Holland American Lines, and its crew of mainly
Dutch officers, provide every comfort with
some wonderfully “old-fashioned” touches like
the nostalgia of teak deck chairs with blankets
against the cold on promenade decks.
By contrast, Royal Caribbean Lines, sets
out and achieves what might be imagined
impossible. They have reinvented the cruise
experience with ships that are closer to theme
parks and shopping malls than they are to
sailing vessels. We were spellbound by the
ice shows on board one of their ships, The
Explorer of the Seas, on a North Africa and
Canary Islands itinerary which included stops
at Madeira, The Canary Islands, Morocco and
two Spanish ports including the famous La
Coruna from which to explore the pilgrim’s
church of Santiago de Compostela.
t
graphed a
o
t
o
h
p
l
ia
Le Lyr
Ponant's
Bay.
Richard's
For sun and sea a Caribbean itinerary is tops.
One of the best wildlife experiences to date
was while sailing the Western Caribbean on
a Royal Caribbean ship, The Brilliance of the
Seas. Stingray City, on a sandbank off Grand
Cayman Island, is where you can swim with
and feed Manta Rays. You are in the open sea
and the rays are free to come and go as they
like. They are naturally inquisitive and will, if
you let them, swim beneath your legs and up
against you.
Ponant is an exquisite French luxury yacht
cruise line. You may have just a total of 250
guests on board compared to the 2500 and
more on larger ships. The experience is style
personified and the cuisine is not unlike dining
Royal Caribbea
n has its own
Caribbean
Island, Laba
dee near Hait
i.
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
Visit the Hermitage in St Peters
burg while on
a Royal Caribbean Lines Baltic
Cruise.
eas?
on the high s
e
il
h
w
ow
h
s
e
Fancy an ic aribbean obliges.
oy
R al C
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