Fit traveler Dena Rochwerger-Braun looks at how the cruise industry is working to keep up with modern tastes. With art studios, water parks, university lecturers and creative excursions, can you still find value with these new cruise experiences?
Revamping cruising began with the basics: the ships themselves. When cruising grew to prominence in the 1980s ships offered laughably small cabins, one main dining room and accommodated hundreds of passengers. Now ships have become floating cities, home to thousands. Cruise lines continue to change their ship design and on board options. For example, this summer, Celebrity Cruise line launched Celebrity Silhouette, which had seven specialty restaurants, a reinvented lawn club and an interactive art studio.
Celebrity Cruises’ Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations Lisa Lutoff-Perlo notes that the company aims to, “take what’s modern and cutting-edge and deliver experiences that help guests make the most of their precious vacation time.”
Royal Caribbean, who was the first to bring rock climbing, ice skating, surfing and zip lining on board, understands the importance of capital invetsment. Adam Goldstein, President/CEO of Royal Caribbean International notes, “we’ve devoted billions of dollars of capital investment to the development of ships with endless options. The evolution of our brand has been about building experiences.”
“All the cruise lines are doing a lot with the pool areas,” said Jo Kling of Landry and Kling travel agency. “They’ve become experiential with the whop-de-doo you usually see at a water park.” Cruise lines that cater to families have also added to their entertainment options with innovative licensing agreements (DreamWorks/Royal Caribbean; Nickelodeon/NCL) Broadway style shows and outdoor experiences.
