Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Luxury ... Old and New






The new ship launches began with Seabourn Odyssey in June of 2009; followed by Silver Spirit, which began service in December 2009; and will end with Seabourn Sojourn, sister to Odyssey, to be launched this summer.

The 450 passenger Odyssey, and its sister Sojourn, are totally new concepts for the Yachts of Seabourn, which has operated three smaller vessels, in the 200 passenger range, for more than two decades.

Seabourn’s new vessels offer a lot that will please long time Seabourn cruisers, along with much to impress those new to luxury lines.

In essence, Seabourn Odyssey is where South Beach meets Palm Beach. The Restaurant, for example, would not look out of place in South Beach’s trendy hotels while the Colonnade (restaurant) could pass muster in any of the plush Palm Beach country clubs. Quite simply, Seabourn Odyssey marries the best of South Florida’ trendiest beach resorts with one of America’s poshest cities.

Toward the end of 2009, Silversea Cruises floated out its largest ship ever. The 540 passenger Silver Spirit brought a few things to the luxury cruise sector that no other ship of its size has brought before – stateroom televisions hidden behind mirrors and controlled by a single remote; six restaurants (luxury line, Crystal Cruises, has more, but its ships are larger); service enhancements, including luggage cleaning, complementary laundry and dry cleaning, and two free hours of worldwide phone and internet use.

In the meantime, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Crystal Cruises have been sprucing up their fleets with multi-million dollar upgrades.

One of the things that is most appealing about luxury cruises is the value that they offer. Sure, luxury cruises cost more on the front end, but you will seldom have to dig into your pocket or purse once on board. All luxury lines, with the exception of Crystal, include alcohol and gratuities, and Regent even went as far as to include shore excursions as part of its cruise fare.

Moreover, luxury cruises typically offer a better quality dining experience than you will find on larger, contemporary and premium vessels. It is probably wise to sit down and do the math to calculate just what you will be spending on a daily basis. You may be surprised to learn that with their larger staterooms and suites, more-inclusive offerings, and upscale experience, luxury lines often come out on top with regard to value when compared to premium lines.

Luxury cruise lines are also working harder to create an even better experience on board, and their new ships provide the additional amenities to facilitate that. The new Seabourn ships, for example, features four dining venues. Silver Spirit features six. There are also more al fresco dining venues on the new luxury ships. Plus the new Seabourn ships and the new Silversea ship offer a more casual and relaxed dining experience on the pool decks.

Another excellent luxury line is SeaDream Yacht Club. Carrying around 100 passengers each, SeaDream’s two vessels offer a top-notch experience on vessels that are remarkably more than two decades old.

For an even more intimate experience there is the French line, Compagnie du Ponant Yacht Cruises with very distinctive vessels in its fleet, ranging from the 64 passengers sailing yacht, Le Ponant to two new yachts, Le Boreal (2010) and L’Austral (2011).

It’s hard to go wrong when booking a luxury cruise, whether you set your course on a classic vessel or a new one.

SeaLuxe by CruiseOne is the only thing you’ll need to plan your next cruise vacation; offering most major cruise lines, the very best direct prices along with excellent personal service, all at no additional cost to the traveler. Contact Kathy & Eric Freer, your Local Independent Cruise Specialists at (321) 735-0202 or toll free at (888)882-5793, or via the web at www.SeaLuxe.com/kfreer for more information.

Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises

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