So, will I die if I go ashore Chris?

That has been the big question floating around for those booked on a cruise that stops in the Bahamas since I reported that crime against cruise passengers was on the rise lately.

On the rise?  Like it exists at all?

Well yeah but not to worry, odds are you will probably not be held at gunpoint.

Probably??  I’d like better odd than that please

Well let me ask you this:  Can you think of a part of town where you live that is not safe to be in?  Does crime occur where you live?  Sure it does and we know to stay away from those places or at least be more careful when going there.  Traveling is a lot like that no matter where you go.  Jamaica is a great example of a port of call that has an unearned bad reputation in that area.  We always go ashore there and have always lived to tell about it, gloriously.

Cruise passengers may not believe this but there are actually people who visit islands and are not on a cruise.  I know, who would want to you might ask.  There are those who do though and also live to tell about it.  Have you seen those commercials for Beaches or some other all-inclusive land vacation in the Caribbean?  You know, the one where this great looking guy and gal are walking into a huge olympic-sized pool all by themselves enjoying the lovely island?   Well, besides the fact that the only way they got that shot was to have the other hundreds of people get out of the pool for a while, those islands have bad places too.  And bad people, they have bad people there as well.

Those people manage to have a safe and fun time too and they don’t have a ship to decide if they want to get off of or not.

The point is, don’t let the news scare you away.   There are many different ways to get in trouble on vacation.  NOT paying attention to concerns or warnings from sources such as me (I won’t tell you wrong), the newspapers, travel blogs and the like is what gets you into trouble.

Pay attention and you should be safe no matter where you go

I remember one time in Miami, we had arrived a day or two ahead of a cruise and wanted to walk down to the beach from our hotel not far from the water.   It was me and my two then-teenage daughters headed in that direction when a rough bunch of guys came walking towards us.   The appropriate thing to do on that chilly (like 55 degrees) winter night was NOT for the girls to blindly go about taking off their sweatshirts because they were warm at the exact time we passed these guys.   No need to advertise the prey to the predator I thought.  I was wrong, they didn’t hardly realize we were there but being alert to such things is important even if your children think you are being overly cautious.

Daddy had no desire to have a conflict with a half-dozen young men who surely had knives, guns, were peddling drugs, had probably just robbed a bank and would find great glee having me watch them slice and dice his kids.

Yes, it is better to overreact than go crazy.

But this is the same guy who was out racing about the neighborhood at 3:01pm if the kids, normally home at 3:00pm from school were late.  Who knows if that diligence kept one of them from being a crime victim.  The way I looked at it at the time was it sure couldn’t hurt to be vigilant.   Ok so maybe that thought has been tempered by a few years of hindsight; maybe at the time it was terror of what might be going through me that got me behind the wheel.  Again, diligence paid off and will for you too when traveling.

So pay attention to good sources of information like this one, CruiseCritic.com, USA Today’s CruiseLog, your personal travel agent and other sources.  But don’t be afraid to get off the ship!

Oasis of the Seas: It’s all about the cupcakes

Now in her new home at Port Everglades here in Florida, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas continues to draw attention.  Online message boards, bloggers and other sources are buzzing over the ship’s arrival and many of the new features.  While interest has reached a fevered pitch, not everyone is happy about what they see and hear.

Price is one of the first topics that comes up when discussing Oasis and her being-built sister Allure of the Seas, due out next year.  In a very price-conscious economy,  Oasis sells for as much as 30 to 40% more than other ships doing a similar itinerary.  As true as this is, equally true is that the Oasis class ships of Royal Caribbean are truly unlike any other ship in service.  To expect this ship to price along with others who have been in service for 5 to 10 years doing the same itinerary is not appropriate.  If you want a ride on this one, expect to pay more.

Size, rightfully so, is another topic that gets discussed quite a bit.  From environmental groups concerned over pollution potential to cruise purists who long for the olden days of smaller-ship cruising, many are eager to start and perpetuate a debate.  While both these groups and others mean well and are committed to their beliefs, at this point they are vocal over potential issues, not actualproblems.  The first revenue sailing of Oasis, marking the actual start of her cruise history,  has not even come to pass yet.  Yes, this is the biggest ship on planet earth.  Yes, more people will get on and off this ship on turnaround day than any other ship.  But also a resounding YES and kudos to Royal Caribbean for taking all that into consideration and building a ship for everyone.

Those opposed to this ship just don’t get it….or at least most don’t.  Some kind of do.

I read yesterday where someone said the ship was like a hotel on a floating barge.  Another said it should be called Theme Park of the Seas.  Those people kind of do get it.  They are right to a certain extent.  Where they lose it and don’t get it is the cupcakes.

Long ago and far away, cruise ships did not sell cupcakes.  Cruise ships might have made a cake or Baked Alaska might have been paraded around the dining room on formal night, but they did not sell cupcakes.

Oasis does.  Oasis gets it.  Oasis is relevant.

Dividing the ship up into neighborhoods, each with its own unique flavor was simply brilliant.   What if they had built this ship and done nothing different than make more cabins?.  There is no shortage of cruise ships to go from point A to point B.  But the cruise business has evolved from the transatlantic ocean liner that brought my ancestors here long ago to almost being put out of business by the airliner to being reborn by Carnival as a fun, hip thing to do to where they are today; poised to go off in yet another direction I believe led by visionary cruise lines like Royal Caribbean. Even Norwegian Cruise Line with their new Norwegian Epic coming out later which also redefines the cruise experience, maybe not to such an extent as Oasis, but in that direction.

Yes, Oasis of the Seas is all about being relevant.

From opening night this week with pop-singer Rihanna and a live broadcast of Good Morning America the next morning, to trendy gourmet cupcakes, food venues and areas of the ship embracing what is happening right now in the world, this one has it all.

But that is the flashy side of Oasis.  The company behind her, Royal Caribbean International, is  a solid organization that is in tune with it’s customers.  While other cruise lines may nickel and dime guests to death, make applying discounts and special offers difficult and are sticking with the old programs of yesterday, Royal Caribbean for many years has striven to be the one that is easy to do business with.  They commonly refer to what they do as “delivering the “Wow!” and work hard to make that happen.

When a guest steps foot on of their ships, they are totally into making that experience truly a “cruise of a lifetime” as they say.  There is a lot that goes into making and keeping this ship afloat as we have covered in our series of articles leading up to now. Those that get it will appreciate all that has gone into this ship, pay the price, and have a fabulous vacation that they truly can not get anywhere else.

Thinking about sailing on the Oasis?  Contact your travel agent today; right now Royal Caribbean is making it easier to enjoy those extras on Oasis and sister-ship Allure of the Seas with a special offer granting bonus onboard credit of $200 to those who book a December 2009 sailing of Oasis or $100 for a December 2010 through April 2011 sailing of Allure.  That’s not good for group sailings and other restrictions apply

I can get a whole lot of cupcakes for $200

Do be sure to join us right here, live on Oasis of the Seas starting early Thursday morning for the drive from Orlando to Port Everglades then look for reports throughout the day and night all about the ship

A new golden age of cruise travel?

I was looking through some cruise brochures yesterday (I do this on Saturday’s while sitting around the pool) and a thought crossed my mind:

“Interesting; the biggest, newest ships have so many more features and options.  Why?”

The two biggest, newest and brightest stars on the horizon are the Norwegian Epic and Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.  These two new ships have more features and more choices for accomodations than anything ever built before.  While very different in and of themselves, both of these ships will offer some common elements that are interesting to think about.  Let’s look at three of them

1. There are no Oceanview staterooms
2. They both offer top-end accomodations presented in a secluded area
3. They are both priced higher than any other ship in their respective fleets

The loss of Oceanview staterooms (cabins with a window) is no big loss to me personally.  We did a Oceanview cabin one time and I thought

“Waste of money, it’s like watching the ocean on TV, might as well get an inside cabin and actually watch the ocean on tv via the ship’s bridge cam” .

But that’s just me.   Others do like Oceanview cabins but the industry trend has been to get away from them.  Many of the new ships out right now have reduced the number of them to where I can’t even hold some for a group cruise.  Looking at older ships though, balconies are the rage and have been for several years.  Older ships going into drydock commonly come out with more balconies than they went in with.  The demand is for balconies over Oceanview so it is no surprise that the newest ships don’t have any.  Still, it does reduce one option a potential guest has to choose from when making a buying decision.  Some won’t care, they didn’t want an Oceanview anyway.  Some will care because they liked the Oceanview.   In my experience those really needing an Oceanview need that point of reference that the window and what is outside of it provides.

For the cruise lines, they get to charge more for that cabin because it has a balcony now.  That’s fair, a balcony offers a better cruise experience.  My time on a balcony is precious.  Being at sea, completely surrounded by the ocean in all directions is so peaceful and offers so much to me that it’s worth it.  I have passed on many sailings when I could not afford a balcony.   I am not one of those people who says “Who cares what cabin I get as long as I am on the ship” .  There are a lot of people that feel that way and truly do not spend much time in their cabin.  I’m glad we have the option of inside cabins for them; that’s a good match for what they want out of their cruise.  I don’t see those going away any time soon but one look at Oasis of the Seas and you can sure see where the focus is; balconies one way or another.  In fact, in addition to the traditional Promenade View inside cabins offering a window view of the Royal Promenade that runs the length of a football field inside the ship, they are offering similar “inside” cabins but with balconies that open inside the ship.

I also thought

“I think the cruise lines “get it”.  I think they realize that the best cruise experience includes a balcony and financial gains aside, a balcony cabin does add to the whole “cruise of a lifetime” experience that I think they have been getting away from recently”

The addition of secluded areas for the top-end accomodations harkens back to the Golden Age of Ocean Liners (think the movie “Titanic”) and a class system that was undeniable.

Modern ships still had that up to this point but in a more indirect way.  One could book passage on a high-end cruise line like Silversea or Regent Seven-Seas where all the staterooms were oppulent and geared toward a higher-income level guest.  Is that a class system at work?  You bet.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  I don’t think it is either, it is just differenet marketing to groups of like guests.  That notion smacked me in the face when arriving at Port Canaveral not long ago for a sailing of the Carnival Glory.  We had not sailed on Carnival for a while and it struck me as unique that there were barbecues, pickup trucks and a party atmosphere somewhat like I had experienced when we lived in Kansas City before a Chiefs football game.  I had not seen that on Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, or other lines.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am not in any way looking down on Carnival guests in any negative way, just an observation.

If I was to document the scene at Carnival though with the scene at Cunard, for example, I know I would see different groups of people.  Not that Carnval guests don’t cruise on Cunard or vice versa, we do.  But Carnival is all about the “fun” and they have that down pat.  Cunard is a more refined experience.  Those, to me, are some real extremes.  So who are these new ships, Oasis and Epic,  built for?

I think they are built for everyone.  Bargain hunters are not going to find a $199 cruise on either ship any time soon.  A $1000 per person inside cabin is more like it and that in and of itself will turn a lot of people off.  I have even heard comments from other travel agents wondering when the price will come down because they sure can’t sell either ship to their customers priced as they are now.  Clients tell me to let them know when the prices go down and they will take a look.   I don’t know that I will be making that call any time soon.

You see, I think this is a good thing;  feature-heavy ships offering the best possible opportunity for us to fully embrace what cruise travel is all about:

Ulitmate Relaxation

A cruise vacation offers the single-most effective way to get away from real life, relax and get the perspective we need to go forward with life in a productive way.  That is really good for us.   No matter what “relax” means to you, you need to do it.  I am always reminded of the dancing waiters and dining room show they do on many cruise ships when I think of this topic.  How anyone could possibly be thinking about work, bills, commitments or any of the parts of everyday life that bear on us IF they fully embrace this scene has always been beyond me.  On our first cruises, traveling with our children, they would get up and dance around the dining room with the so many other guests, being silly and having a great time.  Some guests don’t like this part and embrace other opportunities to relax.  A spa treatment, a cozy place to read a book, shore excursions, a night at the disco, or any one of a number of other opporunities offer the same “get away from it all” value.

Once away from it all, we can take stock of where we are and where we want to go.  This is the true value of a cruise vacation and one that has left me feeling a little bit different after each sailing.  It’s what makes some guests into cruise addicts as it offers more relaxation, clarity and focus than any other vacation option.  ”Time away” is easy to define;  you’re just not at work or home.  You can get that with camping, a day-trip outside of where you live or other way less expensive options.   To get the clarity and focus towards the future, a cruise vacation does it like no other.  I think Norwegian Cruise line and Royal Caribbean get it and these two new ships are opening a door to the past and the future for all of us.  I think these ships are saying

“We know what you need and are here to deliver it.  Yes, it will cost you more but oh the benefits to you when it’s all over”

So my advice is consistent:  Book as far in advance as possible, plan on it costing more, but do it.  Take a ride on one of these new fabulous ships but don’t step foot on one in the wrong frame of mind.  If you’re looking for a bargain, these are not the ships for you.  If you are looking for a life-altering experience that will allow you the clarity to forcefully impact your life in the future starting the moment you get off the ship,  book one right now.

Again, it is all about “value”.  This just keeps coming up, maybe more now that ever in light of our current world-wide economic concerns.

A traditional way to compare cruises to determine value has always been the  cost per person, per day.  That’s still a good way to calculate monetary value when comparing the exact same sailing on the same ship in the same category cabin with multilpe sources to buy from.  But “monetary value” and what I believe will be the new and more accurate “Total Value” is what we realy need to concentrate on.  Total Value includes price but, more importantly, includes the onboard experience front and center.  Those who “get it” will have no problem understanding this concept.  These will be the people, like me, who have experienced feeling a little different after a cruise.  They come away a different person.  They might not be able to put their finger on exactly what happened to make that a reality but it IS a reality nonetheless.  All these new features, layouts, cabin choices and the overall focus of these new ships offers us the unique opportunity to maximize the clarity and focus we can gain from a cruise vacation experience.

So those are the golden words:

Clarity

Focus

Cruise Vacation Experience

Can you get that from less-expensive sailings on different lines?  You bet!  Coming up on our 40th cruise soon, I know this for a fact.  Each and every one has fostered a new viewpoint, a new starting place and offered the renewal I needed regardless of if I realized that or not.  I grew as a person as a result of each cruise I have been on.  I  have always been a little bit different when I got off the ship than when I got on.  If you are fortunate enough to have experienced this also, you know exactly what I mean.

It is not the food, itinerary, ship, or price that keeps me coming back.  It is not the people I go with or those I meet on board.  It is the clarity and focus I end up with that I can not get anywhere else.  It’s hard to put a price on that but the price of your cruise is a good place to start.  That’s the money part; deal with it.  Get with a travel agent, preferably one that specializes in cruises only but NOT an Internet Cruise Broker, one with a passion for cruising that “gets it” as a starting place.  There are plenty of them out there.  Get to know them either in person or through any one of the many electronic media avenues available to us today.  Start building a long-term relationship with a good travel agent in much the same way you might consider a doctor or other trusted advisor.  The fact is that their involvement in your cruise vacation can make a huge difference in it being the fabulous life-improving experience you can have and a great cruise.  Both are good, life-improving is better.  Why?  Because they can handle all the details of it for you at no cost and most often at a lower cost and/or better value than you can get anywhere else.  That (and this is the important part) leaves you to dream.

Yes: Dream

Dream at night while you sleep, daydream while at work, on the way to the grocery store, sitting around watching TV or hiking on a trail.  The dream you have with you because you booked that cruise which will allow the clarity and focus you will experience is priceless.  The experience itself, done right, will change your life.   Again, if you have done this, you know exactly what I am talking about.  But if you have not, take what you will view as a chance and give it a try.  In the right frame of mind you can maximize the value of what many look at as a simple vacation into a life-changing experience.  No matter how good your life is now, it can be better.  Better may mean that you impact the lives of others in a positive way more than you have in the past.  Better may mean that you got more out of the experience than you might have otherwise.  But “better” is exactly what you make it.  Here you have the opportunity through the clarity and focus obtainable on a cruise vacation experience to see that.

These new ships offer a new dream to be possible.  Good things will come of this.

Travel Agents

Travel Agents not only cost you nothing, they more and more frequently becoming your only hope to finding a good cruise that is right for you at a good price.

There are more and more internet cruise brokers every day.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO BUSIINESS WITH THEM AND YOU SHOULD COME OUT BETTER IN THE LONG RUN WITH A REAL TRAVEL AGENT

Internet Discount Cruise Brokers have just one thing in mind: taking your money.  There is NO personal commitment to you as much as they might have you believe there  is.  You need to develop a long-term business relationship with a travel professional that will keep up on the ever-changing world of travel and watch out for you.

Think of it like this:  What if a trusted friend owned a car dealership and they could sell and service any car you wanted.  I mean someone you REALLY trusted.  Would you just walk in to any old car dealer and buy a car?  Of course not.  You would go with someone you know, someone you trust and you would know that you’re going to get a good deal up front and honest service after.

Go to a shopping mall and meet a travel agent face to face, work with someone you “know” from online, ask around and get a personal recommendation from a friend…..all of these are better than trolling through the Internet looking for the one that has the lowest price.

That would be fine if you were looking for an easy to identify household item like a vacuum cleaner.  You could pick the model number, plug it in to your computer and search for the best price.

In that case, low price is THE major factor in your decision process.  Shipping policies and fees are probably next followed by a distant third-place customer service, in case it would get lost in the mail

Buying a cruise is nothing like that.  Nothing at all.

There are so many other variables in the purchase decision that you NEED a professional for whom crusing is their business if not their life, to keep abreast of what you need to know right now.  Not yesterday, not last week, RIGHT NOW.
One of the most important features of a good cruise travel agent is efficiency. You need the behind the scenes part of your booking to be handled correctly and on time. Attention to detail in this area is a must.

But you need to be your own advocate too.

You’re doing that right now by coming here to learn about this stuff and gain valuable information that could make or break your cruise later.

To find a travel agent, much like finding an insurance salesman, you can look to professional organizations like the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA,www.cruising.org ) who helps train and certify cruise travel agents. They’ve gone through training, attended seminars and toured various cruise ships to get a goodunderstanding of what they need to know.

Another professional organization that is a good indicator that an agency is at least doing some business is The American Socisty of Travel Agents (ASTA, www.astanet.com), the members here have rigorous criteria to meet in order to join and maintain membership.

If you do an Internet search for travel agents remember that in many cases the listings you see first are sponsored meaning those people pay the search engine to be listed at the top of the list.

Word of mouth, of course, is one of the best sources of finding a good travel agent. Because recommending specific travel agents on an Internet based forum such as this is NOT the same as a recommendation from, say, your neighbor we don’t allow it on Cruise Critic and you should be happy that we don’t. The people you come to “know” here could be travel agents, sales people, trying to make a sale without the best interest in mind that your neighbor might have.

My point here is to find neutral, unbiased sources, ones with documentation to support their recommendations if possible like your state attorney general or consumer affairs office.

Personally, I think its important to develop a good business relationship with your travel professional, be that an agent you find from one of the professional organizations, a neighbors recommendation or, yes, even an attractive yellow pages ad.

Armed with the right information about agents and the knowledge to ask the right questions you’ll fare much better than blindly accepting somebody’s suggestion.

Before you contact that agent get an idea of what you want. Search online or send off for some cruise brochures. Read reviews and other first timer information here. Ask questions (there are NO dumb ones) and get answers from the members here.

THEN make that call