Portland England cruise port; Dorset attractions; Celebrity Reflection

 Portland is a cruise port of call that has been gaining attention over the last few years. Once a Royal Navy base, there is plenty of room for large ships to maneuver and dock. It is also located in a desirable spot on the southwest coast of England in Dorset, not too far from attractions like Bath and Stonehenge. With Southampton so much in demand by ships seeking to originate and or terminate cruises, Portland is a good alternative for ships seeking to make an in-transit port call.

While the cruise lines place emphasis on the proximity of internationally famous sites such as Stonehenge, there are worthwhile things to see in Dorset itself. There is for example, the beautiful rural countryside that so inspired the novelist Thomas Hardy. The chalk cliffs of the Jurassic Coast have a natural splendor of a different sort. Then there is the mysterious carving of the giant of Cerne.

One excursion I particularly enjoyed was to Minterne House, a large Elizabethan-style manor house. The home of the Digby family, it is set on 1,300 acres of stunning parkland. The house itself is not usually open to the public but the family did open its doors for our shore excursion group. Lord Digby greeted us and told us the story of the house and his family. Then we were allowed to explore the grand rooms on the lower level of the house.

During the tour, it was mentioned that one of the creators of the popular television series Downton Abbey lives nearby and has been a guest at Minterne. Could he have been inspired by those visits. Certainly, the story of the Digbys has a dramatic appeal. Lord Digny's sister was Pamela Hariman and she grew up at Minterne.

Accordingly, this week on Beyondships, we have a profile of the Portland cruise port http://www.beyondships3.com/portland-england-cruise-port.html ; a photo feature of some of the nearby attractions http://www.beyondships3.com/dorset-england.html and a feature on visiting Minterne complete with a slideshow http://www.beyondships3.com/minterne-house-england.html .

In addition, we have a feature showing Celebrity Reflection going to sea. It includes both still photos http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-photo.html and a video http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-video-2.html .

Celebrity Reflection - - interview, review, menus, video

This week we complete our profile of Celebrity Reflection with several new items.

First, we have an interview with Hotel Director Julian Brackenbury and Cruise Director Paul Buya. I first met Julian on the stately Celebrity Summit when that ship was cruising the Caribbean. I met him again when Celebrity was preparing to re-vilatize Summit adding a panoply of features as part of the line's Solsticization project. Paul, I know from Celebrity Silhouette, a ship I found to have a strong pulse. As the person in charge of entertainment there, Paul played no small part in making it a lively cruise experience.

I asked them to tell us what is new about Celebrity Reflection? The ship is the fifth and final ship in the Solstice class Each ship in the class has retained the essential Solstice design but each of the prior ships has been somewhat different. As they replied, Celebrity has not run out of new ideas but has channel in its thinking in a new direction. The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-interview.html

We also have a review of the Murano specialty restaurant. There are Muranos on each of the Solstice class ships and on Celebrity Century. They offer perhaps the most elegant, old school fine dining experience at sea. The review is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-murano.html

We have also added a menus page to the Celebrity Reflection profile with examples of menus from the main dining room and some of the specialty restaurants. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-menus.html

Finally, we have a short video showing the ship in several Caribbean ports. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-video.html

So who is Celebrity Reflection for? In my opinion, she is for experienced cruisers who like what used to be called the better things in life. She ius a pretty ship with attention to detail in the design. She has an excellent array of dining options. She has a good enrichment program although not as strong as Cunard or Holland America. She is not a party boat but rather is sophisticated without being stuffy.

Celebrity Reflection Profile and Photo Tour

This week we add Celebrity Reflection to the roaster of cruise ships profiled on Beyondships.com. Reflection is the fifth and final ship in Celebrity's Solstice class. This class of ships has been very popular with passengers and critics alike since the first chip in the class, Celebrity Solstice, entered service in 2008.

For me, there are three things that attract me to the Solstice class ships. First, is the design of the ship. In the interior, there has been great attention to detail. Someone has thought about every inch of the ship. It is a contemporary décor but the use of lighting, art work and furnishings is always eye-pleasing. It can be glamorous and it can be relaxing, sumptuous but not demanding. Along the same lines, there is a feeling of space. These are big ships but the number of people has been kept down so that you do not feel crowded.

Second, I like the array of dining outlets. The main dining rooms are like something that would have been created for the glamor of Hollywood in its golden era. The food and service do not let down the room. Blu, the Aquaclass restaurant, is one of the best venues at sea. Turning to the specialty restaurants, you have the elegance of Murano, the relaxed sophistication of the Tuscan Grille steakhouse, the very nontraditional Qsine and the summertime fun of the Lawn Club Grill. Then there are a host of small casual venues serving crepes, paninis, pastries, and even burgers as well as a well-designed large buffet restaurant. Lots of choices and all good ones.

Third, I like the enrichment program. The Solstice class ships are geared toward a more sophisticated cruiser who is more demanding about shipboard activities. Celebrity usually has good lectures that are beyond the talks about which shops to visit in the next port. There are other activities such as trivias, wine tastings, art classes, and fitness classes, which are done on other lines as well but Celebrity keeps up a good quality level.

Reflection is very much a Solstice class ship. She incorporates ideas that Celebrity has evolved over the course of building and sailing the first four ships in the class. There have been relatively few changes to the public areas. For example, the line-up of dining venues is identical to her immediate predecessor Celebrity Silhouette. There have been a few changes to the bars and lounges. However, the big change is the accommodations. Two new categories of suites have been added as well as a super luxury suite called the Reflection Suite.

Our profile page for Celebrity Reflection is at http://beyondships.com/Celebrity-Reflection-Profile.html

Our photo tour and commentary begins at http://beyondships.com/Celebrity-Reflection-Tour-1.html

We will be back next week with more about Reflection including interviews, menus, a restaurant review and a video.

A Royal Reunion of Cruise Ships; Visiting Caribbean Great Houses

When I was in St. Maarten on a cruise last month, there were five other ships in port with us. By itself, there is nothing unusual about that as there are often six ships in St. Maarten on a single day during the high season. What struck me as unusual about this particular gathering was that all but one of the ships was in the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd family. There were two ships from Royal Caribbean, two from Celebrity Cruises and one from TUI Cruises, Royal's German brand. The only non-family member in attendance was Norwegian Epic.

I thought this underscored the growing strength of the Royal Caribbean family. While RCCL is still the second largest cruise company behind Carnival Corporation, the fact that it so dominated one of the most important Caribbean ports at the height of the season shows that it is quite a fromidible competitor.

The variety of the ships was also interesting. From the core brand, Royal Caribbean International, there was Independence of the Seas and Vision of the Seas. These two ships illustrate the two styles within Royal Caribbean. Independence is one of the largest ships in the world (number 4 at the moment) and offers a vast array of activities and facilities. Vision is a more intimate version of the Royal Caribbean cruise experience.

Celebrity was represented by two of its Solstice class ships. These are beautiful ships. Built by Meyer Werft, they are impressive from a technological perspective. I particularly like the hull design that has the bow tapering back for a relatively long way at the waterline making for a more efficient attack through the waves. The bow area above the waterline flares up to give the ships the withth (and thus the space) of a traditional cruise ship. Very clever.

Inside the Solstice ships are also impressive. Each is done in a contemporary style but there has been considerable attention to detail and visual appeal. They are sophisticated and elegant.

On this particular day, Celebrity Eclipse (my favorite of the five Solstices, just nudging out Celebrity Silhouette by a hair) and Celebrity Reflection were in port. Next week, we will add a profile of Reflection to Beyondships.

Mein Schiff I, the former Celebrity Galaxy, was there from TUI. RCCL has been using its older ships to develop the cruise market in Europe. The fleets of Pullmantur (Spain), Croiseres de France and TUI conatin many profiles familiar to North American cruisers. This development strategy has been so successful that a brand new ship has been ordered for TUI.

In any event, this day was a great day for photographing ships and so we present a photo essay showing each of the six ships. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-reunion.html

There is also a slideshow focusing just on Independence of the Seas. http://www.beyondships2.com/independence-in-st-maarten.html

We also have a short video of Celebrity Eclipse both leaving the pier and at sea. http://www.beyondships2.com/eclipse-sails.html

In addition, we also have a going ashore article about visiting the “great houses” of the Caribbean. These are mansions that were built by the European plantation owners. Most of them disappeared along with the plantations. However, a number of Caribbean nations have recognized that this is part of their heritage and several have been or are being restored. A number of shore excursions now take you to them. We discuss our visits to three of them at http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-great-houses.html