After Celebrity Cruises began to do away with its classic ocean liner-themed restaurants, I was left wondering what role nostalgia has left to play in the cruise industry. After all, from the Cunard Line to Disney Cruise Line, varying degrees of maritime passenger history have greatly influenced modern cruise shipping. So where does it stand right now?
I suppose it only makes sense that a cruise line that espouses "modern luxury" like Celebrity Cruises would eventually make changes to the bits of its ships that praised the past, but I was honestly disappointed that the Celebrity Infinity replaced its unique SS United States specialty restaurant with the line's common Tuscan Grille a couple of months ago.
Photo courtesy of Jason Leppert
I once even captured one of my personal favorite photographs at the dining room, shot through the venue's former etched glass: a high-grain analog black-and-white image conveying the timeless nature of the space. And now it is gone - well, not entirely. A number of the artifacts have been repositioned to a display at the ship's casino entry as other ones will soon be from the former Normandie restaurant on the Celebrity Summit once that ship receives a similar treatment.
But it's not the same. Sadly, it's very likely that this fate awaits the Olympic and Ocean Liners restaurants on the remaining two Millennium-class ships as well.
It's really quite interesting how Celebrity Cruises and its most direct competitor, Holland America Line, have approached homages over the years. Celebrity has always been the more modern of the two, and Holland America has often been perceived, incorrectly I might add, as a line best for old people.
Truth is they both offer very fine products for all ages, just in different packages, with Holland presenting a more antique aesthetic and Celebrity a more contemporary one. Just because the former pays tribute to its past with historic paintings and photographs of its previous fleet does not make it stodgy. In fact, it makes it rather legendary, reflecting on its successful past.
But comparing to the automotive industry, there is a reason why brands like Oldsmobile no longer exist. I mean who wants a car from a brand with "old" literally in the title? Perhaps to avoid such handwriting on the wall, Holland America Line has begun to take steps in a more modern direction. Its Nieuw Amsterdam, with the Dutch word for "new" in the name, replaced classic reds and golds with fresh blues and silvers in its design aesthetic, and the forthcoming Koningsdam looks to be even more modern. The only concern here is that Holland America might lose some of its identity in the process should it strive to appear more like Celebrity Cruises.
On the flip side, Cunard Line, corporate cousin to Holland America Line, seems to have no intention of modernizing, excepting of course the likeness of Homer Simpson hidden in the Queen Mary 2's sculptured paneling. It holds dearly onto its ocean liner past and is embracing its history even more once the flagship next goes in for dry-dock and is made to look even more like its original art deco namesake. And it's an approach that works. While some might consider it stuffy, its loyalists love the pomp and circumstance; dressing up, dance balls and all.
Even the Disney Cruise Line takes much of its design cues from vintage ocean liners like the Cunarders but only in aesthetic. Its ships feature some of the most modern technologies but always to tell a story, a tale as old as time but as new as "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Plus, Princess Cruises is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, ever recalling "The Love Boat" and its classic television cast.
In the end, I believe there will always be a level of heritage and nostalgia in play in the cruise industry, if only because I as a millennial still wish for it. As much as the cruise industry is setting sail towards a big bright future on the horizon, it will always plow ahead of an unforgettable historic wake. It's now just a matter of discovering what exact balance between the new and the old will ultimately sustain.
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