May 16, 2008
The constantly commercial atmosphere aboard many of the giant, cruise ships will inevitably drive the more discriminating cruise passenger away
I have written before in this blog about how some of the popularly priced cruise lines -- not all, but some -- have pushed the pursuit of profit, through onboard sales, to ridiculous extremes. They surround you with commercial pitches, with mindless activities meant to promote shopping, with lectures and events designed for cretins. And there has never been a better summary of that trend than in a letter which this post has just received. It is from a woman who traveled with her husband on an Alaskan cruise operated by one of the large ships, and I have printed relevant excerpts below:
It's interesting to note the writer's comment that many of the first-time cruisers aboard the ship were unconcerned about these excesses of marketing. They were apparently so fascinated by the experience of being aboard a ship that the vulgarity passed them by. Is it possible that a large number of Americans will tend in the future to avoid this sort of commercial amusement-park-at-sea?
Write and read comments about this post.
The daily activities were lectures about make-up use, the joys of massage, how to value jewels, specials in various departments, and ever new ways to shop. The one serious lecturer was totally inept, had sparse attendance at his lectures and I can no longer remember his topic. Planets, I think. Most of the activities were for shopping, both on the ship and the ports of call.
Things were constantly hawked about the ship. Any gathering produced waiters with buckets of beer or trays of tropical drinks that you first thought were free. Before the shows they hawked raffle tickets. Seldom, outside your own cabin or in the library, was there ever peace or quiet.
For those who were on their first cruise, they either loved the experience or didn't object to the things that we objected to. Virtually all the experienced travelers that we talked to hated the cruise for the same reasons that we did.
Would I ever take another cruise with that company? Only if it were free! We have grown attached to small boat (100 passenger) river cruises, such as Uniworld. We have been on 3 of theirs and cannot say enough good things about them.
It's interesting to note the writer's comment that many of the first-time cruisers aboard the ship were unconcerned about these excesses of marketing. They were apparently so fascinated by the experience of being aboard a ship that the vulgarity passed them by. Is it possible that a large number of Americans will tend in the future to avoid this sort of commercial amusement-park-at-sea?
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: cruise
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
