Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510070002
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: F-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK WHITE AND TONI KATZ
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
They're investing billions of dollars in new, state-of-the-art, luxury floating resorts to entice you into booking your first cruise. Competition for passengers to fill these new ships should result in more favorable pricing.
So shop around, especially for travel agents who are discount cruise specialists.
If you've been wondering if cruising is for you and your family, then perhaps answers to the following, commonly asked, questions will prove helpful.
What will the cruise cost?
Cabin selection largely determines the price of the cruise. The average cruise costs range from $150 to $250 per day, per person/double occupancy and usually includes air transportation to and from the home port.
All passengers share the same dining room, entertainment and other shipboard facilities. The basic cost of the cruise includes everything except optional shore excursions, wine and bar drinks, photographs and tips.
Is cabin selection important?
The typical cabin size is compact at best. Only the deluxe suites offer the large cabins you may have seen on the "Love Boat" TV series.
Most passengers spend little time in their cabins and adjust to the smaller quarters. Perhaps a more important consideration is an inside cabin versus an outside cabin with a porthole. If you're cruising the waters of exotic Tahiti or spectacular Alaska, it's worth additional money to wake up to breathtaking scenery.
If most of your cruise will be on the open seas, you might consider the economy of an inside cabin. Further savings are realized when three or four people share a cabin, if you can stand the crunch.
Will my children enjoy the cruise?
To accommodate families, many cruise lines have added counselors to oversee full programs for children of all ages. These ships feature large game rooms with electronic equipment, swimming areas, discos, movies, exercises and craft projects. First dinner seating is usually chosen by families. In addition, baby-sitting services are available for a nominal fee.
Is sea sickness a problem?
If you choose a ship over 10,000 gross registered tons with stabilizers, it is unlikely you'll be uncomfortable even in moderately heavy seas. On the larger, super cruise ships of 70,000 gross registered tons you probably won't feel any motion except in the heaviest seas. Your doctor can prescribe medicine. The ship's doctor is also available.
What are the dining arrangements?
If you choose the first seating, you'll have more time for the evening shows and festivities. The second seating allows you to spend more time in port and still dress leisurely for dinner. The maitre d' assigns tables, determining your dinner companions for the duration of the cruise. If you're alone, ask to sit with other single cruisers. If you're a couple and wish to sit with other couples the same age, he'll try to oblige. Meeting and making new friends can be one of the nicest parts cruising.
What clothes should I bring?
If you have a tuxedo and want to show it off, bring it. Otherwise, a tux is not necessary. There are usually two formal nights on a seven-night cruise. For men, dark suit and tie are appropriate, ladies require a long dress or after-five outfits. Other times, dress is casual.
Will I gain weight?
Nearly all ships offer optional lighter menus, and many feature a complete diet and spa experience.
Will I be bored?
Only if you want to be. The cabin steward will place a daily schedule of events and activities in your cabin each evening. In port you'll want to explore and take optional shore excursions.
A typical day at sea begins in the spa with weight training, massages, aerobics or jogging. There are complimentary dance classes, parties for honeymooners, singles and grandmothers, gambling lessons, skeet shooting, bridge tournaments, golf driving and bingo. To relax or read, you can lounge by the pool or find a quiet corner on deck or in the library. The evening hours are filled with glamorous stage reviews, nightclub entertainment, casino gambling or dancing. Romance is always in the air.
Will I like cruising?
Nearly everyone does. The convenience alone will hook you. The ship becomes your luxury hotel as you visit exotic ports-of-call. There are no bags to check, packing and unpacking, or last minute hotel cancellations to worry about. When you consider that the basic cruise fare includes air fare to and from the port, all meals, unlimited recreation and delightful entertainment, the cost of cruising is a bargain.
Cruising is a lot like eating potato chips, you can't stop with just one. A better vacation is hard to find. Just ask any passenger after their first cruise. Most will be excitedly planning their next great escape at sea.
The following thumbnail descriptions of cruise lines may assist you in planning a cruise vacation:
Is cabin selection important? Hawaiian food, entertainment, artwork and language are woven into the shipboard activities.
Carnival Cruise Lines: The "Fun Ship" concept on based on the idea of offering experiences so vibrant and varied they have mass appeal.
Celebrity Cruises-Fantasy Cruises: Pioneered short cruises. Line has elevated the art of fine dining, winning many awards for cuisine.
Club Med Cruises: World's largest sailing cruise ships. No extra charge for water sports from the on-board private marina. Voyages can be combined with Club Med resort stays.
Commodore Cruise Line: Friendly, attentive "Gold Braid" service. Award winning "Lite Cuisine" menu is available.
Costa Cruise Lines: "Italian Style" cruising with "Toga parties", Italian language, and cooking lessons.
Crystal Cruises: Award winning ships provide elegant service and appointments, including luxurious penthouses and verandas, two alternative dinner restaurants, and Caesar's casino.
Cunard Line: A classic cruise experience. Superb service and a high rate of staff to passenger ratio.
Delta Queen Steamboat: Offers overnight river cruises celebrating the music, food, heritage and history of America's heartland.
Dolphin Cruise Line-Majesty Cruise Line: Official cruise line of Hanna Barbera; hosted by Yogi Bear and cartoon characters. Has popularized "Weddings on Board."
Epirotiki Lines: Pioneered cruising in the Aegean and has added cruises in the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Caribbean. Holland America Line: Historic Dutch heritage of seamanship. Spacious staterooms and premium no tipping service while cruising the world.
Norwegian Cruise Line: Introduced one-class cruising to the Caribbean in an atmosphere of informal luxury. Renowned for theme cruises; sports, cuisine, jazz, etc.
Orient Lines: Cruises the Far East providing "cruise-tour" vacations with area experts. Spago's Wolfgang Puck has created special menus.
Premier Cruise Line: Big Red Boat's fleet is known for its family and children's programs. Cruising can be combined with stays at Disney World Hotels.
Princess Cruises: This star of the "Love Boat" television series popularized cruising with "It's more than a cruise, it's the Love Boat."
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises: Among the highest space-to-passenger and crew-to-passenger ratios in the industry. All-suites ship. Attentive service. Modern catamaran design insures a calm voyage.
Regency Cruises: This lines penchant for innovation includes single parent/grandparent, honeymoon and family reunion packages.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: Luxury quality for a moderate fare. Legends of the Sea, the newest, opulent ship, features 18 of the world's most challenging golf holes that have been recreated in small-scale on deck.
Royal Cruise Line: Every cruise features a special theme or enrichment program. The enrichment may be directly linked to the places visited by noted experts on board.
Royal Viking Line: Highlights the "World of Royal Viking," an innovative approach to shipboard programming; special hosts such as Walter Cronkite, Charles Kuralt and Eva Marie Saint. Destinations include the Arctic Circle.
Seabourn Cruise Line: Emphasis is on the top end of the market so the service and accommodations equal the world's finest hotels and resorts.
Silversea Cruises: Newest ultra-luxury line features all-outside suite accommodations, most with teak-decked verandas.
Windstar Cruises: These four-masted ships with computer-directed sails pioneered modern luxury sail cruising. The line's trademark is "casual elegance" with unregimented activities.
World Explorer: Known for its informal atmosphere and focus on culture and adventure. Only cruises the popular Alaska Inside Passage.
by CNB