Howie wrote:

HDawson228 wrote:

Folks. It's a business. Revinue enhancement is part of it. Many of the
cruising public had shown they want larger and larger ships. The only
revinue
enhancements being added are "personal choice options". I like options.



What about the options for something smaller? What about options from
the standard content? What about options for something that bucks the trend?

Folks. I don't test drive a car thinking it is a business. I drive a car
and feel how the door slams, the overall quality of materials, the
clarity and feel of the instruments, the dynamic qualities, the sounds a
car makes or does not make, I notice if the car is fun to drive or not.
BMW somehow makes quality, innovative cars and is a successful business.
It's mind-boggling to me how many business apologists there are when
customers bring up that *some feel* cruise lines are turning into
formulaic schlock shops and don't find all of the new developments in
the industry (which are fast becoming tired ideas) to be the cat's meow.
Being a business isn't an excuse for lowering quality, dumbing down a
product, treating customers like kids who need a new toy to be wowed
rather than adults who may want a more enriching experience at least on
one or two ships in your fleet that you, yourself, provided at one point.

And what bothers me about the business apologists is how many people
apologize for teachers when their child doesn't learn and something is
perceived to be wrong with how the teacher teaches? How many people say
teachers are educators with many stresses and job issues to deal with?
How many people talk of the many hours a teacher spends preparing
lessons, marking papers, spending their time and money in refresher
courses, doing research on their topics? And, how do people react when
their trains are late and the air conditioning is malfunctioning. Do
they talk about trains being a utility and the function of utilities? Do
they talk about the state of the tracks, signals, the parts for the
train that keep them operating, suppliers, contractors and
subcontractors that keep trains rolling? Subsidies from government?
Rarely. Often, we hear the trains are late and people are late to work
and they are uncomfortable on the trains because the a/c is down. So why
oh why do we constantly have to hear ad nauseum that cruise lines are
businesses. They are doing something some customers don't like and they
are setting examples in the industry due to most of the options in the
industry come from two corporations. They can make any crap they want in
the name of revenue enhancements and profits, but, majority opinion or
not, if some of us think it is crap, let us call it crap. We *know* it
is a business, and we also know some businesses give us quality and
pride and *commitment* to a tradition in their products and upholding
standards they have set, others go in a trendy, for-volume direction.


I know it's a business, and I know that revenue enhancement is part of
this. One way to enhance revenue is to charge somewhat higher prices
for a product that is different from, and really superior to, others in
the same category.


Superior things come out of the wanting for superior things. When ships
were at their highest development governments, due to not wanting to
having other countries produce grander vessels, heavily invested in
ships. The investment was for the greatness of product, not necessarily
for double-digit growth. Now, it's more about the investors than it is
the customers. And many investors, let's face it, don't give a damn
about the product, just how it performs financially. They could put cows
on the ships and milk them in lounges for all they care, as long as the
industry expands and their stock value goes up.

Well you know something folks. We, the consumers, invest in the cruise
line. Not only money but time. We invest time in talking about cruises.
Time in recommending them to others. Time in assessing them and writing
reviews about them. Time with our spirits affected by what goes on
aboard them.

Are there limits? How many ships should there be? How low should prices
go? How much of the product's value should be compromised in terms of a
flavor of crew (Jamaican bartenders for example), ship maintenance,
options within the line in terms of ship vintage and size and just how
much ship a portion of a line's loyal customers want, cuisine quality?)

There's perceived quality. There's creativity. There's effective use of
formula for an end that is financial. There's ways of blending all
considerations. There's setting standards and settling on a standard.
Right now, a certain standard will do in a certain sized package.

I applaud those that say they want a higher standard, more variety, more
creativity from those providing what we use.

Ben S.

Howie