Cruise Chatter
There was recently a rather large dust up when it was disclosed that a major cruise line had given away some free cruises to a core group of its fans who posted regularly on a large cruise community site. There were many cries of “foul” and “reverse censorship”. While this may have been blown a bit out of proportion, it does open the door to a question lots of novice cruisers ask. And the question is “Should I trust the reviews I read on sites like Cruise Critic?” The answer is Yes and No.
Why the ambiguity? Because the most important thing to remember that what you are reading is just one person (or couple’s) opinion about a particular ship, cruise line or service amenity. Have you ever gone to a shore side restaurant that a friend raves about and found it to be very disappointing? I think we all have. And what about that fabulous plumber who was recommended strongly? The one who broke the pipe and flooded your new carpet? Oops.
So, it is best to consider these reviews with a grain of salt. They are good for general trends and recommendations and certainly provide some insider tips. Generally, if there are a large number of reviews and all or most of them are negative on a topic, there is likely to be some underlying cause. Then again, there is a certain group of people that would complain if they got a million dollars in cash that it was in old bills and not crisp new ones. Go figure.
The fact that 80% of all people who cruise indicate they will sail again points out that if you work with a knowledgeable cruise agent and he or she matches your needs with the most suitable ship, it is almost inevitable that you will have a great vacation.
Gizmos, Gadgets and Cruise Ships
If you don’t know a USB device from a motherboard and are otherwise “electronically challenged”, then this news from Crystal Cruises will be welcomed. The cruise line has just announced that they are placing on-board technical concierges to assist guests with all types of personal electronics from iPods and iPhones to Blackberrys and plain old laptops.
The concierges will provide consultation at no charge to anyone onboard. They’ll be located in the ships’ computer centers, where guests can check e-mail and use the Internet, beginning in April aboard Crystal Symphony and in May aboard Crystal Serenity.
Personally my favorite button on these devices is the one that turns it off so I can enjoy a holiday on my holiday. A lot of folks today, go on vacation to get away from it all and then try to bring as much of “it” with them as they can. While staying in touch on your cruise is an important consideration, too much of a good thing can be distracting. However, like everything else connected with vacations at sea, there are multiple choices and options and this is just one more to be added to the list.
Crystal operates two 5 Star luxury lines on voyages to ports throughout the world.
Super Sizing Luxury Ships
There’s all sorts of hoopla about the gigantic cruise ships that are being introduced over the next 18 months or so, but what about their smaller cousins in the deluxe and luxury sectors? It seems that growth spurts are not confined to the mega liners. Even the luxury ships are getting a little bigger as they strive for economies of scale. For example, although three times the size of her smaller 10,000-ton sister ships, Seabourn Pride, Spirit and Legend, the Seabourn Odyssey will carry just over twice as many guests, and boast the same ratio of hospitality staff to guests and offer more dining options than her sisters, as well as more types of suites, more verandas, more entertainment venues and enhanced spa and recreational facilities.
In a recent press release, the Yachts of Seabourn touted ‘Six things you didn’t know about Seabourn Odyssey’ which is due to enter service on June 24 in Venice:
They include iPods and laptops for loan, with Seabourn-branded netbook computers (also available for purchase) to take advantage of Wifi connectivity in all suites and most public spaces.
Also, Seabourn Odyssey will have a private diamond showroom, The Collection, and it will be the first ship to offer SkinCeuticals products in the spa. In addition, Molton Brown’s new Therapies line of plant-based products will make its sea-going debut on board.
In a new space for Seabourn, The Retreat at Sea provides a nine-hole mini golf course, chess on a giant board and shuffleboard. It’s also the spot for organized stargazing.
The sixth thing ‘you didn’t know about Seabourn Odyssey’ is rarely offered treatments at sea, including personal training on the Kinesis Wall in the Motion Studio and Thai massage in the spa.
