Sailing away from them all

(illustration by andy rash/the new york times)

NEW YORK - By nature, cruise lovers tend to be egalitarian types. That's because embarking on a cruise requires a certain willingness to mingle with the masses at the buffet line, pile into the pool with hundreds of other passengers, and go onshore with complete strangers - and like it.

Now that's beginning to change. In a move that echoes the gilded days of the Titanic, when passengers were segregated into first and second classes (with everyone else thrown into steerage), cruise lines are stratifying their ships with exclusive tiers, like private sun decks and VIP pools, and offering custom shore excursions for those who are willing to pay not to share.

Over the past few years, Norwegian Cruise Line has been rolling out luxury cabins called Garden and Courtyard Villas that offer a private-access pool, sundeck, steam room, and gym. A few of these rooms, billed as a "ship within a ship," have their own hot tubs and garden terraces. Guests can even order room service from any restaurant onboard and stay in their own little enclave, away from the hoi polloi, if they so choose.

Similarly, Italy's MSC Cruises is carving out a VIP area called the MSC Yacht Club that will debut on the MSC Fantasia next December. The club will consist of 99 suites that share a private bar, solarium, pool, hot tubs and butlers.

And Cunard, which operates the Queen Mary 2, is taking the class divisions further. The ship's top dining rooms are already reserved for guests in the so-called Queens and Princess Grill Suites. On the Queen Victoria, which debuted last month, guests staying in those top suites will get their own elevator to take them to dinner, so they won't have to rub elbows with the underclasses.

The new VIP zones and tiered levels are a big departure from the largely democratic nature of cruising. Yes, cruise lines have long offered pricey cabins like presidential suites and penthouses that come with special perks like butlers and priority boarding. But amenities like pools, spas, and dining rooms have generally remained available to all guests. The new cabin classes contradict that.

"It's like a return to the class system," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of Cruisecritic.com, where consumers post detailed critiques of ships. It's about "getting away from the masses."

It's all part of an effort by cruise ships to attract more upscale passengers and shed their image as floating mass-market buffets. With new cruise ships holding thousand of passengers, the statelier staterooms and exclusive excursions are a way to appeal to travelers who don't want to feel that they're sharing their vacation with everyone onboard.

"You can be on a mass-market ship but have a very intimate experience," said Jeffrey Krudop, manager of leisure services at Conference & Travel Services, a Carlson Wagonlit agency in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The stratification is even extending to the spa. Costa Cruises introduced a new line of cabins last year with direct and unlimited access to the Samsara Spa through a private elevator and stairs. In addition, guests staying in the Samsara Cabins and Suites enjoy preferred seating at Ristorante Samsara, the spa's eatery. Celebrity Cruises and Carnival Cruise Lines plan to introduce a similar concept next year.

Passengers seem to like the exclusivity. Costa Cruises says its spa cabins, which cost about 20 percent more than regular cabins in the same category, tend to sell out fastest. Norwegian Cruise Line says its Courtyard Villas, which can cost $4,500 for two for a week, always sail full. And Crystal, which recently began offering intimate $1,000-a-head dinners with hard-to-get wines and extravagant meals, says it sold out its first offering within hours.

Crystal also reports a 55 percent increase in its custom shore excursions for the first eight months of the year. The trips, which are tailor-designed for families, couples, and individuals who don't want to go ashore with gaggles of fellow passengers, can range from private tours through Italian vineyards to picnics atop the Rock of Gilbraltar. Seabourn Cruise Line offers a similar service which lets guests plan their own excursions, like a private visit with a Russian family in their summer dacha outside St. Petersburg, or a tour through Berlin's Meilenwerk complex of vintage car shops. Several other cruise lines offer guided tours with a private car for families and couples who want to get away from the crowds.

Some cruise lines are taking a more accessible approach to exclusivity. Princess Cruises, for example, lets passengers pay $10 for a half-day in the Sanctuary, an adults-only retreat on the uppermost forward deck of the Crown Princess and Emerald Princess. The spa-inspired retreat offers private outdoor massage cabanas and light, healthy meals and drinks. So-called Serenity Stewards are on hand to provide chilled face towels, Evian atomizers, smoothies, and preloaded MP3 players with noise-canceling headphones.

"I love it up there," said Brown. "It gets you away from the craziness." It's a nice alternative to the main pool, she said, "where everyone is screaming and shouting."

Small cruise ships don't see the new offerings as a threat. The smaller vessels have always offered more intimate experiences by taking fewer people to less-accessible destinations, including off-the-beaten-track waterways and tiny ports that passengers on large ships rarely get to see.

"It seems like what they're doing is trying to provide the experience and ambience we have on our small ships," said Dick West, chairman and managing director of Seattle-based Cruise West. "In that sense, it's a validation of what small ship cruising is all about."