New Choices Magazine
September 1, 1999
The Inside Scoop on Cruising


All cruises are not created equal. I should know, I've been on over
50 of them, from hulking, 2,000-passenger state-of-the-art floating
hotels carrying the population of a small town between well-traveled
Caribbean islands, to sail- and engine-powered clipper ships with
fewer than 200 sarong- and sandal-clad free spirits enjoying the
carefree attitude of an ultra-casual adventure in the hauntingly
remote waters off the coast of Thailand. Like cars or hotels, cruise
ships come in all shapes and sizes and all price levels, too. You
can pay less than $100 a day for a no-frills cabin on a 40-year-old
fading liner, or blow a $1,000 a day for a spacious cabin with a
marble bathroom on the most deluxe of cruise ships. You can also
travel to just about anywhere in the world on a cruise ship, from
the classic Caribbean or Mediterranean ports to far-flung destinations
like Tahiti, India, Brazil, Antarctica and Alaska.

With an industry-wide building spree in high gear (there are over
30 new cruise ships scheduled to enter service between now and 2003,
joining the hundreds that already exist), to weather the increasing
competition, cruise lines are being incredibly innovative these
days, coming up with new features and catchy gimmicks you'd probably
never associate with a typical cruise. For instance, while you'd
probably expect buffets piled high with hearty helpings of all-American
favorites like roast beef, shrimp cocktail, and cheesecake, there
are some more exotic options, too. Carnival Cruise Line's new Paradise
and year-old Elation have bona fide sushi bars offering complimentary,
freshly prepared eel, squid, and California rolls every afternoon,
complete with wasabi and fresh ginger. Crystal Cruises' Crystal
Harmony has an authentic Japanese restaurant, serving some of the
best sushi and I've ever tasted.

Think cruises are sedate and low-key? Not so on Royal Caribbean's
3,100-passenger, 142,000-ton Voyager of Seas. Slated to debut in
November, is will not only be the largest cruise ship on earth,
but if you prefer to be active even on vacation, this ship comes
well stocked, with an ice-skating rink, 9-hole miniature golf course,
driving range, and golf simulator machine, among other diversions.
Many other ships also offer nearly as many fitness-oriented activities.

The bottom line is choice. Like never before, cruise lines are offering
more and more services and accessories and here's a look at the
latest shipboard trends.

Food choices: It's no secret that a cruise is a veritable food-fest
from the moment you step on board. Lavish midnight buffets, formal
five-course meals, 24-hour room service, and even pizza and ice-cream
are the standard fare on most ships. And in the last couple of years,
even more choices are being offered. If you're not in the mood for
the fuss of formal dining, many ships now offer a second choice
at dinner-time. Casual buffet-style restaurants have been turning
up on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess,
Holland America, and Cunard cruise lines. Wear what you want and
stroll in when you please. After soup and salad, two or three entrees
are offered, like prime rib, salmon, or stir-fry, followed by dessert.
If you want the fine dining and formality, but with fewer fellow
diners in tow, in recent years, some lines have added intimate,
reservations-only restaurants, seating less than 100 (some have
"cover charges") and focusing on a particular cuisine. They're a
perfect opportunity to try something new. Bob Nunn and his wife
Renee were recently on the Crystal Harmony and really enjoyed the
ship's Japanese restaurant. "I was able to get Renee to try sushi
for the first time," he said proudly. Crystal Cruises' Crystal Harmony
and Symphony each have an Asian and an Italian restaurant; the Radisson
Diamond, Italian; Paul Gauguin, Italian and French; Rotterdam VI,
Continental and Italian; Disney Magic, Italian; Grand Princess,
Tex-Mex and Italian ($3.50 per person); Orient Lines' Marco Polo,
Asian ($15 per person include wine and gratuities); Silver Wind
and Silver Cloud, Italian; Seabourn Legend, Spirit and Pride, French
and Italian; and Cunard's Vistafjord and Royal Viking Sun, Italian.


Verandahs: Worried about the crowds or worse yet, feeling claustrophobic
in some tiny cabin. Well, book one with a private verandah and you
can breeze outside whenever you please and grab some alone time.
A perfect spot to enjoy a sunset and a bottle of champagne before
dinner with a few friends or breakfast in the morning. Bob Nunn
and his wife Renee loved their cabin verandah on a recent cruise.
"This was our first cruise with a veranda and I doubt we will ever
go again without one. We even went as far as using the veranda for
what would normally be indoor activities," he added (think we can
read between the lines here!). [Bob, FYI, the Nunns are a sophisticated,
late 40s/early 50s married couple] As ships get bigger and busier,
privacy is held at a higher and higher premium. Private cabin verandahs
are all the rage and are popping up in large numbers on ships of
all sizes. No longer only the domain of the best and most expensive
suites and penthouses, many new ships have lots of them, and at
affordable rates, too. The newest ships in the Princess, Royal Caribbean,
and Holland America fleets have them on least 25% of cabins. The
smaller ships of the high-end lines, like Silversea, Crystal, and
Radisson Seven Seas have balconies too. They range in size from
slim wedges just barely big enough for a pair of chairs to spacious
expanses measuring over 200 square feet. Word to the wise: some
ship decks are tiered ñ like many of those on the Princess Cruises'
Grand Princess and Celebrity's Century, Galaxy and Mercury -- exposing
you to would-be onlookers from other verandahs and public decks
above.

Learning: There's more than bingo, bars, and pool games to keep
you occupied on a cruise. You can actually learn something from
the complimentary enrichment seminars and lectures offered on many
ships on topics like personal investing, cooking, health and well-being,
history, foreign affairs, wine-tasting, and even hand-writing analysis.
Crystal, Celebrity, Cunard, Silversea, Seabourn, Radisson Seven
Seas, Holland America, Norwegian, Windstar and Orient cruise lines
have them, and except for wine-tasting, they're complimentary. A
recent cruise on Celebrity Cruises' Zenith featured an expert on
handwriting, who spoke about handwriting styles and personality
traits that go with them, finishing one session by analyzing the
writing of all those in attendance. A financial planner from Morgan
Stanley Dean Witter was also on board to speak about personal investing.
Crystal Cruises hosts its Wine & Food Festival program on a handful
of sailings each year (14 in 1999), which feature a well-respected
wine expert ñ-- like Michael Broadbent, retired director of Christie's
(London) Wine Department or Peter Jung, wine consultant, educator
and member of Bon Appetit's wine tasting panel --- who conducts
generally two complimentary tastings and a guest chef from a well-known
restaurant --- like Andre Soltner of New York City's Lutece or Jacques
Pepin, French chef and television personality --- who conducts a
pair of cooking demonstrations for guests and then serves those
very entrees at dinner that night.

Smoking: Ironically, as smoking is being prohibited in more and
more areas of ships ñ in dining rooms, entertainment lounges, cabins,
even on entire ships like Carnival's Paradise and Renaissance Cruises'
new R series ñ in designated areas cigar smoking is allowed, and
in fact, promoted. Cigar bars and smokers nights on deck are "in,"
and well-known Dominican and often Cuban brands, like Montecristo
and Cohiba, are sold on board.

On the Mercury, Galaxy, Century and Horizon, there's a plush cigar
bar with leather wingbacks and velvet couches called Michael's Club
to retreat to any time of the day; there's even a craftsman hand
rolling stogies. After dinner, cigar smoking is welcomed in the
Main Salon on the Sea Goddess ships and in the observation lounges
on Seabourn's three ships. Before and after dinner, passengers can
light up in the Connoisseur Club on Radisson Seven Seas' Paul Gauguin;
in the top-deck lounge on the Crystal Symphony and Harmony; and
in the Chart Room lounge and Golden Lion Pub on the QE2. Cigar smoking
is permitted on the open decks on the Windstar fleet, the Holland
America fleet, and on the two Silverseas ships.

The Extras

A big part of the appeal of a cruise is its so-called all-inclusive
pricing. Accommodations, food and most entertainment and activities
are included in one package price. Beyond this, though, there are
quite a few extras that are not covered in the package price. Except
for the handful of truly all-inclusive ultra-luxury ships, like
the Silversea Cruises fleet, expect to spend at least $200 per person
for things not included.

Tips. Assume tips will cost about $70 per adult or child for a seven-night
cruise.

Port charges. While they're often included in the cruise rates,
if not, they'll cost you anywhere from $100 - $200 per person for
a seven-night cruise.

Drinks. Unless you live in a big city, assume the cost of a drink
--- alcoholic or otherwise --- will cost you more than at home.
Expect to pay about $2.75 for a domestic beer and $3 to $5 for an
imported one; wine will be at least $4 a glass; and a rum and coke
will typically run you about $4. If you're a teetotaler, at about
$1.50 a can, the cokes add up (if you're under age 21, Carnival
sells an unlimited soda package for $18; NCL sells one for $16 to
all passengers under age 17, plastic cup and straw included). A
1.5 liter bottle of Evian water is often a whopping $2.95; a 0.5
liter bottle is $1.95 (technically, a ship's tap water is usually
drinkable, but as heavily treated as it is, it sure doesn't taste
great).

Shore excursions. If you sign up for one of the organized port tours
sold onboard, you'll shell out anywhere from $20 to $300 per person
per excursion. An hour- or two walking tour will cost the least
and helicopter or plane tours will be the most costly. You can also
think about going off on your on, chances are you'll save money.
"The cruise line was selling a bus excursion to Florence for $68
a person, but we and another couple hired a comfortable, air-conditioned
taxi right at the pier and paid just $60 each and were able to do
things our way. We left at 8:30 in the morning instead of 7, when
the bus tour was scheduled to leave, and spent an extra hour in
Florence," comment Michele and Bob Chandler about a recent cruise
they took to Italy.

Transportation to ship. If you're flying to the ship and you've
purchased airfare directly from the cruise line, transportation
between the airport and ship is generally included. If you've arranged
your own airfare, you can take a taxi or purchase a transfer voucher
from the line. Traveling from the Miami airport to the pier on one
of Carnival's buses, for example, will run you about $20 round-trip
per passenger. If you drive to the cruise terminals in Florida or
California, parking will cost you about $6 to $10 per day. Babysitting
and video arcades. Private in-cabin babysitting is available on
many, but not all, ships between the hours of about 10pm and 1am
to 3am for about $8 to $10 per child. Sometimes a second child in
the same family will only be charged an additional dollar or two.
Group babysitting, slumber-party style, in the playroom generally
costs about $4 ñ 5 per child. Video arcades, many with the latest
virtual-reality skiing, driving and skate-boarding machines, are
hot on the new ships these days, and cost a quarter to $3 per game.


Specialty foods. If you can't live without a scoop of Haagan Daz,
it's available all day long on the Grand, Sea, Sun and Dawn Princess
ships (a sundae costs $3.50). If you're addicted to mocha lattes
or a strong espresso, specialty coffees and pastries are sold at
cute cafes on the four Princess ships; on Carnival's Paradise, Elation
and Destiny; and on the Crystal's Harmony and Symphony. An Irish
coffee is about $3.95 and a cappuccino, $1.50.

Activities. Gambling and bingo will cost you, of course. So a wine-tasting
class ($5 - $15 per person), personal-training in the gym ($45 an
hour), and videotaped golf lessons from onboard pros (about $70
an hour).

Spa and hair-salon treatments. These can feel wonderful for your
body, but can sure hurt your wallet if you don't choose wisely ($15
to $150 each). More than a few cruise passengers have been surprised
by the cost. "I had my hair put up at the salon for one of the formal
nights and they charged me $80 for something that would have taken
me five minutes to do. I was very disappointed and went right back
to my cabin and took it down," laments cruiser Jennifer Godinho.