Posts Tagged ‘Luxury cruises’
Oceania Cruises for Country Club Style and Comfort
Established in 2002 by luxury cruise veterans Frank Del Rio and Joseph Watters, Oceania Cruises are aimed at couples who enjoy good food and style with excellent service. The vessels in Oceania’s fleet are elegant, provide excellent food and amenities and offer extensive award-winning shore excursions. They all feature a country club-casual ambiance.The flagship MS Regatta was launched in mid-2003 and provides true Five-star luxury. Since then, Oceania Cruises has launched two further 5-Star ships (the MS Nautica and Insignia) with another mid-size ship (the MS Marina) due to start cruising early in 2010.
Oceania Cruises reputation for luxury and style has been endorsed with the “Conde Nast Traveller Gold List” award for the third year running and Travel & Leisure Magazine’s “World’s Best” for the fourth year running. That’s hardly surprising as the concept of luxury cruises has essentially been redefined by this company.The flagship MS Regatta and her three sister vessels have many points of distinction. Regatta features spacious 1,000 sq ft suites with their own private Jacuzzi and a 42- inch flat-screen TV with Bose surround sound system. There’s even a second bathroom for guests.The suites features a queen-sized “Tranquillity Bed” designed for ultimate comfort while floor-to-ceiling glass doors reveal the wraparound teak veranda. There’s even a fully inclusive butler service and a welcome bottle of champagne!
Oceania Cruises has award-winning pre-bookable shore excursion packages. The Discovery Collection is an excellent way to get a taste of each port visited and a perfect choice for the first-time visitor. The Explorer Collection is a more in-depth package of excursions for the seasoned traveller featuring full-day or evening events.
The décor on board the vessels harks back to 1920’s and 1930’s grand ocean liners, with wrought iron staircase railings, rich carpets and trompe l’oeil ceilings and while the surroundings are formal, the style of dress is not – country club casual is the dress code on board. Dining is equally sumptuous, but relaxed, with smaller restaurants as well as a Grand Dining Room. Oceania Cruises itineraries can include ports of call that the larger ships cannot access, so a range of eating out options on shore is also available.
Tags: Luxury cruises, Oceania cruises
SeaDream Mega Yachts for Exclusive Luxury Cruising
SeaDream Yacht Club cruises specialise in intimate and very exclusive cruise holidays for a definitely younger crowd. The vessels operated by this company are magnificently appointed mega-yachts offering a true taste of marine luxury.
Seadream Cruises operates only two vessels (SeaDream I and II) which were both extensively remodelled to make them into contemporary boutique yachts. They both carry just 108 passengers, serviced by 89 crew, cruising the Mediterranean in the summer and Caribbean in the winter. Food on the SeaDream vessels is some of the best you will find at sea: beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. The entire purpose of these vessels is to provide a luxury cruises experience that’s second to none. That’s reflected in the sheer opulence of accommodation on board.
Suites are an impressive 450 sq. ft. of space with a luxuriously appointed bedroom, separate living room with a large dining table.The luxury bathroom incorporates a massage shower and separate tub and as an added touch there is a separate guest bathroom. Bath amenities are by Bvlgari, while the bedroom and living room include the latest TVs, radios, CD and DVD players.If that opulent luxury proves too overwhelming for your taste, you can sleep on deck under the stars in Balinese Beds (huge comfy sun beds). Just let the crew know and they will arrange blankets and pillows.
Serving delicious cocktails and champagne, the “Top of the Yacht” bar is a central point for the guests where you’ll find a younger, more informal and fun crowd. In the evening you can enjoy listening to or singing along with the ships pianist or have a flutter in the small but more than adequate on-board casino.If that sound too sedentary for your liking, then take advantage of the water-sports equipment including pedalos and jet skis that are freely available to guests when the ship is at anchor. Seadream Cruises most definitely live up to their name!
Tags: cruising, Luxury cruises, Seadream Cruise, yachts
Luxury Regent Seven Seas Cruising from Hong Kong to Cape Town
For some of us, the practicality of a rivers cruise is enough, using the ship mainly as a convenient floating hotel in order to visit the historic attractions and cities along the banks of the Rhine or the Danube for example. For others, the term cruise is synonymous with the Caribbean, where the ship is the main attraction together with the lure of sun and sand across tropical islands.Today, there are cruise options available that combine the attraction of a magnificent vessel with a truly stunning itinerary.None come much better that the Regent Seven Seas cruise from Hong Kong to Cape Town.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises are definitely for those who like the amenities and variety of public spaces that a larger cruise ship can provide, but still want the all-inclusive luxury and exemplary service you get on a 6-star vessel.The 50,000-tonne Seven Seas Voyager plies the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. It’s an all-suite, all-balcony, ship capable of accommodating 700 guests and gives a whole new dimension to the term luxury cruises with ocean-view suites and the first Le Cordon Bleu restaurant at sea.
It’s not simply the opulent luxury and excellent service on board this vessel that appeals.The itinerary is truly amazing, taking in some the best sights of the orient and Southern Africa.Starting off in Hong Kong, perhaps the best place to shop in the world, the ship sails on to Hong Gai, gateway to Halong Bay.The “Bay of the Descending Dragon,” is dotted with more than 3,000 mountainous islands, each with its own unique landscape and is one of the most stunningly and eerily beautiful sights in south East Asia.
The vessel cruises down the coast to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), before striking out for Kwala Lumpur.You can spend the day discovering this truly cosmopolitan city before heading off across the Indian Ocean for Praslin and la Digue in the Seychelles, home to the unique coco de Mer and vanilla orchids.This amazing cruise is rounded off by visits to Mombasa and Zanzibar (often also known as the Spice Islands) before reaching Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautiful cities with breathtaking geography.
Tags: cruises in the Indian ocean, Luxury cruises, regent seven seas cruises