Luxury cruises: Everything you need to know
FROM butler service to bathrooms so big you can park a car, upgrading from a mainstream to a premium or luxury cruise line opens a new world of pleasure.
FROM butler service and complimentary drinks to gourmet meals and bathrooms so big you can park a car, upgrading from a mainstream to a premium or luxury cruise line opens a new world of pleasure.
ALL INCLUSIVE
The fare might be higher but check what it covers. At the top end you won’t have to pay for drinks, gourmet meals, tips, Wi-Fi and various extras that usually add to the bill, apart from spa treatments and perhaps a cooking class or wine appreciation course.
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Lines such as Viking Ocean Cruises even cover a shore excursion in each port on its 930-guest, all veranda ships. Regent Seven Seas Cruises also includes shore excursions, and for most guests also throws in a pre-cruise night at a hotel plus transfers.
The shared camaraderie of a drink at an open bar after a great day exploring a port on a complimentary excursion before a gourmet meal is part of the lifestyle of top-end cruising.
LOST IN SPACE
You won’t have to hustle for a deckchair by the pool — and the pool-deck staff quickly will know you by name and have your favourite drink ready. Size matters on posher ships, from larger cabins to subtle things like higher ceilings, wider corridors and extra room between tables in restaurants.
So does the number of guests being welcomed aboard — a smaller guest ratio to ship size means you won’t be hurrying to get a good seat when sunbaking, dining or seeing an evening show. Many of these ships could cram in more guests but fewer folk sharing the facilities adds to the feeling you are on a private yacht.
Luxury line Crystal Cruises is planning a super-luxury expedition yacht next year and chief executive Edie Rodriguez says Crystal Endeavour will have 200 staff for 200 guests, the smallest suites will be 37sq m while the two owners’ suites will be 290sq m — bigger than an average Australian home, with master and two guest bedrooms, private spa and gym plus outdoor jacuzzi.
AFTER DINNER PORTS
Many upper notch lines operate smaller ships that can reach ports the mega-ships cannot, and some make a point of staying late or overnight so guests can enjoy the local night-life.
Azamara Club Cruises, which operates two mid-size ships with a focus on “destination immersion” promotes its “AzAmazing Evenings” — a complimentary, private evening event in port on cruises of seven nights or more to savour the local culture, such as a romantic evening on a hillside in Tuscany with a live opera performance.
CELEBRITY HEADS
With its grand maritime heritage, Cunard evokes the romance of ocean travel with its three queens — Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and flagship Queen Mary 2. Touches from high tea to the only planetarium at sea and largest library at sea (both on QM2), as well as elegant ballrooms complete with dance partners on-hand for single ladies, are part of the attraction. They also feature fascinating guest speakers. Past speakers have been as diverse as Nelson Mandela and former US president Jimmy Carter, to John Cleese and Baz Luhrmann.
Other lines have followed suit. On a cruise aboard Silversea’s elegant Silver Shadow in Australian waters, celebrated cook Maggie Beer gave classes while English hostage negotiator-turned-hostage Terry Waite had us spellbound talking about how he survived physically and mentally being held captive in Lebanon from 1987-1991, including four years in solitary confinement.
SUITE LIFE
At the luxury end of cruising expect ships with suites and verandas, some with butler service. Touches such as Egyptian cotton sheets, flat-screen TVs, wonderfully comfortable beds, walk-in wardrobes, beautiful fabric and quality furnishings add to the experience.
Premium line Celebrity, whose large ship Celebrity Solstice has called Australia home in recent summer seasons, has won numerous accolades for amenities such as its top-deck lawn club of real grass.
Staterooms have been lovingly designed with an eye for detail and judicious use of space. If a suite is out of your price range, even their inside cabins include sofa, sitting area and desk, custom premium mattress with plush duvets and 100 per cent pure Egyptian cotton linens, mini bar and flat-screen TV.
ART OF ART
Stop to admire the surroundings on board and you may be gazing at a masterpiece, such as a Picasso or a Salvador Dali. Top end lines fill their ships with millions of dollars’ worth of artworks, usually in an understated way so you stumble across them as part of the pleasure of an elegant voyage. There is also art in nature as with Holland America Line, which spends millions of dollars on artwork, and makes a point of filling its ships with fresh flowers.
BATHROOMS
Virtually all cruise cabins have ensuites but not all are created equal. Up-market lines offer considerably more elbow room and touches such as complimentary designer toiletries replenished daily. On Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ new ship Seven Seas Explorer, where every cabin is a veranda suite, my mid-range concierge suite had a bathroom big enough to park a small car — double sinks, generous bathtub, a separate large shower, more marble than an Renaissance statue convention, thick fluffy towels and L’Occitane toiletries.
The specialty restaurants, drinks, Wi-Fi and shore excursions were also free on a ship that has had the audacity to trademark the slogan “the most luxurious ship ever built”.
MY GUY OR GAL
Every cruise line likes to think its staff offer the personal touch. The more expensive lines know guests expect superb service, such as staff quickly learning your name.
In Antarctica on an expedition cruise aboard Silversea’s Silver Explorer, where the line supplied a high-quality, complimentary parka — I didn’t think I would need anything too formal.
But one night I received an invitation to dine with the captain and good manners suggested a jacket was required. My butler (yes, my butler) on the all-suite ship organised one in my size. Classy!
More mainstream lines also deliver good service. Hobart couple Barbara and Ray King have had more than 180 cruises with Princess Cruises. “The main reason we keep coming back is the way we get treated by the fabulous crew — they know us, down to our avocado smoothies,” Ray says.
Check carefully the crew-to-guest ratio for your planned ship — the closer to 1:1, the less chance you’ll have to queue at the bar.
TUCKER TIME
The food fight at sea now sees many cruise lines with celebrity chefs lending their name to speciality restaurants, from Curtis Stone and Luke Mangan to Jamie Oliver and Marco Pierre White, usually with a surcharge. Regent offers complimentary dining in its speciality restaurants, while Silversea proudly promotes its commitment to fine dining saying: “Gastronomic excellence is a given, thanks to our partnership with the prestigious Grands Chefs Relais & Chateaux.”
Luxury line Seabourn is a member of Chaine des Rotisseurs, one of the world’s most prestigious gastronomic societies devoted to the art of fine dining, and has a partnership with three Michelin-star American chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller. The line’s newest ship Seabourn Encore was christened in January and is now briefly cruising Australian waters. It carries 600 guests in 300 all-suite, all-veranda accommodation, with open bars, no tipping and all dining venues are complimentary.
LET THEM ENTERTAIN YOU
Picture a luxurious expedition ship with just 132 rooms, somewhere off the Solomon Islands. The evening entertainment after some fine food on the French-flagged ship Le Soleal from the Ponant line includes a review of the day’s adventures in the comfortable theatre by the expedition leader and a talk about the next day’s plan to visit remote islands.
Unlike large ships with their orchestras, Broadway-style theatres and specialist cast of singers and actors, entertainment in such situations can be problematic. Yet this evening a troupe of talented young staff who multi-task by day put on a memorable night of energetic singing and dancing. Each night was a different show, from a touch of Parisian burlesque to a homage to rock’n’roll. Travellers paying for luxury expect quality entertainment — the premium and luxury lines know their reputations, and future bookings, depend on delivering.
SPA WARS
What’s a luxury cruise without a little indulgence in the spa, a dip in the pool and at least a peek in the gym? Pools at the luxury end of cruising tend to be all about the cabanas — large comfy day beds with shades for resort-style relaxation with a book and cool drink as the water views drift by. An occasional pool volleyball game may erupt but this style of cruising tends to be for those who like a dip to cool off then a bit of me-time on an uncrowded, serene pool deck rather than the noisy thrill of Splash Mountain.
Gyms have quality equipment and great views for both the dedicated and occasional visitor as well as classes from yoga to pilates. But it is spa wars where premium and luxury lines duel for the hearts of guests. From basic massages and teeth whitening through to couples’ treatments and therapies involving hot stones and much more, ships’ spa centres let you know you really are on holiday.
Treatments generally cost extra but keep an eye out for specials. Oceania Cruises has partnered with Canyon Ranch SpaClub for guests to relax, restore and revitalise. As you mellow out in a seaweed peat wrap with soft music and mood lighting, there really is only one question to ask yourself — how’s the serenity?
AT WHAT COST?
With specials including last-minute deals and early bird specials — as well as less popular itineraries — luxury cruises can be had for well under $500 a person a day, twin share. If you are set on a specific cruise without hunting out discount deals, budget closer to $800 to $1000 a person a day.
However, that should cover everything from drinks and tips to fine dining and possibly shore excursions, depending on the line.
If price is no object, closer to $US10,000 ($A13,033) a night will get you touches such as a suite bigger than the average Australian house with a $US150,000 bed, a $US250,000 grand piano, and car with driver at port stops on Regent Seven Seas Explorer.
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