I’ve Been Back On Every "Premium" Cruise Line. Here’s What I Found

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I've recently revisited all five of what
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the industry calls premium cruise lines.
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As I keep getting asked which is the
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best these days, many cruisers are
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confused by all the recent changes in
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the fleets, onboard offerings, tweaks to
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inclusions and exclusions, and the
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seeming push by all to attract a
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different passenger type. Welcome
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aboard. I'm Gary Benbridge and I'm going
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to compare each line, including what
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they're best known for, good at, what
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they're less good at, and who I think
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should cruise with them right now and
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why. But before I dive into the
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individual lines, let me talk about the
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premium category. What it is and
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importantly what it is not. The cruise
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industry divides cruise lines into five
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key categories. The biggest by far
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carrying almost 2/3 of passengers every
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year is the mainstream resort value line
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category. This includes Royal Caribbean,
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Carnival, MSE Cruises, and Norwegian
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Cruise Line. The second biggest category
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carrying almost 20% of passengers a year
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is the premium category. The main lines
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in here are Princess Cruisers, Holland
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America, Kunard Cruise Line, Celebrity
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Cruisers, and Virgin Voyages. Disney are
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also considered to be in here due to
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their pricing, while Pino Cruisers UK
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used to be in here, but they have moved
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to become a more mainstream resort value
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line. The third category is small ship
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luxury cruising with ships of around a
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thousand passengers with lines like
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Viking, Oceanania, Winstar, Azamara and
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Explorer Journeys. Then there is the
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ultra luxury category with even smaller
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ships or suites. Many inclusions with
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lines like region 7C seas, Seaborn,
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Silver Sea, Crystal, Heploid and the new
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ultra luxury yacht lines. The fifth
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category is regional and local lines
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ranging from Margaritaville at sea in
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the United States to Fred Olsson and
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Saga in the UK and Aida Mineshift and
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Costa within Europe. Next, all the
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premium lines have very similar
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characteristics. First, they tend to be
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midsize to large ships, mostly carrying
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from 2,00 to 3,500 passengers and have
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more space and crew per guest than those
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mainstream resort lines, so they're less
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crowded and generally have better
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service. They have very classic cruise
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ship designs and layouts. They don't
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have resort features and attractions
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like water slides, flow riders,
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amusement arcades, climbing walls, and
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so on. But they do have a sizable choice
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of bars and dining options on their
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ships. They do offer a classic cruise
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program with emphasis on enrichment,
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things like trivia, dancing, live music.
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They do have production shows, but
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they're not as big and glitzy or named
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shows as on the resort lines. They
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mostly have decent but not expensive
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kids clubs too. They have a wide range
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of cabins from inside to suites. Their
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fairs are roughly about twice the price
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of those resort lines, but they still
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have many add-on charges like those do.
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Wi-Fi, gratuitities, drinks packages,
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and special dining, for example. They do
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tend to cruise more across the world
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than those mainstream resort lines.
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Those mostly offering Caribbean,
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Mediterranean, and Alaska cruises.
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Premium go much more around the world.
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The Carnival Corporation is most heavily
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invested in this category. They own
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three of the five premium lines,
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Princess, Holland America, and Kunard.
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So, with all that in mind, let's dive
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into each of the lines. And we're going
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to start with the largest based on
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passengers carried down to the smallest.
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And the biggest of them is Princess
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Cruisers. Princess have the biggest
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fleet with 17 ships across five
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different classes of ships, ranging from
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the new 4,300 passenger sphere class to
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the over half that number, 2,000
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passenger coral class. These days,
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they're best known for their wearable
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medallionbased technology approach to
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classic premium cruising. This helps
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speed check-in. It unlocks your cabin
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door as you approach it. It's used for
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purchases on the ship. It lets you track
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and find friends and family. It allows
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the crew to recognize and call you by
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name as well. Because they have the
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biggest and most diverse fleet, they
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homebase ships in various parts of the
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world across the year. So, they offer a
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wide range of itineraries, meaning
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cruisers who really like Princess can
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keep finding new routes to explore.
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They're also very strong in Alaska with
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many ships there in the season, as well
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as running trains and lodges. Prince has
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also become increasingly well known for
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offering family and multigenerational
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travel and is the most active and packed
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daily program of all the premium lines
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in my view ranging from dance classes,
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game shows, trivia, silent discos,
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high-tech production shows and so on.
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The ships are focused around the patza,
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the atrium which acts as the heart of
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the ships with many of the bars, the
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restaurants, the entertainment venues
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radiating around it and there's many
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activities and live music held in the
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patza. This makes it buzzy and very
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vibrant heart of the ship. They've also
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shifted to a big focus on their
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all-inclusive packages with their
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Princess Plus and Princess Premier
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packages where you can buy a bundle
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which includes things like drinks,
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Wi-Fi, casual and especially dining and
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so on. In my view, their biggest
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weakness is the move into larger and
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larger ships which is timed with a clear
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shift to appeal to younger
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multigenerational and family travelers.
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Of course, in the those key vacation
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periods, the new classes of ships are
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busier and rowdier, especially in
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vacation times when they are sailing
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over capacity with many kids sharing
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parents' cabins. For example, this was
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the case on my recent Sun Princess
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cruise where kids actually took over the
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main pools. Another weakness is the push
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on selling and upselling. Up to 30% of
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the daily program activities on C days
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on my two recent cruises were actually
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revenue raising based. Despite all all
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of that, they have a strong 3.8 out of
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five passenger rating on sites at Cruise
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Critic. Although I am seeing more mixed
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reviews recently, mostly driven probably
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by traditional older cruisers finding
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the new bigger ships less appealing. So,
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who are Princess best for these days?
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Well, they are still ideal for anyone
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wanting a busy classic cruise experience
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with lots going on even late into the
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evening. They're one of the best premium
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options in my view for families and
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multigenerational travel, especially on
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the new Sun and Star Princess. While
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across the fleet, it is still probably
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well suited for 50 plus couples looking
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though for a busy, lively, energetic
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classic experience. Having no solar
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cabins and usually no solo deals, they
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cater definitely less well for solo
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travelers. So, let's move on to
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Celebrity Cruisers, which is the next
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biggest premium line. based on
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passengers carried. Celebrity has 13
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ships in their classic fleet and one
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expedition ship in the Galapagus. The
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classic fleet has three classes. The new
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3,000 passenger Edge class, the 2,800
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passenger Solsters class, and the
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smaller 2,200 passenger Millennium
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class. Celebrity is trying to be the
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most luxurious of the premium lines,
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claiming to offer modern luxury. They do
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also, by the way, tend to have slightly
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higher fairs than their competition on
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most sailings. They're one of the two
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more overtly status baselines in the
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category with dedicated spaces based on
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the cabin grade taking up big parts of
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the ship. They have the retreat ship and
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ship for suites, which includes the
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exclusive lumini restaurant, the retreat
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lounge, and the retreat deck. These are
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especially large and elevated on the
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edgeclass ships. They then have aqua
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class with a dedicated blue restaurant
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which are for concierge balcony mini
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street kind of cabins with regular
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cabins allocated to the main dining
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room. Although on edge class instead of
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one there are four restaurants with
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different cuisine themes that guests
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move between which does offer more
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variety. They're also known for trying
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to attract younger cruisers and more
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families, particularly with the
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trendier, sophisticated, and modern
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edgeclass ships. This has strikingly
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different hull, different internal
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layout, different decor, these infinite
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balcony cabins. They have the magic
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carpet on the side of the ship that's
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used as a bar and restaurant. They're
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lower to act as a tender boat platform.
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These are much happier and trendier.
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While offering a classic daily program
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on all the ships, they do try to give
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events a more modern twist with more
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game show style trivia, more deck
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parties, more contemporary, and
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definitely much more up-to-date music
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and production shows that use much more
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up to-ate music. They use technology,
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acrobatics. The program is not as packed
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as Princess, though. They do have some
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obvious weaknesses, but these may be a
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strength based on your point of view.
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But in my experience, you get different
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experiences based on the ship class that
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you're going on. So much so that it can
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often feel like you're on a different
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cruise line, based on the class you go
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on. So if you're on the edgeclass ships,
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it has a more youthful, trendier vibe,
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look, different layout, different
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experiences, different dining venues.
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While I found on the Solstice Sim
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Millennium class, it was way more
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conserved, traditional, classic in every
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respect. The ships have a darker
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palette. They're actually getting a bit
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dated both in terms of venues and
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cabins. Although Celebrity have
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announced that they will be updating all
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the Solstice class ships, but that's
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going to take some years to roll out.
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But saying all that, they get the
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highest passenger rating of all the
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longestablished premium lines with a
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four out of five rating on sites like
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Cruise Critic with a new edgeclass ships
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definitely helping elevate ratings. So,
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in my view, they're best for people who
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want a classic cruising experience, but
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with a kind of contemporary, modern,
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sophisticated spin, but without going as
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edgy as Virgin has done. and that I will
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talk about later. They are very good for
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couples with younger ages, probably 30,
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40s, like to find edgeclass more to
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their taste, while older couples are
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like to find the Solstice or Millennium
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a better fit. They're also a very good
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option for LGBT cruiser couples. They
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market to that uh category of travelers.
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Solos will also find some solo cabins
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with edgeclass catering best for them.
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So, this brings me on to the third
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largest line, Holland America line. Hall
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America has 11 ships across four
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classes. The newer 3,200 passenger
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Pinnacle class, the 2,500 passenger
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Signature class, the 2,400 passenger
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Vista class, and the older 1,700
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passenger Rotterdam class. Holland
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America offers a much more traditional
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cruising experience, but without being
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too formal. It's also known as being a
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little bit more quiet and sedate,
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certainly versus the two I've discovered
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so far. They're especially well known
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for offering probably the best
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destination range and options in the
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premium category. And they cover much of
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the world, often with longer and more
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immersive journeys. They're also an
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Alaska expert, sitting there for over 70
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years, and they run trains and lodges,
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too. On those longer journeys, they are
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very well known for good destination
10:39
talks and emotion, like I experienced
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firsthand on my South America partial
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circumnavigation.
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They have a big focus on live music.
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Although much to regular cruisers's
10:49
annoyance, they have dialed back on
10:50
classical music by ending their
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partnership with the Lincoln Center. But
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on the newer Pinnacle class ships, they
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have the Rolling Stone rock room. They
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have BB Kings and Billboard on board
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with two pianists. The smaller ships
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just have a Rolling Stone lounge which
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has a large band. They play a more mixed
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set of music genres and then they do
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have the Billboard on board menu. I find
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dining competitive, probably not as
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groundbreaking as some of the others in
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the category. And they have four main
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specialty venues, Pinnacle Grill,
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Tamarind, Rudy's, Selameare, and
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Canaltto. While they have some areas
11:25
like a small lounge and dedicated dining
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areas for guests and suites is not as
11:29
elevated or expansive as Celebrity and
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also any cabin grade can access some of
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the areas like those dining areas by
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buying a club orange package. So, it's
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not as kind of locked down for people in
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suites. In terms of the weaknesses,
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their production shows are probably the
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weakest of all the premium category
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lines, certainly currently. And for
11:48
some, they find it too sedate, too
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quiet, not a lot of energy and things
11:52
not going kind of later into the
11:53
evenings. In terms of passenger rating,
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they actually get the same rating as
11:56
Princess, 3.8 out of five on Cruise
11:59
Critic. So, a strong rating overall. In
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my view, Holland America is best for
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couples who looking for a classic
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traditional cruise. not too formal,
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maybe a little bit more sedate, less
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boisterous, and certainly less busy
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compared to Princess and Celebrity. And
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definitely looking for more enrichment,
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much more destination options, and
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especially looking for longer cruises.
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So, this brings me to the most formal of
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all the lines and the next in terms of
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size, which is Kunard Cruise Line.
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Kunard have four ships in three
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different classes. the 2,700 passenger
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Queen Mary 2, the 2,000 passenger Vista
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class, so that's Queen Elizabeth and
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Queen Victoria, and a stretched Holland
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America 3000 passenger Pinnacle class.
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Kunard offers a few unique things. First
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of all, two classic heritage routes, the
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scheduled regular transatlantic
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crossings between Southampton and New
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York and Queen Mary 2, and World
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Voyages, which all of the fleet do at
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the start of every single year.
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Secondly, they're the only premium line
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offering a traditional British cruising
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experience, while all the others offer a
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more American cruising experience. The
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ships have a rich art deco decor,
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although Queen has dialed that back
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quite significantly. Next, they are most
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associated with having a class-based
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structure on board, but as you've of
13:18
course heard, they're not the only ones
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doing it, with Celebrity also doing
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that. In some way, Celebrity even more
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so based on the amount of space they
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allocate. But like Celebrity on Kunard,
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the restaurant you dine in depends on
13:31
your cabin type. So on here, it's Queens
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Grill for sweets, Princess Grill for
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mini suites, and Bratana Club or
13:38
Bratannia for everybody else. Queens and
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Princess Grill have a different menu.
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They have a dedicated kitchen from the
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Bratannia main dining room and
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definitely have elevated food, elevated
13:47
menu. Off menu ordering is possible,
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too. Fourthly, Kunard is known as being
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the most formal and traditional of the
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premium lines. Although it's much more
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relaxed than a few years ago, it has a
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stricter dress code that is enforced. So
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on formal nights, almost all gents will
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be dressed in black tie, tuxedo or a
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suit and tie and ladies in smart gowns.
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Fifthly, they have a large orchestra and
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ballroom dancing every night. They have
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a major afternoon tea event in the
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Queen's room and the focus of the daily
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program is enrichment talks with up to
14:19
four speakers on most sailings. So in
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terms of their weaknesses, I think one
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of the weaknesses is their advertising
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and marketing makes Kunard sound very
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luxurious, very sophisticated, but once
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you're on board, you find it's actually
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not different to the other premium lines
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I've been talking about with food
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offerings in Britannia really matching
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the other lines. Service very much the
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same as the other lines. It's not as
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elevated as people expect. I see another
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weakness emerging is the visible cost
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cutting and added charges. For example,
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charging for room service for Bratannia
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cabin guests after 10:00 a.m. was
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introduced just before I make that. But
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there's noticeably more upselling. Many
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more generating revenue generating
14:57
activities. Another weakness I think is
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the ships are getting dated, especially
15:00
Queen Mary 2 cabins, though those on
15:02
Queen Victoria and Elizabeth are getting
15:04
a little bit dated too. Now I can see in
15:06
recent ratings that cruisers are much
15:07
more critical of Kuno than they have
15:10
been and they actually get the lowest
15:11
rating of premium lines. So if I look at
15:13
the last 6 months it's about 3.2 out of
15:15
five but all time is about 3.7. So
15:18
definitely a little bit of weakness in
15:19
the ratings but I still feel they are
15:21
really good for people wanting a
15:23
traditional more formal and classic
15:26
British cruising experience. And you
15:28
want to know if you want to know the
15:29
passengers will all be dressed up on
15:30
formal nights. There's going to be lots
15:32
of enrichment. There's going to be
15:33
ballroom dancing. then this is the only
15:35
premium line where you can be sure that
15:37
you're going to get that on every
15:39
cruise. This does tend to mean that most
15:41
fellow passengers will be their 60s7s
15:44
and above. Normally very British because
15:46
the ships are mostly UK homebased. So
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the next line I want to talk about and
15:50
the smallest of these currently is
15:52
Virgin Voyages. They have four identical
15:55
ships carrying 2,700 passengers each.
15:58
They're best known for being the only 18
16:01
plus adult only premium line and of
16:04
course for trying to be different to the
16:05
other premium cruise lines with more
16:07
edgy entertainment, more party events,
16:09
big focus on wellness and definitely way
16:12
more inclusions in the base fair like
16:14
all of the food. So no specialy dining
16:15
charges, gratuitities and Wi-Fi in the
16:18
fair. They do not have a main dining
16:20
room, but they have a series of
16:21
restaurants like the wake, which is a
16:23
steakhouse, rattleled dazzle,
16:24
vegetarian, gumbai, Korean barbecue,
16:26
pink a Mexican test kitchen, and so on.
16:29
The food is extremely good on Virgin and
16:32
probably some of the best if not the
16:34
best across the the premium lines. They
16:36
claim to not have a buffet, said they
16:38
have the galley, which is a food court
16:40
concept. One of the weaknesses of Virgin
16:41
Voyages is they have very limited
16:43
destinations focused on the
16:45
Mediterranean and the Caribbean. though
16:47
they are now starting some West Coast
16:49
and Alaska cruising. They've tried
16:51
cruising other regions like Australia,
16:52
but they've pulled out of those. They
16:54
have the highest passenger ratings of
16:57
all the premium lines, just beating out
16:59
Celebrity with a rating of 4.1 out of
17:01
five on Cruise Critic. So, really strong
17:04
ratings. Now, they're ideal for adults
17:06
30s to 50s probably who want a classic
17:09
cruise. So, they don't want big ship
17:10
resort features, but they want a a
17:13
classic line that's premium, trendier,
17:15
more hip than all the others, but they
17:17
really want a good focus on food and
17:19
wellness. It's worth noting that the
17:21
average age on board, based on comments
17:23
in the trade press, is actually around
17:25
50 years old. So, it's not as young as
17:27
many people expect, so don't be put off
17:29
if you are older. It's suitable and
17:31
popular, by the way, with LGBT travelers
17:33
as well. As you reflect on all of this,
17:35
why not join me over in this video where
17:37
I look in more detail at the pros and
17:39
cons of those new Princess Fear class
17:41
ships, Summon Star, that I spoke about
17:43
at the beginning. See you over there.

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I’ve Been Back On Every "Premium" Cruise Line. Here’s What I Found

Gary Bembridge Tips For Travellers