Round-the-world cruisers getting a little younger
By Mary Lu Abbott
Special to the Tribune
Published April 2, 2006
Special to the Tribune
Published April 2, 2006
The world cruise scene is taking on a more youthful look. Once the domain of wealthy retirees, these days cruises that circumnavigate the globe are getting more popular and are attracting younger, more-active travelers.
Like Cheryl McCormick. The Manhattan Beach, Calif., resident took a 100-day sailing on Crystal Cruises' Symphony in 2002.
She had worked hard, saving for two years to take a sabbatical. In her 30s at the time, she wanted an unforgettable adventure.
And McCormick got one: She swam with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, went parasailing in New Zealand and explored the jungles of Cambodia and Vietnam.
At one time the typical world cruiser was "someone who was older and wanted to sit in a deck chair and read a book for 106 days," says Bill Smith, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Los Angeles-based Crystal Cruises, a leader in the luxury field.
"Now it's a mix of younger and more mature people," Smith says. "They're taking the cruise to visit exotic destinations and participate in a full complement of activities."
Global sailings traditionally depart in January, and cabins book up well in advance. In January 2007, a record seven ships will depart from U.S. ports on such odysseys, including Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Silversea's Silver Shadow on maiden world voyages. In January this year, four world cruises departed from U.S. ports.
Some European-based ships also do such cruises, and depart from ports such as Southampton, England, and Funchal, on Portugal's Madeira Island.
It's a commitment in time and money; the lowest-priced cabins begin around $18,000. Still, "there's an increased demand from the consumer for longer cruises and the lifestyle of the world cruise," says Eric Maryanov, owner of All-Travel, which has several offices in Los Angeles and a specialty division called Luxury World Cruises (866-721-3419 or www.luxuryworldcruises.com).
Often it's the big-ticket suites that go first. Itineraries for 2007 were announced in summer and fall 2005, and by December, many cabins were booked.
Many world cruisers return year after year, often loyal to a particular cruise line, Maryanov says. But now he's seeing increased interest from first-timers, who have never done a circumnavigation, and has had inquiries from travelers in their 30s.
Young globetrotter McCormick decided to take advantage of her single status and do something rarely possible when married with kids.
A self-employed management consultant, she worked 65-hour weeks to save for the trip. She first took a seven-day "practice" cruise on the Symphony and scoped out cabins to find the lowest-priced one with the best location.
"This [world cruise] was a significant investment for me, and I didn't want to find out on Day One of the 100 days that I was not happy," she says.
She spent about $35,000 for the cabin and $15,000 for excursions. Her budget for the period, including ongoing costs at home, was about $65,000.
She brought aboard a table for her computer and printers so she could put together a journal, with photos. And she took collapsible shelves for books and videos she had collected for the trip.
"It was like having a little apartment that moved around the world," she says.
Except for some adults traveling with their parents, she was the youngest aboard the ship. But she felt a camaraderie with the passengers, who were mostly in their 60s and 70s. "They were the most active, exciting people. I was not conscious of their age," she says.
Holland America Line, which has been offering world cruises for 42 years, is seeing "a broader age range," says Richard Meadows, senior vice president of marketing and sales. "The average is in the low 60s now on a world cruise, but we will get younger couples on segments and maybe people in their 50s on the full cruise."
Meadows sees a strong future for world cruises, noting that Baby Boomers begin turning 60 this year and many already are avid cruise passengers. Also, because Internet access on ships allows travelers to stay connected to business and family, more people can consider leaving home for three to four months at a time.
Responding to the increasing popularity of world jaunts, Holland America will send two ships globe-trotting next year. This year, the 793-passenger Prinsendam is circling the globe; next year the flagship 1,380-passenger Amsterdam will do the world cruise and the Prinsendam will sail back-to-back grand voyages of 56 and 66 days, which can be combined to visit four continents.
Cunard, which has done world cruises since 1922, also has two ships circling the globe next year, the QE2 leaving on its 25th voyage along with the QM2 on its first.
Although world cruises reportedly sail close to full, not everyone signs on for the entire voyage. About one-third to two-thirds of the passengers sail the full route, while others book segments from 14 to 70 nights.
Meadows says most world cruisers fall into four types: The once-in-a-lifetime passengers celebrating a special life event, such as retirement or a wedding anniversary; the "country collectors" who have a list of must-see destinations; the "status seekers" who enjoy the pampering and one-upmanship of round-the-world experiences; and those who consider the ship their winter home away from home.
All-Travel's Maryanov says a world cruise is like a second home for many repeat passengers, who find a community of friends and staff they have come to know.
Lines add special programming and rewards for everyone. The luxury ships woo those who go the entire cruise with an extra bundle of benefits, such as First-Class airfare to the ship, up to $2,000 in onboard credits, special events and some free shore excursions.
Itineraries and activities are increasingly important, says Smith of Crystal Cruises. Crystal's world cruise planners spend months lining up a roster of onboard speakers, special shore-side dinners and shows and extensive overland excursions, including safaris of two to five nights in Africa.
- - -
IF YOU GO
The following U.S.-based companies have scheduled world cruises:
Crystal Cruises: 888-799-4625, www.crystalcruises.com
Cunard Line: 800-7-CUNARD, www.cunard.com
Holland America Line: 877-SAIL-HAL, www.hollandamerica.com
Regent Seven Seas Cruises: 877-505-5370, www.rssc.com
Silversea Cruises: 877-215-9986, www.silversea.com
Extended voyages up to 88 days are available from Seabourn Cruise Line (800-929-9391, www.seabourn.com).
And in Europe: Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (800-782-3924, www.hl-cruises.com) and Britain-based P&O Cruises (011-44-845-3-555-333, www.pocruises.com.)
-- M.L.A.
----------
ctc-travel@tribune.com
Like Cheryl McCormick. The Manhattan Beach, Calif., resident took a 100-day sailing on Crystal Cruises' Symphony in 2002.
She had worked hard, saving for two years to take a sabbatical. In her 30s at the time, she wanted an unforgettable adventure.
And McCormick got one: She swam with sea lions in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, went parasailing in New Zealand and explored the jungles of Cambodia and Vietnam.
At one time the typical world cruiser was "someone who was older and wanted to sit in a deck chair and read a book for 106 days," says Bill Smith, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Los Angeles-based Crystal Cruises, a leader in the luxury field.
"Now it's a mix of younger and more mature people," Smith says. "They're taking the cruise to visit exotic destinations and participate in a full complement of activities."
Global sailings traditionally depart in January, and cabins book up well in advance. In January 2007, a record seven ships will depart from U.S. ports on such odysseys, including Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Silversea's Silver Shadow on maiden world voyages. In January this year, four world cruises departed from U.S. ports.
Some European-based ships also do such cruises, and depart from ports such as Southampton, England, and Funchal, on Portugal's Madeira Island.
It's a commitment in time and money; the lowest-priced cabins begin around $18,000. Still, "there's an increased demand from the consumer for longer cruises and the lifestyle of the world cruise," says Eric Maryanov, owner of All-Travel, which has several offices in Los Angeles and a specialty division called Luxury World Cruises (866-721-3419 or www.luxuryworldcruises.com).
Often it's the big-ticket suites that go first. Itineraries for 2007 were announced in summer and fall 2005, and by December, many cabins were booked.
Many world cruisers return year after year, often loyal to a particular cruise line, Maryanov says. But now he's seeing increased interest from first-timers, who have never done a circumnavigation, and has had inquiries from travelers in their 30s.
Young globetrotter McCormick decided to take advantage of her single status and do something rarely possible when married with kids.
A self-employed management consultant, she worked 65-hour weeks to save for the trip. She first took a seven-day "practice" cruise on the Symphony and scoped out cabins to find the lowest-priced one with the best location.
"This [world cruise] was a significant investment for me, and I didn't want to find out on Day One of the 100 days that I was not happy," she says.
She spent about $35,000 for the cabin and $15,000 for excursions. Her budget for the period, including ongoing costs at home, was about $65,000.
She brought aboard a table for her computer and printers so she could put together a journal, with photos. And she took collapsible shelves for books and videos she had collected for the trip.
"It was like having a little apartment that moved around the world," she says.
Except for some adults traveling with their parents, she was the youngest aboard the ship. But she felt a camaraderie with the passengers, who were mostly in their 60s and 70s. "They were the most active, exciting people. I was not conscious of their age," she says.
Holland America Line, which has been offering world cruises for 42 years, is seeing "a broader age range," says Richard Meadows, senior vice president of marketing and sales. "The average is in the low 60s now on a world cruise, but we will get younger couples on segments and maybe people in their 50s on the full cruise."
Meadows sees a strong future for world cruises, noting that Baby Boomers begin turning 60 this year and many already are avid cruise passengers. Also, because Internet access on ships allows travelers to stay connected to business and family, more people can consider leaving home for three to four months at a time.
Responding to the increasing popularity of world jaunts, Holland America will send two ships globe-trotting next year. This year, the 793-passenger Prinsendam is circling the globe; next year the flagship 1,380-passenger Amsterdam will do the world cruise and the Prinsendam will sail back-to-back grand voyages of 56 and 66 days, which can be combined to visit four continents.
Cunard, which has done world cruises since 1922, also has two ships circling the globe next year, the QE2 leaving on its 25th voyage along with the QM2 on its first.
Although world cruises reportedly sail close to full, not everyone signs on for the entire voyage. About one-third to two-thirds of the passengers sail the full route, while others book segments from 14 to 70 nights.
Meadows says most world cruisers fall into four types: The once-in-a-lifetime passengers celebrating a special life event, such as retirement or a wedding anniversary; the "country collectors" who have a list of must-see destinations; the "status seekers" who enjoy the pampering and one-upmanship of round-the-world experiences; and those who consider the ship their winter home away from home.
All-Travel's Maryanov says a world cruise is like a second home for many repeat passengers, who find a community of friends and staff they have come to know.
Lines add special programming and rewards for everyone. The luxury ships woo those who go the entire cruise with an extra bundle of benefits, such as First-Class airfare to the ship, up to $2,000 in onboard credits, special events and some free shore excursions.
Itineraries and activities are increasingly important, says Smith of Crystal Cruises. Crystal's world cruise planners spend months lining up a roster of onboard speakers, special shore-side dinners and shows and extensive overland excursions, including safaris of two to five nights in Africa.
- - -
IF YOU GO
The following U.S.-based companies have scheduled world cruises:
Crystal Cruises: 888-799-4625, www.crystalcruises.com
Cunard Line: 800-7-CUNARD, www.cunard.com
Holland America Line: 877-SAIL-HAL, www.hollandamerica.com
Regent Seven Seas Cruises: 877-505-5370, www.rssc.com
Silversea Cruises: 877-215-9986, www.silversea.com
Extended voyages up to 88 days are available from Seabourn Cruise Line (800-929-9391, www.seabourn.com).
And in Europe: Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (800-782-3924, www.hl-cruises.com) and Britain-based P&O Cruises (011-44-845-3-555-333, www.pocruises.com.)
-- M.L.A.
----------
ctc-travel@tribune.com
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