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Thought some of you might enjoy this article showing what ships and ports look like in real life rather than in the brochure. I was always disappointed in the reality, but I'll admit that I was doing low-end cruises like Carnival and some now defunct cheapo lines:
Thought some of you might enjoy this article showing what ships and ports look like in real life rather than in the brochure. I was always disappointed in the reality, but I'll admit that I was doing low-end cruises like Carnival and some now defunct cheapo lines:
Like most everything in life, you get what you pay for. Luxury cruises (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent, Crystal, etc) are very ,much what you expect. No lines, fine dining, no crowds, top notch.
Research, research, research. CruiseCritic is especially good for details. You'll find which ships have problems with "chair hogs" (they put their stuff on 7 chairs by the pool at 7 AM and then leave), deteriorating food in the main dining room, ripoff "art auctions", etc.
I was on a small-ship cruise in Hawaii last month and was talking with a couple who had taken a round-the-world cruise with Ponant. I knew the Ponant name only because I'd seen an ad in a French magazine for their "luxury cruise" to Antarctica. I looked it up- about $12K per person double occupancy excluding airfare to and from Argentina. Heaven knows what they paid for RTW but it was clearly positioned as a luxury line and beyond my budget. He said they were not impressed- said the food was "touch and go" and only the crew, who were wonderful, lived up to their expectations. I don't think they were particularly picky- our ship was small, unpretentious but had all the essentials, and was focused on nature. No go-cart tracks, no fancy dress night, no "premium" restaurants. They liked it a lot more.
Like most everything in life, you get what you pay for. Luxury cruises (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent, Crystal, etc) are very ,much what you expect. No lines, fine dining, no crowds, top notch.
I'm way too low maintenance to pay all the extra money for a "luxury" cruise.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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This article is a surprise / news to anyone?
Seems like it is the typical "filling space" rant. (no real value)
They could have got very graphic and shown the real destruction that Cruise Ships have done for decades.
(Environmental, Community, Private entities, previously quaint / desirable port towns, families, careers, immigrant labor, ...)
Like most everything in life, you get what you pay for. Luxury cruises (Silversea, Seabourn, Regent, Crystal, etc) are very ,much what you expect. No lines, fine dining, no crowds, top notch.
Glad to hear this as we just booked a 14 day Alaskan cruise aboard Seabourn for Juy 2020. This is our 1st cruise and 1st time to Alaska, so we are looking foward to it...more Alaska for me than the cruise, and more the cruise for my wife than Alaska. Alaska seems like a tough place to see by land, so the cruise makes sense logistically.
I apologize in advance to any locals that live in the Ports we are stopping at. Our ship only carries 450, and I'm guessing only 2/3rds will leave the ship at any given port, so 300 of us will be clogging up your stores, restaurants, and sidewalks. Sorry.
Glad to hear this as we just booked a 14 day Alaskan cruise aboard Seabourn for Juy 2020. This is our 1st cruise and 1st time to Alaska, so we are looking foward to it...more Alaska for me than the cruise, and more the cruise for my wife than Alaska. Alaska seems like a tough place to see by land, so the cruise makes sense logistically.
I apologize in advance to any locals that live in the Ports we are stopping at. Our ship only carries 450, and I'm guessing only 2/3rds will leave the ship at any given port, so 300 of us will be clogging up your stores, restaurants, and sidewalks. Sorry.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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For Alaska...
Also consider the many other 'sustainable' options.
1) Alaska Marine Highway (2 departures weekly from Bellingham, WA USA) Alaska State Ferry | Alaska Marine Highway System
2) Motorsailor (Many from UK do this for a season, many hire out private charter / crewing options)
3) Charter onto a commercial fishing boat during / non-fishing weeks. (about every other week they are not allowed to fish, some offer charters - viewing and sport fishing)
4) Airlift into a Forest Service cabin
5) Island hopping / rental cabins by private PT charter (Loggers do this during August when they can't log - due to fire danger)
6) Ferries (many)
There are usually very affordable and sustainable 'local' options in other desirable cruise destinations.
You really can't get close enough to shore / small communities / cultural relationships on a typical Cruise Ship.
I do cruise occasionally, but typically it's a 'Ship Relocation' - one way trip, low occupancy, low cost, unique ports that I would not see otherwise. (Last did Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Suez Canal...) <$80/ day (some got the trip for $30 / day - diamond members). The porters were a tad concerned I was only traveling with a small backpack... no massive Luggage to pack around. Other people were willing to share their vast wardrobes for 'dress-up' nights. (Which I have no need to attend). It was a good experience, not a favorite, but very interesting. I usually spend more time talking with crew than passengers, as I seek out different cultures and information on their lives, families, homes, dreams.
Oops! Too late now, we've paid the deposit to the cruise line. We stop at 8 ports to do land excursions, so we'll get to see a lot of Alaska by day 14. I'm more into the coastal areas than the interior.
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