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High Stakes Game Of One-upmanship Being Played Out On The High Seas!
January 9, 2009 by Fractional Property Ownership, Timeshare & Luxury Travel Magazine · Leave a Comment
The public’s astonishing infatuation with cruising has caused a building boom in the cruise industry that stretches the limits of imagination. It becomes mindboggling when you consider the cost of a large ocean-going cruise ship will range from $400 Million up to $1 Billion (that’s a B, folks!). And there are no less than 30 of these vessels under firm contract and planned for launches beginning this year through 2012.
If cruise aficionados were infatuated with the hi-tech amenities and ultra-modern designs on the new ships launched over the last 18 months, they will be near comatose with euphoria when the newest classes of these floating resorts make their maiden voyages over the next 18 months.
Because of the competition and mega-bucks involved, there is an atmosphere that amounts to a high stakes game of one-upmanship on the high seas as competing cruise lines continue to out- Wow each other, journeying further outside the proverbial “box” with each new creation more radical than the last. The question might be who will eventually reign over the waters of the world with the biggest, most outrageous floating toy box? With so much money invested to build such spectacular vessels, will there be a winner at all?
And the winner is…
Of course! The winner is you, your spouse, your son, your daughter, and every cruiser regardless of age! These big spenders with seemingly unlimited budgets are leaving no demographic group un-wowed!
The kids win when the newest Fun Ship, Carnival Splendor, debuted its 5,500 square foot play room to accentuate their award winning Camp Carnival program. And the fun for kids just keeps getting better on all the major cruise lines with more spectacular water features, hands-on educational work shops, teen dances, acting classes and much more.
And the game goes on with the kids…
When Carnival introduced the longest, most twisted water slide at sea, Royal Caribbean answered with the amazing FlowRider surf machine that shoots a steady blast of 50 tons of water up an incline creating a very realistic surfing experience. So popular are the water park creations that both companies are installing them fleet wide.
The game goes on for the adults as well…
The latest outlandish example of the one-upmanship game for adults is exemplified by the Martini Bar & Crush aboard the Celebrity Solstice, eagerly anticipated to launch this November. Martini features a better than cool frosted main bar and Crush is a small alcove with an ice-filled table center featuring caviar and fine vodkas for sampling into the wee hours. The uniqueness of Martini and Crush, however, paled in the shadow of Norwegian Cruise Line’s recent revelation that among the bars and lounges in their F3 class due in 2010 will be the Ice Bar. Yes. It’s a bar made completely of ice, for which you will be issued enough fur covering to keep you from becoming a fixture in the 17 degree (F) atmosphere.
These somewhat extreme examples do tell us however, that these modern day wonder vessels are changing the perception, indeed, the reality of cruising as we know it, raising the bar on every aspect of the onboard experience. Cruising has always been the most cost-effective holiday choice as well as the most efficient way to see more of your desired destinations. Getting the most from your holiday budget makes even more sense these days and with the cruise fare almost “all inclusive”, cruising could be the spot on solution for an exciting family holiday. Meals, entertainment and most activities while onboard are all included!
No wonder more than 12 million people of all ages chose to spend their holiday last year on board one of the hundreds of large luxury liners sailing to thousands of ports around the world. The ultra-modern amenity-packed cruise ships of today have become as much a destination as the ports they call on.
A typical cruise holiday might include intercultural exchanges, learning to cook local dishes, or if you are the more active type, you might go rock climbing, ice skating, rollerblading, bowling, or even trying your hand at the artful sport of fencing. Oh, and you haven’t even left the ship! Every night is Las Vegas night on your ship, with extravagant, professional high energy shows and fully equipped casinos. Truly, cruise ships today add another dimension to your dream vacation experience!
With organized activities happening around the clock, some so well planned you don’t know they were organized activities; it is easy to understand that cruising rates a consistent satisfaction rate of over 90%.
This also explains why more than 80% of cruisers will cruise again within three years. This in turn gives some rationale as to why the big boys keep building bigger ships with more stateof-the-art toys and more passenger comforts. It would be daft not to mention here that 1.3 million of those cruising last year were from the UK. That figure represents an 11% increase over the previous year and has grown three fold since 1996. At this writing, UK cruise statistics for 2008 is on par to meet the predicted 1.5 million passengers.
It is then certainly understandable that the major cruise players like Royal Caribbean, Princess, Carnival, Holland America, Norwegian, Celebrity and others are showing confidence in the continuing growth of the UK market by scheduling more departures ex-UK than ever before.
Whether you are considering your first cruise holiday or you are a seasoned world cruiser, with so many ships and itineraries to choose from without having to put yourself and your family through the expense and inconvenience of flying to a departure port, this is a great time to plan a family cruise adventure.
If you have never cruised before, it is a good idea to have a family powwow, even during or after a family meal. The objective is to get input from everyone as to where they have always wanted to visit and begin narrowing down the choices through guidance from the elders of course, until you have the makings of an itinerary containing a bit of interest to everyone. Remember, you have the advantage of knowing the kids are going to have their little minds occupied and challenged every waking hour on board the ship. In fact, depending on their age, don’t be put off if they want to opt out of disembarking on a couple of port days in favor of playing with their new friends onboard.
With regard to the little ones, rest assured that all children, tots to tweens to teens are under constant supervision and usually immersed in a challenging, organized activity selected by age group and overseen by qualified staff members specially trained for the age group they supervise. That said; please always confirm with the cruise ship or your travel consultant exactly what that ship’s particular program is for the age group of your offspring. Then you can relax during the cruise and share quality time with your spouse, maybe at the spa during a couples massage!
With so many nice ships parked practically in your back garden, this may be the time to consider organizing that extended family get together you’ve been talking about for a couple of years. There is an onboard activity to suit the interest of every generation and the best part is you don’t have to organize it. In fact, even the booking part can be taken care of by a professional vacation planner and could save everyone some money as well. Once you get everyone agreed to the same ship, your next duty will be to choose your outfit for dinner at the Captain’s table. Oh, and to convince your spouse that he will look like a hunk in a tuxedo on formal night!
One of the most appreciated advantages to cruising, no matter if it is just you and your spouse, with or without the children, or it is with your extended family or your entire neighborhood, you will only unpack once no matter how many destinations you visit because you are taking your floating resort with you.
Article By Joe Houchin, Guest Writer
International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE) is a worldwide travel and leisure organization with a global network of innovative travel alliances among top corporations, resorts, cruise lines, vacation suppliers and travel providers. ICE provides cruise and vacation fulfillment services to more than 150 major corporate brands serving over 55 million consumers worldwide. Enjoying more than 10 years of tremendous
growth and a legacy of innovative technological contributions to the industry, ICE continues to raise the bar in innovation, service and passion within the travel industry.
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