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 Travel & Outdoors | May 2006 
Put it on Cruise Control
 Tom Wharton - Salt Lake Tribune
| | Experiencing the Mexican Riviera from a cruise ship offers vacationers near-infinite variety. |
Mexican Riviera - Eight longtime friends spent the last dinner of their cruise aboard the Carnival Pride reminiscing about why they returned again and again to the big luxury ships.
"I like being with old friends, meeting new ones and the food," said Salt Lake City resident Paul Ward.
His wife, Jeanne, added another plus, with a smile.
"I like being waited on," she said. "It never happens otherwise."
There are many reasons people like the Wards have made cruising one of the biggest travel industries, and one that has come a long way since 1818.
That was when, according to cruiseworking.com, the Black Ball Line operating out of New York became the first shipping line to offer a scheduled passenger service, from the U.S. to England.
These days, luxury cruise ships of all shapes and sizes take passengers about anywhere they want to go in the world.
Travelers can ride a barge down the Mississippi, hitch a ride on a freight liner, sail on a clipper ship or luxuriate on a huge liner.
The newest and largest ship is the Freedom of the Seas, a 160,000-ton cruise liner that, according to The Associated Press, carries more than 4,000 passengers and offers such things as an ice-skating rink, full-size boxing ring, 43-foot-tall rock-climbing wall and an onboard surf park. It begins public cruises out of Miami in June.
"Cruising is definitely one of the preferred ways to travel," said Doug Anderson, a Salt Lake City-based agent for Cruise and Travel Masters. "People like the value because the price includes accommodations, meals, activities and entertainment. It is pretty hard to come up with a land-based vacation with all those benefits."
Anderson said the Mexican Riviera cruise, which begins at the Long Beach port and usually takes seven days with stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, is the most popular with Utah residents, followed by the shorter three- and four-day trips to Baja out of the same port.
"People can drive from here," he said. "A lot of them will go to Disneyland and Universal Studios before the cruise and then stop in Las Vegas on the way back. And the airfare is cheap if they decide to fly."
Starting fare for the seven-day cruise, excluding air fare, is about $699. The first two days of the trip are usually spent at sea. Then there are three straight days when cruise passengers can get off the boat and take land-based tours, either arranging them through the cruise line or bargaining with taxi and van drivers and guides just off the dock for a slightly better price.
Trips at the three ports of call might include a chance to go to an aquarium and swim with dolphins, tour a tequila factory, shop in town, stroll the beach, and participate in numerous outdoors activities such as snorkeling, parasailing and golfing.
There are, however, downsides.
There are times when cruise-ship passengers can overwhelm a port. Rumors run rampant that local merchants and vendors double their prices on days when they know a big ship is coming into town. Finding something authentic about a new country with so many folks can be difficult.
"Cruising isn't for everyone," said Anderson. "Some people prefer more of a land-based vacation where they can go into town, wander around, experience a village in the evening and take hikes and walks. Some people love a beach vacation where they can come and go from their rooms at will."
Many cruise enthusiasts enjoy meeting new people from around the world, something that often happens at meals where strangers sometimes are seated together.
Ships such as the Carnival Pride also hire staff from all over the world. According to the ship's captain, Italian Roberto Volpi, the Pride's staff of 920 for 2,100 passengers represents more than 50 countries and nearly every race, culture and religion.
"Why shouldn't the whole world be like this?" he asked cruise passengers. "Go home and spread the spirit."
Wait staff like Fatima Musajeva from Lithuania and Erol Eskil from Turkey can turn a gourmet meal into a lesson in culture with a little entertainment thrown in on the side. Passengers get to know the staff because they usually sit at the same table each night. By the third day of the cruise, Musajeva and Eskil knew the dining quirks of each of the nine people sitting at their table.
The whole cruise experience is designed to simulate luxury for the masses. There are Las Vegas-style review shows, art in the lounges and restaurants, fancy carpet, state-of-the-art casinos and turned-back bed sheets - plus mints - each night.
"With fantastic luxury and top class entertainment onboard, today's cruises have seen the voyage itself being the attraction rather than the geographic cruise destinations," according to www.cruiseworking.com. "Gone are the days of catering for the elite. This industry is geared up for the masses."
Contact Tom Wharton at wharton@sltrib.com or 801-257-8909. |
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