A Cultural Analysis Of Mobile Communities On Board Cruise Ships

Cruise ships are among the star performers of the tourist industry. Their traditions stem back to the nineteenth century. Though these traditions have undergone modernisation, this book argues that the pleasures that the passengers of the past sought parallel those of their contemporary counterparts. It examines the textual representation of cruises in tourist brochures and in the travel writing of, among others, Mark Twain and Paul Theroux, before turning its attention to being a passenger on a cruise ship. Much of the book draws on the author’s own experiences of travelling on cruise ships and, by way of comparison, a container ship. Of particular focus is what passengers do with their time aboard such ships, and how that time is subject to many of same controls found elsewhere in modern institutions.

A one-of-a-kind analysis of ocean cruising! In Ocean Travel and Cruising: A Cultural Analysis, noted author Arthur Asa Berger turns his critical eye to the phenomenon of ocean cruising. This academically solid yet reader-friendly book brings a multidisciplinary cultural studies approach to the subject, examining ocean cruising from economic, semiotic, sociological, psychoanalytic, and marketing perspectives, and offering insights not provided by the more traditional sociological approaches to the subject. You'll explore cruise demographics, the relationship between cruising and gender, the sociology of dining on cruise ships, hedonism and pleasure seeking, the “compulsion to cruise,” consolidation in the industry, the exploitation of workers on cruise ships, and a great deal more. Here's a section-by-section rundown of what's in store for you and your students in this one-of-a-kind new text: “The Economics of Cruising” examines cruise categories, industry consolidation, worker exploitation, and ways that cruise lines make money aside from ticket sales. This section also compares the costs of cruises vs. land-based vacations and fills you in on the typical weekly food and beverage consumption of the Carnival line's complement of ships, which sheds light on how a cruise line can, for a mere $10, provide a food array that would cost a restaurant or hotel $33 to $40. “Signs at Sea—The Semiotics of Cruising” provides you with a quick primer on semiotics and then discusses the cruise ship as a sign system and then breaks the system down to its component parts, discussing dining rooms, cabins/staterooms, dress codes, spatiality, luxury signifiers, the perceived elitism of the cruise experience, the role of photography, and more. “A Sociological Analysis of Cruising” explores cruise demographics and their meaning, time budgeting on cruises, the sociology of dining, new trends in cruising, and the meaning of gender in relation to ocean cruising. A particularly intriguing chapter is “A Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Cruising.” Beginning with a look at the compulsion to cruise, this section explores cruising's relationship with the unconscious, the paradise myth, hedonism and pleasure seeking, the desire for unconditional love, psychological regression, and more. In “Selling Smooth Sailing: Advertising and Marketing Cruises,” you'll examine print advertisements from eight major cruise lines, look at what they have in common and what the differences are between the messages each cruise line hopes to convey via the style and content of their ads and brochures. “Cruising (on) the Internet” looks at the intersection of the information superhighway with the world of cruising. You'll learn about the cruise lines' own Web sites, travel agency sites, Internet sites designed to rate and review cruises and cruise ships, and more. “Notes from a Cruise Journal” shares the author’s on-site reflections and impressions of a weeklong cruise from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and back. Written in accessible, jargon-free language that will appeal to students at all levels, Ocean Travel and Cruising: A Cultural Analysis is the most recent of a very small selection of scholarly studies of ocean cruising available in English. Make it a part of your cultural studies, leisure studies, sociology, travel/tourism/hospitality, popular culture, or American studies course this semester!

Cruise ships are among the star performers of the tourist industry. Their traditions stem back to the nineteenth century. Though these traditions have undergone modernisation, this book argues that the pleasures that the passengers of the past sought parallel those of their contemporary counterparts. It examines the textual representation of cruises in tourist brochures and in the travel writing of, among others, Mark Twain and Paul Theroux, before turning its attention to being a passenger on a cruise ship. Much of the book draws on the authorâ (TM)s own experiences of travelling on cruise ships and, by way of comparison, a container ship. Of particular focus is what passengers do with their time aboard such ships, and how that time is subject to many of same controls found elsewhere in modern institutions.

This book is divided into six parts, which are organized to guide the reader step by step from the macro level of the cruise industry to the micro level of operations management on board cruise ships. Part I (chapters 1-4) sets the scene for the book by characterizing the conditions under which cruise lines operate. Part II (chapters 5-8) includes four chapters that address issues of significance for corporate managers in the cruise sector. Part III (chapters 9-11) deal with aspects of the marketing mix employed by cruise lines to attract passengers and fill their ships. Part IV (chapters 12-15) is concerned with managerial functions related directly to the cruise product. Part V (chapters 16-19) focuses on operational management functions on board cruise ships. The final Part VI (chapter 20) looks at future development possibilities for the cruise sector.

After decades of solid growth, the worldwide ocean cruise sector has become a noticeable economic factor and a significant employer. In the way it combines social, technological and natural systems to form its products, cruise tourism is an increasingly attractive area of study; particularly with regards to the managerial challenges posed by the interaction of these systems. This book brings together industry know-how, managerial experience and academic rigour to cover some of the most important and interesting managerial challenges associated with ocean cruises.

Exclusively planned tourism destinations have increased substantially over the last decades. As a result, gated leisure communities, all-inclusive resorts, private cruise liner-owned island and other tourism enclaves are rather common features in tourism, especially in the peripheries and low- and middle-income countries. Tourism enclaves can have varied characteristics and scales of operations but typically they involve standardized ‘non-local’ themes or appeal in their design, activities and economies. Typically, such tourism spaces contain all or a vast majority of facilities and services needed for tourists who have limited possibilities or desires to leave the enclave. At the same time, the locals’ access to these spaces is often limited or otherwise regulated. Thus, enclave tourism spaces are controlled and separated from surrounding communities. Tourism Enclaves: Geographies of Exclusive Spaces in Tourism focuses on tourism enclaves in different theoretical and geographical contexts. The chapters of the book aim to contribute to our understanding of how these exclusive spaces are created and transformed and how they shape places and place identities. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Tourism Geographies.

In Life at Sea, anthropologist Monique Layton draws on her experiences on modern cruise ships to examine the evolution of sailing from the Age of Exploration to the Age of Tourism. Using historical records and the reports of people who once went to sea through necessity, curiosity, or adventure, she shows the common events that have shaped their voyages and the ingenuity, courage, and determination that characterize mankind's connection with the all-surrounding sea. The book's topics range from the dependence on the wind and manpower through the invention of devices to determine location at sea to modern maritime technology, from the devastation of scurvy and starvation on early ships of exploration and trade to the luxuries of omnipresent food, on-board medical treatment, and professional entertainment available on behemoth cruise ships. The book also delves into the deeper meaning of seafarers' rituals and their harsh lives with severe discipline and few rewards. These aspects along with the horrors of the slave trade and naval warfare, the harrowing crossings of emigrants and convicts, the ambiguities of piracy, and economics of global trade all show the contradictory elements that have consistently shaped travel by sea....

Innovation management is arguably essential for the profitability and growth sustainability of the cruise industry; as it is for most areas of business endeavour. Now, more than ever, the cruise sector is faced with significant challenges, including: safety and industry reputation in the aftermath of the Costa Concordia disaster, al larger competitive scope and diminishing profit margins. Given that innovation management can be perceived as a management attitude and cultural habit, fostering inspiration is just as relevant as delivering innovation methodologies and guidelines. On this basis, the aim of this combined conference proceedings is to provide a creativity impulse and to illustrate the breadth and potential of innovation management in the cruise sector. Sources on inspiration include: mobile information and communication technologies, multimedia, and the internet and focus on areas as diverse as safety, aesthetics, culture and professional education.