Trends in Cruising

Trends in Cruising Joyce Ross Uniglobe Kalamalka Travel 3004 - 32nd Street Vernon, BC V1T 5M3 For their size and the number of passengers they carry - Royal Caribbean's gigantic Freedom of the Seas holds the current title, with capacity for 3,600, double occupancy - cruise ships are surprisingly nimble. Dining rooms were added, entire ships retrofitted to add outdoor lounging space and itineraries rewritten to accommodate both weather events (Hurricane Katrina) and historic events, such as the opening this spring of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook, Brooklyn (a former cargo pier). Here's a look at the trends shaping your next cruise, whether it's a five-day jaunt to the Mexican Riviera, a week in Alaska or the Caribbean, or one or more legs of an around-the-world cruise of a lifetime. New Ports, Old Ports Although the Caribbean continues to hold top spot as a cruising destination, more and more ships are beginning to explore less traditional ports in this part of the world and elsewhere. The islands of the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago and Curacao offer sun-seekers the sugar-white sand beaches they crave, while ports like Willemstad and Pointe-a-Pitre give explorers and shoppers the chance to roam quaint streets and colorful, open-air markets. Traditional cruising routes in the Mediterranean are also expanding to include new ports of call. The Royal Princess, for one, will drop anchor in Ravenna, Italy and Split, Croatia next year, just two of four new European ports featured on Princess's 2007 calendar. Other major cruise lines are making their first trips to the Holy Land in almost five years. Bigger, Better Spas & Pool Decks Hot on the heels of land-based resort trends, cruise ship spas are expanding in size and services. Long favored by Europeans, thalassotherapy is fast becoming a popular, pamper-yourself-at-sea option. On the QE2 and Celebrity's Millennium, among other ships, these body-temperature, salt-water pools relax muscles and soothe stiff joints. On the Seabourn Sun, you can try a dry-float table, which cradles you in the water without getting you wet. Several cruise lines (RCCL, Celebrity, Disney) now offer rasuls, tile-lined steam rooms where passengers apply their own mud-based treatments as a heavenly soundtrack filters into the darkened room and a "starry" ceiling twinkles above. Catering To Special Interests Themed cruises were considered innovative in the 1990s, appealing to fans of Big Band music, devotees of baseball, ardent gardeners, film noir buffs, serious ballroom dancers and others. And while there are still lots of those on offer, cruise lines are taking advantage of their bigger ships and more flexible meeting, eating and entertainment spaces to cater to passengers with very special interests. RCCL invites motorcycle owners to bring their bikes along for a Caribbean cruise, offloading riders and their Harleys, Hondas and BMWs for group or individual tours in the ports of call. Crossword puzzle addicts will get more than their fix sailing with puzzle guru Stanley Newman on next January's Holland America Oosterdam cruise from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera. For a real buzz, join the Coffee Cruise on the Norwegian Sun next March, featuring tours of coffee plantations in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, not to mention a high-octane series of coffee tastings, retailer roundtables and workshops scheduled onboard.

 

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