The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has handed out ten notices of violation to eight separate cruise ships. The Alaska cruise lines cited were Celebrity, International Shipping Partners, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America and Royal Caribbean.
To put things in perspective, out of 224 readings taken, only ten showed results that were in violation. Still, only two citations were handed out last year. The trend is definitely not in the right direction, and hopefully the Alaska cruise lines will take action to reverse them.
How are ships selected to be evaluated? The DEC uses a random process to select them, but guests can also complain about a specific ship. With enough effort and oversight, the Alaska cruise lines should be able to completely remove any violations under the air quality standards.
Source: Fairbanks Daily News
Reaching down under for an update, The Age of Australia reports on plummeting demand in the number of Australians booking Alaska cruises. The numbers aren’t pretty!
According to their reporting, only 10,000 Australians may cruise the Inside Passage in 2009, a startling decrease of 50% from 2007.
Cruise Express, an Australia travel agency specializing in Alaska cruises, states that while it took more than 60 customers to Alaska in 2008, it has canceled its 2009 trip due to lack of interest.
What’s causing this huge crash in demand?
In addition to the economic problems the whole world is experiencing, the Australian dollar has also been heavily hit, which means tours for Australians priced in US dollars are much more expensive. Another likely cause is that the older guests that more typically book an Alaskan cruise have been more heavily affected by the stock market’s impact on their retirement savings.
It’s not good news for the Alaska cruise lines, who are already struggling to fill their ships for the summer season.
Source: The Age
The good folks at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution report on a bit of bright light for the Alaska cruise industry. Apparently the aggressive deals and discounts they have been offering have resulted in a huge rush of customers.
Princess Cruises set new records for daily booking by recording an increase in volume of 17 percent over its previous best day. Their Alaska cruise specials have been some of the most aggressive, and I’m sure they are grateful for the response.
A welcome development is that the fuel supplement charges of last year have been eliminated across the board. The lower price of oil has lowered the costs for the cruise lines, and they’re happily passing their savings on to their guests.
Going against the grain, Royal Caribbean has many of its passengers up in arms over a recently announced $3.95 fee for late night room service orders. It will be interesting to see if they make the fee stick, or are forced to roll it back.
Anyone looking for an excellent Alaska cruise deal should find a lot of great options this season.
Source: The Altanta Journal-Constitution
American Safaris Cruises is well known for its luxury Alaska cruises. Its long time former CEO, Dan Blanchard, will be back in charge as his new holding company, InnerSea Discoveries, purchases the small ship operator. The new management will be in effect beginning with the 2009 Alaska cruise season.
Blanchard has committed to maintaining American Safari Cruises’ strong focus on natural history and environmental education for all of its Alaska cruise tours. Their ships are some of the smallest operating Alaska cruise routes, only carrying between ten and forty passengers. Because of their small size, their guests enjoy a far more intimate, flexibly itinerary featuring active shore excursions and the finest cuisine.
Their prices are competitive for the luxury Alaska cruise market, starting at about $4,495 per person. If you can afford it, an Alaskan cruise with American Safari Cruises is sure to be a memorable one!
Source: USA Today
As reported by the Calgary Herald, Royal Caribbean claims it’s not the crushing recession or low bookings that have forced it to take Serenades of the Sea off the Alaska cruise market. No, it’s high taxes!
I guess it sounds better than simply saying your prices are too high to fill all of your ships.
It’s true that Alaskan cruising is made a lot more expensive by the head taxes charged for each passenger, not to mention local taxes and fees, corporate taxes, gaming taxes and the cost of marine pilots.
But all of these factors have existed for years, a period when more and more ships were brought online. 2008 was a record year for Alaskan cruising–and profits!
Just high taxes? I’m not buying it. Over capacity, plain and simple. Royal Caribbean might have more luck offering more aggressive Alaska cruise deals.
Source: Calgary Herald
