Royal Caribbean turns copycat

Has Royal Caribbean Cruises lost its mojo? For years the company has been the most innovative at sea, building the largest cruise ships with the Freedom class, and then going 40 per cent bigger still with Oasis and Allure of the Seas.
It introduced full-length Broadway musicals to cruise passengers, with Hairspray, Chicago, and then Saturday Night Fever. Its ships are still the only ones with ice rinks and shopping malls. Innovations on the ships of Celebrity, another branch of the company, range from Apple i-lounges to real grass lawns.
But his week Royal has shown that it is prepared to copy other people’s ideas as well.
First came the announcement that it is to emulate Saga Cruises with a chauffeur service for passengers joining Independence of the Seas and Celebrity Eclipse in Southampton, and Jewel of the Seas from Harwich.
Closer examination, however, revealed that it’s not such a good deal as the Saga offering, which comes included in the fare for journeys of up to 75 miles. Royal’s package, in conjunction with Tristar, costs £65 for the first 15 miles and £1.40 a mile after that – rather more expensive than booking a local taxi driver, by my reckoning,
So what about Royal’s other copycat idea, behind-the-scenes tours for passengers who want to see what happens on the bridge, in the galley, and back stage in the theatre?
It’s a direct lift of an idea that Princess Cruises came up with last year, and it comes at an identical price. Places available on the three-and-a-half hour tours, which take place only once or twice per sailing, cost $150 each.