A New Ship for P&O

Azura arrives at Southampton, England on April 7, 2010.

Photo courtesy of P&O Cruises

There is excitement in the air at the port of Southampton, England today - P&O Cruises' newest ship, Azura, arrived at the Ocean Terminal on Wednesday in preparation for the big day: today, the ship will be christened at 8pm BST (12pm PST) by ballet star Darcey Bussell, who will smash a bottle of champagne against the ship's hull in accordance with tradition.

The very pleasant city of Southampton is also pulling out all the stops, including a free party in Mayflower Park titled "Voyage into the Blue".  In addition to live music and dance performances, the naming ceremony will be broadcast to those in the park via large screens, and will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display set to light up the night sky at 8:30pm BST (12:30pm PST).  

Many people know what a long maritime history Southampton has: both the Mayflower and the RMS Titanic set sail from here, and the city plays host to a large number of cruise ships that call here every year, operating cruises to the Med, Northern Europe, and of course the traditional transatlantic crossing.

Many North American cruisers may not be familiar with P&O.  Catering almost exclusively to the British Market, P&O's origins trace back to 1837 when the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company was awarded the lucrative Admiralty contract to carry mail to the Iberian Peninsula and beyond.  More recently, it operated a series of vessels, many of which were transferred from sister-line Princess Cruises.  

Azuara's dazzling Atrium.

Photo courtesy of P&O Cruises 

Azura was purpose-built to cater to the British cruise market, and is a sister to P&O's most recent newbuild, Ventura.  If these ships look familiar, it's because they should: they are derivatives of Princess Cruises highly successful Crown Princess, an evolution of the Grand Class ships pioneered by Princess with the debut of Grand Princess in 1998.

The similarities end there, however.  The interior design of Azura is a stunningly eclectic mix of old and new, and even includes a specialty dining venue called Sindhu, specializing in dishes from India fused with British tastes and textures.  

Brodies, Azura's upmarket pub.

Photo courtesy of P&O Cruises. 

Also making a comeback is a feature which had been disappearing steadily from newer ships: single occupancy staterooms.  Solo travelers will be pleased to know Azura will allow them to travel in these special staterooms, appropriately-sized, without the addition of the dreaded 'single supplement.'  The addition of these is a first for P&O.

 The Inside Single Stateroom.

Photo courtesy of P&O Cruises.

We expect to bring you more on this fascinating ship in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, to learn more about Azura and P&O Cruises, head on over to their website and experience all this unique and decidedly British line has to offer to cruisers from around the world. 

Switching Up Celebrities

Celebrity Equinox will cruise Europe with her sisters.

Photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises announced details of its 2011 Europe and Alaska cruises today, and in addition to some exceptional itineraries, the line also has some interesting fleet deployments in store for cruisers.

Celebrity Solstice - flagship of the Solstice Class, as well as her sister ships Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Silhouette will all sail European itineraries in 2011.  These highly successful vessels have been tremendously popular with passengers due to their groundbreaking interior design and elegant amenities.  Eclipse will launch this year, and Silhouette will embark on her maiden voyage next summer: a unique sailing from Hamburg to Rome.  Celebrity Silhouette is currently under construction at Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard, and her debut will mark the first time all Solstice-class vessels have cruised Europe.

Even better news is in store for members of Celebrity's past-passenger program: Captain's Club passengers have an exclusive first-crack at staterooms for Celebrity Silhouette's maiden season starting today and continuing through April 19.  Bookings for the general public will open on April 20th.

Also joining the four Solstice-class sisters in Europe will be the line's equally popular Celebrity Constellation - soon to be "Solstice-ized" with many of the features found on the line's newer siblings, like the innovative iLounge concept - an internet centre and cafe utilizing the latest technology from Apple, and featuring how-to's and even the ability to purchase iBooks and iPods onboard.  Constellation will offer a series of 7-day cruises roundtrip from Athens, Greece that can be sailed individually or combined to create a unique 14-day voyage.

Rounding off Celebrity's largest-ever European deployment is Celebrity Mercury.  A summer regular in Alaskan waters, Celebrity Mercury will venture to the Old World in 2011, marking a shakeup in the usual fleet deployment.  Bookings for both of the above vessels will open to the public in the coming weeks.

So if Celebrity Mercury isn't sailing to Alaska, what ship is? Good news for cruisers looking to experience a 'new' vessel to the region: Celebrity Century will sail to Alaska for the first time ever in 2011.  Built in 1995, Celebrity Century underwent a massive refurbishment in 2006 that saw her interiors refreshed, her spa revitalized, and the addition of three decks of balcony cabins onto this popular vessel - meaning while she may be fifteen years old, she more than holds her own with her newer fleetmates.

Century will sail a series of Hubbard Glacier cruises roundtrip out of Vancouver, BC, calling at Juneau, Ketchikan, and Icy Strait Point, Alaska between May and September.  The season kicks off with an eight-night Pacific Coast cruise from San Diego to Vancouver on May 14, 2011.

Returning for another summer will be Alaska mainstay Celebrity Infinity.  Departing from Seattle between May and September, Celebrity Infinity will call at Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway, Alaska as well as scenic cruising of the Inside Passage.

With this announcement, Celebrity has positioned itself as a major player in the European cruise market in 2011, and the change in fleet deployment has given a much needed boost to an Alaskan market generally populated by the exact same vessels year after year. 

For more information on these unique voyages, and to start planning your own cruise Designed For You, visit the Celebrity Cruises Webpage.

Conquering the Northwest Passage - In Style

MS Hanseatic's passengers explore Disko Bay.

Photo courtesy of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

 

The fabled Northwest Passage has stirred the imaginations of explorers, writers, artists, and governments since John Cabot was sent by Henry VII in search of a more direct route to the Orient in 1497.
Countless explorers lost their lives to this unforgiving, harsh wilderness which remained largely uncharted even up to the beginning of the last century. While numerous expeditions tried – and failed – to force their way through the maze of ice, islands, and dead-end straits that stood between them and fame, it was the 1845 Franklin Expedition that brought this region its greatest notoriety.

Setting out from England on a mission to ‘force’ the passage, Sir John Franklin led 128 men and two ships, HMS Terror and Erebus on what would become a three-year ordeal and result in the deaths of everyone on the expedition . The Expedition wintered at Beechy Island in 1845 where three crew members succumbed in quick succession. In 1846, the ships managed to leave Beechy Island before becoming trapped in the ice off King William Island. The ice never thawed during the summer of 1847, and they remained locked in place until abandoning the ships in the spring of 1848 when they set off on foot in a desperate attempt to reach the Hudson’s Bay outpost via Back River.

Much has changed since then. Norwegian Explorer Roald Amundsen was the first person to successfully navigate the passage in 1906, but unpredictable ice flows and changing conditions mean that even today, the passage is essentially impassable for the better part of the year.

Taking advantage of the small window during which the passage can be safely transited is Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, which takes cruisers on a once-in-a-lifetime, 26-day experience from Greenland to Alaska in the ultimate in comfort and safety.

 The Observation Lounge onboard MS Hanseatic.

Photo courtesy of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

Departing from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland on Monday, August 16th, 2010 the MS Hanseatic completes an entire transit of the Northwest Passage, ending in Nome, Alaska on Thursday, September 9th.

The MS Hanseatic isn’t your normal expedition ship. Where other expedition ships are typically icebreakers or modified freighters, MS Hanseatic is a proper five-star, ultra-luxury vessel purpose-built to cruise some of the harshest climates in the world today.

Carrying just 184 passengers, the 402.9-foot long Hanseatic offers a multitude of cabins and well-appointed public rooms designed to please even the most discerning guests. She also boasts an E4 ice class rating – the highest possible rating for passenger ships, ensuring the safety of her passengers at all time.

The ship alone would be worth the price of admission, but it is the itinerary Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has put together which makes this voyage truly remarkable.

16 Aug – Depart Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, 18.00 hrs

17 Aug – Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Greenland

18 Aug – Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn), Greenland

19 Aug – Upernavik, Greenland

20 Aug – At Sea

21 Aug – Pond Inlet / Baffin Island, Canada

22 Aug – Dundas Harbor / Devon Island, Canada

23 Aug – Barrow Strait (Beechy Island, Resolute)

24 Aug to 05 Sep – Northwest Passage Adventure

06 Sep to 07 Sep – Barrow / Point Hope, Alaska

08 Sep – At Sea

09 Sep – Nome, Alaska (Disembark)

MS Hanseatic near Ross Island.
Photo courtesy of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

What is so amazing about this particular voyage is how completely and totally unique it is to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. No other mainstream cruise line offers a voyage that can even come close to the remarkable itinerary above, and certainly none offer the incomparable level of five-star food, service, and accommodations.

As one would expect for an itinerary of this calibre, pricing for this voyage isn’t for the faint of heart. Standard cabins start at $21,000 per person and run up to $49,100 per person for the top of the line suites, including butler service. Still – that’s less than many world cruise segments, and this type of voyage appeals to the adventure traveller or history buff looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is about as far from your average seven-day run down to Cozumel and back as you can get.

Can’t quite muster up the time or cash to transit the Northwest Passage? Why not sail on Hanseatic’s next voyage: a unique journey through Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

Departing from Nome, Alaska on 09 September 2010, this equally-incredible (and fully bilingual) 19-day voyage sails first to the Chukchi Peninsula , Kamchatka, and the isolated Kuril Islands before ending in Yokohama, Japan on September 29th.

A multitude of unique excursion opportunities are available to passengers on this itinerary, including a helicopter flight over the Kamchatka Volcanoes, a visit to the remote fishing village of Meynypilgino, and a walk around Atlasova – an uninhabited island home to the largest active volcano on the Kuril Islands.

Pricing for this unique voyage starts at $12,240 per person for an outside cabin.

For detailed itinerary, pricing, and excursion information on both of these fantastic itineraries, be sure visit the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises website.

In the Spirit of Gouging

While this blog is dedicated to the cruise industry, the undeniable fact is that the majority of cruise passengers have to get to their ports of embarkation somehow.  For many travelers, that means a trip to the airport and a lesson in the ever-changing rules of flight.

What had long been joked about finally happened today when Florida-based Spirit Airlines announced - in the form of a press release with an obscure title - that it would begin charging passengers for carry-on baggage for bookings made today for travel on or after August 1st.

On that magical day, passengers will be charged $45 per carry-on item at the airport, or $30 if you pre-register online with Spirit before your flight.  If you're a member of their $9 Fare Club - which ironically costs $39.95 to join - your price per carry-on item reduces to $20. 

To the carrier's credit, you are still allowed to take one small bag onboard - as long as it fits under your seat and measures no more than 16x14x12".  Small camera bags, purses, umbrellas, and "food for personal consumption" are also allowed at no charge. 

Here's where things get a little nutty: along with this new fare structure comes a revised pre-boarding procedure.  Those who have paid for carry-on baggage will be boarded first, regardless of location in the aircraft, leaving the rest of the passengers in the terminal.  This will allow the airline to make sure no one gets around the new rule, and allows agents to take payment at the gate. 

The airline also charges for regular baggage - up to $45 for the first bag, up to $30 for the second bag, and up to $90 for the third to fifth bag. 

Airlines call this "unbundling" - the process of removing formerly included items from your ticket fare in order to reduce overall pricing.  Of course, most passengers need to have luggage with them - and might even want a drink or snack on a 5+ hour flight - leaving passengers with a reduced fare, but facing a long list of items carrying an additional charge that they'll have to pony up for.  Luggage, pillows, blankets, drinks, snacks, meals, entertainment - it's all up for grabs.

With this latest move, Spirit plants themselves firmly in territory pioneered by Dublin-based Ryanair which has created a slew of controversies for itself - the most recent being a plan to begin charging customers to use the onboard restroom. 

So we were curious - even with these extra charges, is Spirit really the least-expensive carrier, as it claims?

We compared flights from Los Angeles to New York City - departing Thursday, May 6 and returning Thursday, May 13 - on both Spirit and JetBlue, for one traveler with one piece of luggage and one carry-on. 

Spirit:
Fare: $372.70 USD for a connecting roundtrip flight (no direct offered).
Additions: $90 (1 luggage, 1 carry-on)
Total Fare: $462.70 USD

JetBlue:
Fare: $319.40 for a direct flight.
Additions: $0 (no charge for first bag or carry-on)
Total Fare: $319.40 USD

Total difference in price: $143.30

While this is just one example, the moral of the story is: research, compare, purchase.  The cheapest upfront fare may cost you more in the long run.

Unique Itinerary -Hawaii to Vancouver

 Carnival Spirit departs Vancouver.

Photo © Aaron Saunders

We don't write enough about Carnival - which is a shame, because they really do have some unique itineraries that even their sister lines can't match.

Just one example of this is their Hawaii to Vancouver repositioning cruises.  Clocking in at 12 days, these voyages are some of the longest Carnival has to offer - and also one of the best values if you are looking to cruise to Hawaii, but spend more time there than the 4-days you get on a traditional 14-day roundtrip Los Angeles cruise.

Departing Friday, April 22, 2011, this particular voyage stays overnight in Honolulu, Hawaii before calling at Kauai (Nawiliwili), Hilo, Kona, and two full days in Maui.  After running yourself ragged in Hawaii, you can look forward to five relaxing days at sea before your arrival in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia on Wednesday, May 4, 2011. 

Pricing for this particular voyage is vary reasonable considering its length: "Early Saver" inside cabins start at just $969 per person, with balconies starting at a very down-to-earth $1,369 per person.  These "Early Saver" fares require a non-refundable deposit to be placed at the time of booking; regular fares with flexible deposit conditions are roughly $100 higher than the fares listed.

 This is just one example of the Hawaii repositioning cruises offered by Carnival.  The line also operates Vancouver to Hawaii cruises, as well as voyages from Hawaii to Ensenada, Mexico.  These voyages usually take place during April, May and September.

For more information on Carnival's Hawaii offerings, visit their website.

Sinking Antarctica

Quark Expedition's 112-pax Kapitan Khlebnikov in Antarctica.

Photo courtesy of Adrian Raeside

A major blow was dealt on Friday for those travelers wishing to visit Antarctica: news that as of August 2011, vessels carrying over five hundred passengers would be banned from the region.

Up until now, there have been two distinct options for passengers wishing to cruise to this captivating area: large cruise ships which combine Antarctica with larger South America itineraries, but do not offer passengers the ability to go ashore.  These trips offer the comforts of cruising on a large ship with an attractive price point: some cabins go for less than $2,000 per person.

The second option is expedition vessels.  Carrying less passengers, these ships vary wildly and include everything from five-star ultra-luxury ships to refitted icebreakers.  Because of their lower passenger count, shore landings are permitted - but this exclusivity comes at a cost, with fares for many voyages reaching into the $25,000 per person range.

Therein lies part of the reason this ruling is so devastating - fares for expedition voyages vary wildly, with the most inexpensive fares coming in just under $9,000 per person.  Reduced capacity also means increased demand, which could push prices up even further.  For those like myself wishing to visit this amazing place, that dream just became a little more, well, dream-like.

Ironically, the ban has absolutely nothing to do with passenger count, instead focusing on the heavy marine oil that most large cruise ships use.  A large cruise ship sinking in the region could be potentially catastrophic for the wildlife in the area - an event the Antarctic Treaty Parties would like to avoid.

Here's where things get muddled:  the report comes down hard on the larger cruise ships, despite the fact they cruise farther off-shore than do smaller expedition vessels, and do not cruise in areas where they are required to break through heavy pack ice - thus, are far less likely to encounter serious danger.  

In fact, the only ship to sink in the region was GAP Adventures MV Explorer in 2007 - a small, expedition vessel carrying 104 passengers.  The cause of the sinking was eventually attributed to the unfamiliarity of the vessel's Master with the types of ice in Antarctica.

Regardless, the rules are here to stay.  Celebrity, Holland America Line, and Princess all offer cruises to Antarctica in January and February of 2011 - so if you want to go on a big ship, now's your chance. 

For those who can't quite swing the voyage in 2011, you still have some options for cruising this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime region:

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises - still want to cruise to Antarctica, but in the luxury and comfort of the larger liners?  Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has just what you need.  Their unique voyages onboard MS Hanseatic and MS Bremen are performed in the utmost luxury - in fact, MS Hanseatic is the only five-star expedition vessel afloat, and both ships carry the strongest ice-class rating a passenger ship can hold, ensuring guest safety at all times.

Hurtigruten - leave it to the Norwegians to conqueror Antarctica.  Hurtigruten is another line offering small cruise ship-style experience coupled with the intimacy only a purpose-built expedition ship can have: their MV Fram was built expressly for cruising polar regions, summering in Greenland and the North Cape, and wintering in Antarctica.

Quark Expeditions - there's no mistaking Quark's ships for a cruise ship, but their unique collection of expedition vessels and actual, working icebreakers ensures guests a completely unique experience.  On their icebreaker voyages aboard 50 Years of Victory or Kapitan Khlebnikov, helicopters and zodiacs await to whisk guests ashore to some of the most remote places in the world.  Onboard their smaller expedition vessels, guests are able to get up-close and personal with this mysterious continent through a variety of shore landings.

Silversea Cruises - yep, Silversea.  Aboard their ultra-luxury, 132-guest Prince Albert II, passengers travel in something of the same style and comfort as the above-mentioned Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.  Purchased in 2007, Silversea has steadily been making inroads in the expedition market by consistently offering more than passengers demand - or expect.

The world of expedition cruises is vast, and the above are just some of the few choices out there - but the most highly recommended ones.  If you can swing the price of admission, you will not be disappointed.

Speed vs. Fuel

 Heading out into the Atlantic aboard QM2.

Photo ©2008 Aaron Saunders

There was an interesting question posed on the Cunard CruiseCritic message boards the other day: why are there no three and four-day Transatlantic cruises offered, as there were in the early part of the last century?

The reasons are simple - but many.  First, cruising is no longer seen as merely a method of transportation to get from Point A to Point B.  In the early 1900's, for example, it was the only way to get across the Atlantic until the dawn of passenger air travel.  We view modern air travel with much the same way people one hundred years ago viewed ocean travel: an experience to be endured rather than enjoyed.

The enormous price of marine fuel doesn't help either.  Sure, the Queen Mary 2is capable of a top speed of almost 30 knots, but this requires vastly more fuel to do so.  It also increases wear and maintenance on the azipods, engines, and propellers on fixed-propulsion ships. 

Shorter cruises also mean less onboard revenue - an area that can make or break the financial viability of a voyage.  While it may sound harsh, the fact remains that for many lines, the fare you pay for your cruise in many cases merely covers the physical operational costs themselves: fuel, victualing, port fees, etc.  Revenue from onboard sources frequently helps the line actually earn a profit.

If you've ever wondered why lines change a particular itinerary from year-to-year, dropping far-flung ports in favor of ones that are closer by, speed is the answer.  An itinerary that requires a 20-knot average speed will cost more than one requiring only 14-knots or less. 

Is there an upside to this?  Yes!  Cruising is all about relaxation - which works well with more sea days and longer stays in port, the latter of which are very much in demand on exotic itineraries - managing to please both passengers and cruise line accountants at the same time.

Stay tuned tomorrow for our second part of our look at the best cruise ship interiors - delayed, but not forgotten.