Cruising and Ocean Liners: Comparing Passengers Ships - Essay Sample

Introduction

Cruise ships and Ocean liners are at times used in places of each other. Both are types of passenger ships but with quite a considerable difference. Concerning definition, an ocean liner is designed to transport passengers from one port to another. On the other hand, cruise ships are designed to carry passengers on travel that starts and ends within the same port. One example of a cruise ship used in this paper is the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the seas. While an ocean liner example used for this study is Cunard's Queen Mary 2. Below is a comparison of various aspects of an ocean liner and a cruise ship.

Profile of the Company

Cunard Line is a cruise line company based in Britain. In Britain, the company' s dominant headquarter is as Southampton. The Cunard company is owned by Carnival Corporation and operated by Carnival UK. The company does well evidence by the launch of more than three ships since 2011 (Kerliev, 2019).

On the other hand, Royal Caribbean Cruises is an American cruise company with its headquarters in Miami, Florida. Royal Caribbean Cruises, compared to Cunard, has developed quite first announcing mergers with a lot of stakeholders in the new future. The latest alliance, published in 2019, involved a joint venture with the ITM group. Both companies are doing well, even though there exist harsh financial and economic environments.

History of the Ship

Cunard's Queen Mary two was launched on March 21st, 2003, having been built since the 4th of July 2002. Symphony of the sea by RCC, on the other hand, was launched on June 9th, 2017, after two years of being built. The two ships cost quite a lot, with Symphony of the sea taking the lion's share. Symphony costs $ 1.35 billion, while QM2 costs $ 687 million (Kerliev, 2019).

Style of the Ship

Symphony of the Sea hold the record for the right public image, especially after being mentioned the world's largest cruise ship QM2 is not far from a good reputation after being ranked the seventh largest and comfortable ocean liner in the world. QM2 has always been appreciated for its traditional classical style that is similar to the Classic Queen's Palace (Newell, 2017). Symphony of the sea enjoys a modern form of ten stories, with digital compartments like an aqua theatre show. QM2 is classical while, and Symphony exploits contemporary styles.

Total Passenger Capacity

As mentioned by Newell (2017), Symphony enjoys a passenger capacity of about 6680 passengers with a crew of about 2200, while QM2 has a passenger capacity of about 2695 passengers.

Service Levels

The service on both ships are professional and consistent, but not something to marvel. The crews are professional unless there is a seasoned offer; they are not likely to act unusually. In terms of food, both offer a proper diet, including proteins with salads such as prawns and smoked salmon. Both cruises have high-end specialties in bars and restaurants. QM 2 is slightly above Symphony in terms of beverage and drinks. QM2 has a tremendous and exciting wine list that contains choices from all over the globe. Symphony takes a lot of focus on Italian brands. The dining spaces of QM2 take the standards of Royal Caribbean Food. The Symphony uses a balcony stateroom for their dining spaces.

Itinerary

In terms of Itinerary, QM2 has traveled only one new location in its past three travels. The new site was in Quebec City, while the rest two were in New York City. Symphony, on the other hand, makes a lot of travel to the Caribbean. Miami, Bahamas, and Honduras are the last destinations traveled by ship.

Pricing Strategy

Lastly, the pricing strategy is quite similar (Newell, 2017). For ten days the cruises charge under 2 thousand euros per person. For QM2, the package offers junior suite and free drinks, while for Symphony cruise, the same payment includes a parking space and a superior balcony.

Conclusion

Following the comparison made above, it is logical to conclude that Symphony of the seas is better placed for marketing strategies and opportunities since it appeals more to the millennials, who are the new age of travelers. Millennials are seeking to adventure and travel the world. The ship also attracts more to those from the American continent and the Caribbean. On the other hand, QM2 provides comfort for the older generation. Most of the QM2 customers are European adults inspired by support more than adventure. In terms of profession, the QM2 is more suited for professional white-collar individuals, while Symphony is more appealing to the art industry. The two ships have a distinct settled product ana a marketing niche that works perfectly for both.

References

Kerliev, K. (2019). Royal Caribbean Cruises-Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines (Doctoral dissertation).

Newell, G. (2017). Ocean liners of the 20th century. Pickle Partners Publishing.