Our local rag publishes a Travel article by Arthur Frommer once a week. Today's article were his projections for the new year for the travel industry. The following is an excerpt related to this topic (at least I thought it was :D ):

"A further decline in the quality of the cruise experience: This prediction is based upon my own subjective reaction by nearly all major cruise lines to transform the cruise ship into an amusement park. Despite my own loud protests, it appears that the new, gigantic ships, with their bowling alleys, boxing rings, water chutes, carnival rides and itineraries spending most of the time either at sea or at phony private beaches or artificial villages, are apparently doing well. I base that surmise on the higher cabin prices charged by such behemoths as Oasis of the Seas and Norwegian Epic, and the orders that have now been placed for the construction of more large ships. Increasingly, people seeking a foreign travel experience via cruising or looking for quiet conversation, interaction with their fellow travelers, calm and repose, will have to book the upscale ships still offering those features, or stay away from cruising. " (italics are mine)

I think the people to whom Frommer refers in the italics are the "sea" to which Conroy was referring as his fishing grounds.


Greg