Suite Natured Cruise Cast | Cruise Chat & News

When Cruises Disappoint | Cruise Cast Ep 42

• Linzi & Mark - Suite Natured • Season 2 • Episode 16

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In this episode, Linzi and Mark discuss the often overlooked topic of disappointing cruises. They explore the gap between expectations and reality, share personal experiences of disappointment, and delve into service quality and standards across different cruise lines. The conversation also touches on recent cruise news, including P&O's controversial changes to their adult-only ships and Virgin's new fare structure, which has sparked significant backlash. The episode concludes with updates on Marella's ship developments, leaving listeners with insights and reflections on their own cruising experiences.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Disappointing Cruises
01:11 Expectations vs. Reality in Cruising
02:39 Personal Experiences of Disappointment
07:13 Service Quality and Standards
12:05 Finding Your Safe Space on a Cruise
16:39 Cruise News: P&O's Controversial Changes
23:15 Virgin's New Fare Structure
31:46 Marella's New Ship Developments

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Cheers, and have a lovely day
Linzi & Mark

Linzi:

Welcome to episode 42 of the Suite Natured Cruise cast. Hi, I'm Linz. As always, I'm joined by Marky.

Mark :

Hello.

Linzi:

Hello, and today we're talking what to do when a cruise disappoints you. But first, a little mood music.

Mark :

What did you think to today's intro music?

Linzi:

I think that's Christmas number two.

Mark :

Ooh. Well, the full version of the song can be heard at the end of it, and it's a really good song. It's very catchy. It's very cruising muggles again. I was inspired by sort of Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift and that sort of stuff. Nice. Yeah. Um shall we And a bit of Dolly, I feel. A little bit of Dolly in the colour. I don't think you can have any sort of country trap, modern or classic, and it not have a little bit of dolly in if it's a female singer. I think it's just impossible.

Linzi:

We all need a little bit of dolly in us.

Mark :

We do. Shall we move on to what we're doing in the cruise cast?

Linzi:

Oh, disappointing cruises.

Mark :

Yeah. We've also got some cruise news as well, as always. No cruise confession.

Linzi:

Because we're saving them up.

Mark :

Not just because we're saving them up, but because it's an early morning within it.

Linzi:

It is an early morning and you know what? You know the deal.

Mark :

Even on coffee this morning.

Linzi:

And I have to go to work.

Mark :

Well, shall we kick off with disappointing cruises? Because you mentioned this on the live stream.

Linzi:

I feel it's a good subject.

Mark :

What has prompted you to do this?

Linzi:

It's when you know when you when you build one of those things up in your mind and then and then you get there and it happens and you're like, huh. Why is this thing not as amazing as the thing that I thought this thing was going to be?

Mark :

Yeah, where it doesn't live up to the expectations.

Linzi:

Yeah.

Mark :

Yeah.

Linzi:

And Rose Tinted.

Mark :

Is it rose tinted glasses? I think it's rose tinted glasses if you've been on it before and remembered it different to what it was.

Linzi:

Yeah. And when I I haven't reached that stage yet.

Mark :

I think we have to a degree, but we'll come back to that in a second.

Linzi:

Maybe. It's where where you dream and and then it happens.

Mark :

And the dream didn't come true.

Linzi:

And the dream didn't didn't deliver.

Mark :

Now, don't get me wrong, this might come across as a bit of a a more negative one. Because we don't really do negative ones on it. And I would rather be on a disappointing cruise than no cruise. This is true. Um but as you said, you build them up. Sometimes you've waited years to get on them.

Linzi:

Yep, we had.

Mark :

And then when it doesn't work out when it doesn't it's a bit frustrating.

Linzi:

But is it is it satisfying? Is that what I'm saying?

Mark :

Well it doesn't satisfy, maybe it is. It's definitely disappointing.

Linzi:

Doesn't scratch you itch.

Mark :

But what I thought we'd do is we'd talk about some examples we've had, and then there's a news story that broke just a couple of days ago, um, where we've had um one of our communities get in touch about it. It also went massive over social media. Oh yes, it's just I've seen it, I know it, so it's not a surprise to me.

Linzi:

No, well I love the responses.

Mark :

I I feel that it's at this point now practically impossible to have not seen online uh even if you're not a fan of this cruise line. But let's kick off with some examples of ourselves where something's disappointed. And I'm gonna go back a bit of distance as opposed to just the most recent.

Linzi:

Oh, I was gonna do the Wayne sort of thing. No, no, I can't do it now. I can't do it now.

Mark :

Anyway, it's fine. You that's that's so you. There it is. Um NCL NCL? Yeah. When we went on Epic, that was after many fantastic cruises one after another, which were right at the early part of our cruise our cruise lives. Yeah. Um where we we'd been on Royal Caribbean a lot, we'd also just done Disney.

Linzi:

Mm-hmm.

Mark :

And then the next one was epic. I can I can I can Was it epic?

Linzi:

It was no.

Mark :

What do you think was it about that particular cruise that disappointed so much?

Linzi:

I didn't know we were going this far back. I feel I Well, Dr. Mark.

Mark :

Um cruise therapy.

Linzi:

I I was It was just the the service didn't seem to feel the same as Royal Caribbean's. Um do you remember they were clearing the plates and we were still eating?

Mark :

Yeah.

Linzi:

Um the there was the towel situation, um, where you had to book out towels and then people stole your towels and then you had to like defend the towel longer. Um it was just it was just it didn't feel the same. It felt like a more not as premium as Royal Caribbean. This is way back when in in these times in these times.

Mark :

Yeah. And I think that was one of those ones where we'd built up an expectation from being on a couple of different cruise lines. To what it would be like. To what it was. So it wasn't specifically a fault of NCL. Because for all we know, that's just what that was like. And if that had been our first cruise experience We wouldn't have expected any different. We wouldn't have been disappointed by it because we wouldn't have known. No one that would we have been as enthralled by cruising? It's impossible for us to say. No, we don't. That might have just been the bar at that point. And then when we went on Disney and Royal Caribbean, it may have been raised. Yeah. Um but I think because we did it in reverse. And I think that's the problem that a lot of people have with maybe trying a different cruise line.

Linzi:

Yeah. I think you're paying your you're ha you you're paying your hard-earned cash and you want to make sure you've maybe you've got you know, if you if if you're working, you've got limited holiday days and you'll leave, um it's a big risk for actually doing it when you know a certain thing is a certain way.

Mark :

However, well, it's you get some people who um we were part of these people in quotes. Oh, these people who stick with their cruise line for a long time. Yeah, our our first however many cruises were just Royal Caribbean because we were very happy with it. So we thought, well, what's the point in trying something else? Yeah. Uh it works for us, it it works for our child at the time, everything ticks a box. So what what's the point in having that move?

Linzi:

Dabbling with something else.

Mark :

And it's only when something then isn't as good on that same line or standards deteriorate over a long time.

Linzi:

Maybe we just So we went back on Royal Caribbean. I feel we need to sort of Yeah, absolutely pick this up. So we went back on Royal Caribbean recently.

Mark :

And it fell on independence of the three. Yeah. That that's a ship that was what, 2008, I think? 2007, 2008. So it's not a new ship.

Linzi:

No, similar age to me.

Mark :

Yeah, it's virtually the same age as you. Um not sure what that makes me at this point, it's only 2008. But we have been on ships that are older recently as well, such as Ambassador. Um where it's not necessarily the age of the ship that's the problem.

Linzi:

No.

Mark :

It's the it was Do you want to expand a little bit on what it was that It disappointed us.

Linzi:

This is what we're talking about. It disappointed us. The the the the feeling wasn't there, what we expected. We'd also it was also like we had we had a group of people on there because we're like, come back with us, we've always loved Royal Caribbean, and we were like, what the actual beep is is this?

Mark :

Because um What was the first point in the chip? Children, all the children I didn't say what was it specifically. I mean that that links into the other story in a minute, but um what was the first bit when we got on that disappointed? Because I have to say the key getting on and we were on the ship by 10.45. We were like, this is great. One of the first people on the ship. We once sat in the terminal more than two, three minutes at the moment.

Linzi:

We only sat down a couple of minutes, yeah.

Mark :

So that bit I was like, oh, this is good.

Linzi:

I tell you when, I tell you when I were like, oh no.

Mark :

Is when you went, oh no.

Linzi:

When you went, oh no, is when we went to lunch, we had the key lunch.

Mark :

We did, yeah.

Linzi:

They've to put us a lovely table together for everybody.

Mark :

Yeah, we all got to sit together. We all got to sit together. There were no problem with that whatsoever. So far so good.

Linzi:

So far so good is when we wanted to make some dining reservations, some specialty dining reservations with um.

Mark :

And you have a dedicated concierge as part of the key who who does all that for you. It wasn't that we were asking for anything special. That's what and then came Mount Tools for us. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Linzi:

And we wanted to sort of merge some bookings, and everybody on the group knows this. No, they were there. Um, and we're like, okay, well, um, Stu and Karen are booked um in Giovanni's on this night at this time, we'd all like to join them. They're happy about that.

Mark :

Um, we didn't just stand push.

Linzi:

Yeah, we we all want to have a lovely dinner together, can you? Yes. Scrappy piece of paper, writing down Um So no no princess beep beep boop.

Mark :

Beep beep boop. You mean that it didn't there weren't embracing technology?

Linzi:

There's no embracing technology.

Mark :

I would like to point out I know someone else who prefers a pen and paper who's not sat more than two feet away from me.

Linzi:

Look. If I like a pen and paper, but I'm not gonna be so scrappy about it when I'm speaking to a I'm gonna at least have a clipboard. I'm gonna have a clipboard when I go and speak to people and to take their book in. So it looks like I'm not writing it on the clip. I'm a professional clipboard person.

Mark :

She didn't have a clipboard.

Linzi:

She did no, she basically had a scrappy bit of paper that could have been like a bar mat. And um wrote down the numbers. And then went, right, okay, okay. And then what about this night? Right, scrappy piece of paper, blah blah blah.

Mark :

And it And to be fair, it weren't just the one booking, there were sort of three or four. We we booked a couple of new ones as well. Um so what was the problem then with that?

Linzi:

None of the bookings like the bookings. We were booked on with somebody called Stacy Tracy and Macy.

Mark :

There were they want Mercy. I think there was Sharon. There was definitely a Sharon. So they managed to get every single part of that. And to the degree that collectively we all had to go out of guest services and speak to various people, probably three or four times.

Linzi:

Oh, we all had different times for dinner.

Mark :

Right, and every time they said it were resolved, it got more wrong. And you're like, how can it be this difficult to get a table of ten in five different cabins together?

Linzi:

Um and then when we arrived, so then we went to Chops, we had a lovely dinner.

Mark :

We did, yeah. Uh well that were just us and Stephen Heather. So there were only four of us on the show.

Linzi:

Yeah, but we were ready for a fight.

Mark :

Well, because on that one, the the one got us down with Stephen Heather, the us down for it. No still room.

Linzi:

We got us some down with somebody else. Um so we turned up at Chops and they're like, and we were like, here, and oh yes. And they don't this is the thing about the technology as well. It's all stateroom number because they don't know your name.

Mark :

No, they don't.

Linzi:

It's all you're all just a number on Royal Caribbean.

Mark :

Well, uh that's not a problem with Royal Caribbean. That that's the bigger trip. So you're not going to get that same level of personal service that you do on the internet. They cheat. They do cheat. They've got a device which literally then pops up on the screen and says this is Lindsay Mark.

Linzi:

I would describe that as ethical cheating.

Mark :

Ethical cheating.

Linzi:

Yeah.

Mark :

Okay. Because it's helping Well, they're using technology to to help people.

Linzi:

People use technology for ethical cheating all the time.

Mark :

I'm sure they do, but that isn't the subject of this conversation. Anywho. Anywho. So you say that they use the state rooms. Yeah, you're a number. You're basically a number. But to be fair, when we got in there It was right. It was right. And and the the food and shops were fantastic.

Linzi:

And the service was amazing and it was a lovely, lovely experience. Um it was we had a really, really lovely evening. I want to say that was the most um professional dinner, service-wise and delivery-wise.

Mark :

I think, yeah, if you bundle it all together, the quality of the food, the the service, and just everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But we paid a massive premium for that. Yeah, we did. Because Chops is not cheap, it's a lot more expensive than I remember as well. So I think that was like £45.

Linzi:

So what so so that we we liked that, so we were prepared in respect of what to do with a disappointing cruise. We were prepared we didn't have receipts because they don't do that, because as it's just ridiculous. And we we handled that.

Mark :

Yeah.

Linzi:

Giovanni's, on the other hand, these are all speciality diningers, yeah, that you're paying the premium for. That was crazy. It I c crazy.

Mark :

Yeah, I mean, we won't go into that too much on A1, because I don't want to spoil the review that we're gonna do, that's gonna be a good review. But also it'll take up the next 24 of this, and that's all we'll draw. Well, we will just say that it's right down there as one of our worst speciality dining experiences, and everything that we just praised chops is the exact reverse. Yeah. Um and that's when there were eight, ten of us? Ten of us. Ten of us, yeah. Um so that that was sort of very frustrating from that point of view. But there were other elements of it that we were disappointed at on the cruise that and I think going back to what you said right at the start, it's not rose tinted glasses. I think there was an element of rose tinted glasses for us because I don't I think now for me personally.

Linzi:

I'm I'm I'm I'm not doing that. People are just gonna think you did that to me and to live.

Mark :

But but if they watch the live stream, they'll know that that's it.

Linzi:

No, what I'm saying is we were talking about what to do on the diff on the disappointing cruise. I think our advice is find a safe space. Find a bar or a lounge or something. Or a lounge or a dinner venue that is your safe space. Yeah. And stay and just go there.

Mark :

No, not every cruise line has that.

Linzi:

Go stay in your cabin.

Mark :

Well, one of the bits that we'd the reason that we're talking about from from that perspective is because we'd booked this cruise law cabin, we know firsthand, because that's why we used to love them so much, is a family cruise line. But we'd booked it in term time, expecting there to be less children than normal, and therefore not to be as chaotic in things like the windjammer, queuing up stuff, not having kids, going up and down the elevators, pressing every button.

Linzi:

Children's party rather than a a sophisticated children.

Mark :

No, okay, but some of the children are incredibly well behaved and parents looked after them, some of them more foul. Yeah. Um but we weren't expecting there to be over 100% capacity on a ship and over 750 children during term time. No. Um and therefore maybe that's our adults' pool.

Linzi:

We hid in the adults' pool. But the kids, when they they can walk through it as a walkway.

Mark :

They can that's like a dead end one, like on someone's like on like the Oasis class wet slower's in the back.

Linzi:

No, it was it was like they took forever to walk through there because they could they knew it was adults on. They were like, oh, we're in the world.

Mark :

Yeah, but we'd done that as kids. Where when it's like go to bed and you take three hours to walk up the stairs.

Linzi:

Yeah, it was like that. I'm walking through the adults area. Look at me. I'm not supposed to be here, but I'm here.

Mark :

To be fair, we were in the hot topic.

Linzi:

Oh, when they went over the bridge. The did you didn't need to go over the bridge. I'm going over the bridge.

Mark :

Are you honestly saying as a kid you want to go over that bridge? I would have definitely goosticks on that bridge. But when the did see children in there for any significant period of time, they were ushered out on it. Sometimes to the protest of the parents, but it's like it's an adult only.

Linzi:

We went for a like a an after dinner hot tub because that's what we like to do, and just have a little chill. Um and one child was walking through, I'd say he was about twelve, yeah, in that difficult age, sat down on the lounger and just stared at us.

Mark :

That was so vandal.

Linzi:

Well, that don't feel weird at all. It it was very weird. It was very weird. It was even weird. No, his dad then came down and sat on the side of him.

Mark :

Yeah, but then the the mum and daughter appeared, and then a few minutes later a member of staff appeared as well. It's adults only in here, and at this time. Yeah. Um, yeah, well done Tom from that. Let's talk about some other disappointing ones, because this was the one that Martin sent over uh earlier this week, and there's no way we could record that this week and not talk about it. It fits into that.

Linzi:

And is this part of cruise news too?

Mark :

No, no, this isn't even cruise news. It's part of the disappointing cruise news. Okay.

Linzi:

Okay, Madge.

Mark :

Because PO announced this week. So this is cruise news. Yeah, but it's not in the cruise news. It's part of disappointing, but because Martin's ease easing us into cruise news. Easing into cruise news. Okay. But it was sent over because Martin heard you on the live stream saying what we were talking about. Okay. They booked onto um I can't remember if they said Arcadia or Aurora on PR, which are the adults-only cruise ships. For the PR line, yeah. PO is a generally speaking multi-generational cruise line. Most of its cruises, including Britannia, so not just the big ships. Yeah, yeah. It's still big, yeah. But it has two older, smaller ships, Arcadia and Aurora, that it made adults only. Um people love. And people absolutely love the two of their favourite ships. Sure, the need a bit of TLC in some of them, and some of them have just had that. Yeah. Um, but people book onto those specifically because there are no children on them. Now this isn't I saw some of the things in social media yesterday where there were people being extreme on both sides, which is always the case on social media, but where people were saying, Oh well, you know, why be children haters? or you know, what what's the problem? I don't think it's about people being children haters. Uh some of the people we see on adult all the ships, in including Virgin, including when we've been on uh other ones like Windstar on it. It's not that they're children haters, a lot of them have children on there. It's to be fair and blunt, they're having a break.

Linzi:

Yeah.

Mark :

Um and they don't they don't want children.

Linzi:

They don't want them.

Mark :

I don't think that for like us on royal cabinet. Yeah, for us on royal cabin, it was just a case that there were far more children on there than we expected. And that's on us for picking a stupid uh a cruise where that could have happened. We could have picked an adult only and we wouldn't have had that problem. So that's our our issue. Did it disappointed, but it it's our problem. If I booked out for next year, because this is when this changes, so this is less than a year away for the 2026-27 season, they've added uh 20 of the cruises for Aurora and Arcadia, which will now be family ones. So for the first time ever, they're allowing children on it. Now, the problem that I've got with that is if I'd booked that out, specifically you book those ships because maybe you like the smaller ship. That might be a reason. But you also probably booked it because it's an adult only. Yeah, yeah. And then all of a sudden there's children going on.

Linzi:

Yeah.

Mark :

But the other big problem, those ships are not geared for children.

Linzi:

No, they're not.

Mark :

They have no children's play areas, they have no clubs. So what are the children gonna go do on there? It's not gonna be fun for them. There's no splash zones, there's no high wire, there's no slides.

Linzi:

I want to know what data they took. I know I'm gonna go a bit nerdy here, but what feedback data did they take in order for people to say Aurora and Arcadia should be have children on? Have PNO just went, oh, we can increase capacity and therefore increase revenue by having small people in the rooms by banging in some sofa beds and that will increase revenue.

Mark :

Yeah.

Linzi:

Um Or have they got the data to say this is what the guest wants? I think it's probably let's how do we increase capacity on these ships without building any more bigger ships?

Mark :

Obviously, we've not sat in any operational meetings with PR. So it is us purely speculating.

Linzi:

Purely speculating because we're not all I was going to say something really weird then. What were you saying? Oh n about my teeth and another part of me, and that we don't just think about things we we look at things in a a in a business corporate sense as well. We come at it at a different angle.

Mark :

So I'm now look thinking about that from purely from a business corporate point of view. I think what they did was wrong. I think if they wanted to change it to that, they should have waited till the next booking cycle. Yeah. Not for people who've already booked. No. And giving the options to change, which they have, yeah, might be well and good, but people might not bear to change to different times.

Linzi:

Do you know who I feel sorry for? The poor, poor social media person that has to go back with the comments, who has to respond to all the comments.

Mark :

Social media yesterday were was absolute chaos for them.

Linzi:

And it was almost like the way they were responding was like like if you watch a really traumatic TV show and then the ch then the channel then puts on if you've been affected by anything in this this programme, please contact us. And that's what they went back with.

Mark :

It is, yeah. Every time they were a copy and paste answer, which it's a big corporation, isn't it?

Linzi:

They didn't put a statement out. They didn't say it was a big thing.

Mark :

Well, they were just saying this is just a matter of fact. It was such a big change. The the problem that I've got with it is that the and I'll go back to my reasons in a second. I'm assuming I didn't check the specific date, so apologies for that. But I'm assuming that all these ones that they've made the 20 are during school holidays, that would make sense. That they've not suddenly made them family focused when it's in term time.

Linzi:

No, but that'd be why Christmas is affected them.

Mark :

Yeah.

Linzi:

So people who go for a kids-free Christmas.

Mark :

Yeah. But also, if for instance I worked in a school which I don't.

Linzi:

No.

Mark :

But if I did.

Linzi:

A lot do that, go on that time.

Mark :

And I had to go in school holidays. Yeah. It's not just the parents, but people who work in the school. You don't want to be surrounded by other people. You want to be surrounded by five hundred children. No. Probably not. They're probably as keen to get an adult-only cruise as anyone. Yeah. They're probably going to be incredibly disappointed. Now I going back to the business side of it, I think it is absolutely as simple as the other ships are are sold out, which they are, generally speaking, the big ships, they sell out on pretty much every cruise during summer holidays and school holidays and Christmas. The smaller ships, Arcadian Aurora, don't necessarily sell out every time. So they can sell them out and they can get more money per state room, which is what you touched on. If you can get three or four people in there, and even if you give the children it for free, or half price or a third, or whatever, you know, buy one, get one free type thing, then they're still going to spend more money on board. So your revenue per sailing is going to go up. And we do know, there's been plenty of discussions about this in the past on here and elsewhere. And it likes profit. And if it can make more money per sailing, then why would it not do? And that isn't painting them as this evil corporation. They are a business, they're there to make money. Um but I think there's ways and means to it. If they wanted to change the two ships into multi-generational ships, and that'd fit the rest of the brand. These are the two outliers. If they changed it, then just do it from the tw the 27-28 season. Yeah. Give people notice now that these are going to change. People will mourn. And what they might find is that volume was so loud of people mourning that they might keep one of them. Yeah. And that'd sell out every time then. Yeah. Change the other one into it. Also gives them enough time to go to dry dock to put stuff in there for children. Because right now, if you're taking a young kid on there, what is there for them to do on Arcade and Aurora compared to the bigger ships? Dominoes. And bridge. So I I'm not feeling that it's going to be necessarily the best thing for the children.

Linzi:

Yeah.

Mark :

Anything else you want to discuss on disappointing cruises?

Linzi:

Well, I don't feel we've helped today, to be honest with you. This wasn't about helping.

Mark :

This was about sort of a therapy session. You know what? I think you're right. And I guarantee, you know, if you've had a a cruise that's been disappointed, let us know in the comments. Uh tell us what was it that you expected. Was it those tinted glasses that you remembered it different to what it was? Is it that it it's dropped down? Um we we had someone reach out to us on uh Instagram yesterday who had been watching our Ambassador series. They are platinum level on QNAR, and they've said that the services dropped down. So going back to what I said, that they've stuck with it for a long time, but they've gone, it's just not what it was anymore. Yeah. So they were going to try Ambassador now.

Linzi:

That's that's lovely. That's lovely. I think they'll be really pleasantly surprised.

Mark :

There might not be for you.

Linzi:

No, and I bet it's two for one in pricing as well, from what I bet it's even less.

Mark :

It is probably cheaper than it was what they're looking at, but uh that's not the reason behind it. It wasn't what it was anymore from start trading on your name and nothing wrong with doing that. Shall we have some cruise news? Yes. And there is some disappointing cruise news in here. Oh. As you might have expected from this. So we're recording this on uh the 8th of October. Yesterday, the 7th, Virgin introduced formally its controversial new fare scheme. Now, the there's been a lot of sort of pushback on this from sort of Virgin cruisers who've been sailing with the the line since inception. Um but just to cover off what it is they did and then get your thoughts on it, they've now set three fare levels for every one. Yeah. Every option. Yeah. That's for CTOS and below. This doesn't affect Rockstar and uh Mega Rockstar. So they've got something called a base fair. Yeah. Where sailors choose the most value-driven option. So again, you we see this with the likes of MSC. Yeah, yeah. It's just Virgin have never done this, they've always just had one level. So it's a non-refundable fair.

Linzi:

Okay.

Mark :

Virgin's always allowed you to either refund or or change or change it. It now introduces a new basic Wi-Fi, which is even worse than the normal one. Yeah. Uh, and just for one device per sailor, which is just for social media messaging and as they class it like browsing. Yeah. Not sure what that means these days. Dining reservations only open 15 days before sailing. Yeah. And you can't make any changes to the booking, such as names, cabins, dates. Okay. At all. It's a locked-in bank. I understand. You see this on budget airlines, you see it on other cruise lines, just not them. The essential fare, that's pretty much closest to what we've got now. Yeah. Um, it includes the classic Wi-Fi. Yeah. Uh still one device per sailing. Option includes 45-day dining reservations, um, along with flexibility to adjust the voyage dates using a future viewage voyage credit. So they give you that back. Name changes are allowed for sailors two through four. So not the primary one, but the other ones. And I think that is what it what it is now, but I won't swear blind to that. And then for those seeking even more perks, they've introduced the premium fare, which delivers elevated benefits. So it lets C tourists and below book in for 60 days reservation windows, which that was previously only open for the suite guests. Okay. So you get that in there. Um, however, the suite guests can now book it even earlier, so it don't really make any difference. No. Um the also includes premium Wi-Fi. Uh and we've had that one, we've been on there, and it it is decent. It includes a bar tab each day. Nice. Only very small, it's not like Mega Rockstar, but it includes enough to get a drink each day. And priority support for pre-voyage bookings to make any changes that you need to. They've also stripped out gratuities.

Linzi:

Okay.

Mark :

Gratuities were always included as well. Yeah, they were, yeah. Yeah, they do this. So if you pay it in advance, it's now a separate line item. Okay. So when you look at the booking, I understand. It now doesn't include gratuities. Yeah. Of which is $20 per sale per day. Wow. So it's not cheap. No. Uh I think on um Low Carbine we've just had that were $18. Okay. So it is more expensive. Um and if you pay it on board, that's if you pay in advance, if it's on board, it's $22. Wow. Um and again, that that's to all three of those levels not shown there. Now, the CEO said that travellers have have said to them that this is what they want. And the ex bla ex uh want clarity and choice, and Virgin is simply making it more simple. Yeah. And it's pricing model. And it's not about gimmicks or making more money. Now, to be fair, the price If you compare light for like what they were two days ago to what they're like now, they're pretty much the same. Yeah. If you go light for light. So if you went in that middle tier, then it it's pretty much the same as it is now. Even with the the gratuities paid on board. I don't think it'll necessarily stay that way forever.

Linzi:

I but you know what? I've said it before, I'll say it again. They should have just split out the per person pricing so it what didn't look a scary amount when you costed it. Because people if they costing a cruise or even costing a holiday to that extent, expect it to be per person pricing, not per room pricing, unless they're booking a hotel.

Mark :

I know you've said this before, and I'm done I'm not saying I disagree with you, but on the Virgin website, you can per sailor, not per virgin.

Linzi:

It doesn't do it.

Mark :

It defaults to per cabin for the pricing. But it says if you'd like to see it per sailor, do it per sailor.

Linzi:

Do it per sailor and watch your click through conversion guard.

Mark :

I would if I were them default it to per sailor, but have it per cabin that you can change it to if you want to.

Linzi:

If you've got that facility with your website, then okay. But just have it per sailor.

Mark :

It's been really interesting to watch the social media on this and the various groups, because people are genuinely not happy with Virgin for doing this and it they seem a little bit unusually for Virgin, who are normally incredibly listen to the customer focus. Yeah. They seem a little bit blinkered on this.

Linzi:

I don't know. But can I just say I know that I know they pitch themselves as a it's like a hotel. You have this hotel philosophy, and that's um that's why check-ins later into your room, check-outs later, it's like you allocated a room, not select a room. Yeah, yeah, this hotel thing. So they're like, oh, the hotel pricing is per room. Yes. And people expect that and the then that's how they're wired. When it comes to a holiday or a cruise, they like to do it.

Mark :

I think I'd dwelling on that point too. Because it's just too Yeah, but you can change it anywhere. And that isn't what they've changed.

Linzi:

I don't want to change it. I want it to do it automatically for me. I just want it to show me how much is it gonna be.

Mark :

Let's move on from that before you uh you have a smell down about it.

Linzi:

I'm very red today.

Mark :

You are, aren't you? Um I can see them changing the super in the future. It's a full moon. It's a supermoon. Oh, it's an end of a supermoon. The end of a supermoon. Let's have cruising route number two. Uh Star Princess has named its new godmother.

Linzi:

And father.

Mark :

Yeah, it's got godparents. He's got godparents in the house.

Linzi:

I I know it's Matthew McConaughey. I can't remember his wife's name.

Mark :

Camilla.

Linzi:

Camilla. Ooh, fabulous. Um and I know they've got tequila, so I've I I really like it.

Mark :

And do you approve of this message?

Linzi:

I I t I tt bless 'em.

Mark :

Can you think of another ship that's got godparents? I was trying to think of this. I didn't do any research, I was just trying to think of it. I couldn't think of any.

Linzi:

No, but I love it.

Mark :

I I like the idea of it.

Linzi:

And I wonder, oh, this is the I wonder if they'll smash a bottle of their tequila on the ship rather than name in it. Yeah.

Mark :

Oh. Oh, where's the tequila? I wonder if we can get below with a glass right now.

Linzi:

Oh yeah, well they have to make a special glass, don't they, to put it so it smashes elevated.

Mark :

But I write Does it have to be champagne full?

Linzi:

Well, it's probably going to be wine in ancient times. It's probably something you'd sort of toast the thing or How'd I can do that? Or m me.

Mark :

Smash a tequila ball. There you there you go. Uh Princess Piara.

Linzi:

I'm sure they've thought of it. I don't think it's just. I don't think so.

Mark :

I don't think it was. Sky thinking.

Linzi:

Sky think No, I'm I'm dark sky.

Mark :

Sky thinking. You'd be like, put it in a margarita. Do a 24 carat margarita and smash that against it.

Linzi:

No, oh, they should have the margarita tree.

Mark :

We've not tried the tequila yet. We need to try that.

Linzi:

Margarita tree, there you go.

Mark :

Yeah. Not a champagne tree.

Linzi:

No champagne tree too. Margarita trees. Oh, margarita. Oh yes.

Mark :

I bet they've not thought of that.

Linzi:

Um you can have that for free.

Mark :

Yeah. Um Well done. I th I think it it's nice to have Godparents, and I'm sure it's not.

Linzi:

It's nice to have godparents.

Mark :

And I'm sure it's nothing whatsoever to do with a challenge, tequila.

Linzi:

It's uh also nice to have tequila.

Mark :

It's yeah, it's part of their love brand, isn't it, of products that are a bit fancy that you get in their premium package. We love a premium package. We need to go on uh to try that tequila now. Final cruise news story. I know you do. Um We talked a few months ago You're going to meet your mum. New cruise ships for Marilla. New cruise ships for Marilla. Yeah, we talked about this a few months ago. Uh the new uh Intuition class ships. Okay. But not anymore. Oh. So they they announced that they were going to be having their first two brand new ships because they've always taken older ships and yeah. Uh but they're having two brand new ships built uh by Fincantieri who do a lot of those. Um Morella is fully owned by the Tui group, who also own several other brands, including MindShift. Yeah, yeah. And the Tui brand in Europe is essentially MindShift. It's not Tui. Um but the order has now been reassigned.

Linzi:

Reassigned an order?

Mark :

Yeah. Okay. To Tui cruisers, not Morella. Who were making two new ships in partnership with Royal Caribbean. Oh which seemed strange. I sort of figured this bit out. Um for the two new ships to be part of mine shift. So Morella not getting two new ships. So if you were excited to go on those in a few years' time, that's not happening. So we're assuming that Morella will continue to buy older ships because it must need new ships because it must be at capacity, hence looking at them. So it'll be a good idea. Some news had to have a cassette, haven't they? Um and see. But I thought that were a little bit strange, a little bit disappointing. We've never sailed with Morella. We do want to. Yes. Um and I'm sure there's gonna be some very disappointment.

Linzi:

I keep looking, I keep costing that Nile cruise.

Mark :

With Morella.

Linzi:

No, with Tui.

Mark :

Well, the the Tui ones are not gonna be anything to do with the river cruises.

Linzi:

Well, just thanks. I'm just sorry.

Mark :

Um Interestingly, the uh uh biggest competition that MindShift has to be a German brand is um Iada. Um which is the main German ship. And that's owned by Carnival.

Linzi:

So when you then look at the two in all Caribbean one, it's like, oh, the enemy of the enemy is my friend.

Mark :

Okay, I'm sure there's more to it than that, but is that the right phrasing? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, yeah.

Linzi:

Yeah. I'm so deep.

Mark :

You are. Have you any final thoughts before we uh sign off with a lovely full music track?

Linzi:

Well, I've been I I feel I've been a bit spiky today. I apologize for that. I am Full Moon. Full moon and disappointing cruises and children. So uh Yeah.

Mark :

And on that, shall we say bye-bye and play out with a little mood music?

Linzi:

Yeah, I like I I like mood music today.

Mark :

I've just got to get ready, but Well you can listen to it while you get inside.

Linzi:

While I get my court on.

Cruise Cast 42 Song:

Saw the pictures, read the praise, counting on the sunny days. Step the board with the whole full ground, ready for the fun to be from the past on the greatest story.