Dispelling the myths

An increasing number of people are broadening their horizons. They want to see more of the world, they want new experiences and they are also demanding a better standard of hotels and service. Today's cruise ships can meet these needs with resort facilities, entertainment, cuisine and service that are second to none. At the same time cruising is providing the opportunity to visit almost any area of the world in complete comfort. Most of the world's great cities are sea ports, and with the add-on land packages now offered a substantial proportion of the most attractive sightseeing areas of the world can be visited on a cruise.

If you haven't been on a cruise, you could be missing out on a great new holiday experience. Clearly cruising has a lot going for it or it wouldn't be enjoying the rapid growth that it is.

So let's dispel the myths...

“But I would be BORED...”

The reality is quite different. Firstly there is no way you could be bored on a cruise. There is just so much to do and see. Your ship is really a floating resort hotel with all the facilities you would expect ashore and more besides. If you are energetic, there are fitness programmes, swimming pools, golf driving ranges, clay pigeon shooting, and all the traditional deck games such as shuffleboard, deck quoits, deck tennis etc.

If you are intellectually inclined, there are many lecture programmes covering your ports of call, their history, wildlife etc, as well as a whole variety of talks by acknowledged experts on quite unrelated subjects. There are craft classes, bridge and dancing lessons, cooking demonstrations; the list is a long one.

As for entertainment, there are highly professional Broadway and Las Vegas type shows in the evenings. There is a cinema showing the very latest releases, a casino, a night club and disco, bingo, concerts and usually several bars if you just want a quiet drink and a chat.

So far we've only talked about what goes on while you are on board your floating resort hotel. Don't forget you are also travelling from place to place at the same time. Almost every other day you will be ashore exploring some new city or country, either under your own steam or on one of the many tours which can be booked on board. Just think, on a Baltic cruise you could be visiting six or seven different countries in the course of a fortnight and seeing some of the most fascinating cities in northern Europe. With all this going on, who could possibly be bored?

But don't think you have to enter into every activity on board; the choice is yours. If you want to sit in a deck chair gazing at the sea for two weeks, no one will disturb you!

“But it’s too EXPENSIVE...”

With the cruise companies anxious to fill their new ships, pricing is currently very competitive, making cruising very good value for money. The "value for money" argument is in fact a very powerful one. Remember that when you compare the cost of a cruise with a land-based package holiday, you are not comparing like with like. Have you ever really totted up the total cost of your holiday, including all your food, entertainment, all those cups of tea and coffee, taxis etc etc? You would be surprised how much all these extras add to the apparently low price of the package holiday which first attracted you. With a cruise, however, this price includes all transfers to and from your ship, your accommodation, as much as you can eat, as many cups of tea and coffee as you can drink, nightly entertainment including Broadway type shows, films, concerts, dancing, a casino, and a great variety of daytime sports and recreational activities. And not only this, you also have a standard of service and cuisine at least equal to, and very often better than many five-star hotels.

On top of all this of course your luxury resort is transporting you from one delightful place to another. There is little doubt that cruising provides the finest value for money of any type of holiday.

“But cruising is just for the ELDERLY and RETIRED...”

“But I might feel out of place with all those POSH, RICH PEOPLE...”

THE OLD two-class ships have long gone. Today everyone is a first class passenger. It doesn't matter how much or how little you have paid for your cabin, everyone enjoys the same food, the same service and all the facilities of the ship. Cruising attracts people from all walks of life and if there were any social barriers ashore, they certainly seem to disappear on board ship. In fact a cruise provides a great opportunity to meet all types of people in a relaxed atmosphere. Many lasting friendships start on a cruise, while romantic liaisons and marriages are also not unknown!

And don't worry about having to dress up all the time. A cruise is a holiday and you wear what you like. People wander around in jeans, T-shirts, shorts or whatever they feel like. They might draw the line at bikinis in the restaurant, but you can always stick with the bikini and enjoy a buffet luncheon on deck. There may be two or three nights during a cruise when formal evening attire is appropriate, but for most of the time a more informal style prevails, and you would wear what you would if you went to a good class restaurant at home.

Most cruise ships try hard to promote a friendly, relaxed and unpretentious environment. They want you to enjoy your holiday and to come back again next year. They don't want you to feel out of place, and believe me you won't!

“But I’m not a GOOD SAILOR...”

THE WORD "seasick" cannot usually be found in any cruise brochure. The cynics would say that any mention of the word might tarnish the carefully nurtured image of the perfect holiday being projected by marketing specialists. In fact, that's not the reason that you don’t hear much about seasickness. It's simply because it’s not a problem!

If you were wallowing down the English Channel on a 7,000-ton cargo ship in a force eight mid-winter gale, then this could well prove a problem seasickwise! But you're not; you are going to be on a large ship of up to 70,000 tons or more, fitted with stabilisers which reduce movement considerably. More importantly, you are going to be cruising in fine weather areas at the best time of the year. You don't have to go through the Bay of Biscay to get to the Mediterranean any more. You can fly directly to the sun and start your cruise from Malaga, Venice or wherever. Likewise your Caribbean cruise can start in Miami or San Juan. No longer do you have to sail across the Atlantic in mid-winter to start your cruise.

Moreover, almost every other day you will be ashore, sightseeing at some new exciting port of call, so your time at sea is often quite limited.

On those rare occasions when there is some slight movement, there are a variety of pills and potions which can help those who are super-sensitive. At the very worst you can retire to your bunk or the bar for the day! You're sure to find your "sea legs" there!

Feeling a bit happier about cruising?

At Hallmark Travel we have considerable hands-on personal experience of cruise destinations and cruise ships, extending over many years. We can advise you on what to expect on particular cruises, which ship will most suit your taste and pocket, and your choice of cabin. Just telephone us, or pop in for a chat. We can give you any number of ideas. Do you want a fun-packed short Caribbean cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines at the end of your Florida holiday, or an expedition type cruise to Antarctica? How about a cultural and educational experience with Swan Hellenic or unbridled luxury with Silversea Cruises? And don't forget the river cruises on the Nile, the Rhine and the Danube, or even a steamboat cruise up the Mississippi through the very heart of America. Or if you like real working ships, how about a Norwegian Coastal Voyage, a banana boat to the Caribbean or round the world on a container ship? There's something for everyone out there so come and talk to us.

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North to Alaska! The Last Wilderness

In 1898 thousands of hopeful adventurers set out for the Klondyke. The Gold Rush was on and the word Gold was enough to fire their spirits and send them stampeding North unfound and unfitted but with a fever to make the long hazardous journey to the rich Klondyke gold fields.

One hundred years later, the only gold you'll find is the silence and solitude of one of the most beautiful corners of the world. The journey to Skagway is no longer arduous or dangerous, but taken on a small-ship cruise it's an Alaskan experience. We flew from Seattle to Juneau, and after a nightcap at the Red Dog Saloon we had an early night in anticipation of our adventure aboard the Spirit of '98, run by Cruise West. We followed their trail from Skagway on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. For 20 miles we forged steadily upward through canyons and cliffs, over gorges and through tunnels blasted in the rock face, the evidence of thousands of gold-crazed stampeders and their weary pack animals lying abandoned along the escarpments. After lunch we sailed into Haines, the traditional area of the Chilkat Tlingits, one of the most powerful tribes in the Gold Rush times. Today Haines is famous for its thousands of Bald Eagles - a dramatic sight in autumn when 4,000 eagles gather along a five-mile stretch of the Chilkat River attracted by the last of the salmon runs.

The next day we arrived in Sitka, Russian America's capital city. There are still some traces of Russian occupation--the beautiful Orthodox Cathedral and its golden domes is the most famous. Alexander Baronhof could not get on with the native Tlingits and the diminishing fur trade of sea otters and beavers led to the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867.

Most of all, I enjoyed the visit to the Raptor (Birds of Prey) centre in Sitka. This rehabilitation centre provides medical treatment and research for Alaska's wildlife, mainly Bald Eagles who are injured by vehicles, structures or even traps. The birds are nurtured back to health and released back to the wild. Everything is paid for by charitable donations, bequests and gifts.

For the next two days we sailed the Inside Passage. I got to settle down in my comfortable cabin and found time to make friends and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere on board. Smalls hips have Big advantages; we sailed to Tracy Arm looking for the Hump Back Whales, negotiated through icebergs and took a really close look at the Tom Sawyer Glaciers. The captain turned off the engine so we could hear the cracking of the glacier ice. On another evening dinner was delayed as we watched a family of bears romp by a creek.

The next afternoon we dodged some porpoises who, I swear, were having a game with us! Life was unwinding, there was plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere and feast your senses on this untouched piece of the earth. The bears wore no watches, and the porpoises had no other pressing appointments!

Before arriving in Ketchikan we cruised Misty Fjords. Waterfalls cascade down the sheer granite cliffs and the mist caught up in this magical place gave it its name. Ketchikan, Alaska's 'First City' was a hive of activity after our peace and quiet. It was a beautiful day, but I'm told this 'Rain Capital of Alaska' has nearly 13 feet of rain a year! Here the old brothels and saloons in Creek Street have been renovated to become a quaint historical district for visitors. Ketchikan Creek itself comes alive with salmon returning from the ocean to spawn in the streams behind the town. Ketchikan boasts the most Totem Poles in Alaska and the Totem Heritage Centre contains original poles hundreds of years old.

We were nearing the end of our journey. Now feeling quite at home we relaxed along the stunning coastline of Canada's British Columbia in the sheltered waters of Vancouver Island. After many early nights and early mornings we stayed up late enjoying a nostalgic sing-song around the piano in the bar--we slept late and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and soon the outskirts of that seething metropolis, Seattle, slowly came into view.

It was a wonderful journey - with amazing sights and sounds, close encounters with the wild animals, and Nature at her most awesome. I have been instilled with a respect for this planet and a fever (Gold or otherwise) infectious from my visit to the 49th State.

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A visit to the Queen
- the Queen Mary 2

...and she is magnificent! Standing taller than the Statue of Liberty and as long as 41 London buses end to end, I am of course talking about Cunard’s latest addition to their fleet, Queen Mary 2 or QM2 as she is known for short. To see the ship from the Quayside is impressive enough, but once inside it is hard to imagine what could be grander than this.

We embarked via the Grand Lobby which as the name suggests is very grand. The use of light colours and glass give you an enhanced feeling of spaciousness and sheer luxury. The staircase sweeps down each side of the lobby to the deck below where a pianist played the grand piano. It was from here that we were given a map and sent on our way!

The QM2 has all the facilities you would expect from a ship in this class like swimming pools, spa facilities, gymnasium, library, shops etc but it also has a couple of unusual firsts. ‘Illuminations’ is the only planetarium at sea. Here the theatre’s remarkable dome offers hi-tech programmes that include astronomy and virtual reality shows. ‘Illuminations’ also serves as a cinema, broadcasting studio and a 500-seat interactive learning environment. Another first in cruising is Cunard Connexions. This is a college at sea which provides expert instruction in a range of subjects such as computer skills, languages, art, wine tasting, cookery, music and more.

QM2 caters well for children too. They have their own clubs which look after the interests of different age groups, a soft play area with ball pit and even a night nursery for the very young. The cabins are all very luxurious and three quarters of them have their own balcony. We started off in the duplex apartments which are shamelessly extravagant. Built on two levels they each have an expansive living room, an upstairs bedroom with two bathrooms (one each!) with a whirlpool bath and shower, a very large balcony and of course a butler. These cabins are an unbelievable 2249 square feet and would set you back just over £17,000 for a 9-night Mediterranean cruise. Of course there are other cabins that are much more affordable such as the standard outside and inside cabins at £2,029 and £1,579 respectively on the same cruise. Having called these cabins standard, they are in fact far from standard. All are decorated in pastel colours, have a bathroom and ample wardrobe space and give you 194 square feet to move around in. As a comparison Oriana’s inside cabins are 150 square feet.

Like the QE2, the grade of cabin you choose will determine which of the three restaurants you dine in. The higher categories will dine in the Queen’s and Princess Grills, while the lower categories will share the beautiful Britannia dining room with its own grand staircase and tiered seating. As you would expect there are a number of alternative dining venues covering Asian, Italian and English fare.

Overall I couldn’t help being impressed by the QM2. It is like a floating resort but with a very English appeal--not at all like the large American resort type ships. For those of you who like a big ship cruise experience, QM2 will not disappoint you.

QM2 Trivia

• QM2 is more than twice as long as the Washington monument is tall (550ft)
• QM2 is 147ft longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall
• AM2 is more than 3-and-a-half times as long as Big Ben is high (310ft)
• If the QM2 were afloat in the pool at the foot of Niagara Falls her stack would rise more than 20ft over the rim
• Finally, the QM2’s captain is the son of the captain in charge of the QE2 when she was launched in 1969

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Family life on the ocean wave

Although I've been on several cruises, the last was a bit of an experiment. It was the first time we had cruised with our two children aged 2 and 5. To the uninitiated this may sound something of an extravagance, but you might be surprised to learn that it need cost no more than an average two-week package holiday to the Mediterranean. We had booked with P&O partyly because children go free in term time (any teachers reading this please stay calm), and party because many of them sail in and out of Southampton, which saves you all the hassle that goes with ‘modern’ air travel. You just drive up in your car, hand over your keys and your bags at the quayside, board the ship and start your holiday immediately.

We chose P&O’s Oriana because it’s specifically designed to cater for families with children. It has a well-staffed children’s club with a full programme of activities, including cabaret shows. There is even a special children’s tea in the late afternoon, which neatly allowed us to avoid the dubious pleasure of dining with them whilst adorned with best bib and tucker. On Oriana the sun deck at the stern (that’s the blunt end!), with its swimming pool and paddling pool, are reserved for families. The children’s club is open until 10.30pm and, together with the night nursery which runs until 2am, allows mum and day to enjoy the evening by themselves.

Most days were spent in the various ports of call, we only went ashore if there was something that would keep the children amused such as a water park or a beach. Sometimes we split up with one child each and--once or twice--one of us sprang free when there was something special that we wanted to see or do. A unique feature of cruising that, even though you visit somewhere new every day, you only have to unpack once and take your five-star hotel with you. Without exception we found the service on board the ship both friendly and efficient.

The evening entertainment starts with dinner which, mercifully, on Oriano is of proportions that need not challenge the waistline. In any case, it’s not compulsory to eat every course! Thereafter the main event of the evening normally comprised a variety style theatre show. If that’s not your bag then there’s a number of bars, each with their own character and some live music to suit varying tastes. Failing that there’s dancing, quizzes, the cinema or a quiet game of bridge. ‘Butlins on water’ it may be to the high brow. Certainly, it must be very difficult to portray an image of exclusivity when accommodating 2500 passengers. But we were never really aware of being in such a large party except, perhaps, during embarkation and disembarkation. For us it simply represents an affordable and enjoyable alternative to the staple diet of beach holidays.

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Choosing your cruise

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of visiting three very different cruise ships (and being royally entertained on two of them!) prior to their inaugural cruises.

'HEBRIDEAN SPIRIT' is small at only 4,200 tons and typically accommodates only 70 passengers. It does so, however, in luxurious comfort with fabulous cuisine and unstinting standards of care and attention, visiting many fascinating places where other cruise ships do not go. In the words of the Managing Director, "our cruises are fiendishly expensive", but this is no barrier to a high proportion of repeat passengers who enjoy the intimate country house party atmosphere and the sheer excellence of it all. This is a little gem.

Princess Cruises' new ship 'GOLDEN PRINCESS' could hardly be more different in terms of what it offers. At 109,000 tons it is vast, towering above the cruise terminal at Southampton. This is very much mainstream cruising today with some 2,500 passengers essentially enjoying a large luxury resort hotel with a substantial emphasis on entertainment, a choice of bars, lounges and restaurants, several pools, casino, fitness centre, nightclub and theatre etc. One cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer size and glamour of it all. For those looking for this type of cruising experience, this is undoubtedly a good choice.

Midway between these two extremes is the new addition to the Fred Olsen fleet, the 'BRAEMAR'. Built only a few years ago, this is the youngest of the Fred Olsen ships and follows very much their philosophy of providing a more personal and intimate atmosphere than the current mega cruise ships now being introduced. At only 19,000 tons and carrying a little over 700 passengers, 'Braemar' has been specifically tailored to the UK market with decor, entertainment and facilities likely to appeal to British tastes. I can personally vouch for the high standards of food and service and with a changing and interesting range of itineraries I expect this to be a popular and successful addition to the Fred Olsen fleet.

The three ships briefly described above offer a very different cruise experience and illustrate how important it is to choose the right ship for you from the many available. We can help you with this.

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A little bit of interest in the foreground

"Give me three good reasons for going on a cruise!" said my sceptical husband when it was suggested that we might accompany my parents on the MS Black Watch and cruise around the Baltic. Well, we had always hoped to visit Talinn in Estonia and St Petersburg in Russia, but as a very active couple in our early fifties, we had never contemplated going on a cruise. Charmaine at Hallmark Travel assured us the Fred Olsen Cruise Line was the best to travel with and details of the shore visits were very tempting, so we decided to go. Tuesday 12 June arrived and we set off for Dover. The boarding arrangements were superb, we arrived at the Western Docks and gradually made our way to the front of the queue where we were helped to unload our suitcases and directed to the spacious lounge. After just enough time to have a cup of coffee and return a last minute call from one of our sons, we were asked to embark and strolled onto the ship--that was it! A short while later, our cases arrived; we unpacked and settled into our home for the next 13 nights.

We soon came to appreciate the joy of getting changed for dinner in, for example, the medieval city of Helsingborg in Sweden, having dinner as we set sail and waking up the next morning as we cruised up the fjord to Oslo in Norway. Wonderful, no packing, no humping cases, just a quiet night's sleep on a mill-pond of sea and off to sample the delights of yet another Baltic city.

While at sea, we learnt about the Hanseatic League which was established in the 13th century for "the protection and enhancement of mutual commercial interests" of communities of merchants in the Baltic area, Low Countries, northern Germany and England. We came to realise that most of our stops were in the ports that belonged to the League at the height of its power all those centuries ago. So what's new about the EU?

The special focus of the cruise was photography, so we attended lectures given by the professional photographer Clive Minnitt, who made us aware of the subtle effects of lighting, the need for patience to achieve good composition...and the importance of "a little bit of interest in the foreground".

We soon realised that there were three very good reasons for going on a cruise--the friendly and interesting company, the amazing sights that you can see in such a short space of time and the blissful ease of travel. You may, however, prefer the three reasons that Gordon suggested for joining me on the trip--to save me paying a single room supplement, to push my mother up steep slopes in her wheelchair...and to provide "a little bit of interest in the foreground"! We can thoroughly recommend the experience.

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"And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by"

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to visit the world's largest sailing ship while she was anchored close to Tower Bridge. This was not a museum piece, however, but the brand new Royal Clipper on her way from the Dutch shipyard where she was built, to Monaco, before sailing across the Atlantic to the Caribbean where she will be based for the winter.

Royal Clipper is the latest addition to the Star Clipper fleet whose three sailing ships cruise the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Far East.

Her five masts tower to 197 feet and carry 42 sails making her a magnificent sight under full sail. Rich in teak, mahogany and brass, Royal Clipper will carry 228 passengers in considerable luxury, with three swimming pools and 93 square feet of deck space for each passenger.

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Two cruises with a difference

I have cruised the Caribbean on several occasions, but our voyage this year, on the Royal Clipper, was undoubtedly the most impressive. Modelled on the German clipper ship Preussen, the recently built Royal Clipper boasts five masts and 42 sails and is a magnificent sight under full sail. She is luxuriously fitted with small, comfortable cabins and elegant public rooms, even a beauty and fitness centre. There is no casino or Broadway type shows, and the entertainment limited to two resident musicians, an excellent crew concert and occasional performers from some of the ports of call. The food is excellent and the atmosphere totally informal. Passengers are welcome on the bridge at any time and a sense of community with the ship's company is encouraged. The ports of call are generally small and are not on the large cruise ships' itineraries. In fact we never saw another cruise ship during the entire week's cruise-and that's saying something in the Caribbean today. For lovers of the sea and ships, with little taste for today's Las Vegas style cruising, the Royal Clipper has to be the ultimate Caribbean cruise experience.

For quite a different cruise I can highly recommend the Alaskan cruises operated by Cruise West. Their small ships generally take between 70 and 100 passengers and their cruise experience is a total contrast to the traditional Alaska cruises. Forget the dinner jackets, 24-hour eating and the captains' cocktail parties; Cruise West's cruises are about enjoying the magnificent scenery at close quarters, superb wildlife viewing and gaining an in-depth knowledge of Alaska and its people. We had a prime example of the difference on our very first day. It was a perfect evening, the sea was oily calm with not a breath of wind and the sky glowed red with the sunset. A pod of six killer whales had been spotted and we drifted slowly alongside, sharing their world for nearly an hour. The only sound was the whales blowing as they surfaced. A large cruise ship overtook us at speed some distance away, ablaze with light, the passengers on their sixth course at dinner, or sitting at the slot machines or maybe watching some cabaret show, totally oblivious of us and our Orca friends. We didn't have any casino or Broadway show but nature provided a display we shall never forget. This is the only way to see Alaska!

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• Dispelling the myths
• North to Alaska! The Last Wilderness
• A visit to the Queen - the Queen Mary 2
• Family life on the ocean wave
• Choosing your cruise
• A little bit of interest in the foreground
• "And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by"
• Two cruises with a difference

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