Cruising has never been cooler, thanks to the latest luxury vessels providing unrivalled access to and views of the world’s most stunning coastlines. Guy Fiorita reports
I remember the first time my parents told me they had booked a cruise. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. My father was a man who travelled the world without any formal itinerary and no advance hotel reservations. He’d pick a destination, book a flight, rent a car and go. Even at 75 he was journeying through Eastern bloc countries without a care.
Dad called cruises ‘no-brain travel’ and at 80 that is exactly what he wanted. He was referring to the fact that on a cruise everything is planned for you and there is nothing to think or worry about. I could understand that: travel can be stressful, the more so the older you get. So after they had taken a cruise through the Panama Canal, one along the Pacific coast of Canada from Vancouver up to Alaska, and another from Venice around Italy to Nice, I changed my mind. Maybe, I thought, cruising isn’t so bad for the elderly - but that was as far as I was willing to go. I held tight to my belief that us younger travellers should still steer clear.
Things have changed since then. Cruises have become cool, or at least some of them have. It’s true that massive floating resorts still pull into places like Puerto Vallarta every day and there’s still dancing on a Lido deck somewhere every night, but that’s only part of the story. It’s time we forget our preconceived notions about mile-long buffet dinners and third-rate crooners; the seas are now awash with smaller ships pulling into tiny hidden ports and offering personalised service, gourmet cuisine and a host of activities once reserved only for private chartered yachts.
Cruising has always had its upside. Anyone who has ever been on a boat knows that the best way to see many destinations is from the water. There is no better view of the fjords of Norway, the rugged Pacific coast of Alaska or even the New York skyline than from the water. The problem was that the huge ships couldn’t get close enough for guests to really enjoy the view and the ports they could enter were limited to a handful of already tourist-filled spots. And this is precisely where a new breed of smaller cruise ships, most with 300 passengers or less, have found their niche - by allowing their clients an up-close-and-personal voyage that combines the comforts of the Queen Mary 2 with the flexibility of a private yacht.
Diane Moore, president of Windstar Cruises, which operates three vessels that carry a maximum of 312 guests, says, “The experience is 180 degrees from the ordinary. Our cruises have visited nearly 50 nations, calling at 100 ports. Due to the size of our ships, our guests are able to explore the hidden harbours and secluded coves that other ships could never enter. And this is something they find priceless.”
It’s not just where they go that makes these cruise lines different. Like Windstar, Star Clippers’ three ships are all fully functioning sailing boats. Started in 1990 by Swedish entrepreneur Mikael Krafft, the vessels are meticulous recreations of the tall clipper ships that sailed the seas more than 100 years ago. The company’s star ship, the Royal Clipper, with its five masts and 42 sails, is a far cry from today’s big cruisers. Here, instead of on-deck mini golf, guests can lend a hand hoisting the sails and are even allowed to climb the mast. “We offer a genuine sailing experience, providing our passengers with the feeling of holidaying on board a private yacht, which is why many of our guests are real sailors and own their own yachts,” says director of sales and marketing Andy Lovering.
In the cruising world size does matter; here though it’s a case of the smaller the better. “We are to cruise ships what a boutique hotel is to a Las Vegas Casino,” says Robert Lepisto, president of SeaDream Yacht Club, who’s slogan is ‘It’s yachting not cruising’. As its name implies SeaDream Yacht Club is a long way from a Carnival cruise. The vessels accommodate just 50 couples, served by a crew of 95. “Unlike big cruise ships our guests dine outdoors and we don’t have a casino or slot machines. Instead we have a pianist or guitarist and we show movies around the pool at night and serve popcorn. Obviously we don’t attract the typical cruise passenger. The average age of our guests is 49 years old and most are people who enjoy an active life and otherwise would holiday at a private villa,” says Lepisto.
Reflecting their passengers’ profiles most of these companies offer entertainment geared towards learning skills and adventure activities. One such company, Lindblad Expeditions, has partnered with National Geographic and often has the society’s photographers, scientists and researchers on their cruises which include journeys to the Galapagos, the Arctic and Antarctic, and whale watching in Baja California. “Our passengers are interested in exploring an environment up close with experts,” says founder Sven Lindblad. “Our guests have a passion for learning in an experiential way and prefer to see places from the vantage of a kayak or a naturalist-guided walk in the rain forest. Most are highly educated and extremely well travelled.” Lindblad’s ships are equipped with kayaks and other vehicles to take travellers into wild places, and they utilise underwater video and audio technology so guests can see and hear what’s going on below. “Our newest ship, the NG Explorer, even has a remote-operated vehicle which can explore depths of 1,000ft [300m] and bring back stunning images of life below the sea,” says Lindblad. In an effort to keep up with these smaller ships, luxury liner Silversea Cruises has launched Personalised Voyages, a service that allows passengers to choose their own itinerary. You won’t be barking out orders on the bridge but it does allow you to choose the length of your trip, and you can embark and disembark from a number of preselected ports. There are limitations of course: confirmation of Personalised Voyages will not be made until six months prior to sailing for off-peak sailing dates, and just three months for peak sailing dates.
If you’re still not convinced, private full-service charter is probably your best option. The main drawback here is that with so many boats on offer you run the risk of being stuck on a floating nightmare with poor service and shabby accommodation - both of which are difficult to discern from a few photos on the internet.
Jenny Day’s has been running cruises along the Turkish coast through her company DayDreams Travel for more than 20 years, and has gained an excellent reputation for delivering what she promises. Not just cruises, they are sea and land voyages that include visits to archaeological sites and villages, walking tours of the Turkish coastline and the Dodecanese islands, hiking in the Kaz mountains, and stops at Canakkale and the Gallipoli war grounds. Jenny personally leads these small group holidays and the captains adopt a flexible approach to each route, planning each day with individual clients. Passengers set sail on the Cevri Hasan III, a 25-metre, six-cabin schooner (a foreand- aft rigged vessel with at least two masts) with teak decks and mahogany interiors. For private weekly charter the company now has 25 gulets (wooden motor sailing yachts) ranging from standard to super-deluxe with just four, five or six cabins.
For motor cruising in the Mediterranean consider the Atlantic Lady. Based in Palma, Mallorca, but available for charter anywhere in the Mediterranean, she is a 25.5-metre yacht with a double master and two twin staterooms, all with private marble-tiled bathrooms, as well as a fourth cabin with upper and lower bunks. Able to accommodate up to eight passengers, the yacht comes with a crew of three including an experienced chef and stewardess, and passengers can choose to follow a suggested itinerary or plan as they go.
If the high seas make you highly seasick, a number of companies offer luxury boat trips on the calm canals in Europe. One of the best is Orient-Express’ Afloat in France which has péniche-hôtel barges that accommodate up to six guests. The vessels have ensuite facilities, gourmet dining options and an air-conditioned minibus to take guests to local attractions along the way. And this summer, after undergoing a complete renovation, Orient-Express will relaunch its river cruiser, the somewhat misleadingly named The Road To Mandalay. The ship offers three- to 11-day cruising options on Burma’s Ayeyarwady river between the pagoda city of Bagan and Mandalay.
Finally, if you’ve fallen in love with the cruising lifestyle - and have enough ready cash - you can always consider living on board full time. Although the project is currently undergoing crisis restructuring, Four Seasons Ocean Residences plans to launch a 220m, 112-unit ocean liner with whole-ownership units. Staterooms and suites were originally priced from $3.75million to $39m (€2.69m- €27.9m, £2.27m-£23.8m) and range in size from one bedroom to a four-bedroom cabin that measures nearly 745sqm. All units are fully furnished with interiors by Tillberg Design, famous for its work on the QM2.
windstarcruises.com
starclippers.com
seadreamyachtclub.com
expeditions.com
silversea.com
daydreams-travel.com
atlanticlady.com
afloatinfrance.com
oceanresidences.com