cruise ship

Luxist Giveaway: Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2011

Filed under: Books

Calling all cruisers, this is your giveaway. Berlitz gave us a couple of copies of its massive tome, the 2011 edition of Cruising and Cruise Ships, to give away to two readers chosen at random. This indispensable guide to all this cruise is now in its 26th year of publication. The book is written by cruise-guru, Douglas Ward, who spent 17 years working in the cruise industry before becoming a cruise reviewer. The website for this book states that Ward has logged in over 5,600 days at sea, participating in more than 1,000 cruises, 155 transatlantic crossings and plenty of shipyard visits and maiden voyages.

The book reviews 285 cruise ships and also offer at-a-glance charts compare the major cruise lines for cabin facilities, food and service. The book doesn't just review the ships, the first few sections are devoted to broader issues designed to narrow down what you might be looking for. There is advice on cruising with families, cruising for seniors, nature cruises, river cruises and more. Every conceivable angle of traveling via cruise ship is covered from etiquette to safety concerns and whether or not you can cringe your golf clubs or check email while cruising. Ward is also an incredible compendium of cruise facts. He goes into the history of the various cruise lines and also delivers behind-the-scenes details of the logistics of running a large cruise ship. His knowledge both as an avid cruiser and as a former cruise ship professional gives him a unique point of view.

Tags: berlitz, crime, cruise, cruise guide, cruise ship, cruises, luxist giveaway

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Holland America Brings Le Cirque To The High Seas

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Now you can have the Le Cirque experience on the water. Holland America Line has partnered with Le Cirque restaurant to offer "An Evening at Le Cirque" in the Pinnacle Grill aboard its fleet of 15 ships. Holland America Line's Master Chef Rudi Sodamin is working with Le Cirque's Executive Chef Craig Hopson to re-create the Manhattan eatery's dining experience on board, from serving the cuisine on the distinctive orange-banded Le Cirque china to featuring the restaurant's famous creme brulee and Lobster Salad "Le Cirque."

On just about every voyage, the Pinnacle Grill will be transformed for at least one night into a Le Cirque–like atmosphere. On those evenings, menu offerings, wine selections, table decorations and the restaurant setting will resemble authentic Le Cirque dining experience. Reservations can be made for "An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill" for a charge. The partnership also includes special Le Cirque cooking demonstrations in the on-board Culinary Arts Center.

Tags: cruise ship, cruise ship restaurants, cruise travel, holland america line, le cirque, Sirio Maccioni

Chef Dieter Mueller Launches New Restaurant Onboard The Europa

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

German chef Dieter Mueller is one of the many chefs on the high seas. The five-star Europa cruiseline is the home to the new Restaurant Dieter Muller. The 26-seat restaurant will serve Muller's blend of French cuisine influenced by his Baden homeland and Asian and Mediterranean styles. More than just putting his name on it, Muller is on board for 70 days of the year.

Muller became the first award winning chef to open his own gourmet restaurant on board the Europa. After a redesign, while docked in a Hamburg shipyard, the former euro-asian Oriental Restaurant was transformed into the "Restaurant Dieter Mueller." Dieter Mueller will work along side the Europa's head chef, former Wohlfahrt-student Stefan Wilke, who will continue to run the other three restaurants onboard.

Muller is one of the most successful German chefs and made gourmet history for 18-years at the luxury hotel and restaurant Schlosshotel Lerbach which has three Michelin stars. He was voted "Chef of the Year" more than 4 times, by the French restaurant guide "Gault Millau" and the German magazine "Der Feinschmecker. Sample menu items include young venison saddle with filled polenta roulade and cardamom sauce; Tandoori pumpkin soup; white tomato jelly, seafood and vegetable; and Burnt Mascarpone cream, berry fruit salad and tonka bean ice cream.

The Europa has suites for up to 408 guests. Each suite has a walk-in wardrobe, and almost all of them have a private veranda and every passenger on board is given his/her own e-mail address. The ship has various bars and lounges, a library with internet access and an auditorium for talks and seminars. Other features include a golf simulator, the hair stylist and beauty salon, the fitness room, sauna, spa and swimming pool. The ship has a varied 2011 itinerary that takes it to Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Central America, Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean, Western Europe, Baltic Sea, North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Tags: cruise ship, cruise ship restaurants, dieter muller, europa

The Launch of Cunard's New Queen Elizabeth Ship

by Jason Cochran (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

The latest Queen Elizabeth ship, the third generation of ocean liners going back to the late 1930s, was named by the actual Queen Elizabeth Monday in Southampton, England. The $634 million ship, the third and final new vessel to be launched by Cunard in a decade, begins its maiden voyage on Tuesday.

She will be nearly full with her maximum 2,094 passengers. The sailing sold out some 18 months ago in 29 minutes and 29 seconds.

Much has changed since the QE2, which went out of service two years ago and was ignominiously sent to Dubai to function as a hotel. Gone are the ripple-effect ceilings and bachelor-pad brass fittings that made the previous ship the latest in 1970s sophistication.

This iteration, technically the QE3 but called simply the QE like the first in the line, hews closely to Cunard's current design ethic, and in both ethic and size, is largely similar to the Queen Victoria, launched in 2007. Extensive wood paneling, art deco touches, and swooping shapes in the ceiling and balustrades mark the interior.

Tags: cruise ship, cunard, england, qee, queen elizabeth

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Queen Mary 2's Canyon Ranch SpaClub: Pure Bliss on the Atlantic Ocean (with Video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Perhaps the most decadent, and most relaxing experience one could ever imagine, is time spent at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub while crossing the Atlantic Ocean on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 ocean liner.

The Queen Mary 2 is equipped with a 22,000 square foot spa, which is one of the largest ship-based spas in the world. The spa facilities include 24 treatment rooms, a luxurious aqua-therapy facility and a beauty and hair salon. For those seeking exercise, there's a fully-equipped circuit gym with free weights as well as a large cardio facility that is outfitted with state-of-the-art elliptical trainers, stationary and recumbent bicycles, a variety of treadmills and stepping machines. Much of the equipment is equipped with individual televisions and iPod docks. Fitness trainers are available for individual sessions.

While the Canyon Ranch SpaClub isn't quite as elaborate as visiting the world-renowned Canyon Ranch destination locations in Tucson, Ariz. or Lenox, Mass. (and a Luxist Awards' Nominee for Best Extended-Stay Spa), it is extremely impressive nonetheless. And in some ways, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub aboard the Queen Mary 2, which opened in 2004, is even better. Where else can you enjoy the historic and romantic experience of crossing the Atlantic on a beautiful ocean liner while experiencing the healthy lifestyle offered by Canyon Ranch?

Gallery: Canyon Ranch SpaClub on Cunard's Queen Mary 2

Canyon Ranch SpaClub on the Queen Mary 2

Tags: awards-main, canyon ranch, Canyon Ranch Cooking, canyon ranch spa, cruise, cruise ship, cruises, cunard, Cunard Cruise Line, CunardCruiseLine, luxist-awards, ocean liner, Queen Mary 2, spa, spa treatments, transatlantic, transatlantic crossing

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Cunard's New Queen Elizabeth to Have a Fortnum & Mason Onboard

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Shopping

Cunard's new Queen Elizabeth luxury liner (above), successor of the QE2, will have a branch of London's famed food emporium Fortnum & Mason, holder of a Royal Warrant, onboard when it sets sail in October. The move marks the first time ever in Fortnum & Mason's 300-year history that its luxurious products have been available to purchase at sea. The shipboard Fortnum's will join a host of other British brands setting up shop on the Queen Elizabeth, including men's style mecca Hackett of London, Scotland's famed Harris Tweed, fashion designer Anya Hindmarch and famed fragrance merchant Penhaligons. Several brands have also announced special items produced exclusively for the ship which will only be available onboard. The Queen Elizabeth can accommodate over 2,000 passengers in its luxe Art Deco-style interior.

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Tags: Anya Hindmarch, Art Deco, boutiques, cruise ship, Cunard, Fortnum and Mason, Fortnum Mason, Hackett, Harris Tweed, London, QE2, Royal Warrant, UK

Sea Cloud Cruises Wins the Luxist Award for Best Summer Cruise

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

Sea Cloud's luxury cruise to Turkey and Greece

Some 2,500 years ago, the warm waters between Greece and what is now Turkey were filled with the warring fleets of Persia's King Xerxes and his Greek foes. These days, the ships sailing through the Aegean are of a much more peaceful variety-none more majestic than the vessels of Sea Cloud Cruises, the winner of the Luxist award in the best summer cruise category.

One of Sea Cloud's most popular itineraries takes guests from Athens through the Greek Isles to Turkey and back again. The eight-day trip includes stops at Delos, an entire island designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site; Rhodes, where the Palace of the Grand Master still stands; and Bodrum, the Turkish town that was once home to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the original seven wonders of the world.

Gallery: Sea Cloud Cruises

Cruising the Greek Isles and Turkey with Sea Cloud

Tags: awards-main, cruise, cruise ship, CruiseLines, cruises, greek islands, luxist-awards, Sea Cloud, Turkey, winners-summer-travel

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Art Auctions to End on Royal Caribbean?

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Auctions, Art

Adam Goldstein, the top dog over at Royal Caribbean, wrote on his blog this week that the cruise line is not renewing its contract with Park West Art Services. It looks as though the future of art auctions on the ships is uncertain, given that the president and CEO says the company is evaluating alternatives.

Writes Goldstein:

"[O]ur contract with Park West Art Services has expired and we have decided not to renew it. There is a wind down period in effect and the art auctioneers will finish on different ships at different times over the next few months. We are evaluating what if any art-related programming we may offer in the fleet in the future beyond Oasis of the Seas where Art Actually is our provider of art tours and art for purchase onboard."

Source

Tags: art auction, art auctions, cruise, cruise ship, CruiseLines, cruises, royal caribbean, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises

Cruise French Polynesia for Less

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

A few weeks ago, I told you about a fantastic way to explore French Polynesia -- aboard the small, luxey Paul Gauguin cruise ship.

Pacific Beachcomber has just released the ship's 2011 sailing schedule, offering between two and four cruises each month of seven to fourteen nights. You can learn about them in a new interactive preview catalog. (If you find that format as annoying as I do, you can also find the info on the company's website.)

When I first wrote about this ship, some readers...oh let's just say, reacted... to my confession that I dislike large cruise ships, which apparently came across as snobbiness, since since large cruise ships tend to be less expensive than ships along the lines of the Paul Gauguin. I contend that a certain amount of snobbiness is sort of my job description, but nevertheless, allow me to redeem myself by discussing a four-letter word: sale.

Paul Gauguin is offering free airfare from Los Angeles (which is a big part of the expense of the entire trip) and two-for-one cruise fares for all 2011 sailings. If the reach of your inner travel snob exceeds the grasp of your particular financial situation, this is good news indeed.

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Tags: bargains, BargainTravel, cruise, cruise ship, FrenchPolynesia

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

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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.

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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.

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

Freedom of the Seas' Sickness

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

We spent a bit of time earlier this year covering Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, the largest cruise ship currently in operation, but a story has just come to light that highlights the fact that not all cruises are as relaxing as the luxury accommodations seem to make them. About 10% of the ship's passengers and 46 crew members came down with a norovirus brought on board by a sick passenger. Such viruses, which case less-than-pleasant gastrointestinal problems, are spread through contact and a cruise ship is one of the worst places to be when one strikes. The age and size of the ship are not necessarily factors, but since the Freedom of the Seas carries more than 4,000 people, maintaining a completely sanitized environment is much more difficult than it is on board a smaller ship.

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Tags: cruise, cruise ship, Freedom of the Seas, FreedomOfTheSeas, norovirus

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