For ten years, ships of the Grand Princess-class have been the mainstay of the Princess Cruises fleet. There are now eight Princess ships based on this design in service and another one will join the fleet in the fall. They have proved very popular and conducive to Princess’ objective of providing passengers with “American-style luxury.”
This year, for the first time, a ship built on the Grand Princess design went into service for a line other than Princess Cruises. The other line was Princess’ one time parent company and now sister company under the Carnival Corporation umbrella, P&O Cruises. Moreover, while the previous ships have been used to provide American style cruising, Ventura was built specifically for the British market.
What exactly does designing a ship for Britain mean? Is it posting a picture of the Queen in the atrium and having everything else remain the same as on the Princess ships? Is it decorating the public rooms in British cliches like an English gentleman’s club or a Cockney pub? Neither.
Instead, it means creating an atmosphere that appeals to British tastes. The interior design is done in a contemporary style but there is no neon or theme park-type decoration. Some seven thousand works of art done by British artists or artists living and working in Britain adorn the ship. Thus, the atmosphere is more restrained and intellectual.
The themes of the public rooms reflect places British people like to go. For example, many U.K. residents like to holiday in Spain. Accordingly, there is a large Spanish-style restaurant and bar. British cruisers are not as interested in casinos as their American cousins, so the casino is smaller and more low-key.
Differences in the climate are also taken into account. It is normally cooler and rainier in Britain than in America. Therefore, it makes sense for a cruise ship operating in British waters to have a retractable glass dome over one of the swimming pools. For the same reason, a large movies-under-the-stars screen is not as attractive for such a ship as for a ship operating in American waters.
Walking around Ventura, I was continually struck by the differences between this ship and her American sisters. Yes, the floor plan is much the same. However, P&O have successfully taken that floor plan and geared it toward the market it serves, i.e., the British cruise market. Thus, while Ventura is a sister to the other Grand class ships, she is not a mere clone. Rather, she is a ship with a distinct personality.
My photo tour of Ventura is at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-Tour-1.html and the ship profile is at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-Profile.html
This year, for the first time, a ship built on the Grand Princess design went into service for a line other than Princess Cruises. The other line was Princess’ one time parent company and now sister company under the Carnival Corporation umbrella, P&O Cruises. Moreover, while the previous ships have been used to provide American style cruising, Ventura was built specifically for the British market.
What exactly does designing a ship for Britain mean? Is it posting a picture of the Queen in the atrium and having everything else remain the same as on the Princess ships? Is it decorating the public rooms in British cliches like an English gentleman’s club or a Cockney pub? Neither.
Instead, it means creating an atmosphere that appeals to British tastes. The interior design is done in a contemporary style but there is no neon or theme park-type decoration. Some seven thousand works of art done by British artists or artists living and working in Britain adorn the ship. Thus, the atmosphere is more restrained and intellectual.
The themes of the public rooms reflect places British people like to go. For example, many U.K. residents like to holiday in Spain. Accordingly, there is a large Spanish-style restaurant and bar. British cruisers are not as interested in casinos as their American cousins, so the casino is smaller and more low-key.
Differences in the climate are also taken into account. It is normally cooler and rainier in Britain than in America. Therefore, it makes sense for a cruise ship operating in British waters to have a retractable glass dome over one of the swimming pools. For the same reason, a large movies-under-the-stars screen is not as attractive for such a ship as for a ship operating in American waters.
Walking around Ventura, I was continually struck by the differences between this ship and her American sisters. Yes, the floor plan is much the same. However, P&O have successfully taken that floor plan and geared it toward the market it serves, i.e., the British cruise market. Thus, while Ventura is a sister to the other Grand class ships, she is not a mere clone. Rather, she is a ship with a distinct personality.
My photo tour of Ventura is at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-Tour-1.html and the ship profile is at http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Ventura-Profile.html
No comments:
Post a Comment