Imagine a penthouse way up in blue sky, with butler on call to bring caviar by-or perhaps a marble Jacuzzi or two, plus a pro fitness trainer to create a new you.
So go the siren songs of six cruise ships this summer, each aimed at aggressively redefining the art of gilt-edge voyaging. These are J. P. Morgan cruises-if you have to ask the cost, you can`t afford to come up the gangplank.
The antithesis of the mass market mega-ships that haul as many as 2,000 passengers on well-worn routes at costs that commonly range from $185 to $240 per person per day, these smaller luxury liners are more like private yachts; they carry a limited number of passengers to rare places in rare style at what can only be termed rarified prices. Think Chevy Suburban versus Mercedes 560SL coupe, and you have the picture.
Penthouses and butlers are only two of the golden carrots these cruises dangle before the upper crust. For fares that soar to more than $1,000 per person per day, passengers are pampered with epicurean food served impeccably where and when they wish on the best of fine china, silver and crystal;
several of the dining rooms even have intimate tables for two.
Guests sleep on oversized beds with down pillows, find thick terry robes hanging in their walk-in closets and can indulge in personal luxuries like herbal baths, steam baths or massage. One ship even has a 16-person Nautilus room for underwater viewing; when something exciting swims by, guests can tune in via closed circuit TV.
Room to roam
These ships also offer that greatest of at-sea luxuries-personal space. Instead of cubbyhole cabins seemingly designed by a pygmy efficiency expert and bathrooms so small you can brush your teeth and take a shower at the same time, these new luxury liners are mostly all suites. Some of the accommodations are larger than many land-based apartments, many have good-sized private verandas and huge picture windows and almost all have bathrooms with full-size or Jacuzzi tubs. The in-room refrigerator is stocked with personal preferences, and fresh flowers grace the dresser even when the ship is miles at sea.
Each of these ships is designed to appeal to the well-heeled traveler who has promenaded more than a few decks in the past-the kind who detests costume nights and being entertained by semi-pro chorus lines, who cringes when greeted by an effusive ”Hi, I`m Robert, your waiter,” who doesn`t want to share the sun deck with 2,279 other passengers. In short, these cruises are for the traveler who treasures privacy, quality surroundings and service above all else and is willing to pay dearly for those privileges.
If that sounds like you, the 960-passenger Crystal Harmony may be just your ticket, a perfect example of one-up salesmanship in this highly competitive cruise market. The vessel`s literature sells the sizzle in strong terms: ”We are going to provide the most elegant, most luxurious cruise experience anyone has ever known.”
A 1:2 crew-to-passenger ratio is just the beginning; the ship has been outfitted with almost fanatical attention to detail. Passengers can expect make-up mirrors, bidets, double sinks, hair dryers and full-size tubs in spacious baths; verandas in most of the staterooms; walk-in closets, VCRs and 14-channel TVs in every cabin (this is the first cruise chip to receive continuous CNN satellite service); two swimming pools (one indoor/outdoor with swim-up bar, the other 39 meters (42.25 feet) for laps); and-lest one`s palate become jaded-three formal dinner restaurants (Continental, Italian, Oriental) as well as 24-hour stateroom service. There`s even a ”computerized golf simulator” which mimics four of the most famous courses in the world.
Add to that the Crystal Spa and Salon with their plethora of machines, saunas, steam rooms, personal fitness trainers, aerobic and Jazzercise instruction, massages and special dietary programs; a lavish ”Avenue of the Stars” shopping arcade; and the first Caesars Palace at Sea casino. Labeled the ”first truly world-class casino at sea,” by Art Rodney, president of Crystal Cruises, the latter is designed to look like a Roman forum.
This $200 million ship`s real claim to cruising fame well may lie in its four ”Crystal” penthouses; at 948-square feet including a long veranda, they are the largest in the cruise trade. Add 24-hour butlers, king-size beds, round Jacuzzi tubs in marble-accented baths and a (per day) average price range of $873-$1,116 per person, double (depending on itinerary) and one begins to grasp the stratospheric reach of this new ship.
If slightly less than the best will do-you still get the butler service, large Jacuzzi tubs and verandas-there are 58 other smaller but still ultra staterooms on the Penthouse Deck that run $450-$695 per day, per person, double.
Tip for ”steerage” passengers: the 19 inside cabins (Category K; 183 square feet each) on deck five, priced (per day) at $245-$260 per person, double, are extremely comfortable; each has a full size bathtub and walk-in closet.
Beware, however, of the outside cabins in Category G and I; the picture windows look out on lifeboats, not the sea.
High cost has not squelched bookings. This 790-foot-long ship sold out quickly for its inaugural run to Alaska, and there`s an on-going wait list for cancellations. Air transportation from numerous gateway cities is included in the price; tips, port charges and shore excursions are not.
Fresh from her successful debut this summer on the San Francisco/Alaska run, the Crystal will be on a San Juan-to-Acapulco itinerary via the Panama Canal through March 1991. A series of 12- and 13-day sailings in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe are slated for spring and summer 1991.
Two additional Crystal ships should soon be under construction for delivery in 1993. Information about this ship is available only through travel agents.
No tipping is allowed
What`s the competition? The smaller but equally luxe Seabourn Pride
(launched 1988) and Seabourn Spirit (launched 1989) are strong contenders for the upper crust cruise buck. Both are full-size (490 feet long), identical ships carrying only 212 people plus a crew of 140, and they`ve done away with three big bugaboos of the cruising experience: tipping, iron-clad seating times in the dining room and numerous in-suite announcements via the public address system. The no-tipping policy is strictly enforced-even if you try, gratuities will be firmly refused. The on-board atmosphere strived for is one of a private club.
”With a maximum of only 212 passengers plus our extended dining hours, our chefs are truly chefs and not caterers for more than 700-1,000 diners in mass seatings,” notes Lawrence Rapp, vice president of hotel operations.
”Our meals are always prepared a la minute, which is the only way true gourmet meals can be prepared and served. It`s much more like a fine shoreside restaurant than a typical cruise ship dining room.”
The all-suite accommodations come in five configurations and sizes, but all are spacious with beautiful appointments, five-foot wide picture windows, walk-in closets and marble bathrooms with full tubs and double sinks.
The life of leisure
A typical day has little or no routine, but it might begin with breakfast in the sunshine outside the Veranda Cafe, followed by a circuit training workout in the spa and a visit to the library to pick out a book to read while having lunch at the pool. En route, you may stop in at the Nautilus Room to view the wonders of the sea through its unique (and very thick) glass window and then detour to the Constellation Room to track the ship`s course (and those of the great explorers) in lights on a huge electronic map of the world. Afternoons may bring talks by guest lecturers or noted speakers or water sports aft of the ship; when conditions permit, a large netted marina area is set up to create a protected swimming pool in the sea. Have you always wanted to learn to snorkel, sail, water ski or windsurf? Here`s your chance; free instruction and excellent equipment are only a request away.
Or perhaps this is a port day-every cruise offers some you`ve heard of, others you probably haven`t-and you make the trip to shore by tender.
Nights mean dinner whenever you wish, just as if this was your own yacht, and then catching the cabaret-style entertainment in the ship`s lounge. Then it`s time to pop the cork on the complimentary bottle of champagne in your suite and sneak away to the Jacuzzi for a midnight soak under the stars.
Per day costs for such serendipity differ. Lows are around $460 per day per person, double; highs are in the $960 per day range depending on the size of your suite and choice of itinerary. One small bonus: the price includes trip cancellation, trip interruption baggage and travel delay insurance; on many of the itineraries the price also covers economy air fare from selected gateway cities.
Fall and winter routes include the central and southern Carribean, the Mexican Riviera and South America. The latter includes a jungle cruise up the Amazon.
For more information, contact a travel agent, or Seabourn Cruise Lines, Suite 710, 55 Francisco St., San Francisco, Calif. 94133; 415-391-7444.
The ultimate destinations
Club-style luxury, fine interior craftsmanship and personal service also are the hallmarks of the new Renaissance I, II and III, identical ships that debuted this summer. Their primary focus and major selling points, however, are unusual destinations and itineraries.
Billed as cruises ”for people who want to travel beyond the next horizon,” these ships are 290-feet long and have 12-foot drafts which allow them to enter rarely visited small ports.
The Renaissance ships move at night so daylight hours can be spent in ports-of-call and learning-focused excursions. Passengers receive extensive pre-cruise information and a suggested reading list on the places to be visited. On-board experts lecture on each destination before arrival.
A sampler of their more unusual Mediterranean stops includes Italy`s Amalfi coast, Trapani in Sicily and Bonifacio in Corsica. In some cases passengers can combine cruises and ships to make up their own itineraries without repeating ports. As of mid-November the Renaissance III will move to South America, Renaissance II to the Caribbean and Renaissance I to East Africa; some of those latter itineraries include a two-day land safari.
All three vessels have 50 well-appointed outside suites ranging in size from 220 to 290 square feet. Each has an ocean view, queen-sized bed, remote controlled VCR and TV and baths fitted out in marble and teak (no tubs). While storage in some suites is limited, those on Deck 2 have very large walk-in closets.
With a crew of 67 and only 100 passengers, the on-board atmosphere relaxes very quickly. Open seating in the dining room is a natural mixer, plus there`s a small casino as well as a low-key club with piano bar. When conditions permit, a sports platform aft of the ship provides snorkeling and sailing.
The Renaissance fleet plans to expand to eight identical ships by the end of 1992 with itineraries around the globe. For now, the average per day cost of $325-$489 is among the lowest in the luxury cruise industry.
Even better, the cruise fee includes round-trip air fare from some U.S. gateways, and one-to-three nights in a deluxe hotel at the beginning and end of the cruise. The point is to have passengers fully recovered from jet lag and ready for the cruise experience by the time they board ship.
For more information, contact a travel agent or Renaissance Cruises, Box 350307, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33335-0307; 305-463-0982; reservations:
800-525-5350.
