Forecast for 1992 : More Beds, Ships and Discounts

Despite an overall drop in travel because of the weak economy and the Persian Gulf war, cruise ships carried an estimated 4 million Americans in 1991, a slight increase over 1990, according to estimates of Bob Dickinson, chairman of Cruise Lines International Assn.

But despite the increase, potential passengers should not have to worry about scrambling for space. There are more than 11,000 new berths due to arrive on 1992’s 12 brand-new cruise ships and two major renovations.

The new vessels range from yet another Royal Caribbean Cruise Line megaliner, the 2,354-passenger Majesty of the Seas, due April 26, to the innovative 354-passenger Radisson Diamond, arriving June 14 with its distinctive catamaran hull and $600-a-day per person tariffs.

Dickinson also predicts that last year’s “unprecedented discounting” is going to continue, despite objections from travel agents.

Helene Stieglitz of Dream World Travel Agency in Wheatley Heights, N.Y., sums up the way many agents feel. “What do you do when you’ve booked a client seven months in advance, and then he meets someone on the cruise who got it at a discount? He thinks you’re a lousy travel agent.”

Discounting, Dickinson said, contributed to a slight drop in the number of first-time cruisers in 1991--from about 50% of all passengers to about 45%. Repeat passengers, on the other hand, who have had previous inclinations to take cruises are attracted by discounts, he says.

What else can passengers expect in 1992?

More stringent safety regulations in the wake of the sinking of Epirotiki’s Oceanos off the coast of South Africa and fires aboard Premier’s Majestic, Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Harmony, Regency Cruises’ Regent Star and others. By the year 2000, it is expected that all ships in service will be required to be retrofitted with sprinkler systems. The National Transportation Safety Board also recommends tighter guidelines for main and emergency power systems, machinery and lifesaving equipment.

Some 70% of the world’s cruise fleet, those ships built before 1980, are not presently required to meet the 1974 SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) standards, but through “grandfather clauses” are permitted to adhere only to less-stringent 1948 or 1960 SOLAS standards. A panel of the International Maritime Organization, which governs the safety of passenger vessels in international waters, has recommended that all ships be required to meet a set of minimum standards by 1994.

Increasingly higher levels of shipboard sanitation. An intensified program of frequent inspection and education of foreign-flag cruise ships by the U.S. Public Health Service’s Centers for Disease Control started in 1988 by Tom Hunt, chief of the Vessel Sanitation Program, has resulted in the highest percentage of Satisfactory ratings since the program began in 1975, with 93 of the 114 vessels inspected receiving passing grades of 86 or above out of a possible 100 points. That’s quite an improvement since the first inspections, when none of the 60 ships examined could pass muster.

More sensitivity to nonsmokers. Carnival Cruise Lines says it will expand nonsmoking areas on its ships after a survey that showed only 22% of its passengers smoke. And Majesty Cruise Line, an upscale division of Dolphin Cruise Line, says its new Royal Majesty due next September will have a nonsmoking dining room and will designate 132 of its 528 cabins smoke-free.

Zooming popularity for European cruises. Travel agents agree that Europe is a hot ticket for the summer of 1992, because of the pent-up demand. Few travelers visited in 1991. Besides the scenic pleasures of cruising there, alluring special events that include Barcelona’s Olympics, Seville’s Expo, various Columbus-themed Transatlantic sailings and Holland’s once-a-decade Floriade flower show will attract numbers of North Americans.

More polarization into special interest and theme cruises. Everyone from small family reunions to large business and incentive groups have discovered cruise ships and found that the larger the group, the better the group travel discount. With a family reunion of 15 or so, for example, the organizer can get a considerable discount or even free tickets for the sailing. Talk to a travel agent or a cruise company group bookings representative.

For sophisticated travelers, small ships and expedition cruises offer a pleasant alternative to big, glitzy Caribbean ships. Passengers who want to learn more about the world around them travel with local museum groups or university alumni associations, or pop for a $20 membership fee for the Smithsonian that enables them to join study tours and seminars. Upcoming Smithsonian programs at sea include a Miami-to-Gulf of Mexico cruise aboard the Yorktown Clipper March 28-April 11, 14 days on a voyage to ancient Greece and Turkey aboard the sailing yacht Sea Cloud June 14-30 and a Sept. 17-25 voyage aboard the paddle wheeler Delta Queen on the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers. These sailings include lectures on the regions to be visited. For details, contact Smithsonian at (202) 357-4700.

More high-tech multimedia shipboard entertainment. Forget Ramon and Yolanda doing the tango--the new generation of cruise production shows looks more like “Phantom of the Opera” or the newest MTV video, complete with fog machine and metal Madonna-style bras, as aboard Carnival’s new Ecstasy.

RCCL’s giant sister ships Monarch of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas carry a 50-screen video wall which can be incorporated into musical productions or utilized for business conferences on board. And London-based Alfred Radcliffe, chairman of Matrix Entertainments, Ltd., predicts a trend away from traditional theatrics in favor of newer high-tech multimedia productions. Matrix is introducing electronic state-of-the-art entertainment aboard Celebrity Cruises’ new Zenith, debuting April 4 in the Caribbean.

More lean and fit shipboard lifestyles. Expanded spa and gym facilities have added virtually any machine a shoreside fitness center can boast, plus low-cal, low-fat menu items available at every meal. Even the midnight buffet has trimmed down, with cold seafood, raw vegetables and fruits supplementing calorie-laden canapes and desserts.