Originally Posted by
bicker
Figure it is a calculated risk. If five passengers wanting a superior product are chased from Holland America (and Princess), and only even one of those five switch to Seabourn (same owner as Holland America and Princess), then the corporation probably has a net gain in profit. And of course it is better for them than that, because they're getting a bunch of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and NCL passengers upgrading to Seabourn; all the while a mess of new customers coming in from the bottom of the market, those who couldn't afford cruising previously.
I suppose that works as HAL, and most cruise lines for that matter, continue to bring newer and bigger ships on line. Obviously there’s a profit to be made and it’s been quite awhile since a line has gone bankrupt. Cruising has morphed too and is not just for the “newlywed, over fed, and nearly dead” as it once was portrayed. More and more ships are floating amusement parks and resorts and have become destinations in and of themselves. That attracts a whole different clientele than destination oriented cruisers of 20+ years ago.