Americans are carrying on cruising by lowering their standards and time at sea, according to a report in Florida Today, which quotes Howard Frank, Carnival's chief operating officer, to back up the story.
"Our shorter, less expensive Caribbean cruise products are performing much better than our premium and luxury, longer cruise products. So we are seeing a consumer trade-down to value."
Apart from being notable for a rather big howler in the copy*, the report is interesting as it shows that not every fad and fancy crosses the Pond.
In the next edition of TW Cruise, out February 20, I report that British cruisers are not trading down in the recession - in fact some cruise lines say they are trading up as there are such good deals out there. After all, If you can get an outside cabin for just a few pounds more than an inside, or to go from an outside to a balcony, why wouldn't you?
As for spending less time at sea. Not so easy for us as the Miami crowd. There are a few short-break cruises from the UK, but most are seven nights and usually 14 just because of the time it takes to get anywhere (with apologies to St Peter Port, Cork and Zeebrugge, but a day trip to either is hardly the stuff of main summer holidays).
* In case you haven't spotted it, here it is: Sovereign of the Seas sailed for Royal Caribbean International, not Norwegian Cruise Line. But anyway the ship transferred to Spanish line, Pullmantur, owned by Royal Caribbean, last October, and now cruises under the name Sovereign.
NCL started operating three and four-day cruises from Miami to the Bahamas in July 2008, but on Norwegian Sky, the ship plucked out of Hawaii after dwindling sales for the NCL America brand.
Jane Archer
