Cruise Trends: Bigger Ships, More Food, Spa Options

The economy may be sailing slowly these days, but that hasn’t stopped South Florida’s cruise lines, which are introducing a half-dozen new ships here.

Do these new super liners really offer anything “new”? Sure, they all have the amenities that have become cruise basics: multiple pools, children’s area, spa, gym, luxury beds. But the newest ships go a step beyond, both in physical amenities and on-board programs.

“The new ships have their own feel. They’re more defined, finding their niches,” says Mike Driscoll, editor of Cruise Week newsletter.

Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com, says ships feel more like land-based resorts. But the changes and new features aren’t radical, she says. The new elements “are evolutionary, not revolutionary.”

One significant change: Pricing. Cruises have long offered a strong value when compared with similar resorts on land, especially in high-priced destinations like the Caribbean and Europe. But since the economy soured, cruise prices have plummeted, and now they’re a downright bargain.

Even on many new ships, you can find deals priced at less than $100 per person per day for cabin, meals in the main dining room and most activities –though you will pay extra for specialty restaurants, bar drinks, spa treatments and shore excursions. Most lines will retire fuel surcharges in 2009.

You may not have thought it possible, but the new ships are getting even bigger than the behemoths already sailing. Carnival Cruise Line’s newest, the 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor, is the line’s biggest. So is Celebrity’s newest ship, Celebrity Solstice, which carries 2,850 passengers, double occupancy.

Royal Caribbean’s new 3,634-passenger Independence of the Seas, which just arrived in South Florida after several months in Europe, is tied with two Royal Caribbean predecessors as the biggest cruise ships in the world. That is, until Royal Caribbean’s 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas comes along next year, but that’s another story.

On Solstice, these Aqua-Class guests have unlimited access to the spa’s relaxation room and thermal area, plus services of a spa concierge; dinner in the health-conscious eatery is included without fee.

The new Carnival Splendor offers 68 spa cabins connected to the ship’s 21,000-square-foot spa, the largest one in its fleet, and come with free access to the spa’s relaxation suite. And Holland America’s Eurodam has 56 spa cabins with spa access via a spiral stair.