Can You Really Get a Luxury Cruise Experience on a Mega Cruise Ship?

Cruise lines aren’t fans of the old system of classifying the cruise experience. The boundaries, they say, have blurred. Nothing is only contemporary or only premium anymore. The so-called contemporary and premium lines have luxury spaces – massive suites, ship within ship enclaves, exclusive suite-only sundecks and restaurants – that the cruise lines say push their ships into the luxury space.

But do these ships actually provide enough of a luxury experience that advisors feel comfortable promoting them to their luxury clientele?

TMR reached out to luxury cruise selling advisors to find out how they feel about big ship luxury. With almost no exceptions, the advisors said it’s not the same.

“My one-word answer is, it is an oxymoron,” said Danielle Norman Griggs, owner of a Cruise Planners franchise. “So many of the things that people go on luxury cruises for, they can’t offer on these big ships.”

“My clients who cruise on Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent have never cruised on the large ships and probably never would,” said Cindy Spivack, owner of Cindy Spivack Luxury Travel, a NEST and The Affluent Traveler Collection member agency. “These ships have too many people and are just too large.”

Large shore excursions, long walks to get to venues or back to their suites, getting lost, or boarding and disembarking with thousands of other people are not appealing to the luxury cruiser. If anything, they’re deterrents, she said.

Scott Grody, owner of Scott Grody Travel, also a NEST and The Affluent Traveler Collection member agency, said much the same.  “They don’t want big ships. The ships are overwhelming and you miss out on that intimate experience.”

Griggs added she gets annoyed with the messaging from big ship cruise lines that their luxury options are appropriate for her luxury clients.

“If they [clients] are going to spend that kind of money I want them to have a real luxury experience, not something that I feel like is slightly masquerading as a luxury experience, although there are luxury touches within it.”

What Do Luxury Cruisers Want?
If, as the advisors generally agreed, the big ship luxury spaces aren’t providing what luxury cruisers want, what is it that they want?

Unsurprisingly, the number one answer was space, namely larger suites and more space per passenger.

“Intimacy is very important as well as space – not just in the suite but onboard personal space,” Spivack said.

“They appreciate space – space in their staterooms, space to escape without crowds, and space to enjoy the view without a bunch of tablets and cell phones blocking it,” added Amy Madson, co-owner of a Dream Vacations franchise.

Equally as important is high-touch, personal service, and inclusiveness when it comes to pricing.  

“Hands down personalized service and extra perks/features appeal to our luxury clients,” said Madson. “They expect to be recognized and called by name or have their favorite drink remembered by the crew.”

“On smaller ships, each guest is known by the staff and they are treated as an individual rather than as a group,” echoed Spivack.

“They fall over themselves to try and make you happy,” Grody added.

Both Madson and Grody also said their clients want inclusive experiences, with no nickel and diming.

Luxury-Like
Big ship luxury spaces, such as The Haven on Norwegian Cruise Line, Yacht Club on MSC Cruises, and the Royal Experience on Royal Caribbean can come close to true luxury, but it’s more luxury-like than actual luxury.

“They can come close, but the truly personal service and feeling of exclusivity comes with the luxury brands like Silversea, Regent, and A&K’s Crystal,” Madson said.

With that said, there are times when the luxury options on the bigger ships are appropriate for specific subsets of clientele.

“The ship within a ship concept provides a good alternative for those luxury clients who enjoy the big ships perks,” said Madson. “But it’s really not competition as it appeals to different clients or client travel situations – groups, family, couple.”

“For those people who want something in a more luxury space but also want the things the big ships offer,” Griggs said. “They want multiple activities and multiple shows and lots of restaurants… For that person, it can be a great option.”

Such clients can include honeymooners, who typically want to splurge, or younger, affluent cruisers she added.

Generally, however, advisors TMR spoke with said that the big ships luxury experiences are best for multi-generational family groups.

“For young families, it’s a fabulous choice of entertainment for kids,” Grody explained.

Madson agreed. “If they are traveling as a multi-gen family, the luxury clients give up some of their wishes to appeal to the younger kids. They compromise by booking a suite so they have some of their luxury perks, and the family has plenty to do.”

She added that her family luxury clients gravitate towards the suites on Royal Caribbean.

Griggs also agreed. “It’s a great product for multi-generational trips, when you have grandparents who have gone beyond the big ship experience but they want to travel with their families. It gives them a nicer option.”

Bridge Product
The big ship luxury offerings are also a great bridge for past cruisers who may be ready to take a step up from balconies or even mini suite.

“Many [clients] have earned loyalty status on their favorite line, so they aren’t ready to give that up,” Madson said. “They move to the suites and private ‘ship within a ship’ areas to get the best of both worlds.”

“It’s an in-between type of product, like you’re entering that space but you’re not quite there,” Griggs said.

Putting them in The Haven, Yacht Club or The Retreat gives them a taste of the perks and the feeling of exclusivity they can get with more luxurious options. From there, it’s easier to move them to one of the luxury brands.

An Exception to the ‘Rule’
Most advisors TMR spoke with – though not all – agreed one bigger-ship cruise line best delivers on its luxury promise.

“Celebrity consistently delivers,” said Grody, adding he’s had Regent clients try out bigger suites on Celebrity and come back raving.

He cited Celebrity’s “meticulous attention to detail that clients get from their suite butlers to resort deck butlers to the concierge lounge staff.”

Grody also said that, specifically with Celebrity’s Edge Class ships, the medium size of the ships and the interior design that carves out smaller spaces (like four smaller restaurants vs. one large main dining room) make it more appealing that other large cruise ships.

“You don’t feel like you’re in Yankee Stadium… you’re not eating in a cavernous space. You get the advantages of bigger ships – greater variety of entertainment, more specialty restaurants – but they’re not sacrificing the intimacy of a small ship…”

When asked why she thinks The Retreat comes closest to the true luxury experience, Griggs told TMR, “I think it’s because it’s on a Premium cruise as opposed to a contemporary cruise. The line is softer between The Retreat and the rest of the ship rather than on the other products, where there’s a huge gap between the main part of the ship and whatever the luxury thing is.”

Grody added that the price difference is also appealing to his luxury clients. “Everyone wants to drive a Cadillac and pay for a Chevy.

In comparing the prices between The Retreat and a cruise on Regent, he said a client can pay two-thirds the price for Celebrity, “and come out with a fabulous experience.”

Not all the advisors we spoke with agreed.

Speaking of her clients, Spivack told TMR, her luxury clients don’t need or want all those extra options.

She said her clients aren’t even happy with the larger ships coming from the traditional luxury cruise lines. “They are used to more intimate experiences and a higher level of service… I feel that there is strong demand for the small ships under 400 passengers.”

“I would compare it to staying at the Four Seasons Resorts vs the Encore at the Wynn in Las Vegas. Both are five-star luxury. Just not for everyone.”

Overall, Spivack said, “It is good to have choices.”

And that’s something all the advisors TMR spoke with could agree on.