Royal Caribbean International\u2019s Oasis of the Seas inspired awe<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 and many headlines \u2014 when it launched in 2009 as the world\u2019s largest cruise ship with 2,742 staterooms, nearly two dozen restaurants, seven neighborhoods, and a Central Park.<\/p>\n More than eight years later, Royal Caribbean is still launching Oasis-class ships, and still commanding headlines for the latest \u201cworld\u2019s largest cruise ship.\u201d\u00a0That would be Symphony of the Seas<\/a>, the fourth and slightly larger version of Oasis, which started sailing earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe public reaction to Symphony of the Seas was surprising, even to us,\u201d Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO Richard Fain said during an earnings call<\/a> last month. \u201cEven though she\u2019s the fourth in the amazing Oasis class series of ships, she has so many new amenities and attractions that our guests and the media were simply blown away. Rarely has a sister ship received such press and rarely has it been so deserving of it.\u201d<\/p>\n In the cruise world, the brightest lights shine on the groundbreakers, the first of a new prototype of ship that introduces new concepts, layouts, approaches, and technology. But as operators seek to maximize their investment and build multiple vessels in a class, the pressure is on to make each new ship more special \u2014 and profitable. That\u2019s especially true for mass-market lines that cater to first-timers, younger travelers, and families.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important that we continue to innovate and stay relevant,\u201d said Andy Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. \u201cWe\u2019re being pushed by competitors at sea and we\u2019re being pushed by competitors on land.\u201d<\/p>\n For consumers, that competition results in plenty of options.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want new,\u201d said travel agent Ralph Santisteban, owner of Dream Vacations, a Cruise One franchise. \u201cThey want to go on the new ship. And they want to experience the two or three different venues that the ship has that the last one didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s how Norwegian Bliss<\/a>, the just-introduced ship from Norwegian Cruise Line, ended up with a new barbecue restaurant, a longer and wider race track than the previous ship had, and the biggest Haven \u2014 a high-end, top-priced enclave \u2014 on any ship in the fleet so far.<\/p>\n Bliss is the third of four in its class, called Breakaway Plus. Its most recent predecessor, Norwegian Joy, is sailing in China.<\/p>\n \u201cNew ships are such an engine to drive demand for the brand that it really is important, as we bring every new ship out, that we generate excitement, we drive interest, and really get a lot of eyeballs to the brand,\u201d Stuart said. \u201cEvery time, you have to really drive disproportionate interest.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe work really, really hard\u00a0each time we launch a new ship to find a way to meaningfully change the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Colleen McDaniel, senior executive editor of the website Cruise Critic<\/a>, said even lines that have quick delivery schedules run the risk that their product will become outdated.<\/p>\n \u201cSay you\u2019ve announced that you\u2019re going to do a four-ship class and you have a very accelerated schedule,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s still so much that can change in four years when it comes to technology and consumer demand, so you have to be flexible enough to add that to your new ships.\u201d<\/p>\n For Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean went back to past guests who had sailed on the previous ship, Harmony of the Seas, and asked what else they would like to see. A sports bar and arcade and seafood restaurant emerged from the answers.<\/p>\n And then there were some other ideas, which\u00a0led to the Ultimate Family Suite<\/a>, a two-story room with a slide, air hockey, table tennis, and climbing apparatus that, according to reports<\/a>, commanded $85,000 for Christmas week.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ultimate Family Suite came because we were talking about how we could add a feature that really clearly communicated our sweet spots, in terms of summer vacations, how we think about families,\u201d said Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley.<\/p>\n Bayley said the company has always made changes to ships within a class, but that mostly happened to tweak areas that didn\u2019t work like the width of a corridor, shape of an entrance, or style of a lounge. These days, the changes are much more intentional.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve kind of accelerated the changing out and adding of fun features or new restaurant concepts,\u201d he said. In part, that\u2019s simply because the company can.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a higher degree of competency, capability, and resources,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to stimulate as much interest as we can and one of the ways of doing that is creating buzz or being able to tell a story that\u2019s exciting and new.\u201d<\/p>\n Even as they make tweaks for new ships, cruise lines go back and change older ones with the features that have proven popular. Royal Caribbean has a $900 million renovation<\/a> program going on now that will upgrade 10 ships, including the first two in the Oasis class.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it easier to sell and market a new product when you\u2019re evolving that product? Yes,\u201d Bayley said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t do it, your customer is going to be disappointed. They expect you to be innovating and evolving.\u201d<\/p>\n When Carnival Cruise Line builds new ships, executives add features with older vessels in mind.<\/p>\n For its newest ship, Carnival Horizon<\/a>, there are some changes from the first in the class, Carnival Vista. The water park has become part of the line\u2019s Dr. Seuss children\u2019s programming. There\u2019s a teppanyaki restaurant, a first for the line. The piano bar has been relocated so it\u2019s next to the steakhouse. A barbecue restaurant has been mixed with an onboard brewery for a smokehouse-brewhouse mashup. And the onboard retail offerings have been changed up.<\/p>\n Terry Thornton, the line\u2019s senior vice president of port operations, guest care, and Carnival International, called the changes \u201cevolutionary,\u201d and said the next ship in the class will have its own new offerings.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we are focusing on right now is to give these new features a try,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re pretty confident they\u2019ll work. As they do, we\u2019ll get them integrated into the existing fleet as best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Carnival rolled out a fleetwide refresh<\/a> in 2011, adding Guy Fieri burger restaurants, live-action Hasbro games, George Lopez comedy clubs and several new bars. Its name was Fun Ship 2.0, referring to the line\u2019s reputation as the \u201cfun ship\u201d brand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more like 3.7 now,\u201d said Thornton.<\/p>\n McDaniel was recently on the new Carnival Horizon, and expected the experience to be pretty much the same as the previous ship. While it was similar, she called the changes \u201creally smart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThese little differences made it feel different and special,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n McDaniel said many of the Cruise Critic community members are devoted to a specific class. But even ardent fans want to be wowed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one wants to sail the same ship over and over again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n And for all the tweaks being made to generate excitement for sister ships, Santisteban of Dream Vacations said he\u2019s seeing the most enthusiasm for ships that are entirely new. Those include MSC Seaside<\/a>, a first-of-its-class ship that launched last year, and Celebrity Edge<\/a>, which comes out near the end of the year. Royal Caribbean<\/a>, Norwegian<\/a>, and Carnival<\/a> are all working on new classes of ships, but those are still between two and four years away.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a brand new class of innovative design and when you bring out something that\u2019s totally new, it\u2019s a game changer,\u201d he said. \u201cThese cruise lines, they can\u2019t bring out a game changer every year because they bring out a new class and now they\u2019ve got to get all the bang for their buck out of the new class. Designing these ships is not cheap.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n TurnKey Vacation Rentals recently surveyed travelers, revealing insights about consumer travel preferences, and by focusing on those who specifically reported taking beach vacations, TurnKey determined who the average beach traveler is and how they prefer to plan their vacations.<\/p>\n Based on the results \u2013 and just in time for summer \u2013 the beach tourism industry should consider that their target consumer profile is a millennial woman, with high-income, who prefers to travel with her spouse or partner. She typically travels during June and July and books her housing accommodations at least 2-3 months ahead.<\/p>\n Beach Traveler Demographic<\/strong><\/p>\n Beach Traveler Behavior<\/strong><\/p>\n Courtesy: Andrea Romano<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Flying has become cheaper in the last few decades, but it\u2019s also become more stripped down. Passengers often forego previously complimentary perks \u2014 like in-flight meals, carry-on bags, and seat selection \u2014 in order to get the cheapest fare. Business Insider<\/em> reported<\/a> that 51% of respondents in a recent poll<\/a> chose price as their top priority when selecting an airline. In some ways, this has been good by creating competition between airlines, resulting in cheaper fares \u2014 but it has also had negative consequences.<\/p>\n Airlines now have incentive to cut costs in order to boost profits. For passengers, that means more crowded flights, fewer amenities, and \u201cbasic economy<\/a>\u201d fares.<\/p>\n Airlines know that travelers prefer the cheapest ticket, regardless of how stripped down the service is or how many extra fees there may be.<\/p>\n \u201cThe low-cost carrier always won because people either don’t care or aren’t sophisticated enough to differentiate between a bundled and unbundled fare,\u201d Vinay Bhaskara, a senior business analyst with industry publication Airways<\/em><\/a>, told Business Insider<\/em>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not unreasonable to choose the cheapest<\/a> options, but when it comes to airfare, you get what you pay for.<\/p>\n Courtesy Shivani Vora, NY Times<\/em><\/p>\n Can a butler really make a hotel stay that much more extraordinary?<\/p>\n For a growing number of luxury properties that have butlers as an amenity for their guests, the answer is a resounding yes.<\/p>\n According to Reneta McCarthy, a senior lecturer at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, the concept of butlers dates\u00a0at least as far back as the\u00a018th century in Europe, when a butler was a male who was in charge of the dining and entertainment in wealthy households. \u201cEventually, the idea of butlers seeped into the hotel space in Europe,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd more recently, in an effort to differentiate themselves in a competitive market, more and more top-end hotels are touting that they have butlers to pamper their guests.\u201d<\/p>\n Many of the properties with butlers offer them only to guests staying in suites.\u00a0Casa Angelina<\/a>\u00a0in Italy\u2019s Amalfi Coast, for example, has butler service for those staying in its six suites, and\u00a0Faena Miami Beach<\/a>\u00a0has butlers for guests who have booked multi-bedroom or specialty suites. Other hotels, such as\u00a0the St. Regis New York<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0the Connaught<\/a>, in London, provide butlers for all rooms.<\/p>\n Being a travel writer, I\u2019ve gotten my fair share of news releases in the last year about hotel butlers. They\u2019ve always made my eyes roll but have also piqued my curiosity about whether butlers actually have value or are nothing more than a marketing gimmick. I decided to find out firsthand. My husband, Mahir, and I recently tested the butlers at\u00a0the St. Regis New York<\/a>, a 238-room property in Midtown Manhattan that had butlers long before they became more mainstream. Over the course of 36 hours, we put three different butlers through the paces with our numerous requests.<\/p>\n John Jacob Astor IV, the founder of the St. Regis New York, introduced butler service at the property in 1904, and it has been a hallmark for the company ever since. \u201cHis idea was to bring the butlers found at the grand hotels of Europe to the United States,\u201d said Lisa Holladay, the global brand leader for\u00a0St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.<\/a><\/p>\n St. Regis has its own weeklong training program for butlers where they\u2019re taught how to assist guests with a variety of tasks including unpacking and packing their luggage, getting their clothes ironed (the butlers don\u2019t actually do the ironing themselves, but they facilitate the service) and serving them nonalcoholic beverages; they\u2019re also taught how to read guests\u2019 cues and anticipate their needs.<\/p>\n Most St. Regis properties offer butlers for all guest rooms, but in select locations, such as the ones in San Francisco and Majorca, they\u2019re only for those staying in suites. Traditionally, the brand had only male butlers, but Ms. Holladay said that 40 percent of the company\u2019s butlers today are women.<\/p>\n The New York property employs 38 butlers, and typically, each butler is in charge of about 20 rooms.<\/p>\n Although nightly rates at the St. Regis New York officially start at $995, it\u2019s possible to find lower prices online and through travel agents. My agent, for example, was able to secure a nightly rate of $525 for my stay, along with a room upgrade, breakfast and a $100 food and beverage\u00a0credit. Butler service is an amenity for all rooms at the hotel.<\/p>\n When I checked into The St. Regis, I was skeptical that a butler could make my stay exceptional, but I was wrong.<\/p>\n Our butler, Adalberto Macedo, was waiting to greet Mahir and I as soon as we stepped off the elevator on the 12th floor, where our room was. \u201cGood afternoon,\u201d he said, nodding.<\/p>\n After leading us to our temporary abode and showing us its various features like the touch button lighting, Mr. Macedo asked if he could unpack our bags. The idea of a stranger handling my personal belongings had me more than little uncomfortable, but Ms. McCarthy, the Cornell lecturer, had told me that butlers take pride in the task of unpacking and packing. So I obliged but asked if he could do so when we planned on stepping out later that afternoon.<\/p>\n We could reach Mr. Macedo or another butler on duty by pushing the \u201cButler\u201d button on our room\u2019s phone, and when we weren\u2019t at the hotel, we could email our requests. Mr. Macedo told us that we would get an almost instant response.<\/p>\n As soon as he left, Mahir and I started with our requests. I called to ask for a standing fan, and Adalberto delivered one within five minutes. Shortly after, Mahir asked for a coffee. It, too, appeared promptly, in a French press and piping hot. The shirt Mahir needed ironed? A professional dry cleaner couldn\u2019t have done a better job, and Mr. Macedo certainly made sure it was finished faster. A shoe shine? But of course. The dental kit I wanted because I had forgotten my toothbrush? He brought me two kits, along with a half-dozen mini bottles of mouthwash.<\/p>\n Now would come the true test for me: when we left the property for an excursion out, I sent an email asking for two gluten-free red velvet cupcakes. Surely, our butler, who at that point was Dafa Lascu (Mr. Macedo\u2019s shift had ended), wouldn\u2019t be able to procure this hard to find treat. She emailed me back within three minutes to say that she was working on my request. A half-hour later, she called and told me that she hadn\u2019t found the cupcakes at any bakeries near the hotel but would be happy to search for them downtown. But she also forewarned me that the courier fee to have them delivered to the property would likely be pricey. I wasn\u2019t that desperate for a sugar fix so I told her not to bother.<\/p>\n Back at the hotel, we found our clothes and shoes immaculately organized in our closet and our toiletries spread out on the bathroom counter. Then it was time for another round of requests. I had a tear in my shirt that I needed sewn, and Mahir wanted a resistance band and exercise mat in our room. Oh, and could we get suggestions for buzzy gluten-free restaurants to dine at that evening? Check, check and check.<\/p>\n We returned after dinner to a surprise: four gluten-free red velvet cupcakes. They were from Sprinkles, a bakery with three locations in Manhattan, and alongside the box, Ms. Lascu had left us a note. \u201cPlease enjoy this small treat from us, and if there anything that you need, allow me to assist,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n The test continued the next morning. Dainty teacups are common at high-end hotels. I happen to love sipping my coffee from an oversized mug, but I have yet to stay at a luxury property that offered me one I like. I explained my preference to\u00a0Luz\u00a0Carasquillo, the butler on duty. Ten minutes later, she arrived with not one but two different kinds of large mugs, both ideal. \u201cI didn\u2019t know which one you would like better so I brought both,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n We called Ms. Carasquillo when it was time to pack, and she did the job efficiently and impeccably. As she folded our clothes and gathered our toiletries, I chatted with her about her family and mine, and by the time she was finished, she felt like a friend.<\/p>\n Naturally, we wanted to leave our butlers a tip. Unsure about the right amount to give, I asked our concierge staff for help but was told that there was no need to leave one because butlers receive a full salary and do not rely on gratuities for compensation. We ended up leaving $50 anyway. Ms. McCarthy, of Cornell University, said that even though the butlers at the St. Regis don\u2019t expect tips, those at other hotels likely do. \u201cEither way, leaving a tip for great service is always a good idea,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Thanks to our butlers, our stay at the St. Regis New York was flawless and personalized. The three who looked after us were obliging but also warm, and not overly formal. The cupcakes that I wasn\u2019t charged for were particularly thoughtful. Granted, only a rarefied set of travelers can afford to stay at luxury hotels with butlers, but I can say that based on my experience, splurging on such a stay, at least once, may be worth it.<\/p>\n Animal-loving travellers are now able to enjoy their holidays better equipped to avoid accidentally harming wildlife, with a new guidebook published by Horizon Guides in consultation with international wildlife charity Born Free.<\/p>\n The guide, called Compassionate Travel<\/a>, gives holidaymakers an introduction to common animal welfare and conservation issues encountered abroad and helps them to make informed decisions about the wildlife activities they choose to book.<\/p>\n Published in May 2018, Compassionate Travel<\/a> is available to download for free from the Horizon Guides website, and in Kindle and paperback format on the Amazon bookstore.<\/p>\n The guide covers tourism activities ranging from the familiar, such as zoos and circuses, to more exotic pursuits like riding elephants. It was written by a team of experts from Born Free, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, Wildlife SOS and the Animal Welfare Institute.<\/p>\n Dr Chris Draper, Born Free\u2019s Head of Animal Welfare and Captivity, said: \u201cAnimals are hugely important to tourists, and by extension to the travel companies that supply their holidays. The ways in which tourists can interact with wild animals, whether in captivity or living free, is vast and the effect this can have on these animals varies enormously. For example, a quick selfie with a chained monkey can be a momentary diversion for a traveller, but represents a lifetime of restriction and poor welfare for the monkey; while truly responsible and well-managed viewing of free-living wildlife can bring genuine benefits to conservation. There is a rapidly emerging acknowledgement of the need to raise the profile of wild animals and their protection within the context of travel and tourism.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n From its work investigating exploitation of wild animals in captivity and, where possible, rescuing captive animals in need, Born Free experiences first-hand the chilling reality of the exploitation of wild animals in tourism. In 2010, Born Free rescued bottlenose dolphins Tom and Misha from a cramped swimming pool in Turkey. They were being used for \u2018swim-with\u2019 activities with tourists. After a two-year rehabilitation, Tom and Misha were successfully released into the Aegean Sea in 2012.<\/p>\n Will Travers OBE, Born Free\u2019s President and Co-Founder, said: \u201cWild animals and tourism have a long, not always positive, relationship. A distressingly large part of the travel industry views wildlife as little more than money-making property, with scant regard for the welfare of individual animals or the conservation of entire species.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not always easy for travellers to know if they’re supporting harmful practices while on holiday. This guide helps people see the full picture of the most common wildlife activities encountered abroad. We’re not interested in telling people what to do or what not to do, but we do want travellers to think about the impact their experiences can have on welfare and conservation. I hope this guide will contribute to a change in the way the travel industry treats animals and wildlife,\u201d<\/em> he added.<\/p>\n Born Free\u2019s mission is to ensure that all wild animals, whether living in captivity or in the wild, are treated with compassion and respect and are able to live their lives according to their needs. Born Free opposes the exploitation of wild animals in captivity and campaigns to keep wildlife in the wild.<\/p>\n Born Free promotes Compassionate Conservation to enhance the survival of threatened species in the wild and protect natural habitats while respecting the needs of and safeguarding the welfare of individual animals. Born Free seeks to have a positive impact on animals in the wild and protect their ecosystems in perpetuity, for their own intrinsic value and for the critical roles they play within the natural world. For more information about Born Free please visit: www.bornfree.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n Courtesy CNN Travel<\/em><\/p>\n Shanghai to Los Angeles in about five hours, Tokyo to San Francisco in 5.5, Sydney to Los Angeles in 6.75: The next wave of supersonic flight could make traveling between destinations<\/a> in the United States and Asia a breeze.<\/p>\n In recent years, a clutch of aeronautics startups has sparked renewed interest<\/a> in supersonic travel, which stalled after the Concorde’s retirement in 2003.<\/p>\n Among the major players, Boom Technology<\/a> has raised $85 million in funding from seed investors and strategic partners, such as Virgin Atlantic Airways. Support for the Denver-based startup has expanded to Asia as well. In December, Japan Airlines reportedly invested $10 million<\/a> to pre-order 20 of the 55-seat airliners, which are slated for a 2023 debut.<\/p>\n![\"race](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Race-on-Cruise-Ship.jpg\")
Photo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNew Ships as Demand Drivers<\/h3>\n
Evolution With a Mission<\/h3>\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Carnival-Horizon-Dr-Seuss-Water.jpg\")
Photo courtesy of Andy Newman\/Carnival Cruise Line<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Westin-Maui-Home-Resort.jpg\")
Report: 73% of Beachgoers Travel with their Spouse or Partner<\/h1>\n
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Flights Are Getting More Uncomfortable \u2014\u00a0and That Might Be Your Fault<\/span><\/h1>\n
![\"airline](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Airline-Seats.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHotel Butler Service Is Really Nice. Is It Worth the Price?<\/h1>\n
The St. Regis New York has butlers as an amenity for guests. We arrived ready with requests, from coffee to ironing to cupcakes.<\/em><\/h4>\n
![\"butler](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Butler-Services.jpg\")
The Basics<\/h3>\n
The Price<\/h3>\n
My Experience<\/h3>\n
Advertisement<\/h3>\n
The Verdict<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Born-Free.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNew Guidebook to Promote Animal-Friendly Tourism<\/h1>\n
About Born Free<\/h3>\n
Shanghai to Los Angeles in 5 Hours? Why Supersonic Air Travel Could Boom in Asia<\/h1>\n
![\"the](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Supersonic-Travel.jpg\")