Berlitz Publishing - Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017

How To Use This E-Book

Getting around the e-book

This Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your next cruise, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

From the Author

Welcome to the 2017 edition of Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships the books 32nd year of continuous publication.

The cruise industry is a fiercely competitive business, and one within which any marketing opportunity is seized upon and hyped to the utmost. Travel industry awards often in the form of magazine or online readers polls provide a perfect such opportunity and are extremely valuable to the cruise lines.

Yet these polls are only ever as good as the number of people who vote in them, the number of ships, and the criteria established for measuring quality. For example, if a magazine initiates a readers poll, and no readers have cruised aboard a Spanish-speaking cruise ship, that ship will receive no votes. So, votes go to the most-traveled ships, which are not necessarily the best. The magazines never state the criteria, and the results are therefore unreliable.

At Berlitz, we always state our criteria, clearly and honestly. Thats why the Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships 2017 is the most authoritative and dependable guide on the market. Whats more, this book is totally independent, and unconnected or influenced by sponsorship.

My 6,100-plus days at sea

In welcoming new readers to this edition, I should mention my qualifications for assessing cruise ships on your behalf. I first fell in love with ships when, in 1965, I sailed aboard Cunard Lines 83,673-ton ocean liner RMS Queen Elizabeth at that time the worlds largest passenger ship.

To date, I have completed over 6,100 days at sea, participating in more than 1,080 cruises, 158 transatlantic crossings, and countless Panama Canal transits, plus shipyard visits, numerous ship-naming ceremonies, and maiden voyages.

The first edition of this book, reviewing, testing, and evaluating 120 ships, appeared in 1985, when cruising seemed to most people an expensive, rarefied experience. Today, the book is the most highly regarded source of comparative information not only for cruise purchasers, but also for cruise industry executives, travel agents, and crew members.

This book is a tribute to everyone who has made my seafaring experiences possible, especially my mother and father, and I thank the cruise lines for their assistance during the complex scheduling, sailing, inspection, evaluation, and rating processes.

How to use this book

This book is divided into two main parts. The first helps you to define what you are looking for in a cruise vacation and advises you on how to find it; it provides a wealth of information, including a look at life aboard ship. Specialist cruises are discussed, too, culminating with that ultimate travel experience: the around-the-world cruise.

The books main section profiles 295 ocean-going cruise and expedition ships. From large to small, from unabashed luxury and exclusivity to ships for the budget-minded, and from new to old, they are all here.

The ratings and evaluations are a painstaking documentation of my personal work. I travel throughout the world, and I sail for up to 200 days each year. All evaluations are made objectively, without bias, partiality, or prejudice. In almost all instances, the ships have been visited recently by me or one of my team.

My intention has always been to make this the most informative and useful guidebook of its type, and to help you to make informed decisions about the ship(s) you choose for your next cruise(s).

Although price indicators are supplied for some things such as alternative restaurants, spa treatments, and other items, prices may have changed since this book went to press. Check all prices with your cruise line.

Most of the statistical information contained in the ship profiles was supplied by the cruise lines and ship owners. You are welcome to send details of any errors or any updated information to me at: .

My constant travel and ship inspection schedule means I am frequently at sea, and I no longer answer mailed letters.

2017 Apa Publications (UK) Ltd.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Choose the Right Cruise

Types of Cruising

The Cruise Experience

The Cruise Companies

Practical Information

The Ships and Their Ratings

Ship Listings

New to Cruising?

Are you all at sea about cruises, when it seems like everyone around you has taken one, but you havent? Heres what youll need to know before you first step aboard.

Enjoying the view from a cabin balcony.

Paul Gauguin Cruises

About 70 cruise companies operate around 350 ocean-going cruise ships, plus over 1,000 river ships, all providing cruise vacations.

You see them all the time those online advertisements that shout Only $49 per day per person. Well, take them with a pinch of salt! What youll end up with is basic, basic, basic, with a left-over cabin in the worst location, and then, once aboard, youll need to spend money at every turn.

Its a bit of an obstacle course, like trying to choose between different models of car, starting with a base price, and deciding on all the optional extras before actually getting the model you want. In other words, its not the inclusive vacation that you thought you were buying, but an unbundled product that requires you to make decisions that cost additional money.

The good news is that an ocean cruise can offer variety, excellent value for money, and a memorable travel experience, and, with a little planning, it should all go smoothly. And, after your first cruise, be prepared for the feeling of addiction that so often hits.

Youll need to do a little planning in order to find the right ship and cruise to suit your needs whether you are a solo traveler, a young couple, a family with children, or well-traveled seniors.

Photo op aboard AIDAprima .

Douglas Ward

What exactly is a cruise?

A cruise is a change from everyday life on land. It is a (mostly) pre-paid, hassle-free and, hopefully, crime-free vacation. You sleep in the same bed each night, the ship moves the scenery for you, and only one currency is used on board.

Everythings close at hand, and there are always polite people to help you. You can explore new places, and make new friends. It can facilitate multi-generational togetherness, solo adventuring, or escapism for couples. And, some of the worlds most beautiful places are best seen from the deck of a cruise ship.

What a cruise is not

Some cruises simply arent relaxing, despite cruise brochures claiming that you can do as much or as little as you want to. For example, large resort ships carrying over 2,501 passengers pack lots of people into small cabins and provide almost nonstop activities and entertainment and noise pollution.