Observations on Princess Cruises

Because I cruise so often, people often ask me which is the best cruise line. I always answer that it depends upon your lifestyle and tastes. Each of the major cruise lines sets out to present a different cruise experience. At the extremes, some seek to present a lively party atmosphere while others seek to present a refined cultural experience. If you want a party experience, you are not going to be happy on a culturally-orientated ship no matter how well the cruise line presents its concerts and lectures.

With that caveat, I thought I would do a series of postings offering some general observations about the various cruise lines. Hopefully, this will give you some indication of whether a particular cruise line is for you.

Recently, I have been cruising on a number of the Princess Cruises ships. Therefore, I thought I would start this series with Princess Cruises.

In the U.K. a few years ago, Princess ran an advertising campaign that characterized the line as “American luxury.” I think that was a good description. To me, the Princess cruise experience is one of relaxed sophistication. It is upmarket but not stuffy.

Based on my observations rather than on any scientific study, people who travel on Princess tend to be educated and what used to be called upper middle class. Their tastes are correspondingly sophisiticated but they also like to relax in the sun by the pools or in the adults-only Sanctuary area. Hairy legs competitions and throw the cruise director in the pool are not for this crowd.

While Americans and Canadians dominate, there is usually a good mix of nationalities with the U.K. well-represented.

The passengers range in age from young families to retired people. Of course, the mix of ages depends upon the time of year (less children when school is in session) and the itinerary (some routes attract a more mature crowd). As is true throughout the industry, the average age goes up along with the length of the voyage.

I often meet experienced cruisers on Princess ships. The line has a very strong loyalty program and a devoted following. But, I find that experienced cruisers who travel on Princess also seem to like Celebrity Cruises.

Inside, the public spaces of the Princess ships are eye-catching but at the same time they avoid being glitzy or garish. The interiors of the two latest Princess ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess, are spectacular. Over several ships, Princess' interior designer Teresa Anderson developed an elegant signature style for Princess. Beacuse the line's new ships are so much bigger than the other ships in the Princess fleet, the designers were able to combine space with the traditional Princess style making for a grand result.

I have always found the food on the Princess ships to be to my taste. This is particularly true of the line's Italian offerings. Early on, Princess merged with the Italian cruise line Sitmar and that Italian heritage is still reflected in the culinary operations on the Princess ships. The Alfredo's Pizzerias serve the best gourmet pizza at sea - - and it is complimentary.

An important part of Beyondships is our interviews with the people who operate the various cruise ships. I have been impressed with the captains, hotel managers, maitre d's and cruise directors who I have interviewed at Princess. The people that I have met have been intelligent and able to see the big picture. I believe that this benefits the passengers through increased innovation and efficiency.

They also seem able to motivate the crews to provide good service. Princess calls itself the consumate host and my experience has been that the crew understand that they should act like the passengers are guests, not just customers. Of course, in any business you have some people who just don't get it but overall the morale and therefore the service level is quite high on Princess.

Overall, Princess is a very strong cruise line.

This week on Beyondships, we have an update on Royal Princess. We have a new photo http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-photo-feature.html and video feature showing the ship in various ports. http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-video.html There is an interview with Hotel General Manager Martin Bristow. http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-hotel-manager-ii.html We also review the Crab Shack dining event http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-crab-shack.html and the Gelatto ice cream parlor. http://www.beyondships2.com/royal-princess-gelato.html

I was on board Holland America’s flagship Amsterdam recently. Entering service in October 2000, Amsterdam shares the top position in the HAL fleet with her sister ship Rotterdam.

At approximately 61,000 gross tons, Amsterdam is a mid-sized ship. It feels substantial and capable of transiting the oceans of the world, which Amsterdam does on its yearly world cruise. At the same time, the ship is small enough not only to navigate the confined waters around Alaska, which it does in the summer, but also to retain a feeling of intimacy.

The interior of Amsterdam is one of subtlety and refinement. There is no neon and the colors are muted. At the same time, it is elegant but not overwhelming. This is not a floating palace but rather an upscale hotel. Artwork is beautifully displayed as part of contemporary styled public rooms, softly lit and comfortable.

This isn’t to say that the ship speaks in a monotone. The Queens Lounge, the venue for the ship’s production shows and for guest entertainers, has an almost whimsical art deco styling. The Pinnacle Grill, the alternative restaurant, resembles a Parisian restaurant of the late 19th Century, while the main dining room is an impressive two-deck high space that occupies the stern of the ship.

The passengers on board Amsterdam are in harmony with the ship’s sophisticated atmosphere. They tend to be well-educated, well-traveled and upper middle class. There is nothing flashy about them.

In many respects, Amsterdam echoes her Dutch heritage. Of course, most of the officers are Dutch and a majority of the crew are from the former Dutch colonies in the East Indies. Adjectives like clean, efficient, industrious and high quality come to mind in describing the ship’s style but also words like practical and understated.

I have assembled the information I have gathered about Amsterdam into a profile of the ship complete with an extensive photo tour and commentary. It is posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Amsterdam.html

Cruise Tips #2 Which is the best cruise line?

Since I have done over 100 cruises, I am often asked: “Which is the best cruise line?” Unfortunately, there is no objective answer to that question. I can tell you which cruise line I enjoy the most but there is no absolute best cruise line.

Let me explain. All of the major cruise lines have beautiful ships with a wide variety of amenities and facilities. They differ in decor, size and the type of facilities that are emphasized. Thus, generally speaking, it is a matter of personal taste whether a person will like one ship more than another.

Along the same lines, each of the lines does a good job in trying to provide the type of cruise experience that it is seeking to provide. Thus, whether one will enjoy a cruise on one line more than on another depends upon which line's targeted cruise experience is more attuned to your personal lifestyle and taste.

Cruises are not fungible commodities. Each of the lines tries to do something different. For example, Cunard seeks to provide a sophisticated, formal cruise experience that emphasizes the cultural aspects of life. Royal Caribbean seeks to provide an active cruise experience where physical activity and adventure are emphasized. NCL seeks to provide a casual, unstructured experience where the passenger makes all of the decisions. Thus, which cruise line is best for you depends upon which type of experience is most suited to your lifestyle.

To illustrate, if you are really into partying and casual, relaxation, you are unlikely to be happy on a cruise line that has a strict dress code and a string of formal nights. Similarly, if you like lectures and dressing for dinner, you are not going to be happy on a line where the daily activity centers around the swimming pool complex.

It should also be borne in mind that most of the people on the ship will be people who are attuned to the type of cruise experience that the line seeks to provide. This is due in large part to the fact that the various major lines have a high number of repeat passengers. Consequently, if one is not attuned to the type of cruise experience the line is seeking to offer, you probably will not find much in common with the other people on the ship.

It follows that just because one has enjoyed a number of cruises on one line or even several lines that one will enjoy cruising on all of the others. I spoke with one cruise director for a premium brand about what type of passenger would not enjoy his ship. He then proceeded to describe the type of passenger which his mass market affiliate states is exactly the type of passenger it seeks to serve.

I’m not saying that once you have found a line you like, never travel on any other. Variety can be interesting. Instead, the point is to go beyond questions such as port destinations, price and ship sizewhen you are considering a cruise and find out what is the type of cruise experience the line is seeking to provide.