Old-School Soft-Adventure Gets More Exciting
Forget Rock Climbing Walls, the Wave Pool is Today’s Rage
The Signal - Business Section, September, 2005
Soft adventure has gotten a lot more adventurous for travel enthusiasts in quest of a new experience. Forget river rafting – that is so 10 minutes ago. Today’s voyagers are on the lookout for the next big thing.
Travelers do not have to look too far, because big it is. Royal Caribbean Cruises, who earned the reputation as the “the rock climbing ship” with their innovative rock walls introduced way before this activity became mainstream, has again sailed ahead of the fleet with a new concept, the Wave Pool. Sounds fun, particularly for those who have tired of the rock climbing, inline skating rinks and the other formerly cutting-edge adventure sports offered onboard.
Just like it sounds, the Wave Pool produces giant, artificial waves in a special pool designed with room enough to ride them in. Surf’s up in a big way on Royal Caribbean Cruises. We can only imagine what they’ll think of next to differentiate their product from the competition and keep thrill-seekers entertained.
Once upon a time, local culture was enough attraction for travelers, whether venturing to a new resort destination or heading to port during a stopover. We are now so homogeneous that people are looking for more out of a travel experience than the location alone. Entertainment, adventure, excitement are in premium demand and vendors are falling over each other to deliver innovative, new escapades that becomes “it” in the marketplace.
Resorts are expanding their activities and local voyages, and ships are adding contemporary, exotic port adventures and new onboard pursuits. The goal is to keep travelers amused and to attract the next generation of soft adventure enthusiast. Plus, keep the kids entertained while parents relax.
While the Wave Pool is totally cool to a teenager and the young at heart, it may lack the appeal to more mature cruisers. No worries, the ship has that covered too. For the parents or grandparents of the surfing teenager, a variety of enrichment courses are also offered onboard. From language and dancing classes, to the hugely popular culinary and wine courses, school is in session on the open sea.
Evening activities have also gone beyond the traditional dinner and dancing, headliner shows and casino nights. Princess Cruises has taken the movie theatre and the popcorn outside, poolside to be exact. Called “Movies Under the Stars,” this popular program was launched last year to favorable reviews from passengers. At dark, a pool area is transformed to a star-studded outdoor amphitheatre, complete with a jumbo viewing screen, an amazing sound system, and cushions on the lounge chairs. Then it’s a night at the movies.
While the modernization continues, many favorite old-school travel activities remain well-liked. Golf never goes out of fashion anywhere – onboard, in port, at a resort. Neither do spas. The facilities and services seem to be ripe for regular makeovers to stay relevant, but the demand to be pampered only increases. Hotels throughout the world have added new spas, many have even added the “and spa” credit to their name. The properties and ships that already adopted the health resort concept have renovated to accommodate more travelers and new spa treatments.
Back to soft adventures. There is no doubt that river rafting is great fun. To meet today’s quest for greater exploration in travel perhaps a leading cruise line will bring the concept onboard. Anything is possible. I never imagined riding a wave in a pool on a ship sailing through the ocean surf. Go and figure.
Commentary provided by Eric Maryanov, president and founder of All-Travel.com, the Los Angeles-based travel management company with an office in Valencia. He can be reached at 661.775.7511..
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