatshirts without hoods and more basics like athletic type socks and pantyhose (does anyone else wear these anymore--LOL).

[lovemylab]

I would like to see more affordable cosmetics offered onboard. On both the Equinox and Solstice it was expensive high end brands like Dior and Chanel. Clinique, Lancôme and other more moderately priced department store brands were no where to be found.

[Maligator]

My wife and I liked the Alaska-themed t-shirts we found on the Millennium in 2010 and were disappointed there weren't any similar shirts for the Med and Caribbean.

[neverbeenhere]

They had to sell those shirts for $5 at the end of the season, and they had to sell a lot of them for that price. We bought a bunch and gave them away like candy.

[badtwin]

Unfortunately none of the comments here are innovative or profitable enough for the cruise lines to make drastic changes.

 

Having said that, I am pretty sure that if approached from the cruise lines' perspective everyone would be able to come up with some great ideas.

 

For example, I really like the Cafe Al Bacio crockery set. Purchase on the TV in your room, get it delivered at home. This is just an example of the products the companies can supply from its own stock...

...Expand the photography to include a Photo Postcard Service - there are companies on-line who provide a service whereby you take a snap on your phone, and it can be sent by post (a proper postcard) immediately...

 

There are so many ideas, and it really is easy to revolutionise the thinking of the cruise industry to increase profits markedly.

 

I would love the opportunity to talk to someone of some importance in marketing at RCI about their shops.

 

There is at least one area that is so under-utilised, profits could increase exponentially with no cost to the company at all!

 

 

You have touched on a great idea - on line shopping for Celebrity items from your stateroom computer - although given the current website issues, I can just imagine how well this would work.

 

But seriously, there are significant stocking issues for some of these suggestions but a real demand too - like a better selection of nice t-shirts and all sorts of ship or itinerary specific items. A website with shipping to the cruiser's home would allow a broad selection of items and alleviate the concern of hauling all the souvenirs home. Celebrity could even have pre and post cruise shopping.

 

But please - if you do this, talk to someone at Amazon and not the IT folks who just "upgraded" your website.