What Are The Pros and Cons of A Maiden Voyage

To All Our TAs:

As some of you may know, I'm writing a blog about Project Genesis. It's serving three purposes - 1) It's giving me a way to contribute to the forum 2) Hopefully it will generate interest in joining our Cruise Freek Group Cruise on Genesis and 3) Hopefully it generates more members for Cruise Freek Forums.

Here's the link if you want to check it out:

http://rcclprojectgenesis.blogspot.com/

As we wait for more information to come available, my next article is going to be the pros and cons of booking an inaugural sailing and, I was hoping you could share some insight in this area. I'll post a link to both Cruise Freek Forum and to your agency (with your permission of course - just let me know if you'd like to be quoted in the article).

Care to share your thoughts?

Advantage: bragging rights to be able to say you were on the inaugural sailling (note: this doesn't mean you were on the first sailing, since some cruise lines do "pre inaugural" sailings with media, TAs, and VIPs onboard).

Disadvantage: they could still be working out kinks; if the crew members are experienced (brought over from another ship) they are having to acquaint themselves with a new ship & crew; if they are new hires they're getting acquainted with life on a cruise ship period.

Ivanova wrote:

Advantage: bragging rights to be able to say you were on the inaugural sailling (note: this doesn't mean you were on the first sailing, since some cruise lines do "pre inaugural" sailings with media, TAs, and VIPs onboard).

Disadvantage: they could still be working out kinks; if the crew members are experienced (brought over from another ship) they are having to acquaint themselves with a new ship & crew; if they are new hires they're getting acquainted with life on a cruise ship period.

May I quote you for the blog article?

If it's useful to you, yes.

I might add a few other pros and cons:

Pros, brand new ship, never used, everything is sparkling clean and polished.

The crew is normally the best from all other ships in the fleet so service is outstanding.

Cons: yes, as Susan mentioned, ironing out kinks.

there is always the possibility of a delay in delivery, thus if you book a year in advance, your sailing date may come and go with no ship.

The prices are usually a little higher than after the ship has been in the water a few months or years.

Nita

newmexiconita wrote:

I might add a few other pros and cons:

Pros, brand new ship, never used, everything is sparkling clean and polished.

The crew is normally the best from all other ships in the fleet so service is outstanding.

Cons: yes, as Susan mentioned, ironing out kinks.

there is always the possibility of a delay in delivery, thus if you book a year in advance, your sailing date may come and go with no ship.

The prices are usually a little higher than after the ship has been in the water a few months or years.

Nita

Nita,

May I quote you?

Ajani wrote:

newmexiconita wrote:

I might add a few other pros and cons:

Pros, brand new ship, never used, everything is sparkling clean and polished.

The crew is normally the best from all other ships in the fleet so service is outstanding.

Cons: yes, as Susan mentioned, ironing out kinks.

there is always the possibility of a delay in delivery, thus if you book a year in advance, your sailing date may come and go with no ship.

The prices are usually a little higher than after the ship has been in the water a few months or years.

Nita

Nita,

May I quote you?

I certainly don't know why not.

Your reader's may be interested to know that having pre-inaugural sailings with Media, TA's etc. is a good thing for them if they are on the official Maiden Voyage. The crew uses these short sailings to "practice" and they go a long way towards helping insure everything is in Ship Shape when the guests start arriving. TA's and Media personnel usually push the envelope a little as far as service and special requests go because they want to insure that all of their client's wishes are going to be met and taken care of. This is a positive for the client, again the crew get first hand experience on what the policies are on different things.