Profile and Photo Tour of Oceania's Regatta; Photo Essay on Carnival Dream

This week the focus is on two ships that present quite different cruising experiences. Indeed, they could be said to be polar opposites. Both ships are very good at providing the type of cruise experience that they set out to provide. However, that experience is quite different and whether you will be happy cruising on either of these ships very much depends upon your tastes and lifestyle. Thus, they serve to illustrate that all cruise ships are not fungible and thus it is important to investigate the type of cruise experience that a ship provides before booking a cruise.




Oceania Cruises Regatta is one of eight essentially identical cruise ships that were built for Renaissance Cruises. When that company went out of business the eight ships were dispersed among several cruise lines. Previously, Beyondships has profiled R Four, which is now Ocean Princess of Princess Cruises http://www.beyondships.com/Princess-OP-Profile.html and R Eight, which is now Adonia of P&O Cruises. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Profile.html Regatta was formerly R Two.



The R class ships are relatively small ships providing an elegant cruise experience in an intimate setting. They have wood-paneled public rooms that are furnished with overstuffed chairs and subtle unobtrusive art collections. The atmosphere is reminiscent of an upscale country club. Wisely, Oceania has maintained this atmosphere on Regatta.



Regatta is offered as a luxury cruise experience. It includes a gourmet dining program developed by Chef Jacques Pepin. Things like airfare are included in the fare and there is no cover charge for the two specialty restaurants. The intimate shipboard spa is operated by Canyon Ranch.



With only 684 passengers, the ship is uncrowded. Moreover, the guest to staff ratio is 1.71 to one, which allows for very personalized service.



As a small ship, Regatta is able to get into ports that the larger cruise ships cannot. Thus, her itineraries include ports that are off the beaten track.



As a result, Regatta tends to attract experienced travelers as well as those who are seeking a luxury experience. Guests are often mature and well-to-do.



Beyondships’ profile of Regatta is at http://www.beyondships.com/Oceania-Regatta-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Oceania-Regatta-Tour-1.html



Carnival Dream is the largest cruise ship in the Carnival fleet. In fact, in terms of gross tonnage, she is four times the size of Regatta. She carries more than five times as many passengers.



Although Carnival still calls its ships “Fun ships,” they are not the young singles party boats that they were when the line began. Rather, the focus is on young families. Carnival provides a good quality cruise experience at reasonable rates designed to embrace people for whom cruising was not an affordable vacation option in the past.



Dream is big, bold and brassy. While her interior is more subdued than earlier Carnival ships, it is still intended to evoke a good times atmosphere. Furthermore, as a very large ship, there is space for lots of amenities and features. The spa is quite large as is the outdoor pool deck. There are also numerous bars, lounges and public areas.



Carnival Dream currently operates out of Port Canaveral in Florida. Her itineraries include major Caribbean ports where she can dock. These are popular ports that are well-developed for tourism.



I’ve added a new photo essay to Beyondships’ profile of Carnival Dream showing her in one of those popular ports - - St. Maarten. http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-photo-essay.html We have also added some more Fun Times daily programs to the profile page. http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalDream-Profile.html



Thus, Carnival Dream and Regatta provide much different vacation experiences. Which is better depends upon what you like.

Crysal Symphony Profile, Photo Tour and Dining Guide

Crystal Symphony, along with her fleetmate Crystal Serenity, provide the benchmark for luxury cruising. Not only do other luxury lines compare their products to Crystal but officers on premium ships aspire to have their levels of service and quality approach those of Crystal. Thus, as part of our focus on luxury cruising, we had to return to Crystal Symphony.




This ship was one of the first ships profiled on Beyondships in 2007. Since then Crystal Symphony has undergone an extensive refurbishment.



The refurbishment did not change the essential character of this ship, which is one of understated luxury. Her interiors are not elaborate. The public areas have a streamlined contemporary style. They are extremely well-maintained and glisten in their cleanliness.



This is not to say that there have been no major changes. The pool area, the special restaurants, and the buffet restaurant have all been significantly altered. However, their elegance remains - - they are still eye-pleasing without calling attention to themselves.



Our new photo tour of Crystal Symphony begins at http://www.beyondships.com/CrystalSymphony-Tour-1.html

. The profile page remains at http://beyondships.com/CrystalSymphony-Profile.html but has new menus and new other information about the ship.



Another addition to our coverage of Crystal Symphony is an insider dining guide. I sat down with Food and Beverage Manager Walter Pietsching to talk about dining on Crystal Symphony. Not only did we discuss each of the dining venues on the ship but also the secret behind Crystal’s legendary service. http://beyondships.com/CrystalSymphony-dining.html

Talking with Cunard Commodore Rynd and Oasis of the Seas Photos

We have two new items this week.




First, we speak with Commodore Christopher Rynd of Cunard Line. The commodore of a passenger ship line is the senior seagoing officer in the line’s fleet. Traditionally, he has been the master of the line’s flagship and unlike a commodore in the military, his role has been pretty much limited to that ship.



Commodore Rynd, who was appointed commodore in April 2011, aims to break with tradition. While his two immediate predecessors as commodore were necessarily focused on bringing the line’s flagship, Queen Mary 2, into service and establishing her as a viable competitor in the modern cruise industry, Commodore Rynd sees his role as extending fleet-wide - - the goal being to further facilitate a unified Cunard product across the line’s three ships.



I sat down with Commodore Rynd during a transatlantic voyage on Queen Mary 2 and asked him about his vision for his new role. As in past interviews, his answers were well-thought out and well-articulated. Our conversation is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-Rynd-3.html



The second item this week is a new photo essay on Oasis of the Seas. On November 23, 2011, Oasis paid a call at the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Although there were five other first-class cruise ships in port with her, Oasis was the center of attention. As the photographs of her during the course of the day and into the evening show, she attracts attention not just because of the enormity of her size but also because of the sense of excitement that she generates. The photo essay is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-StMaarten.html

Seven Seas Navigator Cruise Ship Profile and Photo Tour

Continuing our look at some of the ships in the luxury/ultra-luxury segment of the cruising, this week we focus on Seven Seas Navigator of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.




I was quite surprised to find out that Seven Seas Navigator is only 28,000 gross tons. The first time I saw her was several years ago when she was docked with Holland America’s Noordam at Grand Turk. Although she was clearly smaller than Noordam, she did not look one-third the size. Rather, she looked and still looks to be a substantial ship.



Perhaps this is because her hull was designed originally to be that of an exploration ship. It was only after her hull was completed that she was transformed into a luxury cruise ship. Thus, at her roots is a ship designed to travel any seas - - not a bad thing for a ship that roams far and wide cruising.



Navigator has a very traditional style. There is nothing that is designed to produce a “wow” or make you stagger back with awe. Rather, it is a conservative approach to luxury with extensive wood paneling, leather chairs, and understated colors. It is an approach that says quality and richness without shouting.



Regent is expanding on the concept of what is included in an “all-inclusive” fare. Of course, not everything is included in an all-inclusive fare. For example, they do not give you free of charge the chips to gamble with in the casino. However, on Navigator, an unlimited number of shore excursions are included as is round-trip airfare, a one-night stay in a hotel and many other things.



Beyondship’s profile of Seven Seas Navigator is at http://www.beyondships.com/Regent-Navigator-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Regent-Navigator-Tour-1.html