All About Cruises

Tag: luxury cruise line

  • Cruise Line Profiles: Seabourn

    Cruise Line Profiles: Seabourn

    Lots of luxury cruises pride themselves on exemplifying the word luxury itself. Fine dining and refined activities are around every corner on many of these ships, and Seabourn is no exception. Focusing on giving an unparalleled experience to its passengers, Seabourn seems like one of the best luxury cruise options out there. But, is it really all it’s hyped up to be? Let’s find out!

    Fleet

    The Seabourn fleet is currently made up of five ships: Ovation, Encore, Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey. A sixth ship, Venture, is scheduled for its first voyage in June, 2021. Ovation and Encore are both 690 feet long and offer 300 suites inside. Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey are a bit smaller at 650 feet with appropriately pared-down suite numbers of 229. The Ovation has itineraries mainly around Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean that last anywhere from 14 days to over a month. The Encore visits Australia, Italy and their respective nearby islands. The Quest visits South America, Antarctica, the British Isles, Canada and some European destinations. The Sojourn has a lot of varied trips including many African journeys as well as a 78-day world cruise starting at $35,999. Finally, the Odyssey has some nice Caribbean itineraries in addition to some European cruises.

    Price

    As mentioned just a bit ago, these cruises can get quite expensive by most metrics. A good amount of the trips start at around $6000, though many start at a good deal higher than that. All of the ships have multiple living options, with the ocean view rooms being the cheapest and the penthouse suites generally being about twice the price of their cheaper counterparts. Some ships even offer “Owner’s Suite and Above” rooms, which range from very expensive to “call us and ask us about it” (which means even more very expensive). Some of the Caribbean cruises on the Odyssey are cheaper, with the lowest starting around the $2500 mark for ocean view rooms.

    Dining/activities

    The dining and activities aboard a Seabourn ship are just as refined as you might imagine. Spas, fitness centers, salons and card rooms are what is to be expected here (no water slides or rock climbing walls, sadly). The dining on the ships ranges from casual options to much finer dining, featuring sushi, regionally-inspired dishes and upscale versions of food we are familiar with.

    Reputation

    We’ll be straightforward here: Seabourn has an excellent reputation. They are consistently ranked as one of the best (if not THE best) luxury cruise line. They’re known for a refined atmosphere and all-inclusive fares. That being said, they’re certainly not for everyone, as they have a dress code and are not very kid friendly (unless your child appreciates the finer points of afternoon tea). If you’re looking for a cruise line with a variety of options that are all focused on luxury, however, you won’t go wrong with Seabourn.

  • 212 – The Magic Number Aboard a Windstar Cruise

    212 – The Magic Number Aboard a Windstar Cruise

    The capacity of the average cruise ship is normally rounded off to the nearest thousand. Mid-size ships have a capacity of around 2000 while some of the floating giants can accommodate in excess of 5000 passengers. But for those who are looking for a more intimate and personal experience but don’t have the vacation budget for a private yacht, the number 212 is very significant. This is the maximum capacity for the Star Pride, the Star Breeze, and the Star Legend. These three ladies are the all-suite cruise ships of the Windstar fleet.

    True Mega Yachts

    Each of these three magnificent vessels is 440 feet in length and offers guests six decks to enjoy. Guests have the option to book any one of the 106 suites which all offer, at the very least, an ocean view. There are two owners suites which offer private verandas and measure an amazing 575 square feet. There four classic suites which also offer private verandas and measure a very comfortable 530 square feet. The 36 balcony suites offer around 500 square feet with a French-style balcony and the remaining 64 suites offer a picture window and close to 400 square feet.

    Additional Offerings

    While onboard, passengers will enjoy live entertainment, unlimited use of the fitness center, use of all water sports equipment and complimentary non-alcoholic drinks including cappuccino, espresso, and other specialty drinks. The common areas of each vessel include a casino, a lounge, a library and business center combination space, the pool area, the veranda and multiple dining and refreshment areas.

    Activities

    Because of the more intimate setting of the Windstar cruises, the activities are much more personalized than those on larger ships. Often times a feature of the cruise is a guest speaker who could be an expert on the local culture of a destination or an expert on a venue which will be a part of a shore excursion. Signature Expeditions provide passengers with guided tours of a destination such as the Misty Fjords or Kenai Fjords. Prior to embarking on the expedition, guests can enjoy informative discussions about the destination, what to expect and how to make the most of the once in a lifetime experience. Culinary demonstrations are also very popular on the Windstar line. Not only do guests have the opportunity to watch the chef prepare an amazing dish but they will also have the opportunity to taste the finished product and ask questions about the process.

    A cruise on one of Windstar’s three mega yachts is an opportunity to relax and enjoy vacation time while also getting an up-close experience in some of the most impressive places on or near the water. As one of only 212 passengers, there is a more close-knit feel among the passengers and the 150 crew members on each vessel. Windstar is definitely the boutique experience when it comes to cruising.

     

  • The Difference Between a Luxury Cruise Line and a Regular Cruise Line

    The Difference Between a Luxury Cruise Line and a Regular Cruise Line

    The word “luxury” is somewhat hard to define. What is luxurious to some may not be luxurious to others, and not all industries attach the label “luxury” to their services and products in the same way. This should make outlining the difference between a luxury cruise line and a regular cruise line, our current focus, somewhat difficult. If it is hard to get a handle on what a luxury cruise line is, it’ll be difficult to contrast a luxury cruise line with a cruise line that does not advertise itself as such. So, how are we to go about outlining the differences between luxury cruise lines and regular cruise lines?

    Fortunately, and as we explained in our article about the definition of a luxury cruise line, cruise lines have fairly compelling reasons to describe themselves as “luxurious” only if they are in fact luxurious. Everyone knows that a cruise on a luxury line will cost significantly more than a regular cruise, and for this reason “luxury” essentially is synonymous with “expensive.” A regular cruise line therefore wouldn’t want to attach this label to their vacation offerings, as it could potentially deter the exact customers they are trying to attract (i.e., the people who are looking to take a cruise, but don’t want to invest two months of their salary into their week-long vacation). It is also obviously deceptive to describe yourself as a luxury cruise line when you aren’t, and this could hurt sales in the long run as well. Luxury cruise lines are happy to advertise themselves as “luxurious,” however, because they are aiming to attract a small, wealthy clientele who expect to pay more for their cruise. They won’t be put off by the label luxury – that is exactly what they are looking for. Thus, one major difference between luxury cruise lines and regular cruise lines is their respective prices, with the former obviously costing much more than the latter.

    And since cruises on luxury lines cost significantly more than cruises on regular lines, the vacation experience is much different. On a luxury cruise line, you can certainly expect more personalized services and more upscale dining, spa, and entertainment opportunities. Just as importantly, on most luxury cruise lines, you won’t have to pay extra for these services and amenities, which is something we touched in our article about all-inclusive cruises. Luxury lines like Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, and Cyrstal Cruises include a lot in the cost of their fares. The four lines just listed all offer free alcohol on their ships, in addition to many other things. Regent is particularly all-inclusive, as even your flight to and from the port of departure is included in the price of your fare, as are any shore excursions you might take during your vacation. On a regular cruise line, you’ll have to pay for far more things out of pocket.

    Finally, the cruise ships of luxury lines are different from the cruise ships of regular lines. Over the last decade or so, there has been a push by the regular cruise lines to make the largest ships possible. They aim to create what amount to floating cities with incredibly elaborate attractions. (Just look at some of the water parks on board the newest cruise ships.) In making their ships so big, they also have another aim: to get as many people on board as possible, meaning many of the passengers will be staying in small cabins without any views. The luxury ships take essentially the opposite approach. They of course have plenty of attractions on board (several restaurants, spas, a casino, etc.), but their ships are in general nowhere near as large as the mega ships of the regular cruise lines, and they also have far fewer rooms. However, the majority (and in some cases all) of these rooms are quite nice, with plenty of space and verandas that overlook the ocean.

    Basically, luxury cruise lines have adopted a different business philosophy than regular cruise lines, and this explains the difference between the two. A regular cruise line makes money by serving a large number of people, whereas a luxury cruise lines makes money by serving a relatively small number of people, but who pay much more for their vacation.

  • Luxury Vietnam Cruises

    Luxury Vietnam cruises can be rather expensive, but most veteran cruisers will agree that this unique itinerary is well worth it. For starters, Vietnam main ports of call include: Cai Lan in Halong, Chan May in Hue, Tien Sa in Danang, Nhatrang, Phu My in Vung Tau, and Lotus in Saigon. Each port of call has its own unique activities and attractions. Major attractions include the Hue Citadel from Chan May port, Hoain Town from Tien Sa port. Nhatrang from Nhatrang port.

    Some Vietnam cruises may be part of a short cruise of say 8-days, while others may be part of a larger cruise that can last up to 77 nights or more. A good example is Regent Seven Seas 40 nights Anchorage to Bangkok aboard Seven Seas Navigator. Regent Seven Seas also features 22-nights Beijing to Bangkok, 43 nights Beijing to Sydney, 58 nights Beijing to Auckland, and a whopping 77 nights Beijing to San Francisco.

    The 77 night RSS cruise starts in Tianjin with stops in Dalian, Shanghai, Naha, Keelung, Hong Kong, Halong Bay/Hong Gai, Da Nang, Saigon, Laem Chabang, Ko Samui, Singapore, Semarang, Benoa, Komodo, Darwin, Thursday Island, Cairns, Whitsunday Island, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Cruise Milford Sound, Dunedin, Lyttelton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Auckland, Bay of Islands, Lautoka, Suva, Date Line Going East, Apia, Honolulu, Hilo, and San Francisco.

    Other luxury Vietnam cruises include Princess Cruises’ 16-nights Southeast Asia & China Beijing to Singapore and 31 nights Alaska & Far East & China Anchorage/Singapore. Holland America
    features a 34-day Grand Asia Voyage, 69-day Asia & Australia, and Grand Asia & Australia Segment. And Costa Cruises
    features a 14-night Vietnam cruises with stops in Hong Kong, Manila, Kotakinabuku/Borneo, Bandar Seri Begawan, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Da Nang, and Sanya.

    While luxury Vietnam Cruise ships may be expensive, you might score a deal by booking online. Many cruise line websites offer anywhere from 10 percent up to 35 percent off when you book online. Savings are also possible if you book far in advance or at the last minute. In some cases, last minute bookings can help you save anywhere from 55 up to 75 percent. For example, right now, Costa Cruises is offering starting prices of $1,299 for booking a 14-day Vietnam cruise in September with an October departure date. This is roughly 35 percent off the regular price.

    The cruise lines listed in this article are not the only lines that currently travel to Vietnam. Visit any of the websites listed below to review other offerings.

    Cunard Line
    Silversea Cruises
    Oceania Cruises
    Yachts of Seabourn
    MSC Cruises
    Royal Caribbean

    If you would like to search for discounts on luxury Vietnam cruises, try:

    Kayak.com
    Expedia.com
    Orbitz.com
    Travelocity.com
    CheapTickets.com
    VacationsToGo.com
    Cruise411.com
    Cruise.com

  • Luxury Cruise Lines

    Some of the top luxury cruise lines in the cruise industry today include: Seabourn Cruises, Sea Dream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises, Cunard Line, Crystal Cruises, and Radisson Seven Seas. The vast majority of luxury ships will accommodate anywhere from 200-300 passengers, 110 for Sea Dream Yacht Club.

    About Luxury Cruises

    A luxury cruise is like no other cruise in the world. Some of the immediate differences you will notice on luxury cruises is the types of passengers on a luxury cruise are different than on a regular cruise; the destinations and ports of call are typically exotic or remote; the excursions lean towards the elaborate and expensive; and even the ships are different. You won’t feel like you’re just a face in the crowd. On a luxury cruise you will feel like the staff is there to cater to you and only you.

    While this highly desirable area of cruise travel is distinctly different from other areas of cruise travel, a few of the amenities on luxury cruise lines are similar to others. Most luxury cruise lines will accommodate smaller numbers of passengers, which makes it easier to offer personalized service, privacy, and a more intimate environment. However, there are several lines that cater to bigger crowds of luxury seekers, but they are far and few between. Crystal Cruises, for example, features larger ships for its luxury cruises, but they still manage to offer stellar service to satisfied (repeat) customers. Cunard Cruise Line is another example of the large ship/luxury cruise. They have larger crowds, but the luxury service and feel doesn’t suffer.

    Here’s what you can expect on a luxury cruise:

    ·Exotic Destinations and Unique Ports of Call such as Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Northern Europe, and South America with places like Athens, Copenhagen, Dubai, Lisbon, Tahiti, and Mumbai
    ·Elaborate Spa Services
    ·Butler Service
    ·World Class Cuisine Served in a Formal Setting
    ·Formal Nights
    ·Over the Top Excursions
    ·Designer and Name Brand Products in your Suite
    ·Sophisticated Entertainment
    ·Lots of Leisure Time — Meaning No Schedules
    ·Guest Lectures
    ·Privacy
    ·All-Inclusive or Included-Amenities such as Alcohol, Excursions, etc.

    What you won’t find on luxury cruise lines are large crowds, large families with kids, planned or scheduled “family reunion” type activities, off-the-wall entertainment, bustling casinos, noisy nightclubs and discos, common ports of call, and tasteless comedy acts.

    If you would like to book a cruise on a luxury cruise line today, contact the cruise line directly or contact a cruise travel specialist. If you would love to book a luxury cruise, but you can’t afford one, there are several options available to you. Princess Cruises and Holland America Line both have “luxury cruise” offerings, but prices are far less than a regular luxury cruise. Contact Princess Cruises or Holland America directly for details.

    Want to find out more about any given luxury cruise line? Visit any of the top cruise review websites listed below:

    ·Cruisecritic.com
    ·Cruisereviewsonline.com
    ·Cruisereport.com
    ·Cruisedirectonline.com
    ·Cruisemates.com

    Cruisecritic.com offers more than just reviews, this site has several search functions to help you find everything from bargains and discounts to theme cruises, and exotic itineraries. The site also includes features, news, planning tools, and a variety of cruise message boards where fellow cruisers can exchange stories and information.

    Reviews, ratings, rankings, and popularity contests — at Cruisereviewsonline.com find out which cruise ships are at the top and which ones are not. Get other information on cruise lines, as well as information, ratings and rankings on embarkation ports, and ports-of-call.

    Cruisereport.com offers the lowdown on cruise lines from A to Z. Unbiased reviews, cruise searches, quotes, and feature articles are just a few of the sites extras. You can also search for “the perfect cruise,” and browse through news pieces about cruising. After checking out their ratings and reviews, you can also search for discounts and deals. With more than 50,000 visitors per month, Cruisereport.com has information on roughly 8,500 current sailings.

    Cruisedirectonline.com relies on reader surveys to help keep reviews & ratings in check. In addition to cruise ship reviews and ratings, visitors to the site will find top ten and top thirty lists, as well as feature articles about the best of the best in the world of cruises. The site has other information about discounts, as well as information on roughly 12,000 sailings. Cruise Direct Online has been featured in Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine, and on MSNBC, CNBC, MSN Money, and more.

    Cruisemates.com offers short reviews and ratings. The two types of ratings include: star ratings and value ratings. Star ratings are based on one question — “how good is this ship?” One star is the worst, five stars is the best. Cruisemates.com takes everything from age and accommodations to food, service, and entertainment into account when rating the worlds cruise ships. Value ratings or “thumbs up” ratings are all about the “Bang for your Buck.” Five thumbs up means the ship is an excellent value while one thumb up means you won’t find much of anything that resembles a value here.

  • Luxury Cruise

    A luxury cruise is like no other cruise in the world. You will find that the types of passengers on a luxury cruise are different than on a regular cruise, the destinations and ports of call are typically exotic or remote, the excursions lean towards the elaborate and expensive, and even the ships are different. You won’t feel like you’re just a face in the crowd. On a luxury cruise you will feel like the staff caters to you and only you.

    While this highly desirable area of cruise travel is distinctly different from other areas of cruise travel, a few of the amenities on luxury lines are very similar to others. Most luxury cruises will accommodate smaller numbers of passengers, which makes it easier to offer personalized service, privacy, and a more intimate environment. However, there are several lines that cater to bigger crowds of luxury seekers, but they are far and few between. Crystal Cruises, for example, features larger ships for its luxury cruises, but they still manage to offer stellar service to satisfied (repeat) customers. Cunard Cruise Line is another example of the large ship/luxury cruise. They have larger crowds, but the luxury service and feel doesn’t suffer.

    Some of the top luxury cruise lines in the cruise industry today include: Seabourn Cruises, Sea Dream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises, Cunard Line, Crystal Cruises, and Radisson Seven Seas. The vast majority of luxury ships will accommodate anywhere from 200-300 passengers — 110 for Sea Dream Yacht Club.

    Here’s what you can expect on a luxury cruise:

    ·Exotic Destinations and Unique Ports of Call such as Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Northern Europe, and South America with places like Athens, Copenhagen, Dubai, Lisbon, Tahiti, and Mumbai
    ·Elaborate Spa Services
    ·Butler Service
    ·World Class Cuisine Served in a Formal Setting
    ·Formal Nights
    ·Over the Top Excursions
    ·Designer and Name Brand Products in your Suite
    ·Sophisticated Entertainment
    ·Lots of Leisure Time — Meaning No Schedules
    ·Guest Lectures
    ·Privacy
    ·All-Inclusive or Included-Amenities such as Alcohol, Excursions, etc.

    What you won’t find on a luxury cruise is crowds, large families with kids, planned or scheduled family reunion type activities, tacky entertainment, bustling casinos, noisy nightclubs and discos, common ports of call, and tasteless comedy acts.

    If you would like to book a luxury cruise today, contact the cruise line directly or contact a cruise travel specialist. If you would love to book a luxury cruise, but you can’t afford one, there are several options available to you. Princess Cruises and Holland America Line both have luxury cruise offerings, but prices are far less than a regular luxury cruise. Contact Princess Cruises or Holland America directly for details.

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