We arrived at the Celebrity Equinox at noon with our luggage efficiently taken and we were quickly ushered through security and to Concierge Class check-in, where we were met by no line at all. In about five minutes we were onboard. It was, pretty much the most efficient check-in ever.
With our staterooms not ready until 1:00 p.m. we went to the Oceanview Café for a bite to eat. This space quickly reminded me that its design and variety of foods makes it a truly superior “buffet” (albeit the various stations make it anything but a “buffet”). I had small portions of three types of curries (beef, shrimp and veggie), while my DW had some fresh pasta and the kids had Vietnamese stir fry.
One bad thing struck me; something I had not seen on Celebrity before: There was a very aggressive push for the Drink of the Day and bottled water. I found myself trying not to make eye contact so that I would not get another pitch. Hopefully this will be the exception, but it was a very unwelcome start to my cruise.
Right at 1:00pm our staterooms were ready. A bottle of Celebrity champagne (actually more like a very light Cava) greeted us along with a bowl of fruits, fresh flowers, etc. Sherwin, our steward, made himself available almost immediately. Our luggage was delivered to our staterooms before 2:00 pm. Very efficient.
I am not going to review the staterooms again, but do want to note that it is possible to have the balcony divider opened, so we have free access to the kids’ stateroom and visa versa. It is a very nice and convenient feature. (It pretty much makes the need for interconnecting staterooms antiquated if you have older children.)
Another nice touch: the mandatory muster no longer requires you lug your life jackets. A short video and you are done. Again, very efficient.
As we pre-booked our specialty dining, we took a walk around the ship, easily setup our internet, and then settled onto our balcony with our champagne for the 6:00 pm sailaway.
We had dinner in the main dining room. The room is large and attractive, and we have a great private table adjacent to the Captain’s table with a wonderful view of the Wine Tower/Cellar. My escargot and my DW’s beet salad was OK (not bad, just not memorable), our Caprese salad and lobster bisque was better and my lamb shank was actually quite good (and I would note that it is not easy to make a good lamb shank, no less have it offered on a larger cruise ship). My DW’s steak was as ordered, but not memorable. The one thing that got to us was the sort of frenetic pace of things; something somewhat ubiquitous for a cruise’s first night.
It is worthy of note that there were a number of “difficult” passengers who insisted on this or that, showed up for the late seating rather than dining at the assigned early seating, etc. Celebrity’s staff really shined here with a “We will make it happen” approach rather than the more normal for larger ship approach of “Sorry, we cannot help you.” And it was all done with smiles and class. I was impressed…even though it did make our dining experience less than relaxing. (We will be dining in Murano, the nicest of the specialty restaurants for the next two evenings, so I think our dining experience will be much improved; not that last evening was offensive…just not what we prefer.)
Meanwhile, the kids were busy. They had their respective activities with the kids programs, made some friends, spent some money in the arcade and then returned to their stateroom for some late night room service and a movie on the very high tech television system. They are very happy.
After dinner we found our way to Michael’s Club; a decidedly quiet and classy space with a truly excellent classical guitarist for my after dinner whiskey. I remembered Ryan from my Pre-Inaugural Cruise on the Celebrity Solstice.
A nightcap on our balcony and a nice way to end our first day onboard. I am looking forward to settling in and enjoying our cruise over the next two weeks.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Celebrity Equinox - The Adventure Begins...With a Bump or Two
So everything and everybody was ready to go...and then the car to take us to the airport didn't so up. Fortunately, I left us more than enough time and had a Plan B, so we piled all the luggage in the car and drove to an airport parking service with valet. We even had time for a drink in the Continental President's Club before our flight.
The flight to Rome was fine and we sailed through Passport Control, our luggage was the first off the belt, and an ATM was right there next to the luggage carousel. As we were going to grab a taxi with all our luggage a van service approached and offered a 160€ price to Civitavecchia (a 45 minute drive). I was able to negotiate them down to 100€...and things were looking good.
Then we arrived at our hotel; which was always intended to be a sort of economy place to crash until our cruise the next day. Well, economy is what we got. Let's just say the pictures online and the comments on TripAdvisor.com were a bit optimistic. But it worked as a place to sleep and the staff is friendly enough.
But then a wonderful surprise and the reason I love local stuff. The front desk suggested a restaurant for dinner in the rather depressed port town of Civitavecchia. We walked to La Palamite and looked at each other as a very non-descript restaurant with bright lights greeted us. The manager/waiter had a great smile and very little knowledge of English. With my very little knowledge of Italian, it wasn't looking good.
But then we had a really good meal with lots of smiles, excellent seafood and pasta, and the locals started to slowly arrive for their later dinner. Wonderful mussels, clams, prawns, langastino and calamari. Even the spaghetti with tomato sauce was special. And my son had the best fried calamari I have ever tasted.
We asked for a bottle of wine take back to the hotel. The manager was so nice he offered to give it to us as a gift. (We, of course, declined and paid for it.) And all of a sudden the depressed little port town with the tired hotel seemed like a really friendly place. For me it made the overnight worth it.
Would I do it again? Would I recommend it to my clients? No and No. Am I happy we gave it a shot? Absolutely.
We board the Celebrity Equinox in about an hour and the whole family is looking forward to it.
The flight to Rome was fine and we sailed through Passport Control, our luggage was the first off the belt, and an ATM was right there next to the luggage carousel. As we were going to grab a taxi with all our luggage a van service approached and offered a 160€ price to Civitavecchia (a 45 minute drive). I was able to negotiate them down to 100€...and things were looking good.
Then we arrived at our hotel; which was always intended to be a sort of economy place to crash until our cruise the next day. Well, economy is what we got. Let's just say the pictures online and the comments on TripAdvisor.com were a bit optimistic. But it worked as a place to sleep and the staff is friendly enough.
But then a wonderful surprise and the reason I love local stuff. The front desk suggested a restaurant for dinner in the rather depressed port town of Civitavecchia. We walked to La Palamite and looked at each other as a very non-descript restaurant with bright lights greeted us. The manager/waiter had a great smile and very little knowledge of English. With my very little knowledge of Italian, it wasn't looking good.
But then we had a really good meal with lots of smiles, excellent seafood and pasta, and the locals started to slowly arrive for their later dinner. Wonderful mussels, clams, prawns, langastino and calamari. Even the spaghetti with tomato sauce was special. And my son had the best fried calamari I have ever tasted.
We asked for a bottle of wine take back to the hotel. The manager was so nice he offered to give it to us as a gift. (We, of course, declined and paid for it.) And all of a sudden the depressed little port town with the tired hotel seemed like a really friendly place. For me it made the overnight worth it.
Would I do it again? Would I recommend it to my clients? No and No. Am I happy we gave it a shot? Absolutely.
We board the Celebrity Equinox in about an hour and the whole family is looking forward to it.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
AFAR Magazine - The Launch of a Road Hopefully More Traveled
This past Tuesday I attended the launch party for AFAR Magazine, the newest (and I believe best) travel magazine out there.
Launch parties tend try to wow you with flash. This one didn't; rather it was just cool. I wanted to bottle the "feel". It was held in a three story home in Greenwich Village which was filled with the owner's artifacts and collections from her travels around the world. In one room there was a restaurateur serving its Basque foods and wine, in another Tang Dynasty musicians (they were young, the instruments old), yet another had a Moroccan food on one side and French baguette inspired foods on the other...and, importantly, incredible chocolates in between. Indian music in another room and digeridoo playing in the roof garden. Owners, editors, publishers, writers and many different languages were all heard.
In other words, it captured what "travel" does for many: Inspiration.
Media Life's article: Making the Case for AFAR Magazine is quite interesting if you want get into the nitty gritty of the magazine's approach.
Now, substantively, I have had a chance to start reading the premiere issue of AFAR and am very excited that the substance has lived up to the pre-publication hype. This is like a magazine of old: You have to actually read the articles. It will take you time and thought. It is not a Conde Nast list of the 1,000,000 top restaurants in the Caribbean. It is a journey discovering, in part, why and how bread is such an important part of French daily life. It is about living in a lodge that you can only reach via zip line.
Ad Age wrote: "there are a few articles that seem to clock in at 4,000 words. WORDS! Remember when magazines used to use words, rather than shiny pictures, charticles and infographics?! "
Of course, the point of the magazine - and my post today - is not to encourage everyone to zip line to a tree top lodge in the middle of a jungle, but rather to start to think about some simple things as you travel...as you cruise...such as not only that you want to have pasta in Italy, but what kind of pasta and why; to feel and taste the difference between it and the boxed stuff you eat at home. To taste the earth in the tomatoes and to envision the farmers picking them only hours earlier.
And, hopefully, from that pasta your thoughts will transform from checking off X when you are in Naples, to (for me personally) being excited to return to Capri to that litle restaurant overlooking the harbor where in 2003 we had a just incredible pizza we watched being crafted in a brick oven with flames flying everywhere.
And from that to exploring, in more depth, the people of a place you have "been to" before. On our upcoming cruise on the Celebrity Equinox we stop in Kusadasi yet again. But are going back to Sirince, Turkey -just us- to more explore the local people, wines and foods...which we touched on when on our 2008 Food & Wine Cruise. Raise your hands: How many of you would have said, "I have been to Ephesus before and I don't want to shop in the bazaar, so I will just stay on the ship."?
I so believe in AFAR magazine and its importance to developing travel as inspiration rather than as a trophy or (so we are being realistic...philiophy only goes so far!) as a compliment thereto, Goldring Travel not only is supporting the effort as an advertiser, starting today I am going to provide a complimentary subscription to AFAR Magazine to every booking for cruise or land tour with Goldring Travel.
Launch parties tend try to wow you with flash. This one didn't; rather it was just cool. I wanted to bottle the "feel". It was held in a three story home in Greenwich Village which was filled with the owner's artifacts and collections from her travels around the world. In one room there was a restaurateur serving its Basque foods and wine, in another Tang Dynasty musicians (they were young, the instruments old), yet another had a Moroccan food on one side and French baguette inspired foods on the other...and, importantly, incredible chocolates in between. Indian music in another room and digeridoo playing in the roof garden. Owners, editors, publishers, writers and many different languages were all heard.
In other words, it captured what "travel" does for many: Inspiration.
Media Life's article: Making the Case for AFAR Magazine is quite interesting if you want get into the nitty gritty of the magazine's approach.
Now, substantively, I have had a chance to start reading the premiere issue of AFAR and am very excited that the substance has lived up to the pre-publication hype. This is like a magazine of old: You have to actually read the articles. It will take you time and thought. It is not a Conde Nast list of the 1,000,000 top restaurants in the Caribbean. It is a journey discovering, in part, why and how bread is such an important part of French daily life. It is about living in a lodge that you can only reach via zip line.
Ad Age wrote: "there are a few articles that seem to clock in at 4,000 words. WORDS! Remember when magazines used to use words, rather than shiny pictures, charticles and infographics?! "
Of course, the point of the magazine - and my post today - is not to encourage everyone to zip line to a tree top lodge in the middle of a jungle, but rather to start to think about some simple things as you travel...as you cruise...such as not only that you want to have pasta in Italy, but what kind of pasta and why; to feel and taste the difference between it and the boxed stuff you eat at home. To taste the earth in the tomatoes and to envision the farmers picking them only hours earlier.
And, hopefully, from that pasta your thoughts will transform from checking off X when you are in Naples, to (for me personally) being excited to return to Capri to that litle restaurant overlooking the harbor where in 2003 we had a just incredible pizza we watched being crafted in a brick oven with flames flying everywhere.
And from that to exploring, in more depth, the people of a place you have "been to" before. On our upcoming cruise on the Celebrity Equinox we stop in Kusadasi yet again. But are going back to Sirince, Turkey -just us- to more explore the local people, wines and foods...which we touched on when on our 2008 Food & Wine Cruise. Raise your hands: How many of you would have said, "I have been to Ephesus before and I don't want to shop in the bazaar, so I will just stay on the ship."?
I so believe in AFAR magazine and its importance to developing travel as inspiration rather than as a trophy or (so we are being realistic...philiophy only goes so far!) as a compliment thereto, Goldring Travel not only is supporting the effort as an advertiser, starting today I am going to provide a complimentary subscription to AFAR Magazine to every booking for cruise or land tour with Goldring Travel.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Celebrity Equinox - The Prologue to the Travelogue
On Sunday my family embarks on a 13 night cruise on the brand new Celebrity Equinox. Our cruise is roundtrip Rome with port calls in Naples, Italy; Athens and Rhodes, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; Haifa and Ashdod, Israel and Alexandria, Egypt (overnight)...with four sea days. We will be overnighting off the ship in Israel and in Egypt.
I will be providing you with some of my insights and observations as we travel on a very interesting itinerary; though we have been to many of the ports before. I will, however, spend less time discussing the hardware as I recently did so in my review of her sister, the Celebrity Solstice.
As I have stated for years, I believe Celebrity not only gives the "best bang for the buck in the business" it also provides...if you want it...a near luxury experience. Starting off with the "best bang for the buck" this cruise retails for $2,164.46 per person including all fees and taxes, or only $166.50 per day...and that is for Concierge Class balcony cabins (we have two).
Celebrity has elevated and differentiated the cabins on the Solstice-class ships. There are the oceanview and balcony cabins and then there are the Concierge Class and Aqua Class cabins, followed by the suites. As I stayed in an Aqua Class cabin (which provides certain healthy amenities including spa access and dining in Blu, the spa restaurant), this time my experience will be different. Concierge Class cabins provide the following amenities which are additional to the standard cabins (skipping the less relevant ones):
• Welcome champagne
• Daily fruit selection
• Fresh-cut flowers
• Daily hors d'oeuvres
• Menu of pillows-Conformance, Body, Goose, and Isotonic®
• Duvets and pillow-top mattresses
• Hansgrohe® showerhead
• Early embarkation and debarkation
• Shoeshine service
Added to these amenities are the Captain's Club (past passenger program) amenities. We are "Select" members which afford us (again only relevant onboard items):
• Invitation to the exclusive Senior Officer's Cocktail Party
• Exclusive Captain's Club Celebration event
• 25% off any single internet package
• Complimentary pressing of 2 garment items
• One standard bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) at discounted price of $20 during cruises of 12 nights or longer
I also have a $200 onboard credit for being a shareholder of Royal Caribbean.
So with my priority early embarkation, chilled champagne waiting for me in my balcony cabin, daily hors d'oeuvres, fresh flowers and the like all set to go, I am not yet ready to go. I need to organize some "luxury".
The main dining room is beautiful and my sampling of the service in November on the Solstice was, honestly, excellent my wife and I tend to enjoy more intimate dinners (and our children tend to enjoy the buffet, room service and the children's activities). So I have pre-booked 3 dinners in Murano, the most upscale restaurant (and if it is anything like the specialty restaurants on the Millennium Class ships we will be very happy), 1 dinner at Silk Harvest (the Asian fusion restaurant) and 1 dinner at Tuscan Grille (the steakhouse). When you consider we will be off the ship two evenings, we have already managed to avoid (bad choice of words?) the main dining room for 7 of the 13 nights.
The Celebrity just announced it is introducing on the Equinox "Celebrity Life, a new series of palate-pleasing, intellectually-enriching and life-enhancing programs designed to deliver the most unique and sophisticated onboard experience in premium cruising." What is entails...to the extent the information is available...is a group of enrichment programs broken down into three categories:
"Savor" takes an already stellar culinary experience to new heights, with eight new wine enrichment events, six spirits and mixology tastings, and more than seven different interactive programs for guests, hosted by the ship's Executive Chef and team.
"Discover" presents an opportunity for guests to do or learn what they have always wanted to try, but never had time to accomplish. Whether it's ordering a bottle of Chianti in Italian, or exploring the universe in 40 minutes, guests can delve into a wide variety of interests.
"Renew" offers an improved, more goal-oriented approach to classes, seminars, and treatments designed to help guests on their journey to looking younger, feeling better and living longer.
These three programs are then broken down further. Without getting into all the specifics, which you can find here, one drew my attention:
The "Celebrity Vineyards" wine enrichment program, developed in partnership with the United States Sommelier Association, will feature a host of immersive wine events providing guests the opportunity to expand their understanding and appreciation of the fascinating world of wine. Among the varied activities are the comparative wine workshops Celebrity introduced in 2007, sanctioned by the renowned Riedel Crystal.
I have been advised that this is "sign up on the ship" program and pricing was not available yet. OK, not a luxury start, but it has given me something to look forward to and investigate; an a clearly interesting enrichment opportunity.
Am I done yet? Nope. I know the "smuggling booze" issue comes up. I am not really overwhelmed with this issue. Celebrity allows you to bring two bottles of wine per person onboard at embarkation ostensibly to be drank with a corkage fee in the restaurants. However there is no requirement to drink them there, so our pre-dinner drinks in our cabin are taken care of. We, therefore, will have our cabin stocked...with very little effort...purchasing some wine the day before while in Civitavecchia. Also, the kids will get soda cards, so for $5 a day ($65 per child) the soft drink issue is resolved. Now, purchasing a bottle of wine with dinner is not a big deal and how much more am I going to drink? Note: Once this is organized it does nothing to interfere with my 13 night cruise, so let's put substance over form on this one. OK?
Yet another luxury touch are private tours. We are only taking two tours; both private. A 2 day in Israel and a 2 day in Egypt. I will discuss them in more detail as they happen, but I do wish to make two points now. First, a high quality private tour for 4 people is less expensive than a "similar" cruise tour....and you can have your tour highlight what you want. (We are Jewish so our focus is somewhat different than what the ship's tours offer to the mostly Christian passengers.) Second, our overnights provide us with (hopefully) some better experiences. We are staying at Jerusalem Hotel (Palestinian owned and operated) in Jerusalem rather than the ship's tour chain hotel with a fixed menu restaurant and in Giza we opted for Pyramid View rooms at Le Meridian Hotel rather than the ship's lesser rooms with a private felluca ride rather than a belly dancing dinner cruise. (I am sure it won't be like falling asleep to a view of the Acropolis in Athens, but it should be pretty cool.) Obviously the other benefits of private tours will certainly increase the "luxury" aspect of our cruise.
So with only a little pre-cruise effort I think we are looking at a pretty upscale experience.
Now, do I expect it to be as luxurious as when I step onto the Seabourn Spirit or, should I even mention it in the same breath, the Seabourn Odyssey? No. But do I think I will be in a great compromise because there will be thousands of other people on the same ship? No. My cabin is an upscale sanctuary with nice amenities. My dining will, for the majority of the time, be in smaller venues. My tours will be private. And, I would suggest, take a look at the hardware and tell me you can't find beautiful, uncrowded spaces. Oh, did I mention the kids will be happy and entertained when on the ship...which will also upscale my, personal, experience?
If there are things you want to know, post your questions on The Gold Standard Forum and I will try to respond.
I will be providing you with some of my insights and observations as we travel on a very interesting itinerary; though we have been to many of the ports before. I will, however, spend less time discussing the hardware as I recently did so in my review of her sister, the Celebrity Solstice.
As I have stated for years, I believe Celebrity not only gives the "best bang for the buck in the business" it also provides...if you want it...a near luxury experience. Starting off with the "best bang for the buck" this cruise retails for $2,164.46 per person including all fees and taxes, or only $166.50 per day...and that is for Concierge Class balcony cabins (we have two).
Celebrity has elevated and differentiated the cabins on the Solstice-class ships. There are the oceanview and balcony cabins and then there are the Concierge Class and Aqua Class cabins, followed by the suites. As I stayed in an Aqua Class cabin (which provides certain healthy amenities including spa access and dining in Blu, the spa restaurant), this time my experience will be different. Concierge Class cabins provide the following amenities which are additional to the standard cabins (skipping the less relevant ones):
• Welcome champagne
• Daily fruit selection
• Fresh-cut flowers
• Daily hors d'oeuvres
• Menu of pillows-Conformance, Body, Goose, and Isotonic®
• Duvets and pillow-top mattresses
• Hansgrohe® showerhead
• Early embarkation and debarkation
• Shoeshine service
Added to these amenities are the Captain's Club (past passenger program) amenities. We are "Select" members which afford us (again only relevant onboard items):
• Invitation to the exclusive Senior Officer's Cocktail Party
• Exclusive Captain's Club Celebration event
• 25% off any single internet package
• Complimentary pressing of 2 garment items
• One standard bag of laundry (wash, dry, fold) at discounted price of $20 during cruises of 12 nights or longer
I also have a $200 onboard credit for being a shareholder of Royal Caribbean.
So with my priority early embarkation, chilled champagne waiting for me in my balcony cabin, daily hors d'oeuvres, fresh flowers and the like all set to go, I am not yet ready to go. I need to organize some "luxury".
The main dining room is beautiful and my sampling of the service in November on the Solstice was, honestly, excellent my wife and I tend to enjoy more intimate dinners (and our children tend to enjoy the buffet, room service and the children's activities). So I have pre-booked 3 dinners in Murano, the most upscale restaurant (and if it is anything like the specialty restaurants on the Millennium Class ships we will be very happy), 1 dinner at Silk Harvest (the Asian fusion restaurant) and 1 dinner at Tuscan Grille (the steakhouse). When you consider we will be off the ship two evenings, we have already managed to avoid (bad choice of words?) the main dining room for 7 of the 13 nights.
The Celebrity just announced it is introducing on the Equinox "Celebrity Life, a new series of palate-pleasing, intellectually-enriching and life-enhancing programs designed to deliver the most unique and sophisticated onboard experience in premium cruising." What is entails...to the extent the information is available...is a group of enrichment programs broken down into three categories:
"Savor" takes an already stellar culinary experience to new heights, with eight new wine enrichment events, six spirits and mixology tastings, and more than seven different interactive programs for guests, hosted by the ship's Executive Chef and team.
"Discover" presents an opportunity for guests to do or learn what they have always wanted to try, but never had time to accomplish. Whether it's ordering a bottle of Chianti in Italian, or exploring the universe in 40 minutes, guests can delve into a wide variety of interests.
"Renew" offers an improved, more goal-oriented approach to classes, seminars, and treatments designed to help guests on their journey to looking younger, feeling better and living longer.
These three programs are then broken down further. Without getting into all the specifics, which you can find here, one drew my attention:
The "Celebrity Vineyards" wine enrichment program, developed in partnership with the United States Sommelier Association, will feature a host of immersive wine events providing guests the opportunity to expand their understanding and appreciation of the fascinating world of wine. Among the varied activities are the comparative wine workshops Celebrity introduced in 2007, sanctioned by the renowned Riedel Crystal.
I have been advised that this is "sign up on the ship" program and pricing was not available yet. OK, not a luxury start, but it has given me something to look forward to and investigate; an a clearly interesting enrichment opportunity.
Am I done yet? Nope. I know the "smuggling booze" issue comes up. I am not really overwhelmed with this issue. Celebrity allows you to bring two bottles of wine per person onboard at embarkation ostensibly to be drank with a corkage fee in the restaurants. However there is no requirement to drink them there, so our pre-dinner drinks in our cabin are taken care of. We, therefore, will have our cabin stocked...with very little effort...purchasing some wine the day before while in Civitavecchia. Also, the kids will get soda cards, so for $5 a day ($65 per child) the soft drink issue is resolved. Now, purchasing a bottle of wine with dinner is not a big deal and how much more am I going to drink? Note: Once this is organized it does nothing to interfere with my 13 night cruise, so let's put substance over form on this one. OK?
Yet another luxury touch are private tours. We are only taking two tours; both private. A 2 day in Israel and a 2 day in Egypt. I will discuss them in more detail as they happen, but I do wish to make two points now. First, a high quality private tour for 4 people is less expensive than a "similar" cruise tour....and you can have your tour highlight what you want. (We are Jewish so our focus is somewhat different than what the ship's tours offer to the mostly Christian passengers.) Second, our overnights provide us with (hopefully) some better experiences. We are staying at Jerusalem Hotel (Palestinian owned and operated) in Jerusalem rather than the ship's tour chain hotel with a fixed menu restaurant and in Giza we opted for Pyramid View rooms at Le Meridian Hotel rather than the ship's lesser rooms with a private felluca ride rather than a belly dancing dinner cruise. (I am sure it won't be like falling asleep to a view of the Acropolis in Athens, but it should be pretty cool.) Obviously the other benefits of private tours will certainly increase the "luxury" aspect of our cruise.
So with only a little pre-cruise effort I think we are looking at a pretty upscale experience.
Now, do I expect it to be as luxurious as when I step onto the Seabourn Spirit or, should I even mention it in the same breath, the Seabourn Odyssey? No. But do I think I will be in a great compromise because there will be thousands of other people on the same ship? No. My cabin is an upscale sanctuary with nice amenities. My dining will, for the majority of the time, be in smaller venues. My tours will be private. And, I would suggest, take a look at the hardware and tell me you can't find beautiful, uncrowded spaces. Oh, did I mention the kids will be happy and entertained when on the ship...which will also upscale my, personal, experience?
If there are things you want to know, post your questions on The Gold Standard Forum and I will try to respond.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Seabourn Odyssey - Time Lapse Construction Video
Seabourn has released an interesting time lapse video of the construction of the Seabourn Odyssey. Enjoy!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Which is the Best Luxury Cruise Line - Another View
I guess I asked for this.
As most of you know, I believe SeaDream is a very good product...in fact, one of the best. However, you really have to want to be on SeaDream or you will be sorely disappointed. It has cabins; not suites and their are no balconies of any sort. It is a fairly casual affair. It is small, so if you do not like your shipmates you can be in for a long cruise. (But also is why the ships are great for large families and charters). They are not fun in even slightly rough seas and rainy days are not filled with activities and venues for private escapes. Also, itineraries need to be considered. These ships are, by nature, limited in ports and duration. However, the cuisine is very good and the service is strong.
But you need to ask yourself a single question before you get into your analysis: Do I need a suite? With so many luxury cruisers answering that questions in the affirmative it is no wonder that such a strong product has so many sailing with availability. That is not a criticism, but a reality check. Balinese beds and a marina are great, but defining the best luxury cruise line by them is - for a competent travel agent - a worry.
I have heard such divergent views on Regent Seven Seas (It was fantastic vs. It was terrible. The service was outstanding vs. The service was horrific., The food was marginal vs. The food is was great., etc. many times from the same cruise) that my approach has to be one of caution. Regent has taken the approach of keeping its prices higher, but adding what it has determined is value (ex. inclusive tours). If those tours are not attracting the true luxury guest, then it is a negative in two respects: Lack of justification for the higher prices (since the other luxury lines have slashed prices) and attraction of one-off non-luxury passengers who are attracted to the perceived added value. With excellent suites, newly renovated public areas and 700+ guests when sailing full, it is in a way the antithesis of SeaDream which has consistent raves from its small ship guests.
It has been mentioned that Silversea pours three different complimentary champagne while Regent pours none and Seabourn pours one. Seabourn continues to serve complimentary caviar. Would either cause me to declare Seabourn or Silversea the luxury champion? Me thinks not.
What I have heard from quite a number of guests returning from the Seabourn Odyssey is that she is the best of both worlds: highly personalized cruising with plenty of private space coupled with extraordinary service and cuisine. There have been grumblings of some minor misses on the triplets from a few people (but they were minor grumblings), but then I received an email from someone just back from the Seabourn Pride stating, "Trip was sooooooooooo over the top........I cannot begin to describe right now. We put the deposit down on a trip for next year." So the question becomes: Does size make a difference? Is the luxury experience on the Seabourn Odyssey better than the one on the Seabourn Pride? Are these two different luxury cruise lines or one luxury cruise line with different offerings?
SeaDream vs. Seabourn Pride vs. Seabourn Odyssey vs. Regent Voyager = 100 vs. 208 vs. 450 vs. 700+ (I use the "+" because Regent actively markets itself for children and, as such, the capacity - at least in the summer and holidays - can well exceed the published lower berth capacities).
So what is the best luxury cruise line? Tell me what your desires are. Tell me what your likes and dislikes are? Let me know what makes you happy. Only after I have that information can I tell you what the best luxury cruise line is...for you.
Are you looking for my opinion for me personally? It depends. You say, "What?". Yes, it depends.
If traveling with only my wife I would choose Seabourn without hesitation. Seabourn has greatly improved and unique itineraries and consistently high service and cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I do love the Seabourn Odyssey, but I would not exclude the triplets as the ship itself is not as important to me (for they all have more than acceptable faciliites for me.)
If I am traveling with my wife and children (ages 10 and 13) I would have said Regent Seven Seas...right up until I cruised on the Celebrity Solstice. (I don't think Seabourn is great for MY kids...though others disagree.) In two weeks I am cruising on the brand new Celebrity Equinox for 13 nights in two Concierge Class cabins. I have five evenings reserved in the specialty restaurants to start with. At less than $165.00 a day, adding a few dollars for specialty dining and having to sign for drinks and water doesn't really degrade the possibility of a luxury experience (as I sign at land-based restaurants and private clubs all the time.) I mean, Regent is marketing value to support its higher prices, right? And higher prices do not mean higher quality to an educated consumer, right? So right now I would say, "I don't know, but there are some good options." In the meantime I would say Regent may be the best of the "marketed as luxury lines" if they get their capacity in line with their ability, but I would look very hard at Celebrity.
So which is the best luxury cruise line...for you?
I pointed a number of my readers to Ralph Grizzle's Avid Cruiser website as I posted his short video on Seabourn Odyssey's cuisine. So today I read Ralph's post about which is the best luxury cruise line. He mentions Seabourn, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Crystal and SeaDream Yacht Club. His choice: SeaDream, but not because of the totality of the product, but some very specific personal likes (sleeping under the stars, small demand at the marina, etc.)
This is where the difference between analysis, providing info and personal preferences can really create issues for those relying on what one writes or says. (I actually had one client contact Ralph about the marina on Odyssey and then seek advice from me...which is great by the way...as a result of his personal bias - said in a nice way.)
As most of you know, I believe SeaDream is a very good product...in fact, one of the best. However, you really have to want to be on SeaDream or you will be sorely disappointed. It has cabins; not suites and their are no balconies of any sort. It is a fairly casual affair. It is small, so if you do not like your shipmates you can be in for a long cruise. (But also is why the ships are great for large families and charters). They are not fun in even slightly rough seas and rainy days are not filled with activities and venues for private escapes. Also, itineraries need to be considered. These ships are, by nature, limited in ports and duration. However, the cuisine is very good and the service is strong.
But you need to ask yourself a single question before you get into your analysis: Do I need a suite? With so many luxury cruisers answering that questions in the affirmative it is no wonder that such a strong product has so many sailing with availability. That is not a criticism, but a reality check. Balinese beds and a marina are great, but defining the best luxury cruise line by them is - for a competent travel agent - a worry.
I have heard such divergent views on Regent Seven Seas (It was fantastic vs. It was terrible. The service was outstanding vs. The service was horrific., The food was marginal vs. The food is was great., etc. many times from the same cruise) that my approach has to be one of caution. Regent has taken the approach of keeping its prices higher, but adding what it has determined is value (ex. inclusive tours). If those tours are not attracting the true luxury guest, then it is a negative in two respects: Lack of justification for the higher prices (since the other luxury lines have slashed prices) and attraction of one-off non-luxury passengers who are attracted to the perceived added value. With excellent suites, newly renovated public areas and 700+ guests when sailing full, it is in a way the antithesis of SeaDream which has consistent raves from its small ship guests.
It has been mentioned that Silversea pours three different complimentary champagne while Regent pours none and Seabourn pours one. Seabourn continues to serve complimentary caviar. Would either cause me to declare Seabourn or Silversea the luxury champion? Me thinks not.
What I have heard from quite a number of guests returning from the Seabourn Odyssey is that she is the best of both worlds: highly personalized cruising with plenty of private space coupled with extraordinary service and cuisine. There have been grumblings of some minor misses on the triplets from a few people (but they were minor grumblings), but then I received an email from someone just back from the Seabourn Pride stating, "Trip was sooooooooooo over the top........I cannot begin to describe right now. We put the deposit down on a trip for next year." So the question becomes: Does size make a difference? Is the luxury experience on the Seabourn Odyssey better than the one on the Seabourn Pride? Are these two different luxury cruise lines or one luxury cruise line with different offerings?
SeaDream vs. Seabourn Pride vs. Seabourn Odyssey vs. Regent Voyager = 100 vs. 208 vs. 450 vs. 700+ (I use the "+" because Regent actively markets itself for children and, as such, the capacity - at least in the summer and holidays - can well exceed the published lower berth capacities).
So what is the best luxury cruise line? Tell me what your desires are. Tell me what your likes and dislikes are? Let me know what makes you happy. Only after I have that information can I tell you what the best luxury cruise line is...for you.
Are you looking for my opinion for me personally? It depends. You say, "What?". Yes, it depends.
If traveling with only my wife I would choose Seabourn without hesitation. Seabourn has greatly improved and unique itineraries and consistently high service and cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I do love the Seabourn Odyssey, but I would not exclude the triplets as the ship itself is not as important to me (for they all have more than acceptable faciliites for me.)
If I am traveling with my wife and children (ages 10 and 13) I would have said Regent Seven Seas...right up until I cruised on the Celebrity Solstice. (I don't think Seabourn is great for MY kids...though others disagree.) In two weeks I am cruising on the brand new Celebrity Equinox for 13 nights in two Concierge Class cabins. I have five evenings reserved in the specialty restaurants to start with. At less than $165.00 a day, adding a few dollars for specialty dining and having to sign for drinks and water doesn't really degrade the possibility of a luxury experience (as I sign at land-based restaurants and private clubs all the time.) I mean, Regent is marketing value to support its higher prices, right? And higher prices do not mean higher quality to an educated consumer, right? So right now I would say, "I don't know, but there are some good options." In the meantime I would say Regent may be the best of the "marketed as luxury lines" if they get their capacity in line with their ability, but I would look very hard at Celebrity.
So which is the best luxury cruise line...for you?
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Forbes: Abramovich was the owner of the largest yachts in the world
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich retained the title holder of the largest yachts in the world according to Forbes in 2009, which is released on Saturday.
His yacht Eclipse, length 557 fitov (169 meters), which left stocks with a German shipyard Blohm & Voss, remains unparalleled in its scope.
Media reported that the nine-deck yacht, two helipads are located in the hangar, four motorized pleasure boats, Admiral boat for the guests from the shore, water bikes, and ten 12-seat diesel submarine Nomad 1000-T.
Submarine commissioned by Abramovich for 6 million dollars in an emergency or for the sake of entertainment the owner will be able to go unnoticed from the hold.
All avant-garde interior solutions elite yacht kept in strict secrecy.
However, Forbes points out that despite the many rumors and speculations, to obtain reliable information about the Eclipse and did not manage.
For various versions, the construction of the giant cost of between $ 300 to $ 700 million.
As expected, all details relating to the acquisition of property yachts, will be resolved in early 2010.
After Boris Berezovsky got rid of its super-yachts, Abramovich had to compete mainly with Arab sheikhs and kings.
His yacht Eclipse, length 557 fitov (169 meters), which left stocks with a German shipyard Blohm & Voss, remains unparalleled in its scope.
Media reported that the nine-deck yacht, two helipads are located in the hangar, four motorized pleasure boats, Admiral boat for the guests from the shore, water bikes, and ten 12-seat diesel submarine Nomad 1000-T.
Submarine commissioned by Abramovich for 6 million dollars in an emergency or for the sake of entertainment the owner will be able to go unnoticed from the hold.
All avant-garde interior solutions elite yacht kept in strict secrecy.
However, Forbes points out that despite the many rumors and speculations, to obtain reliable information about the Eclipse and did not manage.
For various versions, the construction of the giant cost of between $ 300 to $ 700 million.
As expected, all details relating to the acquisition of property yachts, will be resolved in early 2010.
After Boris Berezovsky got rid of its super-yachts, Abramovich had to compete mainly with Arab sheikhs and kings.
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