MIAMI • It is just Fab-ulous.
On the new Norwegian Bliss, cruise passengers can listen to a Beatles cover band inside a replica of Liverpool's Cavern Club where the Fab Four performed in their early days.
It is just one of a dozen or so entertainment options - including playing laser tag in a space-themed, outdoor arena and piloting go-karts on a two-story racetrack - on the ship, which cost US$1 billion (S$1.35 billion) to build.
It will ply Alaskan waters this summer and the Caribbean in the winter.
Prices for a one-week Alaska trip in mid-July range from US$2,800 a couple for an inside cabin to more than US$11,000 for the exclusive Haven suites.
As Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean Cruises build ever larger vessels and try to lure younger guests, they are floating ever more-elaborate on-board activities.
Carnival's newest vessel, the 3,960-passenger Horizon, has a Dr Seuss water park, a Havana-themed nightclub and an Imax theatre.
In March, Royal Caribbean christened the industry's largest ship, the 5,518-guest Symphony Of The Seas, featuring an outdoor aquatics arena with acrobats, a zip line and wave machine for onboard surfing.
Norwegian, the oldest and smallest of the three big operators, ripped up the traditional model of cruise dining 18 years ago.
It allowed guests to choose which restaurant they wanted to eat at, with no assigned tables or times.
Since then, it has tweaked that model by adding "speciality" restaurants that charge a little extra for a rib-eye steak (US$20) and truffle oil mashed potatoes (US$3).
It has also begun offering well-heeled travellers a pricey enclave within its ships called the Haven, with separate pools, spas and places to dine.
Now Norwegian, which, like its main rivals, is based in Miami, is asking guests to pay a bit more for entertainment. The go-karts on the Bliss cost US$9.95 for eight laps while the laser tag is US$5 for about 10 minutes of galactic warfare.
"What they're trying to do is minimise the crowds," said Mr Stewart Chiron, who runs travel site cruiseguy.com.
The cost "is not going to dissuade you from going. It may dissuade you from doing it 20 times".
Still, many entertainment options on the Bliss are free, including two water slides, the Beatles show and a couple of big musical revues including Jersey Boys, an almost full-length version of the Broadway hit.
The strategy is paying off.
Norwegian said its on-board revenue is tops among the big cruise operators at US$76 a day, compared with US$53 at Royal Caribbean and US$45 at Carnival.
Norwegian said the Bliss, its largest vessel at 4,004 passengers, is the most successful new ship it has launched, in terms of advance bookings and prices.
It is all about giving customers options, said Mr Andy Stuart, chief executive of the company.
"Someone could come on a cruise and eat in the main restaurants, he can not drink alcohol and walk off and not spend a dime if he chooses to.
"Someone else can come on the ship and spend a lot of money, depending on the experience he chooses."
WASHINGTON POST
