What’s The Best Ship You Have Been On And Why?

Do you have a favourite ship and why?  You would be surprised at how many times I am asked this every single day. This got me thinking to asking a few of my lovely clients which ship was the best they had been on or their favourite. It is interesting to see the different reasons.

I will start with Mr M who does love his luxury cruise ships, in particular Silversea and Seabourn.  When I asked him, his answer did surprise me.  “Probably surprise you but it’s the oasis class and specifically harmony if I had to pick one…. why? because the sheer scale of it, the choice of speciality dining venues, the choice and quality of entertainment and the newness.” Got to be a good plug for RCL then!

Then I asked Mr B who usually travels with P&O. When I asked him – this is what he said – “Whilst I have a soft spot for Golden Princess as it was my first, I think I probably have to go for Independence. I particularly like the different design of RCI ships, the Royal Promenade areas are unlike other ships and much more interesting than the dull few shops on say a P & O ship. A little bridge amongst shops and cafes and bars make them more interesting to look at and stroll along. To have something like an ice rink on a ship is still a novelty to me and if I remember rightly, there was a boxing ring too. There is also a putting green and Flowrider. Basically, I like the unusual.”

Mrs T is next. Having travelled on a lot of different ships, I was interested to hear what she said – “It’s hard to say BEST ship because each trip is special in its own way!  We will always have a special place in our hearts for P & O Oriana because we did our first ever cruise (Norwegian Fjords) on her.  She’s a real ‘old lady’ now in terms of facilities/amenities but she’s still an ‘aahh’ ship to us with her lovely graceful lines, teak decks and old fashioned beauty.” Mrs T also went onto say – “Our first Celebrity Eclipse experience was a real WOW. Beautiful ship, decor, layout, exquisite service, entertainment – in fact she might go down as the BEST now I’m thinking about it.  Celebrity Reflection somehow didn’t match up so I’ll be interested to see what we think of Eclipse when we re-visit her in June.”

Mr D is very well travelled and been to so many fantastic destinations on many a ship. This is what he had to say – “The best ship – that’s easy, it was Celebrity Silhouette on an Adriatic cruise, and not because of the ship itself, as they are all mainly the same, but the way the captain at that stage handled the ship and the cruise!  He was firstly very funny – he did a superb introduction of his staff which had us all in fits of laughter, he was seen all around the ship at all times, would pop in to the café for lunch, was always seen around the ship, he led the crew team in the crew v passengers water polo, but as a result of him always being around, the rest of the staff bound as a team and were always on their toes as they never knew when he would be coming around – but he also then made the ship part of the cruise as he had lectures on the ship, how the propulsion system worked, navigation, etc – sounds as though it was the best cruise, which it really wasn’t, but he made the ship and therefore the cruise, the most memorable.

The captain always makes or breaks a cruise – on the last cruise we did last year, the first leg from Singapore to Sydney was OK but not memorable – in fact you will recall the problems we had every time we tried to tender.  In Sydney a new captain took over and the whole ship changed attitude, from the staff to the systems like the tendering which no longer was a problem – again he was everywhere and the crew tightened up as a team and the whole atmosphere changed!”

Mr & Mrs R – again have been on a few lovely cruises, interesting again to hear what they have to say – ” Fred Olsen on the Balmoral. We  didn’t have a balcony cabin this time, just outside. The staff were excellent and the service they provided was excellent too. They remembered what hot drinks we had and even got them for us when we went to have a mid morning drink and/or afternoon cuppa. Nothing was too much trouble for any member of staff. The quality and selection of the food in the buffet was excellent. We never ate in the restaurant . When we were on board, Fred Olsen Junior and his family were also on board and he nearly always ate in the buffet.  They also loved Cunard on the Queen Mary – Beautiful ship. This  cruise  was extra special . Decorated for Christmas when we were on board but lived up to expectations. To be welcomed onto the ship by red uniformed staff like in the tv/website adverts was almost magical  It was something else to have room service with tea bought to your cabin on a silver tray and set down for you in your cabin.”

Mr & Mrs B love MSC and NCL this is what they had to say – “Best ship! wow, that’s difficult. Having been on over ninety cruises over the last 28 years or so its impossible to compare todays ships with the likes of P&O Canberra which was our first.  I suppose the classiest ship was the Radisson Seven Seas Voyager but as good as it was it had no ‘wow’ factor. The new MSC ships we have been on are the glitziest but our favourite remains NCL Spirit. I’m not saying its the Best ship, but its the best for us, having been on so many we have had enough of dinner suites and Captains cocktail  parties and much prefer the laid back style of NCL. The staff are brilliant, food always good (for us anyway), and everything else about the ship works for us.”

Finally the lovely Mr & Mrs L – this is what they had to say – “Been on so many lovely ships it’s hard to decide which is my favourite.  I think the Celebrity Eclipse will have to be my best so far.  We were lucky enough to go on what should have been the maiden voyage in 2010 but because of the Icelandic ash cloud the ship was deployed to Spain to bring home stranded holidaymakers so we weren’t quite the first passengers.  However everything was lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed celebrating our special birthdays on the short and sweet voyage to France on such a lovely vessel.  This was the second solstice class ship we had sailed on and we were upgraded to concierge class, whilst the cabin was no better than the previous one on the solstice the little extras such as fresh fruit and flowers and canapés and fizz enhanced our onboard experience.  We have since been on the Century, Constellation and Infinity but prefer the more glitzy modern ships and are looking forward to going on the Silhouette in October.”

If you have read to here, well done!  I think this proves that the best ship is not in reality all about what they offer but in some cases it is all about memories you make and your enjoyment.

As for me – what is my favourite? There is actually one outright winner, I will leave you to guess! Answers on a post card please!

Lesley x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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