Disney Cruise Line tops J.D. Power satisfaction survey

Posted on 28 June, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Disney Cruise Line tops J.D. Power satisfaction survey

By Tom Stieghorst

J.D. Power & Associates has ranked Disney Cruise Line tops for consumer satisfaction in its first-ever survey of the cruise industry.

Disney scored well ahead of the pack. Four other cruise lines were bunched together. But their satisfaction index scores placed Royal Caribbean International second, followed by Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises.

Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Lines rated below the industry average score for satisfaction, J.D. Power said.

The survey found 18% of passengers reported experiencing at least one problem on their cruise.

“Many cruise lines in the report have very high levels of passenger satisfaction, well above the report average; however, for more than a year, the overall industry has been dealing with a lot of negative news affecting customer perceptions, expectations and trust,” said Ramez Faza, senior account manager of the global travel and hospitality practice at J.D. Power.

“To raise the bar, the industry must focus on meeting the needs of the nearly 20% of passengers who experience a problem with their cruise line experience,” Faza said.

Navigator of the Seas to get virtual balconies

Posted on 17 April, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Navigator of the Seas to get virtual balconies

By Tom Stieghorst

Not content to wait for them to appear on Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean will install its first virtual balconies on Navigator of the Seas when it undergoes revitalization early next year.

Royal Caribbean International CEO Adam Goldstein said the virtual balconies — an 80-inch LED projection screen that shows exterior images — will change how interior cabins are viewed.

“It’s going to bring a completely different feel to the experience,” Goldstein said at Royal Caribbean’s media conference on Tuesday toreveal some of the features of Quantum.

Disney Cruise Line introduced outside views from inside cabins in 2011, with the launch of Magical Portholes on the Disney Dream.

The 4,100-passenger Quantum is under construction and is expected to enter service in November 2014.

The 3,100-passenger Navigator, which entered service in 2002, will go into drydock next January to get the Royal Advantage upgrade package. It is scheduled to sail from Galveston when the upgrades are complete.

Virtual balconies were one of the new features rolled out for Quantum, along with bumper cars, a sky diving attraction and a large observation pod on a mechanical arm.

Goldstein said there will not be a specific surcharge for interior cabins with virtual balconies, but added that he hopes they will bring higher yields.

“The whole experience will be more valuable to our guests and we expect that to be reflected in the ticket price,” he said.

Disney gives sneak peek of new cruise ship

Posted on 14 January, 2012 by Spacejunkie2

Disney gives sneak peek of new cruise ship

By Robert Jenkins

PAPENBURG, Germany — New features on the Disney Fantasy were on display during a preview walkthrough of the partially-finished ship this week at the Meyer Werft shipyard. The ship makes its first revenue sailing on March 31. (View a slideshow of some of the new spaces here or by clicking on the photo.)

Planners were motivated by traffic-flow and usage studies done on the Disney Dream, a sister ship that entered service a year ago. Among the major changes:

• A pool deck bar has been replaced by the AquaLab, an interactive splash park that squirts or drenches kids. There are two, 10-foot-long “leaky walls”; as a kid covers the water squirting from one hole, another gushes.

• The bars in the adults-only lounge area, Europa, will be set up in a hub-and-spoke fashion. At the center will be a circular entry bar whose lighting will evoke a carousel’s motion. The four themed bars will be slightly larger than the bars in the District, the adults’ entertainment area on the Dream.

• In the Animator’s Palate dining room, diners will be given placemats bearing the outline of a human figure. Each diner creates a sketch within this outline. The placemats are collected and scanned, and a computer places three of the figures in a clever animation that matches them to Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pinocchio and others. In unison, they march and dance on the dining room monitors. Each of the nine dining room areas sees only the amateur sketches created by its diners.