Radisson Drops Dolphin-Encounter Excursions, Citing Unethical Treatment
Hats off to Radisson Seven Seas Cruises (tel. 800/285-1835; www.rssc.com). Last week, the luxury line took a stand against the capture and exploitation of wild marine mammals by announcing that it would support the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ campaign to halt dolphin encounter operations, dropping all such excursions from its excursions rosters.
“Sadly, under the guise of communing with nature or advancing our scientific understanding, dolphin encounter programs too often overlook the way dolphins actually exist and interact with each other in the wild,” said Darius Mehta, Radisson’s director of land programs. “While some parks may obtain dolphins legally, many use illegal and cruel means to capture these magnificent animals. While we will continue to employ programs that allow our guests the wonderful experience of observing dolphins in the wild, we’re opposed to those that interfere with dolphins’ natural behavior.”
Radisson is among the few cruise lines to embrace oceanography as part of its onboard programming, offering activities created in partnership with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society (www.oceanfutures.org). Designed to encourage guests to become responsible environmental citizens, the program includes onboard discussions and workshops by Cousteau and other Ocean Future Society experts, original in-suite TV programming, the ability to watch experts’ dives via live TV uplinks, and an “Ambassadors of the Environment” program for kids on the line’s Tahiti sailings.
Cousteau applauded Radisson’s stand. “Capturing marine mammals for the purpose of orchestrating structured encounters with humans or to display them in unnatural circumstances is unethical, puts them at risk, and interferes with their natural and appropriate life cycles,” said Cousteau, adding that Radisson is “making a vital and forceful statement to the travel and tourism industry that these encounter programs should be avoided at all costs.”
Carnival Embraces Liberty
Add another ship to the Carnival (tel. 800-CARNIVAL; www.carnival.com) stable. On July 15, the Fun Ship line took delivery of the 110,000- ton, 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty from the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, bringing its fleet up to twenty-one vessels.
Liberty was christened by Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino at a ceremony in Civitavecchia, Italy, July 19, and the next day set off on a seven-port, 12-night Mediterranean cruise, inaugurating the line’s first-ever Mediterranean program. Liberty will sail the route into October, visiting the ports of Naples, Venice, and Livorno (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Messina (Sicily), Barcelona (Spain), and Cannes (France). On October 24 she’ll sail transatlantic to Fort Lauderdale and begin a series of alternating 6- and 8-night Bahamas/Caribbean cruises beginning November 12. She’ll return to the Med in May 2006 for another season of 12-night cruises.
Liberty is the newest sister-ship in Carnival’s Conquest-class, which includes the earlier vessels Conquest (2002), Glory (2003), and Valor (2004). They’re the line’s largest vessels to date, like stretch models of the slightly shorter Destiny-class vessels, souped up with the top-deck supper-club concept introduced on the Spirit-class ships, Carnival Spirit, Pride, Legend, and Miracle. On Liberty, look for more than twenty bars and lounges, Carnival’s largest children’s facilities, a separate zone dedicated to teens, a 13,500-square-foot health club, four swimming pools (and the line’s signature water slide), and oceanview windows or balconies on 60 percent of her 1,487 staterooms.
In other new-ship news, Carnival parent corporation Carnival Corporation has ordered a new 68,500-ton, 2,030-passenger for its German-market brand Aida Cruises (www.aida.de). Scheduled for construction at Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard, the vessel will enter service in April 2008. This is the third new order Carnival has placed for the German line in the past nine months, in anticipation of a German-speaking passenger base that’s expected to top one million by 2010.
eHarmony & Princess Hook Up for Honeymoon Cruise Contest
eHarmony (www.eharmony.com), one of the top Internet dating/relationship services, claims to have been the catalyst for thousands of marriages since it started operations five years ago. To celebrate its anniversary, the service has announced its Couple of the Year contest, offering a seven-night honeymoon or a second honeymoon cruise to the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera.
To enter, members need to submit an essay about their relationship to www.eharmony.com/stories by July 31, 2005. To be eligible, members must be or must have been registered users of the eHarmony website, must have been matched through eHarmony, and must be married by the time the Honeymoon Cruise award is taken — all of which limits the pool quite a bit. Anyway, the winning couple will be notified on August 22 and will get to choose the destination of their choice, with round-trip airfare and $1,000 spending money included.
Cruise West 2006: New Routes, More Glacier Bay
Small-ship line Cruise West (tel. 800/426-7702; www.cruisewest.com) was founded in the mid-1980s by Alaska tourism pioneer Chuck West. Today, still family-owned, it’s one of America’s premier small-ship operators, offering cruises in British Columbia, the Columbia and Snake rivers, the California Wine Country, the Baja Peninsula/Sea of Cortez, and Central America, all while maintaining its presence as the small-ship leader in Alaska.
Last week, the line announced its 2006 itineraries, which will include 92 visits to Glacier Bay National Park, the most entries allowed for any one line. (Glacier Bay operates on a strict permit system that only allows in two large cruise ships and several smaller vessels on any given day.) As part of its allotment, the line will begin offering 4- and 5-night “Glacier Bay Highlights” cruises round-trip from Juneau, with prices starting at $1,349 per person, double-occupancy.
The itinerary joins more than half a dozen other options, including port-to-port Inside Passage cruises, daylight yacht tours (with passengers sleeping in hotels ashore at night), Prince William Sound cruises, and expeditions along Alaska’s western coast and across the Bering Sea to the Russian Far East (click here for feature article).
In the Pacific Northwest, the line is simultaneously celebrating the bicentennial of Lewis and Clark’s voyage of exploration and the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens with a series of “River Voyage of Discovery” cruises on the Williamette, Columbia, and Snake Rivers. Sailing round-trip from Portland, Oregon, the ship (the 78-passenger Spirit of Alaska, 84-passenger Spirit of Discovery, or 96-passenger Spirit of’98) takes passengers to Multnomah Falls, passes through the Dalles and the John Day Lock and Dam, spends time on the Columbia and Snake Rivers (often using inflatable excursion craft for exploration), and offers a jet-boat ride through Hells Canyon and visits to numerous area museums. Lewis and Clark sites include the reconstructed log fort at Fort Clatsop National Historic Park, where the captains spent the winter of 1805 planning their return voyage. Scheduled for September and October 2005 and April 2006, the 8-day cruise starts at $1,675 per person, double-occupancy. Guests may sign on for a post-cruise stay at Mt. St. Helens, traveling 3,000 feet up the Washington Cascades with an expert guide to visit the Mt. St. Helens National Monument. This package is available for an additional $155 per person, double-occupancy, including one night’s hotel accommodations and one transfer.
Seabourn Pride to Call at George Washington’s Door
Further proof of the benefits of small ships: On October 21st, ultra-luxe Seabourn Cruise Line (tel. 800/929-9391; www.seabourn.com) will be sailing the 208-passenger Seabourn Pride up the Potomac River, dropping anchor just across from George Washington’s Mount Vernon mansion for an overnight visit. Operated and maintained by the nonprofit Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association since 1853, the 500-acre riverside property is located about 16 miles from Washington, D.C., and consists of some 20 structures and 50 acres of gardens, faithfully restored to working condition as they were in 1799. Then, most visitors arrived by horse; now they arrive by car and bus. Few visit by ship.
The stop is part of a 14-day cruise sailing October 16 from New York to Nassau and calling at many of America’ s most important colonial cities, including Newport, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Yorktown, Charleston, Savannah, and Amelia Island. In addition to Colonial history, guests will get some good eats courtesy of the line’s third annual “Great American Food & Wine Festival,” featuring celebrity guest chefs (including Seabourn culinary consultant Charlie Palmer, Sue Torres of New York’s Sue?os, and Alan Susser of Chef Allen’s in Aventura, Florida), onboard cooking demonstrations, tastings, and culinary excursions in many of the ports.
Fares currently start from $6,948 per person, double occupancy. Past guests of Seabourn or any other Carnival Corp. line (Carnival, Princess, Cunard, Costa, Holland America, Windstar) qualify for fares starting from $5,695 per person.
Holland America Adds Star Power to Culinary Arts Program
For more than a year, Holland America (tel. 877/724-5425; www.hollandamerica.com) has been putting a lot of effort into touting its new onboard Culinary Arts Centers — TV-style show kitchens that present a series of cooking demonstrations, classes, and tasting events live, with taped versions showing later on cabin TVs. The line took the cooking-education concept a step further in May by forging a partnership with Food & Wine magazine that brings chefs, wine experts, and cookbook authors on board for demonstrations and seminars.
A number of names have already been announced for fall, with new names dribbling out all the time. Latest up: Cat Cora, the first American woman Iron Chef and host of the Food Network’s Cat Cora Show (sailing aboard Statendaam’s Australia/New Zealand cruise departing January 7, 2006) and New York Times food writer and cookbook author Mark Bittman (sailing aboard Rotterdam’s South America cruises departing January 11). Other experts already booked include:
- Michelle Bernstein, executive chef/owner of MB Restaurant, co-host of Melting Pot, sailing on the September 9, 2005, Alaska cruise aboard Statendam
- Jimmy Bradley, chef/owner of Beanstalk Restaurants, sailing on the September 10, 2005, Alaska cruise aboard Zaandam
- Greg Atkinson, director at Culinary Consulting, sailing on the September 11, 2005, Alaska cruise aboard Ryndam
- Paulette Mitchell, author of eleven cookbooks, sailing on the September 18, 2005, Europe cruise aboard Westerdam
- Charles Dale, founder of Range and Rustique, sailing on the September 24, 2005, Panama Canal cruise aboard Zaandam
- Mike H. Davis, chef/owner of 26 Brix, sailing on the September 25, 2005, Pacific Coastal cruise aboard Ryndam
- Susan and Alison Sokol Blosser, owners of the Sokol Blosser Winery (Oregon), sailing on the September 25, 2005, Pacific Coastal cruise aboard Veendam
- Ying Chang Compestine, chef and cookbook author, sailing on the October 6, 2005, Asia/Pacific cruise aboard Amsterdam and the December 22, 2005, Hawaii cruise aboard Amsterdam
- Three Divas: Vicky McCaffree, chef; Cameon Orel, chef; and Jessica Campbell, pastry chef, sailing on the October 14, 2005, Europe cruise aboard Rotterdam
- Dean Max, chef at 3030 Ocean, sailing on the November 2, 2005, Hawaii cruise aboard Statendam
- Fran Bigelow, chocolate expert, founder of Fran’s Chocolates, sailing on the November 7, 2005, Mexico cruise aboard Ryndam
- Cornelius Gallagher, executive chef of Oceana, sailing on the November 13, 2005, Caribbean cruise aboard Westerdam
- Laura Werlin, cheese expert, sailing on the January 21, 2006, Australia/New Zealand cruise aboard Statendam
- Marko Karakasevic, artisan vodka maker of Charbay Vodka, sailing on the January 22, 2006, Caribbean cruise aboard Volendam
- Brad Farmerie, chef of Public Restaurant in New York, sailing on the March 20, 2006, Asia/Pacific cruise aboard Statendam
- Bradford Thompson, chef at Mary Elaine’s, sailing on the April 3, 2006, Asia/Pacific cruise aboard Statendam
- Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef at Restaurant Jean Georges, sailing on the April 5, 2006, Caribbean cruise aboard Noordam
- Hsiao-Ching Chou, Seattle Post-Intelligencer food writer and food historian, sailing on the April 17, 2006, Asia/Pacific cruise aboard Statendam
- Max McCalman, Maitre Fromager and dean of curriculum at the Artisanal Cheese Center, sailing on the April 22, 2006, Hawaii cruise aboard Statendam
- Jacques Torres, chocolatier extraordinaire and creator of his own confectionery shops in New York City, sailing on the May 7, 2006, Alaska cruise aboard Ryndam
- Patricia Yeo, chef of Sapa in New York, sailing on the May 14, 2006, Alaska cruise aboard Veendam
- Robert Kinkead, chef/owner of Kinkead, sailing on the May 26, 2006, Europe cruise aboard Rotterdam
- Michael Lomonaco, chef, professor, author, and co-host of Epicurious on the Discovery Channel, sailing on the July 28, 2006, Europe cruise aboard Rotterdam
- John Howie, chef/owner of Sport and SeaStar, sailing on the July 30, 2006, Europe cruise aboard Noordam
- Mark Fiorentino, master bread baker at the renowned Daniel Boulud Restaurants in New York, sailing on the August 11, 2006, Europe cruise aboard Amsterdam
- John Besh, executive chef at Restaurant August, sailing on the September 8, 2006, Alaska cruise aboard Statendam
- Aaron Sanchez, chef, Paladar, and regular TV’s Food Network, sailing on the September 17, 2006, Alaska cruise aboard Westerdam
- Charles Dale, founder of Range and Rustique, sailing on the September 18, 2006, Europe cruise aboard Noordam
- James Mazzio, executive chef at The Studio of Long Grove, sailing on the September 20, 2006, Panama Canal cruise aboard Zuiderdam
- Marcus Samuelsson, chef/owner of Aquavit and Riingo, sailing on the October 22, 2006, Mexico cruise aboard Zaandam
- Anthony Giglio, wine expert, sailing on the November 25, 2006, Mexico cruise aboard Oosterdam
- Jose Andres, chef/owner of Jaleo and Cafe Atlantico, sailing aboard the December 8, 2006, Australia/New Zealand cruise aboard Statendam
The Little Princess Who Could
In August 2002, almost a year after Renaissance Cruises went belly-up, Princess Cruises (tel. 800-PRINCESS; www.princess.com) scooped up two of the Renaissance ships, the twin 688-passenger, 1999-vintage R3 and R4, renaming them Pacific Princess and Tahitian Princess and setting them on exotic itineraries in the Pacific. Tahitian is based year-round in Polynesia, but Pacific Princess ventures more widely, and is now on track for a really interesting series of extra-long Asia/Africa/Indian Ocean sailings for 2006 and 2007.
Dubbed Princess’s “Connoisseur Cruises,” the four upcoming Africa and India voyages include:
- Africa/India/Southeast Asia: A 27-day journey sailing from Bangkok, Thailand, to Cape Town, South Africa, September 16, 2006. Ports include Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Chennai (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), the Seychelles Islands, Mombassa (Kenya), Zanzibar (Tanzania), and Durban (South Africa). In Mombassa passengers can sign on for an optional overnight wildlife safari to the Tsavo National Park.
- Indian Ocean & Australia: A 28-day voyage sailing October 13, 2006, from Cape Town to Sydney, Australia, visiting East London (South Africa), Durban, Nosy Bé (Madagascar), Réunion Island, Mauritius, and Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Tasmania (Australia).
- West Africa & South America: Combining the Caribbean, South America and West Africa in one 28-day journey, Pacific Princess sets sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Cape Town on March 9, 2007, with port calls at St. Kitts, Dominica, Trinidad, Devil’s Island, Fortaleza (Brazil), Dakar (Senegal), Tema (Ghana), Lomé (Togo), and Walvis Bay and L¿deritz (Namibia).
- Africa/India/Southeast Asia: Similar to the September sailing, this 25-day version, departing April 6, 2007, sails from Cape Town to Singapore, with port calls at Durban, Zanibar, Mombassa, the Seychelles Islands, Colombo, Chennai, and Kuala Lumpur.
Early-booking fares currently start at $3,745 per person, double occupancy.
Silversea Goes Italian, Transforming Terrace Cafe into La Terrazza
So, Silversea Cruises (tel. 877/215-9986; www.silversea.com) has this ship, the 388-passenger Silver Shadow. Very nice ship, very luxurious. This ship, she has a restaurant, the Terrace Cafe, in the stern on Deck 7. Lovely place, lots of windows, candlelight. Until just a couple weeks ago it served a succession of theme menus — Provençal one night, Mediterranean the next, etc.
Starting this month, though, the line is transforming the Terrace Café into La Terrazza, a dinner-only alternative restaurant serving an Italian menu created under the guidance of Marco Betti, owner of the award-winning Antica Posta restaurants in Florence, Italy, and Atlanta, Georgia. Dishes will reflect the Slow Food Movement, launched in Italy nineteen years ago and dedicated to preserving gastronomic traditions through the use of fresh traditional foods — no processing allowed. Expect dishes like arugula and parmigiano salad; risotto with asparagus and shrimp; grilled swordfish with Pantelleria caper pesto sauce; and grilled beef tenderloin with aromatic herb butter and sautéed baby spinach.
La Terrazza will be rolled out aboard Silver Wind in September, with Silver Cloud and Silver Whisper getting the treatment later in the year. There’s no additional charge to dine in the restaurant, but reservations are recommended. During breakfast and lunch the room will convert back into the Terrace Cafe, serving casual meals.
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