Asuka II - - Japanese Luxury Cruising.

Earlier this month, AIDA announced its intention to build its next two ships in Japan. The press reports on this move almost universally mentioned that the shipyard that is to build these ships, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was the ship yard that built the Diamond Princess and the Sapphire Princess. However, before Mitsubishi built those ships, it built the Asuka II of NYK Cruises, which is part of the world’s largest shipping company, NYK.




The fact that Mitsubishi built Asuka II is a considerable feather in its cap. Asuka II is the highest-rated luxury cruise ship serving the Japanese market, which is quite discerning and demanding when it comes to luxury. Furthermore, Asuka II is over 20 years old now and yet it is still able to provide luxury service. That indicates that the ship was well-built as well as that it has been well-maintained.



Asuka II was formerly the Crystal Harmony of Crystal Cruises. In that incarnation, she garnered a reputation for providing a six-star luxury cruise experience. Despite this popularity, in 2006, NYK, which owns both NYK Cruises and Crystal Cruises decided to transfer the ship to NYK Cruises to replace the smaller Asuka.



Although NYK Cruises refurbished the ship for the Japanese market, much from her Crystal Harmony days was carried over. As a result, the ship is still very much a western-style cruise ship. Indeed, the only decidedly Japanese additions were the bath house and the traditional matted tea room. This underscores that standards of luxury have become international.



Beyondships’ profile of this fascinating ship is at

http://www.beyondships.com/AsukaII-Profile.html

and the multi-page photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/AsukaII-Tour-1.html

Quebec City - Cruise Destination Photo Guide

A cruise port that comes into its own in September and October is Quebec City. This is when the cruise ships do their Fall Foliage cruises and more of them take the journey down the St. Lawrence River from the sea. Even before the trees change color this is a scenic trip as much of the shoreline is undeveloped and covered in forests.




Quebec City appears quite suddenly. One moment the ship is sailing past forests and farmlands and suddenly the river narrows and there is a substantial city on the northern bank. Most of the city towers above the river on a high plateau that drops almost vertically to the river. As a result, Quebec City presents a bold skyline to visiting ships dominated by the romantic Chateau Frontenac.



The cruise ships do not dock in the commercial seaport where the cargo ships go. Rather, the cruise terminal is along the river in the historic Lower Town, where the first French settlers in the early 1600s built their homes. The area has been thoughtfully preserved and it is only a short walk from the ship to the area’s shops, museums and historic places. You can take the funicular up to the Upper Town and explore the rest of the attractions of the Old City including the Chateau, the Citadel, the Cathedral, the boardwalk, the cafes and the shops.



For history lovers, there is much to see in Quebec City. It is one of the oldest settlements in North America. It is here where the titanic struggle between Great Britain and France for North America was finally decided in the Battle of Quebec. More recently, Churchill and Roosevelt met here twice during World War II to plan the defeat of the Nazis.



Another attractive aspect of Quebec City is its old world atmosphere. Although the city passed to British control in 1763, the first language of Quebec remains French and the city has maintained ties to French culture. The streets of the Upper Town bear a resemblance to European cities. Many visitors also appreciate the fact that the city has maintained the French emphasis on good food.



Beyondships’ cruise destination photo guide of Quebec City is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-Quebec.html

Radiance of the Seas - - Profile and Photo Guide

When people think of Royal Caribbean, they tend to think of the line’s big ships - - Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and their sisters. However, there is also another side to Royal. Here, I am not talking about the older ships - - the Vision and Sovereign classes - - but rather a class of smaller ships that was built contemporaneously with the Voyager class. The lead ship of that class is Radiance of the Seas.




Radiance is not merely a scaled down version of Royal’s giant ships. Rather, it is a different type of cruise experience. Yes, it has the flavor of a Royal Caribbean cruise but it emphasizes the more elegant aspects of Royal. By elegant, I do not mean formal - - it is relaxed and casual atmosphere - - but rather the handsomeness of the décor, the sophistication of the layout etc.



Although Radiance is significantly larger (90,090 gross tons) than Royal’s Sovereign class ships (73,941 gross tons), she carries less passengers than the Sovereign class ships. Thus, there is more space per passenger, giving the ship a more luxurious feel.



In a recent refit, Royal enhanced the ship with the addition of a variety of new specialty restaurants including a Brazilian steakhouse, a Mexican cantina, an Asian restaurant, a specialty hot dog stand, and a venue that serves more healthy light fare. The card room was also transformed into a room for the sophisticated Chef’s Table, where a small group of guests are led through a specially-prepared multi-course meal by a chef and a sommelier. These additions plus the existing Chops Grille steakhouse, give guests lots of choices. What makes the decision making more difficult is that the ship’s main dining room is quite spectacular.



Radiance is also elegant technologically. In many ways, she is like a fine European sports car. Her gas turbines combined with her azipod systems make her very fast and maneuverable. She is finely tooled for performance. As with a sports car, one may not need such performance on an everyday basis but it is neat to know that it is there.



Beyondships’ profile of Radiance of the Seas is at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ROS-Profile.html. The multi-page photo guide begins at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ROS-Tour-1.html

Cruise Destination Photo Guides To Boston and Halifax

As Fall starts to approach, people start thinking about cruising to New England and Canada. These “Fall Foliage” cruises are famous for combining crisp air with spectacular colorful displays. However, the region is a nice place to visit just for its history and lifestyle. Of course, the best way to get there is by cruise ship.




Quite a few ships do New England/Canada cruises in the Fall. In addition to the ships that ply these waters during the spring and summer, quite a few ships come to the region to do a season of cruising. Many of these ships come over from Europe as the European cruising season winds down. Eventually, they go to the Caribbean for the winter but the Fall is the peak hurricane season down there so its better to spend some time in Northeastern America before heading south. Moreover, these are popular cruises.



The unofficial capital of New England is its largest city, Boston, Massachusetts. It is both a port of call on New England/Canada cruises and an embarkation port. Several ships use it as their base for such cruises while others cruise from Boston to Bermuda and points south.



Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States and so has an extensive history. Indeed, if one is interested in the birth of the United States, Boston has preserved many of the sites that played an important part in the early days of the American War for Independence.



With a long cultural and intellectual tradition, it is not surprising that Boston has a bevy of museums covering a spectrum of topics from fine art to politics to science. There are also some 50 colleges and universities in the area, which gives the town a youthful feel.



While Boston is a large city, it is a friendly town. Moreover, many of the things of interest to visitors are centrally located. In fact, quite a few of the historic sites are along the two and a half mile long Freedom Trail.



Beyondships new cruise destination photo guide to Boston is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-Boston.html



A second popular stop on Canada/New England cruises is Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. Even more so than Boston, the majority of the places of interest are concentrated not far from the cruise port. Furthermore, the short walk along the Harbor Boardwalk to downtown Halifax is a pleasant stroll takes you past sailing ships, shops, museums, and restaurants.



Beyondships has had a section about Halifax since last year. However, I have added an additional page to that section to incorporate photos that I took last month on yet another cruise to Halifax. The cruise destination photo guide to Halifax is at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-Halifax