Cruise review Regal Princess

Cruise 184

When I was in high school, I had a teacher who would give higher grades on book reviews if you savaged the book. He equated negative comments with critical thinking.

Alas, I am about to disppoint my old school master because I do not have anything negative to say about my recent cruise on Regal Princess. Quite to the contrary, it was an extremely well done cruise.

The cruise was a seven day voyage out of Fort Lauderdale to Princess Cays, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Thus, it included Princess Cruises' private island and two of the most popular Caribbean cruise ports. I've been to these ports many times now so the itinerary did not have the virtue of novelty. But, at the same time, these places are familiar to me and so I know how to structure my days there so as to have a good time.

Therefore, the focus of this cruise was on the ship. Regal Princess is the second ship to be built in her class. Royal Princess was the first. A third one is on order for Princess. P&O Cruises' forthcoming Britannia is being built to the same design.

Regal Princess is a large ship and I find her quite spacious. She has a better passenger space ratio than the mainstays of the Princess fleet, the Grand and Super Grand class ships. Thus, I did not find her at all crowded.

On Royal Princess, one problem with the people flow has been long waits for elevators particularly at the midship elevator bank. This is primarily due to the fact that the stairs by these elevators do not run all the way up through the ship and so more people have to use the elevators. While Regal also lacks a midship passenger staircase, adjustments have been made to the elevators programming and I did not experience much in the way of delays.

Another adjustment that has been made is in the theater. On Royal, each row of seats extends all the way to the wall so that people have to go up or down via the central aisles. On Regal, space has been allowed between the seats and the walls so that guests can go up or down that way as well. This seems to have created a better passenger flow.

The larger size of this class of ship allowed Princess to add several new venues. Of these, Princess Live is the most memorable. It is a television studio which serves as the venue for lectures, game shows, and various other activities. Such activities are common on cruise ships but having them in a studio with cameras and monitors lends them a sense of excitement. Also, the sight lines in this intimate room are quite good.

The size also allowed Princess to expand the size of some venues. This is nowhere more apparent than in the Piazza, the ship's central atrium. It has now become a grand room. In addition, whereas some entertainment was presented in the Piazza on earlier Princess ships, this larger Piazza lets the concept blossom so that this truly can be called an entertainment venue.

As far as décor, it would be difficult to tell the Piazza on Regal Princess from the one of Royal Princess. It is Princess' philosophy to make ships of the same class nearly identical in décor so that passengers returning to the line will have a sense of familiarity regardless of which ship they book. Whatever the merits of that philosophy, the décor of the Piazza on Royal is so spectacular, it demanded that it be used again on Regal Princess.

Of course, the hardware only contributes so much to making a great cruise. In my experience, Princess consistently provides good service. Of course, you can always run into someone who is a jerk or who is having a bad day but as a general finding the people serving on the Princess ships seem genuinely interested in ensuring that the passengers have a good time. In addition, the cruise lines usually assign their top people to bring out a ship. By the time of my cruise, the ship had also been in service long enough to have gotten any kinks out. Consequently, the service was very good with no negative incidents.

How was the food? It is of course my personal taste but I always like the food on Princess and Regal Princess did not let the side down. A favorite venue for me is Alfredo's Pizzeria. This is a restaurant specializing in gourmet individual pizzas. They are made and cooked as ordered. At the beginning of a cruise, people walk by but do not enter. They either assume that there will be an additional charge because it looks like a specialty restaurant or that they can get pizza up by the pool. There is no additional charge and while you can get pizza by the pool, you can't get this pizza by the pool. As word gets around the ship about what Alfredo's is really about, it gets busier and busier. By the end of the cruise, it is tough to get a table at lunctime. So let's keep this between ourselves.

Entertainment was very good. High points were the shows by the Beatles tribute group Beatlemaniacs and the Sixties deck party in which the production cast performed along with the fountains on the pool deck. I also enjoyed the enrichment program. This included two authors, Sarah Jio and Claire Bidwell Smith, who spoke about their work and writing. Princess executive Chis Joly packed Princess Live with a talk on how cruise ships are built. On a cruise that involved three sea days, a good enrichment program is essential.

This week on Beyondships we present part one of our profile of Regal Princess. http://beyondships.com/Princess-RE-Profile.html This includes a photo tour of the interior of the ship. http://beyondships.com/Princess-RE-Tour-1.html as well as a daily programs page with Princess Patters and other inormational leaflets distributed aboard Regal Princess. http://www.beyondships2.com/regal-princess-daily-programs.html

More and more cruise ships; Seven Seas Navigator and Voyager

 Recently, Carnival Corporation issued a press release pointing out that by 2016, it will have increased the capacity of its fleet by 10 percent. Considering that there are over 100 ships sailing for the various Carnival brands, this will be a considerable achievement. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean is building a sister to Quantum of the Seas and a third Oasis class ship. Not to be left out, Norwegian Cruise Line is building a series of ships that will be a bigger version of its revolutionary Breakaway class.

Back in the last decade, many in the cruise industry thought that the boom in cruise ship construction would eventually end and the various lines would use the ships that they had built to serve the market for 20 to 40 years. However, during the boom, the public became addicted to new ships. I have heard passengers describe five year old ships as old. Passengers want new ships. Also, as new cruising concepts are conceived, there is a need to create new platforms to implement them. Thus, the industry is forced to build more ships.

The question then becomes what are you going to do with all these ships? They are built to last 40 years or longer and so this is not a case of the new ships replacing ships that are no longer fit for service.

Traditionally in the cruise industry, when a cruise ship started to become long in the tooth and no longer capable of attracting passengers in the primary cruise market (i.e. North America), it was moved to the secondary market (i.e., Europe or Australia). When it became to old to be viable in the secondary market, it became a gambling ship in Asia.

The traditional hierarchy of markets, however, no longer exists. As the popularity of cruises has developed in Europe, Australia and Asia, those parts of the globe have become primary markets. Consequently, you see more and more first tier cruise ships deployed to those markets. The deployment of the new Quantum of the Seas to China is but one example.

Thus, the industry has to count on the continued growth of cruising to absorb all of the ships. In addition, to attract guests, the ships are going places and doing things that were never envisioned when cruising was confined to the Caribbean. And speaking of the Caribbean, the change in the quality and quantity of the attractions and things to do in the popular cruise ports over the last decade has been amazing. A Caribbean cruise is not like it used to be.

Furthermore, the cruise line's existing ships have to be continually upgraded to remain viable. For example, after Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas entered service, Royal Caribbean undertook a fleet-wide revitalization program to bring some of the popular features of those revolutionary ships to the rest of its fleet. Along the same lines, Carnival so extensively re-did Carnival Destiny to create a platform for Fun Ship 2.0 that they re-named the ship (Carnival Sunshine).

All of this new building seems to be great for consumers. You have new ships and revitalized ships with new offerings. Ships are going to new places. There is more to do in traditional cruise ports as the desire to attract cruise dollars feeds development. Also, unless the laws of economics have been suspended, increased capacity (supply) should place downward pressure on prices.

On Beyondships this week we look at two ships of luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas Cruises. We have a new mini-profile of Seven Seas Voyager http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-voyager-mini-profile.html. And we have expanded our coverage of Seven Seas Navigator with a new photo feature http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-navigator-photos.html and videos showing the ship in The Bahamas http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-navigator-video.html and in Canada. http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-navigator-video-2.html

Seven Seas Navigator Cruise Ship Profile and Photo Tour

Continuing our look at some of the ships in the luxury/ultra-luxury segment of the cruising, this week we focus on Seven Seas Navigator of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.




I was quite surprised to find out that Seven Seas Navigator is only 28,000 gross tons. The first time I saw her was several years ago when she was docked with Holland America’s Noordam at Grand Turk. Although she was clearly smaller than Noordam, she did not look one-third the size. Rather, she looked and still looks to be a substantial ship.



Perhaps this is because her hull was designed originally to be that of an exploration ship. It was only after her hull was completed that she was transformed into a luxury cruise ship. Thus, at her roots is a ship designed to travel any seas - - not a bad thing for a ship that roams far and wide cruising.



Navigator has a very traditional style. There is nothing that is designed to produce a “wow” or make you stagger back with awe. Rather, it is a conservative approach to luxury with extensive wood paneling, leather chairs, and understated colors. It is an approach that says quality and richness without shouting.



Regent is expanding on the concept of what is included in an “all-inclusive” fare. Of course, not everything is included in an all-inclusive fare. For example, they do not give you free of charge the chips to gamble with in the casino. However, on Navigator, an unlimited number of shore excursions are included as is round-trip airfare, a one-night stay in a hotel and many other things.



Beyondship’s profile of Seven Seas Navigator is at http://www.beyondships.com/Regent-Navigator-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Regent-Navigator-Tour-1.html

AIDAaura Profile and Photo Tour; Talking with her Club Manager

I find the AIDA approach to cruising intriguing. Essentially, it tosses away the traditional rules of cruising in order to foster a more open, club-like atmosphere. In some ways, it is like Norwegian Cruise Line’s Freestyle approach but more so. For example, not only are there no assigned dining times but there is no traditional dining room. Instead, there is a choice of buffet restaurants and specialty restaurants.




Of course, this approach to cruising is not for everyone. I like traditional cruising with its formal nights and rituals of the sea. However, variety is good too.



AIDA manages to execute its approach to cruising quite well. The ships are well-maintained and spotlessly clean. In addition, the staff is open and friendly.



The line is Carnival Corporation’s German cruise line and the cruise experience is designed for the German market. It has been quite successful there, generating a loyal and growing following. Indeed, the line has been adding ships at a rapid rate in order to keep up with the demand. I find it interesting that both AIDA and Cunard do very well in the German market even though the cruise experiences that they offer are at the polar extremes of formality.



This week, our focus is on one of AIDA’s smaller ships, the 42,000 gross ton AIDAaura. This ship provides a more intimate version of the AIDA experience than her larger fleetmates. Also, the smaller ships such as the Aura are used as pathfinders to explore new destinations before one of AIDA’s larger ships is committed to that itinerary.



Beyondships’ profile of AIDAaura is at http://www.beyondships.com/AIDAaura-Profile.html and the multi-page photo tour of the ship begins at http://www.beyondships.com/AIDAaura-Tour-1.html



I also spoke with Harald Bernberger, the Club Manager (Hotel Director) on AIDAaura about his ship and how it differs from Mr. Bernberger’s last ship the larger AIDAluna. He also provided some insights on why AIDA ordered its next two ships from Mitubishi Heavy Industries in Japan rather than from the German yard that built AIDA’s most recent class of ships. That interview is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/AIDAaura-art-HD.html

Celebrity Millennium - - Profile and Photo Tour

The first time I saw Celebrity Millennium, I was standing on the walls of Fort Morro in the old section of San Juan. Looking out at the approach to the harbor, I could see a sleek looking ship moving rapidly towards the island. Her shape was reminiscent of an arrow and like the old SS United States, she seemed to have a determined look about her. Even though she must have been slowing to enter the harbor, she still maintained a look of motion as she passed the rocky coast below the fortress - - a fine sight on a sunny early winter morning.




As the name hints, Millennium entered service in 2000. She was the first of four 91,000 gross ton ships built for Celebrity. While they would now fall into the mid-size category, they were considered large when they were built. They also were technologically advanced with azipod propulsion systems and gas turbine engines.



Inside, Millennium was elegant and sophisticated. Although Celebrity was now owned by Royal Caribbean, the ship continued the Celebrity tradition of having an extensive collection of contemporary art.



Millennium was also to host Celebrity’s first true alternative restaurant - - the Olympic Specialty Restaurant. For those interested in nautical history, this venue was and is particularly exciting as it includes carved wood panels from the White Star Liner SS Olympic - - the sister ship to the Titanic.



The Millennium class ships are in the process of going through a transformation. In 2009, Millennium had a $10 million revitalization in which the accommodations were redone and various changes were made to the public areas. Shortly thereafter, Celebrity decided that it would incorporate some of the popular features of its new Solstice class ships into the Millenniums. It began this Solsticization in 2010, with a major refit of Celebrity Constellation. Later this year, it will do an even more extensive revitalization of Celebrity Infinity. Summit and Millennium are to follow. It seems likely that new ideas will flow from each refit and thus the four ships will continue to differ slightly in their features for some time to come.



The refits of Millennium and of Constellation underscore the robustness of this design. It can incorporate new features without losing the sophisticated atmosphere which has made these ships so popular.



The Beyondships profile of Celebrity Millennium with copies of programs and menus is at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Millennium-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour and commentary begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Millennium-Tour-1.html

Carnival Victory Photo Tour

Carnival Victory was the first ship profiled on Beyondships. Even though I did an update of that profile since then, I was surprised when I revisited Victory, how much had changed.

Chief among these were the changes that followed from the addition of a Serenity outdoor section to the ship. Serenity is a concept that was featured on Carnival Dream when she went into service and which is now being implemented throughout the fleet. It is an adults-only section of the open decks that features premium seating - - hammocks, enhanced loungers, etc. - - whirlpools and its own bar. It provides some rest time for parents and a sanctuary for those traveling without kids. It is a nice bit of pampering.

For the most part, the Serenity section occupies an area that was an underutilized section of the open decks in the forward part of the ship. However, the addition of the Serenity section did displace some other facilities. The mini-golf course has been moved to the area immediately under the funnel. This was a definite improvement. When the mini-golf was forward, it was sort of cramped and all the holes followed one after another in a straight line due the rectangular nature of the space the course occupied. The funnel area is much more open and the course is more spread out.

An earlier refit saw the addition of the giant LED screen to the open decks. It is located at the aft end of the main pool area. In order to make the area more theater like, the old bandstand that stood at the front end of the pool area has been removed.

In addition to the changes to the ship, there have been changes to Beyondships over time. The profiles include more than they used to include. As a result, there are more photos covering more of the bars, public rooms, spa and dining venues. In addition I have invested in better cameras, which hopefully means better quality photos.

The Beyondships profile of Carnival Victory is at http://www.beyondships.com/CARNIVALVICTORY.html and the expanded photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalVictorytour1a.html

I have als added a few new photos to the profiles of some of the other Carnival ships that I have recently encountered - - Carnival Conquest, Carnival Legend, and Carnival Valor.

In the upcoming weeks, I will be presenting new material from some of the other ships that I have been on recently including Norwegian Epic, Azura and the fabulous Allure of the Seas. There will also be reports on some of the destinations that I have visited.

Profile and Photo Tour of Carnival Liberty

With the addition of Carnival Liberty, Beyondships now has profiles of all of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships that have grown out of the design first introduced with Carnival Destiny. This includes the Destiny, Triumph, Conquest, Splendor and Dream classes - - 10 ships in all

I did not plan for Carnival Liberty to be the last, it just worked out that way. Liberty was just the last one I encountered.

She entered service in 2005 and was the fourth of the Conquest-class. It is a good design that has worked well for Carnival and for its guests. There is a variety of public rooms and facilities, which offer guests real options on where to go and what to do.

While the general layout of the Conquest class ships is the same, they are not cookie cutters. Architect Joe Farcus always develops the interiors of the Carnival ships around a unifying idea. The idea is unique to each ship. For Carnival Liberty, he decided to pay tribute to “great artisans and their works.” This is a broad theme and so the theme is not as apparent as one walks through Liberty. However, the result is an interior that is perhaps more subtle than some of her fleetmates.

One of the things that stands out in my mind about Carnival Liberty was the friendliness of the crew. Of course, it all depends upon who you encounter as well as the circumstances but on Carnival Liberty, everyone I spoke with seemed nice and was helpful. The friendliness of the crew helps to create a ship’s personality but the ship’s personality also affects whether a crew is friendly.

Beyondships’ profile of Carnival Liberty is at: http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalLiberty-Profile.html The multi-page photo tour and commentary begins at: http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalLiberty-Tour-1.html

Photo tour and Profile of Carnival Sensation

Carnival has made the decision to keep its Fantasy-class ships viable. These eight ships were built in the early 1990s and have served the company well. Offering good quality amenities and facilities at an affordable price, these 70,000 gross ton ships were in no small measure an important factor in making Carnival the world’s most popular cruise line.

Today, the fleets of the major cruise lines, including Carnival, are dominated by much larger ships with more features than the Fantasy class chips. As a result, most pf the major lines have sold or are transferring ships of the same age to their subsidiaries in the secondary market. From a nautical and technological standpoint, there is nothing wrong with these ships. The problem is that they do not have all the features that the new ships have.

Carnival, however, has seen that there is still a place for these ships. There are ports that serve areas where there is an untapped demand for cruising but which may not be big enough to justify deploying a new mega-cruise ship to that area. In addition, there is a market for short cruises that are an economical vacation or a good short break. Again, it probably would not be an efficient deployment of resources to have new mega-cruise ships doing short cruises but it would work with a smaller ship.

Therefore, Carnival is investing millions on its Evolutions of Fun re-vitalization program for its Fantasy class ships. For Carnival Sensation, the third of the Fantasy-class ships, this revitalization took place in two parts. In 2007, her interior public spaces and staterooms received a facelift. Then, in 2009, she went in for a second refit.

This time, the big changes to Sensation were to the open decks. The main pool area has been redecorated so as to give it a more upscale feel. In addition, the spiral water slide and the children’s Water Wars equipment have been removed. Similarly, the children’s pool, which was located at the stern on the promenade deck, has been replaced by an adults-only retreat.

Sensation, however, is still family-friendly. Replacing the aforementioned children’s facilities is a new aqua park called Water Works. This large area has a giant spiral water slide, racing slides, and fountains spraying streams of water.

In addition to the changes to the open decks, Carnival added three sections of balcony staterooms to the ship. Balconies are incredibly popular in the cruise business. Consequently, ships built without balconies have to have balconies added if they are to remain viable in the primary market.

The new Beyondships profile and photo tour of Sensation shows the finished product. In addition, I have added a page to the photo tour to show what the ship looked like before the most recent changes were made. The profile is at http://beyondships.com/CarnivalSensation-Profile.html and the photo tour begins at http://beyondships.com/CarnivalSensation-Tour-1.html

Carnival Conquest Photo Tour and Profile

Carnival Conquest is one of the mainstays of the Carnival fleet. She was the first ship to be built of the larger version of the Carnival Destiny design and her features were carried through with very little change through the next four Carnival mega-ships. Indeed, even Carnival Splendor of 2008 bears a close resemblance to Conquest and the line’s most recent ship, Carnival Dream, bears something of a resemblance.

One of the really nice things about Conquest is the interior decoration. Designer Joe Farcus selected the French Impressionists as the inspiration for the interior and he has utilized their works and ideas from their works in an imaginative and pleasing way. Almost everyone likes the French Impressionists, so this idea was bound to work.

Beyondships’ profile of Carnival Conquest with copies of menus, daily programs and other information about the ship is at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalConquest-Profile.html and the multi-page photo tour of the ship begins at http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalConquest-Tour-1.html

The Unique Experience of M/S Fram

M/S Fram is a small expedition cruise ship operated by Hurtigruten, the former Norwegian Coastal Voyages. The ship’s itinerary takes her to Greenland in the summer and then to the Antarctic in the winter. In between, she does “world cruises” that take her from the top to the bottom of the globe and vice versa, visiting interesting places along the way. The company says that it offers “unique experiences” on “authentic voyages to pristine lands.”

This is not the typical cruise. Fram goes to places that are rarely seen. The focus is on nature and the scenery of these remote places. Taking Zodiac rigid inflatable boats ashore to see penguins or polar bears, walk on glaciers, drive a dog team, or talk with people from different cultures is the type of thing that passengers do.

It is an adventure holiday that typically appeals to those who have done a great deal of traveling and who have the money and time to get away for the time it takes to travel to these distant places. Even within this demographic, a person should be capable of enjoying cold weather and rough seas. While Fram was designed and built for these regions, cruising there can be more challenging than cruising the Caribbean.

Since the focus of the voyage is on nature and what is happening outside the ship, the organized activities onboard are mostly limited to the lectures given by the staff. However, there are hot tubs, saunas, a fitness center, a library, an internet café, bars and places both inside and out to relax and watch the scenery.

My profile of Fram with information, photos, a copy of a menu and a daily program, is at http://beyondships.com/HUR-Fram-Profile.html and the photographic tour and commentary begins at http://beyondships.com/HUR-Fram-Tour.html

Norwegian Jewel Cruise Ship Profile

Norwegian Jewel is one of the most recent class of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) ships and one of the largest. Since she was the first one of this class, she does not have quite all of the features that are on the most recent ship, Norwegian Gem, but she is pretty much state-of-the-art Freestyle cruising.

Freestyle cruising is all about giving the guests options to design their own vacation. There are two large dining rooms, seven specialty restaurants, a buffet and several places for a light snack. There are bars, nightclubs, a large casino and a theater for production shows. Similarly, there are pools, a spa, a fitness center and various other sports facilities for daytime entertainment. The accommodations range from lavish luxury to comfortable but utilitarian. The idea is that you decide what is best for you.

Of course, with freedom comes responsibility. For example, the guest must make his or her own dinner arrangements. If they fail to do so, they may end up dining in a venue that they did not really want while the production show that they did want to see in the theater is taking place.

Jewel is somewhat similar in décor to the slightly smaller Norwegian Dawn. Both make use of bold colors but not overwhelmingly so. For the most part, the style is upscale contemporary. I was somewhat disappointed that Jewel does not have the amazing art collection that is on Dawn, but then one can’t really expect NCL to have Monets and Reniors on every ship. There are some very good Asian paintings, however, if one keeps an eye out.

Outside, Jewel is painted white with a festive mural on her bow and sides. It is not like a traditional ocean liner but then NCL is all about breaking with tradition. Jewel is a big happy-looking ship.

It should be noted that this ship is no slouch technologically. She is capable of 25 knots, making her one of the fastest passenger ships in service. Also, with her two azipods and three bow thrusters, she is highly maneuverable.

This ship is based out of Britain during the summer months, doing cruises to Northern Europe. Although the style is distinctly American, she has developed a substantial European following. Freedom of choice has an appeal that transcends national boundaries.

My profile of Norwegian Jewel with information, copies of menus and daily programs, is at http://beyondships.com/NCLJewel.html and the photographic tour and commentary begins at http://beyondships.com/NCLJewel-Tour.html

Norwegian Spirit Revisited

When I started Beyondships.com, one of the first ships that I profiled was Norwegian Spirit. The profile included some basic information, an article that I had written about the ship when she first came to New York and a page of photos. Since then the profiles on the site have become much more extensive and contain much more information. Consequently, I felt that I had to go back and redo Spirit’s profile.

Spirit is a charming ship. She was built as Superstar Leo for the Asian market by Star Cruises. Not long after Star bought Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the ship was transferred to NCL. She still retains an Asian flavor with an extensive collection of Asian art and a clear Asian influence in the décor of her public rooms. This unifying theme helps to give the feeling that the ship is a coherent whole rather than a polyglot conglomerate of rooms.

In addition, the public rooms were done to a high standard and are well-maintained. This gives the ship an upscale and sophisticated feel.

One thing that particularly impressed me on this visit was the friendliness and attitude of the crew. Quite frankly, I did not remember the ship that way. The staff did their jobs but I do not recall them being particularly open. This time, however, everyone appeared happy and eager to please. Not surprisingly, the passengers seemed to respond to this attitude and the ship had a happy atmosphere.

Since coming to NCL, Spirit mostly has been sailing from New York. For a time, it was all year but more recently, she has been spending time sailing from southern ports such as New Orleans. Next year, she will be taking over the itineraries that had been done by Norwegian Dream, which is leaving the fleet, and will be sailing out of Boston.

The new photo tour of Spirit is consistent with the other photo tours on the site and much more in keeping with what this good ship deserves. It is six pages and documents her public areas as well as some of the staterooms. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLSpirit-Tour.html In addition, on the profile page there are now menus from the main dining room as well as the popular Cagney’s and Le Bistro restaurants. There are also copies of daily programs including children’s programs and a sports program. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLSpirit.html

P&O's Aurora - - Attractive British sophistication

P&O Cruises’ Aurora is an attractive ship. On the outside, she has a relatively long bow for a modern cruise ship and she has a terraced stern that give her a pleasing sleek appearance, particularly evident when she is underway.

Yet, what I was more impressed by was her interior. Everything has been done with taste and refinement. The atmosphere of the public rooms is cosmopolitan and sophisticated. At the same time, even though she is a big ship, there is a welcoming feeling.

Aurora is based in Southampton, England. She specializes in longer cruises that take her to the Baltic, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and even to America and Canada. The vast majority of passengers are British - - after all the ship was built with the British market in mind.

In many respects, Aurora reminds me of Celebrity Constellation. However, life onboard Aurora is more traditional and more formal than on most cruise lines. Dinner in the two main restaurants is done in two seatings with passengers having the same table and waiters for the length of the voyage. I like such a system because a camaraderie usually develops with ones table companions and with the staff over the course of several evenings. Aurora has alternative dining venues that are less formal if one needs a change. There are also tables hosted by the ship’s officers as was the custom in the days of the great liners.

I have posted a profile of Aurora http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Aurora-Profile.html and a photo tour of the ship. http://www.beyondships.com/PO-Aurora-Tour-1.html I hope you enjoy them.

Jorge Lynch, Hotel Director Explorer of the Seas

Jorge Lynch is a big man, towering over most of the people he meets. But then, he has a big job to do - - running the hotel on Explorer of the Seas, which means ensuring that more than 3,000 passengers a week have a quality vacation experience. This requires supervising the vast majority of the crew of Explorer as well as being in charge of the dining, staterooms and entertainment - - in short, everything that most directly affects the guests’ vacation experiences.

Mr. Lynch is well qualified for this role. He had a formal education in hotel administration and has held management positions at shoreside hotels and resorts. Moreover, he started as an assistant purser on Empress of the Seas and has worked in most of the management positions in the hotel operations on almost all of the classes of Royal Caribbean ships. As a result, he has a unique understanding of what Royal Caribbean guests want and what is required to fulfill those desires. It also helps in management, he says with a laugh, because the staff know they cannot BS him about the problems encountered in their positions.

I had the chance to speak with Mr. Lynch during my recent voyage on Explorer. We spoke about what it takes to motivate the hotel staff to give the excellent service displayed on Explorer during my cruise. Also, he gave me some thoughts on Royal Caribbean’s expansion into Europe, Asia and other new cruising markets. The interview is posted at: http://beyondships.com/Explorer-Lynch.html

Adventure of the Seas Profile

Adventure of the Seas is one of five Voyager-class cruise ships. These ships are not only some of the largest ships in service today but are recognized as being innovative. Their large space houses a wide variety of facilities and amenities including: the Royal Promenade, an indoor mall with shops, cafes, and bars that runs the center of the ship; the trademark rock climbing wall; an ice rink that is also used as an arena for concerts and activities; as well as more familiar attractions such as pools, a spa, a theater, lounges, an Intenet cafe, library, and a movie screening room.

When a series of ships is built based upon the same design, how can you differentiate one ship from the others? On the one hand, there is the question of do you want to have them be distinct? When people like the experience that they have on one ship in a cruise line’s fleet, they might be disappointed if they try another ship and it does not have the same facilities as their prior ship. In other words, if a ship is sailing under the Royal Caribbean brand, it should have the features that passengers associate with a Royal Caribbean ship. Accordingly, the Voyager ships have the same layout and with no major exceptions, the same facilities and amenities.

But Royal Caribbean has recognized that ships are not like buses or airplanes and that they inevitably develop their own character. This is particularly well known in naval circles where identical ships have their own personalities. Accordingly, there are subtle differences in the décor of the various Voyagers.

The art work on Adventure of the Seas is modern and upbeat. The paintings are abstract with bright colors. There are also quite a few life-like statues of people engaged in various activities around the ship. The passenger hallways are warm and attractive.

Another things that struck me about the ship was that she looked crisp and new. Since the ship entered service in 2001, I can only put this down to good maintenance.

When I was on board, Adventure was on a cruise out of San Juan Puerto Rico and there was also something of a Latin flavor. The crew members I encountered seemed to be able to speak both English and Spanish and the Cruise Compasses were printed in those languages as well as French and German.

I have added a new profile section to my website on Adventure of the Seas. http://beyondships.com/AOS-Profile.htm The photo tour and commentary begins at: http://beyondships.com/AOS-tour.html

Caribbean Princess Passenger Services Director James Deering

James Deering has a vast experience in the cruise industry coming from having worked for a series of major names in cruise industry including NCL, Star Cruises, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Renaissance Cruises, and now Princess Cruises. He also has a keen intelligence and is quite articulate. Consequently, each time I have interview James, I have walked away with large amounts of material. Indeed, there was so much material this time, that there is too much for just one article.

Most recently, I encountered James on Caribbean Princess where he was the Passenger Services Director, which is equivalent to the hotel manager or hotel director on the other major lines. The ship was on a Caribbean cruise out of New York.

It is a time of transition for Caribbean Princess, one of the mega-cruise ships of the Grand (Princess) class. Caribbean Princess is taking over the itineraries previously done by her younger sister Crown Princess. In addition, in January, she will undergo an extensive refit which will give her all of the amenities and facilities that are on the more recent Grand class ships.

While it may seem a no-brainer to add features that have been successful on other ships, there is risk in change. The service, the food and the activities on Caribbean Princess were all working well on this cruise. In addition, there were numerous repeat passengers on this voyage, many of whom had come because they liked Caribbean Princess the best of all of the Grand class ships. If things are working well, why change?

James agreed that each ship develops its own character and that leads to a ship having its own following. However, based upon his experience on the Crown Princess and the Emerald Princess, he felt that the features planned for Caribbean Princess would enhance the Caribbean Princess experience without changing the ship’s basic character.

My most recent interview with James Deering is at: http://beyondships.com/Princess-CB-Deering.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