Are new cruisebrochures boring?

[sverigecruiser]

 

15-20 years ago I really loved to look in a cruisebrochure because they had lots of pictures from the ships, deckplans for all ships and even the price for every cruise.

 

Now the bruchures are so boring, I think.

 

Do you agree? Are the brochures boring now?

[1025cruise]

I didn't realize they still published these.

[Hlitner]

Never look at them, anymore.  Because we have cruised on many different lines, we get tons of cruise brochures/catalogs.  One line, Viking, sends us 3 copies of everything (river and ocean) despite the fact that we have called them and sent them e-mails to stop.  All the cruise "stuff" just goes into the trash, as we go online to get any info we need/want.  When we come home from longer cruisers/trips (usually about 2 months) we sometimes have several bins of accumulated cruise "stuff."  What a waste of money.

 

Hank

[jsn55]

I no longer look at them either, just a bunch of hyperbole, too light on the facts.  Occasionally page through, looking at itineraries, but anything interesting gets researched online.  The brochures quickly go into the recycle bin.  I always laugh at Viking's higher cruise costs, thinking that someone has to pay for all that useless advertising.  But not me.  We did several small-ship ocean cruise/tours with Grand Circle, always very pleased.  GCT was good about removing you from their mailing list, apparently Viking doesn't know how.

[leaveitallbehind]

With all of the information originally put out and updated at least annually on a printed brochure, all of that and more is available on line through the cruise line websites at a quick glance.  IMO that is far easier and more complete than a brochure. 

 

On the occasion when we receive a mass mailed cruise line brochure we may glance at it to see what may be of interest.  But we would then go to the website to do any real investigations if we were interested.

[Charles4515]

4 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I didn't realize they still published these.

I get about three a week from Oceania and one a week from Viking. Cunard every couple of months. The Oceania brochures are beautifully printed on glossy paper. Don't look at any of them though. All the brochures go straight into the trash can. When I am shoppping for cruises it is all online on websites. 

[Ashland]

I loved the old RCI ones I would get in the mail. I have several of them and refer to them often for info like deck plans etc...and I have notes in them in regards to specific things.

[leaveitallbehind]

4 minutes ago, Ashland said:

I loved the old RCI ones I would get in the mail. I have several of them and refer to them often for info like deck plans etc...and I have notes in them in regards to specific things.

I well remember when mailed and TA provided brochures with RCCL (and any cruse line really) was the primary source of information regarding cruise planning.  They were done very nicely and were a fun packet to have.  Of course back then they only had about 7 ships in their fleet......

[Aquahound]

I can't remember the last time I saw a cruise brochure.  I used to love reading those things, especially all the highlights and deck plans of the ships themselves.  

 

Like others have said, Oceania and Viking flood my mailbox almost daily with mailers.  I wouldn't call those brochures though.  

[clo]

5 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

I didn't realize they still published these.

I rarely get one and I rarely look at them. We're very destination oriented and rarely see anything interesting.

[clo]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

What a waste of money.

Not to mention the environment.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Not to mention the environment.

If you are referring to paper usage and trees cut, just to be accurate, in the US for every tree that is cut, on average 2.5 are planted.  This program has been going on for quite a number of years and as a result the average wood per acreage has nearly doubled since the '50s and there are more trees today in the US than there were 100 years ago. Trees are a very renewable resource that is well managed in the US. Just saying....

Edited August 7 by leaveitallbehind

[Charles4515]

16 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

If you are referring to paper usage and trees cut, just to be accurate, in the US for every tree that is cut, on average 2.5 are planted.  This program has been going on for quite a number of years and as a result the average wood per acreage has nearly doubled since the '50s and there are more trees today in the US than there were 100 years ago. Trees are a very renewable resource that is well managed in the US. Just saying....

There is a cost to print. There is a cost to deliver. There is a cost to dispose. The Oceania brochures are fancy. They are spending a lot on those. I guess Oceania cruisers like them or they would not do them. I do prefer some things printed and I still own and use a printer. 

Edited August 7 by Charles4515

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

I get about three a week from Oceania and one a week from Viking. Cunard every couple of months. The Oceania brochures are beautifully printed on glossy paper. Don't look at any of them though. All the brochures go straight into the trash can. When I am shoppping for cruises it is all online on websites. 

 

Yes, gotta love the perpetual 2 of 1 Oceania sale.  

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Not to mention the environment.

 

Recycling is good.  Without creation of recyclable things there would be no recycling!  😃

 

I do my part.  At least 95% of the crap that comes to my mailbox goes directly to the recycle can.  

Edited August 7 by ldubs

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

There is a cost to print. There is a cost to deliver. There is a cost to dispose. The Oceania brochures are fancy. They are spending a lot on those. I guess Oceania cruisers like them or they would not do them. I do prefer some things printed and I still own and use a printer. 

Agree completely. But I was responding to the comment regarding the environment.

Edited August 7 by leaveitallbehind

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Agree completely. But I was responding to the comment regarding the environment.

I mostly agree with you about the environment. I would guess that Oceania and Viking have done surveys and they are getting bookings and a positive response from their mailings. Since they are not mass market cruise lines their mailing lists are probably relatively small. 

Edited August 7 by Charles4515

[ldubs]

47 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I mostly agree with you about the environment. I would guess that Oceania and Viking have done surveys and they are getting bookings and a positive response from their mailings. Since they are not mass market cruise lines their mailing lists are probably relatively small. 

 

I wonder.  I have never been on either of those cruise lines and get their brochures in the mail routinely.  Must be a mailing list of people interested in cruises out there somewhere. 

 

I just realized it is hard to type "mail" without an "e" in front of it.  Haha. 

 

 

[Charles4515]

21 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I wonder.  I have never been on either of those cruise lines and get their brochures in the mail routinely.  Must be a mailing list of people interested in cruises out there somewhere. 

 

I just realized it is hard to type "mail" without an "e" in front of it.  Haha. 

 

 

I have been on Oceania but never on Viking. Have you been on NCL? The same holding company owns both. Also travel agencies and credit card companies sell mailing lists. Every one who has traveled seems to get Viking mailings. 

Edited August 8 by Charles4515

[ldubs]

8 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I have been on Oceania but never on Viking. Have you been on NCL? The same holding company owns both. Also travel agencies and credit card companies sell mailing lists. Every one who has traveled seems to get Viking mailings. 

 

We will do our very first NCL cruise Fall of 2025.  I think it is out of Le Havre.  

[Charles4515]

8 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

We will do our very first NCL cruise Fall of 2025.  I think it is out of Le Havre.  

I have been on all the mainstream cruise lines and a few others like Oceania, Cunard, Azamara. It is good to try them if you can. I am not into the loyalty thing. 

[ldubs]

1 minute ago, Charles4515 said:

I have been on all the mainstream cruise lines and a few others like Oceania, Cunard, Azamara. It is good to try them if you can. I am not into the loyalty thing. 

 

Thanks. So far for us it is Princess, Celebrity, RCI, and Carnival.  

 

As far as this topic goes, these forums and the various websites are much more valuable to us than the brochures.  A glossy brochure could very well get someone to take a look at the cruise line's website.  I know I did that for the initial brochures from both Viking and Oceania.  

[Charles4515]

3 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

As far as this topic goes, these forums and the various websites are much more valuable to us than the brochures.  A glossy brochure could very well get someone to take a look at the cruise line's website.  I know I did that for the initial brochures from both Viking and Oceania.  

I never saw an Oceania brochure before I booked Oceania. I started cruising before the World Wide Web so I alway loaded up on cruise brochures. There were two travel agencies in my neighborhood, American Express, they used to have offices and Liberty so I would stop by and get the brochures. Very convenient. The AMEX office had a currency exchange and sold travelers cheques. The travel agent there knew a lot about cruises. The brochures had deck plans and photos of the ships public areas. Before a booking I would check the cabin location and what was above and below in the brochure. Then the web came and they were gone. 

[ldubs]

4 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I never saw an Oceania brochure before I booked Oceania. I started cruising before the World Wide Web so I alway loaded up on cruise brochures. There were two travel agencies in my neighborhood, American Express, they used to have offices and Liberty so I would stop by and get the brochures. Very convenient. The AMEX office had a currency exchange and sold travelers cheques. The travel agent there knew a lot about cruises. The brochures had deck plans and photos of the ships public areas. Before a booking I would check the cabin location and what was above and below in the brochure. Then the web came and they were gone. 

 

Yes, there was life before the internet!  Haha.  I remember how we so relied on those printed airline flight schedule books.   Crazy!  

[clo]

5 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

If you are referring to paper usage and trees cut, just to be accurate, in the US for every tree that is cut, on average 2.5 are planted.  This program has been going on for quite a number of years and as a result the average wood per acreage has nearly doubled since the '50s and there are more trees today in the US than there were 100 years ago. Trees are a very renewable resource that is well managed in the US. Just saying....

That is so great! Our daughter has a masters in forest management but hasn't worked in the field (literally) in s dozen years. I'll pass this along to her. Thanks.