New ships with increased comfort on board and exclusive adventures on land make the ultra luxury cruise experience a great vacation.
The recession of the last two years has not been able to curb the growth of the cruise business.
Public and media attention was focused on increasing the size of the mass market for cruise ships, although the luxury segment of the cruise business is also growing. Not only are new (albeit much smaller) five-star ships joining a fleet of luxury lines, but new amenities on board, land options and better pricing policies make luxury cruise vacations more attractive.
In addition, offering a more intimate cruise experience than the floating mega-resorts of the mass-market cruise lines, luxury vessels have other advantages, such as the ability to call ports where large vessels cannot travel, higher guest staff and a wider range of routes. the whole world.
Below are some of the luxury ships that have recently been launched or are expected to enter service with time.
Silversea Cruises launched its largest ship, the 540-passenger Silver Spirit (its other ships carry less than 400 guests). Most of the ship’s cabins have verandas, and there are six restaurants on the ship, as well as a modern spa.
This addition comes after Silversea reinforced its fleet in 2008 with the addition of Prince Albert II, a small luxury expedition ship that visits the farthest corners of the world.
"Yachts of the sea" are also increasing. In the summer of 2009, he presented 450 passengers, the Seabourn Odyssey, which were to follow in June 2010, the sister ship, the Seabourn Sojourn. The third new ship should be launched by the end of 2011. The new Odyssey boasts four restaurants with celebrity chef Charlie Palmer’s menu, six open whirlpools, a mini golf course and a private diamond lounge.
In January 2011, Oceania Cruises & the new ship, the Navy, will hit the waves. Passenger ship 1.258, which is the largest of the company's fleet, has a total of ten restaurants, a culinary studio where passengers can take cooking classes and a modern resort club Canyon Ranch
Sea Cloud Cruises claims that the new Sea Cloud Hussar, launched in 2011, is “the largest complete falsified three-masted passenger ship ever built,” but the ultra-luxurious ship carries only 138 passengers in 69 cabins, all facing the sea.
Two other popular luxury lines of Crystal Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises do not have new ships that are scheduled for release, but have made some important improvements. Crystal recently completed a $ 25 million renovation of Crystal Symphony, providing the ship with new Swarovski crystal chandeliers, a jacuzzi and a new Italian restaurant by renowned chef Piero Selvaggio. While the new Regent Seven Seas Navigator has undergone a major upgrade, which resulted in a new American-style steakhouse.
Luxury cruises are certainly more expensive than mass or premium lines, but few travelers pay the full cost of a brochure for any cruise these days, and luxury lines often include a lot of additional services in cruise fares that will require additional payment on mass-market ships. .
