On-board services
The bigger the better
When it comes to on board services, cruise lines have been trying to outdo each other for decades, investing vast sums in lavish activities and amenities to attract guests eager to have everything in one destination. But will the downturn caused by the pandemic put a stop to the industry’s quest to build bigger and better? Elly Earls speaks to industry insiders including Ben
Clement, senior vice president of newbuilds and refurbishments at Carnival, and John Zamora, partner in Deloitte’s transportation, hospitality and services to fi nd out.
arnival Cruise Line has been fielding the question ‘is bigger better?’ since 1996, when it launched Carnival Destiny, the first cruise liner to exceed 100,000t. 25 years later, its newest ship, the 5,200-passenger Mardi Gras, is almost twice as big, and alongside a plethora of restaurants and bars, houses a rollercoaster, BOLT, that sits on an 800ft track and can hit speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. Clearly the global pandemic hasn’t dampened the company’s drive to answer its most-asked question. But in this case, says Ben Clement, senior vice president of newbuilds and refurbishments, it’s not her size that makes the Mardi Gras unique. “Granted, larger ships provide our designers with an even greater canvas to create one-of-a-kind
C 44
attractions, such as BOLT, but there’s so much more to a ship than just its size,” he says. “If the spaces are not appealing to guests and not easy to navigate, it doesn’t matter what size the ship is. Mardi Gras is more than just our largest ship – it’s a testament to the incredible talent of our shipbuilding teams, who worked five years on designing a ship whose layout and amenities are game-changers for our company and industry.” In a time of pandemic-induced downturn, however, it remains to be seen whether cruise lines are willing to continue this quest to build bigger and better. Indeed, during the period of suspended operations caused by the coronavirus, the big three cruise companies – Carnival, RCCL and NCL – suffered a
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
Carnival Mardi Gras
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61
