Recommend December 2013 - (Page 17)
Opposite page: SeaDream
Yacht Club's Balinese beds
are a signature amenity. Left:
American Cruise Lines offers
exemplary cuisine.
vivian holley
The first time I was on a cruise ship-an unassuming vessel that
could scarcely claim the same designation today-I ordered breakfast
via room service and they brought the best they had: a cold
pastry in plastic wrap and tepid coffee in a Styrofoam cup.
My, how the galley has gussied up since then-only one chapter
of a storied sea change in virtually every aspect of cruising.
Throughout 2013, while the economy still struggled to pick up
steam, the industry showed remarkable resilience and bold inventiveness,
responding to increasingly demanding passengers and
fast-changing trends with alacrity and innovation. In fact, at press
time, CLIA held to its earlier estimate that 17.6 million passengers
would cruise on North American lines (26) in 2013, up from about
17.2 million last year.
newbuilds
If the numbers of killer newbuilds were less than in times past and
refurbs were often spotlighted instead, there were still enough
debuts to gin up client excitement. With the big boys, eye-poppers
remained rampant, the likes of four waterslides and a ropes course/
zipline Aqua Park atop Norwegian Cruise Line's (ncl.com) Norwegian
Breakaway (sister ship Norwegian Getaway is set to
bow in February), which Geri Bain highlighted in an onboard review
in the September 2013 issue, noting that "it's the largest water park
at sea.... And since the system is designed to handle more than
1,000 people an hour, there's rarely a wait."
Over on Princess Cruises' Royal Princess (princess.com), the
SeaWalk is a cantilevered, glassed-in walkway that reaches out 28
ft. above the waves 128 ft. below, considered by Fran Golden, who
wrote the onboard review for the October 2013 issue, as one of the
ship's
"'wow' factors."
Other sparkling newbies were shot out of the gate by Hapag-
Lloyd, MSC, Ponant, AIDA, AmaWaterways and Avalon. Among
smaller vessels, Scenic Cruises (scenictours.com) launched
Scenic Jewel, while Uniworld's (uniworld.com) boutique collection
added Century Legend, Century Paragon, River Orchid
and Queen Isabel this year, with Catherine to follow in 2014.
Un-Cruise Adventures (un-cruise.com) introduced not only the
refurbished Safari Voyager but a new name, dropping its former
brands, American Safari Cruises and InnerSea Discovery. (I rode
the Columbia and Snake rivers this year via Un-Cruise's Legacy, a
replica of a yesteryear coastal steamer, and found it friendly, informal
and fun. Clients: pack your jeans.)
Viking Cruises (vikingrivercruises.com) continues to lead the
pack when it comes to explosive growth, launching 10 new ships
this year-with 14 more to follow in 2014. As Fran Golden noted in
the Viking Aegir onboard in the May 2013 issue, Viking chairman
Torstein Hagen told the crowd that was gathered in Amsterdam for
the christening of those 10 ships back in March that "he'd like to
see 100 ships in the water by 2020."
river cruising
That brings us to river cruising-hot topic of the year in the waterworld.
Travel agents tell me their clients relish the relaxed intimacy
and the ease of getting up-close and personal with smaller ports. I
would add to that the refreshing lack of security issues on smaller
ships; they know who you are.
Also popular is the growing availability of all-inclusive programs
(as in, clients can put their wallets away and enjoy) that include
air, gratuities, shore excursions, transfers, taxes and fees. All this
comes with an A-ROSA river cruise (arosacruises.com)-plus
an open bar throughout the ship including soft drinks, and tea
and coffee specialties; beer, wine and spirits; and bottled water
in staterooms. These were bonuses clearly appreciated by all
cruisers when I joined travel journalists and travel agents late last
year aboard the new A-ROSA Silva. In my onboard review in the
January 2013 issue, I noted that the "ship's signature is a sensual,
casual-but-high-voltage vibe. Backed by a chic, contemporary look
and a European accent."
In 2013, three of the brand's ships were devoted exclusively to
the North American market, with David Morris International managing
the product launch. (A-ROSA Flora, coming in 2014, will be
the 11th entry in the Germany-based fleet.)
december 2013 17
http://www.un-cruise.com
http://www.vikingrivercruises.com
http://www.ncl.com
http://www.princess.com
http://www.scenictours.com
http://www.uniworld.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2013
Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Canyon Ranch
Tour Talk: Insight Vacations
17th Annual Recommend Readers' Choice Awards Winners
Cruising 2013
Discovering North America
Caribbean Trends
Anguilla Travel Agent Specialist Program
Asia & The South Pacific in the Rearview Mirror
Mexico 2013
Latin America in 2013 and Beyond
Africa + The Middle East Continue to Make Stides
Nostalgic for Europe
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