CruiseShip

Aboard Silversea's New Silver Spirit: Discordant Design Ahoy

When Silversea's new boat, Silver Spirit, stopped into New York harbor en route to Europe by way of Boston and Nova Scotia, I couldn't wait to get on board and take a peek. I've become a fan of smaller cruise ships of late, and this boat accommodates 540 guests. I also love Art Deco, which was meant to be the ship's design inspiration. So it was with high hopes that I confidently strode across the gangway for a media tour and luncheon this past Friday.

The Silver Spirit has a lot going for it, but as I reflect on my tour of the boat, I almost wonder whether there were two design philosophies battling for dominance during its planning phases, as I found the ship's feel puzzlingly discordant.

The interior, public areas of the boat have a dark and stuffy feeling that frankly seemed dated -- sort of amazing in a ship that was built in 2009. The plush seating in the reception area actually reminded me of the Holiday Inn, which can hardly be on the inspiration board for a ship designed with these sorts of fares had in mind. (Example: the lowest published fare for a ten day cruise Papeete to Auckland next year: $10,895.) The sitting are of the third-highest highest room category, the spacious Silver Suite, reminded me of a very nicely renovated Motel 6. (See gallery below.)

On the lighter side, literally: the Owner's Suite is a brighter, modern and airy take informed by deco. It's also huge, at 1,292 square feet, including 190 square foot veranda. The less-expensive "Midship Veranda" rooms are small but also aesthetically in line with the Owner's Suite.

Gallery: Aboard Silversea's Silver Spirit Cruise Ship

Tags: art deco, cruises, CruiseShip, silversea, silversea silver spirit

Continue reading “Aboard Silversea's New Silver Spirit: Discordant Design Ahoy”

Sail French Polynesia with Paul Gauguin Cruises

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

I hold large cruise ships in a certain amount of disdain -- floating shopping malls, the all-inclusive resorts of the sea, which seem to me to feature at their heart everything I dislike about vacation activities, the forced gaiety fueled by buckets of alcohol, the faux celebrity of being stalked by cruise photographer and videographer, food more about quantity than quality, casinos.

On these pages, I have speculated that I would likely enjoy myself more on a smaller ship and so I put it to the test a few weeks ago, joining a sailing of the m/s Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia. I found ever so much more pleasant, so much so that I would even go out of my way to repeat the experience. The ship has a maximum capacity of 332 passengers, and one crew member for every 1.5 guests. I'll refrain from a joke about the half-guests, and instead more usefully say that while I was thoughtfully catered to, I never felt hassled, as is possible when there's a profusion of help available. I also found an amazing amount of solitude on the ship's public areas, which I think is absolutely necessary for proper contemplation of French Polynesia, for example, the mountains of Moorea, which were once worshiped by the ancient Tahitians, and seem to be worth the worship.

I also had the agreeable sense that the ship was miniaturized from a larger cruise vessel -- there were three restaurants aboard, although smaller, there was a bar with a teeny tiny dance floor and even the embarrass yourself -- karaoke night provided the opportunity -- and even a small, easily-avoided casino for people that require that.

I think this ship is aimed at an older demographic although I am at the precise mid-point of my 30s, I do consider myself prematurely old, and so enjoyed the Elderhostel-esque programming, a top-notch anthropologist provided fascinating lectures and also the opportunity for a hike in Moorea, nightly entertainment to be taken or left as you prefer, a small boutique that had all the essentials, including kamani oil, a local treatment for sunburn which I really needed after a snorkel with the sharks and stingrays excursion that despite the burn ranks among my favorite experiences ever. The only part of the ship that I found dissatisfying was the fitness center, which could use better ventilation -- although I don't really mind getting a good look at the lifeboats while I'm running on the treadmill.

Paul Gauguin was until recently owned by Regent Seven Seas Cruises and is now owned by Pacific Beachcomber, the largest luxury hotel and cruise operator in the country, and the same group that owns InterContinentals throughout French Polynesia. In fact, I was on the first sail under the new management.

Gallery: Aboard the Paul Gauguin

Tags: cruise, cruise ship, cruises, CruiseShip, french polynesia, FrenchPolynesia

Continue reading “Sail French Polynesia with Paul Gauguin Cruises”

Introducing Silversea's New Boat: Silver Spirit

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

I've been known to rant a bit about the experience of traveling on a large cruise ship -- basically, they strike me as floating shopping malls/theme parks, neither of which I'd ever choose to spend time on.

Even if I'm surrounded by open ocean, which I happen to adore.

But I put smaller ships in a different category, more like a communal yacht, so I was pleased to learn that Silversea, the small ship cruise ship line, plans to launch a new vessel on December 23rd. I was even more pleased when I found out that the new ship, the Silver Spirit, sports a fabulous Art Deco design, and, among its six restaurants, includes one that offers a slow food concept. Check out the gallery for some interior views.

The boat is all-suite, the suites are larger than any the line has offered to date, including two flatscreen televisions, a pillow menu, Carrera marble bathrooms, and a butler assigned to each suite. The maiden crossing from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale is sold out, but consider signing on for the 91-day inaugural cruise around the Americas departing January 21, 2010, which includes the Christening party and VIP tickets to Rio's Carnival.

Gallery: Silversea's New Boat: Silver Spirit

Tags: cru, cruise, cruise line, cruise ship, CruiseLine, cruises, CruiseShip, silversea, winter-travel-main

Conde Nast Traveler's "Gold List"

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Condé Nast Traveler has released its list of reader-selected best places to stay in the world on Concierge.com.

The magazine's 15th annual "Gold List" is "is your ultimate annotated guide to the world's finest properties and cruise lines, as elected by more than 32,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers."

You can browse by destination, type of award (e.g., service, food, location, cruise lines) or alphabetically, where you can see all on the list. Wondering how they were picked? Here's the methodology.

Tags: awards, conde nast, conde nast traveler, CondeNast, CondeNastTraveler, cruise, cruise lines, cruise ship, CruiseLines, CruiseShip, gold list, GoldList, hotel, hotels, travel

Will Nakheel Sell The QE2?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

A few months back we saw that plans to turn the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship into a floating hotel in Dubai had been delayed. The owner, developer Nakheel had planned to moor it at the Palm Jumeirah development but now word has come that the ship may be on the move. The AP has an email from Nakheel saying that other ports have expressed interest in hosting the ship. Nakheel had purchased the ship for a reported $100 million and had plans to recreate the original decor and fittings of the ship from when she was launched in 1967 only with a modern day spin that included adding a 500-seat theater and building a massive spa complex. Those plans are are on hold as Nahkeel, which has developments across Dubai, is considering all offers and has applied to anchor the ship in Cape Town, South Africa.

The email said that the company is working "to ensure opportunities to experience QE2 in her current condition are maximized whilst ensuring her important heritage is at all times protected." This seems like more continued spin from Nakheel which has been hard hit by Dubai's real estate slump and tourism decline. The company has shelved a variety of projects including Donald Trump's planned hotel and has received some of the $10 billion in government bailout funds. There are also reports of widespread layoffs. The company has said before it has no plans to sell the ship. There is widespread speculation as to whether the company will be able to pay off $3.5 billion worth of debt coming due this year so it seems that they might be willing to sell the QE2 if they can find a buyer.

Source

Tags: cruise ship, CruiseShip, dubai, nakheel, qe2, queen elizabeth 2, queen elizabeth ii, QueenElizabeth2, QueenElizabethIi, yacht

Cruise Ship Outruns Pirates

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Cruise ship, the Nautica had a scare this week when the 30,000-ton luxury cruise ship outran pirates off the coast of Yemen. The Nautica, part of Oceania's cruise line, was in an area patrolled by international anti-piracy task forces when two small skiffs pulled aside and tried to intercept it. The ship sped up to its full speed of 23 knots or 27 mph. One of the small boats closed in and fired on the ship but it was able to pull away. While we've seen smaller passenger yachts targeted, the pirates haven't been known to go after the larger cruise ships before, keeping mainly to the bigger cargo vessels. The Nautica managed to escape without damage or injury to its 684 passengers and 400 crew.

Source

Tags: cruise ship, CruiseShip, nautica, oceania, pirates, yacht, yemen