Because of the strength of the euro and other foreign currencies, Americans are getting bumped from their chaise-lounge thrones. Germans, French, English, Australians, Japanese and other international travelers are coming aboard, and not just in their backyard waters.
Foreign cruisers are flying across oceans to sail in Alaska or the Caribbean, markets once dominated by Americans. Indeed, the Russians are climbing to the top deck.
The industry is also addressing a more universal shift in travel tastes: the active vacation for body and/or mind. One of the most recent innovations is to combine shipboard activities with shore excursions.
For example, Regent Seven Seas offers an "enrichment program" for passengers to take onboard classes in such subjects as photography, fashion and history, then apply their lessons or skills to topical land excursions.
Cruise ships continue to cater to special interests, adding theme cruises to their schedules.
"People want to get more out of a cruise than resting and relaxing," Spencer Brown says. "They want to go to a lecture or learn a hobby." On Crystal Serenity's 12-day May voyage from London to Rome, for example, a chef and sommelier will hold onboard classes, and one-third of the 57 shore outings will be culinary-related. For those with even more specialized passions, how about a knitting or naked cruise, or sailing with the Motley Crue crew?
The demand to see penguins and blue-footed boobies is hardly waning. Eco-cruises are still going strong, with Antarctica still the rage. Just remember the refrain of 2008: Book early.
Major lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
1-888-227-6482
Celebrity Cruises
1-800-647-2251
Costa Cruise Lines
1-877-882-6782
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEWS
Philly.com Promotions
