STAT’S YOUR LOT
very year, the Passenger Shipping Association produces shedloads of statistics to demonstrate the growing popularity of cruising. This year was no exception, so director Bill Gibbons hardly felt it necessary to make much of a song and dance at a presentation on board Independence of the Seas during the UK Cruise Convention. “There’s no need to take notes; you’ve
E
heard it all before and the details are in your press release,” he told the assembled journalists, who were torn between the free drinks in the Pyramid Lounge and lunch waiting in the Anthony and Cleopatra restaurant. Gibbons and his member cruise lines have
and air hockey substituting for the sticky-topped pool table back home. Cruise director John Heald was investigating the possibility of installing a darts board – it works for Cunard and P&O after all. There’s also an outdoor ‘terrace’ (where smoking is permitted) on the adjacent promenade deck. The big triumph is the eclectic selection of beers on tap: Newcastle Brown, Stella Artois, Murphy’s Stout and, the Magic’s secret weapon, its own-label bespoke brew, ThirstyFrog Red. So popular was it among the 3,700 passengers on the inaugural cruise that supplies ran out after just one day and it was four days before more could be brought aboard.
M
y American friends are fond of joking about how much drink British passengers can put away but we couldn’t be blamed for this drought as there were
only a handful of Brits on board. And I’m not sure the sizeable contingent of Russians were responsible either – according to Heald, they were more likely to be waving wads of cash to pay for bottles of Dom Perignon champagne with breakfast. No surprise that ThirstyFrog was so popular among the US guests, though. I believe forensic analysis, or a blind tasting, would reveal a distinct similarity to a well-known brand. I’m sworn to secrecy, but the initial letter of its name can probably be found somewhere in the alphabet between A and C. Until Carnival Magic relocates to Galveston,
Texas, in October it will sail Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona. The good news for Fun Ship fans is, after sister ship Carnival Breeze is launched next June, it will remain in the Med until November. And its own Red Frog pub is sure to be just as popular as the original. Be sure to read the Captain’s regular Blog online
at
www.blogs.mirror.co.uk/captain-greybeard and don’t forget the World of Cruising blog,
www.timespentatsea.blogspot.com.
every reason to be satisfied – they consistently show year-on-year growth despite recessions, belt-tightening and freaks of nature like the Icelandic ash cloud. But there are some statistics they SHOULD take a second look at. For example, cruise lines tell you cruising is no longer solely for retired couples and senior citizens. It’s for families and “multi- generational groups.” But the figures actually show little progress in attracting younger guests. In the past 10 years, the percentage of passengers aged 26-54 has decreased, and there are more passengers aged over 55. The report also shows it is possible to get statistics to tell you anything you want. One table indicates the most important reason passengers give for cruising is the itinerary and destinations. Some 66% also said price and value for money were their main reasons for choosing their last ship. It must be particularly confusing for
THE CRUISE REVIEW PUBLISHED MAY 2011
Carnival UK chief executive David Dingle, who told guests at the Convention the objective of cruise lines was to drive fares upwards, and that, in a future when rising fuel costs would be a major problem, the ships themselves would become the destination rather than the ports of call. Tell that to the passengers heading north for the Aurora Borealis; into the Baltic to explore the palaces and museums of St Petersburg; or to the Med to stroll along Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, throw a coin in Rome’s Trevi Fountain, join an excursion to the Parthenon or the Blue Mosque. For me, and I suspect for most of you, it’s all about destination, destination, destination.
Summer 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING 31
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