Cruises Critiqued | International Travel News

October 2005 issue

Unaware ship required shot

In April ’03 we booked a cruise with Orient Lines’ Marco Polo. We would embark February ’04 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We then personally applied for our visas at the Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco. We asked if shots were needed and were told, “No inoculations of any kind are required for Brazil,” although a shot for yellow fever was recommended.

Prior to boarding the ship, during a 5-night stay in Buenos Aires, we visited the Brazilian side of Iguaçu Falls and were never asked whether or not we had yellow fever shots. When we tried to board the Marco Polo on Feb. 21,...

October 2005 issue

Tahitian Princess in French Polynesia

We visited Tahiti years ago and always wanted to go back. When Princess Cruises announced their 2005 cruises to Tahiti, we booked a 14-day trip. It included pre- and post-cruise overnights at a hotel in Los Angeles. The price was $1,495, excluding airfare. Tips ran about $100.

On Jan. 11, we flew from Philadelphia to Los Angeles on U.S. Airways (using our frequent-flyer miles) and spent the night at a Comfort Inn. After a great buffet breakfast at the inn, we flew Air Tahiti Nui to Papeete, Tahiti ($900 round trip). The flight was smooth and we arrived at 11 p.m.

We went...

October 2005 issue

Viking Pride tulip cruise

My wife, Judy, and I took a “tulip cruise” in the Netherlands in April ’05 aboard the Viking Pride of Viking River Cruises (Woodland Hills, CA; 877/668-4546). We booked it through Covina Hills Travel (Covina, CA; 800/688-8728 or e-mail info@covinahills.com).

The 9-night cruise was listed as $1,402-$2,154 per person, depending on class. For Class C, we paid $1,542 per person, not including air. This reflected a per-person price of $1,872 less an early-booking refund of $328. (Airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco was offered for about $800 round trip, but we made our own...

January 2005 issue

Silver Whisper cruise appraisal

On Jan. 29, ’04, we embarked on a 9-day cruise on Silver Whisper, which took us from Colón, Panama, to Callao, Peru. We had cruised quite frequently on the smaller Silversea ships and were curious if the newer, larger ships would also become our favorites.

We booked a mid-ship veranda suite at a total cost of $7,942, which included an extra 5% savings because we had already completed 100 days of cruising with Silversea Cruises (Ft. Lauderdale, FL; phone 800/722-9955 or visit www.silversea.com).

Most of the following comments are comparative to our experiences on Silver Cloud...

April 2005 issue

I saw three ships. . .

Most travel agents and ship reviewers agree that there are four lines that head the top of their lists for luxury or high-quality cruise lines, namely Crystal, Radisson Seven Seas, Seabourn and Silversea. Through a seemingly chance juxtaposition of forces, my wife and I had the opportunity to sample three of these lines within a 3-month period in 2004: Silversea in October, Seabourn in November and Crystal in December. (And while we had sailed on two Radisson ships in the past, we felt that the passage of time might have either fogged our memories or the line’s services might have changed...

April 2005 issue

Star Princess megaship

Having cruised on the Star Princess twice, for a month each time, I found the review of the ship in Philip Wagenaar’s August ’04 “Discerning Traveler” column a bit too glowing and one-sided. Our first journey was on her inaugural voyage in 2002 from Singapore to Los Angeles, and our second cruise was in March ’04 from Bangkok to Venice. I also have logged dozens of cruises with various other cruise lines. I offer the following observations.

Yes, Princess is a good cruise line. Yes, the Star Princess is huge, carrying 2,600 passengers and 1,100 crew. Yes, there is a good medical...

April 2005 issue

Grande Mariner to Belize & Guatemala

We took a cruise from Belize to the Barrier Reef and Guatemala and back, March 12-23, ’04, with American Canadian Caribbean Line (461 Water St., Warren, RI 02885; phone 800/556-7450 or visit www.accl-smallships.com). The cost ranged from only $2,455 to $2,985. It was for 11 nights, with the option of arriving one day early and “being there” rather than worrying about getting there in time for departure.

We flew on Continental Airlines from Los Angeles to Belize City (approximately $620 per person, round trip) two days early and stayed at the Radisson Fort George Hotel (phone 501/223...