"Ships are the nearest thing to dreams that hands have ever made" - Robert N RoseSo this post isn’t exactly a trip I took… but I do get to experience some other cool and interesting things within the world of travel and I’ve decided I’d maybe like to share a few of these with you…. Who knows, you may find them helpful.
Believe it or not I’ve never actually been on a proper cruise, I mean I’ve been on conveyances from shipyards and been on ship visits before, but I’ve never actually took to the open seas on a liner. More’s the pity, because nowadays cruise liners have shed their stodgy images and are catering to the younger travellers – honeymooners, young families, families with teenagers – everyone’s jumping on the cruise bandwagon.
And who can blame them – cruising is a real adventure, you’re not stuck in one resort exploring the same streets, seeing the same sights, eating the same cuisine – oh boy no – every day a new port, every day a new place to explore, go to sleep in Barcelona, wake up in Monte Carlo.
Holland and America’s MS Westerdam (
www.hollandamerica.com) was on the Belfast stop of its 12-day Scottish Serenade – and on board was one very special lady, Carolyn Spencer Brown, Editor in Chief of Cruise Critic, one of the internet’s foremost sources of cruise reviews, industry news, ship information, destination profiles and interactive passenger feedback forums.
Some interesting ship lingo -The rear of the ship is known as the stern or aft:
The front of a ship is known as the bow:
The right side of the ship is known as starboard and the left is known as port.
A bit about Carolyn -Carolyn was recently named one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Travel by Forbes Magazine – so naturally I was both excited and nervous to meet her!
I boarded the ship, smiling at all the disembarking passengers, boarding busses and heading off into the great unknown wilds of Belfast. I would see these same passengers (who disembarked with hope in their shiny eyes) return a few hours later looking surly and disappointed. Belfast never looks good in the rain.
Carolyn was named Editor and Chief of Cruise Critic in 2003 – but she contributed regularly to the site for four years before that. She is one of America’s leading cruise journalists and formerly covered the cruise industry as a staff writer for the travel section of The Washington Post where she also covered other facets of travelling as a contributor to ‘Coming and Going’, the Post’s weekly travel news column.
She's one of the world's foremost writers in cruise travel!
So enough with my gushing, I’m sure you’re all well aware of who Carolyn is… and if you’re not? Well shame on you, get to your nearest search engine pronto people!
Here’s my thoughts on the ship -After a huge cappuccino a lovely chat with Carolyn on the ups and down's of cruising (for the record Carolyn has been on well over 100 cruises, loves having good tablemates and appreciates good onboard service) she kindly took us on an informal ship tour – Holland and America Line ships differ greatly from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships in their layout and décor.
The best thing about having some rather dated décor is that you feel like you’ve stepped back about 90 years - the ornate elevator doors are covered with moulded flower reliefs and every would-be empty space is adorned with fantastic replica greek statues and sailing – very art deco. The worst thing is not having a centralised avenue means the corridors (which all look the same on every floor) can feel quite maze like.
The rooms on MS Westerdam are spacious and most include a balcony, plenty of storage and a bath in the bathroom (which is very unusual for a cruise ship, but I suppose matches in with the 1920’s themed decor).
If your not an art deco fan, you may find the general overall décor of the ship quite poor and dated, especially if you compare it to the modern opulence of the new Celebrity ships. I however found it quite comfortable - a good mix of old and new; faded 1920’s art deco glamour overlapped with more modern technologies, such as the high tech gym and Microsoft workshop.
With its large cushy chairs and plenty of natural light the coffee bar/library was, for me, the best room on the ship – I can easily imagine the liberated ladies of the Golden Twenties reading in this room, cigarette in one hand, book in the other.
The gym is very modern and quite large, stocked with the latest high tech exercise equipment – as a fan of running I was particularly impressed with the amount of running machines and their prime positions at the forward windows looking out over the sea.
The Westerdam is a medium sized ship, so although it can carry around 2,000 passengers – cooking for 2,000 people every night cannot be an easy task - the chefs on the Westerdam serve up excellent meals. There is a range of eateries onboard, everything from coffee and snack bars to buffet or sit-down service.
My chocolate mousse tart - yum!
One thing Holland and America Line are famous for are the staff – everyone of them are helpful, courteous and polite no matter what time of the day or night you need them, cannot fault them.
If you're seriously interested in taking a cruise you should check out
www.cruiecritic.co.uk or
www.cruiecritic.com (if you're in the USA) - they have a tonne of info on every cruise line and ship out there and you can also chat with other cruisers on the discussion boards.
Peace and love,
GT
