The Growth of Cruising – A Twenty-Five Year Comparison

by Kevin Griffin writing for cybercruises.com

Twenty-five years ago, in 1988, the main cruise lines were Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Royal Viking Line.

Royal Viking Sun

Of these seven, only two, Norwegian America and Royal Viking Line, have fallen away, consolidated into Cunard. But half a dozen new lines have arisen.

In 1988, Seabourn had introduced its first ship, the 212-berth Seabourn Pride, and four more lines follow over the years with Crystal Cruises, Regent and Silversea, all ultra-luxury, and more recently Oceania and Azamara in the ultra-premium sector. The former Chandris Cruises, meanwhile, evolved into Celebrity Cruises, which was taken over by Royal Caribbean in 1997.

Of the lines we have chosen, it might be surprising to some that in 1988 the fleet numbered only 39 ships with 37,157 berths (42 and 40,566 berths if we include Cunard), especially as in 2013 the top eight ultra-luxury and ultra-premium lines together operate 25 ships with 21,480 berths. In this context, to-day’s ultra-luxury and ultra-premium fleet is more than half the size of the entire main line and luxury fleet of twenty-five years ago.

The biggest difference, however, is in the size of the ships. Although the 1988 average was below 1,000 berths per ship this was the beginning of a period of growth, not only in number of berths (Princess Cruises’ 62,500-ton Star Princess, which seemed big then, had only 1,470 berths), but ships started to grow in tonnage as well.

Ultra-Luxury & Ultra-Premium Fleet comparison table: 1988 – 2013

The average ship size for the main-market lines grew from about 950 berths to 2,335 berths, or almost two-and-a-half times per ship. And the size of ultra-luxury and ultra-premium ships has risen from 212 in  Seabourn Pride to about 670 to-day if we do not include Cunard, or more than three times the size.

And the main market lines have also been taking advantage of economies of scale. Although Norwegian Cruise Line had introduced the 70,202-ton 1,850-berth Norway in 1980, it was 1988 before Royal Caribbean introduced the 73,192-ton 2,292-berth Sovereign of the Seas. But another eight years saw the introduction of the 101,353-ton 2,642-berth Carnival Destiny. The result has been that traditional lines’ fleets and berth capacities have grow exponentially:

Main Line & Luxury Cruise Fleet comparison table: 1988 – 2013

Other lines such as Costa Cruises and Chandris Cruises, with six ships each, the 10-ship Epirotiki Lines and a single-ship (at the time) P&O Cruises have not been included in this analysis, but obviously Costa and P&O have both benefitted in terms of fleet expansion from being taken over by Carnival Corp, now Carnival Corp & plc.

All in all, despite wars, terrorism, disease and economic dislocations, the industry as a whole is surviving and seems to be surviving well if we can judge by cruise line stocks as well as fleet size .

Holland America Line Single-Handedly Extends St Lawrence Season

Originally published by our London office.

 

Holland America Line’s Maasdam, a regular St Lawrence trader, passing under the Quebec Bridge

For many decades, in the days before air conditioning, the St Lawrence cruise season ran all summer long. From 1919 until 1965, Canada Steamship Lines offered weekly Saguenay cruises from Montreal, with a season that ran from June to September, even during the war. From 1921 to 1961, the Clarke Steamship Company offered longer “Round the Gulf” and Labrador cruises in a season that ran from May through October. After these services closed, Cunard Line, the Baltic Shipping Company, Polish Ocean Lines, Moore-McCormack Lines and the Greek Line, among others, began offering week-long cruises from Montreal or 10/11-night cruises between New York and Montreal.

The history of St Lawrence cruising goes back a long way. Under the auspices of Thomas Cook, the Quebec Steamship Company first sent its 1,864-ton Orinoco out from New York in the summer of 1894 to visit Saint John NB, Halifax, Charlottetown, Gaspé, Tadoussac, the Saguenay River and Quebec. Indeed, by 1904, the Plant Line was advertising its Gulf of St Lawrence cruises from Boston as follows:

Six Days’ Cruise 1400 miles for $18. From Union Wharf, Boston, every Tuesday and Saturday, 12 noon for Halifax, Hawkesbury and Charlottetown. Good board. Cheapest rates. Best trout and salmon fishing, and shooting. Beautiful scenery. This doesn’t half tell it. Send stamp for booklet “Looking Eastward,” maps, etc.

A pioneer of St Lawrence cruising from 1908 until the First World War, the s.s. Trinidad cruised the St Lawrence by summer and sailed from New York to Bermuda in the winter.

The Quebec Steamship Company’s 2,162-ton Trinidad followed in 1908, the 300th Anniversary of the founding of Quebec. In 1919, this line was acquired by Britain’s Furness Withy & Co, who cruised first the 5,530-ton Fort Hamilton and and then the 7,785-ton Fort St George from New York to Quebec. Between the wars, the Anchor Line, Canadian Pacific, the Clyde Line, White Star Line and others all offered cruises between New York, the Maritimes, Quebec and Montreal. These cruises were nearly always offered in the high season in July and August, when it was hottest in the cities, as a getaway from the summer heat.

More recently, however, the so-called Canada New England brand has suffered in that even The Sunday Times now tells people who want to cruise the St Lawrence to go in the autumn. The question is, is this the propogation of a myth or is it simply because cruises only go there now in the autumn? This has been one of the biggest challenges facing St Lawrence and New England destinations in recent years, but things are slowly starting to change.

In recent years, Holland America has operated one ship, the 1,266-berth Maasdam, into Montreal between May and October. Starting this autumn, however, it brought a second ship to the St Lawrence, in the 1,348-berth Veendam, which it had previously been operating on the New York-Bermuda run. Next year, Holland America will operate Veendam on a full season of St Lawrence cruises, from May through October, turning at Quebec while Maasdam continues to turn at Montreal.

Maasdam departing Montreal on a cruise. On the left is the Sailors’ Memorial clocktower on Victoria Pier. Behind here is where the Canada Steamship Lines and Clarke Steamship Company cruise ships used to sail from

Moving Veendam to St Lawrence cruising is interesting in two ways. First, Holland America has already let it be known that it thinks it can make more money trading to Canada and New England than in what was once regarded as the lucrative Bermuda cruise market. Secondly, with the imposition of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA) this summer, Veendam is actually going against the flow.

When sailing to Bermuda she spent most of her time outside the 200-mile ECA limit but by sailing to Canada she will always be within it. This means she will have to burn more expensive distillate fuel in order to reduce sulphur emissions, something that Holland America has already estimated increased their fuel costs by 40% in the Alaska trade, which is also completely within the ECA, for an  extra $200,000 on a 7-night cruise.

Veendam will handle four embarkations and four disembarkations at Quebec, bringing more than 20,000 extra visitors a year over a three-year period. Under the new marketing agreement, Montreal will also see additional turnarounds from Maasdam in July and August. This programme, announced last month, is backed by $1.15 million in government funds, half from Tourism Quebec and half from Quebec City.

Included in Veendam’s new sailings will be four 14-night round trips from Quebec that will call at Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Bar Harbor, Boston and the Saguenay. Equally, Maasdam will offer seven 14-night round trip cruises from Montreal calling at Quebec, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Bar Harbor and Boston. Both itineraries will also be available as one-way 7-night sectors between Montreal and Boston and Quebec and Boston.

As part of this agreement, the 450-berth Seabourn Sojourn, operated by Holland America affiliate Seabourn, will also operate three St. Lawrence turnaround cruises from Montreal that will visit seven ports in Quebec: Montreal, Quebec City, Trois Rivières, Saguenay, Baie Comeau, Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands.

Holland America has become a bit of a pioneer in the St Lawrence. It was the first cruise line to visit Sept Iles, on the St Lawrence North Shore, when it sent  Maasdam there in May 2009. This in itself was an earlier season start than usual for the St Lawrence, the call having been made during a positioning voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Montreal, something it will offer again in 2013. The new $20 million berth at Sept Iles now accepts cruise ships of up to 985 feet in length.

Compagnie du Ponant’s Le Boréal calls at the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St Lawrence

Fellow North Shore ports Baie Comeau to the west and Havre St Pierre to the east have also added cruise facilities and their proximity to Gaspé on the South Shore, Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island and Corner Brook in Newfoundland, offers a choice of half a dozen cruise ports in the Gulf of St Lawrence below Quebec. The Magdalen Islands, which has its own weekly cruise ferry from Montreal and is now also visited by Compagnie du Ponant and Crystal Cruises, adds a seventh.

Crystal Symphony seen here calling at Quebec, offers a round-trip Gulf of St Lawrence cruise from Montreal each September.

On September 30, Crystal Cruises operated  a 7-night round trip from Montreal with its 960-berth Crystal Symphony. Three of her four ports, Sept Iles, the Magdalen Islands and the French islands of St Pierre et Miquelon, were first time calls for Crystal. The fourth port, Quebec, has been rated as the most popular cruise port in North America. This Montreal round trip itinerary will be repeated on September 26, 2013. But in September 2014, the cruise will be offered by Crystal Serenity from Quebec. A larger ship than Symphony, the Serenity presumably can’t get under the Quebec Bridge to sail upriver to Montreal.

Royal Caribbean has also started operating turnaround cruises from Quebec with its 2,112-berth Brilliance of the Seas, with a typical 10-night cruise taking in Baie Comeau, Corner Brook, Halifax, Sydney, St Pierre et Miquelon and Charlottetown. Like the Serenity, the Brilliance is to tall to fit under the Quebec Bridge.

Other St Lawrence visitors this season have included the 3,114-berth Emerald Princess, 2,104-berth Eurodam, 264-berth Le Boréal, 2,476-berth Norwegian Dawn, the 2,620-berth Queen Mary 2, the 684-berth Regatta, 490-berth Seven Seas Navigator, 388-berth Silver Whisper and Veendam, nearly all in September and October. Not to mention Aida, Fred Olsen and Saga ships that cruise over from Europe.

The addition of  Veendam to the St Lawrence trade is good news for Quebec City, which in 2013 will see five Holland America calls each month from May to August and seven in June. The only other ship coming nearby in the summer months is Oceania’s 1,258-berth Marina, which will make an unusual June 1 call at Quebec while on a 16-night cruise from New York to Southampton. The other ships will all wait until September (21 calls) and October (27 calls), when they come flocking in for “the leaves.”

For more details on Cruising the Gulf of St Lawrence please call The Cruise People Ltd in London on 020 7723 2450 or e-mail cruise@cruisepeople.co.uk and in Canada at 1-800-961-5536 or e-mail cruise@thecruisepeople.ca

Limited Time Offer on Select Seabourn 2013 Sailings

Seabourn Cruise Line (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Seabourn has created a new option designed to make cruising even more relaxing and rewarding. It has announced All-Inclusive Advantage Fares, offering all-inclusive travel pricing on specially selected cruises*:

• Complimentary round-trip economy airfare with business class upgrades available
• Complimentary one-night pre-cruise hotel stay
• Complimentary transfers between airport, hotel and the ship
• Complimentary shore excursion credit of up to $2,000 per suite

Plus, you’ll receive all of its signature all-inclusive onboard amenities, including:

• Complimentary champagne and in-suite bar
• All-suite accommodations
• Complimentary open bars and fine wines
• Tipping is neither required, nor expected
• Award-winning gourmet dining, and more

*All-Inclusive Advantage Fares are in U.S. dollars, for new bookings only, per guest based on double occupancy, and include round-trip economy class air from the following select U.S. and Canadian gateways: ATL, BOS, CLT, DFW, DEN, EWR, FLL, HNL, IAD, IAH, JFK, LAX, LGA, MCO, MIA, MSP, ORD, PBI, PHL, PHX, SAN, SAV, SEA, SFO, TPA, YUL, YVR, YYC and YYZ. Air arrangements are limited to air carriers and routings of Seabourn’s choosing. Fares include Government Fees and Taxes for both cruise and air travel. Additional fees for baggage and other charges may be directly assessed by airlines or airports; please refer to the applicable airline website for further information. Complimentary one night pre-cruise hotel stay included at a hotel of Seabourn’s choosing. The package includes complimentary transfers from the airport to hotel, hotel to ship and ship to airport. Guests will receive a Shore Excursion credit of up to $1,000 per guest ($2,000 per suite), which can be used only for excursions purchased through Seabourn. Shore Excursion credits are non-transferable, not redeemable for cash and have no residual value. Fares are not combinable with any other offer, may vary by sailing date, are capacity controlled, and are subject to change without prior notice. All savings amounts are included in fares shown. Seabourn reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement of up to $15 per person, per day in the event that the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index) is greater than $70.00 per barrel. Information herein is accurate at time of printing. Seabourn reserves the right to correct errors.

The Cruise People’s take on Seabourn

To book these special All-Inclusive Advantage Fares, contact The Cruise People 1-800-961-5536

LiveJournal Tags: All inclusive cruises

Seabourn Goes To Antarctica – The Right Way

by Kevin Griffin writing in cybercruises.com

Seabourn plans to extend its cruise destinations to include Antarctica for the first time in 2013. Seabourn Quest, the line’s newest ship, will offer a series of four 21- to 24-day voyages sailing between Valparaiso, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina beginning in November 2013.

Noted Seabourn president Richard Meadows: “Antarctica was the only continent that Seabourn did not feature in our itineraries. This expands our global reach to all seven continents and builds on our already impressive list of exotic destinations.”

The all-suite ship will cruise the Chilean coast, with visits to Puerto Montt for the Chilean Lakes district, Castro on the island of Chiloe, and Puerto Chacabuco, where passengers can access Torres del Paine National Park. She will then cruise the Chilean Fjords before transiting the Beagle Channel and its Glacier Alley. 

Following a call at Ushuaia in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, the Quest will cruise by Cape Horn bound for the southern ocean. Guests will experience five days in Antarctica, including scenic cruising of highlights such as the Lemaire Channel, picturesque Paradise Bay and the Gerlache Strait.

An experienced Antarctic expedition staff will see that travellers enjoy the best of the available sites landing sites and cruising in inflatables, based on local conditions. Scientists, naturalists and other lecturers will speak on board and also accompany visitors ashore to add insights to their experiences.

In the South Atlantic, guests will enjoy visits to Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, and Montevideo, Uruguay, en route to or from Buenos Aires.

A 24-day version will include two days exploring the sub-Antarctic wildlife island of South Georgia, renowned for its beauty and vast, teeming rookeries of king penguins and seabirds, as well as breeding elephant and fur seals.

Although parent company Holland America Line has been sending ships to the Antarctic for some time now, the difference is that Seabourn will make actual landings instead of just cruising by. The whole idea of going to Antarctica without making any landings can best be compared to a date without a goodnight kiss!

LiveJournal Tags: Seabourn Quest

Carnival Revives the Dominican Republic’s North Shore

by Kevin Griffin – The Cruise People

Carnival Corporation & PLC has announced plans for a new $65 million two-berth cruise ship centre in the Dominican Republic. The new 30-acre Amber Cove Cruise Centre is being built at the Bay of Maimon, about fifteen miles west of Puerto Plata, and is due for completion in 2014. The new terminal is a joint project between Carnival and Báez & Ranick, a local ocean transportation, logistics and marine services group.

The project is designed to re-establish the Dominican Republic’s north coast as a popular cruise destination. The last cruise ship to call to Puerto Plata did so nearly thirty years ago now but the new facility is expected to host more than 250,000 cruise passengers in its first year of operation.

Carnival is expecting the new cruise hub to host up to 8,000 cruise ship passengers daily — vastly more than the 350,000 cruise passengers who visited the Dominican Republic in 2011. Last year saw a 1% decrease in passenger numbers to the country but Carnival is hoping its $65 million investment will reverse that trend. Puerto Plata was in the past the country’s second cruise destination after Santo Domingo.

As well as offering a gateway into the Dominican Republic, the cruise centre will include thirty acres of waterfront property and will feature a welcome centre, a variety of retail offerings, themed restaurants and bars and a water attraction. A transportation hub will allow visitors easy access by land and sea to the surrounding attractions. The news follows by two years the 2010 announcement of a $27 million terminal for Puerto Plata that did not involve cruise lines and was the subject of much criticism.

As Steven Stern says in his Stern’s Guide to the Cruise Vacation, “In Puerto Plata, there is little to do other than shop for amber in the local market, but if you feel adventurous, rent a horse at the dock and ride through the countryside to the beach.” Amber Cove is fifteen miles to the west of Puerto Plata.

A precedent for the Amber Cove project is Carnival’s own Mahogany Bay Cruise Centre in Roatan, Honduras, which it opened in 2009. Mahogany Bay has now hosted more than a million passengers, not only in Carnival ships but also in ships from Princess, Holland America, Seabourn, Costa and P&O, as well as non-group vessels. Another is Grand Turk Cruise Centre, which Carnival opened in the Turks and Caicos Islands in 2006. It will host 285 ships bringing 675,000 visitors this year. Carnival Corp & PLC seem to be building themselves a stable of these new ports in the Caribbean.

LiveJournal Tags: puerto Plata,Amber Cove,Mahogany Bay

Seabourn Odyssey Named Best Small Cruise Ship Two Years in a Row

Image via Wikipedia

For the second year in a row, Seabourn’s intimate, luxury cruise ships sailed to the top of Conde Nast Traveler’s prestigious list of the world’s 100 best cruise ships, based on scores achieved in the magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice poll.

Seabourn’s fleet dominated the survey, occupying five of the top seven spots. Once again, Seabourn Odyssey was the highest-rated small cruise ship, with Seabourn Pride coming in second. Seabourn Sojourn ranked fourth, and Seabourn Legend and Seabourn Spirit rounded out the top seven. Seabourn Quest, which debuted to rave reviews in June of 2011, was not included in the poll but is a sister ship to the top rated Odyssey.

"These honours truly belong to Seabourn’s hardworking crew," said Seabourn’s president, Richard Meadows. "We’re extremely proud of them, and we know that these rankings are a direct result of the exceptional way they care for our guests." 

The list, published in the magazine’s February issue, outlines the scores of each ship in a variety of categories, including service, itineraries, food and dining, activities, design and layout, and more. Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and Seabourn Legend received the highest scores in three categories: 97.1 for cabins, 98.8 for food/dining and 93.5 for design/layout, respectively.

In 2011, Seabourn completed a three-ship expansion, adding new vessels that garnered rave reviews and acclaim as "game-changers" for the luxury cruise segment.  The expansion included the launch of Seabourn Odyssey in June 2009, Seabourn Sojourn in June 2010, and the new Seabourn Quest in June 2011.  Each ship carries 450 guests, providing the highest ratio of space per passenger in the industry and  nearly one staff member per guest. Seabourn’s fleet includes the line’s original trio of 208-passenger ships: Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit and Seabourn Legend.

Seabourn’s six-ship fleet circles the globe throughout the year. Cruises of seven days to World Cruises of more than 100 days visit hundreds of ports, including marquee cities and lesser-known yachting harbours and hideaways.

More information on Seabourn.

Old Time Service with Modern Technology

Image via Wikipedia

The Cruise People, Ltd. now has a wonderful research tool.  Whether you are thinking about cruising for the first time or you are an experienced cruiser, we can help you find that perfect cruise.  Fun, sun, beaches, adventure, culture or sights – there is a cruise here for you.

We have over 20,000 ocean and river cruises to show you including detailed itineraries, port descriptions and useful information about your cruise ship.

You can use the Quick Search to start or choose one of the offers or other links on this page.

LiveJournal Tags: cruise research,research ships,search itineraries,search ships,search ports

New Deputy Master & Executive Chairman for Trinity House

 

Captain Ian McNaught has been sworn in as Deputy Master of the Corporation of Trinity House and Executive Chairman of the Lighthouse Authority.

Captain McNaught succeeds Rear Admiral Sir Jeremy de Halpert who has stood down after almost ten years service.

Captain McNaught has 40 years maritime experience, most recently serving as Master with Seabourn Cruises. He has been an employee of Cunard, owner of some of the most famous cruise liners in the world, since 1987 when he joined Queen Elizabeth 2 as a Second Officer. He rapidly rose through the ranks and was Master of the luxury cruise ship Sea Goddess 1, and more recently held Command of the QE2 until the vessel was paid off in November 2008.

As Executive Chairman of the Lighthouse Authority, Captain McNaught will lead an organisation responsible for the safe navigation of some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Trinity House is also a pioneer of research into new technologies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the aids to navigation it provides. As Deputy Master of the Corporation of Trinity House he will be responsible for the activities of the UK’s largest endowed maritime charity.

Commenting on his appointment, Captain McNaught said, “having spent nearly 40 years at sea, my election as Deputy Master of Trinity House is the pinnacle of a successful career as a Master Mariner. It provides me with an opportunity to lead the principle maritime fraternity and institution in the country for the benefit of Maritime Britain, the shipping industry, and all the seagoing community. There is, I believe, no greater opportunity than this, to use all my maritime experience and expertise gathered during my career at sea”.

LiveJournal Tags: QE2,Queen Elizabeth 2,Ian McNaught,Seabourn

Some Great Cruises Away From the Mass Market

Kevin Griffin of The Cruise People, Ltd. for cybercruises.com 

For those who have been cruising for many years, one of the worst things about the recent huge growth in cruising has been its new mammoth ships with the massive crowds they bring. For the many who dislike crowds, overwellming entertainment, ziplines, Blue Man Group and Red Frog beer, here are three cruises that will take you away from all that to explore areas of real interest. And as we are also having a look at “Stern’s Guide to the Cruise Vacation” this week we will quote his strong points for each line as well.

Now that Seattle-based ultra-luxury line Seabourn has all three of its larger 450-guest luxury ships, Seabourn Odysssey, Sojourn and Quest, in service, its fleet numbers 1,986 berths, including the original trio of Seabourn Legend, Pride and Spirit.

A threefold growth in capacity over two years means that Seabourn now offers more berths than and twice as many ships as its predecessor Royal Viking Line when it operated its original trio of ultra-luxury ships on itineraries worldwide. In fact, to-day’s Seabourn offers much better value on board as it is all-inclusive, whereas on Royal Viking one had to pay for one’s bar bills, wines and gratuities.

For a Caribbean cruise on Seabourn, one couldn’t do better than to choose the Seabourn Quest, which made her inaugural North American landfall a week ago when she arrived in Fort Lauderdale. The Quest will typically sail on 10-, 12- and 14-night Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale in November and December, and rather than calling at the mass-market ports of St Thomas, Cozumel and Costa Playa, none of which have any cultural appeal, she calls at out-of-the-way islands that are for the most part off the beaten track.

Typical calls include St Kitts, St Vincent, Mayreau, St Barts and St John as well as the more popular Barbados and Martinique, and usually a call at San Juan as well. The latter is so the Americans can buy their double duty free allowance, but rather than go shopping with them, take advantage of this opportunity to do your own private tours.

Stern’s Strong Points:“Top-of-the-line luxury (at top-of-the-line prices except when special offers are available on selected cruises), superb food, impeccable service, and elegant, spacious accommodations, as well as the most desired itineraries… The new 450-passenger ships offer the same exceptional dining, service and accommodations with additional space, facilities and entertainment. Most seasoned cruisers consider these the best ships in service to-day.”

An up-and-coming company in the news of recent is Marseilles-based Compagnie du Ponant, which has introduced two 264-guest yacht-like ships, Le Boréal and L’Austral, over the past couple of years, and has just ordered a third.

The recent sales of Le Levant to Paul Gauguin Cruises and Le Diamant to buyers affiliated with International Shipping Partners means that its fleet will become more uniform, with three new sister ships and the original 60-berth Le Ponant, which took the company name and is now becoming more of a mascot. For this cruise we nominate Le Boréal’s May 9th Gastronomic sailing from Honfleur to Copenhagen by way of Ostend, Amsterdam, Hamburg and the Kiel Canal.

On this 5-night sailing three top chefs, Michelin three-star Jacques Marcon, two-star Jean-Marc Delacourt and Philippe Joannes, best chef in France of 2000, will be serving up gastronomic delights to match the ports of call. For those who like to combine business with pleasure Ostend is called at on Thursday and Amsterdam on Friday if you want to make appointments, but Hamburg will be called on Saturday so you can go and see the Maritime Museum. The cruise is only five nights but with such chefs on board perhaps that is enough at one go.

Stern’s Strong Points: “Le Boréal and L’Austral feature staterooms that measure from 200 square feet with a 56-square-foot balcony to 398 square feet with an 86-square-foot balcony and 484 square feet with a 97-square-foot balcony for the owner’s suite. Ninety-five per cent of the accommodations sport balconies.”

Another interesting cruise that avoids crowds and offers little extras is Miami-based Azamara Club Cruises, whose Azamara Quest cruises the Mediterranean by summer and autumn. One can join this Quest on August 18 at Venice for an overnight stay before sailing at 6 pm on the 19th for visits to Split, Dubrovnik, Kotor (an overnight stay), Brindisi, Corfu, Taormina, Amalfi (another overnight stay), Capri and Sorrento before finishing in Civitavecchia for Rome on August 29.

The Quest and her sister ship Azamara Journey were once members of the Renaissance fleet.

Stern’s Strong Points: “A more initimate cruise experience to exotic ports that many larger sjips cannot reach on longer itineraries, with a variety of entertainments, fine dining options and attentive service throughout the ship.”

There is not a single trace of Shrek, Spongebob Squarepants or Mickey on any of these ships. Just a sense of calm and sophistication, where larger ships need to have Retreats, Sanctuaries and Tranquility areas to get away from the endless activity. Such areas are not needed on these ships.

Berlitz Guide to Cruising 2012

by Kevin Griffin of The Cruise People writing in cybercruises.com

The latest edition of the “Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships” by Douglas Ward has just arrived. A mammoth tome, as usual since the huge growth of cruising has taken place, it has still managed to slim itself down this year, from 722 pages to 690.
Now in its 27th year of publication, one of the more interesting points about this issue is that Oceania Cruises’ new Marina has joined the top ten mid-size cruise ships (600-1600 berths) in terms of points, with her score score of 1701 being exceeded only by Crystal Serenity at 1717 and tied by Crystal Symphony, all of which have been awarded five stars.

This means that Marina has also joined Hapag-Loyd’s Europa, scoring 1852 and alone in the five-stars-plus category and top of the tops since she was first introduced, and a small number of other ships at the top of the league, rating a very creditable number 18 out of the 285 ships scored this year. In the small ship category (200-600 guests) all ten top ships scored above 1750 and in the boutique category (50-200) five out of ten scored above 1701. In the large ship category, only Queen Mary 2 achieved five stars for its Grill Class, at 1702.

At 1701, Marina has even outscored Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager (1654) and Seven Seas Mariner (1651), which ironically puts those all-inclusive ships into the four-stars-plus category while the extra tariff Marina receives a full five stars. Her 1651 compares well with 1611-12 scored by Celebrity’s four “Solstice” class ships. Indeed, the Marina outscores the Seven Seas Voyager in every category except entertainment, where she falls just one point short of the Voyager.

One peculiarity brought out by the guide is how fully fifteen of the eighteen best luxury ships according to Ward, or more than 80%, have names that begin with the letter “S” – is there something a psychologist is not telling us here? The only ships in this category that don’t begin with “S” are  Europa and the two Crystal ships.

In the “Daily Telegraph’s” Saturday Travel Section this weekend, Ward named his personal favourite top ten as Europa, SeaDream I and SeaDream II, Seabourn Quest, Odyssey and Sojourn, Silver Spirit, Hanseatic, Sea Cloud and Marina. There she is again. Indeed, in his article in The Telegraph, Ward says about Marina: “Larger than all the other ships at the top of the charts, Marina is a ship with some splendid design features and some of the largest suites at sea, with ‘country house’ décor that could easily feature in a glossy magazine. A stunning wrought-iron and Lalique horseshoe-shaped staircase is the focal point of the ship’s finely outfitted interior, while only the very best linens and fabrics have been provided.”

Back to the Berlitz Guide, also new this year is Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, whose Grill Class scored her 1690, for four-stars-plus, exceeding slightly Queen Victoria’s 1671. And new to the top ten boutique ships this year is Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Bremen, scoring 1553, well up from 1461 last year.  Bremen went up in points in all categories, but particularly in cruise experience, where she was up 14%, and food, where she gained 5%. By comparison her five-star fleetmate Hanseatic scored 1746, for five stars.

Also new this year, in big ships, Celebrity Silhouette at 1612 and Disney Dream at 1555, both at four-stars-plus, Mein Schiff 2 at 1548, Allure of the Seas at 1528, Queen Elizabeth (Britannia Class), at 1493, AidaSol at 1490 and Costa Favolosa at 1447, all at four-stars. In the mid-size category, there was notable improvement in the scores of Azamara Quest (1562 as against 1466) and Azamara Journey (1561, up from 1465), which took both ships from four stars into four-stars-plus since they were rebranded as Azamara Club Cruises.

Newly rated Adonia came close at 1540, but scored just four stars. In small ships, Seabourn Quest came in with a score of 1787 for a solid five-star rating. while French twins L’Austral and Le Boréal came in at 1543 each, for four-star status, and Aegean Odyssey scored 1341 for a three-stars-plus.

One surprise, however, is that a ship called Hamburg that is not sailing yet scored 1398 points for three-stars-plus. That ship is still sailing today as  Columbus for Hapag-Lloyd and will have a complete change of crew when new operators Plantours take her over in six months time, so we fail to see how Berlitz managed to score her in advance. Perhaps more deserving of a “Not Yet Rated” score we should think. In the same way, two other ships, Spirit of Oceanus, now trading as Sea Spirit, and Clelia II, now trading as Orion II, seem to have come through their changes of identity with identical scores of 1222 and 1402, respectively, after a change of ownership and areas of operation.

All in all, however, the “Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships” is well worth the money and answers many of the questions the cruise lines, or even some cruise agents, won’t answer.