By Virginia López Valiente
Managing Director of Cruises News Media Group and Editor of CruisesNews magazine
Editorial from CruisesNews magazine no. 42 – September 2017
Forget scenic hikes chasing after a guide with a signal held high. Hiking has evolved, and here are some of the new categories to consider.
If you've been cruising for at least the last two decades, you'll remember a time when there was really only one type of shore excursion: disembark; transfer to the town center; walking tour (follow the umbrellas!); entrance to one or two main attractions; free time for shopping; and back to the ship. Sound familiar?
And that's fine. It gives you a brief glimpse into a new place, with a little time to explore independently. But as the cruise industry matures and diversifies, cruise lines are beginning to realize that many passengers want more. More choices, more depth, more culture, more adventure. Today, larger companies tend to offer something for everyone, while smaller ones offer excursion programs carefully tailored to their passengers, or even specific themed cruises.
While it's clear this type of basic excursion needs to continue, my only concern is its lack of evolution. The label is still plastered on the cruiser's t-shirt, and the same old guy with the umbrella or the more or less large "lollipop" (some don't even have audio systems) still takes you through the key city centers, shouting his name (some don't even have sound systems), making everyone unfairly the target of hatred from cities, politicians, and citizens. Will anyone have the imagination to change this? Or does creativity stay inside the ship with the most realistic simulators, looping water slides, wave machines, zip lines, robot waiters, wind tunnels, molecular gastronomy restaurants, and so on? Perhaps it's time to take a closer look at ourselves, my dear colleagues.
Returning to the topic of diversity, we find active and adventure tourism excursions. River cruises have traditionally been a bit more active than ocean cruises, docking in more central city locations. Bike tours and countryside walks are common offerings. But ocean cruises have made significant strides in this area. Trekking, diving, 4x4 excursions, kayaking, and wildlife encounters are relatively common activities on the excursion lists of premium or luxury cruises today.
It's worth noting that some regions and destinations are more active than others, and that the activities offered vary from place to place; for example, some are ideal for 4x4 excursions, Alaska and Northern Europe give you the chance to try dog sledding, and the Caribbean is fantastic for snorkeling and water sports
Food and drink are nothing new on excursions. Vineyard tours are a staple of European cruises, and passengers have long visited wineries in Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy, but today there is a growing interest in local specialties and food production techniques, resulting in some fantastic excursions that combine cultural immersion with filling your belly.
Overnight stays in port are becoming increasingly common on some cruise lines, and instead of leaving passengers to their own devices when the sun goes down, they are starting to offer nighttime excursions with visits to theaters, shows, concerts, restaurants, museums, and exclusive tours of monuments.
Destinations can and should be enjoyed in other ways, but you can't organize helicopter tours or Formula 1 circuit tests without also criminalizing the passenger and an entire industry. Another 30 years of "follow me"?
