At 7 o'clock in the morning of January 7th, the first domestically produced large cruise ship "Aida Modu" berthed at Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Port, which marked the completion of the "Aida Modu" commercial maiden voyage for seven days and six nights, and the successful victory.
During the inaugural voyage, what was life like on the cruise, and what was the experience of the tourists? The reporter followed the inaugural voyage all the way
and interviewed the tourists and staff involved in the inaugural voyage. Listen to what they have to say ↓
Cruise culture meets Chinese culture
Create a "good show on a boat"
"I feel like I'm twenty years younger on the boat!" said 70-year-old Aunt Zhong, dressed in a red sweatshirt, and her friends took pictures at Aida Plaza. This time, she joined more than 40 old colleagues to participate in the inaugural voyage of the "Aida Modu", and also celebrated the birthday of 15 team members of the same age on board.
Aunt Zhong reported their day's schedule: taking group photos together at Aida Plaza in the morning, eating birthday cake at the palace restaurant at noon, singing karaoke together in the afternoon, and going to the Metropolitan Theater in the evening. "We received a daily newspaper in our room every day with a very clear picture of what was happening on the ship and where it was taking place. ”
A show staged at Aida Plaza
The "Aida Modu Daily", which is distributed to guests' rooms, lists in detail the events on the cruise ship each day. Among them, the performances staged at the Metropolitan Theater every night are the highlights: Happy Twist, Magic Show, Cross Talk, "Magic City" song and dance show and other programs are staged in turn. At the same time, for tourists of different ages, the cruise also arranges a variety of activities such as beer festivals, modern parties, and treasure hunt challenges.
I thought it would be a little boring at sea, but I didn't expect that there would be a lot of activities arranged every day. Ms. Wang, a tourist, said.
The Daily Aida Mordo lists the daily activities on board
As the first large-scale cruise ship in China, Chinese elements are a highlight of the "Aida Modu": festive lanterns and New Year's ornaments can be seen everywhere, and the 16 Dunhuang murals displayed in the art gallery on the fourth floor have become a popular photo spot for tourists. Some of the boat activities also have a unique oriental charm: Baduanjin, Tai Chi, empty bamboo, paper-cutting, as well as folk music performances such as guzheng and pipa are staged in turn.
Not only that, AIDA Cruises also cooperated with the Dunhuang Academy to launch four "Dunhuang Series" lectures during the maiden voyage. The lectures were delivered by experts from the Dunhuang Academy, covering topics such as Dunhuang cave art, clothing, historical stories and religious culture.
After listening to the teacher's explanation, and then looking at these murals in the corridor outside, I had a deeper understanding. It was a great feeling to be able to experience the full oriental charm on a large cruise ship that we built ourselves. Mr. Lu, a tourist, said.
In the following voyages, more experts and scholars will be invited to come to the cruise ship to hold forums and cultural exchange activities, bringing tourists from all over the world a cruise cultural experience with a unique oriental charm.
The service is warm-hearted, and the details are constantly improving
The maiden commercial voyage of the "Aida Modu" carried more than 3,000 tourists. During the week-long voyage, how to ensure the service experience of these tourists on board is a major test for the cruise operation and management team.
"The waiters were very welcoming. Even though not everyone speaks Chinese, they all greet us with a smile when they see us. This is the first impression of the service staff on the "Aida Modu" by Ms. Cui, a tourist.
It is understood that there are nearly 1,300 crew members and staff members from more than 30 countries and regions, of which nearly 80% are foreign employees.
Is there a communication barrier between foreign service staff and Chinese tourists? The reporter observed in the restaurant that such matters as ordering, pouring water, and taking tableware are indicated by tourists in Chinese with simple movements, and foreign waiters can quickly understand, and some can also reply in simple Chinese. For more complex requirements, they will immediately call in their Chinese colleagues to deal with them.
Gradually, there was a tacit understanding between the tourists and the waiters. The reporter saw that an aunt in her 70s said "thank you" to the foreign waiter, and the other party replied "thank you" in Chinese.
During its maiden voyage, the Aida Modu visited Jeju in South Korea, Nagasaki and Fukuoka in Japan, and local welcome ceremonies were prepared. Considering that tourists may encounter miscommunication when passing through customs, the staff on the cruise ship will guide tourists through customs quickly.
In the evening, when the tourists return to the cruise, the staff will greet them warmly at the pier and prepare hot drinks such as black tea for them to drink.
"My father is in a wheelchair, and when we get off the boat, the attendant will help us carry the wheelchair down together, and then help us carry it up when we come back, which feels quite sweet. Ms. Chen, a tourist, said.
The waiter helped carry the stroller off the boat
Food and beverage service is one of the main pillars of cruise service. There are a total of 26 restaurants and bars on the "Aida Modu", including a buffet restaurant, as well as restaurants such as hot pot, teppanyaki, and Southeast Asian cuisine that can be selected by tourists.
In the two main restaurants, "Baltic Restaurant" and "Palace Restaurant", there are different meals such as buffet and set meals according to the time of day. "The dishes are still more suitable for Chinese tastes. There are also things like milk, which are both cold and hot, which is more intimate. Ms. Cao, a tourist, said. In addition, taking into account the eating Xi of the elderly, the operation team added porridge to the lunch and dinner buffets.
For some service details, some tourists have higher expectations: for example, the space on the ship is relatively large, and more and clearer signs can be considered on the ship to facilitate tourists to find the place they want to go faster. Some passengers also expressed the hope that there would be more Chinese-style dishes in the meal, reflecting some local characteristics.
Ms. Cui, a tourist, believes that considering that the cruise ship will serve most elderly passengers in the future, the service effect will be better if the proportion of Chinese waiters can be further increased in the future, or foreign waiters can further improve their Chinese skills.
Looking forward to tourists and cruise ships "going both ways"
Before disembarking, each room received a thank you note and a satisfaction rating sheet. Most of the tourists are tolerant of the details that need to be further improved on the maiden voyage of the "Aida Modu".
Zhou Weihong, vice president of Spring and Autumn International Travel Service, also participated in the first commercial voyage of the "Aida Modu" as a tourist this time. "'Aida Modu' is still a 'first grader' and I can give it a score of 90 for its performance this time, and I am very satisfied overall. ”
Zhou Weihong believes that the service and experience on the cruise ship is not only the efforts of the ship owner and the service team, but also needs to form a good experience process with consumers. She pointed out that cruise ships are still "imported goods" in the domestic consumer market, and cruise culture still needs to be further popularized.
"Cruise ships are 'destinationless destinations', and the facilities and entertainment on them are part of the travel experience. Some tourists may prefer shore excursions to see cruises as a means of transportation, and this perception needs to change. Including what etiquette should be on the cruise ship and what kind of dress should be made, these need to be further popularized to tourists. Zhou Weihong said.
The "Aida Modu" berthed at Seogwipo Port
With the end of the maiden voyage, the "Aida Modu" will start normal operation. It is understood that this year, the "Aida Modu" plans to carry out more than 80 Shanghai home port operation voyages, with an average of 6-7 voyages per month.
"With the recovery of the international cruise market, it is both an opportunity and a challenge for the 'Aida Modu'. Qiu Ling, chairman and deputy director of the Shanghai International Cruise Economic Research Center, pointed out that after March this year, the international cruise giants will return to the Chinese market one after another, and the "Aida Modu" should seize the window period from January to March, "step by step, small steps", and strive for progress in each voyage. "I hope that the tourists on the ship can be more tolerant, provide more constructive suggestions together, and help the 'Aida Modu' grow and progress in a better way." ”
"With this inaugural commercial flight, we will consolidate the processes that have been established and continue to improve them based on the feedback from our guests. We are confident that we can provide wonderful sea sailing for our visitors. Yang Guobing, chairman of China Shipbuilding Cruise Technology Development Co., Ltd. and Aida Cruise Co., Ltd., said.
Reporter's note: Four expectations at the time of the triumph of the maiden voyage
The Aida Modu is large, weighing more than 135,000 tonnes and has a pair of stabilizer fins underwater, but when you go out to sea, you can still feel the hull moving with the waves. At this time, there is no need to panic at all, and I hope that everyone can complain less. Because this is the safest and smoothest sailing experience ever for human beings. China's giant ship is sailing all over the world, China's goods are marketing the world, and each of us benefits from the ocean, and we should be closer to the ocean and respect the ocean.
The trip to the next few days, the place to go, the items that can be played, some people say they don't know what to do. And some members of the on-board entertainment team were also a little depressed, dancing, singing, playing, eagerly interacting with the surrounding tourists, inviting everyone to participate, but there were not too many responders, which inevitably made them a little frustrated. I hope that everyone can have fun and have a good chat, and you can also have a chat with strangers you meet by chance. Some experts say that the cruise experience is not a one-way service supply, but a kind of value co-creation. In fact, it means that you have to "open up" yourself to the fullest.
I'm going back to Hong Kong today. Before packing up and getting off the boat, I hope you will take a moment to carefully fill out the opinion collection form in your room. The first commercial operation of the first domestically produced large cruise ship went smoothly overall, but it could not be perfect. Don't take them away if you complain, write them down, for the operator, this is the most expected precious gift. In fact, many optimizations have already been implemented during the voyage.
The last expectation is that when more than 3,000 tourists return to Wusongkou, there should be enough taxis and online car-hailing to get dispatch information in advance and drive to the exit of the terminal building. The surrounding roads should be equipped with more police force to clear congestion and ensure smoothness.
In a few months, international cruise ships such as Royal Caribbean and Mediterranean will be returning. How to welcome the resumption of the cruise economy? The respondent is not only the Magic City, but also our Magic City - Shanghai!
(The original title was "The "Aida Modu" Triumphs on Its First Commercial Voyage! What is Life on the Cruise? What is the Tourists' Experience? What Do They Say →)