Refurbished Carnival Miracle Launches Summer Season

Refurbished Carnival Miracle Launches Summer Season

Carnival Cruise Line’s Miracle has commenced its summer 2025 sailing season in Europe after completing a scheduled dry dock in Cádiz, Spain.

The ship returned to service on May 11, embarking its first guests from Lisbon, Portugal.

Notable additions include the Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, now featured on 15 Carnival ships, which honours active-duty military personnel and veterans. A new Carnival Adventures store has been added, giving guests an updated space to plan and book shore excursions.

The ship also now features a dedicated Chef’s Table venue on Deck 1, offering a private space for Carnival’s signature multi-course dining experience. A new Dreams Studio was introduced, providing a refreshed setting for professional photo sessions. Several public areas were refreshed with updated designs, including the Cloud 9 Spa, Serenity adult-only retreat, Club O2, Java Blue Café, and the Lido Marketplace.

Additional upgrades include a redesigned mini-golf course and nightclub, both featuring new layouts and an expanded casino area. Youth and teen areas, such as Camp Ocean and Club O2, were also revamped with brighter interiors and new amenities.

Guests sailing on the seven-night itinerary from Lisbon aboard the Carnival Miracle will visit La Coruña and Bilbao, Spain, and Le Verdon (Bordeaux) and Le Havre (Paris), France, before arriving in Dover, England.

From Dover, the ship will operate a series of nine- and 12-day cruises to the British Isles, Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Later this summer, Carnival Miracle will reposition to Civitavecchia (Rome), offering Mediterranean sailings with ports in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey.

In November, the Miracle will return to the U.S. and begin homeporting from Tampa, Florida, offering six- to eight-day cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean.

 

oyal Caribbean: Mobile Devices Driving Onboard Spending

Royal Caribbean: Mobile Devices Driving Onboard Spending

Serenade of the Seas leaving the Port of Vancouver photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr Account.

More and more guests are prebooking onboard experiences and spending money on their mobile devices on Royal Caribbean Group ships, said Jason Liberty, president and CEO.

“The outsized increase in our onboard revenue over the past couple of years has been fueled by new capabilities introduced to make it easier for guests to pre book onboard experiences. We will continue to enhance those capabilities in 2024,” said Liberty.

Approximately 70 percent of guests book at least one activity pre-cruise, he said.

“About a third of onboard purchases are now coming through the mobile app and we already have about 40 percent more pre-cruise revenue booked in 2024 as compared to 2023,” he continued.

“As a reminder, customers who purchase onboard experiences before their cruise, spend about two and a half times more than those who do not buy pre-cruise.”

Carnival Luminosa to Spend 10 Days at Sea

Carnival Luminosa to Spend 10 Days at Sea

Carnival Cruise Line is changing the itinerary of Luminosa’s 30-day repositioning cruise to Australia.

After sailing from Seattle on Sep. 14, the cruise will no longer visit any port in Alaska.

Instead, it will head straight to Japan, spending a total of ten days at sea before arriving in the port of Otaru.

“In partnership with our Fleet Operations Center, we are monitoring a low-pressure system in the greater Alaska region which is forecasted to create unusually high swells and strong winds that will impact the first part of our itinerary,” the company said in a statement given to guests onboard.

“To maintain a safe distance from the storm, we must sail south of the low-pressure system. Therefore, it will not be possible to visit Alaska,” Carnival added.

The original itinerary of the repositioning cruise included visits to Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point, in addition to scenic cruising at the Hubbard Glacier.

“Everyone’s safety is our priority, and we really have no choice other than to change our itinerary. We know you were looking forward to visiting Alaska as part of this unique adventure and we share your disappointment,” the statement remarked.

“To make it up to you, we will be posting a $200, per stateroom, onboard credit to your Sail & Sign account to enjoy a little something on us,” Carnival added.

The company will also reimburse any pre-purchased shore excursions for the destinations that are no longer being visited.

Now sailing directly to Asia, the Carnival Luminosa is scheduled to arrive in Japan earlier than planned and visit an additional port in the country. To accommodate the extra port of call, however, Carnival also cancelled a visit to Kushiro.

Following the revised itinerary, the 2009-built ship is scheduled to arrive in Otaru on Sep. 25, before heading to Hakodate on Sep. 26.

The remainder of the cruise, which also includes visits to three other ports in Japan and additional visits to Indonesia and the Philippines, hasn’t changed.

Spending the 2023-2024 winter in Australia, the Carnival Luminosa is scheduled to arrive in Brisbane on Oct. 15.

Carnival Cruise Line Has Carried Two Million Guests Since Restart

Carnival Cruise Line Has Carried Two Million Guests Since Restart

As the first major U.S. cruise line with its full fleet back in guest service since the industry’s restart in 2021, Carnival Cruise Line has now reached the milestone of welcoming two million guests, according to a press release sent out on Thursday.

The milestone was commemorated today in Port Canaveral, Fla. aboard Carnival Freedom as the Gibbs family – Daniel and Kristi with son Mason and grandmother Theresa Campbell – from Ocala, Fla. boarded the ship. They were surprised with fanfare from Carnival Freedom’s Captain Mario Imbimbo, Hotel Director, Cruise Director and team members. 

In addition, during this time, guests have taken more than 1.3 million shore excursions in Carnival’s destination ports, and two million Carnival-branded items have been sold in the gift shops fleetwide, including 150,000 items from the line’s 50th Birthday collection.

“We are so pleased to have sailed two million guests since our restart, providing much-needed vacations featuring our signature fun to an array of destinations in the Caribbean, The Bahamas, the Mexican Riviera, Alaska and Europe,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “All the while, providing an economic boost to those destinations and providing our crew members with opportunities to support their families.”

Carnival will restart in its 14th homeport of New York City in June with Carnival Magic and has announced plans that Carnival Splendor will restart in Australia following its Alaska season with a three-day cruise departing Sydney on October 2, 2022.

And in November, Carnival’s newest ship, Carnival Celebration, featuring a roller coaster and powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), will debut in Miami.

Barbados Simplifies Cruise Protocols

The Port of Barbados sign with the Grandeur of the Seas and P&O Britannia in Port, Photo credit Spacejunkie2

The island of Barbados has announced new port entry protocols that are meant to simplify destination exploration in a safe and responsible way through tours and shore excursions beyond the cruise ship.

In keeping with updated guidelines put forth by Barbados’ Ministry of Health and Wellness, the following protocols have been established and shared, according to Barbados' official tourism marketing organization, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc:

Embarkation: The Barbados Ministry of Health and Wellness requires each cruise line to conduct health assessments of travellers prior to embarkation, which includes questions to identify symptoms that indicate a traveller’s health status.

Transit Calls and Shore Excursions: Guests with a standard or rapid PCR test was taken within 48 hours of arrival will be permitted to disembark and take free shore leave, explore independently and engage in shore excursions and tours. Guests arriving without a standard or rapid PCR test taken within 48 hours will be permitted to take “bubble excursions” or supervised shore excursions through authorized vendors, including:

• Tours approved for sale by tour operators as authorized by cruise lines.
• Tours approved for sale by independent tour operators and taxi operators as authorized by the government of Barbados following the appropriate health and security requirements.

Those wishing to engage in a tour must have a pre-booked tour confirmed by email from an approved tour operator for pick-up in the Bridgetown Port or take approved taxis dispatched from secure designated taxi facilities within the Bridgetown Port. Tours and excursions can be booked either on arrival at the port or directly with independent tour operators.

Transit calls refer to ports of call where passengers disembark to sightsee, then return to the ship, which then departs for its next destination.

Disembarkation (Island Stays): Guests disembarking and staying on-island for a post-cruise stay will be required to present a negative standard or rapid PCR test before unrestricted access to the destination is permitted. Post-cruise guests may be swabbed onboard their cruise ship or at the Bridgetown Port and may then proceed to their accommodations to await test results. If available, guests may proceed directly to their accommodations to be tested there and await the results.

Vaccination Status: Travellers will be considered fully vaccinated if they have completed a full regimen of vaccines for any of the Ministry of Health and Wellness approved COVID-19 vaccinations, at least 14 days prior to travel to Barbados. Approved vaccines are AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik V.

According to the press release, Barbados welcomes approximately 800,000 cruise visitors annually and welcomes more than 25 cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises.

Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc said that it was excited for the new, simplified process that will give travel advisors “yet another reason to recommend the island to their clients, providing yet another safe, unforgettable vacation destination that helps drive leads, bookings and revenue in the new year.”

Travel advisors are encouraged to brief clients on these protocols during the booking process.

Onboard Revenue Up for Royal Caribbean Group

Onboard revenue is considerably up across the Royal Caribbean Group ships back in service, with guests ready to spend.

“We are also seeing pent-up demand for our onboard revenue experiences,” said Jason Liberty, CFO and executive vice president, on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

“Guests are really enjoying our shore excursions, casinos, spas and restaurants after spending a year in isolation,” he said.

“We are also seeing an increased demand for our WiFi services as more and more consumers have the flexibility to take vacations and work remotely.”

Michael Bayley, president and CEO of the Royal Caribbean International brand, added he was incredible encourage by the spend onboard the ships that are back into operation.

“In fact, the numbers have been very impressive,” Bayley added.

Doing more onshore

The Palace at Versailles

For all the fuss river cruise lines make about their pretty ships (and don't get me wrong, most are a visual delight), the truth is that many of the most memorable river cruising moments don't take place on the water - they take place on land.

Yes, images of boats sell cruises. And yes, we all love to get a sneak peak of and visually approve of our sleek vacation accommodations before we journey out into the world. But in theory, those accommodations are just a means to an end, a literal vessel to bring us to the places we battle through long flights and jetlag to get to: the destination itself.

In recognizing that, river cruise lines are steadily highlighting and enhancing experiences that go beyond the hardware with ever more intriguing onshore programs. For instance, Crystal River Cruises has said that in addition to its onboard culinary program, its guests will have access to dining experiences at Michelin-starred restaurants. In fact, each 2017 Crystal river itinerary will feature at least one Michelin-starred dining opportunity, the first of which will be complimentary, the company has promised.

Tauck, a tour operator first and foremost, has repeatedly touted its emphasis on and investment in onshore experiences. The company recently announced that it would continue along that path by adding more and enhanced shore excursions for 2018.

Along those lines, Tauck has secured exclusive pre-opening visits to Versailles and after-hours tours of the Louvre (both of which have been piloted on select departures in 2017 and will be expanded for next year). In 2018, some river cruise passengers will also be invited to a private Tauck dinner inside the German Parliament building, and there will be an included lunch at Alain Ducasse's newest restaurant, Ore, in Versailles.

Hotel barge company European Waterways said that it has also noticed that passengers are asking for more immersive and experiential encounters ashore. In response, the company is adding excursions such as an exclusive tour of a castle garden in Scotland led by the head gardener, and the opportunity to try some fresh oysters after a private tour of an oyster farm. 

Castle at Loch Ness, Scotland

In recent years, European Waterways said that it has also worked to better curate its wine tastings excursions to passengers' tastes and to enhance the culinary experience by including more private cooking demonstrations with regional chefs.

You see, while it's definitely a close cousin of ocean cruising, river cruising is by nature of the restricted size of the vessels never going to be able to bank on the "ship as the destination" appeal that many blue-water behemoths benefit from. Thus, while the promise of a fetching ship and a comfortable mode of travel may lure many travelers to river cruising, it will ultimately be the "wow" moments onshore that are likely keep them hooked.

Princess offers shore excursion guarantee

Princess Cruises has adopted a best-price guarantee for its shore excursions.

The cruise line will refund 110% of the price of a shore excursion if a passenger finds an equivalent excursion at a lower price.

Refunds come in the form of an onboard spending credit. The guarantee only applies to excursions booked before sailing, and only to competing excursions that are advertised with prices attached.

To get the refund, passengers submit proof at least seven days prior to the sailing date to shoreexcursions@princesscruises.com for review by the shore excursion customer service team. Within two business days, guests will be notified if their request meets the guarantee criteria.

The program excludes excursions in Asia, Southeast Asia and Japan as well as private vehicle and driver excursions in ports worldwide.

In offering the guarantee, Princess joins Carnival Cruise Line, which has had such a program since 2014.

Many travel agents book shore excursions with independent providers who pay commission on the sale. Most cruise lines don't on excursions, with a few exceptions for groups.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Andy Stuart ~ Q & A

Norwegian president and COO Andy Stuart

Norwegian Cruise Line has worked hard to make value-added amenities rather than price discounting its go-to tool for making sales. The current Free at Sea promotion offers a pick among five items, including shore excursions, WiFi, unlimited beverages, specialty dining and third and fourth berths free. But Norwegian introduced Sail Away fares in March designed to eliminate those amenities with a reduction in fare after finding that the value of Free at Sea was hard to convey in some online searches. It disclosed the fares in a recent conference call with Wall Street analysts. Norwegian president and COO Andy Stuart spoke with senior editor Tom Stieghorst about Sail Away.

Q: What are Sail Away fares?

Andy Stuart

A: As a brand, we want our business to be very focused on value and away from price. The majority of what we sell comes with some value-added feature, either a beverage package or an internet package or onboard credit or free shore excursion or some other way. The Sail Away fares ... come without a value-add.

Q: Why were they created?

A: What we were seeing is there are environments where the fares look too expensive. If you just have a conversation, it's quite easy to explain. If you move into a more price-driven environment, it becomes more complicated. Most online sites were designed to show a particular cruise for seven nights or three nights or four nights. It tends to be cruise, the number of days it is and price.

In an online environment, it starts to get a little more complicated. There are two things going on. The higher prices move the cruise down in the search results. The second thing going on is even when we were well-positioned in search results, with the higher price the value-add doesn't come through.

Q: How long has Sail Away been available?

A: We started testing it in March and April on a relatively small number of cruises, and we were quite pleased with it. It's been widely available since the beginning of May.

Q: How much lower are the fares?

A: It's hard to generalize because of the varying length of cruises involved and different itineraries. In most cases, if a customer were choosing between the Sail Away fare and a fare that includes the value-added items, we would expect them to choose the value-add. The cost of a beverage package on its own can be $600, and I don't think any of the Sail Away fares are reduced by that much. 

Q: Are they available only to OTAs?

A: They're generally available. In the conference call we were talking about the OTAs because that's the environment where people are selling in an online world.

Q: Can Sail Away be purchased as soon as inventory becomes available?

A: Most of these are available close-in, but we're testing a lot of different things. But they're only available in four categories; you can't buy them on a suite. So it's a tiny percentage of our inventory. There's one inside, one outside, one balcony and one minisuite. It's less than 10% [of the inventory]. 

Q: Are Sail Away fares contrary to Norwegian's value-add strategy? If not, why not?

A: It's not contrary. The reason it isn't is that it applies to such a small percentage of our inventory. Secondly, the discount will never equal the value of the value-add. It's a tactic that we think will ultimately be used on a very small percentage of our business.

Cruise chief targets 'pirate' shore excursion operators

Cruise chief targets 'pirate' shore excursion operators

Photo courtesy of Dave Jones

by Hollie-Rae Merrick

Cruise lines need to educate agents about the value of selling shore excursions to stop “pirate third-party operators stealing guests”, the boss of the world’s largest cruise company has claimed.

Carnival Corporation chief executive Arnold Donald told the Clia conference in Southampton that there was scope to improve the promotion and sales of both onboard and destination-based experiences.

“There has only been one year since 2006 that onboard revenues didn’t go up,” he said. “Despite any changes in the industry, onboard revenues have continued to grow.

“Those changes include shore excursions where you have a lot of, what we call pirates, but they call themselves independent operators, stealing our guests on shore excursions that they ought to be booking with us.

“It’s a missed opportunity for us.”

Donald said that working with agents would help customers differentiate between shore tours provided through cruise lines and others.

“Some of those tours aren’t the same,” he added. “They may go to the same places but they aren’t the same.

“They may not have the same insurance, they may not have the same quality guides and consumers buying online doesn’t know all that. We have to do a better job at that.

“There are so many opportunities on this.”

Donald went on to praise the performance of the UK market which he described as “robust” and performing well.

He claimed the UK was on a “positive trajectory from a Carnival standpoint”, but admitted that the industry needed to “manage smarter and not panic on price”.

He said it was important to “hang in there a little bit longer on price” to help drive up the average cruise fare.

How to get onboard credit on your Royal Caribbean cruise

As you start to learn about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise and hop on message boards, social media and other avenues of talking about cruising, you may start to notice other guests talking about free money they are getting in the form of onboard credit.

The natural reaction to this is: what is onboard credit and how do I get onboard credit?

What is onboard credit?

Onboard credit is essentially free money that you can spend onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise.

When a guest receives onboard credit, their SeaPass account is credited with that amount of money to offset any onboard purchases, such as shore excursions, specialty restaurants, spa treatments, drink purchases and anything else you can charge to your SeaPass account.

Once onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, a guest's SeaPass account will receive a credit that corresponds to the onboard credit value they were promised.

A common misconception is you can take onboard credit and apply it towards a specific purchase.  Your onboard credit is applied against any and all onboard purchases you make in general. So there is no need to worry about ensuring you use it for one purchase or another.

You can only spend onboard credit once you are on your Royal Caribbean ship, so any purchases made in advance of your cruise cannot be applied towards your onboard credit.

How to get onboard credit

There are a lot of ways to get onboard credit, and not all means of getting onboard credit will always be available, but it is important to understand all the possibilities.

The simplest answer on how to get onboard credit is you have to be given onboard credit from someone else, either Royal Caribbean or another entity.  

Let us explore the possibilities.

Onboard credit from a Royal Caribbean booking promotion

The most common way guests receive onboard credit is to receive it from Royal Caribbean as part of a deal to book a cruise.

Royal Caribbean regularly offers onboard credit as an incentive to get guests to book a cruise.

These are typically periodic promotions, where the amount of onboard credit you receive is tied to the stateroom category you book, as well as the exact promotion offered. Some promotions will offer more onboard credit than others.

The amount of onboard credit will vary from promotion to promotion and it is important to read the deal's rules and conditions.  In a best case scenario, Royal Caribbean offered up to $400 onboard credit for Balcony & Suite guests in a recent Cyber Monday promotion.

This may not be the most lucrative source of onboard credit, but it is regularly the simplest way of getting some.

Onboard credit by booking another Royal Caribbean cruise while onboard

If you happen to be on a Royal Caribbean cruise and cannot wait to reserve space on another sailing, then take advantage of Royal Caribbean's onboard booking bonus.

Royal Caribbean incentives its guests to re-book another cruise while still onboard by offering them extra onboard credit on top of whatever promotion is currently running.

Guests can visit the Next Cruise office and get up to $500 in onboard credit to spend on their current sailing or defer it to an upcoming sailing.

The onboard credit you get at the Next Cruise office is free money, because Royal Caribbean is rewarding you for reserving another sailing and is one of the best, and most lucrative means of getting a lot  of onboard credit.

Onboard credit from a travel agent

We love using travel agents to book our Royal Caribbean cruises for the wonderful value they provide in terms of service, but travel agents are also a great source of onboard credit.

In general, many travel agents offer their own booking bonus for working with them.

The amount of onboard credit a travel agent can give you on top of whatever Royal Caribbean is offering will vary greatly, and depends on the agency size and the stateroom category you book.

Onboard credit is one way travel agents differentiate themselves from one another and take steps to earn business.

Onboard credit from the Royal Caribbean Visa card

Royal Caribbean has its own branded Visa credit card, which allows guests to earn points that can be redeemed for onboard credit on future cruises (as well as other rewards too).

Each purchase you make with the card earns you points, and as you save those points, you can redeem them for onboard credit.

As an example, the Royal Caribbean card will net a guest $100 in onboard credit for 10,000 points.

Onboard credit from a Royal Caribbean mistake

No one is perfect, certainly not Royal Caribbean, and while you probably will not like the mistake itself, the silver lining is often Royal Caribbean offers guests onboard credit as a means of making it up to them.

Incidents like poor service, billing inaccuracies and other frustrations are often handled with onboard credit (in addition to remedying the situation as best they can).

The exact amount of onboard credit will depend on the nature of the incident.

Onboard credit by referring friends

If you refer a first-time Royal Caribbean cruiser and they book a stateroom, Royal Caribbean will offer you onboard credit as a reward.  

You will receive $25 in onboard credit for each stateroom your friends reserve on your cruise booked. You may refer up to a maximum of 5 staterooms for any length of cruise.

The first-time guest must be sailing on the same ship and sail date as you, the Crown and Anchor member.

MSC extends 'status match' loyalty scheme to the UK

MSC Poesia photo bombing 

Consumers holding loyalty club memberships from cruise lines, hotel groups and tour operators will be able to join a new MSC Cruises club which will automatically match their existing level of benefits.

Membership of the MSC Voyagers Club guarantees a 5% discount on cruise prices, with tiered ‘Classic’, ‘Silver’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Black’ rewards levels offering different on-board privileges.

The Italian line’s loyalty scheme also offers members access to special ‘Voyagers Selection’ sailings with of up to 15%.

The tier level new members are assigned will match as closely as possible with the level of benefits they are receiving from their existing scheme, according to the line.

Members can then book direct or via a travel agent.

The ‘status match’ programme has already been introduced in countries such as the US, Italy, Germany and France and is being extended to the UK from October 26.

MSC Cruises executive director UK and Ireland, Giles Hawke, said: “The status match programme has already proved to be a great success in other countries so it is great news guests in the UK can now enjoy its benefits.

“The scheme is a great way of encouraging those who have not tried MSC Cruises to join us and understand what our Mediterranean way of life is all about while retaining all the perks and privileges they are used to.

“We are sure the initiative will help our trade partners by encouraging customers to try something new.

“Selling MSC Cruises is great for agents, who benefit from best-in-class commissions, including pre-purchased extras such as shore excursions and.”

Royal Caribbean unveils info site for shore excursions

Screen Dump of Royals new Shore Excursion site. Credit Dave Jones

Royal Caribbean International said it has created a website for travel agents to provide more information about its shore excursions.

The new site has tour clips, photography and other tools to help agents plan clients’ shore excursions. There is also information about commissions paid on group bookings.

Royal Caribbean pays 10% on groups booked by an agent on standard and custom excursions, and a 5% referral fee when group clients pre-book individual shore excursions. Royal Caribbean, like most lines, does not pay commission on individual bookings of shore excursions.

The new website follows a recent expansion of Royal Caribbean's shore excursion program.

Royal Caribbean discounts shore excursions in promotion

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Royal Caribbean International said shore excursions booked this weekend will be discounted by up to $150, in celebration of a new initiative.

The line has reorganized its 2,800 shore excursions into seven themed groupings: Active Adventures, Family Connections, Royal Tour Challenge, Culture and Sights, Culinary Delights, Caring Discoveries, and the Royal Premium Tour Collection.

Royal Caribbean said that excursion bookings from Aug. 14 through Aug. 16 for sailings departing after Sept. 13 will be entitled to an onboard credit for shore excursions of $75 per stateroom for interior and oceanview cabins and $150 per stateroom for balconies and suites. The offer applies to cruises of five nights or longer.

The offer excludes China departures and Ovation of the Seas sailings departing Dec. 15, 2016, to Jan. 23, 2017. 

Norwegian adds cruise tours in South America

Norwegian Cruise Line said it has developed three cruise tours for guests booking its South America itineraries on Norwegian Sun.

One of the cruise tours includes three days pre- or post-cruise in Buenos Aires and includes a tango lesson from professional dancers. A second adds a two-day eco-tour in the region of Iguazu Falls, as well as a visit to a working ranch.

The third tour includes a three-day adventure on Easter Island and two days in Santiago, Chile.

Norwegian Sun will cruise through South America from November 21, 2015, through April 9, 2016, sailing alternating eastbound and westbound 14-day voyages between Santiago and Buenos Aires. 

The ‘horrible mess’ of shore excursions

By Tom Stieghorst

Cruise lines are starting to see declines from one of their most important revenue streams, shore excursions. That was one of the admissions made by newly named Royal Caribbean International President Michael Bayley at a forum for agents onboard the Freedom of the Seas.

Bayley gasped in mock horror after asking the group of about 250 agents whether they sold Royal Caribbean’s branded shore excursions or somebody else’s. In unison, they chanted “Somebody else’s.” When he asked for a show of hands, well over half the group responded.

“You know, we do have to change the system,” Bayley said in a half-joking, half-serious tone. “It’s a horrible mess.

“We must spend more time talking about this than I don’t know what else,” Bayley added. “We’re always trying to find the right solution.”

Elliott Finkleman, owner of an Expedia CruiseShipCenter outlet near Ottawa, said both Royal Caribbean and travel agents could make more money if Royal paid a commission on excursion sales.

“You’re losing out because it forces me to sell alternate product,” Finkelman said. “I don’t want to spend a lot of time on shore excursions, going port by port, and get nothing back from that.”

Vicki Freed, Royal’s senior vice president of sales, trade support and service, said that the line does pay commission on group shore excursions and that guests with excursion tickets sold through Royal get first priority in getting off the ship at port.

And Bayley reminded agents that there are some risks with third-party providers.

“If they’re selling at lower prices, they’re paying these commissions, chances are they do not have the same liability coverage and they have not gone through the process of safety for the guest that we go through,” he said.

Bayley said excursions have always been an important part of the cruise revenue pie.

“We all have revenue streams and we all try to protect them,” he said. “We have seen an erosion over the past couple of years, and it’s pretty obvious where that erosion is coming from, after our show of hands.”

Spending in U.S. cruise sector tops $20 billion

By Tom Stieghorst

For the first time, the money spent in the U.S. cruise sector exceeded $20 billion last year, according to a CLIA study of the cruise industry’s economic impact.

That includes direct spending by passengers, crew and the cruise lines on items such as provisions, excursions, meals on shore and pre-and post-cruise hotel stays.
The $20.1 billion in direct spending mushrooms to a $44 billion economic impact when the effects of indirect spending and tertiary-level multipliers are factored in, the study says. In a separate study done for CLIA for the first time, researchers estimated the global cruise industry’s economic impact at $117 billion.

CLIA has commissioned an annual study of the cruise industry’s economic impact for at least a decade. This year’s 106-page report has in-depth data on spending, as well as state-by-state breakdowns for each economic category. As in the past, 10 states account for 80% of the economic activity in the cruise business, with Florida, California and Texas leading the way.

The number of passengers who traveled globally last year on North America-based lines rose 3.9%, to 17.6 million, CLIA said. The industry’s fleet, net of retirements, increased by 1 ship to 178 ships with a combined capacity of 338,505 lower berths,

An estimated 10.7 million U.S. residents took cruise vacations throughout the world, accounting for 61% of global passengers. Departures from U.S. ports totaled 9.96 million, a 1.3% decline, as more ships in the U.S. fleet operated outside U.S. waters, particularly in Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands.

Another significant finding in this year’s report is that employment generated by North American cruise lines has exceeded the level it reached before the 2008-09 economic downturn.

Jobs in the U.S. attributed to CLIA member lines (excluding river cruise lines) reached 363,393 last year, compared to 357,710 in 2008. The total plunged to 313,998 in 2009 and had only recovered to 356,393 by 2012.

When it comes to jobs directly held by cruise line employees, that total reached 147,898 last year, the study said. Cruise line employment peaked in 2007 at 158,376.

Crystal to debut excursions for late-risers

Crystal Cruises has developed an excursion product aimed especially at guests who like to sleep in.

While shore excursions typically launch 30 minutes to an hour after docking or tendering operations begin, these excursions will start at 11 a.m. or noon, depending on the itinerary. They are designed to dovetail with a late-riser's breakfast served from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on both Crystal ships.

"The 'Late-Risers Adventures' allow guests who prefer more sleep in the morning, are perhaps still adjusting to a time change, or simply like to enjoy a long, leisurely breakfast, to keep their preferred schedule ," said Crystal President Edie Rodriguez.

The new, later excursions will be offered beginning with Crystal Serenity's Sept. 19 Boston-Quebec sailing, and on Crystal Symphony's Sept. 27 Hamburg-Lisbon sailing. 

Norwegian's new amenities package draws agent interest

By Tom Stieghorst

Going all in

Norwegian Cruise Line has created an all-inclusive package of cruise amenities. Here’s how a passenger could come out, using one set of assumptions about what it might cost to buy all the items in the package a la carte during a seven-night cruise. 

A la carte:

Beverage: $448 (eight drinks per day at average cost of $8 each)
Dining: $140 (seven specialty restaurant meals averaging $20 per person)
Prepaid gratuities: $84 ($12 a day)
Shore excursions: $320 (four excursions at $80 per person)
Internet: $100 (250-minute package)
Photos: $274 (15 small photos at $12 each; five 8-by-10 photos at $20 each)
Bingo: $39
Wine: $29
Water: $21.95 (six large bottles)
Chocolate-covered strawberries: $12

• A la carte total = $1,467.95
• Package $899 + $120 (shore excursion in excess of $200) = $1,019
• Savings = $448.95 

Andy Stuart, Norwegian Cruise Line’s executive vice president of global sales, said some 3,000 agents joined a webinar about its new all-in-one amenities package, about a third more than the typical audience for a Norwegian webinar.

Called the All-Inclusive, the new product is a package of packages, bundling Norwegian’s Ultimate Dining and Ultimate Beverage packages with Internet minutes, plus a bevy of other items not included in the cruise fare.

“We got a ton of positive feedback,” Stuart said.

The All-Inclusive package is offered on cruises of three to 14 days in 2015. For a seven-day cruise, it is priced at $899 per person, with higher or lower prices for shorter or longer cruise lengths.

Norwegian will pay commission on the package at the same rate as the cruise fare, with the exception of the gratuities that are included in the package.

“There’s absolutely no way to make a big promotion and offer a package that for a seven-night cruise is $899 and ask the travel agents to support it without paying commission,” said Stuart.

Norwegian ran numerous examples to test the idea that selling the package could double an agent’s commission and feels that is a valid claim, he added.

Vicky Garcia, COO of Cruise Planners in Coral Springs, Fla., called the package an “extraordinary” value and said it would help agents get customers focused on 2015.

“Also, this all-inclusive offer is combinable with other sales or promotions that are currently in the market,” Garcia said.

Norwegian said the package represents more than $2,400 of value per stateroom. Although the exact value will vary according to an individual’s choices, Travel Weekly found a seven-night guest paying a la carte could spend about $1,350 for what’s in the package (see breakdown, above left).

Inclusive packages are also valued because they create certainty about costs.

“A lot of people like to be done with it before the cruise starts,” Stuart said. “They like to have that element done, and they get on their vacation, and they’re not thinking about … should I do this or should I not do that because there’s a cost attached to it.”

Beyond the dining, beverage and Internet packages, the All-Inclusive package includes a $200-per-person credit toward shore excursions, prepaid gratuities, 20 photos of any size, three bingo cards, a bottle of wine, chocolate-covered strawberries and six large bottles of water.
For cruises from three to five days, the shore excursion credit is $100 per person; and for sailings from nine to 14 days, the package includes 12 bottles of water.

“We felt very comfortable presenting this as an all-inclusive package,” Stuart said, adding that it will help Norwegian compete with all-inclusive resorts as well as with other cruise lines.

On select cruises, buying the All-Inclusive package also qualifies a guest for a 10% discount on the cruise fare.

At least initially, All-Inclusive will be available only from Aug. 4 through 29 on all 2015 cruises except those on the Pride of America. Stuart said there will be discussion later of how long to continue the package.

“It’s the first time the industry has ever done this, so we want to get a sense of whether it resonates with travel agents,” he said.

Stuart said Norwegian has seen a growing interest in inclusivity among its guests, and did research about what elements to include in the package. It found the most valued benefit was prepaid service charges, followed by the Ultimate Dining package and then the Ultimate Beverage package.

One unexpected result of the research was that first-time cruisers expressed as much or more interest as past cruisers in buying the package.

“That took us by surprise, I must say,” Stuart said. “But it encouraged us, because it really showed there was a broad audience for this promotion.”