Economics and small ship cruising

Last month it was announced that Princess Cruises was selling Ocean Princess to Oceania Cruises. Ocean Princess is a small ship by today's standards, coming in at just over 32,000 gross tons.

Originally, this ship was the R4 of Renaissance Cruises. She was one of eight nearly identical ships. When Renaissance went out of business, the eight ships were scattered and ended up in the fleets of Azamara, Oceania, Princess and P&O Cruises. Interestingly, although the eight ships have different they are still nearly identical.

Azamara and Oceania sell cruises on their ships as luxury crusing. Princess and P&O Cruises characterize their ships as offering the same main stream cruise experience as the rest of the ships in their fleet.

The sale of Ocean Princess is not surprising. It is difficult for a main stream cruise line to offer a small ship experience. The cost per passenger of running a small ship is greater than the cost per passenger of running a large ship because of the economies of scale. It thus follows that if you are charging the same or similar fares as you do for a large ship, you are not going to make as much money. (Bear in mind that the cruise lines are businesses with fiduciary responsibilities to their investors).

A luxury cruise line is able to charge more per ticket. Thus, the additional cost of providing a small ship experience is not as significant an issue.

People often ask me why isn't anyone building small cruise ships anymore? In fact, there are small cruise ships being built. To illustrate, Regent Seven Seas has one on order now and Viking Cruises is building a series of ocean going small cruise ships. Seabourn and other luxury brands have also added new small ships to their fleets in recent years.

The question then becomes why aren't the major cruise lines building any small cruise ships? The answer lies in the same econimcs discussed above. Looked at on a per passenger basis, small ships cost more to build and more to operate because they lack economies of scale. Thus, if you can only charge the same price for a cruise on a small ship as you can for a cruise on a large ship, it does not make sense to invest in building a small ship.

This week on Beyondships, we return to Princess Cays, Princess Cruises' private resort in the Bahamas. Our section on Princess Cays has been re-done http://beyondships.com/Princess-PrincessCays.html and a new video of Princess Cays has been added. http://www.beyondships3.com/princess-cays-6.html

Observations on Princess Cruises

Because I cruise so often, people often ask me which is the best cruise line. I always answer that it depends upon your lifestyle and tastes. Each of the major cruise lines sets out to present a different cruise experience. At the extremes, some seek to present a lively party atmosphere while others seek to present a refined cultural experience. If you want a party experience, you are not going to be happy on a culturally-orientated ship no matter how well the cruise line presents its concerts and lectures.

With that caveat, I thought I would do a series of postings offering some general observations about the various cruise lines. Hopefully, this will give you some indication of whether a particular cruise line is for you.

Recently, I have been cruising on a number of the Princess Cruises ships. Therefore, I thought I would start this series with Princess Cruises.

In the U.K. a few years ago, Princess ran an advertising campaign that characterized the line as “American luxury.” I think that was a good description. To me, the Princess cruise experience is one of relaxed sophistication. It is upmarket but not stuffy.

Based on my observations rather than on any scientific study, people who travel on Princess tend to be educated and what used to be called upper middle class. Their tastes are correspondingly sophisiticated but they also like to relax in the sun by the pools or in the adults-only Sanctuary area. Hairy legs competitions and throw the cruise director in the pool are not for this crowd.

While Americans and Canadians dominate, there is usually a good mix of nationalities with the U.K. well-represented.

The passengers range in age from young families to retired people. Of course, the mix of ages depends upon the time of year (less children when school is in session) and the itinerary (some routes attract a more mature crowd). As is true throughout the industry, the average age goes up along with the length of the voyage.

I often meet experienced cruisers on Princess ships. The line has a very strong loyalty program and a devoted following. But, I find that experienced cruisers who travel on Princess also seem to like Celebrity Cruises.

Inside, the public spaces of the Princess ships are eye-catching but at the same time they avoid being glitzy or garish. The interiors of the two latest Princess ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess, are spectacular. Over several ships, Princess' interior designer Teresa Anderson developed an elegant signature style for Princess. Beacuse the line's new ships are so much bigger than the other ships in the Princess fleet, the designers were able to combine space with the traditional Princess style making for a grand result.

I have always found the food on the Princess ships to be to my taste. This is particularly true of the line's Italian offerings. Early on, Princess merged with the Italian cruise line Sitmar and that Italian heritage is still reflected in the culinary operations on the Princess ships. The Alfredo's Pizzerias serve the best gourmet pizza at sea - - and it is complimentary.

An important part of Beyondships is our interviews with the people who operate the various cruise ships. I have been impressed with the captains, hotel managers, maitre d's and cruise directors who I have interviewed at Princess. The people that I have met have been intelligent and able to see the big picture. I believe that this benefits the passengers through increased innovation and efficiency.

They also seem able to motivate the crews to provide good service. Princess calls itself the consumate host and my experience has been that the crew understand that they should act like the passengers are guests, not just customers. Of course, in any business you have some people who just don't get it but overall the morale and therefore the service level is quite high on Princess.

Overall, Princess is a very strong cruise line.

This week on Beyondships, we have an update on Royal Princess. We have a new photo http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-photo-feature.html and video feature showing the ship in various ports. http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-video.html There is an interview with Hotel General Manager Martin Bristow. http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-hotel-manager-ii.html We also review the Crab Shack dining event http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-crab-shack.html and the Gelatto ice cream parlor. http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-gelato.html

The naming of Regal Princess and Costa Diadema

It has been a good week for the cruise industry.

On Wednesday, Princess Cruises officially named its new ship Regal Princess. The ship has been in service in Europe for a couple of months now but Princess held off on the official naming ceremony until she came to the United States to begin her season in the Caribbean. The line wanted to use the event to kick off the celebration of its 50^th anniversary in business.

For this event, Princess assembled the cast of the original Love Boat television series to act as the god parents of Regal Princess. That show is credited with kindling the general public's appetite for cruising. Princess Cruises had the foresight to let the television producers use its ships and its name in the series. (In the show, the ship was always called the Pacific Princess but both the original Pacific Princess and the original Island Princess were used in the filming). Thus, Princess has the right to bask in the glory and popularity of the series.

The ship itself is the sister to RoyalPrincess, which entered service last year. She is a big ship at 141,000 gross tons and along with her sister, the biggest cruise ships in the Carnival Corporation fleet. (Cunard's Queen Mary 2 is bigger but she is an ocean liner, not a cruise ship). More of an evolution than a revolution, the Royal Princess class ships give the line more space to present the cruise experience that it has developed so well on its smaller ships.

On Friday, Costa Cruises officially named its new ship, the Costa Diadema in Genoa, Italy. The line's headquarters are in Genoa and it celebrated with fire works and a light show.

For some time now, Costa and Carnival Cruise Lines have been using the same designs and the same shipyards for their ships. This ship is based on the same design as Carnival's popular Dream-class ships and like the Carnival ships, Diadema was built in Italy by Fincantierri. At 132,000 gross tons she is just a touch bigger than her Carnival sisters.

Interestingly, the interior of Diadema was designed by Joe Farcus who for many years designed the fantasy-land interiors of the Carnival ships. Carnival switched to a German firm for the more contemporary designs of Carnival Breeze and Carnival Sunshine. Thus, you now have a situation where the interiors of ships that are primarily intended for the European market are designed by an American and ships that primarily serve the American market are designed by Europeans. It has truly become an international industry.

I was glad to learn that Costa had this celebration for Costa Diadema. Costa is a venerable name in the cruise industry. Its reputation, of course, was injured by the Costa Concordia tragedy even though, from all that I have read, the accident appears to have been due to human error. Hopefully, the celebration this week also marks a new beginning for Costa.

Meanwhile, the widely-anticipated Quantum of the Seas embarked on her maiden transatlantic crossing from Southampton to the port of New York/New Jersey.

Thus, this week saw important milestones in the lives of three new cruise ships.

On Beyondships this week, we have a new section on the mansions that are the most popular attraction in cruise destination Newport Rhode Island. http://www.beyondships3.com/cruise-destination-newport-attractions---mansions.html This includes an in-depth review of a shoe excursion to Rough Point, the mansion of heiress Doris Duke. http://www.beyondships3.com/newport---rough-point.html In addition, we have a new photo and video feature on Holland America Line's Eurodam. http://www.beyondships2.com/eurodam-boston-photos.html

Photos: Love Boat cast - courtesy of Princess Cruises; Costa Diadema - - courtesy of Costa Cruises.

Royal Princess profile and photo tour,

This week the focus is on Princess Cruises' latest ship, Royal Princess.

Royal Princess is a significant ship. Not only is she the first new ship brought into service by Princess Cruises since 2008 but she is the first new design implemented by Carnival Corporation in several years.

During this interim, competitors Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines have brought out ships that are a radical departure from the past - - Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Breakaway. Not only were these ships big but they offer a new model of cruising. One in which the guest has quality choices not just about dining but also about entertainment. How would Princess and its parent Carnival Corporation respond.

Royal Princess is a much bigger ship than the rest of the Princess fleet. Indeed, she is the biggest ship in the 100-plus ship Carnival Corporation fleet leaving aside Cunard's Queen Mary 2. At the time of her entry into service, Royal Princess was the ninth largest cruise ship in the world. Thus, she is competitive in size with the new ships launched by Princess' competitors.

She also offers guests more dining options and more entertainment options. However, Princess has been very successful with its existing formula. Therefore, Princess was careful to preserve the feel and style of its existing fleet. It has enhanced rather than abandoned its formula.

Technology underlies many of these enhancements. But an equally important ingredient was space. Princess has used the additional space provided by the great size of the ship to produce visually impressive rooms such as the Piazza but also to ensure that guests do not feel crowded. Passengers frequently have the impression that the ship is not full, even though all of the staterooms are usually occupied.

Beyondships's profile of Royal Princess, with menus, daily programs, information and photos of the ship is at http://beyondships.com/Princess-RP-Profile.html

The multi-page photo tour of the interior and the public spaces of the ship begins at http://beyondships.com/Princess-RP-Tour-1.html

Next, week we will be adding more to our Royal Princess' section including interviews with the captain and the hotel director.

Cruise ship Ventura photos and update

This week the focus is on P&O Cruises' Ventura as we update Beyondships' section on Ventura with new pages devoted to menus and daily programs. In addition, there are two new photo essays: one showing Ventura sailing from St. Kitts and one showing her with Emerald Princess.

Ventura is very much targeted to the UK market. Thus, the cruise experience is tailored toward British tastes. It is not British in the way that foreigners think of Britain but rather a lifestyle that people in modern day Britain enjoy.

Within that framework, Ventura is somewhat less traditional compared to her sister ship, P&O's Azura. She is somewhat more relaxed and more activity minded but still more formal than most North American-oriented lines.

Outwardly, Ventura looks very much like the Grand class ships operated by Princess Cruises. This surprised many passengers on a cruise that I was on recently when Emerald Princess docked along side of Ventura. Here, we were next to a ship that looked identical to our Princess ship but which was not a Princess ship. Many speculated - - incorectly - - that Ventura must have at one time been a Princess ship.

Ventura was in fact the fulfillment of P&O's long held ambition to operate a Grand class ship for the British market. Prior to its merger into Carnival Corporation, P&O owned Princess Cruises. The Grand class design was developed in those days. For business reasons, P&O allocated all of its Grand class ships to its highly successful Princess subsidiary. At one point, it ordered a Grand class ship for itself but then upon further consideration decided to allocate that ship to Princess as well. In 2008, with the financial resources of Carnival behind it, P&O's ambition was fulfilled with the entry of Ventura into service - - the largest Grand class ship yet built (by a thousand or so gross tons),

Our photo essay of Ventura together with Emerald Princess in St. Kitts shows just how similar the two ships are on the outside. http://www.beyondships2.com/ventura-emerald-princess.html

Later that day, just as the sun was setting, Ventura sailed from St. Kitts. This was a beautiful sail away as the sky was a mixture of blue sky and heavy tropical clouds. There were rainbows and the light gave the ship a golden tint. Our photo essay (including a video) is at http://www.beyondships2.com/ventura-sails-from-st-kitts.html

As mentioned above, we also have a new dedicated menus page http://www.beyondships2.com/ventura-menus.html and a new daily programs (programmes) page. http://www.beyondships2.com/ventura-daily-programs.html These should be helpful if you are thinking of a cruise on Ventura or if you just want to see what is happening on Ventura.

Aboard Caribbean Princess in Hurricane Sandy

I hadn't intended to write about this but so many people have asked me about what it was like to be on a cruise ship during Hurricane Sandy, I thought I would put aside what I had planned on writing about this week and instead put together a cruise review of my voyage on Caribbean Princess.

The cruise was scheduled to be a short four day cruise including a day in Bermuda. Having sailed on Caribbean Princess several times before, I knew that she provided a good cruise experience. Bermuda is one of my favorite cruise destinations. Friends were going on the cruise so it looked quite attractive.

I must admit that I experienced some trepidation as reports of a hurricane coming up the Atlantic coast dominated the media in the days before the ship was scheduled to embark from New York. I have been in a hurricane on a passenger ship and it is not the most comfortable place to be. Still, I had faith that Princess would somehow keep us safe and relatively comfortable.

My faith turned out to be justified. Princess did keep us safe. We didn't get to Bermuda but they managed to provide a good onboard experience in rather trying circumstances.

There was some tension aboard. People were worried about friends, families and property at home. Also, with the closure of the Port of New York, there was uncertainty about when and where this cruise would end. Some passengers chose to take their anger out on Princess - - the closest authority figure. I overheard one passenger who, although he said he was not a lawyer, was orating about various legal strategies passengers could pursue. Having practiced law for 20 years, I saw no merit to what he was saying. But he was probably just venting frustration.

When I returned to New York, I found out just how lucky I had been to have been on Caribbean Princess. There was no electricity and no heat for a week after the storm and in the icy cold, I longed to be back on the warm ship. I sustained some property damage but it was nothing compared to the damage and injury that occurred elsewhere in the vicinity. Thus, I felt very thankful that I had been away.

My account of my experiences is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-princess-shelter-from-the-storm.html.

On a lighter note, I have also included dining reviews of the afternoon tea http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-princess-aternoon-tea.html and the pub lunch on Caribbean Princess. http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-princess-pub-lunch.html These are additional dining events designed to enhance the onbaord experience.

I have also added new menus http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-princess-menus.html and daily programs http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-princess-daily-programs.html to Beyondship's existing profile of Caribbean Princess.

Looking at Princess Cays and Great Stirrup Cay

            This week, we take a new look at two cruise line private islands - - Princess Cays and Great Stirrup Cay.   Private islands are ports of call that are owned and operated by a cruise line and only that cruise line’s ships (and those of affiliated companies) can call there.  Essentially, they are beach resorts where passengers can relax in the sun or participate in the water sports and activities available on the island.  Both Princess Cays and Great Stirrup Cay are located in the Bahamas.  

            Princess Cays is Princess Cruises’ private island although ships from some of Princess’ affiliates such as Cunard also occasionally call there.

            Ships calling at Princess Cays anchor offshore and usually use their lifeboats to ferry guests to the island.  You arrive at a dedicated marina that serves also to divide the resort complex in two.  There are more facilities north of the marina but the south side is rather pretty with its palms and carpet of sand.

            The island itself is long and narrow.   All of the beaches are on the western side of the island and all of the facilities face the beaches.  On the other side of the island is Paradise Lagoon, which has been left in its natural state.

            The complex reflects its owner’s style.  It is sophisticated but at the same time relaxed.  Princess Cays is big enough to accommodate everyone but not so big as to be overwhelming.

            Princess Cays continues to quietly evolve.  In the last few years, they have added a Sanctuary area.  As on the Princess ships, this area is adults-only and designed for pampering.  Also, the southern beach area has grown since the last time I was there.

            Beyondships new and expanded photo tour of Princess Cays begins at http://beyondships.com/Princess-PrincessCays.html      

            Like seemingly everything else at Norwegian Cruise Line, Great Stirrup Cay (GSC) is on the move.  The island is being transformed by a $25 million improvement project that began in 2010.

            It used to be that GSC was a quaint beachcomber-type of experience.  You were tendered ashore on former landing craft which would run up onto the beach, drop their front gate and you walked out onto the island’s one and only beach.  While this meant that you were close to the beach from the moment you landed, it also meant that part of the beach was the exclusive province of the tenders and off limits for recreational purposes.  In addition, the few buildings on the island - - bars and dining facilities - - were rather flimsy looking wooden structures that were not very impressive.

            Still, it made for a fun day at the beach.  The lack of sophistication helped to underscore that you were hundreds of miles from civilization with its work days and petty annoyances.

            While still an escape from the everyday, GSC is an altogether different experience today.  It is truly a private beach resort.  The tenders now arrive in their own marina.  You enter through a gate into the resort complex.  On the way to the beaches, you pass a new Bahamian market.  On the hill, there are the new dining facilities consisting of the kitchen/serving building and covered dining pavilions.  Like the rest of the new buildings at GSC, these are substantial concrete structures.

            The main beach is now dedicated to recreation, which means much more room.   In addition, there is now a second beach that rises up from the water to a ridge where luxury cabanas are under construction.

            Norwegian has also spread tons of sand throughout the complex.  In the old days, it was mostly rock away from the beach.  Now there is seemingly sand everywhere, which with the giant palm trees makes for a much more picturesque scene.

            But there is more to come.  Norwegian is busy building more facilities on the other side of the island.  These are to include an aqua park and a sting ray experience.

            Beyondships’ photo tour of Great Stirrup Cay is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCL-GreatStirrupCay.html    

Talking with the Captain, Hotel Director, Cruise Director and Maitre d' of Island Princess

It takes more than great hardware to make a great cruise.  You can have the finest ship in the world but if the officers and crew aren’t good, it is going to be at best a mediocre cruise.  So too, if you have a really good team running the ship, it can be the difference between a good cruise and a great cruise.

            There was a very good team in charge when I was on Island Princess recently.  I liked the ship and its layout quite a bit.  However, the quality of service, the programming and the dining made it a cruise to remember.  All of these are hallmarks of a good management team.

            At the top was Captain Nicolo Bommarco.  Born by the sea in Venice, Italy, Captain Bommarco has been sailing passenger ships since 1984.  He has served on nearly every ship in the Princess fleet.

            Hotel General Manager Emilio Mazzi, first went to sea in 1968.  He is a true gentleman and reminded me of the managers of the grand hotels that we used to stay in when I was a teen.  Mazzi is relaxed and friendly but he knows how to make guests comfortable like those old school experts did.

            Another cruise industry veteran is Cruise Director Rick Joseph.  His first job at sea was at age 15 on Carnival Cruise Line’s first ship the Mardi Gras.  He went on to Holland America and then to become the youngest cruise director in the industry for Chandris.  Subsequently, he was closely involved in bringing out all eight of the R class ships for Renaissance.  Thus, he brought a great deal of experience with him when he joined Princess in 2002.  Moreover, with this background, his onboard lecture about ocean liners and cruise ships is not to be missed.

            I met with these three leaders and asked them to talk about Island Princess.  My goal was to have the people who actually run the ship tell about the ship and the cruise experience that they provide onboard.  The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/island-princess-interview.html

            But what about the dining on board Island Princess?  For this I turned to Maitre d’Hotel Ignazio D’Agostino.  Ignazio is seemingly everywhere - - the main dining rooms, the specialty restaurants, the galley etc.  As he said to me: “This job you can’t do it just because you have to do it, you have to love it.   You have to love it in the sense to be accommodating, be smiling, be friendly to the customer.”

            This was most evident at the Chef’s Table event.  Together with Executive Chef Klaus Baumgarten, Ignazio hosted a small group of guests in an evening that began with a visit to the ship’s main galley when it was in full operation.  This was followed by a multi-course dinner that was literally a feast.  The evening was enhanced by the commentaries by the Maitre d and the Chef about cooking and restaurant operations.  All the time, Ignazio was ensuring that the service was beyond perfect.     

            I asked Ignazio to give us some insights into the various dining venues on Island Princess.  They are incorporated into the dining guise that is posted at  http://www.beyondships2.com/island-princess-dining-guide.html

                         

Crown Princess Profile and Photo Tour; Breakfast at Sabatini's

             I have long felt an affinity for Crown Princess.  I first experienced her shortly after she entered service in 2006 and was impressed by the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the ship.   The Piazza, the center point of the ship both structurally and spiritually, was a visual feast with its use of marble and European-inspired detailing.  While this ship was clearly for the more demanding traveler, it was relaxed at the same time.  And the food, particularly the Italian dishes, was impressive.

            Since then I have been back for visits and have encountered her in various ports - - New York, St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, St. Martin, Fort Lauderdale, Southampton to name a few.  She has always been surprisingly photogenic.  Perhaps the best shots were of her in Barbados as the orange light of the setting sun engulfed her.

            Accordingly, I was excited to be able to spend a week on her recently, cruising the Western Caribbean.  I had spent the previous week cruising on the recently refurbished Grand Princess.  Although Grand’s refurbishment had given her many of the features first seen on Crown Princess, the two ships still present different cruising experiences.  Although she is a large ship, I found Grand to have a more intimate charm.  Crown remains, as she has always been, elegant with an almost sumptuous luxury.

            Beyondships’ profile of Crown Princess was one of the first profiles posted on the site.  Over the years, new information has been added to it.  However, I felt that it no longer did the ship justice.  Therefore, I have completely redone the profile with new daily programs, menus and other information.  In addition, I have created a new and much larger photo tour and commentary of the ship.  The new address for the profile is http://beyondships.com/Princess-KP-Profile.html and the new address for the photo tour is http://beyondships.com/Princess-KP-Tour-1.html.

            I have also added a specialty restaurant review entitled “Breakfast at Sabatini’s”.  Sabatini’s is Princess Cruises’ signature Italian specialty restaurant.  In order to enhance the cruise experience of guests traveling in the ships’ suites, Princess has opened Sabatini’s to those guests for breakfast.  My review recounts my morning experiences at Sabatini’s on Crown Princess and on Island Princess. It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/crown-princess-island-princess-sabatini-review.html  

Talking with the Captain and Hotel Manager of Grand Princess; Restaurant reviews; Photos of Celebrity Eclipse

            Clearly, the biggest thing to happen to Grand Princess in recent years is the massive refurbishment that Princess undertook last Spring.  Reportedly, Princess spent $80 million to transform Grand Princess into a new ship.

            Accordingly, when I spoke with the two people who are directly responsible for providing the cruise experience on Grand Princess, her Captain and her General Hotel Manager, the conversation focused on the refurbishment (often referred to as the “drydock” by those onboard).  What was done?  And perhaps more importantly, how has it affected the cruise experience that Grand Princess offers?

            Captain Roger Bilton, first went to sea in 1979 and has been with Princess since 1989.  Hotel General Manager (a position formerly called “Passenger Services Director” at Princess) Adam Gorst has been with Princess three years longer, joining after graduating from hotel school.  Thus, both men have a substantial experience at sea.

            It is difficult to see how anyone could dislike what Princess has done to Grand Princess.  The public areas of the ship are comparable to any in the Princess fleet and Princess is a first rank cruise line.  However, what I found interesting was these two men’s insights into how the changes have affected the ship both nautically and from a hotel perspective.

            My conversation with Captain Bilton and Mr. Gorst is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/grand-princess-captain-hotel-manager-interview.html

            Two major changes made to Grand Princess were the addition of two new specialty restaurants.  Accordingly, I have posted reviews of both venues.

            Alfredo’s Pizzeria is a concept that debuted on the new Grand Princess.  It is an informal venue located in the ship’s new Piazza complex.  I found it an ideal place to relax after returning to the ship from a morning ashore on one of the Caribbean islands. You can sit by one of the large picture windows and enjoy the sunshine, the view and of course, the food.  More at http://www.beyondships2.com/grand-princess-alfredo-pizzeria-review.html

            The refit also gave Grand Princess the Crown Grill steakhouse.  Yes, Grand Princess had a steakhouse before the refurbishment.  But the Crown Grill is a much more upscale venue with a wider menu.  The concept first debuted on Crown Princess and was so successful that Princess has been adding to its ships ever since.  My review covers both this new Crown Grill and the original Crown Grill on Crown Princess, which I revisited a week after sailing on Grand Princess.  It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/grand-princess-crown-princess-crown-grill-review.html

            For a change of pace, I have also posted a new photo essay on Celebrity Eclipse, a personal favorite of mine ever since attending her naming ceremony in 2010.  The third ship in Celebrity’s Solstice class, Eclipse is based in the UK most of the year.  However, in the winter she sails from Miami to the Caribbean.  This photo essay shows this charming ship enjoying the sunshine.  http://beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipsephoto-Caribbean.html

Photo Tour of The Grand Princess

The first of the three ships that I sailed on during my recent month of cruising with Princess Cruises was Grand Princess. For students of recent maritime history, Grand Princess’ arrival on the scene in 1998 was a milestone event. She was so much bigger and looked so radically different than traditional cruise ships. It turned out to be a very successful design as well as 10 subsequent cruise ships now sailing for Princess and P&O Cruises are based upon her design.




OK, one might say, Grand Princess may have been a great ship in her day but what is she like now? Last year, Princess undertook the most extensive refit of a ship that it has undertaken to date. It significantly changed the look of the ship both inside and out. On the outside, the ship’s nightclub, which was suspended high over the stern of the ship was removed giving her sleeker lines. (I am told that the nightclub is now a man-made reef). On the inside, the ship was given features that have been so popular on the later Grand Class ships (Crown, Emerald, and Ruby Princesses) such as the Crown Grill steakhouse, Vines Wine Bar and the International Cafe. Other existing areas such as the Horizon Court buffet and the casino were made over. She was also given new features such as Alfredo’s Pizzeria and Leaves tea lounge that debuted on the post re-fit Grand Princess.



In my opinion, the refit worked well. The ship’s public areas are like a new ship. Moreover, in this regard, she is a first rank new ship comparable to any in the Princess fleet.



This does not mean that Grand Princess does not have a personality of her own. Perhaps because she carries less passengers than her younger relations, she has a surprisingly intimate feel for a big ship.



Because Grand Princess is in effect a new ship, I have removed her existing Beyondships profile and photo tour and posted a new profile and photo tour that is much more extensive than the one done in 2007. Even the URLs are different. The profile is now at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-GP-Profile.html  It has new menus, prorgams (Princess Patters) and other information about the ship. The multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-GP-Tour-1.html

Photo Essays - Azura and Ruby Princess

When I am out cruising, I often come across other ships that are in a photogenic situation. Sometimes, during the course of a day, there will be opportunities to photograph the ship in different ways. Sometimes the resulting photographs can be put together to tell a story.




This week we have photo essays on two sister ships - - P&O Cruises’ Azura and the Ruby Princess. Although the two ships said for different cruise lines they are sisters. They are both Super Grand Princess class ships built by the Fincantieri ship yards in Italy. P&O at one time was the parent company of Princess and now they are both part of the Carnival Corporation family so it is not surprising that they would share a ship design.



The essay on Azura follows her through a port call at the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. It was a beautiful day and Azura photographed well against St. Kitts’ green mountains and clear blue skies. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Azura-photos-StKitts.html



Just as Azura is P&O Cruises’ latest new-build ship, Ruby Princess is Princess Cruises’ latest new-build. During the winter months, she is based in Fort Lauderdale and in this essay we see her at various times between ending one cruise and beginning another. In addition, we see her making a port call at the popular island of St. Maarten.

It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-RU-Photos-1.html

P&O Cruises Adonia - - Profile, Photo Tour and Interview with Managing Director Carol Marlow

Adonia is one of eight jewel-like ships that were originally built for Renaissance Cruises. After Renaissance went bankrupt the eight were dispersed amongst various cruise lines and now after a period of nomadic wandering have settled with two being owned by Azamara Club Cruises, three by Oceania, two by Princess Cruises and one, Adonia, by P&O Cruises. Despite their difficult beginning, the eight have gone on to achieve a very good reputation amongst cruise connoisseurs.




I am not particularly partial to small ships. However, I thought the 30,000 gross ton Adonia was a charming ship when I first saw her back in the days when she was the Royal Princess of Princess Cruises.. With its wood paneling, cushioned furniture, and traditional art work, the interior has the charm of an English country house. The ship is nicely laid out as well. The designers were able to include most of the things one would expect on a modern cruise ship - - specialty restaurants, a spa, a pool, shops, bars and lounges, etc - - within a relatively small space.



When the ship was transferred from Princess to P&O Cruises earlier this year, very few changes had to be made. P&O serves the British market and the ship already had a British decor. Consequently, all that had to be done was modify a few public areas so as to include some of P&O’s signature venues. Of course, the existing specialty restaurants which were signature Princess restaurants, also had to be changed. For that task, P&O turned to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White to create a new restaurant for Adonia. The other specialty restaurant was developed in-house by P&O.



To mark Adonia’s arrival at P&O Cruises, I asked P&O Cruises’ Managing Director to give us her thoughts about the line’s new ship. She discussed how the ship came to P&O Cruises and what the line plans for the ship. That article is posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Marlow.html



I’ve also created a Beyondships profile of Adonia that includes copies of daily programs, menus from the restaurants, and other information about the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Profile.html. As always, there is a photo tour and commentary about the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Tour-1.html

Profile and Photo Tour of Dawn Princess

I have now been on three of the four Sun Princess class ships. Three of these ships, Sun Princess, Dawn Princess and Sea Princess sail for Princess Cruises. The fourth ship is P&O’s Oceana. She began life as Ocean Princess for Princess Cruises but was transferred to P&O Cruises when P&O still owned Princess.

These 77,000 gross ton ships carry just under 2,000 passengers and would be described as medium-sized cruise ships relative to the ships that are coming out of the shipyards these days. They are large enough to have the features one expects on a modern cruise ship but not so large as to be overwhelming.

The ships have a sleek, arrow-like shape. It is not a traditional passenger ship shape but it is attractive nonetheless.

One thing that struck me about the three I have been on - - Dawn, Sea and Oceana - - is how bright and fresh they look. Although they were built around the turn of the Millennium, they have been well-maintained. Indeed, Dawn Princess just went through a major refurbishment during a drydock last year.

Sun Princess and Dawn Princess are now based in Australia. Reflecting the fact that cruising is becoming increasingly popular down under, Sea Princess will be joining them there next year.

This week Beyondships adds a section on Dawn Princess to its roster of cruise ships. Dawn specializes in longer cruises such as voyages around Australia or to New Zealand and destinations in the South Pacific. Indeed, she even does a yearly world cruise. The lifestyle on Dawn Princess is still very much the Princess Cruises experience. However, it has an Australian overlay to make it more comfortable for its primary passenger constituency.

Beyondships profile of Dawn Princess is at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-DP-Profile.html . The multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-DP-Tour-1.html

Profile and Photo Tour of Ocean Princess

The usual reason why a cruise line has small ships is well as large ships in their fleet is that over the years the line has been building larger and larger ships and as a result, the older ones are now relatively smaller than the newer ones. However, this is not always the case. Princess Cruises has three small ships in its fleet that are not the result of the evolution of the line’s fleet but rather because they could offer a somewhat different cruise experience.

Ocean Princess, Pacific Princess and Royal Princess (which will be joining sister company P&O Cruises’ fleet next year as Adonia) are part of a series of eight nearly-identical ships that were originally built for Renaissance Cruises. When that line went bankrupt, other lines swooped in to add these delightful little ships to their fleets. Oceania Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises now have the others.

Oceania and Azmara use these ships to provide luxury cruises. At Princess, the three small ships adhere to the same standards as the larger ships in the Princess fleet. However, while it is a Princess cruise, it is somewhat different.

On the one hand, these ships do not have all the options that one finds on a larger ship. However, the small ships have an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere like a country club or a British country house. They are also more intimate; one can get to know a substantial percentage of the crew and the passengers.

Also, Princess does not use these ships to do the same type of cruising as its larger ships. They do longer cruises and rove the globe, often traveling to places where larger ships cannot go.

Beyondships’ profile of Ocean Princess is at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-OP-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-OP-Tour-1.html and there is an interview with General Hotel Manager Daniele Cafiso in which he talks about the Ocean Princess cruise experience. http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-OP-art-HD.html

Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director of Norwegian Pearl

Continuing on with Norwegian Pearl, this week I have posted interviews with the captain of the Pearl and her hotel director. The idea here is to let the people who run the ship talk about what they are trying to do with the ship and get their inside view about what the ship is like.

Not surprisingly, when one asks Captain Lars Bengtsson and Hotel Director Denis Prguda about the experience on Norwegian Pearl, the first thing they talk about is Freestyle Cruising. It is not surprising because Freestyle is the concept that Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) uses to distinguish itself from the other major cruise lines.

Freestyle is all about letting the guest decide what to do and when. As Captain Bengtsson noted there are limits, one cannot do anything one wants but the NCL ships are designed and operated to give the passengers a variety of choices in deciding what to do.

Although the concept is not limited to dining, that is the context in which Freestyle is most often mentioned. Under the traditional cruise ship system, a guest is assigned a specific time and table in the main dining room for dinner. On Norwegian Pearl and her fleetmates, there are no assigned times and the guest is free to dine in any of the dozen or so different dining venues.

The concept does give the guests greater freedom of choice. There can be problems, however. If everybody arrives at the same dining venue at the same time, there is going to be a wait for tables. However, this seems to work itself out after the first day or so as the passengers get used to the idea that there are a number of places to go and get used to the reservation system.

The Freestyle concept has proven so popular that the other major lines have been incorporating parts of it on their ships. Nearly all now have a flexible dining option under which a guest can decide when to dine in the flexible dining section of the main dining room. Also, the newer ships coming out of the shipyards have more and more alternative specialty restaurants.

Oddly enough, the trend toward incorporating parts of the Freestyle concept at other lines has undermined the traditional dining system. One of the prime virtues of that system is that one sits down at a table full of strangers the first night and within a day or so, it becomes a table full of friends as everyone gets to know each other over the course of several meals. However, with all of the alternatives available now, people do not come to the assigned table every night.

That is not NCL’s problem, however. In fact, under the Freestyle system, one can ask to share a table in the main dining rooms and thus be assured of meeting people each night.

Freestyle is across the board on all NCL ships. Thus, it is not the only thing that makes Norwegian Pearl work so well. Thus Captain Bengtsson and Mr. Prguda also spoke about other aspects of the Norwegian Pearl experience.

My interview with Captain Bengtsson http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl-captain.html is at and my interview with Mr. Prguda is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl-HD.html The photo tour and commentary on Norwegian Pearl begins at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl-Tour-1.html (My apologies for posting the link to the photo tour of Norwegian Jewel last week).

Commenting on some items in the news . . .

Carnival Corp CEO Micky Arison has indicated that the firm will probably not place any more orders for new ships this year beyond the two it recently placed for its Princess Cruises subsidiary. (The two Princess ships will be 139,000 gross tons and carry 3,600 passengers). This indication is not entirely unexpected, the pace with which the major lines were building new ships could not continue forever. There is a lot of capacity out there.

One thing that has resulted from all of the newbuilds over the last decade is the public has come to view cruise ships like new cars. If a ship is a few years old, it starts to lose its attractiveness. People begin to think of it as an old ship and are less likely to sail on it. However, ships are built to last 40 years or so. While they may not have that new car smell, a five or ten year old ship is not an old ship. It will be interesting to see if the public adjusts its perception or whether the industry needs a torrent of new ships in order to keep up the excitement about cruising.

What does one do with ships that are still perfectly good but which the public no longer considers new? The industry’s answer is often to send them to new and growing markets, away from the traditional cruise market. It was recently announced that Sea Princess, which is a very nice mid-sized ship, will be joining fleetmates Dawn Princess and Sun Princess cruising out of Australia next winter. Holland America and Royal Caribbean have also announced recently that they will be sending ships to this market.

The industry also sends older ships in for major overhauls so that they will have more of the features that are found on the ships just coming out of the shipyards. HAL’s Ryndam, for example, just completed a $17 million overhaul in which additions were made to her public spaces and the accommodations re-done.

Photo Tour of Norwegian Pearl and other cruise news

This week the focus is on Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Pearl. The Pearl is a large cruise ship (93,000 tons) that has been in service for a little over three years now. She spends the winter months in the Caribbean and the summer months cruising to Alaska.

By the luck of the draw, my cruise on the Pearl came just after my cruise on Oasis of the Seas, which is a phenomenal ship (more about this in April) and so I thought that the Pearl would suffer by comparison. However, I greatly enjoyed my cruise on Pearl. The reasons are straightforward.

First, there is the ship itself. Built by Meyer Werft, Pearl is well-engineered and nicely designed. She has the ability to do 25 knots and a relatively deep draft that helps to keep her stable. Perhaps more importantly, the public spaces are laid out well so that the ship is easy to get around and has good passenger flow. In addition, NCL has provided the ship with numerous dining and entertainment options that give one a great deal of choice as to what to do during the cruise.

Second, the ship is very well-maintained. The facilities look more like those on a ship just out of the yard than those of a popular ship that sees nearly 2,400 passengers a week. Everything in the cabin worked. I was also impressed by how clean everything was.

Third, there was the friendliness of the crew. Everyone had a hello or a good day. I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes in order to obtain material for my articles and I was impressed by how happy the crew members seemed.

As an NCL ship, Pearl follows the Freestyle style of cruising. This is an unstructured approach that provides the passenger with the building blocks to design their own cruise. The passenger decides whether they want the luxury of a Garden Villa, the economy of an inside cabin or something in between. He or she decides whether to join in organized activities or to utilize the ship’s facilities on their own. Of course, there is the choice of which of the ship’s dining venues to eat in and when to do so.

There are practical limitations. Not everyone can dine in the French specialty restaurant at the same time. Not every venue or facility is open 24 hours. However, there are enough options so that it all works out. This has led the other major lines to introduce elements of the Freestyle approach to their ships.

Beyondships’ profile of Norwegian Pearl is at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLPearl-Tour-1.html

Turning to items in the news . . . .

NCL has announced that its new ship Norwegian Epic, due out this summer, will have the largest spa at sea. It will be 31,000 square feet and include amongst other things: 24 treatment rooms, 2 private couples villas, a hydrotherapy and thermal suite, steam rooms, a salon, a fitness center and a barber shop. Along the same lines, NCL revealed that 11 of the 21 dining venues on the Epic will be complimentary.

Sticking with NCL, the line also announced that it will be making $20 million of improvements to its private island Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Beyondships will be presenting a photo tour and commentary on Great Stirrup Cay in April.

Meanwhile, Princess Cruises has named Copenhagen as its “Port of the Year” for 2009 based upon passenger satisfaction surveys. This is the first time that Princess passengers have so named a port outside of the United States. The cruise port in the Danish capital is located in the heart of the city with most ships tying up at berths that are within walking distance of some of the city’s major attractions including the Little Mermaid statue and the Royal Palace thus making it a good port of call during a cruise.. However, Princess’ award honors the port as a turnaround port - - one where a cruise begins or ends - - and thus recognizes the port’s service and efficiency.

Celebrity Summit Photo Tour and other cruise news

This week, we take a look at Celebrity Summit. Summit is one of four ships built in France for Celebrity in the early years of this millennium. Indeed, the lead ship in the class was the Millennium and the four are collectively referred to as the Millennium-class. They were technologically advanced with gas turbine engines and azipod propulsion systems. However, what is of primary concern to most guests is their distinctive interiors.

When one steps aboard a Millennium class ship, one is transported into a refined world. The décor is contemporary, understated and subtle. The art work is interesting but unobtrusive. The lighting is subtle. It is definitely an upscale experience.

His is also reflected in how the ship is operated. The service is friendly and attentive. With the Celebrity Life onboard programming, there are activities to interest the mind, body and palette. While there is a dress code, it balances formality with the need to relax while on vacation.

Summit is very similar to her younger sister Constellation. The most apparent difference is in the specialty restaurant. On Summit, the restaurant is an ode to the great French ocean liner Normandie. This tribute carries over to the main dining room which is dominated by a statue that once was on the Normandie.

Beyondships profile of Summit appears at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Profile.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Summit-Tour-1.html

Next week, we shall also be adding an interview in which hotel director Julien Brackenberry talks about the ship.

Turning to other news . . . .

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the parent company of Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, has announced that it will be sending over $1 million in aid to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The Royal Caribbean ships call in Haiti on a regular basis, at the company’s private beach resort Labade. The company says that its ships will continue to call there, which will provide additional money to the Haitian economy. Royal also says that the net revenue from those calls will go to earthquake relief.

Cunard has announced that it is partnering with New York’s Julliard School of Music to have jazz performances by students and faculty of the school on select transatlantic crossings on Queen Mary 2 during 2010. Speaking of QM2, Beyondships will be featuring an interview with QM2 Captain Nick Bates in the not too distant future.

Speaking of partnerships, NCL has announced that it has partnered with Nickelodeon to have Nickelodeon-themed family entertainment programming on Norwegian Jewel starting this April and on Norwegian Epic starting in June.

Norwegian Epic will also be offering its studio cabins without a single supplement. These cabins will have approximately 100 square feet of space with a full size bed. There will also be a separate area for the bathroom. The studio cabins will open out into a studio lounge, which will be shared by passengers in other studio cabins.

The beginning of the year marks the cruise industry’s “wave season” and many of the lines are running sales and promotions. For example, Princess Cruises has a “Balcony Bonanza” in which guests can have a balcony cabin for the price of an oceanview stateroom. Along the same lines, Cunard has announced discounts on Queen Victoria’s long Mediterranean cruises in the Fall of 2010.

Photo Tour of Fred.Olsen's Balmoral and Cruise News

Balmoral is the newest and largest ship in the Fred.Olsen Cruise Line’s fleet. However, veteran cruisers will remember her first appearance as the Crown Odyssey of Royal Cruise Line in 1988. More cruisers will remember her as the popular Norwegian Crown of Norwegian Cruise Line as she spent most of her prior career with that line.

After purchasing her from NCL, Fred.Olsen sent her to Germany to have an additional section inserted. This increased her passenger capacity as well as the public space. However, the ship still retains a small ship atmosphere.

At 40,000 gross tons, Balmoral is not a yacht. However, the atmosphere onboard is much different than the megacruise ships coming out of the shipyards today. In many ways, it has the flavor of late 20th Century cruising when the emphasis was more on relaxation in comfortable surroundings than on the number and variety of onboard experiences that a ship can provide. In my view, both styles of cruising have merit and thus it is good that someone is still offering the old style as an option for travelers.

Balmoral is primarily geared toward the British market. The line is well known in the UK and for most of the year, Balmoral operates from Dover, England.

Beyondships new profile page for Balmoral appears at http://beyondships.com/FOL-Balmoral-Profile.html and the photo tour and commentary starts at http://beyondships.com/FOL-Balmoral-Tour-1.html

Turning to the events of the last week, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was officially named in a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale on 30 November. The ship has already achieved notoriety as the world’s largest passenger ship. At 225,282 gross tons and capable of serving 5,400 passengers at double occupancy (that means she can carry even more if the upper berths are used), Oasis is not just a little larger than the previous record holder of the but almost half again larger. (The previous holders were RCI’s three Freedom class ships of 158,000 gross tons. Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is a bigger physical object than these ships but has less gross tonnage).

RCI had seven godmothers for Oasis - - one each for each of the “neighborhoods” on the ship. The neighborhoods are sections of the ship geared toward different concepts or interests. For example, there is an entertainment neighborhood. This allows “guests with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood.”

Not to be outdone, Princess Cruises is inviting everyone to be a virtual godmother for the former Tahitian Princess, which has been renamed Ocean Princess. The ceremony will be conducted entirely on line during Ocean Princess’s current cruise. People can log into Princess’ site at http://www.princess.com/oceanvirtualchristening until 18 December to participate.

When I was on Carnival Dream last month, I ran into Gerry Cahill, President of Carnival Cruise Lines, who mentioned that he was onboard talking to some people about plans for Carnival’s next ship. This struck me as odd as Carnival’s next ship, Carnival Magic (a sister to Carnival Dream), is already under construction and is scheduled to join the fleet in 2011. The mystery was cleared-up last week when Carnival announced that it will be building a third ship based upon the design of Carnival Dream. As such, the new ship will be 130,000 gross tons and will accommodate 3,690 passengers double occupancy. She will be built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy and is scheduled to enter service in 2012.

One of the nice things about the Carnival ships is that they are not mere clones of each other. Even when they are part of the same class, there are differences such as distinct interiors and often new features. This makes going aboard each ship more interesting as it is an exploration. It looks like this trend will continue as Carnival says that the new ship “will offer many of the same innovations featured on the recently launched Carnival Dream, as well as some exciting new elements to be announced at a later date.”

Costa Atlantica Cruise ship photo tour and commentary

This week Beyondships presents its first profile and photo tour of a Costa Cruises ship. She is Costa Atlantica, which was built to the same design as the Carnival Spirit and which is the forerunner of quite a few cruise ships sailing for a number of different lines. It is a good design from a seagoing perspective - - she goes fairly fast and her seakeeping qualities mean that she is not confined to just going around calm seas. This design is also popular with passengers, carrying an array of features and amenities in a good layout. At nearly 86,000 gross tons, she is big but not gargantuan.

What distinguishes Costa Atlantica from her sisters and cousins that sail for other lines is her Italian-style of cruising. While some other lines try to de-emphasize their national origin in hopes of attracting an international clientele, Costa emphasizes its Italian origins and succeeds in attracting an international clientele. In fact, it is the most popular cruise line in Europe and even when the ship is sailing in North America, there are substantial numbers of European guests.

As a result, Costa Atlantica has a cosmopolitan and international feel. This should not be confused with being stuffy - - the bold colors and designs of the interior are too light hearted for that. Rather, it means that one is likely to encounter people with different backgrounds and tastes, which is a broadening experience.

The profile of Costa Atlantica appears at: http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlarntica-Profile.html and the photo tour and commentary begins at: http://beyondships.com/CostaAtlantica-Tour-1.html

Turning to some items in the news - -

On 1 November Oasis of the Seas passed under the Great Belt Fixed Link bridge in Denmark while making her way from the shipyard where she was built in Finland out to the Atlantic. Even with her telescopic funnels lowered, there was only 2 feet of clearance between the bridge and the ship. Traffic on the bridge was halted for 15 minutes while the ship passed. I think that incidents such as this underscore just how big this ship is in a way that the gross tonnage figures do not.

Unfortunately, the ship then encountered high winds and rough seas, which caused RCI to announce that her arrival in Fort Lauderdale will be delayed two days to November 13. This should not be seen as a black mark on the new ship’s record. The North Atlantic can be difficult in November. Building in the ability to withstand such seas and make fast crossings is the reason why Queen Mary 2 cost a third more to build than a comparable sized cruise ship. Since such crossings are not what Oasis is intended to do, there was no reason to build such a capability into her. Her test will be how well she entertains guests while sailing the calm waters of the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest ship yet, Carnival Dream (130,000 tons) will be named in a ceremony in New York on November 12. Carnival has announced that the godmother will be actress Marcia Gay Harden. The naming ceremony will also include the unveiling of the world’s largest children’s book signifying a multi-year partnership between Carnival and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Princess announced that it is going fully digital with its pre-cruise documents. In the past, passengers have received a rather dauntingly large envelope in the mail containing such things as information about shore excursions and a booklet designed to answer questions about the upcoming voyage. For voyages departing after January 21, 2010, passengers will be receiving a series of e-mails giving them information about their upcoming cruise. Amongst other things, these e-mails will be more personalized to the ship, the itinerary and the passenger’s status in Princess’ repeat passenger program. At least in theory, this should save a few trees.