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Comfortably Over The Top
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By: Timothy Morrell, Issue 43 – Winter 2010
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(Orion II - Orion Expedition Cruises)
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THE ORION EXPEDITIONS’ FORMULA FOR COMBINING LUXURY AND LEARNING TURNS VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY INTO HEDONISTIC EXPERIENCES ON THEIR SMALL, LUXURIOUS SHIPS. TIMOTHY MORRELL WAS A GUEST ON THE COMPANY’S ART OF ARNHEM LAND TOUR ACROSS THE TOP END OF AUSTRALIA FROM THURSDAY ISLAND TO DARWIN.
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The shore betrays little sign of habitation to a ship riding at anchor on the coast of Arnhem Land. After admiring the view over breakfast on the sunny aft deck, we set off in motorized rubber dinghies to zoom in for a closer look. Our landing in the shallows of the beach is greeted by a small crowd of exuberant local kids. At a pinch, we could feel like explorers. The elegantly draped refreshment table set up in advance by the crew under a beach umbrella, and the vehicles waiting to drive us away, quickly dispel this illusion.
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Boarding the Orion seems no more like embarking on an expedition than entering a five star boutique hotel seems like going camping. This ship, however, leads a double life. Orion is a perfect luxury liner in miniature, but one that happens to have a hull reinforced for travelling through ice floes and a sailing schedule devised around destinations that are remote from the itineraries of normal cruise ships. There are smaller vessels that can offer a more intimate experience of a location, but the Orion is the acknowledged leader in travelling to out of the way places in fine style. Orion Expeditions recently acquired a second vessel, Orion II, increasing the number of itineraries.
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The Art of Arnhem Land tour is a shamelessly comfortable way of encountering a region of internationally renowned cultural significance. The ship’s size and small number of passengers (slightly over 100) allow it to go places where depositing a horde of tourists from a floating behemoth would be logistically and ethically out of the question. The company is recognised for minimising the ecological and social disruption caused to the destinations visited, and sets aside funds for contributing to some of them.
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On this trip, passengers can make their own contribution to the local economy at the art centres in Arnhem Land’s indigenous communities. Decisions made while shopping on a cruise can be as proverbially aberrant as shipboard romances, but you won’t come back from Arnhem Land with funny hats or terrible shirts. Some of Australia’s leading artists live and work there or nearby, and store their work at the art centre before it’s shipped to galleries in Australia and around the world. Seeing the art in such great quantities in communities like Yirrkala and Maningrida is a treat in itself, and there are bargains to be had, especially among the works of emerging artists.
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A gracious, informative reception is provided by community members, who offer some interaction in cultural activities. At Jensen Bay we were shown a rock art site that includes centuries-old cave paintings of other ships that had arrived there from distant places. An unforgettable performance of the Morning Star ceremony was performed around a fire on the beach at Elcho Island. Being welcomed like this by Aboriginal people in their traditional country is a rare opportunity. The hospitality was returned when some artists travelled on the ship for part of its journey.
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There is a striking contrast between Orion’s floating world of five star accommodation and the ports of call. The potential for awkwardness is handled with sensitivity by all parties, and we learned more by visiting these places than simple information about art styles. The experience doesn’t seem like swanning through the third world on a cruise ship.
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This doesn’t alter the fact that luxury is Orion’s most conspicuous attribute. Staterooms are plush. Their style is conservative and rich, with deep coloured upholstery, wood panelling and gleaming brass fittings. Every room has a view and the largest suites have sliding glass doors opening onto a sliver of deck that’s just wide enough to stand on. Overall, the design is ingenious at maximising space. The black and white marble bathrooms are compact and none have full-sized baths, but using them nevertheless feels like an indulgence rather than a contortion act. Several small, neatly incorporated cupboards for hanging clothes do away with the need for a walk-in wardrobe, and there’s room under the bed for your suitcase.
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Not that passengers need to pack a lot of clothes if they don’t want to. The dress code is decidedly low-key. Jackets and ties aren’t essential, and women who prefer never to wear a skirt on holiday can feel thoroughly at ease. (This doesn’t prevent a few from looking extremely smart at all times.) The most impressive shoes I saw were the fancy reef sandals nearly everyone had bought for what are described as ‘wet landings’ on the beach. None of the shore excursions on this trip require passengers to be more elaborately kitted out than they’d be for a suburban barbeque.
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Virtually all the amenities expected on a big liner, including a spa centre, are provided on the Orion, in a scaled-down version. Instead of a swimming pool there’s an outdoor Jacuzzi. The effect of this miniature scale can be particularly appealing. Lectures in the theatre, despite their substantial content and expert speakers, seem like cosy conversations. The sun deck, with its little bar and traditional teak recliner deckchairs, is far more reminiscent of sailing the tropics with Errol Flynn than cruising on the Love Boat.
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The principal public rooms are simply and handsomely decorated, with a few oddly false notes struck by the plastic fronds of fake pot plants and some enterprising arrangements of artificial flowers. These, like the slightly warped cabaret performed with great gusto by the crew toward the end of the voyage, help to give the whole experience its distinctive character. The friendly ambience generated by the international crew is quickly transmitted to passengers. This is where the management’s skill in navigating a course between good humoured fun and top-notch service becomes most apparent. Because of the relaxed and informal atmosphere on board, it’s easy to overlook the amount of careful consideration required to create it. The Filipino hospitality staff are able to be lively and often entertaining while responding to every request with speed and precision.
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Dining is totally in line with the quality expected on vastly bigger ships. The all-you-can-eat appetite that seizes some people when they go to sea is catered for by the outdoor grill and splendid buffets at breakfast and lunch. In the evening the Orion’s restaurant allows diners to choose either a refined degustation devised by Sydney chef Serge Dansereau or heartier portions on an alternative menu (or selections from both). Refreshments at afternoon tea range from healthy to decadent, and if you get peckish at any other time there are jars of freshly baked jumbo-sized cookies in the ship’s two lounges. And of course there’s 24-hour room service. All this is included in the fare. The bar tab is not, except at the Captain’s cocktail party.
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Our Captain, a genial Irishman called Mike Taylor, endeared himself by making disparaging comments about cruise liners when welcoming passengers aboard. He emphasised that the Orion is a different class of vessel altogether. The urge to see little known locations attracts a particular type of experienced traveller, but most passengers hardly seem like the expedition type. For some, the allure of the Orion obviously has as much to do with the manner of travel as the remoteness of the destinations. None of the shore excursions are particularly taxing. There is careful supervision and physical assistance all the way.
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The most active thing about most of the people you travel with on the Orion is their curiosity and interest in things. As well as allowing passengers to escape from stress or tedium, the ship gives an exhilarating sense that the world is a great library to which they have privileged access.
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