Back in 1984, the year CLIA achieved official status as a non-governmental consultative organization to the United Nations, I was taking my very first cruise as a professional Tour Director. Back then only a few million travelers experienced the joy of cruising that year, as I did with my 2 dozen clients on board Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s very first ship; the M.S. Song of Norway.
Since 1984 I have had the pleasure of going on a few dozen
cruises of all kinds on a wide variety of cruise lines, both for personal
vacation and as a professional Tour Director.
With the variety to choose from, there are many options. It may come as a surprise to you that most
cruisers are very loyal to their favorite brand, or perhaps two or sometimes
three different cruise lines.
~PER CLIA; ROUGHLY
¼ OF TRAVEL AGENTS SURVEYED STATE
CLIENTS STICK WITH ONE CRUISE LINE, AND ½ OF AGENTS SURVEYED SAY CLIENTS STICK
WITH 2 0R 3 CRUISE LINES~
I have learned of the differences (both the vast and the subtle ones) between mainstream, premium and luxury lines
and how to select the best fit for my client’s needs. As my agency caters to upscale clientele I
rarely work with the mainstream cruise lines.
We regularly advise clients on the differences between the higher end cruise
lines in both the Premium and Luxury Cruise Lines. There are many similarities among comparable
cruise lines within these 2 categories, and considerable differences. How does one determine which line is best for
their needs?
The major brands in the ocean going luxury segment include
Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Crystal and Seabourn. They operate small to medium size top notch
ships that represent the majority of the capacity in the luxury segment. Other notable mentions with a small amount of
smaller ships are Yachts of Sea Dream, Windstar and Paul Gaugin. Cunard with their “Queen” ships carrying
upwards of 2,000 passengers each has managed to maintain their luxury status
even though their ships are considerably larger than most luxury cruise ships.
~THE INCLUSIVENESS OF LUXURY LINES ALONG WITH
THE EXCLUSIVENESS DUE TO LACK OF CROWDS PROVIDE YOU A BETTER VALUE THAN A LESS
EXPENSIVE PREMIUM CRUISE~
Among the marketing wordiness (with sometimes a fair amount
of hype and fluff) presented by cruise lines, there are some quantifiable facts
and figures that I find of vital importance.
We can all of course easily find and compare important statistics such
as the size of the stateroom or suite, how many passengers on board, and the
crew to staff ratio. These are all
heavily touted numbers easily found.
I urge you to look at what is known as the Passenger to
Space Ratio. This figure (PSR) is a
gauge of the amount of open public space you will find on board. The higher the number the better. It measures the size of the public space, and
is presented as a ratio to the amount of passengers on board. This tells you if you can expect to be elbow
to elbow with your fellow cruisers as you are waiting in line at the omelet
station or pool bar, etc., or not.
~SUITES ON BOARD LUXURY
CRUISE LINES CAN EASILY FIT 4 PASSENGERS, HOWEVER UNLIKE MAINSTREAM LINES WHICH
PUT 4 INTO A CABIN HALF THE SIZE, LUXURY LINES LIMIT MOST SUITES TO 2
PASSENGERS ONLY TO HAVE A LESS CROWDED SHIP~
Luxury lines typically have PSR’s in the mid 50’s to low 70’s.
Silversea with their 5 luxury ships and 2 “expedition style”
luxury ships have a wide range of PSR’s.
Their sister ships the Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper boast the
highest PSR’s out there, in the low seventy’s.
Their other luxury ships rank high in this category as well, ranging
from the 50’s to the upper 60’s. Even
their 2 expedition style ships boast PSR’s in the low 40’s, higher than many mainstream
cruise ships.
Also boasting respectable numbers;
The Yachts of Seabourn, with their 3 newer “sister” ships
(which they have not sold to Windstar in an upcoming deal) are all in the low
70’s.
Regent Seven Seas fleet of 3 ships all boast impressive PSR
numbers as well, averaging in the lower 60’s.
Crystal Cruise line offers 2 ships, with the Serenity in the
low 60’s and the Symphony in the mid 50’s.
Cunard is slightly lower than the above, with their 3 larger
ships measuring between the low 40’s up into the mid 50’s.
Premium Cruise Lines such as Disney, Princess, and Celebrity
with their many ships have PSR’s in the mid to upper 30’s and 40’s for the most
part, with an occasional low 50’s. Overall, higher than mainstream cruise lines
which consistently range in the 30’s,
with the occasional high 20’s or low 40’s.
Of course the luxury lines offer higher levels of service
and product as well as more spaciousness in public areas and
accommodations. Think prime cuts of meat
on luxury lines, as opposed to choice cuts on premium lines. Think having your wine replenished
automatically before your glass is empty, as opposed to asking for another
glass as you finish your last sip.
A good analogy is comparisons to notable recognizable hotel
chains; equate the luxury lines with Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, while premium
lines can be compared to Westin and W hotels.
~AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF SIZING UP A CRUISE
LINE UNKNOWN TO YOU IS ASKING A KNOWLEDGEABLE AGENT TO COMPARE THE LINE TO HOTEL
CHAINS THAT YOU KNOW~
There are 2 cruise lines that are difficult for the travel
industry to categorize. Azamara Club
Cruises and Oceania have products and service that have characteristics that
put them into both the luxury and premium categorization by industry
measurements.
Their PSR’s are in the 40’s primarily, with a couple ships
getting up over the 50 mark by just a bit.
Their level of inclusiveness isn’t quite what it is on the luxury
lines. However, they are close enough to
be considered luxury lines by many, and getting even more recognition and
accolades of late.
Azamara includes gratuities, and has been including beer and
wine with meals. Basic transportation
from the port into the center of town as well.
They have enhanced this, and will soon be serving spirits as well, and
including one shore excursion which they proudly tout as being an “Azamazing
Evening”.
I sell a fair amount of Azamara Cruises to clients, in fact
just had a call this morning from Steve and Lilly who raved about their cruise
on the Azamara Journey which sailed from Singapore to Hong Kong, which just
ended less than a week ago. They raved
about the experience, spoke very highly of the crew, the ship and the entire
overall experience. Earlier this year another
client –Nellie- was on the just refurbished Azamara Journey through Indonesia
who sent me a message from the ship just prior to disembarking letting me know it
was a “truly exceptional journey”.
Well, with all of this fantastic feedback on Azamara, and to
keep on top of all this for my clients, I thought I should check out the
refurbished ships and new standards myself!
I will be on the Azamara Quest sailing from Miami to Spain, leaving on
March 14th! This puts us into
Seville, right in town (not in Cadiz which is 90 minutes by bus, where the
larger ships need to dock) during Holy Week!
I may not get to post a blog within the next week or two,
sorry. I will have an in-depth blog to
post upon my return, along with a video with highlights of this journey to
share!
I will see first-hand the “Azamara Way”, and report back to
you with full details. Until then, happy
travels to all….