News
The big chill
The White Continent is this year’s coolest adventure cruise escape
When Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton and three companions travelled further south than anyone before them a hundred years ago, the voyage was difficult and their return a race against starvation. A century on, thankfully, you can mark the anniversary with a significantly more comfortable journey.
Hurtigruten has three sailings to mark the anniversary: MS Fram departs on 1 November, 20 December and 22 February for 19-day voyages through the polar waters with stops at the explorer’s grave at Gryviken Whaling Station. Silversea, Transocean Cruises, Voyages of Discovery and Swan Hellenic, Crystal, Princess and Celebrity will also peruse the Antarctic Peninsula.
December to early February is when you’ll find the most humpback whales, blue whales, orcas, penguins and fur seals galore. And more buffets than you can point a compass at.
THE BIG PICTURE
All night long
Tromsø, Norway
As one of the most northern ports on the Scandinavian Peninsula, Tromsø (which is on the same latitude as Alaska and Siberia) is the best place to catch some midnight sun between 21 May and 21 July. If your ship sets sail later like Fred Olsen (whose Land of the Midnight Sun cruises leave this port at 11pm), you can take advantage of the alfresco bars and restaurants that open late at this time of year. Or take advantage of longer fishing trips, kayak tours, bird safaris, and mountain hiking. But even if your ship departs at a more conventional hour, fear not. These rose-coloured evenings are just as magical from the comfort of your cabin balcony. Either way, it’s a sight worth staying up late for.
For more about cruising to Norway, call 0800 916 3233, visit cruisethomascook.com, your local Thomas Cook or Going Places store, or see Thomas Cook TV, Sky channel 655
WHERE TO GO
Sterling value
Sail to these nearby hotspots to make your pound stretch the furthest
1 TURKEY
History, art and culture at a snip? Plus Istanbul is set to be European Capital of Culture next year, but thankfully one thing it doesn’t have in common with it’s European counterparts is its currency. £1 = 2.37 TURKISH LIRA
2 ICELAND
Cash in on the crash – the once exorbitant Iceland has now become very affordable. Partying in the cool capital Reykjavik is astoundingly cheap with drinks at almost half their pre-meltdown cost. £1 = 189.8 ICELAND KRONUR
3 EGYPT
Adventuring by the Red Sea isn’t as cheap as it was when the pound was king, but it’s picking up. Stock up on souvenirs for those back home at Cairo and Alexandria’s bustling bazaars. £1 = 8.37 EGYPTIAN POUNDS
4 POLAND
Gdansk, the gateway to the ever-popular Baltic, continues to keep the wallet happy. Seafood lovers will appreciate the explosion of affordable restaurants on the Motlawa River. £1 = 4.91 POLAND ZLOTYCH
5 CROATIA
The Dalmatian coastline is just as stunning as the French Riviera, but won’t cost you anywhere near as much. And you can negotiate prices for everything, from taxis to shopping. £1 = 8.28 CROATIA KUNA
KIDS
Fresh from the sea
For an alternative to burgers and chips, Royal Caribbean is offering grilled apple ‘fries’, veggie sticks and freshly squeezed juices on its kids’ menus designed by Fisher-Price from July.
WIN!
The New Gitzo Ocean Traveler Tripod WORTH £800!
Bogen Imaging UK (bogenimaging.co.uk) wants you to take your photo adventures to a new level and is giving you a chance to get your hands on a new Gitzo Ocean Traveler Tripod (worth £800) and a National Geographic medium Earth Explorer Backpack (worth £130).
The new Ocean Traveler is sturdy and lightweight, and can be used in the harshest of environments – even salt water.
Just click on bogenimaging.co.uk/tccomp and fill in a few details to enter. Good luck!
Competition closes on 30 June 2009 and is open to UK residents only. By entering you will be opting in to Bogen Imaging UK’s monthly e-newsletter but you can unsubscribe at any time. No entries accepted from employees of Thomas Cook or Bogen Imaging UK. One entry per person only. Winners will be notified by email and announced on the Bogen Imaging UK site following the closing date.
IN NUMBERS
Champagne
Who can resist a glass of bubbly onboard?
349,400 the number of Champagne bottles that are popped on Cunard ships each year
26,000 bottles of bubby consumed by the 1,848 passengers aboard Holland America’s Zuiderdam in one year over 36 sailings
1,650 bottles of Champagne and sparkling wines knocked back on Carnival Splendor in just one week
716 bottles on average are drunk on a Crystal Serenity voyage
45.3 the percentage of Princess Cruises’ total Champagne stock that is used for parties, as giveaways and in Champagne waterfalls. Only just over half is sold through the bars onboard
3 the number of bottles each passenger consumed on average on Regent Seven Seas Voyager last year
ENTERTAINMENT
Open stage
We raise the curtain on the next generation of lavish theatres set to appear at sea
ROYAL COURT THEATRE
WHERE AND WHEN?
Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, autumn 2010
CAPACITY
832 guests
DESIGN
A lavish West End-style theatre with gold-gilded private boxes. And for interval snacks? Think Champagne and chocolate.
EXPECT
Shakespeare and Noel Coward plays courtesy of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). You will even be able to take part in RADA workshops yourself.
AQUA THEATRE
WHERE AND WHEN?
Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, December 2009
CAPACITY
600 guests
DESIGN
Swim or scuba dive by day, but at night, the amphitheatre’s 5.4-metre deep fresh-water pool is the centre stage. To make the most out of it, there are also Aqua Theatre suites with balconies for a private view.
EXPECT
Aqua acrobats, water ballet, comedy divers and water shows synchronised to lights and music.
THE EQUINOX THEATRE
WHERE AND WHEN?
Celebrity’s Equinox, 2010
CAPACITY
Expected to be about 1,115 guests
DESIGN
An updated version of the three-level Solstice (pictured), the big and glam Equinox Theatre will have different décor and artwork.
EXPECT
They are promising “production shows, beautiful musical arrangements, and side-splitting comedy”. Solstice has a dazzling theatrical circus show, so watch out.
THE PLAYHOUSE
WHERE AND WHEN?
P&O’s Azura, 2010
CAPACITY
800 guests
DESIGN
The two-tier theatre is bigger than Ventura’s, and is pegged to be the main entertainment venue on Azura. It might not look as glitzy as the rest, but the production facilities are state-of-the-art.
EXPECT
Cabaret shows, tribute acts and aerial acrobatic shows are in the pipeline. Keep an eye out for Headliners, P&O’s own 100-strong theatre group.
BEAUTY
Bold and beautiful
Leighton Denny, the manicurist behind the nails of Kate Moss, Jade Jagger and Geri Halliwell, has a new flirty collection for summer. The Risqué Collection has neutral shades for daytime excursions and bolder colours for the evening’s entertainment.
SHORE EXCURSION
Wild at heart
Forget Cape Town. South Africa’s wild side is near Durban
The Hluhluwe (pronounced Shoushlooee) Game Reserve, just 280km north of Durban, is where you can really go wild. As a part of the country’s oldest national park, the former hunting ground for the Zulu tribe is home to the largest population of white rhino.
Want to see the Big Five? Go between July and October to heighten your chances of spotting a lion or elephant roaming the grasslands. Post-safari, you’ll do your own grazing at the Hilltop Camp restaurant, where a traditional buffet, including tasty local curries and African phuthu rice, awaits you – not to mention blow-you-away panoramic park views. Regent Seven Seas and P&O offer the excursion on ships calling at Richards Bay, which is only a 90-minute drive away from the action.
ENTERTAINMENT
Be our guest
From forensic scientists and bestselling novelists to ex-royal personnel, the trend for listening to expert speakers at sea shows no sign of waning
Apparently us Brits are catching up with the Americans when it comes to expanding our minds on cruises, according to Caroline Mathieson, Cunard’s entertainment planning manager. “There used to be more of an American attendance, but now it’s closer to a 50/50 split.”
Cunard’s long-standing history with guest speakers dates back more than 100 years, but the idea of ‘enriching’ oneself (or “cerebral exercise” as Mathieson refers to it) is fast becoming a fixture on most cruise lines’ agendas as an antidote to poolside lounging and buffets on sailing days. And there’s something to suit every taste.
Holland America Line has Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the Queen, who will be speaking about his time at the Palace on Eurodam on 6 July, while Fred Olsen’s Black Watch ventures to the Arctic Circle on the same day with Antarctic expedition leader Chris Furse.
Cunard alone will host 360 guests this year, such as legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor who will sing on a transatlantic cruise (19 June), pictured, and forensic scientist Peter Dean, who will give CSI fans a glimpse of the real deal on 23 August. But the cream of the crop, according to Mathieson, are prize-winning novelist Margaret Atwood (onboard 23 August) and BBC journalist Mark Tully, who sails transatlantic on 26 September and returns 9 October.
“I’ve been scouting for new speakers,” gushes Mathieson. “I’ve approached Lawrence Rees, who just hosted the BBC series Auschwitz. I’ve also met chef Raymond Blanc and Chris Patten (the last British Governor of Hong Kong), and am in talks with them, too.”
GADGETS
Generation text
Love reading, but hate hauling extra weight? E-books are perfect for lighter sailing days
PLASTIC LOGIC
Coming out next year, at 22cm x 28cm, this is thinner than a pad of paper and lighter than most business publications. Appealing to the business traveller (but also Harry Potter-friendly), it also has a handy wireless connection. Price to be announced, plasticlogic.com
DIGITAL READER 1000S BY IREX
It might attract a premium price tag, but then, it does boast the largest screen around at 25.9cm (whilst still being slimline and lightweight). This model also has an easy-to-use touch screen display, and even comes with a zoom-in function – perfect for scanning one of the 800 downloadable newspapers from 81 countries. £599, iliadreader.co.uk
HANLIN E-READER BY PIXELAR
This digi-book also moonlights as an MP3 player, so you can read the new Dan Brown novel while listening to André Rieu. It’s as light as a paperback book, but with the capacity to store hundreds, with an impressive battery life of 8,000-plus page turns. From £219.99, mye-reader.co.uk
READER BY SONY
The soft, protective cover ensures all your literary picks (and you can store thousands) are kept safe at sea. At 260g, it weighs the equivalent of three bars of chocolate – and it will keep going for 6,800 page turns before it needs recharging. £199, sonystyle.co.uk
ONBOARD WITH…
Nobu Matsuhisa
The world’s best-known Japanese chef would like to spend more time cruising with his wife, says Anisha Patel
We now have restaurants on five different continents, which are all doing well, so as long as I have a good, strong management team, I will continue to open new restaurants. The last one to open was in Moscow, in April.
My chefs onboard source ingredients from many different markets, which enables them to create different dishes. Ingredients may not, however, be available in all ports so there are no permanent additions to the menu. But black cod is still the favourite dish!
In the beginning, I found it difficult to organise fresh produce on ships. But as the years have gone on, it’s become easier. After five years onboard we are quite experienced. We have excellent freezing systems which means we can shop for fresh produce in port and freeze it immediately so that the quality is not affected.
I love being on a cruise ship. I love meeting the other guests. Because I am fanatical about fish, I enjoy being on the ocean; it gives me a break from my busy life.
I would love to cruise to South America because I used to live there.
Because of my hectic lifestyle involving constant worldwide travel between my restaurants, I do not get to spend as much time with my wife as I would like. On a cruise, we would be able to spend quality time together.
Nobu Matsuhisa will be a guest chef onboard Crystal Serenity for a Mediterranean cruise that departs 28 July.
FIVE OF THE BEST
Caribbean rums
To get the real thing matured properly, you need to go straight to the source
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Angostura, Aged 5 Years (Trinidad & Tobago), £19.12, thedrinkshop.com; Chairman’s Reserve (St Lucia), £16.99, thewhiskyexchange.com; El Dorado 15 Year Old (Guyana), £39.49, thewhiskyexchange.com; Barbancourt Réserve Spéciale, Aged 8 Years (Haiti), £21.99, thewhiskyexchange.com; Cockspur Fine Rum (Barbados), £12.99, waitrosewine.com For more information, see truerum.co.uk
Behind the scenes
James Russell-Dunford
Captain, Holland America Line Veendam
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX McKNIGHT
“The smallest part of being a captain is actually driving the ship. The captain is the chief executive of a floating hotel really, and ultimately responsible for everything that happens. It involves everything from discipline and public relations to technical aspects like budgets. You have to be a multi-tasker. My wife always says it might be a job better suited to a woman.
I’ve been a captain for Holland America for 11 years, and I worked for Cunard for about 18 years before that. I have four children and I’ve missed a lot of their growing up. That does make me quite sad sometimes. But then I’ve also had the benefit of being at home with them for long periods too, and enjoying time that other people don’t get. It has its pluses and minuses.
When I first went to sea, we navigated with compasses and we only had Morse code. Communication is a lot better these days. We’re more accessible, so have daily dealings with our corporate office. It’s a completely different structure now. It used to be very self-managing, whereas now there is a lot of corporate input. But there are different challenges.
Each day’s schedule is different. Usually we’re docked at 6am, and the rest of the day starts at about 8am. We usually set sail in the evenings between 5pm and 6pm, so I’m on the bridge for departure. People seem to think that I’m always up there 24 hours on call, but there’s no need. I can be contacted at any time.
I walk for an hour around the deck every day to get some fresh air and exercise. I go to the gym every other day to keep fit. But apart from that there really isn’t much time you get to yourself because there’s a very full schedule. You really have to take that time to treat and look after yourself.
My favourite is the world cruise because it is the ultimate cruise and you’re visiting so many places in a relatively short period.
If somebody’s not behaving, then I am the judge of what happens. We have an investigation with the security department, and at the end of the day there’s a hearing. The captain makes the final decision.
The secret is not to overthink or worry about things in advance. You deal with situations as they arise. Because there are so many factors involved, you have to make decisions on the spot. If you get it wrong, the consequences can be severe. There are lives as stake, as well as financial and environmental implications.”
For more, call 0800 916 3233, visit cruisethomascook.com, your local Thomas Cook or Going Places store, or see Thomas Cook TV, Sky channel 655
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