Get back to the ship on time!

Every cruise warns you to get back with plenty of time. And more often then most realize, there are passengers who don't take the warning seriously. Two parents were left on the dock in the Bahamas when the Norwegian Breakaway departed this week. Not only did they miss the ship, but their kids were still on board. Fortunately the kids were with relatives and completely safe. But what should have been a fun vacation turned into a mini-nightmare. The lesson is get back on time.

No one really cares what a ship looks like

Skift took news about NCL's massive dry-dock plans for its fleet to insult the cruise company's look and appeal: "Norwegian Cruise Line’s Ambitions Collide With Its Ugly Ships." Calling ships ugly is certainly an attention getter, but misses the larger point. No one really cares about how a ship looks.

While some of the newer mega-ships have great aesthetic appeal and classic naval sight lines, most are bulky floating resorts. Ever since Royal Caribbean's first Sovereign ship the industry has trended toward biggness and bulk and didn't care how the ships compared to the old classics. And how have passengers reacted? By booking the bigger and newer ships with the rock walls, huge dining spaces and tons of cabins with balconies. If someone wanted classic elegance, there were choices, but the majority spoke with their dollars.

Now a big part of NCL's improvements is not about the look of the ship, but more about the cleanliness and inside. That will always remain important. Even customers seeking value want to feel their ship is in good shape.

NCL's ambitions are correct. Invest in new and big and don't worry about what the ship experts think. They have other brands to cater to those ship enthusiasts. Their goal should be to get as many people on board as possible and make sure they have a good time.

Behind the Scenes on the Norwegian Escape

Like Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line is using YouTube to introduce their newest ship. In this episode of Norwegian Escape: Behind the Scenes with Andy Stuart, Andy tours the Supper Club. The entertainment spot will have a variety of shows including a music review inspired by John Hughes' '80s teen movies.

To watch other Norwegian Escape videos, go to NCL's YouTube Channel.

Popular Cruising's Norwegian Pearl Tour

Popular Cruising doesn't just post video reviews. They also put together unique video tours, like the one above for the Norwegian Pearl. The tours are a nice change of pace from the typical reviews in that they offer a good feel for the ship, but don't bias you with the reviewer's direct thoughts. Look for more unique video content from Popular Cruising.

Cruiseit's Norwegian Getaway Review

This review is a bit long and comes with some sales pitches from Cruiseit.com, but we found it thorough and worthwhile. As a still new ship, the Norwegian Getaway has all the major amenities and some of Norwegian Cruise Line's newest features. 

Danny still alerting cruise itineraries

Even as it has been downgraded from a hurricane, Tropical Storm Danny is still forcing cruise companies to adjust their itineraries. In an effort to avoid the eye of the storm, Royal Caribbean moved two ships from Eastern Caribbean routes to Western. Carnival and Norwegian have also shifted ships from one region to the other.

If you have concerns about your ship and its destinations, contact your cruise company or travel agent.

Norwegian Escape float out

The Norwegian Escape is one step closer to welcoming passengers. Saturday the ship had its first float out as it moves to the finishing touches of construction. See the highlights above.

No more Nickelodeon on NCL

Nichelodeon and Norwegian Cruise Line agreed to end their marketing agreement and phase out the various Nick experiences and characters on all their ships. Both companies said the parting was mutual.

NCL can probably find another family-focused partner, but do they really need one? Kids might love Sponge Bob or Dora, but how many families are booking a cruise because of the Nick experience? NCL can still provide great kid and family-friendly activities without official branded characters. If someone is picking a cruise strickly based on character interactions, they are going to book a Disney Cruise. NCL's pitch to families should be that they are not Disney. They can offer a experience that is different from Disney (casinos, family-friendly but not overrun with kids, etc.). And in most cases they can offer a more affordable cruise.

If NCL does sign a partnership with a new children's entertainment company, it will be a nice marketing tool. But ultimately no kid deal is going to be a game changer for the company.

No more cruise to nowhere

Cruise Critic and USA Today's Cruise Log have the latest on the end of "cruises to nowhere." Although the law has been on the books for years, the United States is cracking down on these short cruises that depart from a U.S. port, sail into international waters and then return to the United States without a stop in a foreign country. Ships registered in the U.S. can still do these short trips, but the vast majority of ships from the major cruise companies are registered elsewhere.

This is good news for the Bahamas. As cruise companies adjust their 2016 schedules to the new enforcement, a few of these itineraries will now probably add a short stay in the island nation near Florida.

Despite more media talk, last-minute cruise deals not going away

Congratulations to the cruise industry on working so hard to change perception on cruise deals. The latest examples is this otherwise good article from TheStreet.com that uses the headline grabber: "Don't Bank on a Last-Minute Discount on Your Cruise Vacation This Year." We wrote this before and we have a feeling we will be writing it again, but last-minute deals are not going away.

Wall Street investor and financial news media -- like TheStreet.com -- love to hear about advances in revenue management from the cruise industry. And it is true the cruise companies are becoming more aggressive and more disciplined in their pricing, upselling and ancillary revenue. But the point remains, even if they don't call it "last-minute" deals, there will still be plenty of discounts and unique sales and offerings for last-minute cruise shoppers. There is still too much inventory and even more coming and the companies need to maximize revenue.

Just look at these deals that Paul Gauguin are promoting. Shoppers just need to be smart and make sure they involved in all cruise companies' email lists and loyalty programs.

Recent drowning restarts cruise lifeguard debate

Last week a 10-year-old girl drowned on the Norwegian Gem. The tragedy restarted the debate on cruise lifeguards. As Cruise Law News noted, this is the seventh drowning-related incident on a cruise ship in the past two years. Because of the tragedy, cruise customers and concerned parents tend to react the same way: add lifeguards. However, lack of lifeguards are only part of the problem, and even with multiple steps to improve safety, no cruise ship will ever be 100% safe.

Lifeguards cannot prevent all drownings
Thousands of people will drown this year. They will drown in pools, lakes, the ocean, wherever there is water. Many will drown right in front of a lifeguard. Lifeguards are a preventative step, but no one can keep every swimmer safe. It only takes a minute for something to go wrong and depending on reaction time, a lifeguard can be too late. Would a lifeguard have made a difference on the Gem? Who knows. The pool was very crowded and relatively deep. All parents have to watch their children at any pool, but certainly one without a lifeguard.

Why don't cruise ships have lifeguards?
Even though they don't eliminate drownings, there is no reason all the major cruise lines shouldn't have lifeguards. Like many decisions, it is probably based on cost and perception. Lifeguards have limited utility on a ship where every worker tends to where multiple hats and can be used throughout the day. But also adding a lifeguard might make the parents become less engaged. They might think someone else is watching their child, so they don't have to pay as much attention. There is also the legal liability. When a cruise line adds a lifeguard it is somewhat implied that the guard is now responsible, instead of the passenger. Still, none of these costs or legal issues really justify not having lifeguards. As the lawsuits pile up from drownings, we predict that every big ship will soon have lifeguards. The insurance companies will insist.

What about passenger help
The most interesting aspect of the Cruise Law News report where some of the eyewitnesses explaining how passengers with medical training were not able to help. This is an even more complex legal issue. We are now in such a litigious time that cruise companies probably fear what any passenger might do to another in a time of crisis. A passenger who helps someone drowning or choking or having a heart attack, could be well intentioned, but the cruise staff is unable to check backgrounds or skills. Especially in the heat of the moment. It is a shame that good help might go to waste, but until the cruise companies can get some Good Samaritan clauses that hold up in court, it seems like it is best for everyone if the cruise employees handle emergencies.

Bermuda Bump: customers have great time on stranded Norwegian Dawn

No cruise line ever wants their ship stranded anywhere. And most passengers certainly don't want to be stuck, but everyone associated with this week's semi-stranded sailing on the Norwegian Dawn seemed to have a great time. Despite striking a coral reef near Bermuda Tuesday, the ship still made its return to Boston on time. Passengers still got to enjoy the island and the ship was fully functional throughout the temporary repairs. Customers also gave high marks to the captain for how he handled the delay and for his clear communications.

Accidents at sea are very serious and potentially very dangerous, but this is the type of event that NCL and the industry should highlight. Even with a totally unplanned delay, the vast majority of the ship felt self and had a great time.

How the cruise companies are dealing with Puerto Vallarta

Continued violence in the region forced most of the major cruise lines to cancel or alter stops in the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta. Both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity bypassed their respective stops this week. Both ships scheduled for the port added an extra day at sea. As of Monday, Carnival was keeping their stops in Puerto Vallarta, although they were limiting excursion due to safety concerns.

Disney also announced they would bypass Puerto Vallarta this week and explained the change via letter to each cabin. The Disney Cruise Blog has the letter. In the letter Disney explains their concerns and reminds the passengers that their final bill will be adjusted with regards to port fees, taxes and cancelled excursion.

Cruise companies always worry about passenger safety, however, given the passengers killed in March due to violence in Tunisia, the companies are rightfully cautious now.

Norwegian Cruise Line expand's room service fee policy

As we predicted, more ships are adding room service fee. As USA Today reports, Norwegian Cruise Line will now include the $7.95 on all 13 of their ships. Certain cabins and suites will be exempt from the charges and all passengers can still order coffee and a continental breakfast to the room for free.

Norwegian explained their April test was successful, hence the rollout to the entire fleet. If their test proved valuable, we predict the other cruise companies' tests will also be a success. Room service fees are here to stay.

Will Norwegian Cruise Lines "free drinks" idea spread?

Cruise News UK is covering the cruise3sixty conference and wrote about NCL's announcement that the Norwegian Sky will include alcohol in their cruise price. The idea expands their freestyle cruising philosophy. Of course there are some fine print details like:
-- wines by the glass
-- bottled or draft beer up to $11
-- passengers under 20 will be offered unlimited soft drinks

The company is saying the policy is in place for "2016 and beyond." Anything new is somewhat bold in the cruise industry, so we applaud NCL's experiment. They are giving up a big revenue source in the hope that it will bring more passengers on board. Like all cruise experiences, there is also some belief that whatever money they lose on beverages can be made up by the passengers spending it elsewhere on the ship or through upselling on premium drinks.

If it works, NCL will probably roll it out to other ships. However, don't expect the other lines to follow just yet. Aside from the potential revenue loss, some lines don't want to encourage excessive drinking in a party atmosphere...especially lines that cater to an older clientele. For other lines that want more of a young, fun crowd, this might be an option (Carnival?).

For anyone sailing on the Norwegian Sky in 2016, let us know what you think and how the experience works in practice.