Royal Caribbean Announces Allure of the Seas’ Inaugural Season

Royal Caribbean International has announced the inaugural season of Allure of the Seas, 42 sailings to the Eastern and Western Caribbean on seven-night voyages every Sunday beginning December 12, 2010. Allure of the Seas, and sister-ship Oasis of the Seas, constitute the Oasis class of ships and will be the world’s two largest cruise ships when they debut in November 2010 and 2009, respectively.With the arrival of Allure of the Seas, vacationers will have a choice of a Saturday (Oasis of the Seas) and Sunday departure for an Oasis-class cruise vacation. Bookings for Allure of the Seas’ inaugural season will open on April 2 for Diamond and Diamond Plus level members of the Crown & Anchor Society and April 8 for all Crown & Anchor Society members. General bookings will open on April 13.

“Through the last four decades, Royal Caribbean has earned a history of innovation and redefined cruising with each new class of ships we launched,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Allure of the Seas and sister-ship Oasis of the Seas represent the ultimate expression of our vision and determination to provide an experience unlike anything found on land and sea. With Allure of the Seas, we will offer family and adventurous vacationers two spectacular ships from which to choose for an unforgettable cruise.”

Allure of the Seas will depart from its homeport of Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale and alternate a seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itinerary. Both itineraries will feature three days at sea. On the Eastern Caribbean itinerary, Allure of the Seas will call at St. Thomas (Charlotte Amalie), St. Maarten (Philipsburg) and Nassau, Bahamas. The ship will call at Falmouth, Jamaica; Cozumel, Mexico; and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach on the northern coast of Haiti, for the Western Caribbean itinerary.

Revenge at sea

I just had to post this:

By Christopher Elliott

Travel columnist

msnbc.com contributor

Cruising isn’t what it used to be. Just ask Steve Roberts, who recently sailed from Costa Maya, Mexico, to Nassau, Bahamas on the Carnival Glory.

Although his floating vacation was billed as an “all inclusive” experience, Roberts found it was anything but that. Dining in a premium restaurant cost $30. Drinks were extra, too. And at the end of the cruise, Roberts says he was asked to pay a mandatory gratuity.

“But the worst part was being assaulted by about a thousand ship’s photographers, taking our photos every day, so we could pay an outrageous fee for as many prints of the digital photos as we wanted,” he says

So Roberts did what more cruise passengers are doing these days: he said “no.”

That’s just what the cruise industry doesn’t want to hear. Amid a sinking economy, the major cruise lines have been cutting everything from their staffs to itineraries to, of course, ticket prices.

At the same time, cruise lines have quietly imposed new fees in an apparent effort to raise onboard revenues. Perhaps the most aggressive to date has been Royal Caribbean, which recently added a $14.95 surcharge for passengers ordering a filet mignon in its main dining room and a $3.95 “late night service charge” for onboard room service orders placed between midnight and 5 a.m.

Royal Caribbean says the fees are not about money, but convenience. Passengers who want to order a signature steak in the main dining room, as opposed to visiting one of its specialty restaurants, can now do so. And the room service fee, a spokeswoman added, is meant to “encourage responsible food ordering.”

Carnival’s $30 fee for its specialty restaurants, as well as its gratuity, is a choice, according to Tim Gallagher, a Carnival spokesman. “Guest feedback tells us they appreciate these options,” he says, adding that a Carnival cruise remains a “very inclusive” vacation. “There are people who cruise and never spend a dollar in the casino, shops, spa or on shore excursions, photos or bingo.”

Make that lots of people. To say that it’s a buyer’s market for cruises might be an understatement. Passengers know it, and they seem to be enjoying their new power. It’s almost as if the archetypical cruise passenger — you know, the overfed, newlywed and nearly-dead kind — has been replaced with a more whimsical and mischievous character, like Captain Jack Sparrow.

We should have seen this coming. In addition to the epidemic of fees and surcharges, cruise lines have more or less had it their way for years. After the fire sales that followed 9/11, cruise prices rose like the tide, and passengers were slammed with more than just onboard fees. Their vacations were often held hostage to illegal, mandatory fuel surcharges that were imposed even after they had paid for their vacation in full.

“Payback is a funny concept,” cruise expert Paul Motter told me, adding that there’s some evidence that passenger discontent has been bubbling up, including a recent class-action lawsuit against Park West Gallery, which offers onboard art auctions, and a $40 million settlement in last year’s fuel-surcharge scandal.

But are passengers really in a mood for revenge? I asked Terry Dale, the president and chief executive of the Cruise Lines International Association, about current passenger attitudes. He told me cruisers were out for bargains, not blood, and were finding “exceptional value” this year. In fact, cruise lines are offering their valued guests more than ever, including “complimentary amenities, shipboard credits, relaxed and reduced deposit requirements and special fares for booking 2010 cruises,” he says

Maybe he’s right.

Maybe travelers are just buoyed by the lowest cruises prices in a generation, and nothing more. But in a series of interviews with passengers and industry experts, a slightly more complex picture starts to surface — that of profit-starved cruise lines pulling out all the stops to attract new customers and of penny-pinching passengers who know they have them over a barrel at last.

Cruise Shareholder Benefits Instructions

Cruise travelers who own at least 100 shares of stock in Carnival Corporation (CCL) or Royal Caribbean (RCL) can receive up to $250 in onboard credits during their next vacation at sea. Just follow the instructions below to secure your shareholder benefit. 

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity

The onboard credit is offered exclusively to shareholders that directly own a minimum of 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. at time of booking. To take advantage of this offer, the following items must be submitted: A photocopy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing proof of ownership of at least 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Your name (the owner of the 100 shares will receive the onboard credit.) Your home address, telephone number and e-mail address Your ship and sailing date Your confirmation number Your Captain’s Club or Crown & Anchor Society Number (if any) Please send the above to: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Investor Benefit P.O. Box 02511 Miami, FL 33102-5511 Alternatively, you may fax all of the required documentation (in a single fax) to 305/539.4645, or mail .jpeg images of all required documentation to shareholderbenefit@rccl.com.

Carnival Corporation

Carnival Cruise Lines,  Princess Cruises,  Holland America,  Costa,  Windstar,  Seabourn,  Cunard Line

The onboard credit is available exclusively to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival Plc. Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates, tour conductors or anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary pass are excluded from this offer. This benefit is not transferable, no combinable with any other shipboard offer and cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account. Only one onboard credit per shareholder-occupied stateroom. Shareholders must provide the following information with the initial deposit to your travel agent: Name Proof of ownership of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc shares (i.e. photocopy of shareholder proxy card, shares certificate or a current brokerage or nominee statement). Reservation number Ship and sailing date

Fire Sales On Cruises?

Probably not the best choice of words but accurate nonetheless.

It doesn’t just “seem” like all the cruise lines are giving away cruises, they are.  It’s hard to keep up with all the special offers coming directly from the cruise lines.  Not from some shady Internet Cruise Broker, the cruise lines themselves have so many offers going on right now.   I spend quite a bit of time every day just keeping up.  My frank reaction is that they have gone bezerk.  

Normally, the cruise lines, master marketers of their products, focusl on one or two promotions at a time.  Now, they have so many that I have added a special page to my website, www.YourCruiseDream.com, just to post all the offers I get notified about every day.  And I do change it every day.  That’s good news for those looking for great value.

Uh oh, there I go again with that word: “value”.  Rather than single-mindedly locking in on “low price” which is what stupid people do.  Smart, savy travel buyers are more savy and smarter than ever now by continuing to focus on value.   Hmm, this is turning out to be quite a bit more frank than I had suspected so let’s just stay with that and see where it goes.

There is no $199 cruise.  It’s just a simple fact.  That is what they call a “lead-in” rate and does not include at least taxes.  That’s important because taxes on a $199 cruise can be as much as 30% more.  Ok, you say, so that’s still a good price.  No No No, wrong thinking.  You’re still locking in on price which is exactly what they want you to do.  Keep looking.  What about port charges?  If those too are not included they could be up to 60% more.  

Today I booked a cruise for the third guest, always discounted, in a cabin on a Carnival cruise.  The cruise fare was $40 for a 4 day cruise.  Man, what a deal huh?  Well sure but the port charges and taxes were $223.  Not such a good deal now.  So why do the cruise lines do this?

Two reasons:  To suck you in to buy from them and to screw travel agents out of commission.  

Surely, they do get your attention with $40 for a cruise…or $199…or some other fabulously low price.  To some people, getting that $199 price is so important that they ignore the fact that the actual price they have to pay to get to walk on the ship is almost double that.  I have a neighbor who wanted bragging rights for his $199 cruise so very bad that he told me all about it.  I suppose everyone wants to be perceived as a smart shopper.  The problem is that a smart shopper checks grocery store ads and knows that $1.67 is a heck of a price for a gallon of milk.  It takes more than that to be smart about buying a cruise.  YOU HAVE GOT TO CONSIDER THE WHOLE PRICE.  Let’s call that the “What it takes to walk on the ship” price because that is indeed what you have to pay.

The second part, the screwing of the travel agents, should actually be of more concern.  Travel Agents were, are and will always be your very best way to buy travel other than airfare.  The variables in an airfare purchase are much more efficiently crafted and technology has reached a point where it is better to do it yourself.  Unless you are traveling outside of your country, then you need a travel agent there too because when you get into international flight variables and requirements, they know, you don’t.  

On cruises, travel agents, good ones anyway, keep up with all that is going on and offer great value (there’s that word again) because they don’t cost you anything to use.  Rather, they save you money and get you more for the money you spend.  That’s a perfect definition of Value as it applies to travel:

They Save You Money And Get You More For The Money You Spend.

It Is All About You…or it should be

One way to look at dinnertime is to make it the centerpiece of the evening, the main event.  This is nothing new as traditional dining at a set time has been around forever. The trick is what you do before and after. 

 

But let’s start with the dinner itself.  Here is an example of how it might go…

After you are seated in the dining room drink orders are taken and your server presents the evening’s menu. Dinner usually consists of six or seven courses from appetizers to desserts. Can’t decide between shrimp cocktail and paté? Have both. Can’t choose between steak and shrimp? Have both. Your server wants happy diners. A pleasant request is almost always accommodated. (You can even have doubles on Lobster Night!)

If you are not a foodie, don’t worry. There are healthy choices on the menu at every meal. If you have food allergies or require a special menu, tell me at least three weeks before the cruise. Otherwise, be adventurous. Try new dishes. If you are not sure what something on the menu is, ask your server. He or she will do everything reasonable to ensure that you enjoy meals onboard. If you do not care for the food or it is not cooked to your request, it is acceptable to politely request a different serving.

If you are not accustomed to dining with multiple courses and a vast array of silver and glassware, just remember the old adage, “outside in.” Use your utensils from the outside in toward your plate as courses come to the table. Personally, I don’t pay any attention to this and probably don’t use the right fork often.  The way I look at it (now that I think of it, as I usually don’t) is if someone at the table is horrified that I used the wrong thing to stick food in my mouth so what?  If I was chewing carelessly and food was falling out of my mouth or I came to dinner without shoes that would be something else.  But what fork I use is an issue?  I don’t think so.  Those people need to get a life.

 

Anyway, servers will remove used silverware or after each course. I’m never sure if that is so I won’t steal it or if they indeed ARE concerned about my poor choice of forks.  They need to back off  on that.  If you want to play the game remember “eat to the left, drink to the right” and you’ll never have problems remembering which bread plate belongs to you.

Although the days of extravagant midnight buffets are over on most cruises, each cruise line usually hosts one magnificent showcase midnight buffet toward the end of a cruise. Even if you can’t eat another bite, bring your camera. It is remarkable gastronomic photographic moment.

 

Framing dinner as the centerpiece of the evening is not for everyone.  A growing number of guests don’t like to dress up or want the structure of a fixed time for dining.  Depending on which cruise line you are sailing, there may be a number of other options.  But with the exception of paying to dine at one of the ship’s specialty restaurants, the best food IS in the dining room in most all cases. 

 

Why would you not want to have the best food?

 

Skipping dinner is a big mistake but one the cruise lines think is a great idea.  They would much rather we all go to the buffet. It takes way less labor to feed you and usually less cost for the food too.  

 

Don’t you do it!  …at least not all the time  You will be missing out on one of the best experience cruising has to offer.

 

Before dinner, stop by one of the lounges for a cocktail, after diner take a stroll on deck before rushing back to the cabin to change out of your nice clothes.   Sailing with teens?  Cut them loose after dinner and let everyone have some fun…whatever that might mean to you.  We had few rules for our children when on a cruise.  Actually just one: ”Don’t do any thing that would require me to talk to security or identify your body”  Those kids are grown up and gone now. Yes, they survived. 

 

Don’t impose “rules” on yourself either.  Just one:  “Get the most out of this because you can’t do it over”.  You may go on lots of cruises but each one will be a different experience.  Some will be better than others.  You might meet people who you will be in contact with for a lifetime because you shared a dinner table with them.  Many of you reading this right now know it is true because that is where I met you.  Others have no idea what I am talking about and that is a real shame.  Unfortunately that “I don’t want to dress for dinner so I am not going” mentality spreads like a virus.  Those people probably don’t do a lot of things that they could do and cheat themselves out of a rich, sometimes life-changing experience. 

Regardless of what you do before or after dinner, do something.  For me, one of the best parts of a cruise is relaxing in a lounge before dinner with Lisa.  It’s something we just don’t do in real life but it is a priority on a cruise, one of the few.  Of all the entertainment options and other things you can do, dinnertime is the most important of them all.  Not even so much for the food, but for the experience.  Do yourself a favor: Enjoy it!