I'm not suggesting that it will ever happen, I'm not even suggesting that I like the idea. But you never know, it might just catch on?

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You are able to buy a cruise for a fraction of what it costs today i.e. a couple of hundred pounds (or dollars). Cruising will appear to be cheaper than it ever has.

However, there is a catch: every meal you eat and all the entertainment that you attend is charged to your onboard account. You will have a range of restaurants and a range of entertainment, with differing prices, to choose from.

The complex charging is administer by swipe card. On the entrance to the entertainment lounges or buffets, your card is swiped and you onboard account is charged accordingly. When you have a formal meal, the waiter will begin by swiping your card.

There are set fees for breakfast, Lunch, evening meal and midnight buffet, but the fee varries depending on the type of dinning room: formal, buffet or fast-food.

Likewise, the big production shows have a higer fee than say an afternoon lecture. A handful of events, in public areas, such as a pianist playing in a bar, or a duo is still free.

Now the advantage is that if you do not eat three of four meals a day and/or do not bother with all the entertainment, you will get a very cheap cruise. If you are on a budget, but still want to eat and enjoy some entertainment, you will of course be free to only choose to attend the cheapest dining and shows.

The disadvantage is that if you eat like a horse and go to all the entertainment, you will have to pay extra for the privilege.

The big selling point and cruise line slogan is "Passenger Choice" - you pay for what you consume. What is fairer than that, they argue?

Comments please?

For those passengers who view cruising as transportation from one port to another this may be attractive.

While others, cruise "for the experience". For those, and most of the established cruising community, this approach would be totally unacceptable.

I'm not sure that the cruise industry would be willing to try a grand social experiment (and that is what it would be) just to alienate their current clientel, although the experiment has already begun with specialty restaurants in some of the newer ships. But I'm not totally convinced that these specialty restaurants have a long term future. Once the novielty wears off will they still show a profit? Look no further than RCCL and their grand experiment with the rock climbing charges and ice rinks.

[ 03-31-2002: Message edited by: borntocruise ]

Do I think this will happen? Yes. Do I like the idea? Not one bit. I know about isolation of loyal customers - RCCL handily isolated me with a series of underwhelming "cruises" culminating in a trip on the company's new pride and joy, the abominable Voyager of the Seas, a ship which is designed expressly for those who hate ships. RCCL and other companies like them are feeding their naive, inexperienced customers PR drivel that is so downright ridiculous and far-fetched that all I can do is shake my head and laugh.

I suppose by the "modern" passenger's standards I must be a real hardy soul, for I cruised on ships without the human necessities, namely the mini-bar and the interactive TV set. As a matter of fact, I cruised in ships that didn't even have any TV sets at all! Horrors! Isn't that against the Geneva Convention? Not even the luxury of the rather edible food particular to those barbaric times could make up for the lack of a four-story tall enclosed shopping mall!