Is the "Today Show" media and are they for sale?

This morning on the Today Show, they are broadcasting from aboard a huge new Royal Caribbean cruise liner. I've been on a cruise and the ships can be pretty spectacular, but I had to wonder about the timing. Cruise lines have gotten a black eye lately due to on-board security, pirates and outbreaks of illness.

I imagine Katie Couric putting on her perkiness for whatever the segment/topic is (though I am not sure how that makes me feel about the upcoming CBS Evening News), but et tu Matt Lauer? Please give us some kind of grumbly signal that you aren't into this overt display.

My cruise was great so I don't have anything against the industry. But this, what I am seeing o the Today Show, it isn't media, it's marketing. Am I wrong for expecting more?