Luxury cruise lines have always hung their hats on being the most inclusive of vacations. What that means varies by the line, but for most – Regent Seven Seas, Silversea Cruises, Seadream Yacht Club, and the Yachts of Seabourn – it means premium liquors and wines, bottled water, specialty coffees, specialty restaurants, and gratuities, are all included.

Crystal has always been a luxury line anomaly in this way. It doesn’t include wine or liquor in its price, or gratuities. Instead, Crystal has always touted other amenities it includes, like Berlitz language classes and a specialty restaurant where Nobu Matsuhisa serves as executive chef. It also includes the specialty coffees, bottled water and soda.

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When the economy crashed out from under even the most well heeled of travelers in 2008, several luxury cruise lines slashed prices – Silversea and Seabourn by up to 65%.

Regent decided not to drop its rates, opting instead to add value; it one-upped its competitors on the all-inclusive front with the addition of a selection of free shore excursions at every port.

Crystal, which always faced pressure regarding what it didn’t include, was suddenly faced with having to decide whether to bow to peer pressure and include liquor and gratuities, and maybe match Regent with some free shore excursions.

Instead, Crystal did something no line had ever done before. It essentially added all of those amenities in some form by tacking on the “As You Wish, All-Inclusive” $1,000-per-person onboard credit to every passenger’s folio.

Crystal senior vice president of sales Bill Smith explained that the term “all-inclusive” is actually a misnomer. While its competitors bill themselves as being more inclusive than Crystal by offering an open bar and some shore excursions, Smith explains that only Crystal really allows its guests to design the vacation experience they want.

Smith proves his point with a look at what Crystal passengers are spending their onboard credit on: shore excursions and spa treatments. The bar, he said, is not even close to the top item.

While Regent offers a sample of free shore excursions, they can’t possibly be the ones that every guest will want to take. And for someone who doesn’t drink much alcohol, being on a cruise with an open-bar really means subsidizing someone else’s bar tab.

Or as Smith says, it’s giving guests something they might not want.

With “As You Wish”, the line explains, guests can use the onboard credit to try a Vintage Room wine experience, or use it to pay gratuities to their favorite waiters, or hire a private car. If they want, they can always spend the entire amount at the bar.

Many studies of the affluent find that what the upscale consumer values most is choice – in the realm of luxury, only Crystal’s “As You Wish “ program truly is truly inclusive of that amenity.

To truly get the feeling of what it is like to be aboard Cunard Line’s new Queen Victoria, it helps if you think of hats. Hats crowned nearly every woman’s head during Queen Victoria’s naming ceremony in Southampton, England this past December.

Wide-brimmed, narrow-brimmed, floral and feathery, hats of all types adorned heads turned toward the stage, where [then] Cunard Line President Carol Marlow, in her stylish hat, acknowledged The Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla, as she is more commonly known, dispatched a bottle of bubbly against the hull of the new vessel and launched Queen Victoria into service. Of course she did so wearing what else? A hat.

Queen Victoria IN Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

Hats even prevailed in the days following the ceremony. On Queen Victoria’s maiden voyage, women put themselves in fanciful headdress for the Royal Ascot Ball’s ‘hat parade.’ Queen Victoria herself would have approved. Britain’s longest-ruling monarch was particularly fond of hats and even ‘set the fashion’ for the styles of headdress that Englishwomen favored, according to a 1901 article in The London Mail.

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If the emphasis on hats seems somewhat antiquated, then you’ve gotten my point. Queen Victoria (the ship, that is) presents the perfect backdrop for those who long to return to the golden age of ocean liner travel, when ships were steeped in elegant grandeur and when hats were in vogue.

Not A Cruise Ship At All

Indeed, as I strolled the decks of Queen Victoria, dressed in a tuxedo, a glass of champagne in hand, I felt as though I were witnessing a harmonious marriage between theatrical stage and ocean-going vessel. It was as if Disney had met Titanic — and given it a happy ending. None of it felt fake or contrived.

In fact, Marlow says that the 2,014-passenger Queen Victoria evokes grandeur without grandiosity, glamour without glitz. It is not a cruise ship, but an ocean liner. She speaks of voyages, not cruises, and in her mind, all of these distinctions are important ones. You might say that Queen Victoria provides an experiential escape rather than a contemporary get-away.

On board Queen Victoria, I could easily imagine myself on a grand ocean voyage. How could I not? The nostalgia of yesteryear surrounded me. Walking into the two-deck Britannia Restaurant, for example, I stopped to admire the magnificent centerpiece: a stylized Art Deco, revolving globe, 10 feet tall. It was wonderfully evocative of Cunard’s rich history of plying the world’s oceans.

Featuring original artwork, wall sconces, polished wood, bronze, mirror and gold leaf ceiling, Britannia was inspired by the dining car on the Golden Arrow, the glamorous train that linked London and Paris.

While there is no ‘steerage’ class on Queen Victoria, there is something that evokes the ‘class structure’ on ocean liners of the past. On Deck 12, the smaller Queen’s and Princess Grill dining venues are reserved for guests in Queen’s and Princess’ suites (there are 127 suites ranging from 335 to 2,131 square feet). These traditional dining venues are accessed by private elevator, keyed by a stateroom card.

Perhaps the most nostalgically evocative space is the Royal Court Theatre. Designed to resemble a grand West End theatre, it features a first at sea: 16 private viewing boxes that overlook the stage. Seating two to eight guests each and spanning three decks, the private boxes are furnished with elegant armchairs and cocktail tables.

The $50 per couple charge for the private boxes includes many extras: a pre-show cocktail in a private bar as well as complimentary individual-sized bottles of Veuve Cliquot champagne and truffles. Should anything else be required during the show, a velvet pull cord summons the bell boy. You rang sir?

A Slice of Britain

Just outside the Royal Court Theatre are the Royal Arcade shops, an elegant shopping area designed to capture the feel of London’s Burlington Arcade. The Royal Arcade is anchored by a free-standing clock built by the same company that built Big Ben. It issues Westminster chimes on the hour.

Flanking the clock on either side is a dramatic staircase with intricate wrought-iron detailing. With such attention to detail, Queen Victoria appears to be as much setting as it does ship. I imagined myself walking through London as I crossed the Royal Arcade to The Golden Lion, a British Isles style pub, where bartenders dispensed draft bitters and stouts and a chalk board listed such English comfort food as bangers and mash, fish and chips, and ploughman’s lunch — all at no additional charge. The pub has an authentic feel with its red carpet and dark woods.

Anglophiles will find Queen Victoria to be their cup of tea, and of course, white-gloved service high tea is served daily in the formal ballroom known as the Queen’s Room. Cunard bills the afternoon tea as one of the its most ‘civilized customs.’

Proceeding even deeper into Anglophilia, I made my way to Churchill’s Cigar Lounge, an intimate area that features a selection of cigars and after-dinner drinks as well as photos of Winston Churchill himself. I also visited the Art Deco-inspired Veuve Cliquot Champagne Bar that overlooks the Grand Lobby and features several rich canvases depicting the launch of the original Queen Mary. Cunard’s history is depicted, in fact, throughout the ship and particularly in the well-executed Cunardia, featuring exhibits of Cunard memorabilia.

The Grand Lobby, with its triple-height ceiling, sweeping staircases and sculpted balconies, evokes the ambience found on Cunard liners of the past. An attractive bronzed-effect representation of Queen Victoria emerging from a sun and earth motif graces the staircase landing.

Accessible from the Grand Lobby, The Library offers a selection of more than 6,000 books and spans two decks — with the upper and lower levels connected by a spiral staircase.

Double and triple-height public rooms, dark woods, deep rich reds, shades of yellow and gold characterize Queen Victoria’s interior. But for me, Queen Victoria will forever be cast in sepia. That’s because she evokes the image of the bygone days of cruising, a grand and rich era when ocean liners carried the names of queens and when special occasions brought out ladies wearing their magnificent hats.

It’s big and boxy on the outside, busy and noisy on the inside. With 20 dining options and 20 bars and lounges, NCL Epic features industry-first solo traveler cabins and innovative balcony staterooms, plus a lot more. Will you love it or leave it?

As our motorcoach approached the Southampton docks, I braced myself. Before me was a vessel that looked nearly as much like a container ship as it did a cruise ship. In the glow of a Southampton sunset, Norwegian Epic’s towering exterior appeared odd, with a flat aft and a Lego-like forward section, unlike any ship I had ever seen.

I was part of a press group invited to see Epic before it set sail across the Atlantic to America, where she will be christened by country music star Reba McEntire before entering service in the Caribbean. Epic returns to Europe for the summer of 2011.

The Verve And The Curve: New Design For Staterooms On NCL Epic

Despite its odd design, Epic represents what NCL hopes will be a turn-around for the company, or as NCL CEO Kevin Sheehan put it during a press conference on Epic, the incarnation of  “the new NCL.”

As a reporter, I’ve covered NCL for nearly 20 years. During that time, the company has struggled with its brand identity. As NCL’s Sheehan noted, in the past several years NCL had complicated its product offering. “Every time Carnival or Royal Caribbean or Celebrity or Princess came out with something new, we would say, ‘Well we’ve got to do that too.’ What happened was that we were doing way too many things, and it made it very complicated. We were not doing a superb job on everything.”

Indeed, many of the travel agents who I am in contact with say they steer clear of NCL. The product just hasn’t been consistent enough for them to sell with confidence. My question before boarding Epic was whether the ship would, in fact, redefine NCL. I harbored hopes that it would.

At first glance, however, I had my doubts about Epic. Entering the ship did little to ease my doubts. Big and boxy on the outside, Epic was busy and noisy on the inside.

Epic’s Din & Decibels

Even with half of the full passenger complement, fewer than 2,500 press and travel agents, NCL’s public areas were densely peopled, the bars and restaurants crowded. There was no place devoid of decibels.

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I was ready to give up hope. But hold on, I thought to myself, I am a professional. Make an objective assessment. I had just come off of Crystal Symphony, carrying slightly more than 900 passengers. Epic could top out at more than 4,600. I had to remember that I was going from a vessel in the luxury segment, with a much higher price point, to a vessel in the contemporary or mass market segment. Add to that that this was not a regular sailing but rather an introduction of Epic to travel agents and press.

Three successive thoughts help me temper my initial culture-shock about Epic: 1) British travel agents on something like a holiday, 2) only two nights to party, 3) and this one is important, open bar. Oh, and England was competing in the World Cup on a large-screen television. You get the picture.

Brits On Holiday? Open Bar & Big Screen

Several hours late boarding (due to Epic’s late arrival in Southampton), I was paraded directly to my stateroom to drop my luggage then to the Argentine-inspired Moderno Churrascaria, which shares space with Cagney’s Steakhouse. The presentation of meat carved at the table was well done, and the food was good.

Salma Hayek? No. But she is a star at tableside presentation at Epic's Moderno Churrascaria

After a quick dinner, our group proceeded to the Manhattan Room for entertainment by Madonna, Elvis and Tina Turner look-alikes, and desserts. Again, great entertainment; tasty sweets.

Desserts With Tina In The Manhattan Room

Marching again, we headed to the upper decks to Spice H2O for a FABBA performance, where high-energy performers entertained us with ABBA favorites.

FABBAlous!

Around midnight, we stopped in at Headliners, where dueling piano players performed a mostly comedic act in “Howl at the Moon.”

Dueling pianos in Headliners

After four hours of nonstop entertainment, my ears were buzzing when I returned to my room after midnight.

Bath & Bed

I was unable to immediately assess whether I liked my stateroom or not. As has been widely publicized, Epic’s staterooms are more curvy than boxy. The bathroom configuration turned out to be a point of controversy. Some loved it; some hated it. The toilet is in an enclosed capsule on one side as you enter the room, the shower is in an enclosed capsule on the other side, and the sink is close enough to the bed that I could have brushed my teeth with my head on my pillow.

The bed, though wide enough, missed accommodating the length of my body by about half a foot, and thus, I slept sideways. I appreciated the large, flat-screen television, the coffee-maker and the roomy balcony. Also, in a nod to environmental conservation, the stateroom keycard must be inserted into a slot to activate the light switches in the room. Kudos to NCL for that.

Similar to rooms at European hotel, keycards power the room.

The next morning, NCL’s publicist told me that tonight we would experience sensory overload. “I thought that was last night,” I jokingly replied.

The on-board ambience is intended to be busy and buzzing, NCL execs say. With 20 bars and lounges and an equal number (or possibly more – it’s difficult to keep count) dining options, Epic clearly follows in the wake of Oasis as an entertainment extravaganza.

On a weeklong cruise on either ship, I think I would miss the close connection with the sea. Epic is more like Vegas than it is a cruise ship. However, that said, Epic grew on me during the 36 hours I was on board.

Nothing Else Like It At Sea: Cirque Dreams & Dinner

The Blue Man Group put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, at sea or otherwise. And there is nothing at sea like the Cirque Dreams & Dinner, which featured a Broadway-style show and acrobatics. Cirque’s meat and potatoes dinner was a bit heavy, so I skipped it and hit the Wasabi sushi bar after the show.

Sushi from Wasabi.

NCL says that upscale cruisers would be happy in Epic’s Courtyard villas, which were not completed during our brief inspection. Perhaps, but it wouldn’t be my first choice as a luxury cruiser. Of course, I am one who is happier looking out at the sea than I am watching high-energy performances. With my children, however, there’s no doubt that Epic would be a hit.

Is this the ship that will launch the new NCL? I’m not sure. What is certain is that the new ship certainly represents an epic moment in NCL’s 40-year history.

Have something to say about this review or Norwegian Epic? Please share by leaving a comment below.

In the early 1970s she became an actress and singer, winning two coveted Golden Globe Awards for her first film “The Boyfriend.” In the 1980s she took Broadway by storm in the Tony Award-winning Gershwin musical “My One & Only.”

[Note that the video is also available in HD format.]

More recently, Twiggy has been a judge on America’s Next Top Model and fronted the phenomenally successful campaign for the British retail giant Marks & Spencer. Along with this she designs her own clothing and bed linen lines in the UK and has just launched her ‘Twiggy London’ collection in the United States on the Home Shopping Channel.

She is an ardent campaigner for animal welfare and breast cancer support. Her renowned elegance and style perfectly complemented the gracious lines and sophistication of Seabourn Sojourn, named in her home town of London.

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“I am incredibly excited that Seabourn has asked me to be Godmother to Seabourn Sojourn.” Twiggy said. “Her stylish interiors and sleek silhouette make her one of the most elegant yachts at sea. I am thrilled that Seabourn is combining their inaugural celebrations with Breast Cancer Haven’s 10 year anniversary – it really is a wonderful organization.’’

Sunday, Sojourn sailed from London on its maiden voyage on a 14-night “Northern Star Sojourn” cruise, which visits include Scotland, Denmark, Iceland, the Norwegian Sea, Norway and the Netherlands. The voyage ends on June 20th in Dover, England.

Seabourn Sojourn is the second of the three new, luxury vessels to be launched by the Yachts of Seabourn in a three-year period. The first, Seabourn Odyssey, launched in 2009.

Travel, especially the exploration type that I prefer, is undeniably one of the best and most exciting ways to learn about the ever changing world and the diverse people that populate it. Being open to sharing food with the locals may not always be comfortable or to the liking of one’s taste buds – or occasionally one’s stomach – but it is always interesting and, more importantly, it facilitates bonding with one’s hosts and inevitably deepens the relationship as it is effective in bridging any cultural divide.

Peter Cox, Director, Itinerary Planning & Development for The Yachts of Seabourn, retires this month.

My mother taught me from childhood in Holland that we kids had to taste everything, even if the appearance or smell was unfamiliar or unappealing, and that discipline has stayed with me till today. During more than 40 years of traveling the world, professionally and privately, from the bush in Africa to the outback of Australia, from Antarctica to the high Arctic and from Japan to Indonesia I have been privileged to “break bread” with a great many local people whose custom to extend hospitality to “strangers” far outshines that of our “western world” and routinely involved sharing their meals.

When I’m on a research trip for the Yachts of Seabourn or other companies I worked at before or when traveling for pleasure I routinely seek or ask to experience local foods rather than be taken to “western-style” restaurants or eat in hotels.

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People, certainly in tribal lands that have not yet been affected by the global spread of fast food tend to get their proteins from what their surroundings provide. In West Africa I have been treated to grubs that thrived under tree bark, grasshoppers that tend to destroy their crops or equally plentiful termites. Amazingly, the taste of such foods, boiled or fried is generally rather bland and could do with some spicing up. Of course, they generally don’t have access to spices either.

On Assignment In Indonesia

It’s a little different with roasted seahorses on a stick, along with a variety of less recognizable delicacies, available nightly from food stalls near fashionable Wangfujing Street in downtown Beijing. It is not so much their flavor as the cooking smell that one has to overcome.

Whether taste, smell and appearance are considered delicious or unpleasant is highly subjective and mostly based on experience. Leaving origin and cultural prejudice aside – after all food in all its variety shares the same organic building blocks – I can’t think of any of my “exotic” experiences that top for “weird” appearance, taste or smell some of the cherished foods in our own western world. What with the texture and taste of lutefisk – so popular during the year-end holidays in Norway or the sight and texture of oysters, deliciously fresh from their banks, or the smell of a ripe Limburger from Belgium or a Morbier cheese from France?

My most recent memorable food experience, and arguably the most peculiar one was last year on an inspection trip for Seabourn in South Korea where I was taken to a restaurant in Mokpo where live long-legged octopus are the specialty. With the thin metal chop sticks used in Korea I had fought before with live but chopped-up octopus tentacles that seem to desperately cling to one’s plate, struggling to let go. Here we each had a whole live octopus, freshly harvested from the muddy banks in the bay, swimming in a basin. A sturdy waitress put a wooden stick in the basin, an octopus wraps its arms around it while, like a hungry bird chick the diner throws back his head and opens wide. She then strips the whole octopus body to the end of the stick and pops it into one’s mouth. The sensation is more remarkable than the taste. Without a thought one starts chewing frantically to swallow the octopus whose natural tendency it is to cling to palate and cheeks. Definitely a memorable experience, but not sufficiently tasty to be repeated. Needless to say, few, if any of such experiences find their way on an excursion menu for our guests.

Peter at a Falcon Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Did he eat the falcon? No.

Apart from the food experience it often is equally interesting to learn about the ways people eat and the “rules of engagement.” My early experiences go back to the 60s while hitchhiking across North Africa. Invited to share a huge platter of couscous at a rich man’s home outside Marrakech with a group of other men – women and children eat separately – my fingers, too sensitive to dig into hot food and too inexperienced to pry off a piece of the roasted chickens that topped the couscous – one eats strictly with the right hand only – my elderly host noticed my problem and, without hesitation, pried off a choice piece of chicken and popped it with his bony hand straight into my mouth. This was repeated a number of times. Often tribal meals are taken together with others and everyone eats from the same dishes with fingers, spoon, chopsticks or whatever utensils are customary. Of course I’ve had my share of upset stomachs but they were generally caused by pre-cooked and then insufficiently re-heated meals in urban settings rather than simple but freshly prepared food served up by local people in a family setting.

After years of plotting the world for the Yachts of Seabourn, Peter Cox is now plotting his retirement plans. We suspect you will find him frequently in some beautiful part of France, and more often than not, breaking bread with the locals.

It goes without saying that I’ve had many other, non food-related travel experiences, many of which I would not or simply could not be repeated as the world changes as fast as McDonalds can open new fast food restaurants and isolated tribes jump straight from the “tam tam” age into the digital world of satellite-fed internet and phone communication. Sailing around the world in the 1970s when sending cables was the only available form of communication, and the radio officer used Morse code to sign his messages inevitably caused occasional surprises upon arrival at the destination.

Traveling in Indonesia in the 1970s, using local transportation and staying with families before rural areas had electricity, visiting remote islands in the Banda Sea with rich shamanistic rituals, receiving an “honorary member” necklace from stone-jumping warriors in Nias off the Coast of Sumatra, singing drinking songs with Russians in Leningrad at the height of the cold war or traversing China by train in the late 70s soon after Mao’s death, in search of suitable ports and interesting experiences for the first year-round Far East cruise operation have all left cherished memories. — Peter Cox.

From Ralph Grizzle: I couldn’t agree more with Peter. Nearly two decades ago, I had the pleasure of dining with the locals while in Australia’s Outback. Things that I never would have imagined went into my mouth and into the stomach. See Australian Outback Buffet: Garnish The Grubs, Pass The Maggots Please

Sure, any small ship can drop anchor in snug harbors and dispatch passengers ashore by tenders, as Star Flyer did in each port we visited this week. But Star Flyer does something that most ships don’t do: She recaptures the romance of sailing.

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Though it would be overly ambitious to characterize Star Flyer as a pirate ship, the sailing vessel did manage to bring out the Jack Sparrow in many of us this week, especially on the next-to-the-last night, when we dressed as pirates and betted on crab races. The races, we were told, have been a tradition on sailing ships for centuries.

By week’s end, Star Flyer represented to many of us what the Black Pearl represented to Captain Jack Sparrow. In “Pirates of the Caribbean,” a movie that aired on our stateroom televisions during the first day on board, it was apparent that Sparrow had great affection for his sailing ship.

My own affection for Star Flyer and getting in touch with my “inner pirate” emerged slowly as the week unfolded. Being a weather-dependent cruise for the most part, our voyage was not blessed with fair winds and clear skies on all of the days, and I found myself, along with a few others, feeling a bit like the skies, overcast and cloudy, during one day in port.

But as we sailed away on that same day, the clouds broke and the blue sky emerged. Sailors hoisted sails and a fair wind filled the cloth. No motor. We were sailing.

The captain gave turns to allow passengers to steer the vessel. A German lady widened her stance and gripped the wheel, turning gently to the captain’s instructions. For a moment, she pretended to be a captain or an officer or perhaps a pirate.

Nearly all activities take place outdoors. There is little, aside from dinner, for indoor entertainment.

On Star Flyer, passengers commune with the sea and stars. On one night of our cruise, a sweater-clad couple descended from the upper deck. The woman said to a group of us standing nearby, “The stars are beautiful tonight.” I leaned back and looked up. Indeed they were, like tiny diamonds perched against a black felt cloth.

While few, if any, of us were swashbucklers, nearly all embraced the sailing spirit. Following an entertaining fashion show where staff presented themselves in sailing apparel, the gift shop was busier than usual the next day, as buyers purchased the blue-and-white striped sailing shirts and other nautical clothing. Sailors, no doubt.

On Star Flyer, you can certainly imagine yourself to be a sailor — or a pirate. That’s something not easily achieved on ships without the sails. If Jack Sparrow were ever inclined to jump ship from his beloved Black Pearl, he would find a happy home on Star Flyer. I know I did.

Visit Ralph’s web site, www.avidcruiser.com, to contact him and for additional articles about cruising.

AGM organizers managed to attract an impressive roster of speakers, including the key decision-makers for deployment and shore operations at Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn Cruise Line, and Disney Cruise Line. The speakers’ collective message was a clear one: The sun is shining on “Cruise Europe Land.”

Indeed, cruising in Europe is experiencing unprecedented growth. Not only are more ships being deployed in Europe than ever before but also Europeans are taking to cruising like ducks on water.

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Introducing the speakers, Chris Ashcroft, publisher of the trade magazine Dream World Cruise Destinations, told AGM delegates that the number of Continental Europeans who took cruises last year increased by nearly 16 percent when compared to 2008. During the same time period, the number of North Americans taking cruises grew by only 1 percent. As a whole Europeans cruised in numbers that reached nearly 5 million in 2009, compared to slightly more than 10 million for North Americans.

What do the numbers mean? That Europe is where North America was 15 years ago, when cruising was just beginning to hit its stride in the United States and Canada. In 1995, the number of all passengers who had cruised worldwide was just a tad under 5 million. North Americans dominated, accounting for 90 percent of those passengers.

Today, North Americans still dominate, but Europeans are catching up quickly. That’s particularly evident in Cruise Europe destinations. “We’ve seen a shift from 95 percent North American passengers to 50 percent in the past 10 years,” says Valerie Dubuc, cruise coordinator for the Port of Le Havre, France. And in Copenhagen this coming summer, German passengers will outnumber Americans for the first time ever, according to Ole Andersen, senior director sales & marketing for Wonderful Copenhagen.

Europeans not only are cruising in record numbers but also European destinations are benefitting from cruise lines marketing Europe as a prime cruise destination.

The total number of bed days featuring European destinations and marketed to North Americans saw nearly 23 percent growth last year compared to only a 4 percent increase of Caribbean/Bahamas bed days and negative growth in Alaska (-1.5 percent) and Western Mexico (-14.3 percent). The message: Cruise lines are moving the bulk of their capacity to Europe.

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein said in his blog recently that his company would deploy 10 of its 22 ships in Europe in the summer of 2011. “Just a few years ago we would not have imagined such a scenario,” Goldstein wrote.

During the current cruise season, Princess will carry more passengers to Cruise Europe ports than ever before, Bruce Krumrine, vice president of shore operations for Princess Cruises, told AGM delegates. “And 2011 will surpass 2010,” he added.

Holland America Line has started beefing up it Europe presence, with seven ships in Europe, including its newest vessel, the upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam.

Three years ago, the upward momentum prompted David Dingle, chairman of the European Cruise Council and Carnival U.K.’s CEO, to proclaim Europe to be “cruising’s new center of gravity.”

Indeed, the Queen’s Day celebrations that coincided with the conclusion of the AGM seemed to underscore the upbeat mood in Amsterdam and throughout the cruise industry in Europe. Happy times are in store.

On this day and on prior days, we have stepped ashore for tours included in our cruise fare. The tours are well-organized and visually stimulating. Nearly any direction that a camera can be pointed frames a photograph worthy of keeping. Today, nearly midway through our eight-day cruise, and already we have a shoebox full of memories and experiences. “I’ve taken at least 500 photos,” says a man from Helsinki. With each destination, it seems that it cannot get any better, and yet somehow it does.

Today in Sa Dec was no exception. The impression for me and for other passengers I spoke with is that we are touring destinations still unspoiled by mass tourism. Indeed, we see few other Westerners as we walk through the markets and streets of the villages along the Mekong.

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People wave to us, happy when we wave back. Some smile, some laugh, some cover their mouths in embarrassment. “People are eager to talk and communicate with foreigners,” says our articulate and affable guide Thoai.

We see no drunks, no beggars, not a single palm extended for a handout. No one is hassling us to buy anything. On the contrary, they joke with us, taunting us with good humor. A Dutch couple has brought their two young children on the cruise. At the market, the kids, ages 5 and 7, giggle when a grinning old woman shoves a live catfish toward them.
River cruising only recently started here in the Mekong, and in the towns and villages along the Mekong, it is as if the locals have never seen people of our race. “It’s almost like we are the attractions,” says Rudi Schreiner, president of AMAWATERWAYS. The Southern California-based company began operations on the Mekong in the fall of last year and has plans to build a small fleet of river cruise vessels, operating on the same model that made its European river cruises so successful.

 Being here with a complement of passengers from Europe, Australia and only a small group of us from the United States, it is clear that we are all participating in the pioneering of something new. Pandaw Cruises has operated on the Mekong since 2004, but AMAWATERWAYS is bringing a new luxury standard to the river, operating not only the first luxury vessel on the Mekong but also the first river-cruise vessel built by Vietnamese.

 What Mekong River cruising offers is an authenticity of experience not easily found in a world increasingly overrun by mass tourism. Surely, the Mekong will be exposed to mass tourism in the not-too-distant future, but for now, the Mekong is unspoiled. If the region is on your bucket list, do it soon if you want an authentic experience.

And the experience truly is remarkable. Passengers I talked with express amazement with the destination and high satisfaction with the ship. They rave about the staterooms, food, staff and service. All are better than expected, passengers say.

La Marguerite’s staterooms are spacious, air-conditioned, and feature flat-panel televisions and large bathrooms. Meals are a mix of Asian and Western. Soft drinks, beer, wine and local spirits are served up free of charge. Excursions are included in the cruise fare. Wireless internet, while slow, is free to use. There’s a selection of DVDs and books. Other diversions: spa treatments, sauna, pool and sun deck. Should you be so inclined, there are exercise bikes and treadmills, lectures and even a big-screen, projector-style movie offered on two nights during our cruise.

Last night, we watched the steamy movie, The Lovers, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by the French writer Marguerite Duras (also the ship’s namesake). This morning, we toured the home in Sa Dec where Duras lived between 1928 and 1932, the time period during which the movie was based. Vietnam seems to have changed relatively little from that time period until now. The villages along the Mekong appear to be suspended in time. Some say that Vietnam is like Thailand used to be three or four decades ago. Change comes slowly to the villages along the Mekong.

Tomorrow afternoon, we cross the border into Cambodia. Schreiner says Cambodia represents the more spiritual part of the cruise, with its ubiquitous monks, temples and, of course, Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious relic. As good as it’s been, perhaps the best is yet to come.

The ship’s 629 staterooms and suites will be among the most spacious in the upper premium category.

• Standard veranda staterooms measure 282 square feet – the largest standard veranda staterooms in the cruise industry, according to Oceania. Both Veranda- and Concierge-level accommodations feature a sitting area and private teak balcony furnished with a chaise lounge, armchair and occasional table.
• Penthouse Suites measure 420 square feet with living/dining room separate from the sleeping area, walk-in closet and bathrooms with a double vanity.
• Oceania Suites, a new category of accommodations for Oceania Cruises, measure 1,030 square feet. The layout is comprised of a large living and dining area, media room and separate bedroom. As a highlight, a large veranda features a hot tub.
• Vista Suites range in size from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet and offer the same features as Oceania Suites but with the added benefit of floor-to-ceiling windows affording sweeping views over the ship’s bow.
• Owner’s Suites offer 2,000+ square feet of palatial luxury. Marina is the first ship to offer suites completely appointed from furniture and fabrics to lighting and bedding using the acclaimed Ralph Lauren Home collection. New York-based Tocar, Inc. penned a design that exudes a rich, clubby and refined sophistication.
• In addition to the standard stateroom amenities, suite guests enjoy the added luxury of Champagne upon arrival, 1,000-thread-count linens, 42” plasma TV, Hermès and Clarins bath amenities, butler service, and en-suite delivery from any of the ship’s restaurants.

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Other stateroom amenities include a flat-panel TV, lap-top computer with wireless access, refrigerated mini bar, security safe, writing desk, plush terry robes, bed slippers, and marble and granite bathroom.

Rich woods, marble and granite, fine wool carpets and lustrous leathers adorn public rooms. Facilities include 10 dining venues – six of which are open-seating gourmet restaurants, an array of bars and lounges, a full-service Canyon Ranch SpaClub and fitness center, swimming pool and hot tubs.

Can the luxury segment absorb the growth? Or will there be continued pricing pressure? First, a look at the ships.

The 450-passenger Odyssey, and its sister Sojourn, are totally new concepts for Seabourn Cruise Line, which has operated three smaller vessels, in the 200-passenger range, that were more than two decades old. Seabourn’s new vessels bring quite a lot that will please long-time Seabourn cruisers as well as much to impress those new to luxury line. 

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In essence, Seabourn Odyssey is where South Beach meets Palm Beach. The Restaurant, for example, would not look out of place in South Beach’s trendy hotels while the Colonnade (restaurant) could pass the muster in any of those plush Palm Beach country clubs. Quite simply, Seabourn Odyssey marries the best of South Florida’s trendiest beach resorts with one of America’s poshest cities.

Competitor Silversea Cruises floated out its largest ship ever late last year. The 540-passenger Silver Spirit brought  a few things to the luxury cruise sector that no other ship of its size has brought before: stateroom televisions hidden behind mirrors and controlled by a single remote; six restaurants (luxury contender Crystal has more, but its ships are larger); service enhancements, including luggage cleaning, complimentary laundry and dry cleaning, and two free hours use of worldwide phone and internet.

Also new (drumroll, please): Silver Spirit has introduced butler service in every suite. The service is being expanded fleetwide. 

Meantime, luxury contenders Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Crystal Cruises have been sprucing up their fleets with multi-million-dollar upgrades. 

Luxury lines are working hard to create an even better experience on board, and their new ships provide the additional facilities to facilitate that. The new Seabourn ships, for example, each feature four dining venues. Silver Spirit features six. There are also more al fresco dining venues on the new luxury ships. Both the new Seabourn ships and the new Silversea ship offer a more casual and relaxed dining experience on the pool decks. 

Some have said that the new capacity, however, puts pressure on pricing, which in turn, puts pressure on the product delivery. What are your thoughts about the luxury sector? Can it absorb the new capacity without losing its luxury edge?

  Visit Ralph’s web site, www.avidcruiser.com, to contact him and for additional articles about cruising.