THE SUITE LIFE
The Suite Life - Luxury Travel Magazine
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The Suite Life | |||||
| By: Andrew Conway, Issue 28 – Spring 2006 | |||||
| (Cruise Ship Suites Review) | |||||
| FROM PLUSH PENTHOUSES TO OPULENT OWNER’S SUITES, LUXURY CRUISE LINERS ARE EXPERIENCING A GROWING DEMAND FOR THEIR TOP SUITES. | |||||
| On any of today’s leading luxury liners, there is an exclusive club of cruise passengers that you very rarely see. They have priority embarkation, personal butlers to unpack their clothes and take care of their laundry, dining tables to entertain at, spa baths to wallow in, teak decks to sunbathe on, wide-screen TVs to watch, and Bose sound systems to listen to. They have fully equipped kitchens, where the ship’s chef and waiters will prepare private cocktail parties or candlelit dinners, a bar stocked with their favourite drinks for when the sun dips over the yardarm, and fresh fruit and flowers delivered daily – all without having to step foot outside their door. As superliners become megaliners, and space becomes one of the world’s most precious commodities, the most discerning cruise passengers want to retreat in luxury and the major lines are rising to the challenge. From plush penthouses to opulent owner’s suites – many larger than the average city apartment and brimming with more luxury furnishings and fittings than you could poke a remote control at – premium cruise suites now regularly outshine their land-based hotel and resort counterparts. Booking the top suite on a luxury liner can come with an eye-watering price tag – up to $2,000 a person a day – but are attractive propositions for those with serious money besides the obvious trappings. First up, they are incredibly private, so much so you barely have to mix with other passengers if you so choose. The premium suites are often located midships, where the liner moves least in bad weather or rough seas; with two, sometimes three spacious bedrooms, they can be cheaper for families than booking separate cabins; and for those world voyage or regular repeat passengers who often request the same suite every time they cruise, it has to be their home-away from-home. The most intriguing and surprising aspect, however, is that cruise ship reservations fill from the ‘top’ downwards, with the premium suites booked first – a complete reversal of hotel and resort trends – so much so that it’s difficult to secure the Penthouse or Owner’s Suite unless booked well in advance. So what’s inside these floating gin palaces that make them so special? Well, the bigger the ship, the bigger the space. The leviathan Queen Mary 2, which operates the blue-ribbon trans-Atlantic route for Cunard Line, boasts four premium suites – each a Grand Duplex on Decks 9 and 10 – with two levels and 209 square metres of unashamed luxury featuring a master bedroom and bathrooms on the upper level, and a guest bathroom, separate living and dining area, fully stocked bar and vast balcony on the lower level, daily canapés and Champagne, and the on-call services of a private butler and concierge. QM2’s extraordinary duplex suites are almost twice the size of the two biggest Grand Suites on her legendary sister ship, QE2, a sure sign that big is definitely beautiful in today’s luxury cruise world. Should you want to tinkle the ivories or lose yourself in a classic novel, the Piano Suite and Library Suite – the two premium penthouses on P&O’s Aurora – come with a baby grand and an extensive book collection, two levels connected by a spiral staircase, bathroom with Jacuzzi, private sundeck and butler. Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess, which will be in Australian waters for a Summer season later this year, has one Grand Suite, a 123sqm royal residence with separate sitting and dining rooms, a whirlpool tub in the bathroom, and personal computer, among many other inclusions. Smaller but no less luxurious liners, such as Silversea’s Silver Shadow, Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity, Holland America Line’s ms Noordam, and Regent Seven Seas’ Seven Seas Voyager can’t match the supersize-me ships in space but more than make up for it in the luxury department. Silver Shadow’s Owner’s Suite (pictured below) offers 112 square metres, plus a spacious teak verandah, with two master guest rooms and marble bathrooms, widescreen TV, DVD and VCR, a Bang & Olufsen CD sound system, private bar stocked with Champagne and spirits, separate lounge and dining areas, complimentary laundry service, a personal valet, and a host of other luxuries from daily canapés to fresh fruit, flowers and chocolates. Crystal Serenity’s delightful Penthouse Suites with Verandah are a little larger and boast one king-size master bedroom and bathroom with Jacuzzi, a butler, three flat-screen TVs in the bedroom, living room and bathroom, a work-out area with a personal treadmill, library, staff pantry and guest bathroom for entertaining. Noordam’s palatial penthouse comes with two whirlpool tubs – one in the bathroom and one on the private verandah, while Seven Seas Voyager’s four Grand Suites are luxurious, romantic and elegant hideaways with dark teak cabinetry, cream-coloured interiors and furnishings, walk-in closets and, best of all, a solarium off the bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and a soaking tub looking out to sea. While the world’s super-yachts claim that all their staterooms offer suite-style accommodation, the best have signature suites for those passengers who demand, well, only the best. Each of SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream I and II has an Owner’s Suite which includes lavishly appointed bedroom, living and dining areas, a bathroom with a massage shower and separate tub, plus a guest bathroom. With Belgian linen and down duvets, Bvlgari bath amenities, state-of-the-art entertainment systems with a flatscreen TV, CD and DVD players, internet-ready desktop, and laptops available on request, the compact suites are the last word in contemporary comfort and style. Australia’s leading luxury expedition cruise line, Orion Expedition Cruises has four Owner’s Suites on the five-star Orion (502, 507, 509 and 510, all on Deck 5) featuring a queen-size bedroom, marble bathroom (some with bath), fluffy bathrobes and Escada amenities, sitting room with French balcony, flat-screen TV and DVD/CD player, internet connections, a bar fridge, and a welcome bottle of Champagne. But the Wow! Factor Award surely goes to Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel, which has launched the new Garden Villa concept with an incredible 534 square metres of liner luxury, featuring three separate bedrooms and bathrooms, private sundeck with a six-person spa bath, stunning ocean views and a concierge team on hand to cater to any water baby’s whim. Home, suite home, indeed. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| Silver Shadow: www.silversea.com | |||||
| Queen Mary 2: www.cunardline.com.au | |||||
| Aurora: www.pocruises.com.au | |||||
| Crystal Serenity: www.wiltrans.com.au | |||||
| Noordam: www.traveltheworld.com.au | |||||
| Queen Elizabeth 2: www.cunardline.com.au | |||||
| Sea Dream I and II: www.seadreamyachtclub.com | |||||
| Orion: www.orioncruises.com.au | |||||
| Seven Seas Voyager: www.wiltrans.com.au | |||||
| Sapphire Princess: www.princess.com.au | |||||
| Norwegian Cruise Line: www.ncl.com | |||||
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