|
Forbestraveler.com
July 1, 2007
The Most Expensive Cruise Itineraries
The Caribbean’s tired (yawn) and the Bahamas are lame (snore). Cruisers willing to fork over the big bucks tend to head to more exotic waters aboard small ships offering either over-the-top luxury or expedition-style learning.
An ultra expensive itinerary is often only available a few times a year, maybe even just once.
“From a passenger perspective, our most expensive voyages tend to be in the Baltic,” says David Morris, executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Silversea Cruises. ”Many guests want to visit the Baltic, but the region has a relatively short cruising season. As a result, not much discounting is needed to fill the ships.”
I’ll say. The 7-night August 11 sailing aboard the 382-passenger Silver Shadow out of Copenhagen is going for $890 per person a day, and that’s for the lowest category suite --- a ritzy 287- square-foot abode with a marble bathroom, walk-in closet and private verandah.
Mary Jean Tully, chairman and CEO of Ontario-based Cruise Professionals, backs up Peter. For her business, Baltic and Alaska cruises tend to be expensive. Cruises including Dubai are also going for top dollar. Antarctica sailings, generally offered between only December and February, typically trade at high per diems as well.
Just look at Lindblad Expedition’s 23-night Antarctica cruise next February. Starting rates come in at just over $650 per person a day --- for good reason.
“Ultimately, it’s the quality of research personnel and equipment that makes the difference,” says Sven Lindblad, president and CEO of Lindblad Expeditions. The company spent two years researching how to safely allow passengers to kayak in Antarctica. Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour, they use a super sophisticated ROC (remote operated vehicle) for deep-water exploration and filming. And the list goes on.
In justifying the hefty price tag for the Silver Shadow’s Baltic sailing, Silversea spokesman Brad Ball points to three factors: the season, August practically guarantees great weather and calm seas; the ports, three full days in St. Petersburg; and the cruise length. A one-week sailing from Saturday to Saturday is very appealing to working stiffs.
Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, says expenses also play a part in setting cruise fares. Tahiti and Antarctica are pricey because everything has to be imported, particularly fuel. Alaska cruise expenses are steep due to high port, pilot and government charges. Transits of the Suez and Panama Canal also come with substantial fees.
“To give you an example, our 50,000-ton Mariner with 690 guests pays $150,000 to transit the Panama Canal, which comes to almost $220 per guest,” says Conway.
Itineraries that cost big bucks are often packaged with super expensive (and totally cool) shore excursions to match. During the Wind Surf’s pricey May 20 cruise along the French Riviera, the ship anchored off shore Monaco for three days during the Grand Prix. For $1,900 per person, guests got reserved trackside seating for the time trials and the final race, plus private receptions and commemorative souvenirs.
Of course, there’s also the one-upmanship factor that motivates people to go where they do. Like hand bags, cell phones and sports cars, cruise itineraries go in and out of fashion for all kinds of random reasons. The pace of booking tends to reflect what is hot at the moment, Conroy says.
For some, what’s hot is drinking champagne and doing the countdown while sailing among the well-trodden not-so-exotic haunts of the Caribbean. Seabourn’s two week-long cruises over New Year’s Eve aboard the small and chichi Seabourn Pride and Legend are going for no less than $699 to $2,078 per person per day. Drink up!
To come up with the most expensive cruise itineraries, we calculated per diem rates, based on double occupancy, for each cruise so that length of cruise wasn’t the deciding factor. We based the comparison on each ship’s lowest-category cabins and we only considered vessels that had the capacity to carry 30 or more passengers.
The Top 10
1 Seadream Yacht Club, Adriatic
• Between Venice and Dubrovnik aboard the 110-passenger SeaDream II
• 7 nights departing August 11, rates begin at $999 per person per night, and at $900 per person a night for the July 28 sailing, for a Yacht Club Deck2 stateroom.
• Ports include Rovinj, Rab, Trogir, Hvar and Korcula (Crotaia), with an overnight stay in either Dubrovnik or Venice.
For the top shelf, the Owner’s Suite will cost you $2,262 per person a day (Aug 11 sailing) and $2,062 per person a day (for July 28 departure). Fares aboard this cushy yachty ship include open bar and gratuities.
www.seadreamyachtclub.com
2 Silversea Cruises, Baltic
• Copenhagen to Stockholm aboard the 382-passenger Silver Shadow
• 7 nights departing August 11, fares start at $870 per person a day for a Vista Suite
• Ports include Tallinn, Estonia; 3 days in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Helsinki, Finland.
Most expensive digs on ship, the 1-bedroom Grand Suite is going for $2,956 per person per day. Rates include open bar, gratuities and one of the most luxurious ships at sea to call home for a week.
www.silversea.com
3 Travel Dynamics International, Africa
• Bamako (Mali) to Dakar (Senegal) aboard the 34-passenger Callisto
• 13 nights (includes 6 hotel nights) departing between Jan and March,
fares start at $845 per person a day for a category D stateroom
• This journey traverses Senegal’s Saloum and Gambia rivers, with stops in Djiffere, Fadiout, Tendaba, Kuntaur and Banjul
The top cabin on this casual yacht-like cruiser has bay windows and is priced at $999 per person. Fares cover private intra-Africa flights, local motorized pirogues boats for up-close exploring, all excursions, expert lecturers and guides, three nights hotel stay in Mopti and three nights in Dakar, and open bar on board.
www.traveldynamicsinternational.com
4 Silversea Cruises, Mediterranean
• Civitavecchia/Rome to Venice aboard 382-passenger Silver Whisper
• 7 nights departing July 6, fares start at $790 per person a day for a Vista Suite
• Ports include Sorrento, Taormina (Sicily), Split (Croatia), and Rovinj (Croatia), with an overnight in Venice.
The top of the line 1-bedroom Grand Suite is priced at $2,370 per person per day. Rates include open bar and gratuities.
www.silversea.com
5 Travel Dynamics International, Antarctica
• Round-trip from Ushuaia, aboard 114-passenger Corinthian II
• 11 nights (includes one-night hotel stay) departing between Dec and Feb, with fares starting at $772 per person a day for a Deluxe Suite E stateroom.
• Ports include landings via Zodiac boats at remote spots like Petermann Island (for humpback and minke whale sightings), Cuverville Island (for its penguin colonies), Deception Island (former whaling station), and Hannah Point (bird and elephant seal colonies) plus sailing through the Drake Passage and other super picturesque channels.
The top of the heap on this comfy yacht-like expedition ship, the Deluxe Penthouse Suite with balcony goes for a whopping $1,408 per person a day. Rates cover onboard naturalists and expedition guides (at least 3 per cruise), all excursions including explorations via Zodiac boats, one hotel night in Buenos Aires, and flight between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.
www.traveldynamicsinternational.com
6 Lindbland Expeditions, Greek Isles
• Roundtrip from Athens/Piraeus aboard the 45-passenger Panorama.
• 7 nights departing July – Aug, fares start at $711 per person a day for a category 1 cabin
• Ports include Sifnos, Santorini, Kos, Patmos, Naxos and Delos.
The top abode on this intimate three-mast sailing yacht is the category 4 stateroom with three windows; it’s runs $989 per person a day. All Lindblad cruises feature complimentary shore excursions and expert guest lecturers (naturalists, scientists and historians), some as part of Lindblad’s alliance with the National Geographic Society.
www.expeditions.com
7 Seabourn Cruise Line, Caribbean
• St. Maarten to Ft. Lauderdale aboard 208-passenger Seabourn Pride / Barbados to Ft. Lauderdale aboard 208-passenger Seabourn Legend
• 7 nights departing Dec 29 (Pride) and Dec 26 (Legend), rates begin at $699 per person a day.
• Ports include St.Kitts, St. Barts, Virgin Gorda and St. Thomas (Pride) / St. John, Virgin Gorda and St. Thomas (Legend)
For the Owner’s Suite you’ll have to shell over $2,078 per person per day. All fares on this classy ship include open bar and complimentary gratuities.
www.seabourn.com
8 Lindblad Expeditions, Antarctica
• Roundtrip from Ushuaia aboard the 110-passenger National Geographic Endeavour
• 23 days (including 1 hotel night in Santiago) departing Feb 14, rates start at $652 per person a day for a category 1 cabin
• Ports include the Falkland Islands, Port Stanley, South Georgia Island, South Orkney Islands and Antarctica’s King George island, Deception Island and Paulet Island.
The pair of Upper Deck suites is $1,163 per person a day. Fares include roundtrip flights between Santiago and Ushuaia, one night hotel in Santiago, onboard naturalist and scientist lecturers and guides, and all shore excursions.
www.expeditions.com
9 Cruise West, Alaska
• Between Vancouver to Anchorage, aboard the 120-passenger Spirit of Oceanus.
• 24 nights departing July 14, including one hotel night in Anchorage, with fares starting at $648 per person a day for a Superior outside cabin.
• Ports include Metlakatla, Petersburg, Skagway, Sitka, Whittier, Kodiak, Geographic Harbor, Shumagin Islands, Unalaska Island, Pribilof Islands, Nunivak Island, Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula, and Nome, plus traversing remote inlets and bays via the ship and Zodiac boats.
The owner’s suite with balcony is going for $1,150 per person a day. Fares include excursions in every port, onboard naturalists and expedition guides, explorations via Zodiac boats, one hotel night in Anchorage, flight between Nome and Anchorage, and gratuities.
www.cruisewest.com
10 Regent Seven Seas, Asia
• Osaka/Kobe to Hong Kong aboard 700-passenger Seven Seas Mariner
• 14 nights departing Sept 26, fares start at $588 per person a day for a Class H suite
• Ports include Nagasaki (Japan); Pusan (South Korea); and Tianjin/Beijing (2 days), Dalian and Shanghai (3 days) (China).
At the top, the Master Suite is going for $2,793 per person per day. All fares include complimentary open bar and gratuities, plus on this sailing, ceramics guru and longtime expert on the BBC TV show Antiques Roadshow, David Battie, will be aboard with others to do talks about Chinese culture and antiques shopping in port.
www.rssc.com
|
