Please keep in mind that what follows are my personal observations. I am not in the travel business and I am not a cruise expert. If there are errors, I apologize in advance. Rely on your own reading and experience to form your own opinions, and you will end up choosing the right cruise style and cruise ship for yourself.
A GOOD BOOK - In addition to cruise web sites, some of which seem to be losing speed and functionality because of their cluttered home pages and excessive advertisements, I highly recommend Douglas Ward's book, Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships (2007, Berlitz).
It has a wealth of information, both objective and subjective, to help you plan your next cruise.
LUXURY CRUISING IN GENERAL - Everyone has his own idea of the perfect cruise. In the end, it probably is the cruise that makes a guest feel like a VIP and yet totally at ease. White glove service and high tea may not suit someone who prefers to amble in flip-flops and a T-shirt. Zodiac excursions and watersport decks may not suit someone who prefers to foxtrot in formal wear. That is probably why there are so many luxury (and luxury adventure) cruise options.
I mention luxury and adventure cruising in the same breath because the costs may be similar even though the styles are worlds apart. An interesting development in the luxury cruise industry is that some of the traditional luxury cruise lines are adding expeditionary ships (think ice-hardened hulls and polar itineraries) to their fleets. You will be reading more about these ships as they enter service. So far, our experience with adventure cruising has been limited to chartered yachts in the Galapagos Islands, so I will not cover that option here.
DEFINING LUXURY - For me, several characteristics define a luxury cruise: the high level of attentive yet unobtrusive service; superior cuisine and fine wines without surcharge; sedate and spacious cabins and public areas; unusual itineraries with uncrowded or even undiscovered ports of call; the absence of noise, announcements, and waiting lines; enrichment lectures and interesting activities, with less emphasis on entertainment and more emphasis on learning; inclusive drinks and gratuities; and (we have been happy to experience) well-educated, friendly, and unpretentious fellow passengers.
SERVICE - On mainstream cruise ships the service may sometimes be attentive, but it can sometimes seem informal and too chummy. Some luxury ships have a more traditional attitude toward service. We noticed that after the first day on the Silver Cloud our stewards and servers greeted us by surname, but they did not converse further unless we wanted to engage them in conversation. They anticipated most of our needs, and they responded quickly and positively when we had any questions or special requests. On a personal note, my wife was recovering from an illness during our Silver Cloud cruise, and she truly appreciated the kindness and attentiveness of the entire staff. Good service during meals is silent and seamless. Courses are presented and cleared without flourish, and wine glasses are changed or refilled without intrusion. The service is so smooth that it is not noticeable.
Part of this is due to good training, and part is due to the high crew to passenger ratios on luxury ships. Silversea, for example, has at least two crew members for every three passengers. The smaller size of the dining rooms and public areas adds to the quality of the service. There is no background noise to interfere with conversations, and servers very skillfully handle china and flatware to avoid making noise.
SPACE - Space ratios are a measure of the volume of enclosed space on a ship, expressed in tonnage per passenger. In this case tonnage is a measure of volume, not weight. Mainstream cruise lines usually have space ratios in the high 30s or low 40s. Except for the smallest (Sea Dream and Seabourn) ships in this category, luxury ships generally have space ratios in the 50s or 60s. Silversea's newer ships, the Whisper and the Shadow, have space ratios in the 70s. When cruising this difference is very noticeable.
EXOTIC ITINERARIES - Small luxury ships travel the world and are able to dock at unusual ports that have not yet been overrun by oversized cruise ships. This can be a negative, however, when inexperienced local immigration authorities make life difficult, or when the cruise line's central office is less than organized regarding visa or entry requirements for their exotic ports of call. Silversea's disorganization in this regard was a disappointment, but more about that later.
PEACE AND QUIET - Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of a luxury cruise is the peace and quiet in the ship's public areas. For example, there is no pool-side music (except on special occasions), and the fitness area is equipped with headphones for the DVD players and TVs at each workout station. There is no muzak and there are minimal announcements. On mainstream cruise ships I sometimes end up wearing earplugs to gain some peace and quiet. On luxury ships this is unnecessary.
ENTERTAINMENT - Because luxury ships are relatively small, entertainment tends to be intimate, usually soloists rather than production numbers. Personally, I would rather listen to a top-notch soloist in a small venue than watch a chorus line of singers and dancers in an over-amplified Broadway-type theater. Luxury ships tend to include enrichment programs, usually well known speakers on a variety of topics. Fortunately, mainstream cruise lines are finally adopting similar enrichment programs, which can make days at sea more enjoyable. A bonus on a small ship is the likelihood of meeting or dining with the guest lecturers and musicians, who can be very interesting conversationalists. They were on our cruise.
Page 3 > > More on Luxury Cruises in General > >
A GOOD BOOK - In addition to cruise web sites, some of which seem to be losing speed and functionality because of their cluttered home pages and excessive advertisements, I highly recommend Douglas Ward's book, Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships (2007, Berlitz).
It has a wealth of information, both objective and subjective, to help you plan your next cruise.
LUXURY CRUISING IN GENERAL - Everyone has his own idea of the perfect cruise. In the end, it probably is the cruise that makes a guest feel like a VIP and yet totally at ease. White glove service and high tea may not suit someone who prefers to amble in flip-flops and a T-shirt. Zodiac excursions and watersport decks may not suit someone who prefers to foxtrot in formal wear. That is probably why there are so many luxury (and luxury adventure) cruise options.
I mention luxury and adventure cruising in the same breath because the costs may be similar even though the styles are worlds apart. An interesting development in the luxury cruise industry is that some of the traditional luxury cruise lines are adding expeditionary ships (think ice-hardened hulls and polar itineraries) to their fleets. You will be reading more about these ships as they enter service. So far, our experience with adventure cruising has been limited to chartered yachts in the Galapagos Islands, so I will not cover that option here.
DEFINING LUXURY - For me, several characteristics define a luxury cruise: the high level of attentive yet unobtrusive service; superior cuisine and fine wines without surcharge; sedate and spacious cabins and public areas; unusual itineraries with uncrowded or even undiscovered ports of call; the absence of noise, announcements, and waiting lines; enrichment lectures and interesting activities, with less emphasis on entertainment and more emphasis on learning; inclusive drinks and gratuities; and (we have been happy to experience) well-educated, friendly, and unpretentious fellow passengers.
SERVICE - On mainstream cruise ships the service may sometimes be attentive, but it can sometimes seem informal and too chummy. Some luxury ships have a more traditional attitude toward service. We noticed that after the first day on the Silver Cloud our stewards and servers greeted us by surname, but they did not converse further unless we wanted to engage them in conversation. They anticipated most of our needs, and they responded quickly and positively when we had any questions or special requests. On a personal note, my wife was recovering from an illness during our Silver Cloud cruise, and she truly appreciated the kindness and attentiveness of the entire staff. Good service during meals is silent and seamless. Courses are presented and cleared without flourish, and wine glasses are changed or refilled without intrusion. The service is so smooth that it is not noticeable.
Part of this is due to good training, and part is due to the high crew to passenger ratios on luxury ships. Silversea, for example, has at least two crew members for every three passengers. The smaller size of the dining rooms and public areas adds to the quality of the service. There is no background noise to interfere with conversations, and servers very skillfully handle china and flatware to avoid making noise.
SPACE - Space ratios are a measure of the volume of enclosed space on a ship, expressed in tonnage per passenger. In this case tonnage is a measure of volume, not weight. Mainstream cruise lines usually have space ratios in the high 30s or low 40s. Except for the smallest (Sea Dream and Seabourn) ships in this category, luxury ships generally have space ratios in the 50s or 60s. Silversea's newer ships, the Whisper and the Shadow, have space ratios in the 70s. When cruising this difference is very noticeable.
EXOTIC ITINERARIES - Small luxury ships travel the world and are able to dock at unusual ports that have not yet been overrun by oversized cruise ships. This can be a negative, however, when inexperienced local immigration authorities make life difficult, or when the cruise line's central office is less than organized regarding visa or entry requirements for their exotic ports of call. Silversea's disorganization in this regard was a disappointment, but more about that later.
PEACE AND QUIET - Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of a luxury cruise is the peace and quiet in the ship's public areas. For example, there is no pool-side music (except on special occasions), and the fitness area is equipped with headphones for the DVD players and TVs at each workout station. There is no muzak and there are minimal announcements. On mainstream cruise ships I sometimes end up wearing earplugs to gain some peace and quiet. On luxury ships this is unnecessary.
ENTERTAINMENT - Because luxury ships are relatively small, entertainment tends to be intimate, usually soloists rather than production numbers. Personally, I would rather listen to a top-notch soloist in a small venue than watch a chorus line of singers and dancers in an over-amplified Broadway-type theater. Luxury ships tend to include enrichment programs, usually well known speakers on a variety of topics. Fortunately, mainstream cruise lines are finally adopting similar enrichment programs, which can make days at sea more enjoyable. A bonus on a small ship is the likelihood of meeting or dining with the guest lecturers and musicians, who can be very interesting conversationalists. They were on our cruise.
Page 3 > > More on Luxury Cruises in General > >
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