I have had a number of cruise-related questions over the past few weeks. Cruising still is the growth part of the travel industry even with the current economic challenges being faced in the United States. Most people love all the benefits and features of cruising, but there is the occasional irritant.
Q. I notice that cruise lines frequently use the comfort of their beds in some of their advertising. Is this a new thing and are the beds really all that different?
A. There really is nothing like the beds on most cruise lines. And the positive feedback has been so universal since they were introduced a few years ago, that some cruise lines actually have advertisements in the cabins telling you how you can buy one of these sleep charmers through them. If you can't get a good night's sleep on one of these beds then you likely can't get a good rest anywhere.
How can a bed be both soft and firm at the same time? Somehow these new beds succeed in sending you into dream worlds within the context of these seemingly contradictory words. And it is not only happening on cruise lines.
The better properties in the hotel industry have finally returned to what should always have been their primary mandate; that of putting you in a bed where you will get the energizing deep sleep you need to face the next business or vacation day.
Many of them also highlight the comfort of their beds in their advertisements, and often offer to sell you one as well.
What a concept! To go on a holiday and come back, not feeling like you need a week to catch up on your sleep, but rather feeling ready to face another 50 weeks of work, saving up for next year's vacation.
Q. As a regular cruiser I was surprised recently when I booked yet another cruise to find that for the first time I was being asked to pay a fuel surcharge. Is this now a cruise line standard?
A. It has become that for the most part. There is an unfortunate fact of travel life that frustrates most of us who book our holidays at an advertised price, and then find the end cost is dramatically higher because of a multitude of extra charges.
The latest irritant comes with the dramatic increase in fuel surcharges from the cruise industry. I wrote about it a few months ago when Carnival Cruise Lines not only imposed a fuel surcharge, but tried to do it retroactively.
It was a Winnipeg travel agent, who happens to be the current Manitoba chair for the Canadian Association of Travel Agents, who put the wheels in motion nationally to call them on the illegality of this action.
That battle was won, but since then most lines have introduced substantive fuel surcharges of up to $5 to $8 or more per day per person.
As travellers we know that the rapid rise in fuel costs cannot be absorbed by travel suppliers. And since no one predicts any significant drop in fuel prices for a very long time, travellers would prefer that these charges be folded into the cost of the ticket itself. Somehow travel companies, and not just in the cruise industry, seem to feel we will be deterred from travelling if we were faced with higher advertised prices.
Booking numbers would suggest we are paying the price with the surcharges anyway, and would not likely be deterred from our travel plans because of a dose of honesty in advertising.
Q. As a paying customer who feels I paid enough for the trip, why are we not allowed to take any alcohol on cruise ships?
A. These days almost every area of the ship is a profit centre and alcohol sales departments likely contribute a lot to the overall profits. You can in fact bring alcohol on most cruise ships, but perhaps not the kind you were thinking of.
While liquor cannot be taken aboard, most lines allow for both a bottle of Champagne and a bottle of wine. If you choose to consume these at your dinner table there will be a corkage fee, but you are free to drink them in your cabin. I cannot tell a lie -- we sneaked in a bottle of rum on our last cruise and found we didn't drink a quarter of it.
On a cruise you spend little time in your cabin, other than to sleep or rest. We found spending time with the many friends we were making was much more satisfying than saving a few dollars drinking in the cabin.
Forward your travel questions to askjourneys@journeystravel.ca.
Ron Pradinuk is president of Journeys Travel & Leisure SuperCentre and can be heard Sundays at noon on CJOB. Previous columns and tips can be found on www.journeystravel.ca.
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