Just Cruises Plus

Last week’s winner of the photo contest was Joann Westerfer of Lower Gwynedd, PA.  She was the first to correctly identify the contest photo (shown below) as being shot from the portico of the Pantheon in Rome.  The Pantheon is located in the beautiful Piazza della Rotunda.



Photo Contest June 17, 2011



Rome holds a special place in our hearts.   The history and unparalleled architecture, the art, the food and the wonderful colors of the city are timeless.

While on a 2-day visit to Rome at the end of one of our cruises, we took a 1/2 day tour (to see some of the classic sites) and spent the rest of the time just walking — all around the city.


A Moving Experience

Want to get a feel for the sights and sounds of Rome?  Click on the photo below for a 7 1/2 minute video of our visit to Rome. The video includes some footage of our tour to the Colesseum and the Vatican, and also includes a casual walk through the city which ends with a lovely stroll along the Tiber River.



Click on this photo to see our VIDEO of Rome

Oil Price Drop Good for Cruisers

The price of crude oil has declined by more than 20% over the past few weeks climaxed by a precipitous $7 dollar drop in the last two days.  This is good news for cruisers.  The cruise lines have been holding a potential fuel surcharge over our heads for the past year. The decline in oil prices, combined with a sputtering economy, virtually insures that the cruise lines will not impliment a fuel surcharge over the near and medium term (as long as the oil producing countries remain stable).

Picture yourself…..sitting in a rubber raft, in 15 degree weather with a 20 knot wind hitting you in the face.  Your only comfort is that there are 9 other lunatics doing the same thing.  You’re about to set foot on Antarctica.   To get to this point, you’ve flown on 3 planes and survived the monster waves of Drake’s passage.

Adventure cruising, sometimes called “expedition” cruising, is our subject this week.  No couch potatoes wanted for these dynamic exploration voyages.  Itinerary is the name of the game here.  Adventure destinations include the Arctic, Antarctica, and the Galapagos Islands.  Maybe you are a little more extreme in adventure seeking.  How about a dive trip to the Solomon Islands where hundreds of World War 2 ships, planes and tanks rest on the ocean floor.  Not a diver?  Then you might consider a snorkeling trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

There are some things you need to know before embarking on an adventure cruise.  First, you will give up the big cruise ship features like casinos and Las Vegas reviews.  You may give up comfortable staterooms and, depending on where you travel, physical comfort may be sacrificed.

The Galapogos Islands

We’ll begin with the mildest of the adventure cruises were comfort is not a casualty.  Xpedition cruises, a division of Celebrity Cruises, has weekly cruises to the Galapagos Islands.  Their one ship, Celebrity Expedition carries 92 passengers.  We say “mild” because the ship, though small, is traditional in that it has comfortable, well appointed staterooms and a pleasant lounge where naturalists give lectures and excellent food is served.  The weather in the Galapagos is not likely to be extreme.  You go here, as Darwin did, strictly for the wildlife.  No other place on earth has the variety of wildlife (in the ocean, on land and in the sky) that comes close to the Galapagos.

If you want to go a bit more spartan, try a visit to these spectacular islands aboard the National Geographic ships.  The Natural Geographic Islander (48 passengers) or the National Geographic Endeavor (96 passengers) are oriented toward teaching you about this dramatic continent.  We like their policy that permits visits to the bridge at most any time.

If you are more adventurous, there are smaller ships that visit these spectacular islands. If you want an experience with the local sailors and staff, consider the M/V Santa Rosa.  You will sacrifice a bit of comfort but you will have an Ecuadorian crew.

Despite being near the equator, the water is chilly.  In fact, in June and July the Jersey shore’s ocean is 10 degrees warmer.  Unfortunately, when the water is warmest (February-March), the wettest weather occurs.  Probably the best compromise is January or June.

Antarctica

Do you want a more adventurous experience?  How about a visit to Antarctica.  When to go?  It has to be in our winter (their “summer”).  It is simply not possible for anyone to reach Antarctica in winter.

Your first decision is whether you want to see Antarctica or feel it.  If you want to have an Antarctic land experience you must eschew the big cruise ships (I don’t know why you would put yourself through the discomfort to get to this cold, windy place and not step on land).

For a land experience, you will choose one of the small expedition ships.  Some are quite luxurious while others are workhorses.  We mentioned the National Geographic Endeavor earlier.  This vessel goes to Antarctica with landings.  Are you a little quirky?  Then try a Quark Expedition ship.  Some of these are real Russian icebreakers that were used for military purposes during the cold war.

Penguins and seals will be very common as will be same magnificent birds like the albatross.  Besides the unique wildlife, the scenery is breathtaking and the icebergs are unbelievable.

Don’t forget, just getting to Antarctica is an adventure. When you see those penguins dancing on the snow, you know it was all worth the effort.

The Arctic

The Earth’s other extreme, of course, is the Arctic which shares 24 hour summer daylight with Antarctica but little else.  While Antarctica is a land continent, the Arctic is mostly water (ice) although there is land above the Arctic Circle in Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia and the United States (part of Alaska).  The Arctic’s summer is the same as our summer and, surprisingly, temperatures can be quite moderate in the Arctic reaching over 70 degrees. 

The wildlife is very different in the Arctic.  There are quite a number of land mammals — including humans — living above the Arctic Circle.  One of the big thrills of an Arctic cruise is spotting a polar bear.  If you want to have a good chance of seeing one of these magnificent animals, cruise from Norway and head north aboard an icebreaking cruise ship.  As you go further and further north, you’ll quickly learn why an icebreaking ship is important.

Can you visit Santa’s workshop?  Of course!  Cruises depart from Helsinki Finland at least once a year and visit the geographic North Pole.  If you are a true adventurer (only the purest of heart will attempt this), you can even swim at the North Pole.

The duration of Arctic cruises are 8 to 66 days.  For the best scenery and wildlife viewing, we recommend a cruise that includes the Svalbard Islands in Norway.  By the way, the 66-day cruise is on the Russian Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov.  This is the last year that it will be taking passengers.  The full cruise starts at only $65,990 per person (I think that I need Santa for this one).  For most adventure cruises, rates are about $500 per day, so a 10 day cruise would be about $5000 per person.

To Be Continued…..

Voyager of the Seas Goes Global

The Voyager of the Seas is moving to China and Australia.  Beginning in the summer of 2012, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas will be be based in Shanghai, China.  Following that deployment, she will move to Australia for the remainder of the 2012 season into 2013.

The departure of the Voyager from San Juan will leave only the Serenade of the Seas in the deep Caribbean for Royal Caribbean.

Last week, we began a discussion of small ship cruises.  This week, we’ll talk about two small ship cruise lines in North America.   Before booking a small ship, you need to decide if it is your cup of tea since the small ship (under 250 passengers) experience is quite different from a big ship cruise.

Would you miss the professional shows with acrobats and chorus lines?  How about the shopping in the major ports?  Like to gamble?  Forget the small ships (although some have a minimal “casino”).    How about a bargain price?  Nope. 

Would you prefer an educational lecture to a Broadway show?  How about a visit to an art studio in a small town?  Would you like to try the local foods?  Would you like to mingle with the crew (other than the bartenders)?  If you answer ”yes” to these last few questions, you are probably a small ship cruiser.

There are hundreds of small ship cruises.  Some cater to specific interests such as scuba diving.  Others serve specific geographical areas and still others feature sailing ships with billowing white sails and silent power.

Two “North American” Lines

This week we’ll mention two specific lines which carry less than 100 passengers.  One of the best known lines is American Cruise Lines.  We see these ships regularly on the Chesapeake Bay, Hudson and East Rivers.  There are six ships in the fleet and a seventh, a Mississippi sternwheeler, is currently under construction.  Four of the ships serve the East Coast, from Maine to Florida.  Another ship, the Queen of the West, serves the Columbia and Snake Rivers while the Alaska serves her namesake.

Cruises are 6 days to two weeks with rates starting at about $500 per person per day.  The ships visit small towns and cities and always dock near the center of town.  A typical stop might be St. Michaels, Maryland where exclusive tours of the Maritime Museum are given to American Cruise Line Passengers.

A competitor for American is Blount Cruises, formerly American Canadian Cruises.  “Curious, casual and adventurous” is how they describe their typical passenger.  This is a BYOB cruise line — completely the opposite of other cruise lines where you cannot BYOB.   

Blount has three ships, with a capacity of 96 each.  The ships are unique in that their pilot houses retract so that they can get under low bridges.  They also have doors (like landing ships) in the front of the ship so that you can get off the ship directly onto beaches.

Their three ships move with the weather.  In summer, they cruise on the rivers and lakes of the Northeast and Midwest.  In spring and fall, they sail in the Southeast.  Winter finds them in the Bahamas and the Caribbean.  On a Caribbean cruise, you might visit Nevis, Eustatius and St. Barths, ports rarely visited by the larger cruisers.

Rates for Blount cruises are about $300 per person per day, about double the rate for mainstream cruise ships.

Don’t be embarrassed if you’re not a small ship cruiser.  Most people are not.  Because you’ll pay a premium for the small ship experience, you want to be sure that this kind of cruise matches your expectations.

To be continued….

For the last few weeks, we talked about sailboat chartering where you have 2 to 10 adventurers on board a 35 to 50 foot sailboat.  Now, we’ll move up a step to the small ship category.  These small ships carry 50 to 250 passengers.  It’s interesting that the smaller the ship, the more you get to know your fellow passengers.  On the little sailboat, you will get to know — perhaps more than you want to — your fellow boaters.

On the small ships, you will have enough fellow passengers that you can be selective about who you want to befriend.   However, you will see your fellow passengers more often and will get to know many more of their names than you would on a large ship.

What do you get and what do you give up on a small ship?

A small ship can go where larger ships cannot go.  If you’ve cruised many times on the big ships and you believe you have seen every port, check out the smaller ships;  you will find many ports that you haven’t seen and these will be far less “touristy”.

Small ships are more casual.  Leave the jackets, ties and gowns at home.  Smart casual is as formal as it gets.

Small ships are more adventurous.  For example, at some ports you might land like the marines (with cameras instead of guns).  This also means that they could be less accessible for physically challenged people.  Big ships have tenders – small ships have Zodiacs.

Want a twist of lemon in your morning coffee?  No problem on a small ship..  With fewer people to know, the crew will know your name and your preferences.

Small ships are more expensive.  Big ships can take advantage of economies of scale so you have lower prices.

What do you give up on a small ship?  If you like to gamble, check before going on a small ship.  Some have no casinos and some have casinos about the size of an average restroom with very limited games.

You will not have the over-the-top shows on a small ship.  Perhaps you will have only a singer and accompanist.  Sometimes, you will have lecturers giving you information about the ports and their culture. 

Bingo?  Unlikely on a small ship.  Bridge anyone?  You are almost certain to find fellow bridge players on the small ships.

Small ships generally have smaller staterooms.  In some cases, you pay twice as much for a room that is half as big as a cruise ship room.  Amazingly, the small ships sell out and you must book more than 6 months before the sailing date.  We’ve had some wonderful cruises on Windstar ships.  These ships hold 144 people, are 3 decks high and have no elevators.  They are powered by sail and motor.  We spent many evening hours with the crew on the bridge, learning about the stars, navigation and the latest gossip.  Having an affair?  The crew will know and they will gossip.  Better to stick to the big ships for this.

On our last “big ship” cruise, two of our ports were St Martin and St. Thomas.  Contrast this with our last Windstar cruise where we stopped in St Barts and Isle des Saintes.  St Martin has a French flair.  St Barthelemy is the real thing.

Before considering a Windstar cruise, read next week’s article where we will discuss some specific small ship cruise lines.

To be continued…