THE ROYAL WAVE
The Royal Wave - Luxury Travel Magazine
 | |||||
The Royal Wave | |||||
| By: Andrew Conway, Issue 15 – Winter 2003 | |||||
| (QE2) | |||||
| THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BOARD YOUR SHIP OF DREAMS AND CRUISE IN LUXURY. | |||||
| At any given time, on any given day, a luxury cruise liner is slipping its moorings and steaming towards the open sea. It could be Silver Whisper leaving the dazzling harbour of Monte-Carlo and heading into the azure waters of the Mediterranean, The World of ResidenSea departing Vancouver for a voyage along the coast of Alaska, the majestic QE2 gliding out of Southampton or New York on her latest trans-Atlantic crossing, or our own Pacific Princess, farewelling Sydney Harbour at the start of another journey to the islands of the South Pacific. At sunrise on Crystal Harmony, early-bird passengers are striding purposefully around the Promenade Deck; by mid-morning, the first order for champagne and caviar has gone out on board SeaDream II, and after a thoroughly relaxing lunch and snooze by the pool, guests on board Seven Seas Voyager have hit the spa to prepare themselves for tonight’s gala dinner. As night falls on the Straits of Malacca, cocktails are being served on SuperStar Virgo, and a few hours later, a West End-style production number will be belted out in the sumptuous Queen’s Lounge of the Rotterdam. If it’s Tuesday ,it must be Acapulco; Thursday, the Caribbean island of Tortola. And Saturday night? Well, that’s most likely set aside for dancing, preferably out on deck, under a blanket of stars and an inky sky, to the beat of a calypso band. So many ships, so many ports, so many diversions – and so many choices. Luxury cruising is now one of the fastest-growing sectors of the international travel market, a billion-dollar industry that knows no bounds. The steamer trunks may have disappeared, along with the hat boxes, white tails and smoking jackets, but a new golden age of cruising – albeit with a thoroughly modern twist – has dawned. After decades in the doldrums, overtaken by jumbo jets and package holidays, luxury cruise ships are back in business. More people are cruising than ever before; more ships are rolling off the production lines, each bigger and better than the last one, and sailing to more remote and exotic destinations. The facilities have changed out of sight, with gentle pursuits like deck quoits, bingo and tea dances giving way to health, fitness and pampering spas, simulated golf, even ice-rinks and rock-climbing walls. Cabins have been transformed into suites and staterooms, complete with spa baths, floor-to-ceiling windows, private balconies and neatly pressed butlers. Cruise food has moved away from the all-you-can-eat midnight buffet feast to lighter, more health conscious and international cuisine, while the entertainment has kicked up its heels from one-joke comedians to full-blown revues straight out of Las Vegas. Passenger lists have also changed, with the average age falling faster than a thermometer on an Antarctic ice-breaker, down from the mid-70s to the mid-50s and, in the case of several US and European cruise lines, down to fortysomethings with children in tow. Australia is now riding the wave with more top-end superliners cruising in our waters than ever before and the introduction of ships based here on a more permanent schedule of cruises. Where to start? Well, the good news at the luxury end of the market is the choices just keep getting better. Silversea now has four superliners – Silver Wind, Silver Cloud, Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper – offering the kind of all-suite, all-inclusive cruising that only money can by. Wind and Cloud were the first in the fleet, twin-sisters carrying only 296 passengers and 210 crew, followed by the larger Shadow and Whisper, accommodating a maximum 382 passengers and 295 crew. Silver Wind has just undergone a multi-million-dollar refurbishment, and Silver Cloud will head for a similar upgrade in October, returning to service next April. All four superliners will then be in perfect shape to continue the silver service and six-star style, which has won Silversea major international awards year after year. After a hugely successful extended season in Australia, the dazzling The World of ResidenSea is now heading for Alaska, South America and Antarctica, carrying its cargo of wealthy residents and guests on their never-ending journey around the world. ResidenSea has taken the concept of luxury cruising and turned it into a resort lifestyle at sea with 110 two- and three-bedroom privately owned residences – the last word in luxury afloat, many of which are available for rental – and 88 studio residences which can be booked by passengers wanting a six-star cruise experience. From the enormous entrance lobby, akin to a city hotel, to the four specialty restaurants, art gallery, golf and country club facilities, World Spa by Clinique La Priaire, Colosseo theatre, cigar club, boutiques, casino, @Sea Internet Cafe, and glamorous pool deck, The World is part-home, part-resort, moving constantly around the globe to the residents’ choice of destinations. Central to The World’s unique concept is an annual calendar of international events, from Monaco’s Grand Prix to Rio de Janeiro’s Carnivale, with the ship stopping for up to three days in some ports so passengers can truly experience the destination. The top-drawer Crystal Cruises is expanding with a third ship, Crystal Serenity, joining twin-sisters Crystal Symphony and Harmony from this month. While we’re not expected to see Serenity here for some time, Symphony and Harmony have visited Australia, the former making its most recent voyage Down Under earlier this year. Crystal attracts a largely American clientele, its sleek lines, highly polished chrome-and-glass interior design and emphasis on gourmet cuisine and fine wines appealing to sophisticated and savvy travellers who know what they like and are prepared to pay for it. These medium-size ships are well-designed, with their penthouses and staterooms (accommodating a maximum 960 passengers) confined to four middle decks away from the hustle and bustle of the public areas on the two upper and two lower decks. This means passengers move easily between restaurant, bars, cafes and club lounges to the outdoor pool deck – complete with retractable roof for when the weather turns inclement – fitness centre, spa and tennis court. Itineraries range from extensive world cruises, featuring various shorter sectors, to new seven-day options, which are now available on all three ships. The stately Cunard is also growing apace, with the arrival of the spectacular new Queen Mary 2, which will be the highlight of next year’s cruise calendar. The QM2 will replace the perennial QE2 as the Cunard flagship, taking over the high-profile, trans-Atlantic run as well as offering voyages in South America and the Caribbean, New England, Canada, Scandinavia and Europe in a packed 2004 inaugural season. The much-loved QE2 will complete 17 trans-Atlantic crossings this year, with nine westbound and eight eastbound sailings between Southampton and New York, before embarking on a 110-night world cruise, departing New York on January 5 and taking in 38 ports on 18 cruise sectors. She will visit Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns in February, the halfway point in the world cruise, no doubt to another rousing welcome in each port (a variety of special fly/cruise packages are on offer for QE2’s final trans-Atlantic crossings and 2004 world voyage). Cunard’s sister line, Seabourn, continues to offer what it describes as ‘intimate ships and uncompromising luxury’ on board its trio of all-suite,208- passenger ships – Pride, Legend and Spirit – all of which will be in the northern hemisphere this year. Pride is currently in Scandinavia and will head for New England, Canada and the Caribbean later this year; Spirit will sail between Greece and Italy, ending the year in Africa and South-East Asia, while Legend will cruise the Italian and French Rivieras before sailing for Spain, then across the Atlantic to the Americas. The giant P&O Cruises is gearing up for another bumper year, with Pacific Princess embarking on its second summer season of South Pacific cruises from Sydney between November and April, the arrival of the megaliner Star Princess for a season of cruises between Asia, New Zealand and Australia from November to February, and an armada of superliners from the Aurora and Adonia to the US-based P&O Princess fleet taking to the world’s oceans. The delightful 670-passenger Pacific Princess (formerly Renaissance Cruises’ R3) has set a new standard in local cruising, offering an extended season of sailings from Sydney to Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji. The four-year-old ship is elegant and stylish, with one crew member for every two guests, three decks of balcony cabins, an Asian-themed spa, four restaurants, a pool and jacuzzis, a choice of eight bars and lounges, a cabaret lounge, library, casino and a ritzy country club décor. At a massive 109,000 tons over 18 storeys, with room for 2,600 passengers and 1,100 crew, the $1 billion Star Princess will enter the history books as the largest passenger liner to visit Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Cairns, Darwin and Sydney between November and February. Larger than the world’s biggest aircraft carrier and more than twice the size of the Titanic, the megaliner will be a star turn in the 2003-2004 summer season. Add a series of world cruises on board Aurora and Adonia, plus a full season for the Princess fleet, and you won’t be short of choices with P&O this year. The local cruise market was given an unexpected, but hugely welcome, boost due to SARS which prompted the Singapore-based Star Cruises to re-position two of its liners, SuperStar Leo and SuperStar Virgo, in Sydney and Perth respectively for an extended season. The two ships are still here, having enjoyed very successful visits, but will be leaving later this month for their home ports – Virgo to Singapore and Leo most likely to Hong Kong (depending on the SARS situation). Star is the dominant player in the burgeoning Asian cruise market, with Virgo offering popular round-trip cruises out of Singapore through the Straits of Malacca to Port Klang (for Kuala Lumpur) as well as Langkawi and Phuket. It was the dynamic and progressive Star which launched the Freestyle Cruising concept, the ‘do-as-you-please’ approach for passengers which has been successfully copied by almost every other cruise line around the world, especially in the open-seating dining policy which is such a hit with cruisers looking for a more relaxed, less rigid on-board routine. While both Virgo and Leo are the perfect add-on to an Asian holiday, the ships are a slice of the Orient in their own right, with a smart Asian crew, fine regional cuisine, and glamorous suite accommodation. Star is big-ship cruising – Leo and Virgo can take close to 2,000 passengers when full – and boasts all the great facilities that go with size. Star also owns Norwegian Cruise Line, with a fleet of nine ships, including the popular Norwegian Star, which offers year-round, seven-night, round-trip cruises from Honolulu to the beautiful Hawaiian islands of Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. Two new NCL ships are also being built but yet to be named or positioned. Orient Lines makes up Star’s triumvirate, with the legendary Marco Polo sailing in the Antarctic, South America, Amazon, Caribbean and the Panama Canal from this December to March 2004.With its ice-strengthened hull, high speed capability, and huge stabiliser fins ensuring a smoother voyage, this will be the 10th successive year of sailing in the Antarctic for the four-star liner, combining the excitement of icebergs and marine life with all the comforts of a luxury ship. Well-priced fly/cruise packages make this one of the best-value ships on the market. If the only ice you’re looking for is the sort that comes in buckets laden with the finest champagne, then SeaDream Yacht Club is just the ticket. The Florida-based cruise line has taken over Cunard’s former superyachts, Sea Goddess I and II, and re-branded them under the exclusive SeaDream name. This is small-ship cruising at its best, a private yacht-like environment where guests are treated like royalty and the staff are on hand to cater to every whim. Romantic, private, active, unstructured and casual are the key words on SeaDream, which cruises the Mediterranean and Caribbean, leaving guests with few decisions other than which shore tour or water toy to enjoy. With room for only 110 guests, the Club Staterooms, larger Commodore Club Staterooms and Owner’s Suite are the essence of luxury with marble bathrooms, multi- jet showers and Bvlgari toiletries. Food and wine are taken very seriously with on-board chefs and sommeliers hand-picked from the world’s best restaurants, a wine cellar with more than 3,000 bottles, indoor and deckside dining venues, 24-hour room service, and on-call caches of caviar whenever you please. Try out a water toy relax on a sunbed, take a dip in the pool, or snooze in a hammock as the world drifts by. There’s a gym, Asian spa, golf simulator, library and piano bar. Back in the big-ship category, Holland America Line has a fleet of 12 liners cruising worldwide, led by the flagships Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Prinsendam, all offering five-star facilities in stylish and contemporary surroundings. And one of the newer entrants in the luxury cruise market, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, is rapidly establishing itself at the top end, with Seven Seas Voyager, Mariner and Navigator alongside the smaller but equally stylish Radisson Diamond, Song of Flower and the Tahiti-based Paul Gauguin. Most staterooms and suites on the three larger ships have private balconies and are comfortably spacious. Alternatively, if you like cruising under canvas, there’s a choice of masted liners, tall-ships and superyachts which combine the romantic and traditional flap of a sail with all the comforts expected of a luxury cruise, with the likes of Windstar Cruises in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Tahiti; the tall-ships Star Flyer and Star Clipper; and Captain Cook Cruises’ Star of the Pacific under full sail around the islands of Fiji. When your ship of dreams sails off into the sunset, however, a luxury cruise is all about relaxation – the very essence of a perfect holiday. WHAT’S NEW ON THE HORIZON ONE superliner will eclipse all others early next year when Cunard’s new Queen Mary 2 embarks on her maiden voyage on January 12,a 14-night sailing from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale. Billed as ‘the greatest ocean liner of our time’, the US$800 million QM2 will be the largest, longest, tallest, widest and most expensive passenger ship ever built, heralding a new era in luxury cruising. With spacious penthouses, suites and cabins, gourmet restaurants, a two-storey West End-style theatre, champagne and cocktail bars, a casino, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a stylish Canyon Ranch spa, exclusive boutiques, a pet kennel for pampered pooches, and a clutch of nannies à la Mary Poppins to look after younger passengers, the new queen of cruising will offer the best of British on the high seas .In her first year,QM2 will make 17 trans-Atlantic crossings, taking over the blue-ribbon run from QE2, cruise to Rio for Carnivale, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Scandinavia, and Anzac Day will see the QM2 and QE2 together in New York, the first time two Cunard Queens have been berthed alongside each other in New York since March 1940 – a spectacular sight indeed. Crystal Cruises is also eagerly awaiting its new superliner, the 68,000-ton Crystal Serenity which will be slightly larger and even more luxurious that its sister ships, Crystal Symphony and Crystal Harmony. Serenity debuts this month, in preparation for its inaugural world cruise between January and May next year, a 105-night sailing from Los Angeles to New York, via Asia, India, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Florida. New shorter seven-day cruise options in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Canada and New England have been introduced on all three ships for passengers pressed for time, and overnight stays added to ports such as Venice, Monaco, Istanbul, Acapuclo, Rio de Janeiro and St.Petersburg. Everything old is new again with three other cruise lines, Swan Hellenic, SeaDream Yacht Club and P&O Cruises, re-launching ships in different guises. Swan Hellenic has snapped up the former Renaissance Cruises’R8 and turned it into Minerva II, a very British country house-style ship offering voyages of discovery to fascinating ports around the world, the signature element being expert guest speakers who guide passengers through each of the historic or cultural destinations. Minerva II is even more luxurious than its predecessor with almost three-quarters of cabins boasting private balconies ,an outdoor swimming pool, excellent spa, open-dining restaurant and comfortable public lounges. SeaDream Yacht Club has taken Cunard’s Sea Goddess I and II and turned them into SeaDream I and II, offering an even higher standard of luxury and style in a private yacht-like environment, while our own P&O Cruises has upped the ante in the local cruise market launching the elegant Pacific Princess on an annual summer season of South Pacific cruises from Sydney. Four new ports have been added to this year’s itineraries, including Pentecost Island and Luganville, taking the number of exotic island destinations to 13. | |||||
|
