Editorial: Delivering Excitement
When did you last go to an exciting hotel or resort? Hotels can be inviting, classy, comfortable, and often very expensive, but rarely exciting, and after a day or two, usually boring (except perhaps for Las Vegas). We think the same goes for most resorts. Meanwhile, the cruise industry goes on reinventing itself. Each new…
Market Potential: Pan-Global Industry
While the cruise industry is increasingly global, the foreseeable growth potential is first and foremost in Europe, according to Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO of Costa Crociere, overseeing the worldwide operations of Costa, in addition to AIDA Cruises and Iberocruceros. At Royal Caribbean Cruises, Michael Bayley, executive vice president international, said he sees growth…
Carnival: Optimizing Itineraries
Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships are on the “move” resulting from the introduction of new ships, but also to offer new products in certain markets and to adjust to new market realities. “We look at three sets of numbers,” said Terry Thornton, senior vice president, market planning, “ticket revenue opportunity, onboard revenue opportunity and fuel costs….
Risk Management: Unique Challenges
All commercial ships face the same risks, but to varying degrees, according to Commander Wilford R. Reams at the U.S. Coast Guard Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise in Fort Lauderdale. These include fire, flooding, piracy, security and the environment. In addition, cruise ships are subject to some unique risks, such as crowd control and…
Destination Focus: Caribbean
The Caribbean maintains its position as the most popular cruise destination in the world, capturing more than 40 percent of all the passengers, despite the build up in the Mediterranean, South America and Australia. Caribbean port authorities and tourism officials have taken up the challenge by upgrading their facilities and building new ports to accommodate…
Luxury Market: Defining Luxury
While rating ships on an intricate point system, luxury is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, according to Douglas Ward, author of Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruises and Cruise Ships 2011. Not so fast, according to Ron Kurtz, president of the American Affluence Research Center, who defines true luxury products by per diems, which…
Technical: Evolving Solstice
Newbuildings continue to evolve, even after they are contracted, as evidenced by the fifth Solstice-class ship, the Celebrity Reflection, which is switching to the latest generation of ABB pods and a different manufacturer for its main engines. “The pods are next evolution and more robust,” said Greg Purdy, vice president of marine operations at Celebrity…
F&B: A Better Dining Experience?
The growing popularity of specialty restaurants has generated some criticism that cruise lines may be paying less attention to the regular dining operation in order to encourage passengers to patronize the for-fee establishments. That charge, however, is vehemently denied by cruise lines. “Our main dining rooms are the heart of our dining operation, and we…