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Which Cruise Lines will do the best in the new normal?

SelectSys

By SelectSys,
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chipmaster

chipmaster

Posted
Posted
On 9/2/2020 at 9:33 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Bookings for 2021 and beyond are up for ALL lines, not just premium and luxury brands:

 

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/surprise-cruise-bookings-continue-to-rise-for-2021.html

 

And it is not all fueled by FCCs.

 

 

Book all you want, but doesn't matter if it doesn't sale.   

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iancal

iancal

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Posted (edited)

I believe that cruise lines that know their market and cater to it will be the most successful. Those that try to be everything to everyone may be less successful.

 

We typically buy inside the final payment window and have done for a number of years. One thing that we have found is that nothing is for certain when it comes to availability and price until AFTER the final payment deadline.   We have cruised on a number of ships that appeared, and we priced, as though they were full.  Only to have the prices drop and cabins show up as available after that date.  

 

It is never a sale for the cruise line until the cruise is paid in full, non refundable, and of course the ship sails.  Until then......

 

 

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JRG

JRG

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 9/1/2020 at 2:34 PM, Hlitner said:

Getting rid of buffets is certainly an option on the small ship luxury lines.  But it is not a reasonable option on mass market ships.

 

You're right on this too,  I mis-spoke when I said get rid of them,  I love them.

 

I should have said "modify".    I think  that is what we will see.   Some modified version of a buffet.

 

 

 

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clo

clo

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On 9/4/2020 at 1:03 PM, JRG said:

 

You're right on this too,  I mis-spoke when I said get rid of them,  I love them.

 

I should have said "modify".    I think  that is what we will see.   Some modified version of a buffet.

 

 

 

Oceania has a "buffet" but the pax don't touch the food. You tell the servers what you want and how much and they serve it. It works great.

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ontheweb Holiday Sharing Rare

ontheweb

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8 hours ago, clo said:

Oceania has a "buffet" but the pax don't touch the food. You tell the servers what you want and how much and they serve it. It works great.

And HAL has been doing this for I don't know how long, at least since 2018 when we were on the Maasdam. And they did not feel any need to put quotation marks around the word buffet; it was the buffet.

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Flatbush Flyer

Flatbush Flyer

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1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

And HAL has been doing this for I don't know how long, at least since 2018 when we were on the Maasdam. And they did not feel any need to put quotation marks around the word buffet; it was the buffet.

Oceania ships have no buffet. 

They each do have a casual restaurant called the Terrace Café which is designed/organized/staffed to prevent passenger self-service. In addition to one or more selections from daily GDR menus and themed regional menus aligned with the cruise itinerary, there is a la minute cooking including wok and grill stations (yes- steak and lobster available nightly) and even a sushi bar.  There's an al fresco dining option (weather dependent) and full bar service. Prefer not to carry your food to your table after selecting it? Galley staff will carry your items to your table. 

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clo

clo

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47 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oceania ships have no buffet. 

I put it in quotes just to distinguish from a la menu. We adored it. We ate almost every meal there, except for the specialties. 

 

Re the "new normal" I'm betting every line will be required to do this.

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George C

George C

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12 hours ago, clo said:

Oceania has a "buffet" but the pax don't touch the food. You tell the servers what you want and how much and they serve it. It works great.

We went to a Brazilian steak house with a huge buffet last weekend, they listed all the stuff on buffet and you just marked what you wanted and wait staff got it.

 

MSC yacht club and Celebrity suites are what I want to cruise post COVID-19. Both have large areas inside and out that are not crowded . Loved all the space did both in the past year. 

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lenquixote66

lenquixote66

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1 hour ago, clo said:

I put it in quotes just to distinguish from a la menu. We adored it. We ate almost every meal there, except for the specialties. 

 

Re the "new normal" I'm betting every line will be required to do this.

If and when cruising resumes everything will be different .

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lenquixote66

lenquixote66

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5 minutes ago, clo said:

Not everything but certainly some things.

Muster drills,casinos,theaters,dining ,restrooms ,pools ,boarding and leaving the ships,using the library,religious services all will be masks and social distancing except when eating.I am sure I have left some things out.

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cruisemom42 Great Review Rare

cruisemom42

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Oceania ships have no buffet. 

They each do have a casual restaurant called the Terrace Café which is designed/organized/staffed to prevent passenger self-service. In addition to one or more selections from daily GDR menus and themed regional menus aligned with the cruise itinerary, there is a la minute cooking including wok and grill stations (yes- steak and lobster available nightly) and even a sushi bar.  There's an al fresco dining option (weather dependent) and full bar service. Prefer not to carry your food to your table after selecting it? Galley staff will carry your items to your table. 

 

Almost all of the things you mention are also available in HAL's "buffet".  There are selections from the MDR available; there is available to have food cooked to order depending on daily menu; servers will carry your items to your table and there is bar service. Most ships have some al fresco dining space as well.  

 

It seems kind of silly to get hung up on a name when we are basically talking about a similar concept and service. Of course, whether or not the actual food is comparable I leave to those who've been on both lines... I do know most consider Oceania to have some of the best food at sea, though it is not a universal opinion.

 

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clo

clo

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5 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

Hijack alert ...

Didn't you have a flight booked with Norwegian Air? Did they issue a refund? Or ... do I have you confused with another person?

Good memory. Yep. Actually got for two different trips, one for this past March and the other for this month. It took a fair amount of time and effort, even copied their CEO on a couple of emails 🙂 The last one just showed up in our account a couple of days ago. We got refunds on every single part of the spring, 16 part itinerary. I finally tossed all those papers in the recycle bin.

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Cruzaholic41

Cruzaholic41

Posted
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9 hours ago, ontheweb said:

And HAL has been doing this for I don't know how long, at least since 2018 when we were on the Maasdam. And they did not feel any need to put quotation marks around the word buffet; it was the buffet.


Exactly. Thank you.
 

All cruise lines have protocol to prevent spread like in noro instances. Self serve gets taken away. So whether we call it a buffet or “buffet,” it’ll have zero bearing on a cruise line’s survivability. 

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clo

clo

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5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Almost all of the things you mention are also available in HAL's "buffet".  There are selections from the MDR available; there is available to have food cooked to order depending on daily menu; servers will carry your items to your table and there is bar service. Most ships have some al fresco dining space as well.  

 

It seems kind of silly to get hung up on a name when we are basically talking about a similar concept and service. Of course, whether or not the actual food is comparable I leave to those who've been on both lines... I do know most consider Oceania to have some of the best food at sea, though it is not a universal opinion.

 

The only point I make is that the customer doesn't touch the food until it's been placed on the plate. And never touches the serving utensils.

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2wheelin

2wheelin

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5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Muster drills,casinos,theaters,dining ,restrooms ,pools ,boarding and leaving the ships,using the library,religious services all will be masks and social distancing except when eating.I am sure I have left some things out.

You’re right and that covers most of everything.  Even the long lines at guest services that with distancing you will never be able to tell where the end is. 😂

Maybe the balcony experience will be unchanged?

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clo

clo

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14 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

And the same is true on HAL and has been that way for several years.

But not true on all lines although  I bet it's going to be mandatory. Also seems like it would be hard to complain about.

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