Today, I visited the home office for a few minutes. It’s no secret to anyone I work with that I like to cruise. Frankly, I’ve been referred to as my office’s private travel agent on more than one occasion, and that’s not far off. As I was walking between offices today, I was stopped by no less than 4 people to discuss the situation surrounding Carnival Triumph and my thoughts on it. One or two people seemed perplexed that I tacitly waived off the situation and stated that I had 4 cruises booked through early 2014 right now, and really thought the whole thing was a bit of hyped up drama.
Let’s face it. I wasn’t there, but neither were any reporters. Here’s what I expect happened. The higher up your cabin was, the better your experience was. I don’t doubt that some toilets overflowed, or that the experience itself was less than ideal. I expect food was rationed because people being people, some began to hoard what was available. Booze was rationed because people that drink too much on disabled cruise ships act much like what they do at your average frat party….and who needs that when you’re on a disabled cruise ship? No one wanted it to happen, and no one wanted to be there once it did.
In my 30 cruises, a number which is small compared to many cruisers, but I expect a number that seems big to many that read this blog, I have never experienced adversity on a level that rivals that of those on Carnival Triumph. What I have experienced is comfortable vacations with an opportunity to really get away that just doesn’t exist on land. Service that exceeds my expectations. And experiences that I enjoy. Cruising is all about the freedom to choose. I hate to be corny, but Royal Caribbean used to have a marketing phrase, “Like No Vacation on Earth.” That pretty much sums it up. I choose to cruise, and Carnival Triumph hasn’t changed my mind. Cruising for me is “vacation” not travel, though it certainly can be both. Sometimes you need a vacation, and I’ll continue vacationing on cruise ships, thank you very much.
I too love cruising and will continue to do so. I will say the cruise indistry has an incredible PR mechanism in place to try to ensure the coverage of adverse events is minimal. You don’t hear about cruise passengers being hurt by wildlife in Alaska (it happens) thanks largely to industry input. The coverage of the Concordia has been limited to one 60 minutes piece recently regarding the salvage operation. Nothing in life is without risk and benefit.
I don’t personally think that prices are going to drop that much. Notice something? No one is talking about it any longer. I don’t count because it won’t stop me from cruising.
they are just starting to drop but not by much. i use cruisefish.net to follow cruise prices after I book. This past week and a half, i’ve gotten 3 alerts about price drops for 2 of my upcoming cruises. (Although i cant’ take advantage of price protection because event though they dropped they are still higher than when i booked)
I believe most cruise lines will lower price for the next couple of months. Great opportunities for those who want to book.