Dan and Jennie Sullivan honeymooned aboard a big Caribbean ocean liner and are ardent cruisers as reported by USA Today.
Second look
But now that the Methuen, Massachusetts, couple are pregnant with their first child – and social distancing is a not-so-distant memory – they’re thinking twice about crowds, and taking a second look at smaller vessels.
Small-ship ocean cruising is riding a wave of U.S. travellers ready to get back on the high seas on lower-capacity ships.
“We’re seeing a massive group of our past passengers coming back,” said UnCruise Adventures founder and CEO Capt.
Travellers’ perception of safety isn’t ungrounded, Blanchard said.
WindStar Cruises, which also runs lower-capacity sailings, said it, too, is seeing a record number of travellers new to the brand, which President Chris Prelog attributed largely to safety measures such as vaccination requirements.
How is small-ship cruising different from large-scale cruising?
The recent transformation of WindStar’s three all-suite, 312-passenger yachts is also proving prescient.
Another new tapas concept brings the total number of dining options onboard each of the refreshed yachts to four, giving travellers “more choice and value” with WindStar’s all-inclusive meal plan, Prelog said.
While all-inclusive cruising isn’t new, record inflation is.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s international prices index shows that amidst soaring costs of living, food prices increased 33.6% from March 2021 to March 2022.
Newer pricing structures
Large-scale ocean cruising’s newer pricing structures feel like “nickel and diming,” said Jennie Sullivan, and the addition of speciality restaurants that aren’t part of all-inclusive rates has left her with a bad taste in her mouth.
“You’ll end up spending $100 or so on those dinners, which really adds up,” she said.
At UnCruise, relationships with local suppliers help tamp down food prices, Blanchard said.
“A large cruise ship will travel about 1,600 to 2,000 miles per week in Alaska,” he said.
That’s no surprise for Steve Jermanok, co-founder of boutique travel agency ActiveTravels.
But their other request is for “seamless” travel, and an all-inclusive trip is one of the easiest ways for Jermanok to accommodate.
An identical sister ship, the Sakura, will be introduced next year.
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Source: USA Today
