Botox … no more laugh lines at sea?
Last year, passengers on the big three cruise lines spent $4.4 billion for onboard extras like premium wines, gourmet dining and spa treatments. All that money has cruise executives salivating for new ideas to generate more revenue. At a recent cruise convention, industry insiders talked about new dining and wine offerings, targeted sales promotions and exotic spa therapies. But the big bomb was Botox. Is it coming to a cruise ship near you?
Code Red: Norovirus aboard ship
It’s every cruise line’s nightmare — a norovirus outbreak aboard ship, and it happened on board Royal Caribbean’s new ship, Liberty of the Seas, just three weeks ago. So, what do cruise lines do to keep noroviruses from spreading? They go “Code Red.”
Ciao, Serena
Take an Italian cruise ship, Italian food, Italian wine, Italian luxury and over-the-top Franco-Italian pomp and circumstance in the French city of Marseille and what do you get? A “C’est wow!” moment. Such is the life when “Cruising Italian Style” aboard the brand-new Costa Serena.
Missed the ship! What now?
It’s the ultimate cruise nightmare: You miss your ship. Now what? Take a wild ride with one Canadian couple as they suffer a late flight, wait endlessly for their cruise bus, and then watch their ship pull away from the pier. Can this vacation be saved?
Going on a cruise? You bet!
All of a sudden, cruise bashing is all the rage. Why, you can hardly get through a cruise story these days without being treated to a parade of horribles — everything from disease outbreaks and sinkings to drunken brawls and passengers gone overboard. Do you have to be crazy to cruise? Well, no. Our cruise columnist, Anita Dunham-Potter, calms the waters.
The new lady Liberty
She’s new, she’s bold, and she’s better than her big sister. She’s Liberty of the Seas, the second of three mega-ships from Royal Caribbean, and she’s got a lot going on: new programs, new artwork, better food and nonstop cruises to the Caribbean. But wait. There are even bigger and better ships in development. Anita Dunham-Potter reviews the Liberty and gives us the scoop on “Project Genesis.”
Carnival balcony blues
The brochure said it was a secluded balcony, so imagine one couple’s surprise when they discovered their private oasis came equipped with a set of stairs for the crew. Can’t the deck plans be trusted?
The Godmothers
Naming a cruise ship used to be the prerogative of royalty or ship owners’ wives, but not any more. Today, it’s all about maximizing publicity. Cruise lines have gone Hollywood, recruiting actresses, supermodels and other famous faces to serve as ship-launching “godmothers.” One cruise line has even taken the “American Idol” approach and put the choice to the public. It’s an offer some celebs can’t refuse.
Suckered in Santorini
The jewelry in the shop in Santorini was beautiful, and the couple from Florida was dazzled. Yes, the jewelry was expensive, but the shop was a member of Celebrity Cruises’ “Guaranteed Shopping Program” — or so the sign said. So Courtney Thompson and his wife plunked down $24,000 and returned to their ship, where they were in for a rude awakening.
Cruise, cruise, cruise
In December, Alzoria Jones took her 100th cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines; a month later, Lorraine Arzt celebrated her 4,000th day at sea with Princess Cruises. What is it about certain cruise lines that brings customers back over and over again? Is it about perks, or is it about something more?