Cruise Ship Vacations: Do Your Research First

~ Anita Dunham-Potter, the travel columnist for Tripso, posted a story recently called, Noisy Carnival Ship Ruins Family Cruise which recounts a cruise ship voyage that did not live up to the expectations of the family taking it.

The Moscoes boarded the Carnival Valor for a cruise to the Caribbean. Having saved for years, the family chose Carnival because of its reputation for family-friendly cruising.

Now if you’ve read my previous post about taking a slow boat to China (or elsewhere) you can imagine that cruising on the Carnival Valor is about as far removed from the experience of freighter travel as you could possibly get. After all, the Valor has 1,487 staterooms for the high paying clientele on board. In fact the Carnival Valor has a passenger capacity of 2,974, so it’s probably no surprise the Moscoes had problems with the noise level on the ship.

The basis of their complaint is that at approximately 9 p.m. each night, the ship’s entertainers would perform their musical acts in the atrium. Unfortunately for the Moscoes, their stateroom happened to be in close proximity to the ship’s 12-story open atrium.

After numerous complaints both onboard the ship, and after they had returned home, the Moscoes were compensated a total of $900 in onboard credit (while still aboard), and an additional $500 was given to them to be redeemed on a future cruise.

The lesson here is to do thorough research before you book your cruise. A visit to the Carnival website provides pretty much everything you need to know about their ships before you book with the cruise line.

For example, you can see the Carnival Valor’s deck plans here. While you may not be expert enough to know exactly how these plans translate into the real thing, that is, into a massive steel plated ship of 110,000 tons, with 13 decks and a crew of 1,180, you should be able to get an sense of the layout of the ship, and an idea of just where the potentially noisiest rooms are located.

As Anita writes in her article, “…there is no such thing as a quiet cruise ship. They vibrate, drop anchor, have crew noise, thumping music, but more often than not the worst noise offenders are fellow passengers oblivious to keeping quiet in the vicinity of staterooms.”

If in doubt – ask. Ask your booking agent exactly were the high traffic areas are. Especially areas like atriums, onboard music venues and nightclubs, pool decks, games rooms, service centres and more.

Read Anita’s full article here...

Read more about the Carnival Valor here…

IMAGE: Courtesy of Carnival website…

Take a Slow Boat To…

~ Ever heard the expression, Taking a slow boat to China?

Well, guess what? You can still catch a slow boat to China. Or to New York, London, Piraeus (Greece), and even Sydney, or to any number of other working ports around the world. And I’m not talking about using luxury cruise ships either. I’m talking about utilising the sea lanes of the world to reach your destination by travelling on a merchant ship.

Yes, Ripley, believe it or not, many merchant ships have paying passengers aboard who prefer taking that form of travel rather than fly, drive, or by ocean liner.

However, sailing on a merchant ship is not for everyone. Here are some issues to consider before you elect to travel via this method:

• All freighter companies have age restrictions which exclude children under 5 years of age, and most set a maximum age limit of 75-80 years.
• Few merchant ships have lifts, which means passengers must be fit and healthy enough to negotiate many flights of stairs each day.
• Merchant ships are working ships – not holidays at sea. Apart from television and movies, they may also include a small swimming pool; an exercise room with not much more than table tennis, stationary bike, and a few weights; a small library of well read books; and that’s about it.
• This form of travel is much cheaper than sailing with a cruise line, but more expensive than flying.
• Your time in a foreign port is severely restricted – sometimes as little as eight to twelve hours.
• Most merchant ships carry as few as six paying passengers and generally no more than twelve. This makes for a very small and potentially intimate group of fellow passengers.
• If you prefer the anonymity of large crowds (or the crowded decks of an 800 passenger cruise ship), freighter travel may not be for you.
• If you find it hard to relax on an quiet deck in a comfortable chair with a good book, freighter travel may not be for you.
• If you have difficulty keeping yourself amused, and active, freighter travel may not be for you.

The Benefits of Freighter Travel
Given these (and other) restrictions, why would anyone choose to travel on a working cargo ship? I’m glad you asked. Let’s look at the benefits of freighter travel.

• The informality. Passengers are not required to dress up for meals. Men can leave their ties, and ladies their cocktail dresses at home.
• Freighters do not offer any pre-planned activities like cruise ships do, and mealtimes are the only daily structure. This means…
• You have time to relax on an uncrowded deck in a comfortable deck chair with a good book.
• You can sit in quiet contemplation and watch the ocean roll by for as long as you wish.
• Freighter passengers enjoy extended contact with officers and crew.
• Most freighters are liberal with bridge visitation, and unrestricted bridge visits are not uncommon.
• With ships carrying only 2 to 12 passengers, lasting friendships are often formed between passengers and officers.

Types of Freighters
There are several types of merchant ships you might consider travelling with.

Container Ships: The most popular method of transporting goods by sea is the container ship. Container ships can be loaded and unloaded very quickly. One of the disadvantages of this, as far as passengers are concerned, is that the fast loading and unloading of containers means that time ashore is usually quite limited. The ship would rarely spend more than 24 hours in port - often less in a very efficient container terminal.

General Cargo Ships: These are ships that transport cargo that will not fit into containers, such as large machinery, sheets of metal, timber, agricultural exports etc. The slower loading and unloading of general cargo - also known as break bulk - means that general cargo ships usually spend much longer in port than container ships - making them an excellent choice for passengers who wish to spend as much time ashore as possible.

Bulk Carriers: These ships transport 'loose' cargo, such as coal, mineral ores, phosphates and grain in holds below deck. Again, like general cargo ships, bulk carriers tend to spend longer times in port loading and unloading.

Other types of merchant shipping includes 'Roll on - Roll off' ships; Mail and Supply ships; and other smaller craft.

Some helpful websites to get you started:
For answers to almost everything you need to know visit:
The excellent FAQ at Freighter Trips…
...and read about the origins of the phrase Slow Boat to China…

The Slow Traveller

~ No, I’m not talking about that person dawdling along the footpath just ahead of you, who seems to anticipate your every change in direction and constantly steps in front of you slowing down your progress.

And no, I’m not talking about that driver on the interstate who seems to be cruising along as slow as humanly possible in the fast lane (I often wonder if it’s the same person).

Slow travellers are those who take the time to learn about the locations they are visiting. They want to immerse themselves in the customs, culture, and daily life of the people. Rather than squeeze three or four ‘attractions’ into each day, they may only visit one, thereby allowing themselves time to appreciate and really see the art in the Louvre, or the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City.

I’m talking about travelling ‘slowly’ as a way of life. As a way of being part of the landscape and society you are moving through. Whether that be your own neighbourhood, or some far flung location a long way from home.

This quote from the Slow Movement website... neatly sums up the philosophy behind the concept: "Slow is not about doing everything at a snail's pace; it's about working, playing and living better by doing everything at the right speed."

The Slow Travel Manifesto outlines the ideas further:

What is Slow Travel?

• We're rethinking how we escape.
• Instead of a fast-paced, 'no-frills' experience, Slow Travel is an engaging exploration of landscapes and cultures. We want to celebrate the local. And recognise the journey as an integral part of the travelling experience.
• To truly escape, we need to nurture the right frame of mind as much as choose the right destination.

You can visit the Slow Movement website... for the full Manifesto.

Like all philosophies you don’t have to agree with everything the authors write. While I don’t fully embrace every idea they espouse, I do agree with the overall thrust of what they are trying to achieve.

So the next time you are on vacation, slow down; stop to smell the roses; and immerse yourself fully in the lives of the people around you.

Oh, and watch out for speeding tourists, checklists in hand, trying to rush past you as they attempt to squeeze in one last attraction before closing time.

Online Resources: more information about Slow Travel can be found at the Slow Travel Blog…