Adventure of the Seas Photos; The New Forest and Exbury Gardens

The first item this week is a new photo essay on Adventure of the Seas. Adventure is one of Royal Caribbean's Voyager class ships. The Voyagers are large ships (approximately 135,000 gross tons) and there is plenty to see and do on board. For example, they were the first ships to have the Royal Promenade – the street or indoor mall running down the center of the ship's interior. They also have ice skating rinks, on which they put on ice shows that are essentially musical spectaculars. The main dining rooms are also spectacular rising through multiple decks to a grand chandelier.

Adventure is the third ship in this class. For some reason, she always seems to be in St. Maarten when I am there. As a result, I have accumulated quite a few photos of her in that port. This photo essay presents some of them and serves to augment our existing Adventure of the Seas section. The new essay is at http://beyondships.com/RCI-AOS-Photos.html

For most of her life, Adventure has been sailing the Caribbean. However, next summer she is scheduled to be based out of Southampton, England. In honor of that, this week we are also presenting a cruise destination photo essay on the New Forest, which is just west of Southampton in England.

Although the New Forest is called “New” it is actually a rather ancient place. There have been settlements there since before recorded history. Even after King William I declared it a royal hunting preserve in 1079, people continued to live there. As a result, the New Forest is steeped in history and tradition. Thatched roof houses, small villages, stone churches and ponies who roam at will, all are part of its charm.

It is a national park but it is not a wilderness. Rather, the authorities act to preserve this unique blend of countryside, forest, heath, pubs and villages.

Our section on visiting the New Forest begins at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination-england-new-forest.html

One of the most popular attractions of the New Forest is Exbury Gardens. It was the dream of one of the members of the English branch of the Rothschild banking family and there is still a connection between the Gardens and the family. It is a woodland garden with flowering plants, rare species, and lots and lots of rhododendron. There is also a rather fun narrow gauge steam railway.

On a recent cruise, I took a shore excursion to Exbury. I have written down my experiences and posted them along with some photos at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-destination-england-exbury-gardens.html

Queen Mary 2 Video and Queen Victoria Dining

This week we present our first video on Beyondships.  It is a short item showing P&O Cruises’ Oceana leaving Southampton.  However, what makes it exciting is that it includes an exchange of salutes between Oceana and Queen Mary 2.

I was standing on the forward observation deck of Queen Mary 2, trying out the video feature on a small Nikon that I had just purchased.  We were getting ready to sail on what had turned out to be a sunny and pleasant afternoon in Southampton when Oceana approached on her way out to sea.  I trained the camera on her and as Oceana approached the pier where QM2 was berthed, QM2 sounded her horns in salute.  These horns have a distinctive sound as one is from the original Queen Mary while the other is a copy of the Queen Mary’s original horn (actually, it is the better sounding one).  In any event, the sounds of the horns as well as Oceana’s answering salutes are captured on the video.

The video is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/video-qm2-salutes-oceana.html

In addition to the video, this week we have added two culinary articles on QM2’s fleetmate, Cunard’s Queen Victoria.  In the first article, Food and Beverage Manager Bernhard Fischer gives us his insights into the various dining venues on Queen Victoria from the luxury Grill restaurants to the new alternative dining options in the Lido.  It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-queen-victoria-dining-guide.html

The second article is a review of the specialty restaurant on Queen Victoria, the Todd English Restaurant.   Although similar in its menu offerings to the Todd English on Queen Mary 2, the Victoria’s version has an ambiance of its own. http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-queen-victoria-todd-english-review.html

Going Ashore in St. Petersburg Russia

             On a Baltic cruise, one of the most keenly anticipated ports of call is St. Petersburg, Russia.  Indeed, because the port is so popular with passengers, most ships stay overnight thus giving passengers two days and a night to see the city.

            The reason that St. Petersburg is so popular is that it is so rich in history, art and culture.  Founded by Peter the Great, this city was the physical embodiment of Peter’s ambition to take Russia from being an insular, medieval society into a modern Western European power.  As a result, the city center is full of grand public buildings, palaces and canals that make it beautiful to behold, especially in summer.

            These same buildings were also the setting for the more turbulent side of Russia’s history.  It was here that the key events in the Russian Revolution took place.  Also, the city suffered the most lethal siege in world history during World War II.

            St. Petersburg has become more welcoming to cruise ship passengers in the last few years with the opening of a multi-million dollar cruise ship terminal complex.  However, unlike other Baltic ports outside of Russia, passengers need a visa if they want to explore independently.  This leads most passengers to take shore excursions because, subject to certain condition, foreign cruise passengers do not need a visa if they are on a tour with a recognized travel company.  Such tours can be organized through the ship or directly with the travel company.

            Most shore excursions fall into either of two broad categories: tours of the city center and tours going to the palaces located in the suburbs surrounding St. Petersburg.  If the ship is staying overnight, there are often evening tours to cultural events such as the ballet or folk dancing.

            The most popular destination in the center city is the State Hermitage Museum.  It is housed in a complex of buildings but its heart is the Winter Palace.  The palace is an impressive building in itself - - it was the winter residence of the czars and they spent lavishly on their home.  In addition, according to Soviet historians, it was also the scene for some of the most dramatic events in the Russian Revolution. 

While its architecture and history are reasons enough in themselves to visit the Hermitage, the most compelling reason is the art collection.  Begun by Catherine the Great, there are few collections in the world - - perhaps the Louvre, the Metropolitan, and the Vatican – that are on a par with the Hermitage in terms of breadth and quality.

Of the tours to the suburban palaces, my pick was the Peterhof Palace.  This palace was begun by Peter the Great as a summer residence and his hand can still be seen in the numerous fountains and small palaces on the grounds.  However, the opulent Grand Palace was created for his daughter the Empress Elizabeth.  As Peter intended, Peterhof impresses the visitor with one magnificent sight after another.

Beyondships’ guide to St. Petersburg is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-port-st-petersburg-russia.html  Our feature article on the Peterhof begins at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-port-st-petersburg-russia-peterhof.html

Cunard's Queen Victoria at Five - new photo review and interview

            It has been almost five years since Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria entered service.  As such, it is appropriate to take a look and see just where the ship is these days.

            Queen Victoria was conceived to solve a problem that had plagued Cunard since the 1960s.  Ever since it began in the 1840s, Cunard’s business and reputation had been based on transatlantic crossings.  However, by the 1960s, the jet airliner had become the method of choice for most people traveling between Europe and North America.  As a result, there was only room on the Atlantic for one ocean liner.

Despite some who questioned whether even one liner was too many, Cunard built a new liner, the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) http://www.beyondships.com/QE2.html and entered her into service in 1969.  Although she went through some difficult times, that ship proved that there was still enough of a market to support one liner in the jet age.

            But Cunard wanted to remain a major name in the passenger ship business and you could not remain a major player with a one ship fleet.  Therefore, during the second half of the 20^th century, Cunard tried a number of ways to expand beyond the transatlantic service: mass market cruising; luxury yacht cruising; and purchasing a variety of ships that catered to different niche markets.  As a result, the line ended up with a polyglot fleet that had no real focus.

            When Carnival Corporation purchased Cunard in 1997, it decided that the way to revitalize the company was to return to the original focus.   The first step was to build a new ocean liner that would assume the transatlantic crossing role that had been fulfilled by the aging QE2.  This resulted in the Queen Mary 2, which entered service in 2004. http://www.beyondships.com/QM2.html

            The next step was to sell off the rest of the polyglot fleet or redistribute the ships to other Carnival companies which were more closely aligned to the markets those ships served.  They would be replaced by new ships especially built for Cunard.

            These new ships would not be ocean liners in the strict technological sense of the term.  Rather, they would be cruise ships designed to provide a cruise experience similar to that of the great ocean liners of the past.  They would complement QM2’s transatlantic role by providing cruises in Europe and America and by doing world cruises.  Consequently, Cunard would once again become a distinct, coherent brand.

            The first of these new ships was Queen Victoria.  Built by Fincantieri, she is based upon the Vista class design, which has been used for ships sailing with Holland America, P&O Cruises and Costa Cruises.*   However, going beyond those ships, Cunard made her longer and strengthened her hull in order to enable her to do itineraries involving rougher waters.

            What really distinguishes Queen Victoria from the other ships of the Vista design is the interior.  The overall theme of the decor is 19^th century and successfully recalls the great ships of the early 20^th century.  This is helped to a large extent by some multi-deck high public rooms such as the Queens Room ballroom that give the ship a sense of grandeur beyond its physical size.  Even after five years, the interior remains one of the elegant on the seas.

            The elegance of the physical surroundings would be for naught unless the service levels were also consistent with people’s expectation of what service on a great liner was like.  On my most recent voyage on Queen Victoria, I found the service levels to be quite good.  This may be due in part to the injection of a large number of QE2 crew members into the ship after that ship left service.  In addition, as Hotel Manager David Hamilton described it, the ship has “settled.” The crew is familiar with the physical plant and with each other and so relationships and routines have developed that make it all work harmoniously.

            Thus, Queen Victoria is a successful ship.  She does what she set out to do - - she provides a cruise experience that has the ambiance of a classic ocean liner.  Having sailed more than 70 times on QE2 and nearly 30 times on QM2, it seems to me that she has the Cunard feel about her

            Beyondships’ coverage of Queen Victoria has been significantly expanded.  The profile page has been augmented with the addition of new menus, daily programmes and informational leaflets distributed on the ship. http://beyondships.com/QV.html  The photo review has been almost entirely redone.  http://beyondships.com/QV-Tour-1.html  In addition, there is a new photo essay showing the ship in various Mediterranean ports  http://beyondships.com/QV-photos-Med.html  and there is a new interview in which Hotel Manager David Hamilton and Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin share some thoughts on Queen Victoria today.  http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-queen-victoria-comes-of-age.html

* There appears to be some confusion as to whether the Queen Victoria was originally ordered for Holland America.  One of the reasons why Carnival purchased Cunard was to get a brand name that was a household name in Great Britain and which could be used in competing with P&O, Britain’s largest cruise line.  Therefore, after Carnival purchased Cunard, it designated one of the Vista class ships that it had ordered for Holland America from Fincantieri as being for Cunard.  This ship was to be the start of a series of ships that would compete with P&O and had the working name “Queen Victoria.”  However, before that ship was completed, Carnival merged with P&O.  Since there was no longer any reason to have a Cunard ship that would compete with P&O, the ship was re-designated as a P&O ship.  Today, that ship is the Arcadia of P&O Cruises.  http://www.beyondships.com/PO--Arcadia-Profile.html