The only way to Cross (in comfort)

London to New York by air, in economy class, consists of eight, circulation stopping, cramp inducing, stomach churning, jet-lag inducing, dehydrating, mind numbing, boring hours. It’s no wonder that some call it ‘cattle class’. As for the food – the plastic tray that they serve it on probably has more nutritional value than the food itself. O.K you could upgrade to a bigger seat or even a bed, if you have that kind of spare money, but you are still trapped in the same flying bullet for the equivalent of a working day.

If you are looking for an alternative, let me suggest a ‘crossing’ on board Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 (QM2). She is the only ship still regularly scheduled to cross the ‘pond’ these days. She continues the tradition of the great Ocean Liners of the past, which in their day were the only form of intercontinental transport.

O.K, not always in comfort: The QE2 having a rough ride on the North Atlantic, Jan 2008.

The six-night ‘crossing’ has no ports of call apart from Southampton and New York at either end, and approximately 3000 nautical miles of the Atlantic in between. Those who have not experienced a ‘crossing’ (…it’s not a cruise) might imagine that it’s a bit boring, but they could not be more wrong. QM2 offers a traditional atmosphere, with a host of cultured entertainment on board, which has included: lectures from Oxford University professors, Royal Academy of Performing Arts (RADA) plays and drama workshops, ITC courses and even planetarium shows. For those looking for something less cultured, there are multiple bars, west-end style shows, the nightly disco, bingo and the casino, which was  one of the biggest afloat when sahe entered service.

If have not seen the fares may think that only the rich could afford to go transatlantic, but once again you might be wrong. I’m not going to claim that it is cheap, but the fares are not always as much as you might imagine. This year, QM2 departures from Southampton start from £799 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin), which includes a free flight home. US fares for a crossing start at $999, which is an even better deal. (For comparison, an economy flight to NY from London can cost over £600 return, at peak times of the year). Now that fare is based on an inside cabin (no window) and all of your food and entertainment, which a weeks stay in a nice Hotel would not.  A window is not that important on a Trans in my opinion as there is nothing much to see, apart from sea.  However, if you really do need a two floor Duplex Suite, complete with your own butler, I would recommend that you consider a second mortgage.

OK, so maybe I’ve convinced you that you would not get bored and it’s not totally unaffordable, but “wouldn’t I get sea sick?” you might ask.  Well the good news is that if you did a ‘crossing’ in the late spring or summer months the seas are likely to be kind. Let’s also not forget that the QM2 is a very big stable ship. Apart from her older sister, the QE2, she is the only other ship specifically built to be able to regularly endure the rigors of the north Atlantic.  I know my images do not help here, but they were taken of the QE2 in January – the Atlanic winter.  It’s not always that rough.

Although QM2’s ‘class system’ offers four grades of dining experience and many grades of cabin, the cheapest cabins are perfectly adequate and the ‘Britannia’ restaurant (the basic grade) now offers excellent food and service. It is also the most stunning in terms of size and grandeur of the restaurants on board QM2 and arguably any ship currently afloat.

Sea life has its ups and downs!

“Yes that’s all very well, but six nights to get to NY is a waste of my vacation” you might say. May I suggest that six nights on board the QM2, eating fine food, being pampered by well trained staff, and relaxing and enjoying the extensive on board facilities is not just a journey, it’s a vacation in itself.

Finally, if you are still not convinced, how about the fact that a crossing to NY on board the QM2 is one of travels great experiences. To stand on the deck in the early hours of the morning and see the QM2’s majestic funnel pass under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, with only three meters of clearance to spare, is breathtaking. This is shortly followed by the first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and the NY skyline, which makes ones heart race, just as it once did for millions of migrants bound for the new world.

I have been very fortunate to have crossed the pond on all three current Cunard Queens and the legendary SS Norway.  It’s a priceless experience.

Malcolm

Q: Have you done a trans?  Did you enjoy it?

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New ‘Oasis of the Seas’ Images (18th July)

The bow and forward superstructure take shape

 

Central park (with hole for a crystal canopy)

 

The mighty stern

 (Images by RCI)

NCL Norwegian Jade Ship Review

 

 

Above: Jade in Barcelona, june 08

 

Hi readers, I’ve just completed a very comprehensive ship review of NCL’s’Norwegian Jade’ (Ex ‘pride of Hawaii’) based on my recent 14 night Mediterranean cruise (southampton return) on board her. As Jade is operating round trips from Southampton during summer 08 and 09 and from Barcelons in the winter, many Brits may be tempted by some low fares (by British standards) which NCL have been offereing. (In previous years NCL have only generally sent older tonnage to the uK, such as ‘Norwegian Dream’ ex ‘Dreamward’, a ship NOT purpose built for freestyle).

 

So how how has Jade changed form POH? Does she still have any Hawaiian decor?  So does ‘Freestyle’ dining actually work?  Is NCL’s food and service second rate?  What’s all this about dining surcharges? How will Brits enjoy this American experience?  All is revealed; see my ‘pages’, menu right.

 

(Don’t bother looking if you only have a few mins to spare, it’s a very big read!)

 

Malcolm

 

 

Above: SS Normandie Style Lighting

 

Celebrity Solstice Floats!

Solstice will enter service in December 2008

The aft of Solstice before painting (Image Gitte Copyright)

P&O’s Ventura (on the Seas)

On Thursday 12th June 2008 we (on board Norwegian Jade) overtook P&O’s new Ventura in the English Channel. Both were on the way home from two weeks cruising the Mediterranean. 

 

We were doing 21 Knots, they were doing 20 knots. It was not a race, we had an earlier pilot booked at Southampton by a couple of hours. (Photos by me).

 

So a great addition to the fleet or just a Princess ‘Grand Class’ clone? Stylish or ugly?

 

(Comments welcome, no need to join to comment)

Just a few more ‘Oasis of the Seas’ secrets revealed

 

The ship will have  a Main Dinner Room and it will be exactly in same place like Freedom class have Decks 3,4,5 aft of the ship.

The hull is nOT going to be white as in the renderings, it’s going to be Baby Blue!

Hydrolics will lower the funnels so she can pass under bridges.

The Aqua Theatre will have very unique chairs which can convert from reclining sun lounge chairs by day, to fully upright stadium seating by night. Other “transformations” include: water show programming (day = passive; night = active), plus large screen tv programming, in-water lifting platforms which convert from standard pool bottom depth during day, to become ultra deep diving pool at night (17.9 ft), night lighting and sound, etc

There will be a total of 37 stateroom categories to choose from.

There are two rock walls on Oasis of the Seas. They are located on either side of the AquaTheater.

Booking opens 3rd September 2008

Genesis verses the F3’s

Two new ‘classes’ of big ships currently under construction in Europe have captured the media spotlight over the past several months. These include the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) twins ‘Oasis of the Seas’ and ‘Allure of the seas’, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) two ships code named ‘F3s’ (yet to be named). The first of each set of ships is scheduled for delivery in 2009 while the second set will enter service in 2010.

Now if you view these ships as part of the ‘battle for the Caribbean’ between the number two (RCI) and number three (NCL) cruise lines, many observers have concluded that that Royal Caribbean has already won. This is largely due to the fact that over the past decade, RCI has established itself as the clear market leader in terms of building innovative ships. However, a closer look at NCL’s plans for the F3’s reveals that these ships might prove to be a more significant challenge to RCI and the market leader Carnival than originally thought.

The ‘Genesis’ project will not only construct the world’s two biggest ships, but the two of the most innovative, in terms of design and facilities. Their gross tonnage will be 220,000 tons (a measurement of volume, not weight) which dwarfs the largest cruise ships of today, RCI’s Freedom-class vessels, at 154,000 tons. Keep in mind however, that the innovative features of Oasis-class ships, such as Central Park and the Boardwalk, feature large amounts of open space which are not included in the gross tonnage (because they are not enclosed spaces). No matter how you do the math, the reality is that with the introduction of these massive new vessels, the idea of a cruise ship as a floating resort will have reached a new level.

NCL was established 41 years ago and currently operates a fleet of 11 ships, many of which a relatively new and mid-sized by modern standards. Until the announcement of the F3-class ships, many observers felt NCL would be happy to continue targeting the “freestyle” market with their relatively moderately sized fleet.

The F3’s (a mnemonic for ‘third generation freestyle’) changed all that. Suddenly, the number three cruise line would be challenging the big two by building two, Queen Mary 2, sized vessels. However who would have guessed that they would soon be challenging the big two cruise lines, by building two “Queen Mary 2 sized” (150,000 gross tons) ultra-ships. The F3’s will be larger than any of the Carnival Cruises or Princess Cruises vessels currently in service.

NCL have established a reputation in recent years for ‘thinking outside the box’. They are probably best known for their ‘Freestyle Dining’ concept which allows passengers to eat at a variety of dining venues at the time of their choosing. Their existing fleet features a choice of as many as thirteen dining options, many offering completely different menus. Freestyle Dining makes RCI’s and Carnival’s traditional dining system, consisting of one large main dining room, with two evening sittings, look very old fashioned by comparison.

The F3’s will obviously attempt to capitalize on the ‘Freestyle’ innovation. For example, NCL has said that the F3’s will do away with the traditional large main theatre as the cornerstone for nightly entertainment and instead feature multiple venues for people to choose from, so I suppose that’s ‘Freestyle’ Entertainment too.

Back to RCI: While the artists renderings of Oasis’s ‘Central Park’ area, portray the space as a vast area of shops restaurants and gardens, the recent construction pictures show a much smaller space that is unlikely to be able to live up to the hype of the artistic representations. Likewise I expect ‘The Boardwalk’ and the ‘Aquatheatre’ will take on more modest proportions when viewed in real life than by the artist generous perspective.

It has also been noted that the passenger makeup depicted in the renderings seems to consist exclusively of slim, young, attractive well dressed people making the whole experience look spacious and upscale. One wry observer noted that in reality Central Park’s narrow paths would be crowded with overweight, middle-aged couples in shorts and dark socks. Interestingly, NCL’s renderings show the same type of slim young and attractive people but en-mass, actually making the public rooms look crowded. This is obviously to show a party atmosphere and is probably much closer to the truth, as the F3’s will be passenger-dense ships. The F3’s will feature a real Ice Bar, which although authentic, will only accommodate 25 people. Their Spice H2O area is not unlike RCI’s aqua-theatre.

RCI may also win the battle in term of external ship aesthetics. The external renderings of ‘Oasis’ are really quite attractive. Her lines look like a larger version of RCI’s existing ships, and are relatively sleek for their size.

While we have not seen an official rendering of the F3’s as yet, an unofficial one did appear on the Internet. In the unofficial rendering, the bow and hull appears to be relatively conventional. The ship has twin parallel funnels not unlike some ferries. However, above the bridge sat a rectangular structure several decks high, looking like a couple of packs of playing cards lying down on top of the front superstructure. Words cannot fully describe the total disregard for aesthetics, so I personally hope the image is an early representation which is no longer accurate. On the other hand, the reality is that the external appearance has little impact on the internal cruise experience, but it still matters to me.

In the ship building war RCI are clearly undisputed leaders, only Princess’s ‘Grand Princess’ , Carival’s ‘Destiny’ and Cunard’s ‘QM2′ have stolen their ‘biggest ship’ crown in recent years, be it temporarily each time.

However, NCL’s two F3’s ARE very significant in terms of newbuilding and although they will not be the largest ships afloat, RCI will need to keep a close eye on their innovations, such as bowling alleys at sea, a real ‘Ice Bar’ and the variety of dining and entertainment venues offered. They may appear to be cheesy gimmicks to some but these gimmicks do sell cruises. Carnival will need to play catch-up as their fleet begins to look stagnant by comparison.

The golden age of passenger ship building is not some historic period of the dim and dark past, it is now. We are living in the times of amazing ships. Keep them coming! Malcolm

Malcolm Oliver