A new Queen is touring the world today.
It is the Queen Victoria, latest in the Cunard Line’s distinguished series of ships named after British monarchs. And like its four predecessors — the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2 — the new Queen brings a regal tone to the world of cruising.
Rich woods, muted colors, marble floors in some areas and tasteful furnishings lend an aura of understated elegance to the ship. Service is quiet and efficient, in keeping with British tradition, and the ship has the same two-tier ”Grill” stateroom/dining system as the other two current Queens.
But the QV is no clone.
Though it can take about 250 more passengers than the QE2, the 2,014-passenger QV is substantially smaller than the massive 150,000-ton, 2,620-passenger QM2, which entered service in 2004 as what was then the largest passenger ship afloat. That can work both to advantage and disadvantage.
Topics: 'Queen'
Nearly a dozen new cruise ships, some designed to carry from 3,000 to 4,000 passengers apiece, will be debuting this year. They will add more than 20,000 new berths a week, more than a million such berths a year. And they will be less like ships than like frantic amusement parks with bells clanging, lights flashing and crowds rushing from one spectacle to another.
On a recent broadcast of my Sunday Travel Show, a guest expert described all the new gimmicks we can expect. “They will be like nothing you have ever seen before,” she announced, and with enthusiasm in her voice, she ticked off the advances:
The Queen Victoria and the Celebrity Solstice, in particular, will have “circus-training programs,” “bungee jumping” and “clown acts.” These will be added, presumably, to the rock-climbing walls, boxing rings, bowling alleys and vertiginous Jacuzzis jutting out from the top deck and hanging perilously over the sea (the latter have become standard on some ships, but not necessarily on the Queen Victoria or Solstice). But let me repeat those outstanding new features: “circus-training programs,” “bungee jumping” and “clown acts.”
On a new ship of Costa Cruises, expect every conceivable game, sport and competition. What’s more, Costa will introduce new, extra-charge “spa cabins” so close to fitness rooms that those staying in them can walk to the showers in their bathrobes. People booking the new spa digs will have exclusive access to that spa and to their own spa restaurant.
On some of the new ships, the democratic, one-class policies of cruising will be totally jettisoned. There will be a “ship within the ship” — an area enjoyed solely by passengers paying higher fares, a number of restaurants to which they alone will be admitted, lounges set aside for the elite. On a new ship of Norwegian Cruise Lines, elite passengers will have special suites, special sun-deck areas to use and special swimming pools for them alone.
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MINIMUM AGE TO SAIL: 4 months
WHY THEY’RE GREAT: Parents of children younger than 5 receive a pager for use during the cruise in case they need to be contacted. Toddlers don’t have to be potty-trained (parents supply diapers and wipes) to participate in Camp Carnival’s free program for 2- to 5-year-olds.
Here, kids can play picture-bingo to win prizes, finger-paint, put on puppet shows and listen to stories. Mascot Fun Ship Freddy (modeled after Carnival’s trademark ship’s funnel), poses for photos and joins dance parties (plush Freddys are for sale in the gift shops).
Children younger than 2 can take a turn with the toys during designated Family Play Times, when accompanied by a parent.
Baby-sitting services for children younger than two are available at Camp Carnival during limited hours (check when you board, rates are $6 for the first child/$4 each additional). Activity books and crayons are available in dining rooms.
MINIMUM AGE TO SAIL: Varies by itinerary: 6 months for some sailings, 1 year for transatlantic and many of the exotic itineraries.
WHY THEY’RE GREAT: On Queen Mary 2 and new ship Queen Victoria, nannies take care of children age 1 and up. Onboard nurseries are stocked with everything from Lamaze toys to Fisher Price Little People and Little Tikes Light and Sound Toys. Diaper changing and naps in the nursery’s full size cribs included (the program is gratis for all ages).
Preschoolers can go on treasure hunts, jump around in a soft play area, and attend a pirate party.
Queen Mary 2 has a 3-4 foot deep Minnows pool for families, plus a 6-12-inch-deep splash pool for smaller sailors. (QV has no children’s pool, but the Play Zone for ages 1-6 features a nursery for infants/toddlers, video games, arts and crafts, a large plasma screen for videos and movies and a secure outdoor area with climbing.)
Be sure to escort your little one to the Children’s Tea, served in King’s Court every evening with balloons, artwork place mats, crayons and kid-friendly treats.
Queen Mary 2 has the largest library at sea with more than 8,000 books including a well-stocked children’s section.
She won an Oscar for her stunning portrayal of the Queen in the film of the same name.
And now Dame Helen Mirren has been deemed regal enough to perform a duty often reserved for Royalty: she is to launch her first ship.
But in a break with tradition, the 62-year-old movie, stage and TV star will not be swinging a bottle of champagne against the hull of the new P&O cruise ship Ventura, which is the largest liner designed exclusively for the British market.
Instead she will name the ship, but then hand the bubbly to a squadron of Royal Marine Commandos, who will abseil down the hull, smashing the champagne as they go.
It is a move designed to ensure there is no repeat of the “Curse of Camilla” - when Prince Charles’s wife failed to break the bottle at the launch of another cruise ship in December.
If you have ever wondered about how effectively (or otherwise) hygiene is maintained in those important, behind-the-scenes areas on cruiseliners, such as food preparation and storage zones, there’s now a way to find out before you buy your fare.
The US Government’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a Vessel Sanitation Program that monitors all cruise ships visiting US ports, and this includes most of the ships visiting Australia.
Ships are subject to two surprise inspections a year, with CDC officers checking areas including galleys, restaurants, self-service buffets, laundry areas, room-service operations, children’s play areas and medical centres. Points are awarded for cleanliness in each area, with 100 points the maximum possible score.
The inspections are making news this month after the CDC awarded perfect scores to MSC Cruises liner Lirica and SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream I from inspections in December. Only 20 or so liners - including Sapphire Princess, which is in Australian waters on a summer program and Diamond Princess, which will be here next summer - scored 100 per cent on their 2007 inspections.
Most vessels owned by the major cruise lines normally score in the mid to high 90s. Queen Mary 2, for instance, scored 97 from an inspection in June last year. QE2 scored 95 in May.
Port Everglades got a taste of royalty Wednesday as the gleaming new 90,000-ton Queen Victoria — Cunard Line’s latest luxury liner on her inaugural voyage around the world — sailed into Fort Lauderdale’s fast-growing cruise port, anchoring beside the grand old QE2.
The two queens arrived from New York, where they had been joined by the third ship in Cunard’s fleet, the Queen Mary 2, marking the only time the three vessels will ever meet.
The Queen Victoria, built in Italy by Fincantieri, is bound for Aruba after which she’ll transit the Panama Canal, head for Costa Rica and then on to Acapulco, Los Angeles, Hawaii and points beyond.
The price for the 105-day voyage, which began in New York and will end in Southampton, England, ranges from $20,000 for an inside cabin to $203,000 for a master suite. Fares for shorter trips, such as a 12-day voyage departing Barcelona, Spain, on Aug. 25, start at $2,395, Cunard said.
There comes a time in every family, no matter how tightknit, when for kids the idea of traveling with parents is a lot less appealing than hanging out with friends. That said, cruise lines have put a lot of energy into creating a product that entertains hard-to-please teens.
A case in point is Royal Caribbean’s new Liberty of the Seas, a 3,634-passenger ship, which shares the title of world’s largest cruise ship with its sister, Freedom of the Seas.
Lured by features that include onboard surfing, indoor ice skating and a rock-climbing wall, I set out to experience the Liberty with my 14-year-old daughter, Chloe, on a weeklong eastern Caribbean cruise out of Miami.
It was the wave pool that proved to be the A-list attraction. The FlowRider lives up to the hype, drawing crowds of kids and adults looking to brave the wave. Even though staff is on hand to help surfers climb onto their surfboards, falls are frequent, much to the hilarity of the spectators - bathing suit mishaps add to the laughter. (We recommend you wear a T-shirt over your suit.)
I had to nudge Chloe to try the teen program, not so much because she was driving me crazy - she wasn’t - but because I knew she would have more fun if she found a few kids her own age to hang out with.
She quickly made friends, and the activities turned out to be pretty cool - especially Scratch DJ 101, with hands-on turntable lessons created by New York’s Scratch DJ Academy. Teens also have their own lounge called Fuel. And young drama queens can try their acting chops via a series of performance sessions taught by professionals from New York City’s Camp Broadway children’s theater program.
With Chloe occupied, I had time to enjoy drinks in the bar and sneak away by myself to the adults-only solarium area, lured by hot tubs that sexily extend over the edge of the deck.
“Themed cruises have been all the rage in recent years, with major lines offering voyages focused on everything from jazz to financial planning. But can you really fill an entire ship
with Betty Boop fans?
Elation Carnival seems to think so. The line has partnered with Jason Coleman, Inc., a producer of celebrity-hosted cruises, to launch the Betty Boop Fan Cruise — billed as the first authentic, fully licensed specialty cruise devoted to the Queen of Cartoons.
The five-day voyage aboard the 2,052-passenger Carnival Elation departs San Diego on Oct. 9, 2008, with stops in Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico. Expect an all-Betty, all-the-time affair, with Betty Boop screenings, themed parties and lectures on Boop collectibles.”
Photo by sitemaker.umich.edu
“Cruise lines are striving to become more creative, offering innovative opportunities for travelers. Princess Cruises says it is the only big North American line to offer wedding ceremonies at sea performed by the ship’s captain. Other lines offer wedding packages,
but Princess ships are registered in Bermuda, which grants captains the authority to perform marriages on the high seas. Norwegian Cruise Line boasts the first full-size bowling alley, aboard the Norwegian Pearl. Royal Caribbean, which offers rock-climbing walls and ice skating rinks, sports a regulation-size boxing ring on Freedom of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas also takes the swimming pool to the next level with its Flow Rider surf simulator and an interactive water park called the H2O Zone. Carnival Cruise Line water activities include signature four-deck high twister waterslides, and Seaside Theatres, 12-by-22-foot screens poolside that show movies, sporting events, and concerts.
For those who prefer interactive excitement, Norwegian Cruise Line has begun offering
Race car enthusiasts will be happy to discover that passengers age 16 and older can try out the Grand Prix racing simulators on the Costa Serena and Costa Concordia. Guests can virtually compete in races reaching speeds of over 200 miles per hour. For those whose tastes favor quieter pursuits, Cunard offers twice-daily watercolor classes on trans-Atlantic cruises aboard Queen Mary 2. Queen Mary 2 is also home to the only planetarium at sea, with a 150-seat theater that offers three shows, including two developed by the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium.”
Photo by smh.com
“The Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard’s longest-serving ship, left Manhattan for its 26th and final around-the-world journey — a farewell tour that will usher in its retirement in November, when the liner will become a floating hotel in Dubai. The Queen Victoria, which
came into service last month, embarked on its maiden world cruise. And the Queen Mary 2, the largest trans-Atlantic liner ever built, weighing about 151,400 gross tons, sailed to the Caribbean from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
For 40 years, the Queen Elizabeth 2 ruled the trans-Atlantic, ferrying up to 1,778 passengers at a time between England and the United States. The Queen Mary 2, which carries up to 2,600 passengers, began traveling the same route in 2004, but in reverse: When the Queen Elizabeth 2 left its home port in Southampton, England, for Manhattan, the Queen Mary 2 would leave the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook for Southampton, said Peter Knego, co-editor of a Web site, maritimematters.com, devoted to the history of passenger ships.
“They would only meet in the Atlantic and were never in port together,” Mr. Knego said of the original Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth. “To have the two of them here, plus a third Queen, is truly momentous.”
It took Cunard two years to prepare for the occasion. The company had to plan each of the ship’s itineraries to make sure the vessels would converge in New York on the same day and to reserve space in the terminals to allow them to dock and depart at the same time.”
Photo by Ratlines
