WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500 Welcome to Cruise News, your daily update on 00:00:02.500 --> 00:00:04.860 everything happening at sea. Visit CruiseNews 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:07.799 .io to see today's stories and sign up for email 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:11.720 alerts. Good to be here. We have a heavy docket 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:14.019 today. It really feels like one of those weeks 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:16.879 where the industry is showing us its entire lifecycle. 00:00:16.980 --> 00:00:18.620 Entire lifecycle, that's a good way to put it. 00:00:18.899 --> 00:00:21.519 Yeah, you know, from the strategic shutdown of 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:25.239 a beloved small brand to, well... the cold financial 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:28.640 calculus of fleet deployment, and sadly, the 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:30.820 human reality of mortality at sea. It really 00:00:30.820 --> 00:00:33.320 is the full spectrum. So we are looking at three 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.020 major stories leading the news, plus a roundup 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:37.899 of some pretty significant port developments. 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:40.500 We're going to start with a major shakeup in 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:43.200 the Alaska market. Oh, yeah. Alaskan Dream Cruises. 00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:46.359 has officially ceased operations. And this isn't 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:48.740 just a pause, you know, it's a full stop for 00:00:48.740 --> 00:00:50.960 a well -known operator. It is. And when we really 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:53.500 dig into the why, it serves as a kind of master 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:55.799 class in the current economics of small ship 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:58.240 cruising versus, you know, the mega carriers. 00:00:58.780 --> 00:01:01.299 Then we're moving to the Norwegian bliss. NCL 00:01:01.299 --> 00:01:04.000 has confirmed the end date for Jersey Boys, but 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:05.939 the story here isn't just about a musical closing. 00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:08.640 No, not at all. It's about a fundamental shift 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:12.340 in how NCL views its onboard real estate and 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:15.480 entertainment. ROI. That's a massive topic. I 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:17.500 mean, the days of the loss leader Broadway show 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:19.579 might be numbered, at least for a Norwegian. 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:22.700 And we also have a very somber report from the 00:01:22.700 --> 00:01:25.379 Celebrity Summit regarding the passing of jazz 00:01:25.379 --> 00:01:28.420 clarinetist Ken Poplowski during a charter sailing. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:32.239 We'll discuss what happened and the unique nature 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:34.799 of these music charters. A tragic loss for that 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:37.319 whole community. Just awful. So let's get into 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:39.659 the details. I want to start with Alaskan Dream 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:42.359 Cruises. For our listeners who track the expedition 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:46.140 market, this is significant. Huge. On February 00:01:46.140 --> 00:01:48.799 4th, The company officially ceased operations, 00:01:49.379 --> 00:01:51.540 canceled all future sailings. And this came down 00:01:51.540 --> 00:01:53.900 from the owner, Jamie Cagle. And the phrasing 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:56.980 was interesting. He called it a strategic decision 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.920 following a review of long term objectives. Strategic 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:02.120 decision. That's often corporate shorthand for 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:04.260 we can't make the math work anymore. I think 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:06.340 that's exactly what it is. And looking at their 00:02:06.340 --> 00:02:09.180 fleet, the math must have been incredibly difficult. 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:12.180 They were operating four vessels. The Chichagov 00:02:12.180 --> 00:02:15.360 Dream. Admiralty dream the baron off dream and 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.580 the Alaskan dream and we need to put those ships 00:02:17.580 --> 00:02:20.360 in context, right? These aren't just small in 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:22.840 the way a 600 passenger luxury ship is small. 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:26.020 Oh, no These are intimate expedition style vessels 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:29.020 the entire fleet all four ships combined only 00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:33.800 had 223 births 223 that is a staggering number 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:36.699 I mean you have single lifeboats on the icon 00:02:36.699 --> 00:02:38.939 of the seas that hold more people than their 00:02:38.939 --> 00:02:42.020 entire fleet and yet Those four tiny ships still 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:45.719 require captains, engineers, chefs, deckhands. 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:47.680 That's the core of the economic pressure, isn't 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:50.000 it? It's the fixed cost problem. Exactly. Whether 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.780 you have 40 passengers or 4 ,000, you need a 00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:54.580 bridge team. You need insurance. You need to 00:02:54.580 --> 00:02:57.120 buy fuel. When you are splitting those costs 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.400 among just 50 guests, your per passenger operating 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:03.210 cost is... Well, it's astronomical. And these 00:03:03.210 --> 00:03:05.490 were U .S. flagged vessels, which adds another 00:03:05.490 --> 00:03:08.169 layer of complexity. A huge layer. Being U .S. 00:03:08.270 --> 00:03:10.330 flagged is a double -edged sword. It let them 00:03:10.330 --> 00:03:13.189 bypass the Passenger Vessel Services Act. Meaning 00:03:13.189 --> 00:03:15.729 no stop in Canada. They could go straight from 00:03:15.729 --> 00:03:18.830 Sitka to Juneau. Right. But the trade -off is 00:03:18.830 --> 00:03:21.669 they have to hire U .S. citizens and follow U 00:03:21.669 --> 00:03:24.469 .S. labor laws, which means much higher wage 00:03:24.469 --> 00:03:27.009 costs. Significantly higher than the international 00:03:27.009 --> 00:03:29.569 lines hiring globally. And you have to remember 00:03:29.569 --> 00:03:32.090 they are competing in a market that has become 00:03:32.090 --> 00:03:35.050 incredibly crowded. You have the giants like 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:37.969 Princess and Holland America just dominating 00:03:37.969 --> 00:03:41.479 through sheer volume. all the priority permits 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:43.699 for Glacier Bay. And then they were also getting 00:03:43.699 --> 00:03:45.259 squeezed from the top end too. It's not just 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:47.639 the big ships anymore. No, the luxury expedition 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.740 market has just exploded. You have the Ritz -Carlton 00:03:50.740 --> 00:03:53.139 yacht collection, you have Virgin making inroads, 00:03:53.419 --> 00:03:56.800 MSC. Everyone wants a piece of that high -yield 00:03:56.800 --> 00:03:59.319 Alaska market. So Alaskan Dream was just stuck 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:01.560 in the middle? Completely. They had this unique 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:04.659 local product. I mean, they could navigate shallow 00:04:04.659 --> 00:04:06.800 fjords the big ships can't even look at, but 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:08.680 they just didn't have the marketing muscle of 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:11.180 a Ritz -Carlton or the pricing efficiency of 00:04:11.180 --> 00:04:13.599 a Carnival. That squeeze was so visible in their 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.319 pricing strategy. I saw reports that for the 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:19.480 2025 season, they were offering a 70 % discount. 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:23.560 to Alaska residents. 70%. When you see a 70 % 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:26.879 discount, that is a distress signal. That's a 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:29.220 line that is desperate to put heads in bags just 00:04:29.220 --> 00:04:32.079 to cover fuel and crew. It just suggests the 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:34.040 demand wasn't there at the price they needed. 00:04:34.220 --> 00:04:36.579 Not even close. Now despite this, it doesn't 00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:39.740 feel like a chaotic bankruptcy. The parent company, 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:42.259 Alan Marine Tours, is still in business right. 00:04:42.410 --> 00:04:44.589 Correct. And that's a crucial distinction to 00:04:44.589 --> 00:04:47.430 make. Allen Marine is a staple in Southeast Alaska. 00:04:47.889 --> 00:04:50.410 They run the day tours, the shore excursions, 00:04:50.610 --> 00:04:52.970 the catamarans. The whale watching trips that 00:04:52.970 --> 00:04:55.209 everyone takes. Exactly. That business model 00:04:55.209 --> 00:04:58.610 is still very viable. High volume, short duration, 00:04:59.089 --> 00:05:02.029 no overnight hotel costs. So they are simply 00:05:02.029 --> 00:05:04.189 exiting the overnight cruise part of the business. 00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:06.389 And they seem to be handling the exit responsibly. 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:09.160 They're refunding guests and even setting up 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:11.980 a transfer program to uncruise adventures. Which 00:05:11.980 --> 00:05:14.680 is a very classy move. Instead of leaving guests 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:16.839 stranded, they are handing them off to a direct 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.079 competitor, which, you know, it preserves the 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:21.079 reputation of the parent company. What about 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:23.980 the ships? The Chichagof? The Emeraldi? They're 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:26.000 currently laid up in Sitka. No word yet on if 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.240 they'll be sold or repurposed. It's a tough market 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:30.279 for older tonnage right now. OK, let's pivot. 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:33.720 From the small shicks of Sitka to the massive 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:36.399 floating resorts of the West Coast, we need to 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:40.759 talk about Norwegian Cruise Line and the Norwegian 00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:43.660 Bliss. This is a story that has been developing 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:47.920 for a while since mid -2023, but now we have 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:51.079 the concrete detail. The headline is this. The 00:05:51.079 --> 00:05:53.569 Broadway musical Jersey Boys which has been the 00:05:53.569 --> 00:05:56.290 anchor entertainment on The Bliss, will officially 00:05:56.290 --> 00:05:59.129 end its run in February, 2026. And this just 00:05:59.129 --> 00:06:01.269 aligns perfectly with that fleet wide pivot we 00:06:01.269 --> 00:06:04.050 discussed last year. NCL is aggressively moving 00:06:04.050 --> 00:06:06.850 away from these expensive licensed Broadway productions. 00:06:06.990 --> 00:06:08.850 And they aren't replacing it with another big 00:06:08.850 --> 00:06:12.290 license. No six, no kinky boots. The advisory 00:06:12.290 --> 00:06:15.110 explicitly says the theater will transition to 00:06:15.110 --> 00:06:18.170 rotating live specialty acts. Specialty acts. 00:06:18.430 --> 00:06:20.589 Which, you know, in the industry, that usually 00:06:20.589 --> 00:06:23.189 means comedians, magicians, jugglers. You mean 00:06:23.189 --> 00:06:26.089 a cover band? Right. It's a very different value 00:06:26.089 --> 00:06:28.990 proposition than a full -scale Broadway musical 00:06:28.990 --> 00:06:32.170 with a huge cast. I've seen the passenger reaction 00:06:32.170 --> 00:06:34.790 online, and there's a lot of skepticism. There 00:06:34.790 --> 00:06:37.449 was a strong rumor that Choir of Man, which is 00:06:37.449 --> 00:06:40.100 super popular on other NCL ships, would take 00:06:40.100 --> 00:06:42.620 the slot. Enquired Man fits the new model perfectly. 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:45.819 It's high energy, smaller cast, lower production 00:06:45.819 --> 00:06:49.000 cost, but NCL has not confirmed that. For now, 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:50.939 it's just this row -taking variety description. 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:53.079 I want to dig into the economics here, because 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:56.000 you mentioned ROI. Obviously, licensing Jersey 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.959 Boys costs millions, but is The savings just 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:01.620 about the license fee. It's twofold. First, yes, 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:03.660 the license fees and the royalties are massive. 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:05.720 It is significantly cheaper to produce your own 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:08.800 shows in -house in Tampa. But the second factor, 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:10.939 and people often overlook this, is the birth 00:07:10.939 --> 00:07:13.519 economy. The crew cabins. Exactly. A show like 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:16.339 Jersey Boys needs a large cast, musicians, stage 00:07:16.339 --> 00:07:19.399 managers. They all occupy cabins, cabins that 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:21.759 could be used for revenue generating staff or, 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:23.800 you know, paying passengers. So if you get rid 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:26.639 of the 30 person Broadway cast and hire a solo 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.110 magician and comedy duo. You've just freed up 00:07:29.110 --> 00:07:31.930 maybe 25 beds. On a ship like the Bliss that's 00:07:31.930 --> 00:07:35.350 a huge efficiency play. NCL has decided that 00:07:35.350 --> 00:07:38.490 the wow factor of a Broadway show isn't driving 00:07:38.490 --> 00:07:42.790 enough bookings to justify the the drag on the 00:07:42.790 --> 00:07:45.430 ship's operational efficiency. That's a gamble. 00:07:45.870 --> 00:07:47.689 I mean for a long time the entertainment wars 00:07:47.689 --> 00:07:49.870 were all about who had the biggest name on the 00:07:49.870 --> 00:07:52.720 marquee. It is a gamble. NCL seems to be betting 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:54.620 that passengers just want something entertaining 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:56.699 and they don't really care if it won a Tony Award. 00:07:56.939 --> 00:07:59.060 And if you look at guest satisfaction surveys. 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:01.939 Sometimes the highest rated shows are the improv 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:05.459 comedians or the dueling pianos. NCL is betting 00:08:05.459 --> 00:08:07.740 they can keep that satisfaction score without 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:10.399 the Broadway price tag. The timing is also really 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:12.819 specific here. The Bliss is in L .A. right now 00:08:12.819 --> 00:08:16.960 doing the Mexican Riviera. But in April. 2026, 00:08:16.960 --> 00:08:19.920 right after this change happens, it repositions 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:22.600 to Seattle for the Alaska season. So the Alaska 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:24.819 summer crowds will be the first test subjects 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:26.680 for this new format, which is interesting. You 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:28.779 know, it's a captive audience in Alaska, often 00:08:28.779 --> 00:08:31.259 tired from long port days. That's a fair point. 00:08:31.540 --> 00:08:33.940 They might actually prefer a quick 45 minute 00:08:33.940 --> 00:08:36.720 variety act over a 90 minute musical. Shorter 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:39.200 attention spans might align better with magicians 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.659 than musicals. OK, we have to shift gears completely 00:08:42.659 --> 00:08:46.659 for our third story. We're moving to the Celebrity 00:08:46.659 --> 00:08:49.379 Summit, and unfortunately, this is a tragic update. 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:52.679 It is a very sad story. We are reporting on the 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:56.019 death of Ken Paplawski, a true legend in the 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:59.379 jazz world. This occurred on February 2nd. Paplawski 00:08:59.379 --> 00:09:01.759 was aboard the Summit for the Jazz Cruise. This 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:03.639 wasn't a regular sailing. It was a full ship 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:05.799 charter. Right. And for those who haven't been 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:08.259 on a charter, it's a completely different ecosystem. 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:11.039 It's like a floating festival. The entire ship 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.620 is booked by one organization and every single 00:09:13.620 --> 00:09:18.230 passenger is there for the music. He is a clarinetist 00:09:18.230 --> 00:09:21.029 and saxophonist and, I mean, considered by critics 00:09:21.029 --> 00:09:22.789 like Russell Davies to be one of the greatest 00:09:22.789 --> 00:09:25.570 living jazz clarinetists. Just a giant in the 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:27.590 field. He had been battling multiple myeloma 00:09:27.590 --> 00:09:29.669 since twenty twenty one, but he was still performing. 00:09:29.830 --> 00:09:31.649 In fact, he was scheduled to play a set at four 00:09:31.649 --> 00:09:33.929 zero p .m. that day with pianist Shelly Berg. 00:09:34.250 --> 00:09:36.429 And that's how they realized something was wrong. 00:09:36.490 --> 00:09:38.690 Correct. He didn't show up for the set. Yeah. 00:09:39.250 --> 00:09:41.909 The organizers, specifically Michael Lazaroff, 00:09:42.009 --> 00:09:44.610 said that Poplowski was a professional's professional. 00:09:44.970 --> 00:09:48.519 He respected the bandstand. He never, ever missed 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:50.820 a set. When he wasn't there, they went to his 00:09:50.820 --> 00:09:53.740 cabin and, well, they found him. The impact on 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:57.019 a charter like this must just be profound. On 00:09:57.019 --> 00:10:00.059 a regular cruise of 3 ,000 strangers, a death 00:10:00.059 --> 00:10:03.409 might go unnoticed by most. But on a jazz charter. 00:10:03.730 --> 00:10:05.710 Everybody knows everybody. The artists mingle 00:10:05.710 --> 00:10:07.710 with the guests. They eat dinner together. It's 00:10:07.710 --> 00:10:10.070 a community. When the announcement was made before 00:10:10.070 --> 00:10:12.149 the evening concert, reports say the room just 00:10:12.149 --> 00:10:14.590 fell completely silent. It wasn't losing an act. 00:10:14.610 --> 00:10:16.929 It was losing a friend. And operationally, the 00:10:16.929 --> 00:10:19.409 ship continued its journey. It did. The summit 00:10:19.409 --> 00:10:21.769 was on its final leg back to Fort Lauderdale. 00:10:21.950 --> 00:10:23.929 It arrived on schedule. There was no deviation 00:10:23.929 --> 00:10:26.950 or delay. But the tone of that final night was 00:10:26.950 --> 00:10:29.590 obviously heavily impacted. Just a stark reminder 00:10:29.590 --> 00:10:32.860 of the realities of life, even on vacation. It 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:34.679 is. The organizers have said they're planning 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:37.159 extensive remembrances for him on future cruises. 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:39.960 A fitting tribute. While it's difficult to pivot 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:43.360 from such a human story to, you know, operational 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:46.779 logistics, the industry machinery does keep moving. 00:10:47.419 --> 00:10:50.259 We have several significant updates in our news 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:52.279 briefs this week. That's right. The business 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.519 of moving ships and building ports, it doesn't 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:56.789 stop. Let's start with the weather. We talk about 00:10:56.789 --> 00:10:59.470 hurricane season all the time, but winter cruising 00:10:59.470 --> 00:11:02.230 on the East Coast is proving to be a real headache. 00:11:02.610 --> 00:11:05.289 Oh, yeah. The Carnival Sunshine got stuck in 00:11:05.289 --> 00:11:07.830 Norfolk because of a winter storm. The port actually 00:11:07.830 --> 00:11:10.789 closed. And this is the risk of that year round 00:11:10.789 --> 00:11:13.710 strategy in non -tropical home ports. As lines 00:11:13.710 --> 00:11:16.450 push to keep ships sailing from Baltimore, Norfolk, 00:11:16.610 --> 00:11:19.269 New York in January, they're running into these 00:11:19.269 --> 00:11:22.470 nor 'easters. And it creates a mess for the passengers. 00:11:22.649 --> 00:11:25.070 It does. And it's forcing the lines to rewrite 00:11:25.070 --> 00:11:27.769 their refu... fun playbooks. Passengers get frustrated 00:11:27.769 --> 00:11:29.850 sitting in a snowy terminal for eight hours. 00:11:30.149 --> 00:11:32.049 The lines are realizing if they want that winter 00:11:32.049 --> 00:11:34.269 revenue, they need better contingency plans. 00:11:34.649 --> 00:11:36.629 Speaking of port tensions, let's go back to Alaska 00:11:36.629 --> 00:11:39.250 for a moment. Haynes, American Cruise Lines just 00:11:39.250 --> 00:11:42.129 pulled a four million dollar offer to rebuild 00:11:42.129 --> 00:11:44.789 a dock there. This is a really complex story. 00:11:45.009 --> 00:11:47.370 It just highlights that friction between the 00:11:47.370 --> 00:11:50.190 cruise industry's desire for growth and the local 00:11:50.190 --> 00:11:52.690 community's desire for control. The money was 00:11:52.690 --> 00:11:54.679 on the table. Why would they pull it? because 00:11:54.679 --> 00:11:57.460 of the strings attached. American cruise lines 00:11:57.460 --> 00:12:00.320 wanted a preferential use agreement, basically 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:03.480 guaranteed access for 20 years. And the locals 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:06.320 pushed back. The local borough assembly and especially 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:09.320 the fishing community pushed back hard. They 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:11.779 did not want to sign away control of their waterfront 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:14.620 for two decades just to get a dock repaired. 00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:17.820 It's that classic fisherman versus tourism battle. 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:21.019 So by pulling the offer, ACL is sending a message. 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:24.120 Exactly. We will invest, but only if we get guaranteed 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:26.019 priority. And since they couldn't get it, they 00:12:26.019 --> 00:12:28.240 took their checkbook and went home. OK, finally, 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:29.879 I'm going to group two stories together because 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:31.779 I think they paint a clear picture of the future. 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:35.500 Holland America has opened bookings for 2027 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:38.600 and 2028. Way in advance. Focusing heavily on 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:41.259 Pacific cruises. And Carnival announced they 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:43.659 are home porting two ships in Baltimore starting 00:12:43.659 --> 00:12:47.639 in 2027. This is the drive to strategy in action. 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:50.440 This is the industry betting against the airlines. 00:12:50.659 --> 00:12:53.759 Explain that. Why does a second ship in Baltimore 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:56.059 matter so much? It's all about the catchment 00:12:56.059 --> 00:12:58.990 area. Millions and millions of people live within 00:12:58.990 --> 00:13:01.789 a four -hour drive of Baltimore. If flight prices 00:13:01.789 --> 00:13:04.889 stay high and air travel continues to be a hassle, 00:13:05.509 --> 00:13:07.309 people will choose the vacation they can drive 00:13:07.309 --> 00:13:10.330 to. So Carnival is planting a flag and saying 00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:13.600 We will come to you. Precisely. And Holland America 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:15.500 is doing the same on the West Coast, opening 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:18.539 up San Diego and Vancouver for longer round -trip 00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:21.159 voyages. They're targeting that demographic that 00:13:21.159 --> 00:13:23.879 wants to avoid the airport at all costs. So fewer 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:26.879 flights to Miami, more road trips to Baltimore 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:29.179 and San Diego. That seems to be the winning bet 00:13:29.179 --> 00:13:31.600 right now. It really has been a week of transitions. 00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:34.620 We're seeing the end of the small ship era in 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:37.820 Sitka with Alaskan Dream, the end of the Broadway 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:41.440 era on NCL, and the industry just doubling down 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.940 on regional accessibility. The industry is always 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:46.120 evolving to find that efficiency, whether it's 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:48.159 in the engine room, the theater, or the home 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:49.980 port. And that's where we'll leave it for today. 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:52.779 Thanks for listening to Cruise News. Visit CruiseNews 00:13:52.779 --> 00:13:55.480 .io to catch up on the latest updates and sign 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:56.740 up for free email alerts.