http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608504576208662079704894.htmlThere is a new cruise ship class system. A growing number of cruise lines have built lavish—and separate—cocoons for their biggest spenders. It is a departure from the egalitarianism that had reigned on most ships for the last several decades when everyone from the humblest inside stateroom to the most luxurious suite would rub elbows in the same bars, dining rooms and pool decks. In a way, the trend is a throwback to the heyday of trans-Atlantic crossings in the 1920s, when first-, second- and third-class passengers were assigned separate areas of vessels. (Though no one would mistake today's cheapest stateroom for the gloomy steerage dorms of centuries past.)
On the 4,100-passenger Epic, which started sailing last June, guests in the 75 Courtyard Villa suites have a private restaurant, fitness center and pool, where employees pass out fruit and spray sunbathers with cool water. On the two-month-old Disney Dream, passengers in the 41 rooms on the concierge level have the sole use of a sun deck and lounge with free food, booze, fancy coffee (other guests have to pay $2.25 for a small cappuccino elsewhere) and loaner iPads.
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Like first-class airline passengers, guests staying in the private complexes pay premiums for their perks. Depending upon the time of year, a three- or four-night cruise to the Bahamas on the Disney Dream, for example, costs $439 per person double occupancy in a regular stateroom with balcony. A balcony room on the concierge level is $2,159 per person.
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The top amenity the guests wanted was separate spaces reserved for them alone. So the brand added private pool-deck areas, reserved seating at the theaters, private cocktail parties with the ships' captains and priority boarding and disembarking. "The ratings soared," Ms. Bauer says.
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