What is Changing in the Cruise Industry Right now and where should you look to sail in 2012 ??

If you watch the trends you can get some amazing deals.  Cruising can be a bit like playing the stock market.  Will the fares go up?  Go down?  If I buy now do I have price protection if they do drop, etc, etc.

Basically everything that has to do with what a cabin on a ship will cost you at any given moment all comes down to capacity and how well they are doing at selling the cabins on that particular ship.  So of course that has to do with how many berths are in a certain area of the world competing for your business.

And for those of you who thing that the Cruise Lines are hurting or are sailing with empty berths are wrong.  Ships do now sail less that full capacity, at least not very often.  They will do everything they can to make certain that all the spaces that can hold bodies, do......  What guests spend onboard is more important in some instances that what you spend on your cabin.

It stands to reason that the more luxury type, truly all inclusive product seems pricey up front but you generally can easily walk off the ship with no bill as you paid for everything up front.

Have you ever noticed that the $399 cruise deal that you got wasn't such a great deal when you were faced with charges for everything you wanted to do on the ship and your bank account was suddenly less than it was when you walked on the ship?

Here at Real World Travel and Cruise One we dedicate ourselves to following the trends and knowing what is going on in the world with ship movement and where the deals are likely to strike.  Where it is best to travel right now, money wise, weather wise, crowd wise, etc.

Here is an article I found that is talking about the future and what you can expect and right now if you can get away to Europe, I highly recommend you do so before the end of the season and even next year.  There will still be plenty of ships over there.  Alaska is a great deal right now for the end of the summer. 

Especially the more up market lines are offering lots of incentives unheard of.  And if you are planning a big trip for 2012 or 2013 Australia is a great place to be looking.  I am looking at it myself.  Either there or Asia for 2012.  And of course I would love to have you join me.  I will announce that soon.  This is good reading....

Nancy

Next Generation Cruise Ships Might Not Be the Best

By Paul Motter

Published June 24, 2011 | FOXBusiness

A fundamental change is happening in the cruise industry right now that could affect cruise travelers. 

The major lines are still building new ships, but the long-standing belief that the newest ships are always the best might no longer be true. The next wave of cruise ships set to arrive in 2012 and 2013 will be optimized for the new economic reality.

Many of us thought the economy was fundamentally sound until late 2008 and the cruise industry was no different, believing any setback would be short term. Clearly they were all wrong.

The cruise industry is more pliable than many travel businesses, but cruise lines still have to plan several years in advance to design and build new ships. Between 2000 and 2006, several cruise lines designed and hired shipyards to construct the biggest, most elaborate ships ever including the Celebrity Solstice, Marina by Oceania, Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, Holland America's Eurodam, Silversea’s Silver Spirit, Seabourn Odyssey and Disney Dream. This new generation was capped by the two largest and most impressive cruise ships ever, sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas from Royal Caribbean.

These new ships were not only much larger than previous ones, but the added room was generously allocated to provide more space per passenger - rather than crowding more people into each vessel. These ships were designed to attract a constantly-growing and financially-stable cruise audience--a group the cruise lines assumed they had.

Ironically, the most ambitious ships of this generation were placed on order around 2005, but the building process takes years, and the first of the new breed was delivered in late 2008--just after the economy tanked.

Even more critical, some lines ordered multiple ships of the same design; the shipyard's bid is based on a commitment to build between two and five of each vessel. For example, the original Celebrity Solstice order was for three identical ships, with an option for two more. The deadline to exercise the option for the final two ships came when the recession was still thought to be just a blip. The option to build the fourth and fifth ships was taken, bringing even more high-quality tonnage online at a time when the economy continued to slip.

Here is the big picture: We have just witnessed the introduction of dozens of new ships that are frankly too good for the current economy. They should command higher cruise fares than they are getting, but cruise lines can only set prices that the market will bear. The people who are fortunate enough to afford to cruise right now are finding bargains everywhere.

Changes in Future Ships

The wave of ships just introduced is the greatest generation, because they were conceived during the optimistic pre-2008 economy. But don't expect to see grand ships like these hitting the waters in the coming years. 

A new generation of ships based on the “new reality” is already on order from NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean. As you might expect, these new ships will carry far more passengers per square foot in order to optimize fuel efficiency and return on investment per passenger.

Consider the Celebrity Solstice, designed in 2005 as a 128,000-ton ship (at the large end of the scale for cruise ships) that carries a mere 2,850 passenger berths. (Cruise ship "tonnage," by the way, is a measure of a vessel's interior space, not its weight.) This ship was delivered in November 2008. Compare this to the new ships ordered for delivery in 2012 and beyond.

But things have changed. NCL has two ships on order, “Project Breakaway” vessels slated for delivery in 2012 and 2013. These ships will have 4,000 passenger berths within 144,000 tons. This is about 30% more passenger capacity for a ship that is only about 11% larger. A far cry from Celebrity Solstice's space offering. In fact, when you consider third and fourth passengers in cabins, the total capacity for Project Breakaway ships could be far higher than 4,000.

The new Royal Caribbean order, “Project Sunshine,” calls for a 158,000-ton ship that will hold 4,100 passenger berths. Compare it to another Royal Caribbean ship of a similar size--Freedom of the Seas--which is smaller at 160,000 gross tons, but only carrying 3,634 passengers. 

The new Princess ships (2013) will come in at 141,000 tons and carry 3,600 passenger berths. Compare this to the line's Diamond Princess class of ships at 116,000 tons and a passenger capacity of 2,670.

What Does This Mean to You?

2009 was the first year in recent history when no new ships designs were ordered by major cruise lines. They already had too much new capacity coming online and were preoccupied with figuring out where to deploy and how to price these ships.

During the last two years, we have even seen a few bursting price bubbles when the cruise lines put too many ships in a specific region that subsequently suffered from lower-than-expected demand.

In 2009, for instance, cruises to Mexico were incredible bargains. There were twice as many staterooms in that market as there are now, but demand for those cruises evaporated almost overnight.

 In 2010, Alaska cruises were also going for deep discounts. This summer, in an effort to reduce their exposure to Alaska, more cruise lines positioned ships in the Mediterranean Sea, but now that region is suffering from overcapacity and reduced demand.

Many cruise lines are banking on Australia for 2012 and 2013, drawn by the strong currency (just as they were drawn to Europe for the stronger euro in 2010). But the number of ships going to Australia could easily outstrip demand, and 2013 could be the best time yet to cruise in Australia.

While the cruise lines will inevitably market the forthcoming cruise ships most ardently, in fact the “greatest generation” of ships is already here. For decades, the rule of ship selection had been “newer is better,” but with this coming generation of new cruise ships starting in 2012 and 2013, that will no longer be true. The best ships will still be those of the 2008 – 2011 vintage – and they could become relative bargains.


Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/06/24/next-generation-cruise-ships-might-not-be-best/#ixzz1QPYsRqy9

Disney Dream Nears Completion with 'Float Out' at Meyer Werft Shipyard

First of two new ships for Disney achieves milestone, moves closer to maiden voyage










PAPENBURG, GERMANY, (Oct. 30, 2010) – After 20 months of construction, the Disney Dream cruise ship floated out of the enclosed building dock at the Meyer Werft shipyard today, completing a major construction milestone. The ship was greeted by thousands of visitors lining the shore to see the newest Disney Cruise Line ship, which features the first water coaster at sea and other cruise industry firsts designed to build upon Disney’s commitment to delivering unparalleled family cruises.

The “Float Out” is a special maritime event that celebrates the ship’s final stages of construction, where exteriors become complete and final touches are assigned to interiors. In true Disney-style, the celebration was punctuated with a fireworks display and the appearance of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The Disney Dream is scheduled to sail its maiden voyage on January 26, 2011, from Port Canaveral, Fla.


“Today marks a monumental milestone and begins the first of the finishing touches for the Disney Dream as we prepare to welcome guests aboard our newest ship,” said Karl Holz, president of Disney Cruise Line. “Our guests are counting down to the maiden voyage, and in just 88 days, they will get to experience all that the Disney Dream has to offer.”





The Disney Dream is the first of two new ships being built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The Disney Fantasy is also currently in production and is scheduled to set sail on its maiden voyage on April 7, 2012.





“Today is a day of great pride for all of us at the Meyer Werft shipyard,” said Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft. “To finally see the largest ship this yard has ever built floated out and nearly complete is an inspiration within itself, and that coupled with the pixie dust Disney is known for, made this a truly magical moment for all involved.”

The Disney Dream will remain alongside Meyer Werft’s outfitting pier in the shipyard harbor for about two weeks, while testing is completed on the ship’s stabilizers, rudders and other functional features, and work on the ship’s interior areas continues. The ship is scheduled to leave the Meyer Werft shipyard and be conveyed down the River Ems, the second weekend in November, where its destination is the North Sea at the port of Eemshaven, The Netherlands.



Disney Dream Innovations


Known for establishing the family cruise market when the Disney Magic debuted in 1998, Disney Cruise Line continues to build upon this success with a focus on the legacy and heritage of The Walt Disney Company’s most known assets – master storytelling, world-class entertainment and legendary guest service. In addition to all of the features Disney Cruise Line is known for, the Disney Dream will have several new notable innovations for guests to enjoy.







■AquaDuck, a first-of-its-kind water coaster, is an exhilarating, high-speed thrill ride that combines all the ups and downs of a roller coaster with all the twists and turns of a water slide.


■Magical Portholes offer a “virtual window” to the world for inside staterooms, with a real-time view outside the ship where high-definition cameras feed live video to each stateroom.


■Enchanted Art immerses guests in Disney storytelling and looks like other hanging art pieces around the ship, but is actually a framed LCD screen with technology that recognizes a guest is present.


■Remy, an exquisite top-deck restaurant, only for adults, with incredible ocean views and French-inspired, gourmet cuisine by two award-winning chefs.




New Itineraries



With the addition of two new ships, Disney Cruise Line is able to more formally expand its itineraries to new destinations, including Alaska, while continuing to offer cruises to some of the line’s most popular itineraries.



The Disney Dream will sail three-, four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Fla., while sister ship Disney Fantasy, is set to sail seven-night alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries, also from Port Canaveral, beginning in 2012. The Disney Magic will continue sailing seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises, before returning to the Mediterranean for another summer of cruising in this region in 2011. The Disney Wonder will begin 2011 by repositioning to the West Coast of the U.S., sailing seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles, while spending the summer sailing first-ever Alaskan itineraries from Vancouver.



Based in Celebration, Fla., the Disney Cruise Line experience is focused on providing a setting where families can reconnect, adults can recharge and kids can immerse themselves in worlds of fantasy only Disney can create. Most recently, the company was recognized as the top cruise experience by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Disney Cruise Line was voted the No. 1 cruise experience in the magazine’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards in the mega-ship category.