Cruise&Travel Asia - Issue 2

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ONE HOLIDAY, TURES ENDLESS ADVEN

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YEARS

RUNNING

Ovation of the Seas

SM

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YEARS

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13

YEARS

RUNNING

GOLD AWARD FOR CRUISES CATEGORY Reader’s Digest Trusted Brands 2014 – 2016 BEST CRUISE OPERATOR, ASIA TTG Travel Awards 2008 – 2015 BEST CRUISE LINE TRAVEL WEEKLY Reader’s Choice Awards 2003 – 2015

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For more information or reservations, please contact Royal Caribbean International and representatives at • Brunei • India

(673) 223 4874 (9111) 4906 1000 (New Delhi)/ (9122) 4311 2000 (Mumbai) • Indonesia (6221) 3199 1312/38/39 • Malaysia (603) 7727 4835 / 6286 6292

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• Philippines • Singapore • Sri Lanka • Thailand • Vietnam

(632) 894 3957 / 892 2701 to 03 (65) 6305 0033 (94) 114 704542 (662) 634 2882 / 634 8080 (848) 39 201 201 / 6291 2277

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REVIEW: WallAMERICAN EMPRESS Rock-climbing

MEET THE LARGEST AND MOST INNOVATIVE SHIP IN ASIA Forget everything you know about life at sea. The 18-deck high, 4,905-guest Ovation of the Seas SM will offer the newest vision of cruise holidays in Asia! With a wide array of revolutionary first-at-sea onboard experiences and newly-designed staterooms, state-of-the-art technology, groundbreaking venues and the best dining ever, Ovation of the Seas SM will take cruising to new heights. Don't miss the chance to experience her inaugural season in Southeast Asia next March!

RipCord by iFly®

ACTION AND ADVENTURE • North StarSM observation capsule • RipCord by iFly® • FlowRider® surf simulator • SeaPlex indoor activity space with first bumper cars, roller-skating, flying trapeze and circus school at sea • Rock-climbing Wall

DAZZLING ENTERTAINMENT • The first true robotic bar at sea, Bionic Bar • Broadway-style productions • Two70° with night-time aerial entertainment and an ice bar • Duty-free shopping along the Royal Esplanade • DreamWorks Experience SeaPlexSM

FlowRider®

Bionic Bar Kung Fu Panda and all related characters and properties © 2015 DreamWorks Animation LLC.

Wonderland

THE NEXT GENERATION OF STATEROOM ACCOMMODATIONS

DELECTABLE DINING • Dynamic Dining with no set dining times, no required formal nights and no assigned seats • Complimentary, full-service restaurants namely American Icon Grill, Chic, Silk, The Grande and Coastal Kitchen • Casual dining at Windjammer Marketplace and more • Specialty restaurants such as Jamie's Italian and Wonderland, an intimate yet edgy restaurant with an elaborate dreamscape of never-before-seen fare

Royal Loft Suite

For those who want to experience our most luxurious accommodations, our two-storey Loft Suites are just what you're looking for. Featuring the finest amenities and most breathtaking, expansive views, these suites offer a dining area, a dedicated concierge, with more space and more pampering to make you feel right at home. www.cruisepassenger.com.au

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WELCOME

Cruise&Travel ASIA

Issue 02, 2016

The best time to cruise

Editor-in-chief and publisher Peter Lynch peter@cruiseandtravelasia.com

W

Executive editor Teresa Ooi teresa@cruiseandtravelasia.com Art director/production manager Catherine Martin Sub editor Sandy McPhie Advertising director Leisa Chell leisa@cruiseandtravelasia.com Singapore Associate Steven Hopkinson steven@cruiseandtravelasia.com Online editor Bernadette Chua bernadette@cruiseandtravelasia.com Digital director James Brouard Contributors and writers Sue Bryant, Bernadette Chua, Sally Hammond, Roderick Eime, John Honeywell, Steven Hopkinson, Caroline Gladstone, Ralph Grizzle, Peter Lynch, Sally Macmillan, Teresa Ooi, Jac Taylor, Nick Walton Online subscriptions cruiseandtravelasia.com/magazine Printed by Times Printers Private Limited 16 Tuas Avenue 5, Singapore 639340

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CRUISE MEDIA AUSTRALASIA

Cruise&Travel Asia is published on behalf of Cruise&Travel Media Pty Ltd by Cruise Media Australasia Suite 3, Level 2, 37 Bligh Street Sydney 2000 bigsplashmedia.com.au Phone: +61 2 9231 3518

elcome to our wave season special edition of Cruise&Travel Asia. In case you’re wondering, it’s a time when deals are keenest and when cruises are plentiful.

It’s the best time to book a cruise. You can expect hot fares, and perks such as onboard credit, prepaid gratuities and shore excursions. Don’t be afraid to ask!

This edition, we’ve been on board two brand new ships that demonstrate how cruise holidays are now very different from those some remember from the past.

Ovation of the Seas, homeported for part of her year in Singapore, has amazing activities, including iFly, dodgem cars and an observation capsule. But perhaps our biggest surprise, as you’ll see from our review, was the food. There are more than 18 venues – and the quality is outstanding.

See our review on page 56.

We’ve also been on board Seven Seas Explorer – controversially laying claim to being “the most luxurious ship ever built”. She’s certainly luxurious. More than 2,500 pieces of art (including a couple of Picassos), a suite as big as a New York apartment, an enormous spa and brilliant restaurants.

We think the US$600-plus a day price tag – while not exactly a bargain – actually represents good value. We went through four countries, guzzled champagne and caviar for breakfast, ate at a different restaurant every night, took shore excursions and saw theatrical productions. All of it was included.

Interestingly, the most expensive suites on both ships are the best sellers. The Regent Suite rents at US$10,000 night (although there are deals online), which the owners now feel was too low. It’s booked out for the season.

And Ovation of the Seas’ huge Royal Loft Suite will set you back US$8,550 for a three-night cruise to Penang. But again, they are selling fast. Perhaps that’s why they call cruising the “suite life”.

Smooth sailing!

Teresa Ooi

Executive Editor, Cruise&Travel Asia

Managing director Peter Lynch All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Copyright Cruise Media Australasia Pty Ltd. Opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily those of the publisher. All reasonable efforts have been made to contact copyright holders. Information provided believed to be correct at time of publication, however details can change at any time and all information, including prices, in this magazine should be considered general in nature only.

No travel decisions should be made solely on the information provided. Always consult your travel agent.

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North Star on Ovation of the Seas

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WELCOME

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CONTENTS

INSIDE

Wave season

Our expert reviewers have been aboard Seven Seas Explorer, Queen Mary 2, Norwegian Epic, Carnival Vista, Harmony of the Seas, Crystal Mozart and Queen Isabel.

See Page 20

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2016 16 7-19 Cruise News

Bumper cruise season for 2016/17; Chinese artwork on Ovation of the Seas; luxury Princess bound for Shanghai; Asia cruise by numbers; weddings at sea; does allinclusive save money?; Malaysia’s bid for cruise supremacy; Genting Dream preview.

SHIP REVIEWS

20-23 Seven Seas Explorer

Is this the world’s most luxurious ship?

Teresa Ooi joins Seven Seas Explorer’s maiden voyage to find out.

24-27 Queen Mary 2

34 Total immersion, exclusive experiences and superstar guides. There’s nothing dull about the modern shore excursion. Our special report shows off the best.

See Page 43

Fresh from a US$120 million refit, QM2 sets out across the Atlantic. John Honeywell is on board the reinvigorated grand dame.

28-31 Norwegian Epic

Sally Macmillan cruises on Norwegian Epic to discover the Norwegian difference.

32-33 Carnival Vista

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The first IMAX theatre at sea, an aerial cycle track and a huge water park ensure plenty of excitement as John Honeywell explores Carnival’s latest big ship.

34-35 Harmony of the Seas

The biggest ship of them all has something for everyone from foodies to thrill seekers.

Sue Bryant boards the behemoth.

36-37 Crystal Mozart

As Crystal Cruises’ first river ship takes to the Danube, Ralph Grizzle gives himself up to a luxurious experience.

38-39 Queen Isabel Our regular section on the off-beat looks at cruising with luxury hotel brands, dining on Ovation of the Seas, kids’ clubs and more.

See page 55

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Cover: courtesy Norwegian Cruise Line

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One of Uniworld’s smaller river ships, Queen Isabel plies Portugal’s Douro River.

Steve Hopkinson samples the region’s scenery, history and wine.

SPECIAL REPORT

43-53 Shore thing

Cruise lines are lifting the bar on shore excursions. We take a look at what’s on offer, from gourmet food experiences to wild adventures.

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CONTENTS

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WIN!

FOURNIGHT JAPAN CRUISE FOR TWO ON SUPERSTAR AQUARIUS, WORTH OVER

US$6,000 Cruise from Taiwan around the islands of Okinawa on board SuperStar Aquarius.

SEE PAGES 4041

66 CRUISE PLUS

56-61 3 days 17 eateries 1 reviewer

Peter Lynch sets out to sample the food offerings of one of the world’s newest and biggest ships, Ovation of the Seas.

62-65 Hotels set sail

Some of the world’s most decadent hotels are taking their style and service to sea with a range of luxury vessels.

66-69 The kids are alright

Cruise lines are offering more clubs and activities for children and teenagers to make sure everyone has fun on board.

70-73 Designer shopping at sea

Bigger ships mean more space for luxury boutiques with some big names on offer.

74-75 Encore event

Chef Thomas Keller is opening his second restaurant at sea on Seabourn Encore.

DON’T MISS OUT

REGULARS

76 Wellness: onboard treatments.

78 Hotel review: Fullerton Hotel and Fullerton Bay Hotel, Singapore

80 Airline review: SIA first class 82 Port report: Jeju Island, South Korea

and Naha, Okinawa, Japan 84 Last word: Can you cruise yourself slim? Our experts say yes! Read their tips.

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FREE ONLINE FOR YOUR QUARTERLY FIX OF GREAT CRUISE NEWS, DEALS & REVIEWS

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Cruisenews

OCEAN PAGE 8

•

RIVER

•

ADVENTURE

PAGE 12

Your cruise season More couples say starts here “I do” at sea

•

CRUISE NEWS

PORTS PAGE 14

Malaysia woos cruise lines Princess Cruises will launch Emerald Princess next June

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CRUISE NEWS: 2016/17 SEASON

S

outheast Asia is ready to enjoy its longest cruise season this year, with bigger and better ships and itineraries.

Royal Caribbean has announced three of its ships will be returning to the region, and they will be sailing around Southeast Asia for seven months.

Other lines including Star Cruises and Costa Cruises will be increasing the number of itineraries around Southeast Asia.

The much anticipated launch of Dream Cruises will see Genting Dream take to the waters this November. Genting Dream will depart Singapore on her inaugural sailing to Hong Kong, and will then sail to a number of destinations around Vietnam, China and Japan.

Next April, Asia will welcome the new Majestic Princess, another purpose-built vessel.

Royal Caribbean will be sending the region’s largest and most technologically advanced ship, Ovation of the Seas, for another tour of duty, as well as Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas after a successful season earlier this year.

To kick start the season, Mariner of the Seas will be sailing from October with cruises ranging from three to seven nights to

destinations in Malaysia (Penang, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Phuket and Bangkok) and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

For Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, Mariner of the Seas will host special themed cruises with entertainment, decorations and feasts on board.

The Cosplay Festival at Sea will also return on Mariner of the Seas for a second year, inviting Cosplay fans to dress as their favourite character and meet other players.

Ovation of the Seas’ itineraries include 10 new sailings from three to five nights, as well a 12-night one-way cruise to Tianjin with calls at Ho Chi Minh City and Hue/Danang in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Seoul, Korea.

Princess Cruises has a number of sailings to and from Singapore during the wave season. Guests will be able to sail from Tokyo and tour Japan before sailing back to Singapore.

This wave season will also see the arrival of a new Princess Cruises ship, Emerald Princess, with celebrity chef Curtis Stone’s new SHARE restaurant on board. The menu is designed for dining groups to try a little bit of everything – offerings include antipasto, lobster and beef cheeks.

YOUR bumper CRUISE SEASON STARTS HERE MORE NEW SHIPS

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CRUISE NEWS

M

uch has been made of the mindbending size and technology of Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, but when you first glimpse the ship, it is Mama and Baby, a larger-than-life pair of sculpted pandas clinging to the ship’s upper deck that speaks to the heart.

The six-tonne pandas are just the beginning of Ovation’s US$4.5million art collection, which includes 11,000 artworks selected to represent the destinations visited by the ship, and inspired by the words of Confucius: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

Chinese artists, sculptors and photographers are well represented.

Elevators feature images from the selfie-inspired photo series The World of the Senses by Huainan Li. Mid-ship, the suspended Red Thread sculpture by Bieli Liu represents an ancient Chinese legend about threads connecting children to their soul mates. The threads and their connecting discs to turn and tangle in symbolic fashion.

Zheng Lu’s Chinese symbol-based human figures posing outside Two70 entertainment space at the stern of the vessel are inspired by his father, a poet.

Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean’s president and CEO says the art should be seen as part of the holiday adventure.

Ovation of the Seas will return to Asia in 2018, after an extended period in Australia and the South Pacific. She is due to leave Sydney for Singapore on March 26, 2018. royalcaribbean.com

US$4.5 MILLION COLLECTION

Ovation for Chinese artists

LUXURY LINE

Japanese dreaming

■ Dream Cruises, Asia’s first luxury line scheduled to launch in November, has announced its summer 2017 seasons will include five-night cruises to Japan.

Genting Dream will cruise the region until April 2017, with weekly departures from Guangzhou. After two nights at sea, the ship will arrive in Naha, the capital of Okinawa, where guests can sample local cuisine, arts and crafts and visit Shuri Castle, once the home of Ryukyu royalty. Genting Dream will then sail to Miyako-jima, famous for its white sand beaches and clear waters.

“Japan was a top destination request with its distinctive natural environments, cultural offerings and reputation for quality cruise excursion products,” said Dream Cruises president Thatcher Brown. dreamcruiseline.com – See page 16 for ship preview

ASIAN ROYALTY

PRINCESS STEPS UP THE LUXURY P rincess Cruises has revealed details of its new Asian ship, Majestic Princess. Hailed as the most luxurious vessel in its fleet, it will have two new specialty restaurants: Harmony (classic Cantonese) and Le Bistrot (French home-style). The ship’s design is influenced by fashion, art and history with European finishes including marble, mosaic tiles, polished wood and lush fabrics.

More than 80 per cent of Majestic Princess staterooms have private balconies and all cabins feature the new Princess Luxury bed, designed by sleep expert Dr Michael Breus.

The ship will also feature the SeaWalk, the first-ever glass-floor walkway at sea, and 1,100 square metres of luxury boutiques.

Majestic Princess will cruise the Med from April 4 to May 14, 2017, when she’ll sail for her new home in Shanghai, via Dubai and Singapore. From Shanghai, Majestic Princess will carry up to 3,560 guests to a variety of destinations in Japan and Korea, from July 11, 2017. princess.com

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8/09/2016 2:39 PM

CRUISE NEWS: ASIAN GROWTH

You’re the world’s No. 1 ASIA TAKE A BOW

More ships, more destinations and more choice… cruise is expanding at a huge rate in Asia, writes Peter Lynch.

H

uge choice will be the big benefit for Asians taking a cruise holiday in the next 12 months, according to a new report.

The report says the number of Asians jumping aboard cruise ships has soared.

As a result, the region’s ocean fleet has swelled 51 per cent to 60 ships. They will carry 3.1 million passengers to 17 countries and 5,570 ports this year. Most of us like luxury – with the majority of our fleet in premium, upscale or downright luxurious classes.

Last year, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand were our favourite destinations, with Singapore’s two cruise terminals seeing the most ship visits.

The Asia Cruise Trends report from Cruise Lines International Association and Chart Management Consultants says Asia’s love affair with cruise ships has meant numbers have tripled in four years. The result: new ships, new destinations, better prices. There has never been a better time to cruise.

Our Asian fleet contains two mega-sized ships (Ovation of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas), 15 large ships, 21 mid-sized and 16

10

small vessels. Six expedition ships round out the fleet, and 14 vessels are now based in the region year round.

“It’s fair to say the dramatic increase of new cruise products and modern ships will give Asians a wider choice of high-quality itineraries,” says Ted Blamey of Chart Management Consultants, which created the report. “As Asian cruisers become more sophisticated, more cruise lines are responding to their demand.

Asian consumers are in the box seat.”

Most Asians cruise within the region – eight out of 10 choose to stay in Asia. They are younger than their American and European counterparts, with 40 per cent under 40 years old.

Jeju Island, South Korean, has been the most visited port in 2016 with 460 calls, beating China’s Shanghai with 437 calls, Singapore at 391 calls, and Fukuoka, Japan, at 258 visits.

China’s passenger numbers grew an amazing 40 per cent last year, with 986,000 passengers from mainland China representing close to half of the Asian volume, compared to 703,000 in 2014.

Sean Treacy, Regional Vice President Asia Pacific for Royal Caribbean, which operates Asia’s largest fleet, said: “Despite these impressive figures, we are just scratching the surface of the potential for the region where the combination of a growing middle class and low cruise penetration rate allows for much more cruise capacity in the years to come."

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CRUISE NEWS: ASIAN GROWTH

ASIA CRUISE BY NUMBERS…

60 cruise ships this year

1,560 cruises 316,200

will go to the Caribbean or Mediterranean

5,570

Asian ports of call

1

top Asia’s destinations Singapore Jeju Island, South Korea Hong Kong Shanghai, China Penang, Malaysia Phuket, Thailand Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Taipei, Taiwan Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

1.2m cruisers

under 40

3.1m

passenger capacity

2.4m will cruise

within Asia

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CRUISE NEWS

MARRIAGE AT SEA

With this cruise, I thee wed FARE QUESTION

ALL-INCLUSIVE V PAY-AS-YOU-GO

■ It’s one of the great cruise debates: do all-inclusive cruise packages really save you money?

Cruise&Travel Asia has done the maths to find out.

We compared two cruises departing in February 2018 – Cunard’s pay-as-yougo 20-night Auckland to Osaka cruise on Queen Elizabeth and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ (RSSC) all-inclusive 18-night Singapore to Sydney cruise on Seven Seas Voyager.

Both ships are rated 4.5 star and have free 24-hour room service.

Cunard’s cruise (US$311/

12

night) requires extra payments for shore excursions, specialty restaurants, champagne high tea, drinks (excluding coffee, tea and juice), Wi-Fi and gratuities.

RSSC (US$549/night) includes up to 28 shore excursions, unlimited drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities.

We calculated the extra costs on Cunard, including seven shore excursions, generous drinks, dining and limited daily Wi-Fi would bring the daily fare to about US$426 per night.

That is still well short of the RSSC’s all-inclusive price. You could reduce the pay-as-you-go cost further if you don’t drink alcohol, for example.

N

o wonder they call cruise ships “love boats”.

Asian couples are discovering the romantic joys of marriages at sea. Many couples are saying “I do” to the idea of wedding packages on the water, which can include a planner, celebrant, wedding cake, champagne and wedding breakfast.

There are two reasons behind the rise in brides at sea: incredible value compared to a land-based celebration and the romance of the ocean.

Royal Caribbean, which operates the biggest fleet in Asia, says it has seen an increase in interest. The chapel on Mariner of the Seas does brisk business, offering both weddings for up to 40 guests and re-affirmation vows.

The chapel is at the top of the ship and has a stained-glass window. Wedding packages, including cake, flowers and music, begin at US$2,430.

At least 11 cruise lines, including Princess Cruises, offer wedding ceremonies. Some can help you obtain a wedding licence, provide invitations and even arrange details such as tuxedo rental, hairdressing and spa treatments.

One warning though: weddings need to be legalised on land and doing this in a foreign port can be tricky. Ask your wedding planner to explain all the details and suggest which cruise port on your itinerary is best the best wedding choice.

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CRUISE NEWS CRUISE CANCELLED

End of a Legend R

oyal Caribbean has had to cancel cruises after announcing it has sold Legend of the Seas to UK-based Thomson Cruises.

A spokesperson said the line is offering full refunds to passengers who are unable to rebook on a different itinerary.

“To accommodate guests booked on the affected sailings, Royal Caribbean will provide vacationers with a full refund of their cruise fare, the opportunity to re-book on another Royal Caribbean ship as well as an onboard credit to use during the newly booked sailing,” said the spokesperson. “In addition, vacationers who purchased airfares through Royal Caribbean will receive a full refund. Guests purchasing their

New cruise hub for

Thailand

own airfare will be given a refund for their airline change fee.”

The line announced it would bring forward Legend’s repositioning cruise from Brisbane to Asia to February 20, 2017. All itineraries in Asia and Europe after that date will also be affected.

Two additional sailings will be offered: from Singapore to Dubai (10 nights, from March 3, 2017) and Dubai to Barcelona (13 nights, from March 13).

Rhapsody of the Seas will then replace Legend of the Seas on scheduled cruises in the Mediterranean from June to October 2017, with identical itineraries and departure dates, sailing from Venice, Italy.

Legend of the Seas debuted in 1995, and spent 10 years sailing from Australia. royalcaribbean.com

POOL SAFETY

Lifeguards on board

P

rincess Cruises is advertising for lifeguards to man its onboard pools on Asian cruises.

A debate about whether cruise ships should have lifeguards flared recently after the death of eight-year-old Prince Adepoju following an incident on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. There has been a number of fatalities and near-drownings on ships in recent years, however Disney Cruise Line and Princess Cruises are the only lines to employ lifeguards.

A Princess Cruises spokesperson said: “With Princess Cruises’ expansion into China, a decision was made to have swimming pool monitors in Asia where widespread proficiency in swimming is far less likely than in other regions.”

ISLAND ATTRACTIONS

Ko Samui has been chosen to become Thailand’s regional marine hub, narrowly beating Krabi, which was also considered by the Thai government.

About 100,000 cruise passengers visit Thailand each year. Ko Samui, an island off Thailand’s east coast is popular for its natural attractions, scenic beaches – Chaweng, Taling Ngam and Lamai, marine life and a beautiful waterfall.

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Spirit will be its first ship to visit Ko Samui during a 19-night cruise from Sydney in May 2018.

■

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CRUISE NEWS: MALAYSIA

PORT EXPANSIONS

Malaysia’s bid for cruise supremacy

M

alaysia has set its sights on becoming a new cruising hub for Southeast Asia, with the country’s transport ministry nominating three ports – Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Labuan, for development of modern cruise facilities.

The aim is to rival neighbouring Singapore, which is the current regional favourite for cruise lines.

“Malaysia wants to attract international cruise lines to homeport here – this is to help it develop as one of Southeast Asia’s major cruise hubs,’’ a source from the Malaysian transport ministry said.

So what can cruiser passengers expect? Cruise&Travel Asia takes a look at all six Malaysian ports to find out what attractions they offer.

KOTA KINABALU The capital of Sabah, north-west Borneo, Kota Kinabalu is a small town with a cruise port about two kilometers from its centre.

Attractions include Kinabalu Park, a UNESCO Heritage site home to diverse plants, wildlife and Mount Kinabalu, and Sipadan Island, one of the world’s top five dive sites.

KUCHING A major food destination and gateway for travellers visiting Sarawak and Borneo. Nearby attractions include Kuching Wetlands, Bako National Park and Semenggah Wildlife Centre with resident orangutans. Kuching is dotted with traditional Iban and Bidayuh long houses.

STAR CRUISES

Libra bound for Penang

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PORT KLANG This busy port is 45 kilometres from Malaysia’s bustling capital, Kuala Lumpur (KL). With its blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultures, KL offers great food and shopping, from markets to modern malls. It also has the world’s tallest twin structures, Petronas Towers, and one of the world’s biggest indoor amusement parks, Cosmo’s World Theme Park.

MALACCA One of Malaysia’s most charming cities, Malacca’s three cultures – Malay, Chinese and Portuguese, are reflected in its food, buildings and people. The multi-billion Malacca Gateway project, including a mega cruise terminal, is due for completion in 2025.

PENANG Malaysia’s Pearl of the Orient is a foodie paradise. Penang also has one of the largest Buddhist temple complexes in Southeast Asia, including the seven-tiered Pagoda of 1000 Buddhas. The Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion, an 1880s Chinese courtyard house, now a boutique hotel, is worth visiting.

LABUAN Off the coast of Sabah, East Malaysia, Labuan consist of seven islands. Activities include fishing, wreck diving, snorkelling, sun bathing at one of the beautiful beaches and exploring the island by bike or motorbike.

■ One of Asia’s favourite ships, SuperStar Libra, will be calling Penang, Malaysia, home. Libra will sail the region on a number of itineraries from September 2016 to December 2017, including a one-night high-seas cruise to give guests a taste of the ship’s features, and a three-night Penang, Phuket and Krabi cruise.

On board, guests can enjoy the karaoke lounge and cuisine ranging from Southeast Asian specialties at Spices Restaurant to continental dining at Four Seasons Restaurant.

Entertainment will include a magic spectacular and, for the kids, themed parties and games.

There is also a spa, gym and duty-free shopping outlets selling jewellery, watches, fragrances, handbags and more. starcruises.com

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8/09/2016 3:28 PM

CRUISE NEWS CARNIVAL

THE NORWEGIANS ARE COMING

■ Another major cruise line is entering

Carnival Spirit to homeport in Asia

C

arnival Cruise Line is sending one of its biggest family ships on its first sailing to Asia. Carnival Spirit will sail to Singapore on a 19-night cruise from Sydney on May 3, 2018, with maiden calls to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Ko Samui, Thailand.

Carnival Spirit will enter dry dock when she reaches Singapore and then set sail around Asia from Shanghai before returning to Australia in late 2018.

On board, there will also be a 1980s themed Throwback Sea Days where guests can boogie to Madonna and feast at a midnight buffet. Thrill seekers can ride Green Thunder, one of the fastest waterslides at sea.

Last year, Carnival Spirit underwent a US$33 million refurbishment which added two new restaurants, two new bars, a massive cinema screen, new pool features and a new kids’ club. It has also introduced a new entertainment program, which includes a show featuring the best of the 1980s. carnival.com

Italian line seeks halal certification

I

n a move to attract more Muslim cruisers to its Asian cruises, Costa Cruises is applying for a halal certificate.

The Italian cruise line has been operating in Asia since 2006 and if it gains the certification, it will be a first for the region.

“We’ll be the first European cruise line that has such a certificate,” said Costa’s marketing director for Pacific Asia operations, Eunice Lee, during the 10th anniversary celebration in Jakarta last month.

The line hopes to have the certificate for Costa Victoria, which will be sailing in the

the Asian market. When Norwegian Star arrives later this year, it will be the first time in 13 years Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) has sent a ship to the region. She will be followed in 2018 by Norwegian Jewel.

Norwegian Star will commence its Asia season in December with an 11-day cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong, calling at Ko Samui and Bangkok, Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang, Vietnam, and Sanya, China. She will also sail a 14-day itinerary from Hong Kong to Singapore, with calls at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Ming City, Vietnam, Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and Bangkok and Ko Samui, Thailand.

NCL has 10 itineraries planned for Norwegian Jewel during her inaugural season in Asia from March 2018. Jewel can accommodate around 2,400 passengers and will have local entertainment on board well as Cirque Du Soleil shows. ncl.com – Norwegian review page 28

COSTA CRUISES

region between October 2016 and January 2017.

Cruises will have an “Italian at Sea” theme with European-style service and fine Mediterranean food – think antipasto boards, fresh pasta and pizza. Itineraries will be from three to five nights, with new departure locations including Singapore, Phuket, Malacca, Langkawi and Penang.

Costa Cruises also announced earlier this year it will be sending a fifth ship to Asia, basing Costa neoRomantica in Mumbai, India, to sail to Goa and Cochin, and the Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka. costacruise.com cruiseandtravelasia.com

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8/09/2016 3:27 PM

CRUISE NEWS: GENTING DREAM

dreams ASIAN

SHIP WITHIN A SHIP The Dream Mansion is the ship’s private VIP area, comprising 142 lavish suites with access to 24-hour European-style butler service and a private pool deck for those who wish to take in the sea air. The crème de la crème of the VIP accommodation is the Dream Grand Villa which spans two levels and has its own private whirlpool and deck, living room, dining room and grand piano. But never fear, if you can’t afford this lavish suite, about 75 per cent Genting Dream’s cabins will have balconies.

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The arrival of Dream Cruises’ Genting Dream marks the beginning of Asian luxury cruising.

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he first ship from brand new cruise line Dream Cruises epitomises what high-flying Asians want from their holiday experience. Launching in November, Genting Dream will have 35 bars, restaurants and cafes, a specialty nightclub, karaoke rooms, a dedicated VIP area, top-of-the-line spa treatments and decadent cabins. We take a look at some of the luxurious offerings on board the new Genting Dream.

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CRUISE NEWS: GENTING DREAM

FINE DINING There will be 35 restaurants, bars and cafes, including the Genting Dining Room, offering banquet-style Chinese menus with local delicacies. Guests will be able to choose from a range of seafood, poultry and meat. Bookings will be required. Umi Uma restaurant promises to serve the freshest Japanese cuisine. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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CRUISE NEWS: GENTING DREAM SCINTILLATING SPAS The onboard spa facilities will rival the world’s best.

Dream will have an Asian and a Western spa where guests can indulge in treatments from the Crystal Life Spa. At the Crystal Life Asian spa, cruisers will be able to experience the reflexology lounge, which will have 100 chairs in a tranquil and relaxing setting. The Crystal Life Western spa will offer a variety of massages including Swedish, Thai, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Balinese and Japanese, plus warm wraps and scrubs. For men who are looking for a bit of a spruce up, there will be a gentlemen’s barber.

ENTERTAINMENT Dream Cruises has packed plenty of offerings on board. Zouk nightclub will include an outdoor venue where you can watch fireworks at sea.

There will be cabaret shows, karaoke rooms and, for those who want to hit the tables, the Genting Casino and mahjong rooms. There will also be 1,100 square metres of luxury shopping space – think designer handbags and Swiss watches. LVMH subsidiary, Starboard Cruise Services will be providing the luxury goods. The ship will offer unique “retail-tainment”, providing shopping experiences such as trunk shows, personal shoppers and in-cabin services throughout the journey.

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8/09/2016 1:00 PM

CRUISE NEWS: GENTING DREAM

OFFSHORE EXCURSION There’s nothing new about shore excursions, but Dream Cruises will be one of the first to offer underwater excursions. Passengers will be able to channel David Attenborough in a private underwater submersible and discover the beautiful coral beds along the coast of Vietnam. Genting Dream will have two luxury submersibles, each carrying up to four passengers.

WHISKY & WINE Whisky connoisseurs will be able to learn about the blends they are tasting at the first Johnnie Walker House at sea.

Guests can pair their drinks with canapés and tasting plates under a decorative “whisky constellation wall”.

Collectors and enthusiasts will also be able to buy some of the rarest John Walker & Sons single-malt blends.

For wine lovers, there will be a specialty bar where top sommeliers will offer wines from around the globe.

DREAM DESTINATIONS Genting Dream will be homeported in Guangzhou (Nansha Port), China, and will offer two-, five- and seven-night itineraries from Guangzhou and Hong Kong, visiting ports in Vietnam, China and Japan. See DreamCruiseLine.com

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8/09/2016 1:01 PM

SHIP REVIEW: SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER

t i g n i t n u a Fl

When is excess success? What makes the world’s most luxurious ship? Teresa Ooi get’s the best job of the year – testing the extravagant claims of Seven Seas Explorer.

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he was christened by a real-life princess in Monte Carlo.

She has 2,500 artworks worth US$6 million, including two Picassos and a Chagall. An acre of marble covers her floors, and her ceilings house almost 150 hand-blown crystal chandeliers.

Restaurants serve their fare on plates by Versace. Her main suite is bigger than a Sydney apartment, complete with gold fittings, a private spa and a bed worth almost US$150,000.

Welcome to the world’s most luxurious ship. Or at least, that’s the claim of creator Frank Del Rio, president of Regent Seven Seas, Oceania Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Seven Seas Explorer is very much his baby. A US$450 million work of art. He chose the pieces on the walls, picked the colour scheme, chose the designers and made the bold claim: the most luxurious ship ever built.

So does the 56,000 tonne Explorer, christened by Princess Charlene in a ceremony that included a bravura performance by opera stars, live up to expectations?

In a white-gloved world hitherto dominated by Crystal Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea and Viking Ocean Cruises, Explorer certainly sets a new benchmark. Del Rio is so confident of his food offerings – he claims he pays his five chefs more than the captain – he tried to get Michelin to rate his restaurants. They declined on the grounds that a restaurant at sea didn’t have the same access to fresh produce as the other contenders.

Del Rio is unashamed about his claims. Sitting before almost 50 international journalists, Crusie&Travel Asia among them, he is happy to tackle the most obvious question. What is it that makes Explorer the world’s most luxurious ship? Is it the 2,148 bottles of champagne in the fridge? The 907 kilograms of lobster on the tables? The designer grand piano in the 281 square metre Regent Suite that rents for as much as US$10,000 a night?

Is it the acre of Italian marble in shades of black to Mykonos blue – so much that the factory was closed for a year producing it. Or the most expensive and rarest piece: a US$500,000 prayer wheel sculpture, hand-cast in bronze. The 300 tonnes sculpture

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The atrium on Seven Seas Explorer; Frank Del Rio (inset right)

weighs the same as two cars and had to have reinforced steel plates put underneath it.

Turns out its all of the above. But Del Rio is proudest of the detail.

The fact you go onto the pool deck and can’t see one cable or wire.

For the rest of us, there was the palatial Regent Suite, which has its own private spa with gilt fittings and a plush, $150,000 master bed filled with horsetail hair (apparently the Queen has one). Murano glass bowls and French Lalique objets d’art dot the suite. A bottle of chilled Dom Perignon sits on the marble bar. It is the largest suite at sea. Naturally, it comes with butlers and a private limousine awaits at every port.

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8/09/2016 4:09 PM

SHIP REVIEW: SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER

FACT FILE CRUISE LINE: Regent Seven Seas VESSEL: Seven Seas Explorer STAR RATING: Not yet rated PASSENGER CAPACITY: 738 TOTAL CREW: 542 PASSENGER DECKS: 10 ENTERED SERVICE: 2016 TONNAGE: 54,000 FACILITIES: Seven dining options, two pools, hot tubs, boutiques, casino, Constellation Theater, business centre, Canyon Ranch SpaClub, fitness centre, jogging track, library, cooking school.

BOOKINGS: Eight-night cruises on Seven Seas Explore from Barcelona to Rome departing November 4, 2017 is priced from US$4,980 per person twin share. rssc.com

Explorer is a ship dressed to impress. The atrium is dominated by an over-sized chandelier. The main dining room, Compass Rose, has Versace place settings. The Observation lounge harks back to the grand style of art deco and the new French Chartreuse restaurant is elegant and serves excellent foie gras. The ship even has a champagne and caviar breakfast.

Barcelona’s temperature hit 29ºC on the day Explorer sets sail for Toulon, France. It’s her first journey; she is just four days out of the shipyard.

There is no grand farewell. Most of her 750 guests are well into their main course at one of five specialty restaurants. We are comfortably ensconced in the grand Compass Rose where we have scallops marinated in herb oil, followed by steamed Maine lobster tail with risotto primavera, finished with Guanaja chocolate souffle.

Our Concierge Suite on deck 7 is a generoussized 30.8 square metres and has a big balcony, a marble and granite bathroom with twin wash basins, marble shower, full-sized bath, L’Occitane toiletries cruiseandtravelasia.com

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SHIP REVIEW: SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER and thick, fluffy towels. The walk-in wardrobe has sufficient hanging space and storage for two or more large suitcases. The king-sized bedroom has an interactive TV, complimentary movies on demand, a minibar with soft drinks, beer and bottled water, and a coffee machine with Illy coffee capsules. A bottle of chilled champagne and two cut-glass flutes are on the coffee table.

Breakfast at the outdoor terrace of La Veranda on deck 11 is the best place to enjoy the morning sunshine and sea breeze. There is a selection of fresh mango and papaya with Greek yoghurt, which is more than sufficient. But the full breakfast buffet with cold meat cuts, smoked salmon, European cheese and a hot selection is also on offer.

It’s going to be hard to stay fit with all this temptation. Luckily, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub is spacious and welcoming.

Dinner tonight is at Chartreuse on deck 10. Reminiscent of a Parisian cafe, it has art nouveau decor and a feature wall lined with sculpted Chartreuse glass. The menu is French with a modern twist. The terrine of foie gras is exceptional, the coquille Saint Jacques sea scallops delicious, but the duck breast with turnip could have been more moist.

At Olbia, Italy, we join a shore excursion to experience the many facets of Costa Smeralda and the seaside resort of Porto Cervo, northern Sardinia. Created by Prince Karim Aga Khan and other investors, the ritzy enclave is home to some of the world’s most lavish hotels and expensive yachting hardware.

Back on Explorer, we dine at Prime 7 on deck 10, renowned for

Clockwise from above: Tibetan prayer wheel sculpture; champagne welcome; Compass Rose; Regent Suite private spa and bedroom

‘Explorer is a ship dressed to impress.

The main dining room, Compass Rose, has Versace place settings.’ its steakhouse cuisine. American chefs know how to cook a steak and keep it moist and tender.

Next day, we arrive at the Mediterranean’s playground for the rich and famous, St Tropez. In the heat of summer, the waterfront is packed. But stroll through the backstreets and you find the shady town square known as Place Carnot, where older men play petanque. There’s also a traditional Provencal fresh market on Tuesday and Saturdays.

After an afternoon of strolling the Riviera, we return to the ship by tender as she is riding at anchor about 10 minutes from the marina.

We dine at the much-anticipated Pacific Rim on deck 5. It has a dramatic entrance anchored by the massive, hand-made, bronzecast prayer wheel. We spin the wheels to restore good karma.

The chic restaurant serves food from Japan, China, Thailand, Korea and Vietnam. Portions are small allowing you to sample several starters. The miso black cod wrapped in a hoba leaf is outstanding, the green chicken curry surprisingly spicy and the pho sai gon is great.

Cruises on Explorer are all-inclusive. Service is charmingly efficient. Nothing is too hard for the young waiters and crew who work extremely hard to please.

So is conspicuous consumption back? “Good, old conspicuous consumption – that’s all over,” says Del Rio. “But luxury is back to reward success and not to vilify wealth. It’s more than okay to enjoy the best of the best.’’

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8/09/2016 11:43 AM

SHIP REVIEW: SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER

THE VERDICT Highs: It is indeed a work of art, and you’ll never be bored touring the ship. Great food, wide corridors and beautiful decor give the whole vessel a five-star feel.

Lows: PG Woodhouse once said: “I saw this show at a disadvantage: the curtain was up!” I know what he meant.

American songs from the 1940s really shouldn’t make it to such a brilliant, modern stage.

Best suited: People who appreciate that luxury is about great art, good food and fabulous company and not just conspicuous consumption.

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8/09/2016 11:42 AM

SHIP REVIEW: QUEEN MARY 2

T I F E R L REGA Fresh from a US$120 million refit, Queen Mary 2 set sail across the Atlantic. John Honeywell was on board to take a look at the new venues and accommodation.

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t’s taken eight days to get here, “pootling along at 18 knots” in the words of Captain Chris Wells, whose stentorian announcements at noon enlightened every day on the journey across the North Atlantic.

Eight days without a sight of land since leaving the south coast of England. Eight days when Queen Mary 2 has been our lives and we have had the freedom to be as energetic or as indolent as the mood took us. Five of those days were extended by an hour as we travelled westward into new time zones, so there’s been no shortage of sleep. No hardship, then, to set the alarm clock for 5am and to be on deck as the first fingers of dawn begin to caress the Manhattan skyline.

Who would want to spend all that time getting to New York and not be out there to be greeted by the welcoming arms of the Statue of Liberty?

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8/09/2016 11:32 AM

SHIP REVIEW: QUEEN MARY 2

$120 MILLION REFIT

FACT FILE CRUISE LINE: Cunard VESSEL: Queen Mary 2 STAR RATING: 4.5 PASSENGER CAPACITY: 2,695 TOTAL CREW: 1,254 PASSENGER DECKS: 12 ENTERED SERVICE: 2004 TONNAGE: 148,528 FACILITIES: 10 food venues, 14 bars, two pools, eight hot tubs, Royal Court Theatre, planetarium, cinema, casino, CanyonRanch spa, sports centre, running track, dog kennels.

BOOKINGS: Seven-night Transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York (or reverse) is priced from US$1,131 per person twin share (inside cabin). QM2 will visit Asia next year, arriving in Hong Kong on March 18. cunardline.co.uk

On this, her first arrival into New York following a US$120 million “re-mastering” QM2 even has a new viewing point on which passengers can stand to take in the spectacular view.

A block of 30 Britannia Club balcony cabins has been built at the forward end of the Sun Deck. A walkway across its roof had been chained off during the crossing because of high winds, but by the time the ship had picked up the New York harbour pilot at Ambrose Light, and slowed to pass beneath the VerazzanoNarrows Bridge linking the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island, it was packed with passengers brandishing selfie sticks.

Lady Liberty welcomed us, a warm sun rose over Brooklyn’s Red Hook cruise terminal, and there was time for breakfast before we disembarked.

Apart from a freshly painted hull – which soaked up 3,900 gallons of paint – those deck 13 cabins are the only visible external signs of the huge investment Cunard has made to bring its flagship, launched in 2004, up to date.

There’s much more inside. The ship’s first accommodation for solo travellers, for a start, with 15 single cabins (pictured below) built into what was part of the casino, and replacing the old photo gallery.

More than a million man hours went into the 25-day dry dock work in a German shipyard. Almost 557 square metres of carpet – enough to cover 10 soccer pitches, was laid in public rooms, corridors and staterooms.

The new design in the Grand Lobby (left) and the lift lobbies is particularly striking.

Two lifts from the lobby were ripped out in order to open up the Kings Court buffet restaurant on deck 7. What was previously no better than a shopping mall food court has been transformed.

Lighter furnishings, newly-tiled floors and an assembly of modernistic cityscapes on the walls make this a much more pleasant venue and additional serveries have reduced the tedious queues.

There seem to be more tables, too – although bagging a coveted “bay-window” seat looking out onto the deck 7 promenade can still be a lottery at busy times. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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SHIP REVIEW: QUEEN MARY 2 ROTATING RESTAURANTS The real triumph of Kings Court shows itself at dinner, when a small section is closed off and turned into a variety of themed restaurants, which rotate throughout the voyage. La Piazza is a family-style Italian trattoria. Lotus serves pan-Asian food. Coriander selects dishes from different regions of India, and Aztec takes its influences from Mexico – with tortillas, chimichangas, fajitas and spicy burgers.

Finally, to Smokehouse – serving classic American barbecue fare, recipes from the deep south and some Cajun classics. Think buffalo chicken wings or Maryland crab cake for starters, buttermilk southern fried chicken

or Memphis-style baby back ribs marinaded with a rich sauce of Jack Daniels and Coca Cola. Yum and stickyfingered yum! Book early to make sure you don’t miss out on these US$15-ahead feasts.

Each themed restaurant has its own wine list chosen to match the food, and for US$22, guests can choose a wine flight of three different glasses.

The Smokehouse, for example, goes for a Californian chardonnay, Velvet Devil from Washington State, and a late-harvest sauvignon blanc from Chile. In Coriander, it’s sauvignon blanc and zinfandel from India, and a Moscato d’Asti from Italy. Eat in Bamboo for a selection of sake.

BRITANNIA DINING Most passengers have their dinners at one of the two nightly sittings in the main Britannia Restaurant (pictured). Menus here have been updated and refreshed, but the two deck-high room, with its spectacular tapestry showing a stylised Cunard ship against a New York skyline, remains much the same as before – apart from one corner where the Britannia Club restaurant has been extended to accommodate the additional passengers from the new balcony suites.

The Grills restaurants – Princess and Queens – have been updated, and in response to popular demand, there are now more tables for two. Queens Grill, exclusively for passengers in the ship’s most expensive suites, looks particularly opulent with its red upholstery and gold decor.

This is a venue where the menu is of little consequence. Think of it as merely a guide to what might be offered for dinner. In addition to the daily changing selection, there’s a lengthy a la carte and guests are encouraged to request anything they might fancy, even if it is not listed anywhere. Subject to availability, the chefs will do their best to oblige.

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8/09/2016 11:34 AM

SHIP REVIEW: QUEEN MARY 2 A WELCOME CHANGE Another major change is the demise of the Todd English restaurant, replaced by the Verandah, already popular on Cunard’s other ships. For me, the presence of the American celebrity chef on such a quintessentially British vessel was always an anomaly, accentuated by the restaurant’s bizarre decor.

Now it’s much lighter and brighter, with a circus theme running through the artwork. There’s a cover charge of US$35 per person for a three-course dinner (US$20 for lunch). And what a dinner!

Starters included white crab and sea urchin salad, Scottish langoustine ravioli, frogs legs sucettes (or lollipops) and oak-smoked Highland venison tartare.

Follow that with lobster tail, octopus and red mullet, liquorish magret of Chalosse duck, loin of Gloucester Old Spot pork, rack and shoulder of Dorset lamb, or Galician dry-aged beef.

IN THE DOG HOUSE

CARINTHIA LOUNGE The old QM2’s unloved and underused Winter Garden has been replaced by the Carinthia Lounge, which has proved an instant hit.

Chefs work behind a small counter in one corner to prepare light-bite snacks for breakfast and lunch – the charcuterie selection was excellent.

Next to that is an Illy coffee bar preparing espressos and other speciality coffees.

Further along is a cocktail bar and another new feature – the “Port Wall”. Not a gallery of plaques from destinations the ship has visited – as I expected, but temperaturecontrolled storage for an epic collection of port wines, from years that trace the history of Cunard Line, and dating back to an 1840 Ferreira, from the year Britannia made the first scheduled Transatlantic crossing.

Yours for just US$4,445.

Depending on the time of day, the lounge’s small stage can be host to a harpist, a classical guitarist or a jazz band. Newly energised, it welcomes passengers throughout the day.

Human passengers are not the only ones to have benefitted from QM2’s remastering. The kennels – operated for pampered pets making the Transatlantic crossing – have been extended, and equipped with a New York fire hydrant and a lamp post from Liverpool.

THE VERDICT Highs: Enrichment lectures – on a Transatlantic crossing there is time to sit and listen to a wide variety of talks by well-qualified experts; relaxing on the Promenade Deck; Canyon Ranch spa.

Lows: It’s a shame the burgers in the Chef’s Galley are pre-cooked and lie shrivelling on the counter ready for selfassembly. Most cruise lines can at least match Macca’s and Hungry Jack’s by cooking to order – why can’t Cunard?

Best Suited To: Inquiring minds with a taste for the better things in life, and time on their hands.

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8/09/2016 11:35 AM

SHIP REVIEW: NORWEGIAN EPIC

The NORWEGIAN EXPERIENCE The latest ship to join the fleet sailing in Asia for 2018 is Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel. Sally Macmillan checked out sister-ship Norwegian Epic on a Mediterranean cruise to find the Norwegian difference.

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8/09/2016 12:10 PM

SHIP REVIEW: NORWEGIAN EPIC

FACT FILE

Clockwise from left: Teppanyaki on board Norwegian Epic; bowling alley; The Haven courtyard; Norwegian Epic stateroom

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ou can’t miss Norwegian Epic when it’s in port. For a start, it’s one of the world’s 10 biggest ships and, like all Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) vessels, its hull sports bright murals. In Epic’s case, the free-form waves were designed to mirror the interiors, particularly the curvy cabins which were quite a departure from the norm when the ship launched six years ago.

I joined the 4,100-passenger Epic in Marseille for a seven-night cruise around the Med and was amazed to find no embarkation queues; in Barcelona

and Civitavecchia (Rome), the main embarkation points for this regular itinerary, it was a little more hectic.

At the guest-services desk, I was given a map of the ship and a guided tour of its 19 decks – it is so huge it would take way more than a week on board to fully experience all its dining rooms, bars, shows and high-octane activities.

The 2,376-passenger Norwegian Jewel, coming to Asia in February 2018, is a tiddler in comparison – but many of Epic’s standout features are also found on Jewel.

Starting at the top, sections of Epic’s decks 16, 17, 18 and 19 comprise The Haven, a private enclave known as a ship within a ship. Sixty suites have exclusive access to The Haven’s pool, sun deck, restaurant, lounge, bar and gym, while having the run of all the rest of the ship’s facilities.

The Haven’s balcony suites range from the vast Owner’s Suite, which accommodates up to four people, to two-bedroom Family

CRUISE LINE: Norwegian Cruise Line VESSEL: Norwegian Epic STAR RATING: 4 PASSENGER CAPACITY: 4,100 TOTAL CREW: 1,730 PASSENGER DECKS: 15 ENTERED SERVICE: 2010 TONNAGE: 155,873 FACILITIES: Twenty dining options, five swimming pools, nine hot tubs, casino, Epic Theater, Speigel Tent, Smile Spa, gym.

BOOKINGS: Seven-night Western Mediterranean Round-trip from Civitavecchia on Norwegian Epic is priced from US$810 per person twin share (inside cabin). ncl.com

Villas (for up to six people) and Courtyard Penthouses (for two people).

Perks for Haven guests include butler and concierge services, priority (escorted) embarkation and disembarkation, limo transfers from airport to port and “white tablecloth” in-suite dining.

Although I didn’t stay in The Haven, I was lucky enough to have access to its facilities during my cruise and was seriously impressed. The service is as good as you’ll find on five-star ships and the breakfasts, lunch and dinner I sampled in the restaurant were first rate.

Norwegian Jewel also has The Haven, with 16 suites. One difference is that Jewel has three-bedroom Garden Villas, which can sleep up to eight.

Price-wise, when you factor in the inclusions for The Haven guests – free unlimited drinks, specialty dining, shore excursions and Wi-Fi, plus reduced rates for the third and fourth passengers in cruiseandtravelasia.com

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SHIP REVIEW: NORWEGIAN EPIC

FACT FILE

a group, it represents good value. For example, fares in Haven suites on a 11-night South East Asia cruise from Singapore on Norwegian Jewel in March 2018 start from US$2,553 per person (six guests sharing).

Heading down to deck 15 on Epic, you’ll find another “exclusive” zone, the adultsonly Spice H20, plus climbing walls, the 60 metre Epic Plunge water slide, Aqua Park and kids’ pool, and a couple of huge indoor and outdoor bar and dining areas, The Great Outdoors Bar & Grill and Garden Café.

The Garden Café offers an array of serve-yourself and cooked-to-order dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The choice, quality and freshness of the food was very good indeed. And although the area was invariably busy, there were no long queues at the food stations.

The for-fee La Cucina Italian restaurant 30

is tucked away at the front, a deck below the Garden Café.

NCL prides itself on being a pioneer of “freestyle” dining. Essentially, that means there is no assigned seating; you decide when and where to dine each night.

However, it is advisable to book in advance if you want to eat at a specific time, particularly if you want to catch a show.

You can make online reservations for specialty restaurants 90 days before embarkation, or 48 hours beforehand when you’re on board, or try your luck and just turn up on the night. If there’s a queue, you’ll be wait-listed and paged when your table is ready.

Alternatively, you can check the interactive screens that are dotted all over the ship. They give information about restaurant opening times and how full they are at any given time.

The freestyle dining approach certainly

CRUISE LINE: Norwegian Cruise Line VESSEL: Norwegian Jewel STAR RATING: 3.5 PASSENGER CAPACITY: 2,376 TOTAL CREW: 1,089 PASSENGER DECKS: 12 ENTERED SERVICE: 2005 TONNAGE: 93,502 FACILITIES: Sixteen dining options, two swimming pools, six hot tubs, casino, Stardust Theater, Bora Bora Health spa and gym.

BOOKINGS: Eleven-night Southeast Asia cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong is priced from US$1,244 per person twin share (inside cabin). See ncl.com

works when there are 20 different eateries to choose from (or 16 in the case of Jewel).

Passengers are dispersed around the ship so it never feels too crowded anywhere.

However, it was interesting to hear from a senior crew member that some passengers only ever go to the Garden Café, their cabin and the gangway – they don’t know what they’re missing!

On Epic, seven restaurants are included in the cruise fare. As well as the Garden Café and Great Outdoors, there are

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SHIP REVIEW: NORWEGIAN EPIC

Clockwise from left: The Haven restaurant; lobster tail; Norwegian Jewel Garden Villa; Priscilla Queen of the Desert

two main dining rooms (Taste and The Manhattan Room – the latter is only open for dinner); O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill (next to the ten-pin bowling alley, open 24 hours a day); Shanghai’s Asian Restaurant; and the Noodle Bar Chinese Restaurant.

Specialty restaurants I experienced on Epic were Cagney’s Steakhouse, Le Bistro and Cirque Dreams & Dinner. Of these, Cagney’s and Le Bistro are also on Jewel, along with La Cucina, Teppanyaki and Moderno Churrascaria.

It would be hard to say which had the most outstanding cuisine, Le Bistro or Cagney’s. At both venues, classic French, steak and seafood dishes were beautifully presented and served.

I could have been eating Vegemite sandwiches at Cirque Dreams because the Cirque du Soleil-type act was so engrossing. The Speigel Tent venue is

small which means every heart-stopping acrobatic move by the amazingly talented troupe was unmissable.

Entertainment is a big deal on NCL ships. The most elaborate (and longest) production show on my Epic cruise was Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Smaller shows such as comedy, magic and impressionists are hosted in the Headliners club and numerous live-music and dance-party events are staged in different venues around the ship every night.

Burn The Floor is another spectacular, performed in the Epic Theater and in The Manhattan Room one evening. The brainchild of talented Australian producer Harley Medcalf, it’s a high-energy combo of storytelling, eclectic dance and music, and sexy costumes. It will also be presented on board Norwegian Jewel.

All up, Norwegian offers a great cruise experience. If you prefer traditional,

THE VERDICT HIGHS: Top-quality specialty restaurants, kids’ clubs and adventure activities, The Haven.

LOWS: Slow (expensive) internet connections, insufficient vegetables and salad in main dining rooms.

BEST FOR: Multi-generational families and younger-gen groups.

assigned dining times, formal nights and a strict dress code, it may not be for you. But, if you enjoy a relaxed, lively atmosphere, plenty of options for casual or high-end dining and entertainment, and don’t want to pack the tux and LBD, it’s a goer. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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8/09/2016 12:08 PM

SHIPHIGH REVIEW: VISTA THE LIFE:CARNIVAL CRYSTAL MOZART

A floating funfair

A three-deck IMAX screen, suspended cycle track and a multi-sensory, 138-metre-long water tube slide add plenty of excitement to the new Carnival Vista.

John Honeywell joins the fun.

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ith the first IMAX cinema at sea, and a pedalpowered SkyRide 46 metres above the waves, Carnival Vista is not just Carnival Cruise Line’s biggest ship, it’s also the most innovative.

The 133,500-tonne vessel, which began its maiden voyage on May 1 and will be in the Mediterranean until October, carries 3,954 passengers at double occupancy and has a maximum guest capacity of 4,977.

During the peak school holiday season there will be as many as 1,400 children on board. While their parents take advantage of the ship’s 15-or-more bars, the young kids can be looked after in Camp Ocean,

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while teenagers get the use of Circle C and Club O2.

Much of the upper deck is taken up with the Waterworks park with two slides – the 138 metre long Kaleid-O-Slide and the smaller Twister. Beneath the twin tracks of the 55 metre SkyRide are a sports court, crazy golf and outdoor gym.

There’s a Dive-In cinema screen above the main pool.

The ship has two separate gated communities. The Havana staterooms and suites share a pool-deck terrace that is off-limits to other passengers throughout the day and Havana Cabanas have patios – effectively extended verandahs using a

closed-off section of the Promenade Deck.

No children under 12 are permitted in these cabins.

Families with younger children are welcome in the Family Harbor staterooms, where cushions spell out the word “FUN” using international maritime flags, and the residents have exclusive access to their own family lounge.

Vista has more outdoor dining space than any other Carnival ship, and the entrance to the trademark RedFrog pub is through the mash tuns and stainless steel vats of a micro-brewery producing an IPA, a Jamaican grapefruit beer and a coffeetinged dark beer.

Specialty restaurants include the US$35a-head Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and the US$15 cover charge Ji Ji’s Asian Kitchen and Italian trattoria Cucina del Capitano.

Vista’s 24-hour pizzeria is equipped with an oven designed and made in Naples, which can cook a made-to-order pizza in precisely three minutes and 27 seconds.

New on board is the Seafood Shack, another a la carte priced venue, where the lobster rolls and lobster BLT have become

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8/09/2016 12:28 PM

SHIP REVIEW: CARNIVAL VISTA

Clockwise from below left: WaterWorks; America Rocks!; SkyRide

FACT FILE

THE VERDICT Highs: Ji Ji’s Asian kitchen – superb food for a bargain US$15-a-head cover charge.

Pixels Gallery – why waste money and resources on prints when souvenir photos can be displayed and sold digitally?

Lows: Shower curtains. Really? This is 2016.

Charging top whack for bottled water in the cabins. It wouldn’t cost much to give it away, and US$3.75 is ridiculous.

Best suited to: Party-loving families. Kids’ clubs will take care of junior until 1am, and you can hang your room service breakfast order outside the cabin door as late as 5am.

a particular favourite of Carnival president Christine Duffy.

In another Carnival first, chefs go ashore in some ports to buy fresh fish. It’s served daily in the Seafood Shack, and can be ordered for any of the other restaurants.

The most popular dining venue in Vista’s first two weeks of operation has been Bonsai Sushi; no reservations required and items charged a la carte. Most expensive is the US$75-a-head Chef ’s Table which seats 16 for an eight-course dinner six times a week.

In the photo gallery, gone are the familiar ranks of souvenir prints for passengers to purchase – in their place are video walls of constantly changing images and passengers can download their photos onto their smartphones or tablets using a tailor-made app.

Live shows, including Amor Cubano, America Rocks!, and Flick: The Power of Motion Pictures, take place in the Liquid Lounge, which also converts into a nightclub. Other entertainment includes the Punchliner Comedy Club and Serenity Night deck parties.

CRUISE LINE: Carnival Cruise Line VESSEL: Carnival Vista STAR RATING: Not yet rated PASSENGER CAPACITY: 3,954 TOTAL CREW: 1,450 PASSENGER DECKS: 15 ENTERED SERVICE: 2016 TONNAGE: 135,000 FACILITIES: 10 dining options, 15 bars and lounges, casino, SkyRide, crazy golf, basketball court, ropes course, IMAX Theatre, three pools, six hot tubs, water park, kids’ and teen’s clubs, Cloud 9 Spa, adults-only retreat, fitness centre.

BOOKINGS: Six-night Western Caribbean cruise from Miami, Florida on Carnival Vista is priced from US$519 per person twin share (interior). carnival.com

The three-deck high IMAX screen shows documentaries and first-run movies in 3D. This week it’s The Jungle Book and Batman v Superman. The ticket price for feature films is US$12.95.

Carnival’s first new ship in three years, Vista will be in the Med until October when it crosses to New York for an official christening ceremony. It will then reposition to Miami and sail year-round to the Caribbean.

Work has started on construction of Vista 2, scheduled for launch in 2018.

It is also expected to spend a summer in Europe before moving to the US. Carnival will not have a ship sailing the Mediterranean in 2017. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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8/09/2016 12:27 PM

SHIP REVIEW: HARMONY OF THE SEAS

I

’m staring into the Abyss. The Ultimate Abyss, the longest slide at sea, on the newest, biggest cruise ship in the world, Harmony of the Seas. I don’t like heights, so the glass platform on which I’m standing, 16 decks up, is a big challenge. I shuffle onto my mat, trembling, wait for the green light to say “go”, take a deep breath and launch myself into space.

I zoom through blackness, screaming like a banshee. Bright disco lights suddenly flash and spin around the metal tube and I’m circling, shooting out onto the Boardwalk, 10 decks down, whooping and yelling. It’s 14 seconds of pure adrenaline.

This just about sums up Harmony, which is touring the Mediterranean in its maiden season before heading to the Caribbean.

One big thrill ride and a lot of dazzle.

Royal Caribbean has taken the best of its two giant Oasisclass ships and thrown in some elements of the newer Quantum-class on this 226,000-tonne behemoth, which is a whole 33 centimetres longer than its nearest sister, Allure of the Seas. Anybody familiar with Oasis or Allure will discover familiar features such as an ice rink, outdoor AquaTheater, where audiences are thrilled by high-diving displays, a zipline, the leafy Central Park, with more than 10,000 trees and shrubs, and posh restaurants sitting alongside swish stores by Bulgari and Cartier.

Features inspired by Quantum of the Seas and its sisters include the Bionic Bar, a whizzy cocktail bar tended by two dancing robots, a Jamie Oliver restaurant and inside cabins with virtual balconies that show real-time images of the outside world on a giant screen. Then there’s the new stuff, not least the Ultimate Abyss, which attracted big crowds when I was on board. The children’s club, Adventure Ocean, is even better than on the other ships; kids even have their own very cute little theatre and a science lab.

Harmony needs to be approached as a massive, floating resort that happens to visit a few ports rather than an ocean voyage during which you commune with the sea. It’s busy, noisy and colourful and not very ship-like.

A crew member told me, “The first day is crazy, while everybody finds their ‘place’ on the ship. After that, it all settles down and you wonder where everybody is.”

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THE ULTIMATE

thrill RIDE

Claiming the title of biggest cruise ship afloat, the new Harmony of the Seas is also home to the longest slide at sea. Sue Bryant steps into the Abyss.

THE VERDICT Highs: The specialty restaurants Wonderland and 150 Central Park; world-class entertainment; superb children’s clubs; luxurious suites.

Lows: Crowds and expensive extras (US$12.99 a day for fast internet) Best suited to: Families, multi-generational groups, young people, sporty types.

He’s right. My favourite spots were the adults-only Solarium, a peaceful place to read and snooze, and the cafe in Central Park. I loved Wonderland, a two-deck fantasy world of superb molecular cuisine and a super-cool cocktail bar, with stunning views down over the Boardwalk.

The halibut baked in paper, and molten chocolate pudding with liquid nitrogen pistachio ice-cream were both exquisite.

Royal Caribbean is famed for its Broadway hits and the headline show on Harmony is Grease, which has been adapted from the film and the stage show and sizzles with energy. At the first showing, the whole audience was on its feet. Throw in ice shows, a comedy club, a very classy jazz club and live bands, and the amazing value of this ship becomes apparent, as none of this costs extra.

Also free is Puzzle Break, the newest craze in team-building games, housed in a “steamdriven spaceship” (a room) on deck 14 full of cogs, screens and twisting copper pipes. This is the most expensive and advanced Puzzle Break game in the world. The idea is that 12 people have to solve nine problems within an hour to get out.

Harmony’s cabins are very attractive, in calming aquamarine and silver, with a real feeling of space, especially if you opt for an ocean-facing balcony. Needless to say, the suites are gorgeous, particularly the double-height Loft Suites. Given an unlimited budget, I’d go for one of these on deck 17, or for an AquaTheater suite, which have huge balconies with sweeping views of the wake and the Boardwalk. The top 10 suites come with a Royal Genie, a supercharged butler who will arrange anything you want, as well as perks such as all-inclusive drinks and unlimited dining in the speciality restaurants. Suiteclass guests have their own dining room and a comfortable lounge and bar.

And now for the niggles, a few of which are inevitable on a ship this size.

The cavernous main dining room looks beautiful, but the service is too fast and the food has a feeling of mass catering.

The casino is very smoky. I found the Royal Promenade overwhelmingly noisy at times, too. But the good thing about Harmony is that it’s so big, with so much going on, that you can easily skip the bits that don’t appeal and focus on the many, many things that will.

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SHIP REVIEW: HARMONY OF THE SEAS Clockwise from below left: Ultimate Abyss entry; FlowrRider surf simulator; Ultimate Abyss

FACT FILE CRUISE LINE: Royal Caribbean VESSEL: Harmony of the Seas STAR RATING: Not yet rated PASSENGER CAPACITY: 5,479 TOTAL CREW: 2,394 PASSENGER DECKS: 16 ENTERED SERVICE: 2016 TONNAGE: 226,000 FACILITIES: 20 dining options, including eight specialty restaurants, 17 bars & lounges, theatres, casino, Ultimate Abyss, ice rink, zipline, surf simulators, climbing walls, sports court, three pools, 10 hot tubs, water park, six kids’ clubs, Vitality at Sea Spa, Adults-only Solarium, fitness centre.

BOOKINGS: Seven-night Western Caribbean Cruise on Harmony of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale, Florida is priced from US$903 per person, twin share (interior cabin). royalcaribbean.com

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8/09/2016 11:30 AM

SHIPHIGH REVIEW: THE LIFE:CRYSTAL CRYSTALMOZART MOZART

Mozart remastered

Leading Crystal Cruises’ charge into river cruising, Crystal Mozart has set the bar high for the luxury line.

Ralph Grizzle tried out the ultra-wide, ultra-luxe cruiser to check out its transformation.

L

ast year, Crystal Cruises decided to give river cruising a try, and the venerable luxury cruise operator launched a new division. With six new builds on order, Crystal River Cruises wanted to get in the game sooner rather than later, so the company purchased Dertour’s 1987-built MS Mozart, formerly operated by Peter Deilmann and TUI Cruises.

At the time of her construction, Mozart was one of the largest river vessels afloat, and easily recognisable thanks to her unique semi-catamaran design. Nearly double the width of most river cruisers, Mozart’s dimensions mean she can only sail the Danube between Passau and the Black Sea. Transforming Mozart to Crystal’s specifications meant taking her down to her steel hull, a process that took more than 400 shipyard workers going at it around the clock. “We went through every single inch, both technically and

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from a hotel point of view,” says Crystal Cruises COO Thomas Mazloum. “We had 14 different contractors, two to three different designers, working the last couple of months in three shifts, 24 hours a day to get it finished in time.

“It was the most ambitious project we’ve ever undertaken. Our inspiration was, ‘What would the perfect Crystal boutique hotel look like if we were to open a hotel in Europe?’ That was what we asked our designers to create.”

I step on board a ship where few vestiges of the nearly three-decade-old vessel are to be seen (I had sailed Mozart under Peter Deilmann in 2009). There are a few portraits from the old Mozart, and a beautiful Bösendorfer piano that was almost scrapped, but rescued at the last minute. Lovingly restored, the piano is the centrepiece of the forward-facing Palm Court on deck 3.

FACT FILE CRUISE LINE: Crystal Cruises VESSEL: Crystal Mozart STAR RATING: 5 PASSENGER CAPACITY: 154 TOTAL CREW: 92 PASSENGER DECKS: 4 ENTERED SERVICE: 2016 TONNAGE: 155,873 FACILITIES: All-suite accommodation, four eateries, two bars, a cigar and cognac lounge, wraparound promenade, beauty salon, spa and fitness centre, indoor pool.

BOOKINGS: 10-day round-trip cruise from Vienna to Vilshofen an der Donau is priced from US$3,090 per person twin share. crystalcruises.com

Throughout Crystal Mozart’s public areas, such as The Bistro and The Cove, I find elegant furnishings that will be familiar to those who have sailed Crystal Cruises’ two luxury ocean ships.

Staterooms and suites carry familiar amenities, too, such as Crystal bathrobes and kimonos, Etro toiletries and Crystallogo shopping and laundry bags similar to those that you will find on Crystal Symphony or Serenity. These touches are complemented by new technology; USB outlets can be found beside beds and at

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SHIP REVIEW: CRYSTAL MOZART STATEROOMS & SUITES

Clockwise from left: indoor pool; Palm Court; Serenity River Spa

the desks, while iPads serve as digital directories for guests.

Crystal Mozart distinguishes itself in several areas: • Lots of real estate. At 22.9 metres across, Mozart is nearly twice the width of the standard river cruiser. That extra width allows for a lot more in terms of public rooms and generally larger staterooms.

• Pre/post stays. Crystal River Cruises will use Mozart as the hotel for pre/post stays in turnaround destinations such as Vienna.

• Crystal-trained staff. Crystal hires, trains and manages its own staff. “We did not outsource anything on this ship,” Mazloum says. “Everyone is a Crystal employee. They were hand-selected and interviewed for months and months.”

• Highest guest-to-crew ratio in river cruise. Mozart has a guest capacity of 154 passengers served by 92 crew.

• Unique public areas not available on other river cruisers. The uppermost deck, Vista Deck 4, features a pop-up bar that lowers flush with the deck for passing under low bridges. On deck 2, the Crystal Life Spa has an indoor pool and fully equipped fitness, spa and salon facilities.

• Michelin dining program. Off the

ship, guests can choose to dine in one of eight Michelin-starred restaurants at no additional cost once during each cruise.

In each restaurant ashore, there will be no more than 16 Crystal guests.

My stateroom is a Category S1 stateroom measuring 20.3 square metres with a French balcony. The full king-sized bed is exceptionally comfortable, but takes up a lot of space, making it a tight squeeze between the closets and the bed.

I appreciate all of the high technology, the USB charging outlets, lights that can be programmed with the push of a button for four scenes, and the pull-out mini-bar, stocked with complimentary beverages.

The room also features the iPad digital directory and a 40-inch flat-panel HD TV. Just down the corridor is one of the two Crystal Suites, which measure 82 square metres each – the largest on any river vessel. The two-bedroom Crystal Suites feature French balconies, walk-in closets, separate showers and oversized bathtubs.

Crystal Mozart gets high marks for many reasons. First, its width allows lots of space for including features not found on other river cruisers, such as the indoor pool, wraparound promenade, multiple dining venues and expansive public rooms.

Secondly, Crystal’s approach with its crew is different than on other river cruise ships. Are they better than the crew on other ships? Debatable. However, what’s not debatable is the highest crew-to-guest ratio. Will that make a difference in your experience? Definitely.

All in all, Crystal River Cruises has a winner on its hands with Crystal Mozart, truly one-of-a-kind as it sails serenely along the Danube.

DINING OPTIONS

Crystal Mozart features four dining venues, plus room service. Chef Toni Neumeister has done a phenomenal job in preparing menus that are both tasty and inspired.

Waterside The open-seating main dining room features extensive breakfast and lunch buffets and a fancier feel for dinner.

Blue This aft indoor dining area offers a casual atmosphere and a menu of global comfort food, similar to Tastes aboard Crystal Serenity.

Bistro Mozart The go-to spot aboard Crystal vessels for freshly baked pastries, fruit and snacks, you’ll also find a good cup of coffee or tea, and light meals through the day and into the evening.

The Vintage Room As aboard Crystal’s ocean ships, the intimate dining room for approximately a dozen guests hosts winemakers’ dinners and special occasions.

THE VERDICT Highs: Mozart itself – nearly double the width of a standard river cruiser and totally transformed by Crystal.

Lows: Even at 20.3 square metres, the standard staterooms feel just a tad tight with the king-sized bed. On the other hand, you get a king-sized bed.

Best suited to: Crystal Cruises’ fans and anyone looking for a truly upscale, luxury river cruise experience on a unique vessel.

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8/09/2016 12:32 PM

SHIP REVIEW: QUEEN ISABEL

Portugal’s RIVER QUEEN

In a plethora of river cruise brands, Uniworld stands out for its flamboyance. Steve Hopkinson tries out Portugal’s Douro River on Queen Isabel.

M

any river cruise lines have found themselves trapped by the fact that locks and moorings mean all their ships have roughly the same dimensions.

But that doesn’t mean they are all the same.

Uniworld, for instance, makes a big boast in describing its river fleet: “It isn’t often that the ship one travels on rivals the destinations.

Yet this is more than true for Uniworld’s fleet of luxurious floating boutique hotels. Every Uniworld ship is a work of art.”

Flamboyant interiors, artworks on the walls and gigantic chandeliers are all hallmarks of this remarkable line.

Queen Isabel is smaller than most of the line’s ships. And while she is relatively 38

restrained by Uniworld standards – she is owned by the Douro Azul company – she is comfortable and refined.

We sailed on Queen Isabel through the UNESCO designated Douro Valley in Portugal and met the winemakers and others who have made this region famous.

We chose to make our own way from Lisbon to Porto, where our cruise began.

The best part of getting around Portugal is its world-class motorways.

Lisbon to Porto is just over 300 kilometres and, by starting out early, we easily took in both Obidos, an ancient walled town with an amazing castle, and Coimbra, which has one of Europe’s

oldest universities dating from 1290. Porto is also a stunning city.

We boarded Queen Isabel at about 4pm ready for our 5pm sailing and discovered a lot of our fellow passengers were loyal Uniworld cruisers.

STATEROOMS & SUITES

Queen Isabel is petite, just 79 metres long by 11.5 metres wide. Her 59 cabins are fairly small, particularly in comparison with those on other Uniworld ships. However, those on the lower deck have large windows, and on the upper two decks, they have sliding

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8/09/2016 12:36 PM

SHIP REVIEW: QUEEN ISABEL We typically cruised for part of the day and the scenery along the way was amazing.

Vineyards, small towns and fascinating architecture stretch along the river banks.

The influence of winemaking is everywhere. At Peso da Régua, we visited the Douro Museum with a port and wine experience, and the beautiful Mateus Palace.

We headed up to the high peaks overlooking the river and vineyards for a wondering dinner at Quinta do Avessada.

At the Spanish border town CRUISE LINE: Uniworld Boutique of Vega de Terron, we visited River Cruise Collection Castelo Rodrigo, with its amazing VESSEL: Queen Isabel history dating back to the Spanish Inquisition. The following day PASSENGER CAPACITY: 118 we ventured into Spain and the TOTAL CREW: 33 historical city of Salamanca.

PASSENGER DECKS: 3 On our return journey, we ENTERED SERVICE: 2013 stopped at Pinhao to visit the LENGTH: 79 metres world-class Sandeman Estate. The FACILITIES: A lounge with views were breathtaking and the full-service bar, fitness centre, port easy to drink. Back in Porto, a restaurant, Serenity River Spa, number of tours were on offer and sun deck and pool. there was a farewell dinner.

BOOKINGS: 10-night Portugal, When is the best time to try Spain & the Douro River Valley the Douro? We like the European tour, including seven-night summer, as the days start early and cruise, is priced from US$3,699. uniworld.com the sun goes down at about 9.30pm.

It feels as if the days never end.

However, the ship’s hotel manager, varieties as we travel along the Douro.

Peter, suggests visiting in late September Portugal has been producing wine since and early October when the grapes are the Romans arrived in the first century, so being harvested by hand. they’ve had a bit of practice to get it right.

Whenever you visit, cruising the Douro Both lunch and dinner were hearty is a wonderful way to explore this part of meals, such as roast leg of lamb, succulent Portugal and see things from a different pork, fantastic Portuguese fish dishes and perspective. It is nice to know the region aged beef. Desserts are suitably indulgent is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and, of course, the cheese selection is which will ensure it retains its uniqueness accompanied by port – what else? and charm.

One night was dedicated to a Portuguese Traditional Dinner. We started with poultry sausage and a wonderful kale, cabbage and chorizo Soup. The mains were a choice of bacalhau com broa (salted cod fish), gilled entrecote or grilled yellow pepper stuffed with vegetable rice, raisins and pine nuts.

That left just enough room for a Portuguese trilogy of custard cream, cinnamon sponge and cooked pear in red wine, and of course cheese and wine. All washed down with Highs: Amazing scenery, food and the easywonderful wines from the region. going nature of the ship and crew makes for

FACT FILE

Clockwise from top left: Queen Isabel on the Douro; balcony suite; relaxing on deck; pool on the sun deck

doors and beautifully appointed balconies.

Bathrooms are equipped with L’Occitane products and there is ample storage space.

Her lavishly appointed staterooms and suites have handcrafted Savoir of England beds with high-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, and a pillow menu.

We tried a cabin on the main deck with a French balcony and an upper-deck suite.

Our verdict: pay a little extra for the suite, for the extra space and the balcony.

DINING

Queen Isabel has an excellent restaurant and a small alfresco dining area. Breakfasts included a good selection, from fruit and cereal to eggs, bacon and a wonderful selection of freshly baked breads and pastries, along with cheese and cold cuts.

Before lunch and dinner, guest gathered in the main lounge for an update on activities and an introduction to the wine to be served with our meals. Every day, we were presented with new red and white

THE VERDICT

a wonderful week.

CRUISING

After all that food, what better way to relax than with a little siesta in one of the comfortable sun loungers on the large sun deck, which has a small swimming pool.

Lows: I would have liked more wine appreciation classes and perhaps a little more on the history-lesson front.

Best suited to: Those in their late 50s and over.

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8/09/2016 12:36 PM

COMPETITION

Win!

4-Night Japan cruise for two with Star Cruises valued at US$6,042* Set sail to the idyllic islands of Okinawa, Japan, with Star Cruises, the leading cruise line in Asia Pacific. Departing from Keelung, Taiwan on board SuperStar Aquarius, your four-night cruise will call at Ishigaki and Naha. Ishigaki Island, the main island of the Yaeyama group, is known for its beautiful beaches and natural scenery. Naha, the capital of the Okinawa Prefecture, blends Japan’s natural and architectural charm. It is home to Shuri Castle, the former palace of the Ryukyu Dynasty, and Shikinaen Garden which features red-roofed wooden palace buildings.

Limitless fun and games for both young and the “young at heart” brings round-the-clock entertainment and enjoyment on board. Star Cruises brims with options with stage shows and karaoke to spa pampering, duty-free shopping, swimming and keeping fit. Or you can just relax in the shade and enjoy reading a book – the choice is entirely yours!

Find out more at starcruises.com

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HOW TO ENTER Go to cruiseandtravelasia.com and tell us in 25 words or less why you want to be a star cruiser.

The prize includes a four-night cruise for two people on SuperStar Aquarius in an Executive Suite valued at US$6,042. *Terms and conditions apply. See cruiseandtravelasia.com

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8/09/2016 11:23 AM

COMPETITION

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8/09/2016 11:22 AM

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8/09/2016 12:14 PM

SHIP REVIEW: SCENIC SPIRIT

S p eci al R e p or t : SHORE EXCURSIONS

Shore thing

Total immersion. Exclusive experiences. Personal visits and superstar guides.

Suddenly, the humble shore excursion has taken on a whole new meaning.

A

fter years of transforming their ships into floating resorts, cruise lines are now reinventing the way guests explore their destinations and putting more emphasis on interacting with the local people.

Increasingly, cruise passengers want shore excursions which focus on a local experience.

Overnight stays in ports such as St Petersburg and Sydney are prized additions to any itinerary. Azamara Club Cruises offers extended stays onshore for exclusive “Azamazing” experiences such as of an opera concert in a castle in the Mediterranean.

Food-focused shore tours are being expanded to include meeting local farmers and producers, cellar-door visits and

even shopping with the ship’s chef at local markets. APT has engaged Australian-Vietnamese celebrity chef Luke Nguyen to take passengers on a market tour in Ho Chi Minh City followed by a cooking class.

On its newly launched Scenic Spirit on the Mekong River, Scenic offers a dining experience in a local restaurant run by teachers and former street children Intercruises, a global company that specialises in organising innovative shore excursions, now offers a new category comprising voluntourism and ecotourism. Visitors can combine a traditional tour of visiting a temple with helping a local village in a special volunteer project.

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8/09/2016 12:15 PM

Shore Excursions: SHIP REVIEW: SCENIC FOOD SPIRIT

Delicious discovery Words Sally Hammond

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isiting markets, sampling street food and a cafe stop have long been part of shore excursions, but passengers have been wanting more: asking to see how the food is made, wanting to talk to chefs, needing to feel they’ve connected with a destination and its food. Cookery schools, distillery tours, wine-tasting – the cruise lines are onto it. They even run entire food and wine themed voyages with onboard experts, master classes, special menus and exclusive tours. Scores of cruise lines, thousands of tours and passengers with just as many tastes. Impossible to choose, but let’s try.

Culinary Day at Famed Don Alfonso

Location: Sorrento, Italy Line: Regent Seven Seas Price: US$550 A feast of experiences: visiting fabled Sorrento, learning to make cheese at an artisanal fromagerie using that morning’s milk, then a visit to Don Alfonso 1890, an acclaimed family restaurant established in 1890. Here you’ll watch one of the master chefs prepare delicious dishes, often using produce from the restaurant’s organic farm which overlooks the Bay of Capri. Then you’ll wine and dine in the historic and luxurious Relais & Châteaux property. Later, stroll in the gardens or ask to see the old wine cellar under the building.

You’ll also learn how to make kimchi, the pickled and fermented vegetables that are a staple of Korean cuisine. After the class, you’ll have the opportunity to shop at the famous Lotte Department Store as well as exploring the nearby Seomyeon shopping streets.

Favours of Asia with Luke Nguyen

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Line: APT Price: included APT ambassador Australian Vietnamese chef Luke Nguyen will take guests through the markets of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) to shop for produce and meet some of his family who live in the crowded back streets surrounding Cau Ong Lanh market in District One of Old Saigon. Guests will then attend an exclusive cooking lesson at Nguyen’s Grain Studio to learn how to cook some of the chef’s favourite Vietnamese dishes, such as zucchini flowers stuffed with fresh prawns, chicken breast and cabbage salad with jellyfish served with nuoc cham dressing, and steamed marinated sea bass wrapped in banana leaf, served with a green mango salad.

A Taste of Provence by Alain Ducasse Korean Cuisine

Location: Busan, South Korea Line: Seabourn Price: US$119 Passengers can learn how to make Korean food at the Cooking Institute in Busan. An expert chef will show you how to make several local dishes, such as bulgogi, traditional barbecued marinated meat seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. Bulgogi means “fire meat” and you’ll be chargrilling your beef or pork over charcoal.

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Location: Nice, France Line: Celebrity Cruises Price: about US$4,389 A 30-minute helicopter ride whisks a maximum of nine guests over the French Riviera to La Bastide de Moustiers, a Provencal inn owned by culinary legend Alain Ducasse. A fourcourse lunch with wine paring showcases the chef’s fresh-to-the-table cuisine and afterwards guests are invited to relax with a stroll around the grounds filled with olive trees and gardens that supply the kitchen with herbs and produce. Finally, explore the delightful medieval village of Moustiers Sainte-Marie.

Cook My Catch

Location: Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska Line: Princess Cruises Price: from US$150 There’s something very satisfying about catching your own dinner. Take a fishing shore excursion in Alaska and you can take your catch back to the ship for the chef to prepare.

From Juneau, board a small boat with no more than six people and sail along Stephens Passage in search of salmon. Or cruise around the protected coastline of Ketchikan to fish for halibut, one of the largest fish in the sea that can weigh 300 kilos (though you’ll probably catch one around the 10 kilogram mark).

Chocolaterie Workshop

Location: Tallinn, Estonia Line: Azamara Club Cruises Price: about US$176 Azamara’s specialty shore excursions called Insider Access enable guests to mingle with locals as they visit a range of places. The medieval Old Town of Tallinn is a delight in itself with the Town Hall Square and 13th-century Church of the Holy Spirit. Follow the aromas of chocolate to the Chocolaterie de Pierre where you’ll meet the master pastry chef and enjoy a chocoholic’s dream. It’s a hands-on experience in which you’ll craft artisan chocolates (yours to take back to the ship!) with the help of staff dressed in national costume.

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Chef Luke Nguyen will take guests through the markets of Ho Chi Minh City

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Shore Excursions: SHIP REVIEW: SCENIC CULTURE SPIRIT

Make a splash: try your hand at gondoliering in Venice

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The real thing Words Sally Hammond

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hore excursions used to be simply a coach ride, some photo ops – and shops. Then guests needed more. They didn’t want to just look at a cathedral or a ruin, or watch cultural dancing.

An excursion became “immersion”, an experience where you get to taste, feel and breathe what it might be like to live somewhere else. Cruise lines picked up on this and a new wave of active and interactive cultural explorations became popular. It’s all about passengers having the best possible experience of a destination.

Family Tour Challenge – Venetian Gondoliering

Location: Venice, Italy Line: Celebrity Cruises Price: from US$300 You don’t have to be able to sing Santa Lucia to handle a gondola – at least not for these three hours or so. Family groups will receive a crash course – unlike the real Venetian gondoliers who serve a 10-year apprenticeship. First, there’s instruction from an expert at a Venetian rowing club, then you will be put in teams for a chance to steer your own gondola on a remote and quiet canal. It will be a fun, sometimes splashy event, as you see who will come out with the title of Best Gondolier for a Day.

in partnership with Salzburg Orchestra and Classic Art Vienna exclusively for Scenic.

There’s an afternoon of The Sound of Music classics: Edelweiss and Do-Re-Mi, paired with Mozart and typical folk music. The 90-minute show features a professional cast, children’s choir and 16-piece orchestra.

Traditional Medicine

Location: Yangon, Myanmar Line: Azamara Club Cruises Price: US$93 Asian medicine has long derived cures from nature. This immersion into age-old practices stands against the backdrop of a vibrant city and offers a chance to learn new wellness techniques. Guests may learn about Myanmar’s traditional healing practices from holistic practitioners who seek to balance the body and enhance wellbeing. They will explain how traditional practices use herbs, thermoregulation, astrology and alchemy. In Kon Zay Dan Street you can explore the stalls that sell insect organs and sea shells, herbs and pastes, and later meet with a respected practitioner for a consultation and analysis.

exhibit is on the itinerary, chronicling the lives, culture and music of the Beatles in 18 audiovisual sets.

Villages and Countryside

Location: Nha Trang, Vietnam Line: P&O World Cruises Price: US$58 For a few hours you can be transported into the uncomplicated village life known for centuries to people in Vietnam. In lush countryside dotted with coconut palms, tropical fruit trees, rice paddies and grazing water buffalo, daily life goes on in postwar villages, with only a few remaining old buildings. Meet youngsters at the Loc Tho Pagoda charity school, and see how they are raised and educated, then visit a typical Vietnamese country house. At Vinh Thai Village you may enter a communal house used for worship of village gods and ancestors, stop by a cafe for snacks and visit a workshop for stunning art embroidery.

In the Steps of the Beatles

Best of Sound of Music and Salzburg Show

Location: Salzburg, Austria Line: Scenic Price: included The hills will be alive for guests taking a fullday excursion to Salzburg from this cruise.

“Favourite things” will include a guided tour of a picture-book city, a traditional Austrian lunch and a musical performance created

Location: Liverpool, UK Line: Cunard Price: US$85 Beatles fans can indulge in full-on nostalgia for the music of their youth in this tour of the city of Liverpool. This was the group that swung the swinging sixties, turning this former industrial city into a hip hub for devotees of the Fab Four and their legendary music. The four-hour tour visits the birthplaces, former homes, schools and venues of the Beatles as well as places featured in their songs: Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields with the requisite photo stops. The Beatles Story, a multimedia cruiseandtravelasia.com

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Shore Excursions: SHIP REVIEW: SCENIC ADVENTURE SPIRIT

Explore yourself Words Roderick Eime

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etting off your cruise ship has varying importance for every person who cruises. For some, the ship is merely a vessel that transports them between shore excursions. While for others, getting out of the deck chair is a chore not worth contemplating, unless it’s to go to the buffet. In the realm of small ship and adventure cruise operators, there are not too many passengers who come along to hog a sun lounge. They want to be off the ship and on an adventure. These are some of the latest developments in shore excursions that give new meaning to the humble land tour.

C-Explorer 3 submarine tour

Location: Seychelles or Adriatic Line: Crystal Cruises Price: US$618 In almost simultaneous announcements, both Crystal Cruises and Scenic heralded the inclusion of seven-person submarines in their bold new plans to launch ultra-luxury expedition vessels. Crystal, in the meantime, has stolen something of a march on Scenic with a three-person submarine on its newly relaunched Crystal Esprit. Two passengers board the sub with a pilot and sit in a large bubble with 360-degree views of the ocean.

The sub can dive to 300 metres, although in places like the Seychelles, where the water is shallow, you’ll usually descend to about 20 metres during the 25-minute ride.

Whale sharks of Cenderawasih Bay

Location: West Papua Line: North Star Cruises Price: included While Broome-based North Star Cruises pioneered voyages to this fascinating location, other operators are getting in on the act, too. The act in question is the amazing phenomenon of observing enormous whale

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sharks come to the surface to feed on the bait fish spilled from the nets of fishermen.

Snorkellers can drift for hours with these gentle giants, satisfying a dream of so many to swim with these gentle creatures.

Angkor Wat Overland Adventure

Location: Sihanoukville, Cambodia Line: Holland America Line Price: US$2,899 Guests cruising with Holland America Line can book a three-night adventure to Angkor Wat. The tour takes in some amazing sights including the Intra Ngean Pagoda, Ta Prohm and the Bayon Temple. You’ll spend your excursion hiking around the wonderful sights of Sihanoukville and Siem Reap. You’ll also spend some time at the Borei Kuma Krong Preah Sihanouk orphanage which was set up for children from poor families and enjoy a traditional show performed by the students.

Trekking the Tasmanian wilderness

Location: Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour Line: Coral Expeditions Price: included This is an incredible adventure if for no other reason than it’s an ambitious excursion to one

of Australia’s most remote landscapes.

This Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is only accessible by boat or chartered plane, so guests will see scenery witnessed by few others and have the chance to spot rare wildlife such as the orange-bellied parrot (pictured above) during hikes from the 35-metre Coral Expeditions I.

Amundsen Night, Antarctica

Location: Antarctica Line: Hurtigruten Price: about US$513 If you’re willing to brave the cold and leave the comfort of your stateroom, you can spend the night onshore in Antarctica. Guest will be equipped with a two-person tent and an insulated sleeping bag and there are two expedition guides for every 15 campers.

The guides will take you for walks, weather permitting, and early risers can watch the sunrise. All meals are taken on board the ship, but you will be supplied with hot drinks and all the cold weather gear you need.

Camp Leakey orangutans

Location: South Central Borneo Line: Coral Expeditions Price: included As part of its eight-night Orangutans and Lost Tribes of the Java Sea cruise from Kalimantan to Singapore, Coral Expeditions takes guests to the Camp Leakey orangutan rehabilitation centre in Tanjung Puting National Park, South Central Borneo. Camp Leakey was established in 1971 by Dr Biruté Galdikas and Rod Brindamour to study of the behaviour and ecology of wild orangutans and to conserve their populations and rain forest habitat. Cruise guests will be taken by local klotoks (river boats) to Camp Leakey to observe orangutans at meal time.

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See orangutans at Camp Leakey in South Central Borneo

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Shore Excursions: SHIP REVIEW: SCENIC VOLUNTEER SPIRIT

Buddhist nuns in Myanmar

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A helping hand Words Caroline Gladstone

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s cruise ships and itineraries continue to evolve, so do the choice and calibre of shore excursions.

The latest tours, however, are not about glitz and glamour; the new hands-on kind of shore excursion is a no-frills experience. Social impact or “voluntourism” is about giving back and making a difference to local communities and providing passengers with a chance to work with organisations such as orphanages, animal shelters, community gardens or cultural/wildlife sanctuaries. Crystal Cruises may well have been the first to tap into this niche when it launched the “You Care. We Care” collection of volunteer programs in January 2011. Other lines have followed suit, while the first cruise line dedicated to voluntourism set sail in the Caribbean in April.

Impact Journey

Locat ion: Dominican Republic Line: Fathom Price: included It’s certainly an unusual name for a cruise line (especially one belonging to the huge Carnival Corporation), however Fathom, which means “to understand”, nicely sums up the philosophy of this company that began operating seven-day social-impact cruises to the Dominican Republic and Cuba earlier this year. Passengers aboard the 704-guest ship Adonia (formerly part of P&O Cruises UK) volunteer their time in activities such as teaching English, tree planting and construction work on community buildings in the Dominican Republic’s north coast province of Puerto Plato during a three-day port stay.

On the first two sea days, they learn the skills needed to partake in the work and there is ample time to enjoy the ship’s facilities and take part in normal shipboard life.

Good Citizen

Line: Silversea Cruises Price: from US$94 The luxury line has several philanthropic tours in its “Good Citizen” shore-excursion portfolio.

There are a couple of opportunities in South Africa including a four-hour excursion to the SOS Children’s Village near Durban. The village was developed to help orphans abandoned at government hospitals and now has 15 homes housing 152 children and a kindergarten catering for 125 children in five classrooms.

passengers a chance to visit the charitable organisations they support in Indochina, although no actual volunteering takes place.

Pandaw passengers can take a half-day tour of Phnom Penh by cyclo (a type of rickshaw), with drivers who are supported by the Cyclo Centre Phnom Penh, a charity providing training, language skills and welfare to these often-homeless men. On Scenic’s 11-day Luxury Irrawaddy itinerary, guests visit a nunnery in Sagaing, Myanmar where they can partake in the ritual of serving lunch (provided by the cruise line) to the Buddhist nuns.

Humpback whale studies

Passengers visit one of the houses and also see knitting, sewing or gardening projects. The tour is offered during a 14-day roundtrip cruise from Cape Town on Silver Cloud, calling at six ports in South Africa and Namibia.

You Care. We Care

Line: Crystal Cruises Price: included Crystal expanded its volunteer programs in 2015 and now offers 16 free half-day excursions in countries as diverse as Canada and Costa Rica. On Panama Canal cruises, passengers can volunteer at the Granitos de Paz Foundation in Cartagena, Colombia – a community organisation that runs agricultural, healthcare and education programs for its underprivileged residents and provides companionship for the elderly and children.

Guests have a number of options, such as working in the gardens and farm.

Location: Juneau, Alaska Line: Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line Price: from US$226 Both companies offer the chance to study humpback whales during a tour, which is a little different from the mainstream whalewatching cruises. Royal Caribbean’s “Caring Discoveries” and Holland America’s “Cruise with Purpose” excursions see passengers join small-group scientific cruises in Juneau. While not volunteer cruises as such, passengers do get involved in the monitoring process by recording whale numbers, and also help with gathering plankton and testing water samples.

Charitable visits

Location: Irrawaddy and Mekong rivers Line: Pandaw Cruises and Scenic Price: included Operators such as Scenic and Pandaw offer cruiseandtravelasia.com

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Shore Excursions: SHIP REVIEW: SCENIC UNIQUE SPIRIT

Out there!

Words Bernadette Chua

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hile walking tours and wine tastings will always be popular, cruise lines have also been busy hunting out some more off-beat shore excursions for passengers looking for something a bit unusual for their time ashore. Now you can experience the more extreme and unique activities a port has to offer to make your cruise that much more memorable.

Here are some of the most interesting on offer.

Toboggan down cobblestone streets

Location: Madeira, Portugal Line: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Price: from US$84 Yes, this really is a shore excursion. You can go tobogganing down the cobblestone streets of Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Take a cable car uphill and then ride a wicker toboggan down the street. At one stage of Madeira’s history, this was a common mode of transport for the locals. While it might be a bumpy ride down the street, it is safe and local guides will look after you. It’s part of a full-day tour of Funchal offered by a number of lines.

Snorkel with sea lions

Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico Line: Lindblad Expeditions Price: included Lindblad Expeditions offers a range of cruises of the Sea of Cortez, which Jacques Cousteau

called a living aquarium. The World Heritage site is home to a variety of birds and marine mammals, including sea lions. Passengers have the oportunity to snorkel with these friendly creatures around the islands of Los Islotes. Young seals are particularly interested in visitors and will swim circles around snorkellers and show off their aquabatic skills.

Gladiator for a Day

Location: Rome, Italy Line: Royal Caribbean Price: US$120 As the saying goes, when in Rome… What better place to strap on your shield and learn the ancient art of gladiatorial combat? This tour starts at Rome’s Gladiator School, where guests will learn combat skills with a hands-on fighting lesson from an expert. If they pass the test, they’ll be rewarded with a certificate of Roman citizenship. Then there’s time for a tour of the famous Colosseum, the site of

thousands of gladiator battles, as well the Forum, Piazza Venezia and Piazza Navona.

Truffle hunting

Location: Bordeaux, France Line: Viking River Cruises Price: from US$123 For the fungi aficionados, Viking River Cruises will take you truffle hunting in Saint-Emilion during a cruise in the Bordeaux region of France. An expert will show you how to locate and dig for the truffles, with the help of a truffle dog, and then you’ll be taken back to the farmhouse for a meal using truffles from a previous picking – think scrambled eggs, cream pasta, simple dishes to highlight the truffles, paired with local wine.

Polar snorkelling

PHOTOGRAPH: MICHAEL S. NOLAN

Location: Arctic and Antarctic Ocean Line: Aurora Expeditions Price: $1,330 It’s a fun ritual for many visitors to the polar regions to jump into the icy waters, but what if you wanted to linger and observe the creatures and underwater icescapes? Polar diving has been offered to certified divers for a while, but snorkelling is a relatively new experience and suitable for adventurers who do not have diving accreditation. All equipment is provided for add-on to special Antarctic or Arctic departures.

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Polar snorkelling with Aurora Expeditions

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CRUISE PLUS: OVATION OF THE SEAS DINING

Can one of the world’s biggest cruise ships really be a haven for foodies? Peter Lynch loosens his belt and sets out to sample Ovation of the Seas’ food offerings.

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t was a bit like driving a red Ferrari down the main street of a small town. Everywhere Ovation of the Seas went on her Asian inaugural voyage, the world’s second largest ship (and reputedly it’s smartest) was feted like a rock star. There were mayors and ministers, ceremonies and certificates at almost every port.

Crowds turned out to see this engineering phenomena.

News of her iFly ride, her 90-metre high North Star observation pod, dodgem cars and robot barmen had spread

3 days 17 eateries before her. But as amazing as these high-tech toys are, that’s not the main reason why Cruise Passenger went along for the ride.

Royal Caribbean’s Australian and New Zealand managing director Adam Armstrong had promised us a game changer. And Ovation, with her sheer size and amazing hardware, certainly appears to fit the bill. Armstrong, a snappy marketeer, says its “supercruising”.

But there is another important side to this ship, heading for her first Australian season in November. She is not just a set of water rides and robotics. She is also laying siege to food, once the exclusive domain of luxury brands.

Could Royal Caribbean really have created a ship that not only pleases young families with children – there were 900 kids aboard for our journey – but also foodies?

To put her culinary credentials to the test, we set out to try as many of her 18 food outlets as we could. And we had just 72 hours to do it!

Even if we ate two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners, we would still fall short. It was going to be a belt-bursting marathon – and we’d need the Vitality at Sea fitness centre’s steam room and gym to make it happen.

As we pulled out of Singapore bound for Port Klang, Malaysia,

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there was no time to loose. While this may sound like an act of sheer gluttony, it was actually a culinary quest with a purpose.

Many cruisers will find themselves time poor on this vast vessel with so many diversions.

We wanted to make it easy to choose, so we created our set of chef ’s hats to ensure you make it to the right table.

Booking for your personal journey couldn’t be easier on Ovation. Just pop up to one of the handy iPads all around the ship, key in your name and cabin number and you can book anything from the iFly (booking is strongly recommended as an anxious queue of parents greeted us for our “flight”) to Jamie’s Italian, and everything (spa, fitness, hair salon) in between.

Royal Caribbean has something called “dynamic dining”, which means anyone can walk into a restaurant at almost any time and

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CRUISE PLUS: OVATION OF THE SEAS DINING

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Windjammer Marketplace

‘We set out to try as many of Ovation’s 20 food outlets as we could. And we had just 72 hours to do it!’ be fed if there are tables free. It places enormous pressure on the kitchens – ever the detectives, we went below deck and saw the giant vats of soup, the rows of steak and lobster and the hours of preparation that go into feeding 4,905 ravenous passengers and 1,500 crew on 18 decks.

But the good news is: it works! Here’s our verdict. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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CRUISE PLUS: OVATION OF THE SEAS DINING

Wonderland: decor (above) & baby vegetables in the garden (below); Jamie’s Italian: restaurant (below left) & meat plate (left)

Jamie’s Italian Food: We tried the meat plate, garlic prawn linguine and JI super salad – we loved the simple but tasty style. This is Jamie Oliver’s first venture into the cruise market and it’s going well. His health-conscious

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approach is novel and welcome.

Particularly good for families.

Service: Attentive and particularly good for younger cruisers with children. The wait staff have been well trained to make them welcome.

Ambience: It’s Jamie Oliver, right? So lots of books featuring the man himself, plus tea towels

and other rock-chef goodies.

Price: US$39 for dinner.

Verdict: Pricey, but an altogether pleasant experience

decor and dandy waiters tell you this is different. And it is. You apply water to your menu to read it (like a secret agent), and your waiter has scripted a series of quips about the food. The influence is Alice in Wonderland.

The menu is curiouser and curiouser. Channel Brit chef Heston Blumenthal.

Price: additional charge.

The Verdict: A completely different dining experience.

A must-visit venue you’ll talk about for years. Brilliant.

Wonderland

American Icon Grill

Food: This is food as theatre.

The fare is split into Sun (vegetables, such as our slow-cooked baby beets), Ice (chilled, such as our crispy crab cones), Fire (buffalo chicken eggs), Sea (liquid lobster – bone marrow and caviar) and Earth (river stone potatoes). It’s a set menu and the food just keeps arriving, along with a sometimes hilarious explanation from waiters clad in colourful clothes.

Ambience: From the moment you arrive, the astonishing white

Food: Every American cruise ship has a steak house. Excellent surf and turf; the Jack Daniels chocolate cake was a revelation.

Service: Fun, fast, efficient. They forgot our mustard – but let’s not hold that against them.

Ambience: Smart and sassy; New York diner style.

Price: Included.

Verdict: Great New York restaurant. The steak was excellent and the dessert was as yummy as they come.

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CRUISE PLUS: OVATION OF THE SEAS DINING

Chic Food: Modern – the catchphrase “stylish never tasted so good” works well. We had an excellent beef carpaccio and prawn risotto.

The crab cake was also good.

Service: Attentive and quick.

Ambience: modern and slick.

Price: Included.

Verdict: Modern, light dining in a relaxed atmosphere.

produced a surprisingly good birthday cake for a child, all delivered with great humour.

Ambience: Open, airy and even though close to a corridor, still has an authentic atmosphere.

Price: A la carte pricing.

Verdict: We were warned that company regulations mean that even though the fish is sourced from Japan, it has to be frozen.

While this did mean the salmon was soft, it was still delicious.

Kung Fu Panda Noodle House

Windjammer Marketplace

Food: On other Royal Caribbean ships, this is Johnny Rockets burger bar. But the line is banking on the Noodle House to see them through Ovation’s tour of China.

But there is a problem – safety laws mean no wok cooking over an open flame. While the results are still good, our beef chow fun noodles lacked that gorgeously smoky flavour. Main dishes are US$5, Dim Sum is US$4 for four pieces and desserts are $US2 for dishes such as sesame balls and fungus soup.

Ambience: At the very top of the 18-storey Ovation, so think beach-side yum cha. Hard to imagine, right?

Service: Hawker style.

Price: Individual dish prices.

Our verdict: Good try, but there‘s something missing.

We think it’s chilli.

Food: Every ship has it buffet – and while culinary stars like Jamie Oliver steal all the glory, the unsung heroes of the galley do the real heavy lifting.

This 860-seater is a bit of an extravaganza. There are dishes from around the world – while we were on board, Singapore flags showed us where to find the noodles, porridge and curries. Breakfast all day, special event lunches and all-you-caneat. It’s buffet heaven!

Ambience: Plenty of nooks and crannies to get some privacy, and outdoor dining too.

Price: Included.

Verdict: Plenty of cooked-toorder dishes and a huge array of buffet-style plates. Prepare your tastebuds for a feast and book the gym for a workout.

Izumi Food: Terrific sashimi – we can heartily recommend the sashimi combo with wonderfully large helpings of everything from halibut and yellow tail to tuna (the lightly seared tuna is a particular delight). Great desserts, especially the ice-cream.

Service: We arrived at closing, but the chefs happily opened up again and served dessert. They

Kung Fu Panda Noodle House (above); Izumi Japanese (right & below)

The Café@two70 Food: Wholesome wraps, sandwiches, soup, noodles and desserts. Excellent place for breakfast, lunch or snacks.

And you can sit outside in the magnificent Two70 auditorium, with its amazing panoramic windows to the stern of the ship.

Ambience: Light, bright, selfservice cafeteria atmosphere.

Price: Included.

Verdict: Good, wholesome fare for those who want a break from the copious dishes served in the restaurants. You’ll feel all the healthier for it!

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Silk Food: Ovation’s Asian restaurant should be outstanding, given she is sailing in the region.

But sadly, it was bland. Our Vietnamese tacos were plain and our Asian-style duck had little spice. We get that it is all things to all diners – there is strip steak, roast salmon and chicken breast along with chicken masala. The trouble with fusion is it breeds culinary confusion.

Ambience: Lively and full to the brim on the night we went, with a nice buzz.

Service: Fast and furious.

Price: Included.

Verdict: Hot-food destinations serve hot food. Where’s the chilli?

Coastal Kitchen Food: Classy cuisine. Our scallop carpaccio was delicious and the green-coconut soap was also good. Plenty of classics, all classically served.

Ambience: This is for Suite Class passengers – these are serious 60

Silk: Asian-style duck & lantern-rich decor; Coastal Kitchen beef salad (below); The Grande molten chocolate lava cake (below right)

cruisers (and eaters!). Two couples from Texas at the next table had 18 cruises booked in the next 18 months, and another lady had been on board Royal Caribbean ships for 9.5 years!

Service: Slick and professional, with great advice.

Price: Included for Suite Class passengers.

Verdict: As comfortable as a custom suit. Manager Robert Menhardt knows his guests can be as tough as Gordon Ramsey, so he makes sure service and servings are smooth as silk.

Café Promenade Food: Sandwiches and cakes – “a sidewalk cafe on a ship” is there motto, and they live up to it 24 hours a day.

Service: Good, but under pressure during meal times. It’s a popular cafe.

Ambience: Great for people watching.

Price: Included.

Verdict: Good coffee – on a ship awash in American filter, you’ll be glad of that.

Sorrentos Food: It’s billed as a little slice of Italy, New York style. What you get is a big slice of pizza.

Cheese and pepperoni has to be the specialty – and it is indeed special straight from the pizza oven. Salads and antIpasto all served up in a kerbside-table style.

Service: Fun and attentive.

Ambience: Tables and chairs outside on the piazza – sorry, I mean deck 4.

Price: Included.

Verdict: A little bit schizoid, is it New York or is it Italy? But hey – as the ship’s own program says, who doesn’t like pizza?

The Grande Food: It lives up the name. Tuna carpaccio, broiled lobster tail with leeks – it’s certainly dining on a grand scale. Chandeliers and over-sized chairs make it a statement venue. And the desserts? The molten chocolate lava cake is exactly as it sounds – volcanically chocolate.

Service: Impeccable and personal. The captain was entertaining the top brass while

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CRUISE PLUS: OVATION OF THE SEAS DINING we were there and we gathered he was a regular.

Ambience: This is a formal restaurant, so expect to dress up so you compliment all those mirrors and crystal.

Price: Included.

Verdict: Great food, good service. If you want to feel special, this is the venue to go to.

order of the day. Not quite as grand as The Grande, but not as relaxed as Sorrentos.

Service: A strong point. Staff know their steak, so take the waiter’s word for what’s good and you won’t be disappointed.

Price: US$30 per person.

Verdict: Rare and well-done.

A nice night out.

Chops Grille

Michael’s Genuine Pub

Food: This is what Americans do best: great steaks and lobster, Caesar salad and cheese cake desserts. Chops Grille is a staple Royal Caribbean brand and you’ll need to book. It is a signature restaurant, so you will pay extra.

Ambience: Casual chic is the

Food: Okay, it is pub fare: fish and chips and bangers and mash. But the venison and onion pie could easily be served on the white-linen table cloths of any restaurant.

Ambience: Dark, wooden and

pubby. A good change of scene.

Service: Friendly.

Price: US$12 for mains, US$4 for desserts such as peanut-butter pie in a jar.

Verdict: Great for a quick bite.

Seaplex Doghouse

Food: It’s time to ’fess up. We only found out about the “first food truck at sea” as we were leaving the ship. So we can’t vouch for the authentic nature of the German Thuringer, nor can we tell you what a chicken and apple hot dog tastes like (it doesn’t sound promising).

Ambience: The Dog House is next to the Seaplex, a two-storey playhouse including dodgems, skating and circus school. So it’s preppy and youthful.

Chops Grille New York T-bone steak & entrance (left); Seaplex Doghouse (above right); Michael’s Genuine Pub onion dip (below)

Price: Included.

Verdict: We were sorry we missed out on Coney island. We love a hot dog. Maybe next time!

Chef’s Table

Sadly we didn’t get to try the Chef’s Table which serves a five-course menu, with each dish paired with wine. The chef de cuisine specially prepares and presents each course, while explaining the cooking techniques, ingredients and flavours. The sommelier pairs every course with wine chosen to enhance the dish.

Price: US$95 per person.

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CRUISE PLUS: LUXURY HOTEL VESSELS

Hotels SET SAIL

Take the style and service of your favourite hotels on terra firma to the seven seas with these dedicated hotel yachts, barges and boats. Nick Walton reports.

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t’s the last night of our visit to Raja Ampat and after a sensational eastern Indonesian sunset, in which mesmerising oranges, reds and violets are eventually replaced with a silky, inky darkness punctuated by a canopy of stars, we settle in for dinner.

It has been a week of great diving, island hopping and smooth sailing among the islands of the acclaimed Raja Ampat archipelago, with breathtaking meals and first-class service along the way.

This is no regular liveaboard. Alila Purnama is a beautifully constructed phinisi (a traditional Indonesian twomasted yacht) operated by Alila Hotels & Resorts, which has a handful of stunning resorts in Bali, as well as urban 62

retreats in Jakarta and Solo (Surakarta).

Alila is known for contemporary decor and local cultural immersion programs and you can’t immerse yourself any more than with a dive charter on Alila Purnama. It is one of a growing number of vessels that let travellers extend the luxury of the world’s best hotels to the globe’s most remote and sought-after destinations.

ALILA PURNAMA

Liveaboards are a great way to see remote locales, and the 46-metre Alila Purnama, launched in 2002, really is a meeting of worlds. There’s a 14-strong crew of dive guides, chefs, stewards and deck hands. Five beautifully appointed

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guest rooms include a penthouse at the stern with a soak tub and its own balcony.

There’s a full dive set up, which comes in handy in Komodo, Raja Ampat and Flores where Purnama offers week-long cruises, and a galley that serves fine dining extravaganzas with plenty of local touches.

From the gleaming teak decks to the 400 thread-count linens, mother-of-pearl tiled showers to the colourful welcome cocktails served on return from each day’s adventure, Alila Purnama personifies remote luxury. alilahotels.com/purnama

FOUR SEASONS EXPLORER

Combine two of the most luxurious resorts in the Indian Ocean hideaway of the Maldives with a cruise aboard the fastest and most luxurious liveaboard in the archipelago, Four Seasons Explorer.

Three-, four- or seven-night itineraries on the 22-guest, three-deck catamaran link the Four Seasons resorts at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru, visiting remote dive spots and coral gardens popular with whale sharks and manta rays, desert islands and sand spits. Four Seasons Explorer has 10 luxurious staterooms, a full dive and water

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‘Liveaboards let travellers extend the luxury of the world’s best hotels to the globe’s most remote destinations.’

sports experience and gourmet meals, delivered with the world-class service of a Four Seasons resort. fourseasons.com/maldives

THE DATAI NAGA PELANGI

Situated in dense rainforest in a protected enclave of the Malaysian island of Langkawi – home to monkeys, macaques, flying lemurs, mousedeer, squirrels, otters and hornbills, The Datai is one of Asia’s most acclaimed houses of slumber. The iconic resort, which has graced one of the island’s most beautiful beaches for two decades, has also entered the shipping scene offering half-day, evening and overnight cruises on a chengal-wood, junk-rigged schooner, Naga Pelangi. The beautiful bedar-style schooner is operated in a partnership with The

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Clockwise from top: Four Seasons Explorer cruising the Maldives; Naga Pelangi; Phang Nga Bay, Thailand; Alila Purnama Standard Suite; Four Seasons Explorer Suite; Alila Purnama

Datai to offer guests a chance to explore the Andaman Sea in true luxury from December to April each year. Overnight voyages catering to just eight guests sail through the Butang archipelago north into Thailand, going as far as UNESCO-listed Phang Nga Bay. thedatai.com/langkawi/naga-pelangi-cruise cruiseandtravelasia.com 63

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CRUISE PLUS: LUXURY HOTEL VESSELS

STRAND CRUISE

One of the former Burmese capital’s best-preserved colonial edifices, The Strand is one of Yangon’s most iconic hotels and one of Myanmar’s most luxurious. Deluxe Suites combine Burmese elegance with plenty of old-world charm, from spacious bathroom to teak-floored master bedroom. Many aspects of this historic haven on the city’s riverfront, including its signature afternoon tea, can now be found on the recently launched Strand Cruise on the Irrawaddy River. Strand Cruise offers three- and four-night itineraries between Bagan and Mandalay, with 27 superbly appointed cabins complete with floor-to-ceiling Juliette balconies and spacious bathrooms. There’s a plunge pool, a vibrant cocktail lounge and an elegant dining room, to be enjoyed between daily excursions to ancient temples, monasteries and lacquer workshops. thestrandcruise.com

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Clockwise from right: lobby on Strand Cruise; Aman Cruises takes guests to Raja Ampat; MV Vrinda in the backwaters of Kerala; Amanikan Master Cabin; poolside on Strand Cruise

AMAN CRUISES

With indulgent resorts across Asia, Aman has its spiritual home in Indonesia, where it has a host of luxurious hideaways for the well-heeled traveller. You can reach one of their least-visited havens, Amanwana, a tented camp on remote Moyo Island, with the brand’s two beautifully appointed traditional phinisi schooners. The custom-built vessels each have five cabins and a crew of 15, and sail itineraries around Raja Ampat and Komodo. The 32-metre Amanikan was launched in 2009 and the 52-metre Amandira, crafted by the Konjo tribe, was launched in 2015 and both yachts are available for individual charter. Aman is also planning its own vessels for Japan, the Philippines, Indochina and the Adriatic. aman.com/resorts/amanwana/cruises

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ANANTARA CRUISES

No stranger to Bangkok, Anantara Hotels & Resorts not only has four luxury resorts in the Thai capital, the brand also has two beautifully restored, century-old teak rice barges that depart from a pier on the river frontage of the Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa. Anantara Cruises offers guests the chance to ply the waters of the Chao Phraya River north to the former capital of Ayutthaya on two-night, three-day itineraries aboard the luxurious two-cabin private charter vessel Anantara Dream or the four-cabin cruiser Anantara Song. Each features spacious upper deck areas with al fresco dining, air-conditioned staterooms and a full crew to ensure plenty of traditional Thai pampering on an unforgettable journey back in time. cruises.anantara.com

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OBEROI MV VRINDA

One of India’s most acclaimed luxury hotel brands, Oberoi manages some of the subcontinent’s most indulgent palace hotels. It also operates the sumptuous MV Vrinda in the tranquil backwaters of Kerala in southern India, offering two-night, three-day round trips from Vembanad Lake jetty through one of India’s most beautiful, least visited landscapes. Catering to just 16 guests in eight deluxe, airconditioned cabins, Vrinda is dressed in rich local timber, with king-sized beds, spacious bathrooms, attentive butler service and ample outdoor recreation areas, from which guests can spy waterside villages, ancient temples, regal palaces and vibrant market towns along Kerala’s network of canals and lakes. oberoihotels.com/kerala-backwaters

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CRUISE PLUS: LUXURY HOTEL VESSELS

Anantara Dream cruises Thailand’s Chao Phraya River; Naga Pelangi (above) carries guests through the Andaman Sea

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e r a s kidight C alr The

Young Asian families are among the biggest cruise fans in the region, and cruise lines are working hard to win junior over. Jac Taylor reports.

ruise holidays are meant to be relaxing, but parents may argue there’s no such thing as a rest when the kids are along. Happily, many cruise lines have been listening and now offer ever-better ways to keep the kids entertained so you can truly unwind. They’ve honed their kids’ clubs so your little (and not so little) ones genuinely enjoy their holiday as much as you do. We’ve looked at the new breed of kids’ clubs to see what they’re doing differently to engage their smaller passengers. Mocktails all round!

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CRUISE PLUS: KIDS’ CLUBS

Baby love

Kids’ clubs traditionally started at •toddler age, with some requiring toilet

training as a minimum standard for entry.

More cruise lines are now noticing that new parents with children aged two and under need more than just babysitting and bottlewarming services. They’d like to have fun, too.

Look out for: playgroups and programs that offer activities for parents to have fun with their little ones. The Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Guppies group (six months to two years) at the Splash Academy runs a separate soft playroom where babies accompanied by their parents can enjoy age-appropriate activities, such as the Wee Can Too program involving artistic fun with edible, foodbased paints. Royal Caribbean’s Royal Tots

and Royal Babies programs hold interactive play sessions in their ships’ lounges, while both P&O and Carnival have dropped their minimum age to two years, and don’t require toilet training – parents must leave nappies and wipes, and carry a pager. Cunard also has a minimum age of two years in its Play Zone – parents must be on board on port days.

Nurseries are available on several lines, such as Cunard, P&O and Royal Caribbean.

Be-tween the lines

Do 13 year olds and 17 year olds •really want the same things on a

cruise? Probably not. While kids’ clubs have traditionally thrown them together in a generalised teenager program, some cruise lines now understand that giving these ages separate entertainments is the best way for kids to relax and really enjoy themselves among their peers.

Look out for: programs that separate the tweens from the teens.

P&O offers HQ for ages 11 to 14 years and HQ+ for 15 to 17 year olds. With Royal Caribbean, 15 to 17 year olds can enjoy sports events and themed costume parties, while 12 to 14 year olds get into karaoke and rock-wall climbing. Tweens on Costa ships can learn everything from juggling to hip-hop dancing, while the 15 to 17s explore filmmaking or enter the Miss or Mr Teen competition. MSC and Carnival now have separate clubs for 12 to 14 year olds and 15 to 17 year olds, too. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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CRUISE PLUS: KIDS’ CLUBS

Nightlife

entertainment doesn’t finish at the end of •theKids’ day, with themed parties, interactive shows

and after-dinner activities keeping their social calendar full.

Look out for: creative ways to keep the kids amused in safe and supervised ways. Norwegian Cruise Line holds pirate-themed nights and includes a video jukebox and dance floor in its mega kids’ clubs on Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. Princess has nightly activities starting at 7pm. Carnival’s Night Owls program costs a little extra but allows kids to play games and enjoy pizza parties or face-painting, while Cunard opens its G32 nightclub exclusively for teenagers on some nights. My Family Time Dining on Royal Caribbean serves kids (three to 11 years) their food within 40 minutes of seating, so they can be collected for evening fun at the Adventure Ocean club, leaving parents to relax.

The RUNDOWN

Here’s a handy guide to onboard kids’ clubs, to inform your next familyfriendly cruise booking.

Carnival Cruises Ages: two-five, six-eight, nine-11, 12-14 & 15-17 years.

Highlight: With a joint focus on marine life and crafts, Camp Ocean has its participants creating sea-salt art, a giant ocean mural, or even designing an aquarium.

Come and go

of having teenagers on a •shipThise magic they are old enough to look after

themselves, yet there are only limited places they can go (this is a good thing, if you’re a parent!). On many cruise lines, kids of any age are issued wristbands at the beginning of their cruise, which gain

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them entry to activities and the kids’ club, but now some lines have relaxed their grip a little and allow teens to come and go as they please – as long as parents have signed a waiver.

Look out for: smart choices for teenagers to help them genuinely enjoy their holiday. MSC has a prepaid Teens Card for kids to spend anywhere on board, with credit bonuses when passengers charge it up. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Entourage space is open until 1am every day and allows freedom of movement for teenagers (with a signed waiver). Carnival, Pandaw and Disney Cruise Line include teen-only shore excursions so families can enjoy their own pursuits even in port.

Celebrity Cruise Line Ages: three-five (Shipmates), six-eight (Cadets) & nine-11 years (Ensigns); Teens.

Highlight: iTake is a free video project for teenagers to film and edit using GoPro Hero 3 waterproof cameras for a special film festival and awards ceremony.

Crystal Cruises Ages: three-seven, eight-12 & 13-17 years.

Highlight: Among the fashion shows, cooking

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CRUISE PLUS: KIDS’ CLUBS

classes and the old-school Waves video arcade is the greatest highlight: kids are always made very welcome on this upscale fleet.

Costa Cruises Ages: three-six (Mini), seven-11 (Maxi), 12-14 (Teen Junior) & 15-17 years (Teen).

Highlight: Families are also invited to have fun together, with bingo, a talent show and karaoke available for both kids and adults.

Cunard Ages: six months-seven years (under twos with

parental supervision at Playzone), eight-12 (Kids Zone) & 13-17 years (Teen Zone).

Highlight: A special high tea for children is served in the Lido restaurant, and tea parties for littlies are also served daily on Queen Mary 2.

Norwegian Cruise Line Ages: three-five, six-nine, 10-12 & 13-17 years.

Highlight: Kids in the Splash Academy club can learn a variety of circus arts, from plate spinning to juggling, to perform in the final Splashtacular Extravaganza.

Princess Cruises Ages: three-seven (Pelicans), eight-12 (Shockwaves) & 13-17 years (Remix).

Highlight: Most ships have interactive science activities, such as marine biology studies, and kids’ club participants take home a plush sea creature.

Royal Caribbean Ages: three-five (Aquanauts), six-eight (Explorers), nine-11 (Voyagers), 12-14 & 15-17 years.

Highlight: Prepare for cuteness overload when the Aquanauts stage the Pirate Party Parade.

Star Cruises Ages: three-12 & 13-17 years.

Highlight: The Starlight Disco has its own jukebox and retro milk bar, alongside the Starlight video arcade. Kids can also take a tour of the ship.

Holland America Line Ages: three-seven (Club HAL for Kids), eight-12 (Club HAL for Tweens) & 13-17 years (The Loft/Oasis).

Highlight: HAL Kids’ Culinary Workshops let kids learn how to cook in a hands-on environment, for ages three to 14 (15 and older can join adult classes).

SPECIAL MENTION

Star Clippers: Although it doesn’t have a kids’ club as such, hands-on experience with the fleet’s square-rigger ships, including raising the sails and climbing masts, far outstrip most other kids’ activities available afloat.

Pandaw River Cruises:

Again, without a kids’ club, but making a great effort to involve their younger guests, Pandaw has come up with cooking lessons and movie nights, plus shore excursions kids will love such as “tomb raiding” Angkor Wat.

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CRUISE PLUS: SHOPPING

Designer shopping at sea Words: Bernadette Chua

Ships are becoming premier destinations for luxury shopping as cruise lines partner with big-name brands.

The arrival of larger new-build ships means more space for luxury stores selling high-end watches, handbags, cosmetics and clothing brands. Lines such as Dream Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises have partnered with wellknown luxury brands to offer retail experiences that rival Singapore’s Orchard Road or New York’s Fifth Avenue.

Take a look at what’s on offer.

Royal Caribbean

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sia’s largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean has deployed some of the world’s biggest ships to the region. Both Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas house luxury brands on their Royal Promenades.

On board Ovation, guests can buy luxury goods from Italian jeweller Bvlgari. The ship carries fine jewellery pieces, watches and fragrances from the brand.

For those looking for Swiss timepieces, Ovation of the Seas, which is homeported in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong, is home to watch brand Hublot. And for the ultimate in luxury shopping, Ovation is the only ship in the fleet to carry Cartier.

On Allure of the Seas, shoppers can brows a wide array of artwork, giftware, collectibles and luggage. Allure also sells beautiful leather 70

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goods from Coach including handbags and wallets, and trendy fashion items from Guess.

On Anthem of the Seas, guests can browse Michael Kors and Ferragamo shops for the latest in American and Italian fashion.

Oasis of the Seas is the first cruise ship to have its own Tiffany & Co store where guests can buy jewellery from the brand. The world’s largest ship, Harmony of the Seas also has a Kate Spade handbag boutique.

Crystal Cruises

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he luxury line, owned

by Genting Hong Kong, offers its guests six-star service – including in its onboard boutiques. On Crystal

Serenity, guests can spend hours browsing the fragrance and cosmetics counter in the Dior boutique. While on Crystal Symphony, they can get deals on designer make-up at the Chanel boutique.

At the Apropos Boutiques on all Crystal ships, you’ll find a range of high-end fashion including Armani Collezioni, Hugo Boss Green Label, Furla handbags, Cartier sunglasses and Diane von Furstenberg dresses.

At the Facets jewellery store, guests can pick up creations with diamonds and gemstones or luxury watches.

For those who are looking for a personal touch, Crystal Cruises also has specialty trunk shows and personal shoppers if you need help putting a special outfit together.

Celebrity Cruises

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elebrity Cruises has partnered with some big names to give its guests the optimum in luxury shopping at sea. On Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Reflection, guests can treat themselves to sophisticated accessories from Bvlgari, Breitling and Omega boutiques, as well as a Michael Kors store, which can also be found on Celebrity Eclipse and Celebrity Equinox.

For guests looking for the latest tech gadgets, Celebrity ships also have authorised Apple resellers so you can buy your next MacBook Pro or iPad. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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CRUISE PLUS: SHOPPING

Norwegian Cruise Line

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orwegian Escape debuted in November last year and has two specialty boutiques – Lacoste and Carolina Herrera. Guests will be able to purchase Lacoste’s iconic polo shirts as well as footwear, sunglasses, watches, perfumes and leather goods. You can also buy t-shirts, dresses, skirts, footwear and a range of accessories.

American designer Carolina Herrera is recognised for her timeless elegance. The Carolina Herrera boutique on Norwegian Escape offers hand-selected luxury products including handbags, leather goods, pashminas, scarves, jewellery, footwear and

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accessories. On Norwegian’s other ships, there are watches and jewellery from Hublot, Bvlgari, Tissot and UNOde50.

Cunard

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unard, one of the world’s most renowned cruise lines, naturally has a number of luxury brands on board. On Queen Mary 2, you can shop for designer watches in the Chopard boutique. Other boutiques stock famous brand names such as Hermès, Dunhill and H.Stern, as well as goods

from the famous British department store Harrods. Guests can also buy tea from Fortnum & Mason and fine gifts crafted especially for the ship by brands including Waterford Crystal, Swarovski and Fabergé.

Silversea

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he boutiques aboard Silversea’s luxury cruise ships have been redesigned by the famed Italian architect Tiziano Vudafieri. The line has also partnered with LVMH Group’s Starboard Cruise Services to create a unique retail environment at sea

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CRUISE PLUS: SHOPPING selling fashion, jewellery, accessories, fine perfumes and cosmetics.

All Silversea ship boutiques house a range of high-end brands including Buccellati, Damiani, Tag Heuer, Bvlgari, Gucci, Paul & Shark, Sisley and Swarovski. Guests can peruse the fine jewellery and watch cabinets, handbags and clothes.

Dream Cruises

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sia’s first luxury cruise line, Dream Cruises earlier this year announced it would be partnering with LVMH Group’s Starboard Cruise Services. While the line has not released any official details of the luxury brands that

will be available on board its first ship, Genting Dream, Starboard has brought brands such as Tag Heuer, Gucci and Bvlgari to other lines such as Silversea.

including Cartier, Bvlgari and Chopard.

Guests can also purchase leather goods from Burberry and Gucci along with watches from Montblanc, Longines, Rado and Tissot. The line’s other ships have a collection of shops stocking merchandise from brands such as Fossil, Swarovski, Lladró and Calvin Klein. Guests will also find cosmetics and fragrances from Chanel, Estée Lauder, Clinique and Lancôme.

MSC Cruises

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n the Italian cruise line, guests can purchase handbags from luxury designer Furla and peruse the extensive perfumery. You’ll be able to pick up scents from Armarni, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Lancôme and Versace. Also available are Chanel cosmetics and for men, Ferrari belts. MSC Cruises also offers special shopping cruises in the Mediterranean. Shopaholics can visit Rome’s chic designer stores as well as La Roca Village near Barcelona in Spain, which is home to more than 100 luxury and lifestyle brands at reduced prices.

Carnival Cruise Line

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oods on board Carnival Cruise Line are aimed at a younger market and fans of surf and ski brands can find products from Guess, Roxy and Quicksilver. The line also has handbags from Nine West, Furla and Ralph Lauren and watches by Tag Heuer, Tissot and Citizen.

Princess Cruises

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nother Asian favourite, Princess Cruises has a number of great shopping experiences.

The line recently announced new offerings on board Majestic Princess, which will be arriving in the region in April 2017. For shopaholics, the atrium on the new-build has nearly 1,100 square metres of luxury boutiques, cruiseandtravelasia.com

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8/09/2016 11:03 AM

CRUISE PLUS: FOOD

Encore event

Michelin-starred American chef Thomas Keller is preparing to launch his second restaurant at sea, aboard Seabourn’s newest ship.

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he food, wine and travel worlds were abuzz after Seabourn announced its partnership with chef Thomas Keller.

His restaurants The French Laundry in California’s Napa Valley and Per Se in New York have three Michelin stars each.

Celebrity chefs are everywhere in cruise – Jamie Oliver, Curtis Stone, Luke Mangan, but even by these standards, Thomas Keller is an extraordinary catch.

Asians will be able to try his fare on the new Seabourn Encore, the latest in an armada of new luxury vessels, which will arrive in Singapore on January 6, 2017, as part of its maiden season.

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With interiors designed by Adam D Tihany, Encore will embody the American spirit. That includes the new specialty restaurant, The Grill, where Chef Keller’s creations will be on the menu.

Keller is regarded as the godfather of modern American fine dining. His style of cooking has been described as classic American, with bistro influences.

He has been providing menus for Seabourn since 2015, when the partnership with The French Laundry was announced. The Grill is already on board Seabourn Quest and will be introduced to Seabourn Ovation in 2018.

Seabourn president Richard Meadows told Travel + Leisure the line’s head chef wanted to collaborate with a top chef to create a new dining experience.

“We have chef Rudi Sodamin to thank.

He’s a master chef who worked for Holland America and now for Seabourn, and he introduced the concept several years ago,” Meadows said.

“We really wanted to find a relationship with somebody who had amazing skill, reputation, and attention to detail – so many of the things that are important to us from a culinary perspective.

“From the first time I met Thomas, it

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CRUISE PLUS: FOOD

‘We want to bring back that old-world charm of dining on an ocean liner.’

Opposite, from left: Richard Meadows, Adam Tihany and Thomas Keller. The Grill, clockwise from above: New York steak, bar and restaurant.

was pretty clear he would be the perfect match for us.”

The Grill, which features dishes such as lobster thermidor, creamed spinach and the best cuts of steak, has proved popular with guests on Seabourn Quest.

Speaking to Travel + Leisure, Keller said it took years to plan and design the menu specifically for Seabourn. Keller has paid much attention to detail and has paired each of The Grill’s 90 wines with the appropriate dishes.

“Three or four years ago, I went down to Ft Lauderdale with my chef de cuisine and saw Quest. We were very impressed with not only the quality of the meal, but also the quality of the staff, the kitchen, the layout, the cleanliness — everything was really aligned with our values,” he said.

“So we saw immediately that there would

be a great opportunity there. But we didn’t rush into anything. It was not a shotgun wedding, we wanted to make sure it was going to be a good marriage.”

Keller said he would be channelling the fine-dining ethos from his land-based restaurants into The Grill.

With rounded leather booths, art deco inspired lighting and finishes, The Grill’s ambience and menu are inspired by the classic American chophouse.

“We want to insert some of our philosophy, culture and repertoire into the general dining narrative of Seabourn – from the main dining room, where we’ll be doing special dishes on a nightly basis, to the all-day dining.

“But more importantly, we just want to interact with the Seabourn team and help them see things a little differently, with

regards to technique or efficiency. We’re coming in with a fresh set of eyes, which is always helpful. We’re not trying to make a massive overhaul because it’s not needed.”

The Grill menu includes modern American dishes such as Maryland-style jumbo lump-crab cake with spicy aioli and New England clam chowder for starters, Dover Sole meunière and roasted rack of Elysian Fields Farm lamb for mains.

For dessert, think seven-layer coconut cake and an ice-cream sundae.

“We want to bring back that old-world charm of dining on an ocean liner, when it was the only way to travel. People would get dressed for dinner and have this experience throughout the night,” said Keller.

“At the same time, we want to serve dishes that have significant stories about where they come from – our fisherman, our foragers, our gardeners, our farmers. We will also incorporate fresh ingredients from various ports of call. And the restaurant will be relatively small, manageable in the same way Per Se and French Laundry are.”

After her inaugural voyage, 10 days from Singapore to Bali, Seabourn Encore will sail down the east coast of Australia and around New Zealand before retracing her route to Singapore and then on to the Mediterranean for the European summer. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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CRUISE PLUS: WELLNESS

There is more than one way to be revitalised while cruising.

From the wacky to the downright tasty, Jac Taylor takes a look at some of the spa treatments available.

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t’s a wonderful feeling. You’re in your cabin perusing the onboard spa treatment list, imagining all the pampering you’ll experience during your voyage.

But something has changed. You might have noticed the ingredients in those treatments are starting to read more like a pantry rundown or gardening manual than a wellness menu. However outlandish some of these treatments may sound, there’s no denying their relaxation value.

Here is a taster.

POULTICE POWER A simple massage with oil is so old hat. Laying herbs, minerals, fruit and other goodies onto your skin is now the done thing. P&O’s Aqua Spas offer massages using steamed coconut poultices that drizzle coconut milk all over your body as your muscles loosen, or heated Thai herbal poultices (also available on Seabourn) applied to pressure points in a “rhythmic, dynamic way” to release pre-cruise stress. Crystal Cruises and some P&O vessels offer the Elemis poultice-powered muscle release, performed on a bed of warm amber and quartz crystals that mould around the body to “tame tension” with an amber poultice.

And one of the tastiest indulgences is on the menu at the Lotus Spa on Princess Cruises – chocolate spa treatments employing the “hydrating, antioxidant” powers of chocolate.

UNPLUG AND UNWIND In 2015, Celebrity Cruises put together a new Take Care of YourSelfie wellness program in 76

partnership with “digital trailblazer” Randi Zuckerberg, encouraging passengers to switch off while they are on holiday in more ways than one, to find that elusive tech-life balance. Passengers can enjoy cleverly named spa treatments that give a cheerful nod to technology, such as a Texticure for hands and the Control ALT Delight yoga experience.

More way-out ways to tune out include an InstaGlow cleanse of Moroccan mint tea and a body scrub of red flower, coffee, olive stones and fresh lemons followed by quince and orange blossoms, or the Get WrAPPed, a body wrap concocted of a mixture of seaweed and peat.

TOP TO BOTTOM To revitalise your crowning glory, Phyto treatments available on Seabourn, P&O and Carnival vessels include a Thirst Quencher treatment, that drenches hair with jojoba, sage and rosemary essential oils for half an hour. Meanwhile, at the other end of proceedings, a 50-minute Ionithermie Cheek Lift on Seabourn or Royal Caribbean ships literally improves your bottom line with a clay, algae and pine mask applied to your buttocks, followed by “gentle stimuli” of the muscles.

MASSAGE MAGIC No longer simply an ingredient for stir-fries, warm bamboo shoots are

now soaked in essential oils, rolled and taped along your muscles in the heated bamboo massage available on P&O, Holland America Line and Seabourn ships. On a more invigorating note, you may prefer to be “polished” with an exfoliating sea-salt scrub infused with lime and ginger – the stir-fry could use those, too. Follow the scrub up with your choice of massage – all part of the Exotic Lime and Ginger Salt Glow offered by lines including Seabourn, Royal Caribbean and Carnival.

ROMANCING THE MUD If you are looking to reconnect with your partner, many of these therapies can be organised as a couple’s experience, depending on room availability and your cruise line. The somewhat infamous Couple’s Rasul, offered both on sea and land all around the world, is based on an ancient Arabic ritual performed for sultans in their harem. It involves a couple applying clay muds, scrubs and oils to each other, and Princess Cruise’s mud-room version adds many of their spa’s best therapies, including organic muds, a lime and ginger scrub and exotic blends of oil, to the experience. Couples are encouraged to pamper each other with these before having a cleansing herbal steam treatment – with plenty of alone time in between. Could this be the greatest way to relax together on board? There’s only one way to find out.

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Mud

CRUISE PLUS: WELLNESS

on the menu

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CRUISE PLUS: HOTELS

CRUISE &TRAVEL REVIEW

WHY YOU’D CHOOSE THEM

Sister Act One historic, one modern, Singapore’s two Fullerton hotels both offer service and charm. Teresa Ooi compares the two.

FULLERTON HOTEL, 1 FULLERTON SQUARE, SINGAPORE

FULLERTON BAY HOTEL, 80 COLLYER QUAY, SINGAPORE

■ One of the best things about the Fullerton Hotel is that it is smack in the heart of Singapore’s bustling CBD. The heritage building with imposing Doric columns was completed in 1928 as Singapore’s General Post Office. Seventythree years later it was restored as a grand hotel with 400 rooms retaining its history. It is a short walk from Raffles Place, the Asian Civilisation Museum, the Esplanade and a Mass Rapid Transit station.

In sharp contrast, its nearby sister, Fullerton Bay Hotel (FBH) is contemporary and elegant with gob-smacking views of the water and the Marina Bay Sands twin towers. With only 100 rooms, it attracts chic corporate guests.

The joy of walking out of your room straight to The Straits Club for a complimentary champagne breakfast, afternoon tea or evening canapes and cocktails, is hard to beat. I indulged in my favourite pan-fired turnip cake, a dim sum dish made of shredded Chinese radish and rice flour, washed down with teh tarik – black tea with evaporated milk. Perfect.

When we moved to the FBH, across the road, we stayed in a 58-square-metre Bay View room with balcony. In the evening, you can sit in the Jacuzzi bath and watch sampans (boats) plying the water against the dramatic backdrop of Marina Bay Sands.

Simply magical.

WHERE WE STAYED ■ At Fullerton Hotel, we had a Straits Club Quay room overlooking the Singapore River and swimming pool with direct access to the hotel’s executive club, The Straits Club. Our room is well appointed, but not spacious (38 square metres) due to heritage restraints. The bathroom has a bath, separate shower and double marble vanity.

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CRUISE PLUS: HOTELS WHERE WE ATE ■ We tried the Fullerton Hotel’s fine Chinese

restaurant, Jade, for dim sum. The steamed enoki mushroom with squid ink and bun with crabmeat were delicious. The wasabi bun with runny salted egg was interesting. Unlike other hotels’ noisy dim sum restaurants, the business crowd at Jade was measured and not at all loud and the service was attentive. Breakfast at FBH’s French bistro, La Brasserie, is superb with a wide choice of local, Japanese, Chinese and European staples. For lunch, FBH’s The Clifford Pier offered Singapore hawker-food favourites such as mee-goreng, char kway teow and rojak, but lacked the breathtaking spice often associated with these dishes. Still the place was humming with tourists and locals, especially during the popular afternoon tea and weekend dim sum brunch.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO? ■ Start early. Put on your

running shoes, shorts and t-shirt and head for a picturesque waterside walk from either hotel to Marina Bay Sands and the Esplanade.

With Singapore’s humid temperatures, it is best to be out before 7am and back for breakfast before the sun beats down. To stay out of the midday sun, visit the National Gallery or Asian Civilisation Museum, or follow the Fullerton Heritage trail. In the cool of the evening, take a short cab ride to Gardens by the Bay, a man-made outdoor

and indoor garden with a flower dome and cloud forest.

You can also see a 1,000-year old olive tree from Spain. At night, you will marvel at the towering super-tree structures that come to life with a spectacular light and sound show. We walked across to MBS to view the Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery exhibition at the Art Science Museum and were bowled over – nothing like exquisitely designed pendants, necklaces, rings and earrings from the old French jewellery house to rekindle a woman’s love affair with precious gems.

THE VERDICT If you enjoy immersing yourself in a bit of history, heritage and some razzmatazz, both hotels are ideal. The grand Fullerton is big on heritage while the Fullerton Bay is just too cool for words. They both are members of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ luxury collections. Service is friendly and helpful.

The ambience is refreshingly charming. The local kopi (coffee) and teh tarik (pulled tea) are excellent.

Find out more: A Straits Club Quay room at the Fullerton Hotel is priced from US$469 a night with access to The Straits Club. A Bay View room at the Fullerton Bay Hotel costs from US$648 a night including breakfast with complimentary local calls, internet and heritage tours. fullertonhotels.com

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CRUISE PLUS: AIRLINES

CRUISE &TRAVEL REVIEW

The Seat

Classy –

but does it represent value?

Cruise Passenger Publisher Peter Lynch discovers how the other half lives, flying first class with Singapore Airlines.

J

o is keen to press me on the menu.

When would I like dinner? And why not have both lobster and caviar to start?

Dessert? Have the chocolate delice and the walnut dacquoise with praline mousse.

After all, Matt Moran recommends both.

If this is how the other half lives, I can see why they wear that self-satisfied smirk.

It really is another world.

I had wafted past the usual queues at customs and, after a brief pause for duck 80

pancakes and a glass of Veuve at the firstclass lounge (the laksa is a specialty I heartily recommend), I walked through a totally empty gate to my pod at the pointy end of my Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Sydney to Singapore.

My seat had all the hallmarks of being something special. Seat A1 has to be almost on top of the pilot, right?

Cabin steward Ronnie is first on the scene with an important question: Krug or Dom? Like his colleague, Jo, he has a simple solution to any sign of hesitation. “Try both.”

I opt for Dom. Both seems, well, a little gauche. And while I don’t mind trying two starters – especially caviar and lobster – two desserts seems just too indulgent.

The Goody Bag

I opt for marinated lobster with mint pea and lemon powder to start. I am beginning to feel like the Sultan of Brunei.

There are 10 first-class seats on this Boeing 777-300 and I am the only passenger. No wonder Jo is keen for me to try everything.

SIA is putting some serious marketing behind its first-class offering, believing well-heeled passengers have had enough of budget airlines. Cruise passengers are prime targets. A fair percentage who travel to Europe upgrade, which makes them fair game for first or even suite class.

And I must say it’s wonderful to be

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CRUISE PLUS: AIRLINES looking at a screen almost the size of my Samsung at home while Jo fusses over my magazines and tosses my Boston lobster, ordered online through the superbly efficient “book the cook” program, which offers 10 pre-ordered dishes.

I’ve already been given socks, slippers, pyjamas and warm nuts. My goody bag is Ferragamo Acqua Essenziale, with aftershave balm and lip salve in a neat grey bag.

Sadly, we are aboard a Boeing 777-300.

No suites and no upper deck. But I do get a seat 10 inches wider than business class and with a pitch twice that of economy.

The important question: is it worth it?

First class from Sydney to Singapore starts from US$3,070 on SIA’s website, and business is US$979 cheaper at US$2,091. Premium Economy, a strong contender for cruisers with a bigger, better seat and more leg room, is US$1,327.

I opt for an early dinner as the thought of a flat bed and sleep is looking better than movies such as Hail, Caesar! and Eddie the Eagle.

Matt Moran is one of SIA’s panel of chefs. His starter is sensational. The lobster slices with pea and lemon are perfect.

The thermidor is good, too. Full marks to the seafood. Sadly, the rice and slightly soggy asparagus are a bit of a let down. I have to wield the pepper mill vigorously!

And those desserts. Well, sorry, Jo. I did have both, and I’m not sure I wouldn’t have preferred the choc-tops down the back. The As flights go, this was a smooth operation chocolate was certainly sticky, but the icewith lots of luxe. But then, I’ve been flying cream was of indeterminate taste, and the Singapore Airlines for three decades, and it is cake wouldn’t come off the spoon. almost always a smooth, efficient experience.

Not to worry. That flat bed is looking Of course, the service was way inviting and we have another five hours to more attentive; the food was good, the go. Jo makes up a bed on another seat. champagne lovely, the seat was spacious This is where the value lies, so to speak. and the entertainment system worked well.

Flat beds are not new. But they do make But Singapore’s first class is up against a big difference. I sleep its own excellent service soundly, only woken by in all parts of the plane.

THE VERDICT Jo for coffee and a snack Business class is an before we land. excellent experience on Of course, if you can afford it, Jo Normally, melatonin SIA – particularly the and Ronnie are worth the extra and a stiff Scotch send me upper deck of an A380, just for the personal service they off to sleep with noisemy all-time favourite dispensed. In fact, if I could have cancelling headphones place in the air. afforded it, I would have taken strapped to my ears, a Many airlines such as them with me. But could you mask over my eyes and a Emirates – and, on some justify the cost to your CFO, to blanket over my head. It routes, Singapore, are whom a lobster thermidor is just a chunk of crustacean? I fear cuts out the noise of those considering scrapping not. Perhaps I can make a better merry youngsters found first class for more case for the suites. Can’t wait to on almost every flight business and premiumtry them next. these days. But this time, economy seating. And bliss. I just slept. And slept. with many river cruise

The Food

First-class fare: lobster thermidor (below) and marinated lobster with mint pea and lemon powder (left); economy meal (above)

‘Singapore’s first class is up against its own excellent service in all parts of the plane.’ companies pushing business class as an option, it isn’t hard to see why.

So was first class worth an extra US$979? If money is no object, then sleeping on a fully flat bed in pyjamas after a dinner of Matt Moran lobster is certainly special. And having Jo and Ronnie attend to my every whim was nice. But you know what they say: if you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it.

I returned in my habitual location – aisle seat in economy – for the return to Sydney.

My lobster was replaced with braised chicken and Chinese herbs and fish filet with Thai yellow sauce. As usual, it was fine. Singapore Airlines is one of the few I trust with a fish dish, and they invariably get it just right.

Admittedly, the entertainment screen had shrunk to the size of an Apple watch, and leg room was a tight 32 inches (81cm).

But the price difference is more than US$2,650. Never has the time-honoured phrase been more apposite: you pay your money and take your choice. cruiseandtravelasia.com

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PORT REPORT

Port Report Cruise&Travel Asia takes a look at some of Asia’s ports with tips on what to see and do, and the cruise lines that will take you there.

SHURI CASTLE, NAHA

NAHA, OKINAWA, JAPAN ■ Naha is the capital of Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, a group of islands stretching south towards Taiwan. Okinawa has a unique culture, which is quite different from mainland Japan. It has its own language, music, traditions and culture, including arts and crafts.

Shuri Castle in Naha, the former palace of the Ryukyu Dynasty, was originally built in the late 1300s. It was almost destroyed in 1945 in the Battle of Okinawa and was reconstructed in 1992. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The castle’s Shurei Gate

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is so magnificent that its image appears on the 2,000-yen note.

Nearby Shikina-en Garden and palace were built at the end of the 17th century and extensively restored after being damaged in 1945. The palace and pavilions in the garden have the traditional red-tiled roof that is a distinctive feature of the area. Another legendary site is the Royal Mausoleum (burial tombs set inside caves).

Visit the Kokusai-dori and Shintoshin areas of Naha for the best restaurants. Try the local stir-fries and wheat noodles.

Okinawa is also known for its traditional craft centres. You will have the chance

to make your own piece of bingata, a traditional form of textile printing. This is a fun way of creating a lasting memento of your holiday and you can also purchase high quality Okinawan souvenirs made in the traditional way. Also visit the Churaumi Aquarium which houses 77 tanks on four levels and is known as one of the best aquariums in Japan.

Who goes there: Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Holland America Line, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Star Cruises.

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PORT REPORT JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA CHEONJIYEON FALLS

■ Jeju Island is one of the most visited

cruise destinations in Asia. Known for its breathtaking scenery, the South Korea island has a number of activities for cruise visitors. Cheonjiyeon Falls is one of the island’s main attractions. Legend has it that seven nymphs descend from heaven at midnight to bathe in the waterfall’s pool.

The surrounding forest is also popular among hikers. The Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak (Sunrise Peak), was formed from a volcanic eruption and is the perfect place to enjoy breathtaking sunrises.

At Hallim Park, a botanical garden and zoo wrapped into one, visitors can see the island’s exotic flora. The park has greenhouses, orchards, reptile enclosures and a walk-in bird sanctuary with peacocks and exotic birds. A highlight is the bonsai garden, which has plants that are more than a hundred years old.

Jeju Love Land is a popular place for honeymooners. The sculpture park is described as a “place where love-oriented art and eroticism meet”. Throughout the grounds, there are 140 large sculptures and monuments of figures in compromising positions. This is strictly an adults-only activity.

Jeju Island is famous for its food and seafood doesn’t come any fresher. One of the main highlights of this tiny island are the women divers, known as haenyeo.

Traditionally, while the men went out for weeks on end on fishing expeditions, the women learnt how to dive for food such as abalone, oysters, sea cucumber and octopus. You can visit the women and watch them prepare their catch of the day. The island is also known for its citrus fruits so be sure to try oranges, tangerines and grapefruit.

Who goes there: Cunard, P&O Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Star Cruises.

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LAST WORD

1

Can you cruise yourself slim?

These clever tips may mean your clothes don’t “shrink in the wardrobe” on your next cruise.

Choose food that’s really special, not just “oh that’ll do”, and eat the good bits first. People who leave the best until last will naturally be motivated eat everything on their plate.

2

Chew more. A weight-loss study showed that people chewing more thoroughly lost more weight than those chewing less. You should get into this habit so you can fully appreciate all the tasty things on the menus.

3

Talk to your table mates – not with your mouth full, of course. Get to know them – you might become friends (or decide you want to move table tomorrow night!). Spend time enjoying your partner’s company. Learn to savour long, leisurely mealtimes. What does this do? You guessed it – it slows down the whole proceedings.

4

Sit with your back to the buffet. The further away a person sits from the food at a buffet, the less likely they are to overeat, so put as much distance as possible between you and the food and make sure you can’t see it and be tempted to go back for a second round.

5

If no-one’s watching, use the wrong hand to hold your cutlery. Bonkers? Try it! Who’s going to know which hand you usually use (unless you drop food every time, but then that would save you more calories!).

W

hen Cunard launched Queen Mary 2, then the world’s biggest and most luxurious cruise liner, it suffered an embarrassing problem. So many passengers were overweight, the chairs in the ship’s bars and restaurants buckled under the strain.

It made headlines at the time and even sparked an unseemly trans-Atlantic squabble with the British blaming fat Americans and vice versa. Of course, the story also confirmed the worst fears of those who maintain cruise food is impossible to resist, and a good reason to stay on dry land.

There is no doubt that food is an important draw card. Why else would copious amounts be included in the price?

But where does gourmet end and gluttony begin?

P&O recently boasted that some 22,000 kilograms of chocolate is used each year on its five ships, including half a million portions of chocolate-dipped Chantilly profiteroles and 450,000 portions of chocolate mud cake.

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Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway have 20 dining options, while Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas has 18 eateries.

Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Thomas Keller appear to be queuing up to test our resolve with an endless array of tasty morsels or in some cases, a whole lot more than morsels. We know we’re really to blame, but who can resist such an orgy of temptation?

Now, a new book may provide some help. And it provides a telling fact that explains why clothes shrink in the wardrobe of a cabin when at sea: it takes about seven seconds for food to get from your mouth to your stomach, but a whopping 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it’s full.

Martin and Marion Shirran, authors of the new cruisers’ weight-maintenance handbook Cruise Yourself Slim, available on Amazon.com, wrote these 10 tips for Cruise&Travel Asia readers. (Feel free to add your own at cruiseandtravelasia.com) – Peter Lynch

6

Put your cutlery down between mouthfuls. You’d be surprised how many people just fill their face like a conveyor belt.

France is among the slimmest nations and French mealtimes are centred on sitting down around a table with family and friends and prioritising less food of better quality, with more and lengthier conversations.

7

Drink during your meal. If you have a glass of water (or maybe wine) make sure you finish a mouthful, put your cutlery down and take a sip quite frequently throughout the meal.

8

If you normally clear your plate at every meal, start making an effort to leave some food uneaten, and stop eating when you’re feeling lightly satisfied, rather than completely full.

9

Use a smaller plate. Human nature dictates that we eat in “units” so we’ll eat a small plateful and be just as content as if we pick a huge mountainous pile. It’s called unit bias.

10

Finally, beware of the buffet extras.

Shun sauces, pass by bread rolls (would you eat one at every meal at home?).

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What cruise to choose?

Get advice from the experts

cruiseandtravelasia.com Asia’s cruise site for news, reviews and the best deals in the region

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