SIZE - Ship size and space ratios seem to be the greatest variables among luxury vessels. These ships range from small (100-400 passengers) such as Sea Dream, Europa, Seabourn, and Silversea; medium (400-800 passengers) such as Regent Seven Seas: large (800-1200 passengers) such as Crystal; and very large such as Cunard's Queen Mary 2 (2,600 passengers). Some travelers feel that the former Renaissance vessels currently sailing with Oceania and Azamara are medium-sized luxury ships, but others prefer to categorize them as "deluxe" rather than luxury because of the smaller size of their cabins: 216 sq. ft. standard balcony cabins, 160 sq. ft. inside cabins, and some 143 sq. ft. obstructed-view outside cabins (10 sq. ft. approximately equal one sq. meter). Some feel that the very large ships of Cunard are hybrids with more than one level of food and service, and only their "grill class" qualifies as luxurious. Oceania, Azamara, and Cunard can be excellent options, however, when lower prices compensate for differences in cabin size or level of service.
THE FUTURE - Luxury cruise lines are adding new-builds to their fleets. These new ships seem to show "bracket creep" and are larger than their older sister ships, perhaps because larger ships are more profitable to operate. Personally I regret this development, since I find the intimacy and personal attention of a smaller ship among the most enjoyable aspects of luxury cruising. Whether the current economic downturn affects the luxury cruise market remains to be seen. Affluent passengers may be relatively insulated from market cycles, and luxury cruise prices may remain steady or may even increase in spite of a faltering economy. It is too soon to tell. One thing that is likely is that small luxury ships will "follow the money". That means more cruises in the "euro zone" where the currency is not under the same downward momentum as the US dollar. After all, what cruise line wants to book a trip in dollars only to have the value of those dollars erode during the months between contracting and cruising? Perhaps the euro will become the shipboard currency on more ships in the future. Certainly the strength of the euro and the pound sterling means that European cruisers are getting a de facto discount that Americans are not. As a result, Americans accounted for fewer than 25% of the passengers on our cruise, the first time we have been in such a small minority on any of our twenty previous cruises.
HEALTH AND SAFETY - A lesser known and perhaps just theoretical advantage of small luxury ships involves health and safety. Norovirus and more serious disease outbreaks begin with an index case and spread quickly in areas where people live and eat in close quarters. It seems logical that the risk of a disease outbreak would be much lower on smaller ships with fewer passengers. Similarly, a small ship should be easier to re-route in case of terrorism or political turmoil, and easier to evacuate in case of an accident or fire. The latter may seem far-fetched, but cruise ships have run aground, been attacked by sea pirates, experienced a major fire, and have even sunk in the last few years. Again, these considerations are theoretical and are just as dependent on the training and ability of the cruise line administration and crew as on the size of the ship. A disorganized central office or an under-trained crew can theoretically negate the small ship advantage.
COST - Price is probably the major factor for most travelers when considering a luxury cruise. I have not researched prices recently, but it is my impression that true luxury cruises are priced around 600-700 US dollars per person per day (pppd) for the least expensive cabin category (an outside suite, which may not include a balcony on some cruise lines such as Silversea), although discounts to $500 pppd seem reasonably common, and discounts to $400 pppd on repositioning or less popular itineraries are sometimes available.
VALUE - I rationalize that if one takes the per diem cost of a standard cabin on a mainstream cruise ship; then adds the cost of gratuities, adds the cost of wine and other drinks, and adds the cost of better quality (surcharged) dining; then doubles this amount to cover the cost of higher space ratios and higher crew to passenger ratios on luxury ships, one has a reasonable price comparison for a luxury cruise of the same itinerary. Some would argue that large (300+ sq. ft.) suites with butler service on a mainstream cruise ship are directly comparable to a small ship luxury cruise, but I have never taken (or priced) that option. As an example, the Costa Romantica sailed from Dubai on a similar but slightly shorter itinerary than the Silver Cloud's. The price pppd for a standard outside cabin with the usual surcharges on the Romantica was about half the price pppd of our cruise, so I felt we received a reasonable value for our money on the Silver Cloud. For those travelers not used to spending $400 to $500 plus per day on themselves, it takes a bit of effort not to think of what one could be doing with that money instead, especially if one is traveling to third world countries where donating that amount might feed someone for an entire year. I have had those thoughts in the past and have acted on them, but now that I am older, I enjoy luxury cruises guilt-free. It is a personal issue that everyone must settle for him- or herself.
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