Does Cruising Change as Much as We Do?

I was having a tidy-up around the house the other day (is it too late in the year to be called ‘spring cleaning’ ?!), and I stumbled across a couple of my old crew passes from my time on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruises.  This got me thinking….wow, I looked so young back in 1998 and 2002…and prompted me to ponder how cruising has changed since those days?

Well, I know that the lovely MV Mercury no longer sails under the Celebrity banner, or indeed the same name, but the Enchantment of the Seas is still going strong as a veteran of the Royal Caribbean fleet.  My opinion is that although there is definitely a lot more choice regarding ‘extras’ such as private sun decks, spa areas, drinks packages and speciality restaurants, the essential ethos and ‘raison d’etre’ is still the same, ie people still cruise for the same reasons…convenience, variety of ports, service culture and standards, safety, and of course vale for money!

The appeal has definitely widened to a more diverse spectrum of people, both in age and holiday expectations, and part of the reason I enjoy my job so much is that I have the opportunity to guide people to the right cruise for their’ needs, avoiding the possibility of a costly ‘trial and error’ mistake.  The odd new brand may appear, but one thing’s for sure; only the good ones survive, as the market is becoming increasingly competitive and innovational.

Possibly the greatest advancement in the industry over the last 20 years is a physical/practical one, in that it is now possible to minimise the chances of getting sea-sick on a first-time voyage, by booking yourself onto one of the huge new ships that simply don’t transfer the ‘motion of the ocean’ in the same, keen manner that many of the older, ‘smaller’ ships do.  Of course it’s impossible to completely 100% guard yourself against any feelings of nausea…that’s maybe just a small step too far, even for the best cruise ship designer!