Luxury Cruise Report

Regent’s all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Voyager boasts an extremely roomy space ratio: 66. Ships with high space ratios, I find, can appear empty, even when sailing full. You can walk down a hallway and not run into anyone. If you’re one who appreciates your personal space, you’ll feel comfortable on a ship with a high space ratio.

Staterooms too (or actually they’re called suites on the 700-passenger all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Voyager) were large. The smallest on Seven Seas Voyager (category H) measures a generous 356 square feet with the balcony. All staterooms feature large and beautiful bathrooms with separate tubs and showers.

The Suite Life
I inserted my key to enter Penthouse Suite 1049, a category A stateroom measuring 370 square feet. Regent recently spent $20 million in vessel refurbishments that brought big enhancements to the staterooms and public areas of the four-year-old Seven Seas Voyager (as well as sister Seven Seas Mariner and the 490-guest Seven Seas Navigator). Those ships feature wireless service for laptop computers and faster Internet connectivity overall, cell phone service, and iPods with Bose speakers in Butler suites.

Other enhanced amenities include bed linens, duvets, cashmere throws and bathrobes from the luxury brand Anichini; new towels and slippers; and new Regent-brand bathroom amenities. Master and Grand Suites aboard the three ships now also feature personal Nespresso coffee machines, while each of the three ships’ Club.com computer lounges also have state-of-the-art espresso bars.

Penthouse-category suites come with a butler. I wasn’t sure what to do with mine, so I asked. I learned that I could use my butler to make dining reservations at the extremely popular alternative restaurants, Signatures and Latitudes. My butler suggested that I make reservations within the first day or two of boarding. Be sure to heed the advice if you’d like to dine in either or both of these fine restaurants.

I also used my butler to choose my preferred canapés each day from a variety of options. Butlers, according to Ved Sharma, head butler on Seven Seas Voyager are there to make your life easier. They can do everything from help you with your high-tech equipment — digital cameras, iPods and so on — to making tender reservations for going ashore.

“You can never define the role of a butler,” Sharma says. “It is so elaborate. Probably the most handy thing a butler can do is help you host a cocktail party in your suite.”

Sharma’s most unusual request: the guest who wanted a suckling pig served in his suite. The wish was fulfilled. Sometimes, however, butlers cannot meet a guest’s request, such as the passenger who wanted bananas when the ship ran out during a crossing. The butlers got creative, however, and brought the guest pancakes made with frozen bananas.

Free Booze
Seven Seas Voyager is truly all-inclusive. Fares include beer, select wines and spirits served throughout the ship.

A Loyal Following

On my cruise from Rome to Nice, there were quite a few passengers who had cruised with Regent multiple times — and for good reason. The cruise line’s loyalty program is one of the industry’s best.

Victoria Gallegos, a cruise consultant on Regent Seven Seas Voyager, says there are five tiers of the program, known as Seven Seas Society. Those who have sailed 21-74 nights, in the Silver category, receive complimentary internet access, one hour complimentary phone time and more. Platinum members who have sailed 200-399 nights receive all the perks of the previous categories plus an additional six hours of phone usage, air deviation, pressing, laundry services and more. Those who have sailed 400 or more nights receive everything from the previous tiers plus transfers to and from their homes and dry cleaning on board ship.

Best Value
I talked with George Burke, an accountant who developed an Excel spreadsheet comparing the value that individual cruise lines offer relative to the fare paid. His conclusion: The lead price point for Seven Seas Voyager and other ships in the Regent fleet may appear higher than the fares on premium-category vessels or other luxury ships, but the picture changes once you factor in all that you get on Regent. Regent was actually cheaper on a per-square-foot basis than other premium and luxury lines in Burke’s analysis. And he did his work before Regent changed its policy to include alcohol free of charge.

You won’t need to dig into your pocket for gratuities either, which are included in the fare. Add to that the perks for Regent repeaters — free internet access and phone usage and did we mention free booze? But it’s not just the free bubbly that make Regent’s guests so ebullient. The overall high standard of service and the value of the Regent experience itself gives good reason for cheer.

Tags: Luxury Cruises

Across the luxury cruise segment, suppliers are ordering new ships, marshaling additional capacity for world cruises and gearing up their ships in ways that appeal to those who previously never had the time for extended luxury cruises.

A sampling of what’s coming:

• The world cruise market appears to have never been stronger for luxury cruise lines. As one indicator of the bullishness surrounding the world cruise market, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will offer not one, but two world cruises in 2009. That’s a first for any luxury cruise operator.
• Part of the strength of the world cruise market is being attributed to technology’s “liberating” effect. Blackberry devices, text messaging, and faster connectivity on ships allow people to take their work with them, or at least manage their work while at sea for an extended time.
• There’s a lot of new luxury capacity on order. Seabourn Cruise Line has taken the most aggressive position, with three new ships on order. Silversea Cruises acquired a luxury expedition vessel that it will launch in the spring, and also has a new ship on order. Crystal Cruises is talking about a new ship, and with its new deep-pocketed owners (the private equity group Apollo Management), Regent has a new ship in its sights, though there is no firm order yet.
• The industry gets its first “ultra-luxury” river cruise line. Or at least that’s what Silversea’s former CEO promises to bring to European rivers this spring. Albert Peter says his new cruise line, Jewel River Cruises, will be the first river cruise line to feature all-suite accommodations and multiple dining venues. His competitors may beg to differ, but Jewel is the first cruise line to position itself as ultra-luxury.

Here’s a look at what’s new for luxury lines for the remainder of the year — and beyond.

• Crystal Cruises – In 2009, Crystal’s two large ships will once again touch all seven continents, sailing to 185 ports in 57 countries on 57 voyages. Several new itineraries are on tap: in South America, Europe and the Middle East. Crystal’s 2009 program focuses on port intensive itineraries with overnight port stays on most cruises.In South America, Crystal will return to cruising the Amazon, after skipping the region in 2007 and 2008. In Europe, Crystal will make maiden calls at Kotor, Montenegro; Lipari, Italy; Patmos, Greece; Sinop, Turkey; Alesund, Norway and Kiel, Germany. There’s also a new British Isles cruise featuring the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, and a North Cape cruise to Spitzbergen and the Polar Ice Cap. In the Middle East, the line will offer a new fall cruise to Israel and Egypt.Crystal’s 2009 world cruise will take the form a 106-day Pacific Circle Celebration round-trip from Los Angeles, including the inaugural ports of Rangiroa, French Polynesia; Komodo, Indonesia; Napier, New Zealand; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; and Petropavlosk, Russia. Also featured is the 150th birthday of the Port of Yokohama and a return to Alaska.
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises – Luxury really does go exploring in 2009 for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, as the large-ship luxury operator deploys not one, but two ships on world cruises. On January 12, Seven Seas Voyager departs Los Angeles on a seven-segment 116-night world cruise to the South Pacific, Orient, Arabia, the Mediterranean and Bermuda. Two weeks later, Seven Seas Mariner departs for a 121-night sojourn to South America, French Polynesia, Australia, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Russia and Alaska. The two distinct itineraries span six continents and feature 23 overnight calls (combined).New Circles of Interest programs have been launched for 2008 sailings, with enrichment programs that range from culinary to photography, allowing guests to experience ports and explore new regions of the world through the lens of a particular interest. In May and June 2008, health/fitness expert Oz Garcia and life-extension guru Deepak Chopra will be aboard separate sailings to host enrichment programs.Regent is also touting its pre- and post-cruise land programs as well as its shore excursions on sailings worldwide. From soaring over Chile’s Orsono Volcano by canopy to sharing a hug with a giant panda in China, these new land programs offer unique and memorable ways for you to enhance your cruise experiences.
  
  Seabourn Cruise Line – The first of Seabourn’s three new 450-passenger ships, Seabourn Odyssey, will enter service in June of 2009. Meantime, the three existing Seabourn sisters are being spruced up with multi-million-dollar make-overs that will be completed in April.  

  From now through April 2009, the line’s three 208-guest, all-suite vessels will visit more than 200 ports in 55 countries on 127 voyages of five to 18 days or longer. Regions include the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Scandinavia & Russia, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

  Seabourn Legend spends the summer cruising the picturesque harbors of Spain, the French Riviera, and Italy, including Trapani, Sicily, a new port for 2008. Seabourn Pride will venture from Cape Horn to the North Cape. Spring cruises of the Mediterranean include new calls at Genoa, Italy, and Koper, Slovenia. Along with popular cruises in Scandinavia, Russia and Norway’s fjordlands, the ship will operate several new Western European itineraries calling on ports in France, the British Isles, Belgium and the Netherlands. Seabourn Spirit explores Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and makes two eight-day voyages to China, including Xiamen, Zhangjiagang (for Wuxi), Nanjing and Shanghai. India, Oman, Dubai, Egypt and the Red Sea are seasonal highlights. Spring, summer and early autumn are spent exploring Greece, Turkey, Italy and the Black Sea. Several new 2008 itineraries concentrate on the Adriatic’s beautiful Dalmatian coast, including Split, Dubrovnik, Hvar and Rovinj, Croatia and Kotor, Montenegro.

• SeaDream Yacht Club – In 2006, readers of Conde Nast Traveler ranked SeaDream Yacht Club as one of the top 100 travel experiences worldwide. In fact, SeaDream was the only cruise company to be included in the listing. The other 99 winners were all hotels and resorts. Additionally, readers voted SeaDream ‘World’s Best Small Passenger Shipping Line,’ and the company achieved the highest overall rating of any cruise company — large or small. The 2008 schedules splits the sailing seasons with 176 days in Europe, 168 days in the Caribbean and 22-days in transatlantic voyages back and forth. In Europe from May through October SeaDream I and II will sail in the Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea, the Aegean Sea up into Croatia and even down to Tunisia.
• Silversea Cruises – Silversea’s four, all-suite ships will visit more than 320 different ports in 108 countries on a diverse schedule of over 140 itineraries ranging from seven to 92 days. The 2009 schedule includes several new ports with an array of specially crafted itineraries focused on exploring popular marquee destinations as well as some of the world’s most exotic regions.Of special note is the company’s first-ever Grand Pacific Voyage, a 92-day extended odyssey that explores destinations around the Pacific Ocean. Following a route from Los Angeles to Papeete, Sydney and the Far East, with final stops in Alaska and Vancouver, Silver Shadow will visit 45 ports, 15 countries and two hemispheres on this epic journey.Other highlights include return visits to Alaska plus 10 new destinations: Szczecin, Poland; Malmo, Sweden; Skagen, Denmark; Gozo Island, Malta; Symi, Greece; Koper, Slovenia; Olhahali Island, Maldives; Nemuro, Japan; Visakhapatnam and New Mangalore, India.This spring, Silversea launches a new expedition ship (pictured) to tap “that segment of the luxury travel market that is adventure driven,” says Manfredi Lefebvre, Silversea’s chairman. Currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar refurbishment, the new ship, named Silver Dawn, opens the door to Antarctic Explorations.After the ship’s retrofit, the ice-class vessel will accommodate 132 guests in 66 ocean-view suites, many featuring private verandas. Silver Dawn will offer the highest space ratio in its class. With staterooms and suites ranging from 215 to over 600 square feet, it will provide the largest average size in accommodations (300-plus square feet) of any expedition ship

  With a new-build also on order, Silversea’s fleet will increase to six ships in 2009.

• Windstar Cruises — Windstar entered 2008 with all of its “Degrees of Difference” Enhancements completed to all three sailing vessels. The multi-million-dollar investment brought significant upgrades across the Windstar fleet.At press time, Windstar’s 2009 planning was still being finalized, but company executives tell us to look for more “heavy” Croatia sailings, which are proving to be popular in 2008 on both Wind Surf and Wind Star.A few roundtrip Rome sailings, with emphasis on Italy, are also in the works for 2009. Windstar also hopes to revive its Signature Collection, which was popular in the late 1990s and early this decade, with guest hosts and theme cruises focused on wine, culinary, sports and more.

Tags: Luxury Cruises

It’s time to begin thinking about 2009 world cruises.

Believe it or not, you can cruise the world for less than $200 per day, per person. Of course, you could pay close to $3,000 per day, per person if you prefer. Fares range from about $20,000 per person to more than $260,000 per person for more than 100 days at sea.

Want to sample a world cruise? Book a segment instead of the full world cruise.

• Crystal Cruises offers a 106-day world cruise on Crystal Serenity. Departing Los Angeles on January 21, Serenity also offers seven segments: Los Angeles to Papeete, 12 days; Papeete to Auckland, 13 days; Auckland to Sydney, 12 days; Sydney to Singapore, 18 days; Singapore to Hong Kong, 16 days; Hong Kong to Yokohama, 12 days; Yokohama to Los Angeles, 22 days. Add Crystal’s Panama Canal cruises before and after for a 136-day voyage round-trip from Miami.
• Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria will embark on a 99-night true circumnavigation from New York to Southampton in 2009. The cruise can also be booked as a 105-night roundtrip from New York with the last six nights aboard Queen Mary 2, or in the U.K. as a 107-night roundtrip from Southampton. Departs: January 10. Segments available: New York to Sydney, 40 nights; Sydney to Southampton, 59 nights.
• Offering a world cruise with the shortest duration (90 nights), Queen Mary 2 departs Fort Lauderdale on January 13 and ends a full circumnavigation of the globe in New York on April 14. Segments available: Fort Lauderdale to Sydney, 43 nights; Los Angeles to Dubai, 38 nights; Sydney to Southampton, 41 nights.
• Holland America Line’s Rotterdam returns to world cruising in 2009 with a 114-day Grand World Voyage departing Los Angeles on January 19. Disembark in Fort Lauderdale on May 13 or extend the cruise by three days to exit in New York for a 117-day world cruise. Want to go even longer? Extend the voyage with a trans-Panama Canal departing Fort Lauderdale January 5 for 131 days. Segments available: Los Angeles to Sydney, 23 days; Sydney to Singapore, 33 days; Singapore to Cape Town, 36 days; Cape Town to Fort Lauderdale/New York, 22 to 25 days.
• Princess Cruises will offer in 2009 world cruising on two sister ships for the first time — with both voyages commencing at nearly the same time. Both the 670-passenger Tahitian Princess and 710-passenger Royal Princess will offer similar 107-day itineraries that set sail from Fort Lauderdale in January. The Tahitian Princess leaves on January 14, ending in Dover, while Royal Princess sails on January 20 and winds up in Rome. Segments available: Fort Lauderdale to Sydney, 35 days. Sydney to Hong Kong, 23 days; Hong Kong to Dubai, 22 days; Dubai to Rome or Dover, 27 days. Tahitian Princess passengers can extend their voyages with a 10-day Scandinavia and Russia sailing or they can choose to combine their world cruise with a six-day transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York aboard the legendary Queen Mary 2.
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises also offers two world cruises in 2009. Departing January 12, Seven Seas Voyager offers a 116-night cruise from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale. For a 131-night full world circumnavigation, depart Fort Lauderdale on the New Year’s cruise through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles. Segments available: Los Angeles to Auckland, 20 nights; Auckland to Sydney, 12 nights; Sydney to Shanghai, 21 nights; Shanghai to Singapore, 12 nights; Singapore to Dubai, 14 nights; Dubai to Istanbul, 17 nights; Istanbul to Fort Lauderdale, 20 nights.
• Departing January 26, Seven Seas Mariner sails 121 nights from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver. Segments available: Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires, 18 nights; Buenos Aires to Valparaiso, 15 nights; Valparaiso to Sydney, 25 nights; Sydney to Singapore, 15 nights; Singapore to Hong Kong, 14 nights; Hong Kong to Osaka, 14 nights; Osaka to Seward, 13 nights; Seward to Vancouver, 7 nights.

Tags: Luxury Cruises

The trend continues to turn cruise ships into “dining destinations.”

Celebrity Cruises recently inked a deal with Elizabeth Blau, credited for transforming Las Vegas from all-you-can-eat buffets to the dining mecca it is today. Blau and her team are bringing a whole new taste to Celebrity and indeed to the smaller Azamara Cruises brand, which features open-seating in the main dining room and two alternative dining restaurants (Prime C for beef-lovers and Aqualina for Italian fare) on each of its two ships.

Spa Cuisine: Both Celebrity and Carnival will feature optional ’spa cuisine’ on their newest ships. Celebrity will do so in Blu, a 130-seat restaurant where dining is complimentary to guests booked in Solstice’s new AquaClass veranda accommodations.

Carnival Splendor will offer a wide range of health-conscious dining options, including an extensive salad bar and 24-hour frozen yogurt in the Lido restaurant and gourmet-style selections in the main dining rooms that are lower in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

In response to a growing public health trend, Crystal Cruises has banned trans-fats altogether on its ships. World-class master chef Nobuyuki “Nobu”Matsuhisa (pictured) will travel aboard the award-winning Crystal Symphony this spring to officiate the opening of two new restaurants. Silk Road and The Sushi Bar were conceived in partnership with luxury cruise specialist Crystal Cruises and will feature the coveted cuisine of this legendary chef.

Crystal also boasts perhaps the most ‘extravagant’ alternative dining at sea — the Vintage Room, where meals paired with rare wines have gone for more than $1,000 per person.

For somewhat less, Princess Cruises’ ‘Chef’s Table‘ provides both a behind-the-scenes look at the galley during its busiest time (dinner) and a special dining experience for up to 10 passengers per evening. The cost is $75 per person.

Holland America Line’s Eurodam features three alternative dining venues, including a new pan-Asian restaurant on deck 10 with panoramic sea views.

Tags: Luxury Cruises

From overland odysseys to the Himalayas to the icy realms of Antarctica, cruising in 2008 not only will cover the globe but also will offer a variety of experiences never before available from — or on — a cruise ship. Here are some of the highlights.

Think Big: While maintaining a strong Caribbean presence, Carnival Cruise Lines continues to expand itineraries worldwide. The summer of 2008 sees Carnival’s first-ever Baltic cruises on the company’s newest and largest ship, the 3,006-passenger Carnival Splendor. Act quickly: These 12-day Northern European sailings are selling well, thanks, in part, to low lead-in prices. In September, Splendor repositions to operate the line’s popular Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises. Those run through October, when Splendor returns stateside to cruise a series of seven-day Caribbean voyages until January. Splendor then operates Carnival’s first-ever South America cruises through March. Among the SuperLiner’s highlights: a two-deck-high ‘Cloud 9 Spa,’ with adjacent spa staterooms and suites that provide private access to the spa.

Think Small: This past fall, Celebrity Cruises introduced the second vessel in its new two-ship brand Azamara Cruises. After some initial teething pains, Azamara continues to refine and perfect the cruise experience that it defines as ‘deluxe.’ Offering cruises around the globe, Azamara aims to put itself squarely between the premium and luxury cruise categories. The industry’s newest cruise line promises to deliver an experience on its two 694-passenger ships that is slightly more upscale than its sister brand Celebrity Cruises. Azamara features butler service and such niceties as fresh fruit daily

Winter Solstice: Azamara’s big sister will launch in December her largest ship to date, Celebrity Solstice. Staterooms will be 15 percent larger on average than the balance of the Celebrity Cruises’ fleet, and bowing to a trend in home designs, bathrooms on Solstice will be 24 percent larger than on other Celebrity ships. Solstice begins sailing seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale in December.

Cruising West: Compact, Seattle-based Cruise West will offer 160 Alaska departures in 2008. That’s a 10 percent increase over 2007, so there’s plenty to ponder. The increase is partly due to the debut of Cruise West’s eighth ship in Alaska, Spirit of Glacier Bay. Continuing to improve its classic small-ship fleet, Cruise West also upgraded Spirit of Yorktown to feature private balconies and other improvements. Cruise West offers three distinct itineraries that allow guests to get up-close and personal with the wonders of Southeast Alaska: nine-day Inside Passage cruises between Ketchikan and Juneau; Alaska’s Whales & Wilderness, nine days roundtrip Juneau; and Gold Rush Inside Passage, between Seattle and Juneau over 11 days. Land tours of the Denali National Park and Preserve, home of towering Mt. McKinley, North America’s tallest peak, can be added to any Cruise West Alaska itinerary.

Land Cruising: Crystal Cruises will take its guests higher than ever before in 2008. Literally. New overland adventures feature travel in Bhutan, situated in the Himalayas, and India, during Crystal Serenity’s 2008 world cruise, already underway. In fact, for those with Asia on their must-do list, Crystal will operate two ships that will offer more than 120 shoreside adventures in Asia March through May of 2008. A dozen new programs and nine new overnight tours will offer in-depth travels in Vietnam, Thailand, China, Laos, Cambodia and India. The company also will offer more in-port overnights than ever before in Asia, 17 in all, in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Osaka, Kobe, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.

Hail To The Queen: Queen Victoria, England’s ‘modern’ monarch, was the first queen to have a telephone, ride a train, be photographed or host a World’s Fair. Like her namesake, Queen Victoria, the second largest Cunarder ever built, boasts many firsts at sea: the first traditional West End-style private boxes in the Royal Court Theatre, the first Cunardia museum exhibit and the first two-storey library. Following her maiden season world cruise beginning in January, Queen Victoria will offer inaugural European itineraries in the Mediterranean, Baltic and Northern Europe.

Back By Popular Demand: Disney Cruise Line announced plans that it would double its fleet. But the two new ships aren’t due out until 2011 and 2012. Until then, the popular Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, now nearing 10 years old, just keep on bringing smiles to kids, families — and even seniors, singles and honeymooners. In 2008, Disney Magic returns to the West Coast to offer a dozen seven-night Mexican Riviera sailings from Los Angeles.

Dam Ship: Making its debut this summer, Eurodam will feature staterooms influenced by the earthy color schemes of the Pacific Northwest — a big change for the more-than-one-century-old Holland America Line. Eurodam will offer a series of Baltic cruises before sailing trans-Atlantic to begin Canada/New England cruises. The new ship will winter in the Caribbean with other ships in the HAL fleet. In all, HAL will offer 121 Caribbean cruises ranging from three days to 20 days in 2008. Longer cruises are, in fact, a Holland America Line hallmark, and for those who really want to go long, the company will offer Grand Voyages around Africa (73 days), South America and Antarctica (68 days), and Asia and Australia (65 days).

Fit For A Princess: Princess crowns a new ship in November. Ruby Princess will be nearly identical to the recently introduced Emerald Princess and Crown Princess. Princess’ newest ship will sail from Fort Lauderdale on Caribbean itineraries through April 2009. Sister ship, the two-year-old, 3,070-passenger Crown Princess makes her debut in Europe in 2008 while the smaller 670-passenger Pacific Princess cruises the Mediterranean. Also new for 2008: Tahitian Princess will offer new 14-day ‘Connoisseur Alaska Cruises;’ Princess’ first-ever Galapagos Islands cruisetours; three ships sailing South America; and the debut of the historic Chinese city of Hangzhou as a new destination. The city is one of the highlights of a new Beijing, Hangzhou and Xian tour, one of three Princess cruisetour options in China available in fall 2008 and spring 2009.

More To Cheer: It’s hard to top Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ announcement in 2007 to offer free booze on its ships. The award-winning cruise line just continues to keep on pleasing its guests, as evidenced by the fact that readers of Conde Nast Traveler recently ranked Regent number-one small ship cruise line. Each of the line’s four ships feature some of the industry’s highest space-per-guest ratios and crew-per-guest ratios. One of the highlights for 2008: the line’s popular Circles of Interest enrichment programs, featuring a broad range of topics by world-class lecturers, instructors and authorities.

Bigger, Better, New & Improved: Royal Caribbean is putting the final touches on another behemoth ship: Independence of the Seas, which debuts in May to share the title of world’s largest ship with her two sisters: Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas. These 3,634-passenger floating resort/theme parks are real crowd-pleasers, noted particularly for their family friendly features: the FlowRider surf simulator; the wet and wild H20 Zone aqua park; cantilevered whirlpools suspended 112 feet above the ocean; an ice-skating rink; and the 1,215-square-foot Presidential Family Suite, which sleeps up to 14. Independence of the Seas will be the largest ship ever home-ported in Europe, when she begins sailing from Southampton, England this summer.

Show Me A River! Operating a fleet of luxury river cruisers, Uniworld Grand River Cruises is enhancing its on-board experience in 2008: complimentary wine with dinner, bottled water in each stateroom, 24-hour specialty coffees including cappuccinos and lattes, and a state-of-the-art Quietvox portable audio headset system to enhance the onshore experience. Also new for 2008: seven-night Danube Discovery Grand River cruises from Vienna to Nuremberg; seven-night Rhine Discovery Grand River cruises from Nuremberg to Basel; and 12-night Ukraine, the Black Sea & Istanbul Grand River cruises between Kiev and Nessebar, along with a 3-night hotel stay in Istanbul.

Amadeus Waterways: With its two new river cruisers making their debut in 2009, Amadeus Waterways will expand its reach to offer 17 river cruise vacations in Europe, Russia, Portugal and Egypt. Start your European vacation in enchanting Paris, cruise along the Mosel and Main River from Trier to Nuremberg, before ending in historic Prague. Discover magnificent Europe from Amsterdam to Budapest or journey through Eastern Europe on their Black Sea Voyage. Those looking for a new adventure can take an enchanting cruise from Budapest to Passau, before ending in Prague; looking for a little romance - cruise Provence and Spain; and a lover of fine wine and rich history can cruise the beautiful Douro River Valley in Portugal

Tags: Luxury Cruises

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Just as the airlines have frequent-flyer programs, the cruise lines have frequent-cruiser programs. In this interview, Victoria Gallegos, a cruise consultant on Regent Seven Seas Voyager, outlines the five tiers of Regent Seven Seas Cruises loyalty program, known as Seven Seas Society. Particularly impressive: Free internet and one hour free phone service after accumulating 21 nights on Regent. 1) Seven Seas Society Member, 4 - 20 nights

* Seven Seas Society cocktail reception
* Access to Seven Seas Society cruises, including exclusive events ashore
* Seven Seas Society savings on select sailings
* Personalized newsletter
* Access to Online Personal Profile
* Communications with advanced access to itineraries and special offers
* Upgrade and referral opportunities on select sailings

2) Silver, 21 - 74 nights

Everything from Seven Seas Society Member tier PLUS the following items
* Complimentary Internet access on board
* One hour complimentary phone time per suite
* Complimentary pressing on formal and/or informal nights (up to two items per 7-night cruise segment)
* Invitation to participate in Seven Seas Society Advisory Board (on select sailings)
* Invitations to exclusive Regent cruise and hotel events in select cities

3) Gold, 75 - 199 nights

Everything from Seven Seas Society member and Silver tiers PLUS the following items
* Priority disembarkation at cruise completion in select ports
* Additional two hours of complimentary phone time per suite
* Choice of newspaper service from around the world
* Complimentary pressing of up to two additional items per 7-night segment
* Complimentary upgrade to hardcover of personalized commemorative album at soft cover price on select voyages
* Exclusive Gold & Platinum activity aboard or ashore on every sailing
* Priority reservations at restaurants and spas

4) Platinum, 200 - 399 nights

Everything from Seven Seas Society Member, Silver and Gold tiers PLUS the following items
* Complimentary air deviation services (one time per sailing)
* Additional six hours of complimentary phone usage per sailing
* Complimentary pressing
* Complimentary laundry services
* Invitation to Customer Advisory Panel (on select sailings)

5) Titanium, 400 + nights

Everything from Seven Seas Society Member, Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers PLUS the following items
* Complimentary transfers to and from your home to the pier (within a 50 mile radius). OR complimentary transfers from the airport to the pier on embarkation and disembarkation day
* Complimentary dry cleaning

Tags: Luxury Cruises

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When you spend $23.5 million on something, you want to show it off. That’s just human nature. And that’s just what Crystal Cruises did a few weeks ago for the travel trade and press. The cruise company had doled out that princely sum to upgrade its 12-year-old Crystal Symphony, and they invited us to come take a look.But has the upgrade improved the passenger experience? Crystal Cruises President Gregg Michel thinks so.

I sat down with him during our sailing to talk about how the investment made Crystal Symphony a better ship.

Download for iPod/iTunes:: MPEG-4 Video (.m4v)

Tags: Luxury Cruises

This is Ralph Grizzle, editor of The Avid Cruiser magazine. Yesterday, I talked about my cruise on SeaDream II, which carries only 110 lucky passengers. After disembarking SeaDream II in Nice, I made my way back to Rome to board Regent Seven Seas Voyager.

Seven Seas Voyager carries 700 passengers and has the highest space ratio of the four ships I cruised on in May. What that means is that Seven Seas Voyager has more space on a per passenger basis.

Here’s a breakdown of the space ratios on my four cruises:

Emerald Princess: 36
Seadream II: 39
Seven Seas Voyager: 66 (note: audio says 59, erroneously reported in the Berlitz Complete Guide To Cruising & Cruise Ships 2007)

and the ship I haven’t talked about yet, Crystal Symphony: 53

By contrast, Silversea Cruises Silver Whisper has a space ratio of 73.

So Seven Seas Voyager felt roomy and uncrowded. Although the ship was full, it did not feel that way.

Staterooms (or actually they’re called suites on the all-suite, all-balcony ship) were the largest of the four ships I sailed. The smallest measure 356 square feet with the balcony. And all feature large and beautiful bathrooms with separate tub and shower.

Weak points: Actually they could be considered strong points, because the excellent reservations-only restaurants - Signatures and Latitudes - book very quickly. Do yourself a favor and reserve the day you get on board.

Also, although Seven Seas Voyager was built in 2003, it’s in need of some upgrades, such as flat panel TVs that are so popular on ships today. They’re coming soon, I’m told.

Also coming soon: new fitness equipment, and a dedicated coffee shop.

Brochure rates for seven day cruises from Venice to Rome in the Class H (356 square feet including the balcony) work out to be $1056 per person per day, but check with your cruise seller. You may end up paying half of that.

Fares include select wines and spirits served throughout the ship and gratuities.

Both SeaDream II and Seven Seas Voyager were the only alcohol inclusive ships I sailed on.

Regent only began offering free alcohol in January, and the new policy has been widely applauded. I talked with one widow who said her husband would have loved the new policy. She said he was kind of “thrifty” and that each time they went down the restaurant for dinner, he would ask if she wanted a glass of wine, secretly hoping that she didn’t.

Instead of enjoying a cocktail in their staterooms or on their balconies, people are gathering in the public areas.

I’ve posted an interview below with Hotel Director Engelbert Lainer-Wartenberg about how the new policy has changed the social dynamic of the ship. This is Ralph Grizzle. Thanks for tuning in.

Tags: Luxury Cruises

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An interview with Regent Seven Seas Voyager’s Hotel Director Engelbert Lainer-Wartenberg about how the company’s new alcohol-inclusive policy has changed the social dynamic of the ship.

Tags: Luxury Cruises

In preceding posts and podcasts, I’ve talked about cruising back-to-back on four ships during the month of May. It was an incredible experience.

After disembarking Emerald Princess in Venice, I flew to Barcelona to board one of the cruise industry’s smallest ships. In fact, my second cruise could not have been more of a contrast.

Actually, SeaDream II was more of a yacht than a ship. Carrying only 110 passengers and nearly the same number of crew, SeaDream II rewarded me with one of the best cruise experiences of my life. I posted lots of video from that cruise. You can view those video clips on this site.

SeaDream II gave me so much to love: its yachtlike ambience, the late-night departures from port, evening meals on deck overlooking idyllic ports, and lots of toys, such as Waverunners, kayaks, bicycles and more.

SeaDream II also has one other thing going for it, says Captain Valter Berg: It can get into ports that the big ships can’t.

SeaDream II was not perfect, and there were some weak points: She’s more than two decades old, and even though she has had major upgrades, the staterooms are a bit dated and not overly spacious (195 square feet with no balcony), and the bathrooms, while well appointed, are small.

Seven day cruises in the Med work out to be about (brochure fare) $986 per person per day for Yacht Club category. Not a lot of discounting on these ships, but check with your cruise seller for savings that may be offered. Alcohol is included and tipping is not required.

You can’t compare my first cruise on Emerald Princess and my second cruise on SeaDream II. Both were good cruises, and it really comes down to whether you want a big-ship experience or a small yacht experience,

Tags: Luxury Cruises