U.S. News released their annual cruise rankings and Disney and Royal Caribbean finished No. 1 and 2 in most of the important categories. Both got high marks for families, value and Caribbean. The more adult and upscale categories were dominated by Crystal and Regent Seven Seas.
U.S. News ranked the companies based on their editors' votes, traveler ratings and health ratings.
Considering how many brands Carnival runs and how many travelers they serve, it is surprising that they are not higher up in more of the categories. But with so many individual reviews online and so much word of mouth, are that many people booking based on a "Best of" list?
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Two sides disagree on overboard Royal Caribbean passenger
All interested parties agree that Oasis of the Seas passenger Bernardo Elbaz went overboard November 6. How and why is now the point of contention. Attorneys for the Elbaz family said the man was subject to anti-gay hostility from the crew and that an altercation in his cabin led to the fall. Royal Caribbean's statement was that a domestic dispute led to Elbaz jumping.
Complicating matters is the disturbing video of Elbaz clinging to a life boat after the initial fall from his balcony. In the video someone can be heard yelling: "You don’t touch me. Because of you this happened, because I stepped out the door. Let go of me."
If the reports are true that multiple crew members came to the cabin that night, it will be tough to dispute the true nature of the event. Either the crew members' stories will be consistent and point to Elbaz, or one of the crew members will come forward to identify any Royal Caribbean employees who might have physically forced Elbaz off the ship.
Our guess is that regardless of guilt, Royal Caribbean will look to settle. They don't want any negative attention especially as the industry approaches wave season.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Cruise Needs' Tweets of the Week
The evolution of @CruiseNorwegian ~ #NorwegianBreakaway #SSNorway #NCL #CruiseLikeANorwegian pic.twitter.com/pOAfqlJzKu
— Derk (@DerkThePig2) November 2, 2015Goodnight beautiful world pic.twitter.com/zVIkJjKu5X
— Paul Gauguin Cruises (@PaulGauguin) November 3, 2015who wouldn't want cruise when you can eat in restaurants like this 🍽🍾 #finedining #cruiselife #getmeonharmony 🚢 pic.twitter.com/88oxoFpECz
— Melanie (@MelanieSmith87) October 31, 2015Thank you @Disney #disneycruise for an amazing day!! @HOT957 pic.twitter.com/O8lTbfVUau
— Sarah Pepper (@sarahhot957) November 2, 2015More from The Great Escape.
#NorwegianEscape #cruiselikeanorwegian pic.twitter.com/ytnwf4BcLk
— nigel allen (@nig1102) November 2, 2015Thursday, November 5, 2015
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.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Another Quantum-Class ship for Royal Caribbean
Bigger is better it seems, as Royal Caribbean ordered another one of their Quantum-class ships. It will be the fifth is the series and ready in 2020.
Even though the series of ships is new, the popularity justifies another ship. The company did not announce where the ship would be based. However, multiple Quantums are already planned for Asia. It wouldn't be surprising for a third to head into the growing market.
While 2020 seems like a long way off, this is good news for cruise fans. New ships entering the market means new opportunities and new deals.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Video Reviews: Norwegian Escape
The first media and video bloggers to see NCL's newest ship the Norwegian Escape are now starting to post their videos. Here are three examples. All are a little off beat, but each provides plenty of good footage of the state of the art ship.
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