You`ve heard all about the nonstop party atmosphere, the great meals, the shopping, the sightseeing. You`ve read the stories and seen the seductive newspaper, magazine and TV ads.
Now you have visions of jogging around an open deck, of watching porpoises cavort off the bow of your ship, of dancing under a star-filled sky and of visiting exotic-sounding ports.
So you`re convinced: It`s time to try a cruise.
A major problem is deciding just which cruise is right for you. It`s more than a matter of money. Often that is the easy part, because today`s cruises come in all price categories-anything from a one-day sail to nowhere off Florida for less than $100 to a 107-day globe-girdling jaunt on the Queen Elizabeth 2 for $20,435 and up. In between are numerous other options.
Do you yearn to relive the days of the big sailing ships? Then head for the Caribbean or the Pacific and sign on for a seven-day cruise on the Wind Star or Wind Song, twin ultra-deluxe versions of the sailing ships of old. Both are truly propelled by the wind (with engine power available just in case the breezes fail to blow).
If you`re the more adventurous type, consider something like a cruise to the Antarctic this winter with Lindblad Travel. Or join one of Special Expeditions` cruises from San Diego and follow the giant gray whales as they migrate to their winter breeding grounds off the southern tip of Mexico`s Baja Peninsula.
All well and good, you say, but what you`re really looking for is a nifty time afloat, period. No science or history lessons, no long lectures, no discussions of world affairs. Just lots of music, good food, flashy shows with magicians, dancers and comedians, slot machines and blackjack games.
No problems there, because most of today`s sleek big ships deliver just the sort of laid-back activities you seek, afloat and ashore.
For Easterners, the major cruise origination cities are in Florida. New York still does a brisk cruise business in the spring and summer, but the West Side Passenger Ship Terminal is virtually deserted in the winter. By sailing from Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral or Tampa, passengers are almost assured sunny skies and calm waters from beginning to end of their cruises to the Bahamas, Mexico, Latin America or sundry islands.
Yet another reason, and a big one, is that it`s standard practice for most Florida-based operators to include air fares in their cruise prices. That doesn`t mean you fly for free, but it does help contain overall costs because the cruise lines are able to work deals with airlines based on volume rates. Similar air-included or reduced-fare deals are often available as well for cruises from San Juan, Los Angeles, Honolulu, even Tahiti.
Be sure to ask the line or a travel agent about air travel as well as airport-to-ship transfers, bargain pre- or post-cruise hotel stays and other special arrangements. Sometimes even experienced travelers fail to ask the right questions, says Josephine Kling, president of Manhattan-based Landry & Kling, cruise specialists. Kling offers a number of guidelines for potential customers.
The first one is to ask before you book. Is it important that you have a tub or will a shower suffice? If tubs are available, they are usually found in the superior (read ”more expensive”) cabins.
Do you prefer a double bed or twin beds (many of the newer ships take care of this nicely by arranging it so that two beds can be easily joined to form a double).
Is the ship`s dining room large enough to accommodate all passengers at one seating? It makes for more leisurely eating. On the other hand, ships that have two seatings tend to start serving earlier.
How about in-cabin entertainment facilities? Closed-circuit color TV and a radio are common now, but some of the ritzier ships also have VCRs and a movie library.
Is there 24-hour room service? Are there steward and stewardess call buttons?
How many ports of call are scheduled? Some lines try to squeeze in one or more a day on island-hopping cruises. Check the itinerary to determine if you will actually have sufficient time to see the places where the ship calls.
Will your ship be too large to dock at some ports? If so, that could mean queuing up for tenders to shore and back to the ship, a time-consuming chore. The smaller the ship the more likely it is to tie up near the center of shoreside activities.
Where will your stateroom be? Cabins in the forward part of the ship as well as those on the highest decks (ironically, the most expensive) are most affected by the ship`s movement in a rough sea. Those toward the rear are most likely to be affected by engine noise and vibration. The most comfortable place to be is midships somewhere between the lowest and highest decks.
Is socializing a major goal? It`s easier to meet people on a small ship than a large one.
Is new necessarily better? Selecting an older ship might mean more value for the money, according to Kling, because rates tend to be lower. Their owners aren`t saddled with high capital costs, she points out.
The question of value always seems to come to the fore when choosing a cruise and a cruise ship. To some it`s strictly a matter of price, the lower the better. To others it`s the pleasure gained for money well spent.
That brings us back to the importance of choosing the ship that`s right for you. Over the last few months I made two week-long cruises, one on the Bermuda Star Line`s Canada Star and the other on the Royal Viking Sky. Both carry about 715 passengers and have generous deck space, outdoor pools, fresh- as-today gleaming white paint jobs and larger than average cabins. Both are comfortable and of a size that makes it easy to get around.
But there are differences, evidenced by the respective ratings bestowed by author Antoinette DeLand in ”Fielding`s Worldwide Cruises.” The Canada Star (then called the Liberte, about which more later) is given 3+ stars, while the Royal Viking Sky gets a 5-star, top-of-the-line rating.
So what are the differences and are they of vital importance? For starters, the Royal Viking Sky is a one-seating ship at all times; the Canada Star has a two-seating arrangement at meals. Both ships serve buffet lunches on deck and modest midnight buffets.
Among the luxury touches on the Royal Viking Sky is formal afternoon tea in the superbly decorated Discovery Room lounge (finger sandwiches and pastries, gleaming silverware, English china cups, starched napery, the whole bit).
Dress aboard the Royal Viking Sky is considerably more staid, with formal attire suggested two nights while I was aboard. Frankly, I liked not having to dress up on the Canada Star as it made its way from Montreal to New York. Both ships had music for dancing and offered live entertainment each evening. But the Royal Viking Sky presented a wider range of shows, including a couple of enjoyable revues complete with chorus line and gorgeous costumes.
The Canada Star fits into the category of older ships that present good value. She entered service in 1958 as the liner Brazil, commuting between U.S. and South American ports. The ship later became the Volendam, then the Monarch Sun, the Volendam once again and in 1985 she was rebuilt at a cost of $35 million and rechristened the Liberte.
She became the Canada Star in 1987 after being purchased by Bermuda Star Line. (Yet another name change is scheduled next May, when the ship will be rechristened Bermuda Queen and sail between New York and Bermuda.)
The Canada Star spent the spring-to-fall season this year sailing between New York and Montreal (one week in each direction with several shore stops en route) and will move south in mid-November to begin seven-day New Orleans-Key West-Yucatan Peninsula cruises.
Interestingly, the Royal Viking Sky also spent part of September and October on the New York-Montreal run, making many of the same stops as the Canada Star. It was the price structure that set them apart.
Depending on the sailing date selected, fares on the Canada Star went from $675 a person for a supereconomy inside cabin to $1,800 for a deluxe outside suite. In addition, children under age 10 could travel free. There were also special air fares and accommodations available.
Fares for a one-week cruise between New York and Montreal on the Royal Viking Sky began at $1,844 a person for an inside double and went up the scale to $5,148 a person for a penthouse suite with bedroom, sitting room and a compact piece of private deck. Air travel to or from Montreal was also included.
Which ship provided better value? As mentioned earlier, it`s a personal decision. But it illustrates the necessity of having all the facts at hand before making the big plunge.
