Exclusivity? That Costs Extra
USA Today ran an article this week about Norwegian Cruise Lines, which just announced plans to institute cover charges for entry into five nightclubs onboard one of its forthcoming new cruise ships.
The article calls the nightclubs “exclusive adult-only, Vegas-style venues” (one is an Ice Bar, where visitors will be given fur coats to stay warm). The nightclubs will allow free access for passengers who book top-dollar cabins and suites, and will charge everybody else onboard to come inside. According to the company’s press release, passengers will be offered a “Beyond the Velvet Rope” package deal.
This type of “up-selling” appears to be an extension of what I told you about here on the CharterWave Editor’s Blog back in November, when The New York Times ran an article highlighting how cruise ship companies (including Norwegian) had begun offering separate pool areas, services, and more to passengers willing to pay a premium to escape the crowds onboard. That “up-selling” followed the practice instituted by several cruise lines of offering passengers access to exclusive, crowd-free restaurants for an additional charge.
So, putting all of this together now, you can book a cruise ship vacation for the advertised lowest rate, but you’re going to have to pay extra if you want to enjoy a moment’s worth of privacy while sunbathing, dining, or, now, having a cocktail.
I’ll tell you, the more the cruise ship companies institute these kinds of programs, the more they show themselves to be trying to offer you the essence of a private yacht charter experience. These multinational conglomerates have figured out that people don’t like being herded, fed, and treated like cattle during vacations at sea. So they’re trying to change the experiences onboard these mammoth ships without changing the heart of the problem, which is the size of the ships themselves. They’re trying to offer you the experience of a 12-person yacht onboard a ship with 3,000 passengers.
Why in the world would fall for that when you can often pay the same amount and have an entire yacht all to yourself? You won’t have to go to a “velvet rope” section of your yacht to enjoy personalized comfort and service. You’ll have it 24 hours a day, every day of your charter. At zero extra fee.
And remember, the more these cruise ships tack on additional fees, the more their overall prices align with larger and larger charter yachts. You may think you’re buying your way into something special onboard these ships, but in reality, you’ll be paying the same amount of money as you could have spent on the real deal, your own private yacht, in the first place.