Published January 2010. Pictured: Oceania cruise liners.
If you're booking a cruise vacation in 2010, take the advice of the planet's best-traveled people —the more than 25,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers who cast their votes for the year's best hotels, resorts, inns, and cruise lines. These sailing veterans selected the world's top 12 cruise lines, based on scored evaluations of cabins, service, food, itineraries, and excursions. Whether you're looking for an intimate cruise with stops in quaint riverside villages, or a full-blown luxury-liner experience complete with a mind-blowing spa and amenities galore, start your cruise planning right here.
Sea Cloud Cruises
Overall score: 94.2
Best for: Itineraries, Excursions, Food, Service
Ship size: Small (500 passengers or less)
All aboard: Anyone looking for the sail of a lifetime
Sea Cloud Cruises is the "fabulous" top-scoring cruise line on the 2010 Gold List. Vessels with wood paneling and gold railings create the ambience and decor of a private club—one that plies the waters of Europe, North Africa, and the Caribbean. One transatlantic crossing sails from the Canary Islands to Barbados in 17 days. Owner's Suites are outfitted with Louis XIV–style king-size beds and antique furnishings. Onshore excursions such as food tastings and demonstrations by chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants mean "no herding, and the local guides are first-rate and knowledgeable." The Sea Cloud Hussar, the newest "full-rigged three-mast ship," is expected to set sail in summer 2010.
888-732-2568
www.seacloud.com
Crystal Cruises
Overall score: 92.7
Best for: Activities, Design
Ship size: Medium (500 to 1,500 passengers)
All aboard: The easily-bored and the hard-to-impress
Design varies deck by deck on the two ships of Crystal Cruises, but contemporary accommodations have sliding-door verandas and Frette bathrobes; some have Bang & Olufsen sound systems. "The mattress was so good we bought one when we got home." Excursions include explorations of Petra and off-roading on Mount Etna. Among the "excellent onboard activities" are complimentary language lessons and tai chi. At the Vintage Room's Wine Makers' Dinners, up to 14 people partake in food paired with rare wines. "This is easily the most pleasant way to see the British Isles."
888-799-4625
www.crystalcruises.com
Yachts of Seabourn
Overall score: 90.2
Ship size: Small (500 passengers or less)
All aboard: Anyone who's fantasized about owning a yacht
Seabourn's four yachts, the largest of which carry a maximum of only 450 passengers, navigate global waterways inaccessible to larger ships, like the Amazon's Breves Narrows. "We felt as though we were on a luxury yacht, not a cruise ship." Staterooms with honey-colored wood have barometers, balconies or five-foot windows, walk-in closets, and sitting areas "where you can unwind with the sea breezes flowing in." In open-seating dining rooms, "the cooking is truly first-class." Of excursions, "the best was the evening in Ephesus," where staff set up dinner and "we listened to a symphony play on the steps of the Celsus Library." "Staff treat guests like VIPs." Seabourn Sojourn will debut in June 2010; its two-deck spa will have a Kinesis wall.
800-929-9391
www.seabourn.com
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Overall score: 89.9
Ship size: Medium (500 to 1,500 passengers)
All aboard: Spa-holics who happen to be married to adrenaline junkies
"Contemporary and very plush" wood-accented rooms have their own balcony on Regent Seven Seas's all-suite ships that sail the globe. Guests are greeted with champagne and strawberries on arrival. "Staff enjoy their work, and this happiness transfers to guests." Signatures restaurant serves a menu from Le Cordon Bleu, which proves "unique compared with the expected menus found on other ships"; Prime 7 specializes in steak. Excursions include dogsledding in Juneau, zip-lining in Belize, and "touring the vanilla plantations in Tahiti—incredible." Each ship has a Canyon Ranch spa. The number of suites serviced by butlers will increase in 2010.
800-285-1835
www.rssc.com
Disney Cruise Line
Overall score: 87.9
Ship size: Large (1,500 or more passengers)
All aboard: Anyone with kids: Grins and giggles guaranteed
"It's outstanding what you get from Disney." "There's never any need to be apprehensive about the children having fun" during karaoke, workshops on animation, and more. On the two ships, whose design pays homage to ocean liners, adults keep busy with trivia contests and the spa. On shore excursions, become a dolphin trainer for a day or learn how to roll a cigar. First-run Disney movies are projected on a 3-D screen. Food options include Pacific Rim dishes at Animator's Palate. "The waitstaff really know what they're doing." Select itineraries will sail in Europe in 2010.
888-325-2500
www.disneycruise.com
SeaDream Yacht Club
Overall score: 87.1
Ship size: Small (500 passengers or less)
All aboard: Cruisers who want room to breathe, without sacrificing intimacy
A voyage on SeaDream's 112-passenger yachts begins when "smiling staff offer you champagne" upon boarding. "Open spaces on many decks" allow guests to spread out. Staterooms in blue and white have varnished Scandinavian wood furniture but bathrooms "in which there is room for only one person at a time." "The food is the best of all the cruise lines"; on one sailing, "the captain even slowed the ship down to facilitate a calm dining experience." Excursions and onboard activities "cater to the young and the fit," although the less athletically inclined try out the golf simulator at sea or "idle away an afternoon on the top deck's Balinese beds."
800-707-4911
www.seadream.com
Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises
Overall score: 86.6
Ship size: Small (500 passengers or less)
All aboard: History buffs and travel-show lovers
Exploration and history are the focus of Grand Circle sailings in Europe, Latin America, and China, where program directors tailor activities to each destination: "They really make the trip special." European river tours might afford the chance to see glassblowing demonstrations or to have dinner with a local family. Cabins are "compact and comfortable enough," with wood paneling and rattan furniture. "The crew all seemed to be having as much fun as we were." Regional cuisine includes "a memorable Leben knoedel (liver dumpling) soup." The itinerary from North to South America stops at Incan ruins along the way.
800-955-1925
www.gct.com
Oberoi Cruises
Overall score: 86.1
Ship size: Small (500 passengers or less)
All aboard: Egyptophiles, your ship has officially come in
Expect "the trip of a lifetime" aboard Oberoi's two Nile cruisers and a Kerala backwaters boat that are "little jewels." Excursions on the Luxor–Aswan itineraries, done in small groups with Egyptologists, are "truly excellent." Chefs create Egyptian, Indian, or Western menus that "are never disappointing." Cabins on the Zahra showcase silk, leather, wood, shades of brown, and large picture windows for watching the river sights go by. While activities are not as extensive as on larger ships, "the cruise exceeded our expectations."
800-562-3764
www.oberoihotels.com/cruises.asp
Oceania Cruises
Overall score: 86.0
Ship size: Medium (500 to 1,500 passengers)
All aboard: Un-stuffy sorts who want a laid-back (but not too laid-back) sail
"The casual yet refined atmosphere on board" separates Oceania's three ships from other vessels. Thanks to open seating at meals, no formal nights, and "a country-club casual dress code," "you have a more relaxed experience." Balcony staterooms exhibit English country manor style in blue and gold and have "really comfy beds and good-sized balconies." The food is "awesome—I loved every morsel." Off the ship, passengers visit a falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi or take a jungle trek outside Manaus. The new ship Marina makes its maiden voyage in late 2010 and will focus on epicurean delights, with six restaurants and hands-on cooking classes.
800-531-5658
www.oceaniacruises.com
Silversea Cruises
Overall score: 85.3
Best for: Cabins
Ship size: Small (500 passengers or less)
All aboard: Cruisers for whom a comfy cabin is priority #1
Silversea's ports of call include South America, the South Pacific, and the Arctic. Cabins, decorated with etched glass and a mix of yellows, aqua, and more muted shades, "blend contemporary and traditional furniture" and exude "European elegance." La Terrazza serves "a casual buffet breakfast and lunch" as well as à la carte dinners. "Unusual and exciting onshore excursions" include an early-evening dinner in the Namib Desert, capped with a performance by fire-dancing locals. The Silver Spirit joined the fleet in December 2009.
877-215-9986
www.silversea.com
Windstar Cruises
Overall score: 84.0
Ship size: Medium (500 to 1,500 passengers)
All aboard: Foodies and adventurers who crave a small-ship vibe
"The wonderful intimacy of a small ship" extends to suites and staterooms that look out on the ocean, as well as to bridge suites, which have leather couches and ample closet space. Windstar itineraries include stops in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Central America. Each schooner has motorized sails and an open-seating restaurant where "the waitstaff quickly learn your likes and dislikes." On Wind Surf, the largest of the fleet, is the restaurant Degrees, where the menu changes daily—hence French bistro one night, steak house the next. Excursions include helicopter tours of the Prunelli Gorges in Corsica and cave trekking in Slovenia.
800-258-7245
www.windstarcruises.com
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Overall score: 82.8
Ship size: Small (500 passengers or less)
All aboard: Luxury-seekers who love an up-close-and-personal tour
Uniworld's ships sail around Russia, China, and Egypt, but the cruise line's focus is European waterways. Staterooms couple river views with "their own sense of place and design," an amalgam of crema marfil floors, mahogany furnishings, Brunschwig & Fils fabrics, and beds with cashmere blankets. The Epicurean Adventurer Program ferries passengers onshore for dinners, wine-tastings, and cooking demonstrations. The Springtime Along the Rhine itinerary, which debuts in 2010, takes in Amsterdam's Keukenhof Gardens. River Tosca made its maiden voyage along the Nile in December 2009.
800-733-7820
www.uniworld.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment