Photo Guides to Holland America's Rotterdam and to Bayeux France

This week I have posted two photo guides.




Rotterdam is one of two flagships of Holland America Line. She is the sixth HAL ship to bear the name and perhaps because her immediate predecessor was so beloved and well-known, this ship has been somewhat overlooked. This is unfortunate because she is one of the faster passenger ships in service today (25 knots) and is capable of handling the rigors of a transatlantic crossing. Indeed, designing her was the project Stephen Payne worked on before turning to designing Queen Mary 2. This summer she demonstrated her transatlantic capability by doing two traditional ocean liner crossings between Rotterdam and New York.



What is more impressive about Rotterdam is her interior. As with all the current HAL ships, she has a museum quality art collection distributed through the public rooms. In addition, the furnishings, lighting and décor are tasteful and light quality.



I decided to return to the Rotterdam in order to capture the changes that were made to her during her 2009 refit. The biggest change to the interior was the addition of an area called “Mix.” This area replaces some of the prior lounges with a large open area that includes three bars - - a champagne bar, a spirits and ale bar and a martini bar. Mix does give the public spaces a more lively and younger feel than the prior lounges. I did have some doubt, however, about whether the furnishings were consistent with the ship’s overall décor.



Outside, the aft section of the open deck has become an adult-oriented area called the Retreat. The Sea View swimming pool that once dominated this area has been replaced with a shallow pool with sun loungers. This seems to be a recognition of the fact that relatively few passengers actually swam in the pool while quite a few like to relax in the sun. Overhead, a large video screen has been installed.



In addition to photographing these two areas, I re-photographed the rest of the ship. This picked up the more subtle changes that have taken place since the last time I photographed the ship. In addition, there have been advances in digital photography since then. The Beyondships photo tour of Rotterdam is at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Rotterdam-Tour1.html The profile page with a new daily program and some new menus is at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Rotterdam.html



I have also added a new cruise destination page on Bayeux, France. Bayeux is in the Normandy region of Northern France and can be visited during port calls at Cherborugh and Le Harve. Its most important attraction is the Bayeux Tapestry, a 1,000 year-old embroidered cloth that tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England.



Also, in Bayeux is a large cathedral, which was consecrated in 1077. Built over several centuries, it incorporates several different styles of architecture and is an impressive sight.



Located not far from the D-Day landing beaches, there are many D-Day related sites around the town and a museum dedicated to the Battle of Normandy in the town. Much more sobering is the Bayeux military cemetery, which is the largest World War II British cemetery in France. It gives an idea of the price of freedom.



Although in the battle zone, Bayeux did not sustain much damage during the war. As a result, it is still a traditional French town with buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. It is particularly picturesque along the River Aure, which runs through the center of town.



The Bayeux page is at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-France-North-5.html and is an addition to the Northern France section of Beyondships.

P&O Cruises Adonia - - Profile, Photo Tour and Interview with Managing Director Carol Marlow

Adonia is one of eight jewel-like ships that were originally built for Renaissance Cruises. After Renaissance went bankrupt the eight were dispersed amongst various cruise lines and now after a period of nomadic wandering have settled with two being owned by Azamara Club Cruises, three by Oceania, two by Princess Cruises and one, Adonia, by P&O Cruises. Despite their difficult beginning, the eight have gone on to achieve a very good reputation amongst cruise connoisseurs.




I am not particularly partial to small ships. However, I thought the 30,000 gross ton Adonia was a charming ship when I first saw her back in the days when she was the Royal Princess of Princess Cruises.. With its wood paneling, cushioned furniture, and traditional art work, the interior has the charm of an English country house. The ship is nicely laid out as well. The designers were able to include most of the things one would expect on a modern cruise ship - - specialty restaurants, a spa, a pool, shops, bars and lounges, etc - - within a relatively small space.



When the ship was transferred from Princess to P&O Cruises earlier this year, very few changes had to be made. P&O serves the British market and the ship already had a British decor. Consequently, all that had to be done was modify a few public areas so as to include some of P&O’s signature venues. Of course, the existing specialty restaurants which were signature Princess restaurants, also had to be changed. For that task, P&O turned to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White to create a new restaurant for Adonia. The other specialty restaurant was developed in-house by P&O.



To mark Adonia’s arrival at P&O Cruises, I asked P&O Cruises’ Managing Director to give us her thoughts about the line’s new ship. She discussed how the ship came to P&O Cruises and what the line plans for the ship. That article is posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Marlow.html



I’ve also created a Beyondships profile of Adonia that includes copies of daily programs, menus from the restaurants, and other information about the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Profile.html. As always, there is a photo tour and commentary about the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Adonia-Tour-1.html

Songwriting, Juilliard Jazz, and Gourmet Dining - - Sea Days on Queen Mary 2

People considering a transatalantic voyage for the first time often ask “Won’t I be bored with all of those days at sea?” However, unlike the old days when passengers had to entertain themselves, today ships crossing the pond offer an array of activities design to entertain and stimulate passengers. Moreover, the intense competition amongst the cruise lines is driving the lines to continuously develop new and innovative programming for sea days.




This is particularly tru for Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, which specializes in transatlantic crossings. QM2 is a beautiful ship both technologically and in the facilities it provides to passengers. However, Cunard is well aware that today’s vacationers want more than a pretty face. Accordingly, the line strives to present sophisticated programming that will attract the discerning traveler.



One example of such programming is the QM2 Songwriting Voyages. Developed with British songwriter/musician Chris Difford, this program gives guests the opportunity to write songs during the course of the voyage. Working with a team of professional songwriters, the guest write, record and perform their songs in the ship’s Royal Court Theatre. Along the way, the guests have fun, make new friends and often learn something new about themselves. My article about the songwriting program is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-songwriting.html



Another way Cunard enhances its transatlantic voyages is through partnerships with renown artistic academies. For several years, Cunard has had troupes London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts onboard QM2 to perform and to provide acting workshops. (See article at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-rada.html). More recently, Cunard has had faculty, graduates and students from the jazz division of New York’s Juilliard School onboard selected crossings. The jazz musicians perform and interact with the guests. My article about this popular program is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-Juilliard.html



A longstanding Cunard partnership is with celebrity chef Todd English, who has developed a seagoing version of his restaurant for QM2. Sea days allow QM2 to open this specialty restaurant for lunch. My review of lunch at QM2’s Todd English is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-review-Todd-English-lunch.html



The bottom line here is that with activities such as these available, it is very unlikely that any one is going to get bored during sea days on QM2. In fact, most passengers complain that there was not enough time during the voyage to do everything that they wanted to do.

Monarch of the Seas - - Profile and Photo Tour

Monarch of the Seas still attracts a wide variety of cruisers. When she entered service in 1991, Monarch was the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship. Today, she is far from the largest. Her older sister, Sovereign of the Seas, has been transferred to Royal Caribbean’s Spanish affiliate Pullmantur. However, Monarch has found a market niche that keeps her viable in the American market.




That niche is small get-away cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida to the Bahamas. Monarch does three and four day cruises that call at Nassau and at Royal Caribbean’s private island Coco Cay.



Port Canaveral is not far from Orlando and families vacationing at the theme parks in the Orlando area often want to add a short cruise to their vacation. Because the cruises on Monarch are shorter and less expensive than the cruises done by such first tier ships as Freedom of the Seas, Disney Dream and Carnival Dream that also sail from Port Canaveral, Monarch is able to attract some of the theme park vacationers.



The price and the short length of the cruises also make Monarch attractive to young people looking to try cruising for the first time.



They also make Monarch attractive to veteran Royal Caribbean cruisers who live in Florida. Without much planning, travel or expense,, they can hop onboard for a few days in familiar surroundings.



Although much has been spent to refurbish and maintain the ship over the years, one cannot expect all of the features of the new Royal Caribbean ships. Still, the core features of the Royal Caribbean product are there. One will find that many of the bars and lounges are signature Royal Caribbean venues. Similarly, the ship offers many of the activities that are popular with Royal Caribbean cruisers. Furthermore, while Monarch is not as big as Oasis of the Seas, she is still a big ship with big ship facilities.



Beyondships’ profile of Monarch of the Seas is at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-MONS-Profile.html and the multi-page photo tour and commentary is at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-MONS--Tour-1.html

Cruise Destination - - Bar Harbor, Maine

September and October are the peak seasons for cruises to New England. The leaves start to turn color and the air turns cool, crisp and invigorating. It just seems like the time to be out in the New England countryside.




Bar Harbor is a classic, small New England town on the coast of Maine. In its center is a village green with a bandstand. From there Main Street slopes down a slight hill to the harbor where the fishermen still bring in their catches.



One does not have to go far from the tiny business district to sample the natural beauty of the area. There is a path along the shore where the crystal clear water washes over the craggy rocks. Out in Frenchman’s Bay there is a sprinkling of forest-covered islands. The path is shaded in part by trees and has wildflowers growing along side it. In other places, it passes the lawns and gardens of mansions that remain from the days when Bar Harbor was the summer vacation home of Astors, Rockefellers and Morgans.



Bar Harbor is surrounded by Acadia National Park, one of the most popular national parks in the United States. The cruise lines offer excursions into the park as do other tour providers. It is also possible to explore the natural attractions of the park independently



If you are looking for Maine lobster, Bar Harbor has them in abundance. Seemingly, every restaurant and eatery in the town offers some form of lobster dish.



Not surprisingly, Bar Harbor has become a popular cruise destination port. When I first cruised there in the early 1990s, people came from miles around to stand on the shore and look at the QE2 anchored in the bay. These days, the ships do not attract the locals’ attention. Although some of the shops have become a little more commercialized, the town still has much of its charm. It is not to be missed.



Beyondships’ cruise destination photo guide begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-Bar-Harbor.html

New York City Cruise Destination Photo Guide

I thought it would be appropriate this week to add New York City to Beyondships cruise photo destination guides. To me, the fact that New York is such a vibrant destination illustrates the City’s resilience and its recovery. Our photo guide pays tribute to the City and hopefully illustrates some of its spirit.




New York Harbor is the year-round homeport for ships from Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean. Carnival Cruise Lines has announced that it too will be basing a ship in New York year-round starting next year. On a seasonal basis, New York is the base of ships from Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises and Carnival. Disney has announced its intention to deploy a ship to New York as well.



In addition to the ships that cruise from New York, there are many other lines with ships that come for a day or two for a port call including AIDA, P&O Cruises, Seabourn, Oceania, and Crystal.



Thus, New York is a cruise destination in two ways. First, it is an embarkation port where passengers often stay for a day or so before or after a cruise. Second, it is a port of call where passengers explore the city as part of their cruise experience.



The Beyondships’ New York guide presents photographs and a discussion of New York as a cruise port, getting around, the places of interest and the museums. There is also an overview and a brief history. As always, the guide was written with the cruise passenger in mind. Although it is extensive, there is so much in New York it was impossible to cover everything. More will be added over time.



Our photo guide to New York City is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-NYC.html

Explorer of the Seas - Profile, Photo Tour, Captain's Interview

Explorer of the Seas is one of five Voyager class ships that were built for Royal Caribbean. Although she has been in service for 11 years now, she remains one of the largest cruise ships. More importantly, she has been able to survive in the very competitive New York area cruise market for five years on a year-round basis while other ships have come and gone.




I returned to Explorer recently to see if I could uncover the secret of her longevity in New York. Although she does not have all of the features of her giant fleetmates Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, as a large ship, she still has quite a lot. There is always something happening on the Royal Promenade and as I discussed in an earlier posting, her Portofino specialty restaurant is the best that I have sampled in the Royal Caribbean fleet.



Furthermore, you do not have to travel all the way to Florida to get on the ship. If the destination is the Caribbean, you get there by sea. There is also the option of just going to Bermuda or up to Canada and New England. It is very convenient if you live in the northeastern United States or are in New York for a visit.



Another thing I noticed was the friendliness of the staff. Captain Henrik Loy, master of the Explorer, told me that he sees the bond that forms between the crew and the guests as one of his ship’s greatest strengths. As proof, he pointed out that half of the guests that cruise on Explorer are repeat guests. Hotel Director Benny Weidecker added that Royal Caribbean is very much focusing on personalized service in order to create such connections.



My interview with Captain Loy and Mr. Weidecker is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/EOS--Captain-HD.html



Also while I was onboard, I re-photographed the ship. As a result, the Beyondships photo tour of Explorer of the Seas has many new photographs. It begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Explorer-tour.html



Similarly, the Explorer profile has been updated with new Cruise Compasses, menus and various informational handouts that were distributed onboard. There are also many new exterior photos of the ship. The profile page is at http://www.beyondships.com/Explorer.html