A new generation of bigger, glitzier vessels has broadened cruising's appeal and the sinking of the Costa Concordia notwithstanding turned it into the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. Today's mega-ships now feature everything from deck-top water parks to Broadway shows to celebrity chef-run eateries in short, everything you'll find at the biggest resorts on land, and sometimes more. How has the shipboard experience evolved, and what more is coming in the future?
USA TODAY :Let's start with a hypothetical vacationer who hasn't been on cruise in a decade or two or three. What would they find familiar on today's ships. What would surprise them? USA TODAY assembled four of the industry's top executives in Miami late last month for a roundtable discussion on the topic: Adam Goldstein, CEO of Royal Caribbean International; Gerry Cahill, CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines; Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line; and Frank Del Rio, Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, the parent company of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises. The hour-long panel discussion was moderated by USA TODAY 's Gene Sloan and Veronica Gould Stoddart.
Goldstein:They would find a very high-level service, just like before, (and) a real attention to the needs of the guests that has always distinguished our category. They would find a main dining room experience where the wait staff was extremely attuned to their needs and would come to know (them) very well, (and) they would come to know the stateroom attendants in a way that is not normal if you're staying in a hotel. True then, true now. They might see some of the elements of entertainment that they saw then, but . the entertainment has gone several dimensions up the ladder.
Del Rio:The same lifestyle changes that you've experienced ashore, you're going to find in the (cruise) product. It's more sophisticated. It's a higher quality. It's more diversity in terms of dining options, itinerary options, onboard enrichment, onboard entertainment options, stateroom options. There are suites at sea today that are larger than apartments in New York City. It used to be that the average stateroom was 110 or 120 square feet. Very few had balconies. Today, ships are being built with 95%-plus (of cabins having) balconies.
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