The Caste System of the Cruise

 

caste system of the cruise - capitalistic, social stratification based on customer loyalty that determines a cruiser's status onboard a ship. 

Cruising is a culture. Inside of every culture is a way of life that social structure impacts. American cruise ships are tied to corporations reflective of the capitalist ideal. Inside of capitalism is a hierarchy consisting of the haves and the have-nots. Which is otherwise known as classism. Nowhere is classism more noticeable than on a ship.

The cruise business is especially dependent on customer loyalty. According to Cruise Lowdown.com, there are about 50-60 ocean cruise lines, the "big three" being Carnival (Princess), Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian as well as the independents: Disney, MSC, and Viking. In all, there are 323 ships, a huge amount of healthy competition. Based on my informal interviews with a small number of cruise aficionados (persons who have made cruising a necessity) onboard my ship, the Coral Princess, I have found that most of these travelers are loyal to one line because it just pays for them to be. Not cash, perks. At the very top of Princess's caste system is the Elite, a fitting label. These people have been on more than fifteen Princess cruises or have accumulated 150 days onboard. 

By the time I get off of this boat, I'll have 114 days, meaning I would just need to go on about three more basic cruises or another world cruise (too much time on the water when one has responsibilities on dry land) to be awarded Elite status on Princess. Ooo wee! Upon permanently disembarking, I will have Platinum status, but I am now at Gold, being this is my first cruise with Princess. What's left is Ruby, translating into three cruises or thirty days. The Elite members are the elitists on the ship. They walk around with their noses up and a special medallion (necklace with a coin) that designates their status, kind of like Indian Brahmins with the tilaks (dots) engraved on their heads. These people live and breathe cruising, spending a large portion of their lives on cruises. Most of these folks are 65 and older; many are well-off single women who are on the lonely side, looking to be "nurses with purses." (The ratio of single women to men on this luxurious banana boat is about 25 to 1. Men have their pick, often going for the youngest or most physically attractive gals. But I'm not telling you anything new.)

Of course, loyalty has its perks. Just ask anyone in a political office right now. But I digress. The top-tier Elite members on Princess are rewarded free dry cleaning (something that I could care less about as I wash all of my clothes in my stateroom's sink), a stocked minibar (in case you are so sauced you can't make it down to any one of a half-dozen bars on the ship), ten percent off on excursions and shops (basically nothing), and priority disembarkation (the only plus I'd be interested in other than cash back, which is not offered). As for the other groups, there is not much. My travel agent insisted that I purchase a "package," that pretty much includes everything a cruiser might want, eliminating the need for cash or credit cards entirely. I can't complain as I really like the concept of "all inclusive." I just paid too much for it.

All of the other cruise lines have a similar caste system, but Princess makes it most obvious. Like all isms, classism is wrong but is still perpetuated. Have money will travel in any capitalistic society. And if you don't have at least 30K to spend, you won't be permitted to cruise the world. Because I got ripped off re: my stateroom as noted in my previous blog, I will be attempting to negotiate a deal with the management, hoping to convince them to give me 20K in credit for their initial wrongdoing. Wish me luck. Do I want to be a part of this culture/caste system? No. As Sally says to Charlie Brown in "A Charlie Brown Christmas, "I just want what is coming to me." 

#Coral Princess, #cruise culture, #cruise ship lines, #blog, #blogger