Hotelier’s Confession: Second Voyage Confirms There is a Difference in Cruise Experiences
David M. Brudney, ISHC, a nationally recognized spokesman for hotels and a veteran with four decades of experience, is the principal of David Brudney & Assoc. of Carlsbad, CA |
By David M. Brudney, ISHC, December 2007
When I wrote an article
following Karen and my first ever cruise to Alaska this summer, several
readers admonished me not to judge the cruise experience based on a single
voyage.
I agreed.
So did the strategic marketing director for Regent
Seven Seas Cruises. After reading my article, Regent offered to host
Karen and me on any seven day Regent cruise if I would write a follow up
"comparison" piece identifying Regent as the cruise line. And I was
assured that I would have sole control of editorial content.
We selected the Seven Seas Voyager Caribbean cruise
because we had lived in Puerto Rico when we were first married and have
talked often about returning some day.
We sailed from Fort Lauderdale on December 7th
with stops at Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and Princess Cays.
Luxury cruising v. mainstream cruising
Luxury v. premium comparison: little or
no comparison. How best to describe the difference? I’m a hotel guy.
I have enjoyed being a guest at Hampton Inn, Marriott Courtyard and Holiday
Inn Express, but the guest experience is much different when I stay at
a Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton or Rosewood. Same situation with cruise
ships.
To be sure, the Regent Seven Seas Cruise (luxury)
was more expensive than the cruise line (premium) I booked to Alaska -
- more than twice as much - - but the value for Karen and me was more than
10 times greater. As in the hotel business, you do get and expect
what you pay for.
There really are some substantial differences
between mainstream cruising - - our Alaskan cruise was on a premium cruise
line - - and luxury cruising on Regent.
Smaller ship. More intimate
Fewer passengers. No crowds, no crowding
and no lines. Our Alaskan cruise had 2,800 passengers whereas Regent
had only 700 (1.56 passengers per crew member). Many more opportunities
to "connect" and make new friends
More interaction: passenger to passenger;
passenger to crew and ship management
Management presence. Captain Knut
Hanssen extremely visible throughout the entire cruise as was the ship’s
cruise director, hotel director, F&B manager, executive chef and guest
relations manager. All appeared to be very "hands on"
Higher quality of service. Much more
attention to smallest details and passenger needs. Unexpected plus:
entire crew English fluent
Tipping. All shipboard gratuities
were included in the cruise fare
Smoking.
A huge turnoff on our Alaskan cruise, we found very few passengers who
smoked at all (non-issue the entire cruise) on Regent. And starting
on December 21st, new, more stringent smoking restrictions will be in place.
More Good Show
More of what impressed me most on this Regent
cruise:
First impressions. Boarding process
was seamless; better staffed, immediate boarding. Once aboard, three
waiters greeted passengers offering glasses of chilled champagne.
We went directly to the buffet lunch and witnessed passengers embracing
crew members - - relationships established from previous cruises.
Veteran cruise passengers. It seemed
as though our Alaskan cruise consisted of mostly first time passengers.
More than 50 percent of the passengers on this cruise had multiple Regent
cruise experience, according to the assistant cruise director.
30- Minute ship wide "Block Party" - -
a marvelous "ice breaker" idea for passenger bonding. At 6 p.m.,
second night at sea, a cocktail bell sounded in all guest suites, guests
stepped out into their respective corridors to "meet" their neighbors,
"come as you are"; wine and champagne served by ship’s staff. Most
impressive: senior ship officers made the rounds on each floor to greet
all the passengers.
All suite staterooms, all ocean views with
private balconies. Features: a walk-in closet, flat screen
TV, reading lights over the bed, two Anichini bathrobes with cotton slippers,
stocked-daily refrigerator, small fresh flower arrangement and orchid plant
with fresh fruit served daily. We were upgraded late to a larger
penthouse suite (320 s.f. plus 50 s.f. balcony), but I checked out several
staterooms on several floors during the cruise and found very little difference
- - same fixtures, amenities, same Four Seasons/Ritz-Carlton quality, marble-appointed
bathrooms, full tub & stall shower.
Bathroom amenities. Absolutely loved
the size and labeling of the custom shampoos and conditioners - - no need
to take reading glasses into the shower!
Service. Folded napkins on armchair
every time guests returned to dining table. Bottled water, soft drinks,
wine and alcoholic beverages of choice restocked daily by personal butler
in our penthouse suite. Butler served hors d’oeuvres daily at 5 p.m.
Additional nice touch: for a nominal extra charge I had the daily L.A.
Times & USA Today delivered to our suite by the butler each morning
of the cruise.
My Blue Tooth & BlackBerry charger cords.
Room attendant wrapped both cords tightly each day. Never experienced
that at any deluxe or luxury hotel or resort.
Entertainment. Constellation Theater
seating best, most comfortable I’ve experienced. Singer Tony B was
outstanding. Loved the Regent orchestra and the professional dance
group. The late night lounge pianist/singer was very good, but we
enjoyed the pianist/singer on the Alaskan cruise a little more, probably
because of his extraordinary Broadway show tune portfolio.
Lecture program. A lecturer on Islam,
Iraq and terrorism was extremely educational and informative. Best
PowerPoint presenter I have experienced ever.
On shore activities. Despite that
weather cancelled our "beach barbeque", nonetheless our very best "shore
leave" was the four plus hours at Princess Cays, a two mile wide island
retreat about 30 miles from Nassau, Bahamas. We swam in the ocean,
stretched out on any one of the hundreds of beach lounge chairs; some passengers
played volleyball, others sat on bar stools under thatched roofs sipping
Margaritas and other exotic beverages. It was a grand day at the
beach indeed.
Five hours was not enough time to really experience
St. Thomas or St. John, V.I. We opted for a two hour tour up into
the hills overlooking the harbor and village of Charlotte Amalie.
Our tour stopped at several tourist attractions - - most memorable was
the view of neighboring St. John. We made friends on the tour with
a delightful couple, Ciba and Gail, from Arizona and Maine.
We decided not to experience El Yunque rain forest
while ashore in San Juan, P.R. Nor did we choose to revisit neighborhoods
and colleges where we lived and worked back in the mid-‘60s. We did,
however, share a rented car and driver with another passenger couple, Howard
and Mona from Florida and enjoyed a tour and cocktails at the El Conquistador
resort in Fajardo. On our return to the ship our driver made a special
stop at El Hamburger, one of our favorite hangouts in Old San Juan.
Had to find a flaw or two
Given my four decade background of studying and
evaluating hotels, resorts and conference centers worldwide, it would be
near impossible for me professionally to spend seven full days on or at
any lodging product such as a cruise ship without finding some flaws.
My list for this Regent experience is a very short one.
Reassurance voice. We experienced
two nights of serious rolling motion in rough seas and the walls of our
suite began shaking as though an earthquake had hit us. Our accommodations
were on the 10th floor aft which might have contributed to our situation.
We learned from crew members and fellow passengers next day that accommodations
midship are best during rough seas. Anyway, Karen slept like a baby
through it all, but I needed a reassuring voice over the P.A. system telling
me that everything was okay and we were not in any danger. I wanted
the same type of assurance I experience on commercial airplanes when the
captain comes on to apologize for the unexpected heavy turbulence on a
late night flight with poor visibility. Interestingly, fellow passengers
debated the next morning; half did not want to be disturbed while the other
half - - like me - - wanted a voice of reassurance, no matter what the
hour.
Wait person interruptions. Table
conversations amongst fellow passengers are one of the very best features
of any cruise - - far more important than stopping to answer servers’ questions
such as ground pepper on soup or salad, more coffee or wine. Given
the 5-star presentation and luxurious surroundings, I was surprised the
wait people were not better trained in their timing and sensitivity to
table conversations.
Buffet breakfast. While the dinners
and lunches were exceptional, I found the breakfast buffet lacking a bit.
Variety, omelettes cooked to order daily very good, but surprisingly poor
presentation of standard breakfast basics: scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages.
On two separate occasions, my scrambled eggs were both cold and bland.
I probably should have requested it, but I would have killed for a glass
of freshly squeezed O.J. Yogurt flavor selection was very limited.
Men’s shaving mirror absent in bathroom.
Seemed like an obvious oversight.
Soiled wash cloth. Outside balcony
of 1047, only visible to anyone standing at the balcony’s railing - - surprisingly,
unnoticed and not removed for length of the cruise.
Sunday NFL games on TV. Considering
the ship’s state-of-the-art satellite communication system (Internet access
in Club.com was terrific) and the abundance of venues aboard, I was surprised
there was no consideration for passengers wanting to watch football on
Sunday (no CBS or Fox available). The Monday night game on ESPN was
shown at the ship’s Coffee Corner but was not publicized.
Final thoughts on overall cruise experience
We did find the Regent experience to be "upscale
but not uptight".
We were treated just like every other passenger
for the duration of the cruise except for the upgrade to a penthouse suite
and being invited to dine at the hotel director’s table one night and the
cruise director’s table on a second night.
We found very few small children or teenagers
aboard, but lots of younger Boomers, some celebrating their 50th birthdays.
I would guess the average age of our fellow passengers on this particular
cruise was 55-60.
We sailed with passengers that were mostly veterans
of previous cruises, passengers very comfortable with their accommodations,
service, dining, activities and entertainment. And from conversations
I had with several guests, all seemed like they received great value for
what they paid.
Seven days, and four ports of call: no question,
really not enough time ashore.
The weather is really a crap shoot. There
are no guarantees while at sea, same as any tropical resort.
Loved not having to use my car or drive anywhere.
What a relief!
Will definitely cruise again, but I can’t see
me sailing across the Atlantic or Pacific.
Cruising helps you discover destinations to where
you would like to return, to spend more time. Cruising provides a
"window" for so many new destinations to explore. As a result of
my taking this particular cruise, I am giving serious thought to returning
to St. John, V.I to stay at one of the fine luxury resorts on the island.
Finally, though cruises do compete for market
share with hotels and resorts, it’s true that they also complement the
hotel/resort experience probably because a cruise is very much a "floating"
hotel. The scenery keeps changing, but it’s still a hotel and I am
now much more comfortable as a cruise passenger - - smaller ships, more
upscale preferred.
© Copyright 2007
About David Brudney & Associates
David M. Brudney has become a charter member of Laguna Strategic Advisors and was a founding member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants. Brudney is a veteran sales-and-marketing professional concluding his fifth decade of service to the hospitality industry. Brudney advises lodging owners, lenders, asset managers and operators about hotel sales and marketing best practices and standards of care, and conducts reviews of sales-and-marketing operations throughout the world. Brudney is a professional speaker, teacher, mentor and sales trainer. Previously, Brudney held sales and marketing positions with Hyatt, Westin and Marriott.
Contact: David M. Brudney, Principal
David Brudney & Associates
Carlsbad, CA 92009
Phone: 760-994-9266
Email David Brudney
Web Site: www.DavidBrudney.com
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