What’s new in cruising?
It’s “wave season” for the cruise industry, and that doesn’t mean that passengers aboard ships are getting tossed around more.
The “wave” refers to bookings — the first quarter of the year traditionally is when most cruises are purchased. And to attract more passengers, the industry will be rolling out some innovations this year. Here’s a quick rundown:
Escape the Room
A live version of the video games people have been playing for years, these escape games have been a sensation on land, so it’s no surprise that Norwegian Cruise Lines is introducing them at sea. The concept is simple: You and your
team are “locked” into a room - in this case, it’s a “carnival bigtop” — that is rigged with clues. Solve all the clues in an hour, and the game operators will let you out. Don’t solve all the clues, and they’ll still let you out (but you’ll realize that you’re less clever than you thought you were). This year, Norwegian Cruise Lines will be adding these rooms to the Norwegian Epic, the Norwegian Breakaway, the Norwegian Getaway and, appropriately enough, the Norwegian Escape.
A new biggest cruise ship debuts
Join the masses! The gargantuan Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas debuts in April, and it will be 230,000 gross tonnes, some 3,000 tonnes (and 28 staterooms) bigger than its sister ship, Harmony
of the Seas. That will work out to 18 decks and 5,494 passengers. Exciting or atrocious? It’s your call.
Microchipping passengers
No, you won’t have anything injected under your skin when you board. But both MSC Cruises and Princess Cruises are rolling out devices that passengers will carry with them at all times (either on a lanyard or a wristband), which will put a techno spin on the passenger experience.
On a simple level, they’ll act as both room key and charge card (for shipboard credits). More-complex functions that have been announced include allowing guests to see where all the members of their party are on the ship by using an app (Princess), or using the device in tandem with virtual-reality screens to “experience” what a shore excursion will be like before you purchase it. They’ll also help passengers navigate around the ship, and will be used to make reservations. What’s not being discussed as much is that the crew will know where every passenger is at every moment — a disturbing violation of privacy, I think. If these devices are popular, they’ll likely be rolled out to other lines and vessels (right now, both Princess and MSC are testing these devices on just a handful of ships).