What does Luxury Cruising mean to you?

When we think of Luxury cruising I guess we automatically think of 6* cruiselines, like Silversea, Regent, Crystal, Seabourn etc where no expense is spared in creating the finest of dining at sea and of course stunningly beautiful surroundings but is this really the case.

I asked myself this question when I was on the Regent Explorer recently, advertised as the most luxurious ship in the world and yes to a certain extent she really did live up to all the expectations you would expect on such a luxury brand, but it kind of got me thinking about what did luxury cruising actually mean to myself.

We can spend thousands of pounds on cruising to stay in a suite with your own personal butler, sumptuous bathrooms , personal chefs and eating in the fine dining restaurants on no other than Versace plates all very nice if you can afford the hefty price tag and why not we work hard enough all year so isn’t it nice to be able to spoil ourselves when we go on holiday but after experiencing the most luxurious ship in the world I kind of came to my own conclusion what I would personally expect from indulgent or luxury cruising and that was service by the staff on board.

To be able to embark on board a ship where the service is so attentive and friendly and nothing is too much trouble is total luxury to me. Now don’t get me wrong I am not saying the service wasn’t great on board Regent but there were instances that although surrounded in beauty I would have preferred to have the staff on board to be a little more accommodating.

If I am paying thousands of pounds on a cruise then luxury to me is staff going the extra mile and the staff on board making your cruise memorable.I would prefer to have the same service irrelevant to what cabin grade I was staying in. For example :-

Taking time out to introduce themselves.

Knowing your name and remembering it

Remembering your favourite drink .

Taking time to know your likes and dislikes.

Coming to see if you have everything you need.

Asking if you need any laundry doing Free of Charge of course.

Always having a smile and being friendly

Booking your speciality dining restaurants

Booking your excursions

Meeting you at the airport and taking care of your luggage

The list could go on and yes depending on which suites you book some of the above is included, but if asked what luxury would mean to me then this would be it.

What would your wish list be if you were to book a luxury cruise, what would your expectations be? Would you prefer the luxury surroundings or would you prefer more attentive service on board.