Cruising, the New Wave of Travel

By Sue Armstrong -Owner Uniglobe Sunburst Travel

The Future Of Cruising

It seems that trend-watchers never get tired of tracking the baby boomer generation. The first wave of them are turning 60, and as travelers they are turning out to be the fittest, most active and most demanding group of pre-seniors in history. For the cruise industry, catering to this group is proving to be a rewarding challenge, with benefits for passengers of all ages.

The Norwegian Pearl may have its new bowling alley, and Royal Caribbean recently installed a Flowrider artificial wave simulator on its Freedom of the Seas, but what attracts the hard-working boomers is more than just on-board soft adventure. Here’s a look at five top trends in cruising this year, each one driven all or in part by the desires of 40-, 50- and early 60-year-olds who not only want to travel and relax somewhere in style, i.e. on a cruise ship, but who also crave a unique and memorable vacation.

Mid-Size Ships

Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are just three major cruise lines which have smartly added or refurbished smaller ships in fleets that have tended to make news for mega-cruisers like the 3,634-passenger Freedom of the Seas, mentioned above.

Ships with even greater capacity than Freedom’s are coming, but in the meantime there’s a growing market for a more intimate cruising experience.

The 700-passenger Regent Seven Seas Mariner and Voyager, for example, are all-suite, all-balcony ships. They offer some of the highest space and service ratios at sea, and feature restaurants run by the famous, Paris-based Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. You won’t find ice rinks or climbing walls here, but the amenities will not disappoint. There are four main dining venues with open seating on each ship, allowing for the kind of mealtime flexibility passengers have come to expect, plus there are modern spas, fitness facilities, free computer classes and a sophisticated line-up of guest lecturers.

Holland America uses its 800-passenger Prisendam on long-range, exotic round-the-world voyages; a 2005 makeover resulted in ocean views for 93 percent of the staterooms, and private verandahs in 67 percent. For journeys around the Mediterranean, the 710-passenger Royal Princess (formerly Swan Hellenic’s Minerva II) is an ideal choice, with 2007 itineraries out of Barcelona, Athens, Rome and romantic Venice.

At the slightly grander end of the scale capacity-wise is Celebrity’s 1,750-passenger Century. ( shown at right )

It spent six weeks in dry dock last June, emerging with 314 new verandahs, a men’s barber shop, an airy and serene new AquaSpa, and "boutique hotel chic" interiors for the staterooms, incorporating flat-screen televisions, Egyptian cotton bedding and oak paneling. What makes the mid-size ships so appealing? Reviewers consistently praise them for their "breathing room." As one Manhattan executive pointed out, "How often can you go up on deck and star-gaze and there’s absolutely nobody around?"

Enrichment Programs

You can bank on a cruise to put your brain in neutral and your body into full-on pampering mode, if that’s what you’re after. But for many passengers some uninterrupted sea time provides a perfect opportunity to learn something new in a safe, no-expectations environment.

On Crystal ships you can learn how to play the piano, each student seated at a professional-quality electronic keyboard, headphones in place.

Holland America Line’s $225-million, fleet-wide Signature of Excellence enhancements includes a Culinary Arts Center, a state-of-the-art show kitchen where guest chefs provide cooking demos and classes.

Princess Cruises’ Scholarship@Sea program blends traditional crafts with 21st century technology, teaching passengers to compile digital scrapbooks of their cruise photos, and to design personal web pages or blogs.

On Norwegian’s Hawaiian sailings, you can learn how to make a lei; on Cunard ships, you can learn Shakespearean acting techniques taught by alumni of London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Taking The Kids To Europe

There are two major inducements to cruising around Europe with your offspring in tow. Given the U.S. dollar’s performance against the surging euro, you’ll save a huge amount by purchasing your cruise at home, in your own currency. And you’ll avoid a nerve-fraying, gas-guzzling family road trip on unfamiliar roads in a strange country with a disgruntled mob in the backseat who want chicken strips and fries, hold the foie gras and frog’s legs.

A cruise makes it easy to explore a port of call and still come "home" to child-friendly food and activities each evening. According to cruise industry statistics, more than one million children and teens 18 and under set sail each year. Carnival, which recently completed its second year of cruising in Europe, has seen huge growth in the number of families traveling together. With no less than 30 new vessels entering service over the next three years, it’s a given that cruise lines will continue to focus on popular and lesser-known Mediterranean and European ports (they currently account for 20 percent of the market).

Alaska For Everyone

Another "hot" destination this year is Alaska, which has traditionally appealed to older, sedate travelers who warm to the idea of cruising in familiar waters close to home where everyone speaks English and accepts U.S. currency. In 2007, Alaska’s attractions have clearly moved beyond the obvious. A sail along this coast is probably one of the "greenest" and most environmentally friendly cruises you can take, thanks to new initiatives taken by the major lines. Strong support from local businesses and tour operators has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number and variety of offshore activities on offer, including helicopter treks to nearby glaciers and overnight wilderness trips on horseback. The soft adventure excursions, some of them tailored specifically to families with teenagers and even younger children, are prompting a shift in cruise demographics. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), 68 percent of Gen-Xers (born between 1965 and 1978) reported last year that they intend to take a cruise in future.

Booking A Year In Advance

Boomers don’t like to be disappointed. This may be one reason that popular ships and popular itineraries are filling up fast, with sell-outs of up to a year in advance not unheard-of. Not having reached retirement, and still leading hectic lives that are often scheduled to every available hour, these are travelers for whom the words "last-minute" are completely foreign. Boomers like to plan ahead, and they like professional advice when they do it. So it’s no surprise that a majority of the 12.6 million people who will take a cruise in 2007 will use a travel agent, precisely to avoid getting pigeon-holed into an itinerary, cabin or price which doesn’t suit their plans.

Uniglobe Sunburst Travel professional travel agents with cruise expertise will be able to source cabins, upgrades, airfares and add-ons that simply aren’t available to the general public. Don’t sail in the dark; talk to your Uniglobe Sunburst Travel & Cruises Ltd. travel agent first. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you with all your travel requirements

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