ship of the year: regent seven seas cruises` seven seas mariner

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE WORLD OCEAN & CRUISE LINER SOCIETY
Vol. 34, Issue 4 - February 15, 2015
“Our 34th Year of Continuous Publication”
Single issue price $2.50
SHIP OF THE YEAR:
REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES’
SEVEN SEAS MARINER
Over three decades ago the World Ocean &
Cruise Liner Society asked our members to
complete a report card for every sailing they
completed during the year in order to help us stay
apprised on how each ship was performing
throughout the year. Acting as the eyes and ears of
the Society our members’ input helped us view the
industry, and the quality of its products, on a far
more consistant basis than we could have on our
own.
These report cards soon became the basis for
our annual “Ship of the Year” award, a term which
has been copied by many others over the years
which we consider a compliment.
As the cruise industry grew, so did our
membership and so did the pile of report cards. Yet
our formula stayed the same. The scores gathered
from our members on these report cards are
gathered and tabulated with our coveted “Ship of
the Year” award then presented to the statistical
winner. The editors and writers of Ocean & Cruise
News have no input into this award. This award is
simply based on the ratings of the cruises taken by
our members and submitted to us.
While there are many prestigious cruise awards
handed our each year, over the past 34 years our
“Ship of the Year” award remains the most unique
and prestigious in the industry. It has earned this
status because it is not a “reader’s choice” award
but instead is based on actual passengers reporting
on their personal cruise experience. This may not
sound so unique, but truth be told, many other
award surveys can be completed by anyone with an
email address or submission form and requires no
actual ship or sailing date.
For the year 2014 we received report cards on
101 different ships. Everything from small barges,
riverboats and exploration vessels to the largest
mass-market ships were all represented.
Our report cards, whether completed online or
via paper mail in cards, asks our members to rate
each cruise experience they take during a year
much like a hotel, resort or restaurant might ask you
about your experience at their establishment. We
then qualify that the respondent actually
experienced the ship by requesting specific
information, such as: the name of the ship, the
ship’s itinerary, and the length and date of the
cruise. We only include feedback from cruises
taken during the calendar year in question to ensure
that our survey reflects the most up-to-date
information and because our award is an annual
one. Our survey questions 14 key areas or
categories that make up a cruise product. Members
are asked to score each category on a scale of 1 to
5, with 1 indicating the least satisfaction and 5
indicting the greatest satisfaction.
In order to complete a report card respondents
must be a member in good standing of The World
Ocean & Cruise Liner Society. They are a very
diverse membership in age, earnings and cruise
preferences. Our 2014 member profile contains a
great deal of new members, many of which have
joined us from our Facebook page. We are very
proud to have you aboard. While many are too
recent to have participated in our 2014 survey, it
was a great pleasure to receive reports from some
of our new members.
This year, the snapshot of our average member
(Continued on page 6)
2
- PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY The World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society
P.O. Box 329 – Northport, NY 11768
Phone (866) 631-0611
Founder
Features Editor
George C. Devol
William H. Miller
Editor
Art Director
Thomas E. Cassidy
Dan J. Rico
Contributing Writers
Peter Knego
John Maxtone-Graham
Kay Showker
Pat Richardson
Shawn J. Dake
Art Sbarsky
Theodore W. Scull
Ben Lyons
Andy Hernandez
Subscription by membership
$30 Per Year in U.S. - $36 Canada & Overseas
© Copyright 1980 by World Ocean & Cruise Liner Society. All rights reserved.
No material may be reproduced without permission. Material is obtained from sources
believed to be accurate and reliable, but the publisher is not responsible for errors or
omission contained herein. Printed in the United States
Society: wocls.org • Publication: OceanCruiseNews.com
EDITORIAL
I must admit when it was suggested to me that
I needed to increase the social presence of
WOCLS I had little clue as to what they were
talking about. Since then, and with help from my
friend and member Bob Kelley the Society
launched our new Facebook page and I have been
amazed at its growth and the interaction we have
had with fans that share our love of the sea and
ships.
Both of these actions have had the added
benefit of bringing a steady stream of new
members to the Society. If you are one of these
new members we would like to say “Welcome
aboard”. We are very pleased you have chosen to
join our ranks.
With all of these new digital features, many of
these new members, as well as many of our long
time members, have chosen to become digital
members who receive their monthly Ocean &
Cruise News each month only in digital format.
While our issues in PDF format have been
available in our member section for years as a
simple PDF file, we have now producing our new
issues in a more attractive “flip book” format
If you haven’t signed into our website to see
this you should. Every member has their own
sign in. If you have never signed in you should be
able to use the portion of your email address prior
to the @ sign as your User ID and oceancruise as
a temporary password which should be changed
once you are signed in.
Should you need assistance, please email us at
[email protected]
Sincerely,
NOW ON FACEBOOK!
As I have become more proficient with the
inner workings of Facebook I have learned to
share pictures of my cruise experiences as well as
many of the cruise collectibles I have obtained
over my decades of cruising.
For more interesting stories, photos and
comments visit us on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/OceanCruiseNews
To further our social networking we have now
added a Twitter account which we will use to
share breaking news and stories with our Twitter
followers.
CONTACT US
To contact us quickly and easily please email us at:
[email protected]
3
LOOKING BACK
A look at what was making news in Ocean &
Cruise News, Five, Ten, Fifteen and Twenty
years ago.
Five Years Ago – February 2010…Celebrity
Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice is voted “Ship of the
Year”...Princess Cruises’ announces that it will build
two new ships of approximately 140,000-tons
scheduled for delivery in 2013 and 2014...NCL
announces that its 2011/12 winter/spring deployment
includes two new seasonal homeports: Tampa,
Florida and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, marking the
first time NCL has initiated voyages from these
cities.
Ten Years Ago – February 2005…Radisson
Seven Seas Cruises, now Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Seven Seas Voyager is voted “Ship of the
Year”...Holland America Line's Zaandam and
Prinsendam have been upgraded to include the line's
'Signature of Excellence' program...Carnival
announces that the new Carnival Liberty will sail the
line's first Mediterranean cruises round-trip from
Rome (Civitavecchia) followed by a transatlantic
crossing...Radisson Seven Seas announces two
voyages to Antarctica planned for 2006 aboard the
Explorer II to be operated in partnership with
Abercrombie & Kent.
Fifteen Years Ago – February 2000…Holland
America’s Rotterdam is voted “Ship of the
Year”....Princess Cruise’s signs a contract with
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the construction of
two 113,000-ton ships for delivery in July 2003 and
May 2004...Holland America orders two additional
84,000-ton ships to join their fleet in 2003 and 2004
bringing the total order to four ships...Clipper Cruise
Line's 5,750-ton Clipper Adventurer was freed from
ice in Antarctica by an Argentine Navy ice breaker
after being trapped for 24-hours.
Twenty Years Ago – February 1995… Holland
America Line’s Statendam is voted “Ship of the
Year”...Cunard Line announces that it is selling the
Cunard Princess to Mediterranean Shipping
(MSC)...Costa Cruises chooses the name Costa
Victoria for their new ship scheduled to enter service
in 1996...Carnival Corporation contracts with
Kvaerner-Mesa Yards in Finland to build two more
Fantasy Class ships.
American Queen Steamboat Company is
offering special no single supplement fares on
regular double-occupancy cruise fare (this offer
excludes cabin categories AAA and LS) on select
sailings of the American Queen and American
Empress.
American Queen sailings include: Feb. 20,
27, Mar. 6, 13, Apr. 3, 24, Jul. 4, 11, 18, 25 and
Aug. 8, 22 & 29
American Empress sailings include: Apr. 4,
11, 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, Oct. 17, 24, 31 and
Nov. 7 sailings.
This offer expires on 3/31/2015 and is only
valid on new, paid-in-full bookings. Full
payment at time of booking is required to redeem
this offer.
For information and reservations, contact the
American Queen Steamboat Company at 888749-5280, or call your travel agent. Visit us
online at www.AQSC.com to download your
2014 brochure.
Oceania Cruises has unveiled a brand new
website featuring a fresh new design, simplified
navigation, interactive deck plans and an array of
other enhancements aimed at assisting guests and
travel partners. In addition, their new website
was optimized for speed, resulting in web pages
loading much faster than the previous site.
For travel partners the new site also includes
a refreshed Travel Agent Center found at
www.OceaniaCruises.com/Agent/
For more information on Oceania Cruises,
and all of their exciting destinations, please visit
OceaniaCruises.com, call 800-531-5658 or
contact your professional travel agent.
4
Cunard and venerable jazz label Blue Note
Records are proud to announce an exciting
entertainment partnership, which will debut on
Cunard’s flagship, Queen Mary 2, on October
29, 2015.
Guests onboard will embark on a very
special Transatlantic Crossing, featuring
intimate jazz performances by the Blue Note
75th Anniversary All Star Band, Our Point of
View, formed for the label’s milestone
anniversary in 2014. The super-group
celebrates the vitality of Blue Note by looking
ahead and assembling leading young artists on
the Blue Note roster who steadfastly continue to
move jazz forward. Featuring keyboardist
Robert Glasper, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, tenor
saxophonist Marcus Strickland, guitarist Lionel
Loueke, bassist Derrick Hodge, and drummer
Kendrick Scott, the band’s repertoire draws
from each of these artists’ own remarkable
catalogs as well new spins on Blue Note
classics.
Cunard is known for offering guests unique
access to some of the most beloved musicians
and entertainers in the world, including James
Taylor, Carly Simon, and the late jazz legend
Dave Brubeck. Guests on upcoming jazz
voyages will rub shoulders with the jazz greats
of today, and be treated to a series of
unforgettable live performances in elegant
Queen Mary 2 spaces including the world class
Royal Court Theatre, with special evening
performances in the ship’s Illuminations
theatre.
For more information about these and other
historic voyages aboard Queen Mary 2, Queen
Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, or to book a
voyage, contact your professional travel agent,
or call Cunard Line at 1-800-728-6273 or visit
www.cunard.com.
Guests can now make bookings for the
summer 2016 European cruises of Holland
America Line’s newest ship, ms Koningsdam,
launching in February 2016. In addition, the
line has announced details of the ship’s 13-day
Christening Cruise, departing May 9, 2016,
from Civitavecchia, Italy, to Amsterdam, the
Netherlands. From May throughout the
summer, the ship will sail round-trip from
Amsterdam on itineraries to Norway, the Baltic,
British Isles and Iceland. The May 9
Christening Cruise will feature the ship’s
official naming celebration on May 21 in
Rotterdam, the Netherlands, followed by an
overnight at Amsterdam.
Koningsdam's Premiere Sailings in the
Mediterranean that run February through early
May 2016 opened for booking in December and
have been very popular. From its summer
homeport of Amsterdam, Koningsdam will
begin a series of seven- and 14-day cruises to
Norway that showcase the country’s stunning
scenery and dramatic fjords.
In August, the ship sails a British Isles and
Iceland itinerary that features three calls in
Iceland and visits to ports in England, Scotland
and Norway. On two 14-day itineraries in June
and September, guests can embark on a journey
to the Baltic and visit historical and cultural
sites in Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Russia,
Finland and Sweden. The ship’s fall and winter
itineraries will be announced in the coming
months.
For more information about ms Koningsdam
and the rest of the Holland America fleet please
consult a professional travel agent, call 1-877SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or visit Holland
America online at www.hollandamerica.com
5
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has unveiled its
2016 summer and fall cruise collection,
featuring more than 60 destination-rich
itineraries, three Grand Voyages with visits to
eleven new ports not previously visited by the
luxury line.
Seven Seas Explorer, the most luxurious
ship ever built, will set sail on its maiden
voyage and inaugural season as part of the
summer 2016 schedule. The line’s four all-suite
luxury ships will chart diverse courses, offering
unforgettable travel experiences to her
passengers
while
exploring
coveted
destinations across the world.
The fleet will visit iconic and exotic cities in
the Mediterranean and Northern Europe; travel
through the majestic landscapes of Alaska, New
England and Canada; and discover the
mysterious lands of Asia.
In total, the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet
will visit 220 ports in 71 different countries
with its summer and fall collection, including
several overnight stays in the world’s most
sought-after destinations.
For more specific details on Regent Seven
Seas’ 2016 Summer and Fall Collection, or for
general information about Regent Seven Seas
Cruises, guests can visit Regent Seven Seas
Cruises’ online
at
RSSC.com,
call
1.844.4REGENT (1.844.473.4368), or contact a
professional travel agent.
Guests will be able to book these exciting
new cruises starting at 8:30am EST on February
11, 2015.
Seabourn has unveiled its 2016 Europe
cruise season, featuring more than 60
departures and 100 destinations aboard the
line's three intimate, award-winning ships,
Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn and
Seabourn Quest. Ranging from seven to 22
days in length, the cruises will feature many
beautiful destinations and desirable locations
along the stunning coastlines of the French,
Spanish and Italian Rivieras, the picturesque
Greek Isles and scenic Norwegian fjords.
Seabourn's 2016 Europe season will include
stops at a number of ports that are home to
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These
itineraries will offer optional World Heritage
Tours to visit these historic sites, as well as
special Discovery Tours, featuring exclusive
enhanced content developed in cooperation
with UNESCO World Heritage site managers
and tour experts.
The three ships garnered rave reviews and
acclaim as "game changers" for the luxury
cruise segment when they entered service
beginning with Seabourn Odyssey in 2009, and
followed by Seabourn Sojourn in 2010 and
Seabourn Quest in 2011. The ships offer key
elements that set the line apart: spacious,
thoughtfully appointed suites, most with
verandas; superb dining in a choice of venues;
open bars throughout the ship; fine wines
poured at lunch and dinner; award-winning
personalized service and a relaxed, sociable
atmosphere. At 32,000 tons and carrying just
458 guests each, the ships provide one of the
highest ratios of space per guest in the industry
and unmatched levels of personalized service
from nearly one staff member per guest.
For information or reservations about
Seabourn's 2016 Europe season, contact a
professional travel advisor, call Seabourn at 1-
6
(Continued from page 1)
member looks something like this. Our average
member has sailed on an average of 27 cruises in
their lifetime, and takes 2.6 cruises a year. Some of
our members have reached far greater milestones
with our top cruiser reporting a lifetime experience
of over 200 cruises.
Most members report at least two favorite
cruise lines and many report three or four
favorite ships. Surprising, their favorites are very
diverse. It is not unusual to find a member who
lists a long history of mass-market 7-day trips
who also displays a history of upscale longer
voyages. When projected over our total
membership it is clear to see that our members
are all cruise experts of a sort and their annual
cruise purchasing power represents tens of
thousands of annual berths and tens of millions
of dollars in annual cruise revenue.
In reading these survey results your first
reaction might be to place the most emphasis on
the ships with the highest scores, the fact is that
our survey clearly shows that there are a number
of ships, in all price ranges, that deliver an
exceptionally high level of overall passenger
satisfaction. In fact, in many cases the difference
between the top five or ten finishers is based on
a fraction of a point. The results are just that
close!
Please keep in mind that our scoring system
is based on a scale of from 1 to 5. We believe that
a middle score of 3 should be regarded as
“performed as expected” meaning the cruise line
delivered the wonderful experience the
passenger left home expecting. A score of 4
(better than expected) or 5 (excellent) shows that
the line clearly has succeeded in providing the
highest level of personal satisfaction to their
guests. When you begin to plan which ship to sail
on next, keep in mind that all ships have their
strong points and weak points, and what is
important is that you find those which best match
your own personal preferences. Not all cruise
guests place emphasis on Bar Service, and many
members having sailed the same Caribbean
itinerary so many times it is no longer a deciding
factor in their cruise purchase. They consider the
ship itself their destination.
Please do not assume that if your favorite
ship is not listed, that it did not make the grade.
In order to properly balance the survey, we are
required to limit the ships included within the
survey to those with a minimum number of
reports. Some years, based purely on the report
cards received, some very wonderful ships are
omitted because they did not have enough report
cards submitted for them to be fairly included.
While some vessels may not be included in our
final tallies, all report cards received are equally
appreciated as they give us a valuable insight
into each ship’s performance and are invaluable
in answering our members’ questions about
which ship might be best for them, or how a ship
is performing week to week.
In determining the Grand Winner category,
all categories except for three, are given equal
weight. Because of their much greater
importance, and because they have the most
influence on passenger satisfaction, the
categories of FOOD, DINING SERVICE and
OVERALL are given additional weighting. Our
“Ship of the Year” is determined by the ship
receiving the highest score in the Grand Winner
category. It is quite possible for a particular ship
to place well in a number of categories, but fail
to place as well in the Grand Winner category.
This can result when the ship has markedly lower
scores in one or two categories which, in turn,
lowers the overall score when all are averaged.
We hope you enjoy this year’s “Ship of the
Year” survey results as much as we did
compiling them. We thoroughly enjoy reading
about your cruise experiences while we tally
each report card and use this knowledge to be
more observant when we sail aboard a vessel
your reported on. We appreciate the time you
invest in filling our each card and forwarding
them to us and hope you find the recent ability to
submit them online as handy as we do. It offers
both a quick, easy and cost saving method to
report your cruises, while saving us the task of
having to transcribe your paper cards into the
computer. We greatly appreciate the large
increase this year in online submissions.
Now for the results of this year’s “Ship of the
Year” survey. They are as follows:
7
ITINERARY – The itinerary category in our Ship
of the Year award remains the most challenging for
the cruise lines. The massive size of many of
today’s largest ships limit the ports into which they
can dock, while the number of passengers on board,
even when disembarked quickly and efficiently can
at times overwhelm a port and thus spoil a
magnificent experience. As many World Ocean &
Cruise Liner Society members will attest, a visit to
a Caribbean or Alaskan port on a day when one ship
is in, is a vastly different experience than visiting
the same port when multiple ships or a new megaliner is in port. Whether ports of call are exotic or
standard, the secret to success for an itinerary is
determined by the proper planning of the cruise
line. The line must not only plan their time of
arrival and departure at the ports, but also be keenly
aware of what the other lines and ships are
scheduled to visit so as to not over burden the port
to a point where it weakens the experience they
offer their passengers. The line’s choice of shore
excursions and/or operators, the convenience of the
port to the main attractions and even the time of the
year all factor into how the line’s passengers
ultimately rate their itinerary. This year Holland
America Line’s Prinsendam, the “Elegant
Explorer” placed first in this category. Scores for
the 20 top ships in this category ranged from 4.79
to 4.11. The top 20 ships in this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Prinsendam
Queen Victoria
Seven Seas Mariner
American Queen
Crystal Serenity
Seven Seas Voyager
Seabourn Quest
Oceania Marina
Queen Mary 2
Crystal Symphony
Rotterdam
Queen Elizabeth
Noordam
Oceania Riviera
Oceania Regatta
Windsurf
Nieuw Amsterdam
Seven Seas Navigator
Maasdam
American Empress
FOOD – From the beginning of the cruise industry
food has somehow always been one of the first
things that come to a person’s mind when they
thought or cruising. In the early days the endless
supply of gourmet foods, midnight buffets and
room service all painted a picture of the pampering
and luxuries a passenger would find aboard a
cruise. Over time, food became synonymous with
cruising.
Today, the category of “Food” is still one of the
most important factors of a cruise in the eyes of the
guest and therefore the lines invest extremely
heavily in this area. At no time in history has your
average cruise passenger had the number of
amazing dining options they have today onboard a
cruise. Because of the added importance of this
category it carries twice the importance of most of
the other categories when we compute our Grand
Winner positions. Food is always subject to ones’
personal tastes, but, in addition to each person’s
taste, other points that reflect on overall satisfaction
in the food category include: variety of foods
offered; visual presentation; temperature and the
number choices that you had for each course. Other
factors that influence people’s scoring of the food
category include the capability of the ship’s staff to
provide alternative foods such as vegetarian, lowfat, low sodium and kosher plus its willingness and
ability to offer substitutes if there is nothing to
ones’ liking on the menu. When personally scoring
this category, it is important that you keep in mind
it is based upon what you like and not what others
might be saying about the food. This year top
honors in this category go to Regent Seven Seas
Cruises’ Seven Seas Mariner Scores of the top 20
ships ranged from 4.83 to 4.09. The top 20 ships in
this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Seven Seas Mariner
Crystal Symphony
Oceania Riviera
Seven Seas Voyager
Seabourn Quest
Oceania Marina
American Empress
Crystal Serenity
Nieuw Amsterdam
Eurodam
Queen Victoria
Seven Seas Navigator
8
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
American Queen
Seabourn Sojourn
Rotterdam
Oceania Regatta
Queen Mary 2
Celebrity Silhouette
Norwegian Breakaway
Regal Princess
ALTERNATIVE DINING (Breakfast & Lunch) –
Alternative dining experiences on cruise ships have
grown significantly in importance over the years as
fewer people choose to have their breakfast and/or
lunch in the main dining room. The days when
everyone followed the same routine and ate all of
their meals in the ship’s main dining room are past.
Today, cruise passengers have so many activities
available to them onboard, they require a broader
array of dining options to allow them to enjoy all the
ship has to offer. In measuring the level of
satisfaction in this category, key areas that influence
scoring include the facilities for offering these
meals, whether items are prepared in that location or
prepared somewhere else on the ship and only kept
warm in the serving area. Are there ample serving
lines? Are the selections as extensive as in the
dining room? Are they replenished in a timely
manner? Is there ample seating? Does the
alternative area suggest a sense of quality and style,
or does it instill more of a feeling of a mall food
court or fast food restaurant? This year’s winner in
this category is Regent Seven Seas’ Seven Seas
Mariner followed closely by her fleet-mate Seven
Seas Voyager Scores of the top 20 ships ranged
from 4.81 to 4.01. The top 20 ships in this category
are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Seven Seas Mariner
Seven Seas Voyager
Seabourn Quest
Oceania Riviera
Crystal Symphony
Oceania Marina
Nieuw Amsterdam
Royal Princess
Crystal Serenity
Oceania Regatta
Queen Victoria
Eurodam
Queen Elizabeth
Seven Seas Navigator
15
16
17
18
19
20
Allure of the Seas
Celebrity Silhouette
Regal Princess
Queen Mary 2
American Queen
Rotterdam
ALTERNATE DINING (Dinner) – Year’s ago
dinner aboard most cruise ships was enjoyed in
one, maybe two, main dining rooms with either a
single, open, or dual seating. Menu’s were
constructed to offer something for everyone while
the presentation and quality propelled the cruise
industry into one known for amazing cuisine.
Today, the industry has taken dinner-time aboard
ship to an all new level with their expansive
alternative dining options. Alternative dining for
the evening can be either a casually relaxed option,
a more upscale, almost supper club like setting, or
simply a specialty restaurant. In many instances
some of the alternative options require reservations
and additional cost. In all cases guests are asked to
rate whether their choices met their expectations in
quality, number of menu selections and quality of
service. If reservations were required was it easy to
book a table? Did the restaurant offer an
atmosphere that was quiet and unrushed? Was there
an extra fee to dine there and if so, was it a good
value? This year’s winner in this category is
Oceania Cruises’ Riviera. Scores of the top 20 ships
ranged from 4.77 to 4.21. The top 20 ships in this
category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Oceania Riviera
Crystal Symphony
Seven Seas Mariner
Crystal Serenity
Celebrity Silhouette
Seven Seas Voyager
Oceania Marina
Seabourn Quest
American Empress
Queen Victoria
Oceania Regatta
Seven Seas Navigator
Nieuw Amsterdam
Rotterdam
Norwegian Breakaway
Queen Mary 2
Eurodam
Regal Princess
9
19 Noordam
20 Queen Elizabeth
ENTERTAINMENT – Probably one of the
greatest challenges aboard any ship is how to keep
passengers entertained on a daily and nightly basis.
As ships have grown larger more venues have
become available for daytime and evening events
This category covers entertainment inside and out.
but does not include shipboard activities. It includes
outdoor music and entertainment, lectures onboard
and the evening shows and venues. The main
criteria in scoring for this category is simply “Did
you enjoy the entertainment? Winning in this
category is Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2. Scores of
the top 20 ships ranged from 4.81 to 4.21. The top
20 ships in this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Queen Mary 2
Crystal Symphony
Queen Victoria
Queen Elizabeth
American Queen
Crystal Serenity
Royal Princess
Seven Seas Mariner
Nieuw Amsterdam
Norwegian Breakaway
Seabourn Quest
Oceania Riviera
Seven Seas Voyager
Regal Princess
Eurodam
American Empress
Seven Seas Navigator
Noordam
Celebrity Silhouette
Rotterdam
STATEROOM COMFORT – The standard
stateroom on most of today’s ships is a far cry from
those of yesteryear. Many are much larger than
their predecessors and all offer a wide range of
standard amenities. Most newer ships feature a
majority of verandas staterooms. Your overall
satisfaction with your stateroom is dependent on
many factors including; the layout of the room, the
amenities offered, the amount of storage space for
the itinerary you have chosen, the décor of the
room, the general upkeep, and even the level
soundproofing from outside noises. Even such
basic things as the quality of the mattress and size
of the towels in the bathroom can influence your
thinking. A room should have a proper balance of
furniture to floor space to allow for ease of moving
about the room. One of the comments we often hear
in this category is when a ship built for Caribbean
cruising is moved to longer cooler destinations and
unfortunately falls short on storage space. This
year’s winner in this category is Regent Seven Seas
Cruises Seven Seas Mariner . Scores of the top 20
ships ranged from 4.91 to 4.22. The top 20 ships in
this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Seven Seas Mariner
Oceania Marina
Seabourn Quest
Crystal Symphony
Seven Seas Voyager
Seabourn Sojourn
Oceania Riviera
Queen Mary 2
Seven Seas Navigator
Nieuw Amsterdam
Crystal Serenity
Noordam
Celebrity Silhouette
Queen Victoria
Oceania Regatta
Queen Elizabeth
Eurodam
American Empress
Royal Princess
Prinsendam
APPEARANCE: - The scoring in this category is
influenced by a number of factors such as; the
physical “eye-appeal” of the ship, the décor, the
arrangement of the public spaces and whether the
facilities of the ship are adequate in size for the
number of passengers on-board. Perhaps most
important, whether the ship has all the features that
you believe contribute to the overall enjoyment of a
cruise. Maintenance of the ship is another
important aspect that can influence our opinion on
appearance. This year’s winner in this category is
Cunard Lines Queen Victoria. Scores of the top 20
ships ranged from 4.79 to 4.04. The top 20 ships in
this category are:
1 Queen Victoria
2 Nieuw Amsterdam
10
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Seven Seas Mariner
Seven Seas Voyager
Queen Mary 2
Oceania Riviera
Queen Elizabeth
Seabourn Quest
Crystal Serenity
American Queen
Crystal Symphony
Oceania Marina
Royal Princess
Eurodam
Regal Princess
Seven Seas Navigator
American Empress
Norwegian Breakaway
Rotterdam
Oceania Regatta
HOUSEKEEPING SERVICES – This is one
area passengers want all ships to have high scores
in. If a ship is neat, clean and in order in a
passenger’s view, then chances are that behind the
scenes the ship will also have the same degree of
cleanliness. The category of housekeeping covers
two basic areas of the ship; the staterooms and the
public areas. If there is one unanimous demand
from all passengers it is that a ship must be
sparkling clean at all times. The real mark, which is
noticeable on some ships, is the ability for some
ships to always look clean and proper even though
you rarely see people doing the cleaning. This
year’s winner in this category is once again Holland
America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam. Scores of the
top 20 ships ranged from 4.88 to 4.16. The top 20
ships in this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Nieuw Amsterdam
Crystal Serenity
Eurodam
Crystal Symphony
Seabourn Quest
Oceania Riviera
Seven Seas Mariner
Seven Seas Voyager
Oceania Marina
Noordam
Rotterdam
American Empress
Queen Elizabeth
American Queen
15
16
17
18
19
20
Queen Victoria
Seven Seas Navigator
Queen Mary 2
Oceania Regatta
Prinsendam
Royal Princess
DINING ROOM SERVICE – This category is
the second of our “key” categories which carry a
higher degree of importance when we compute the
average for our Grand Winner position. This
category is not a judgment that ranks the ship
according to overall elegance and style, but rather
how well a ship is able to deliver the basics
according to the expectations of passengers.
Regardless of the price point of a ship or sailing
passengers expect; ample staff to ensure that there
are no long delays in serving, an attentive staff to
quickly respond to any requests they might have,
the ability of the staff to communicate and to
explain the different foods, their ingredients and
preparation, the ability to remember your order and
preferences, the staff’s etiquette and service and
the general attitude and the friendliness of the
dining staff. This included not only the
performance of you waiter and busboy but also
your experience with other dining room personnel,
such as the head waiter, wine steward and maitre’d.
This year’s winner in this category is Crystal
Cruise’s Crystal Symphony. Scores of the top 20
ships ranged from 4.79 to 4.15. The top 20 ships in
this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Crystal Symphony
Seven Seas Mariner
Oceania Riviera
Seabourn Quest
Seven Seas Voyager
Oceania Marina
Queen Victoria
Crystal Serenity
Nieuw Amsterdam
Queen Mary 2
American Queen
Celebrity Silhouette
Noordam
Rotterdam
Oceania Regatta
Queen Elizabeth
Seven Seas Navigator
American Empress
11
19 Royal Princess
20 Prinsendam
BAR – This category is a reflection of the service,
quality and value that you felt that you received
from the ship’s bars and their personnel. The
category includes any beverage that is served at the
ships bars, in the lounges or on the pool and deck
areas. It is not restricted to just alcoholic drinks.
Some of the basics that result in a high level of
satisfaction include prompt and efficient service,
overall quality, proper presentation and the
friendliness of the staff who serve you. With bar
prices continually increasing onboard ship it is very
important that with that added cost you feel the
level of service you received was in line with the
price for that drink. This year’s winner in this
category is Regent Seven Seas Cruise’s Seven Seas
Voyager. Scores of the top 20 ships ranged from
4.89 to 4.05. The top 20 ships in this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Seven Seas Voyager
Crystal Symphony
Seabourn Quest
Royal Princess
Seven Seas Mariner
Crystal Serenity
Oceania Marina
Nieuw Amsterdam
Queen Victoria
Oceania Riviera
Seven Seas Navigator
Queen Mary 2
Norwegian Breakaway
Eurodam
Oceania Regatta
Regal Princess
Queen Elizabeth
Celebrity Silhouette
Noordam
American Queen
SHIP ACTIVITIES – In addition to the items
which fall under our ENTERTAINMENT category,
there is a wide variety of other activities available
on-board. There are; movies in theatres or “Under
the Stars”, in-stateroom television programming,
jogging tracks, rock climbing walls and possibly
group activities such as dance lessons and yoga
plus many types of sport activities. The key to the
ship delivering a high degree of satisfaction in this
category is to present a well-balanced program of
activities that appeal to the different passenger ages
and tastes. In order to do this, the range of activities
must be varied and would include activities such as
organized “fun” activities, lectures, bridge
tournaments, port talks, and enrichment lectures.
Also to be considered is whether any features and
activities offered are the type that really appeals to
you, or whether they are just activities that might
tempt you to spend more money on the ship. A
simple way to determine that is to ask yourself if
you were not on a cruise ship, would the activity be
a type that you would participate in at home. This
year’s winner in this category is Cunard Line’s
Queen Victoria Scores of the top 20 ships ranged
from 4.66 to 3.76. The top 20 ships in this category
are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Queen Victoria
Crystal Symphony
Queen Elizabeth
Royal Princess
Crystal Serenity
Seven Seas Mariner
Queen Mary 2
American Queen
Seven Seas Voyager
Nieuw Amsterdam
American Empress
Seabourn Quest
Noordam
Norwegian Breakaway
Oceania Marina
Norwegian Getaway
Oceania Riviera
Regal Princess
Eurodam
Seven Seas Navigator
SPA & GYM FACILITIES – Once an
afterthought in hotels and aboard ship, an
increasing number of people consider these
facilities as a deciding factor in choosing a vacation
so that they may continue the exercise regime they
do at home while away. Others might choose to use
the excitement and the facilities available on the
cruise as the starting point to a healthier lifestyle.
Some things to consider in this category include the
physical layout of the area, the type and age of the
equipment, the quality of supervision or training,
and the availability of the equipment at the time you
12
want to use it. Spa treatments are also growing
rapidly in popularity. Many new ships devote large
areas of premium space to create lavish spa
facilities. A key point in judging a ship’s spa
treatments is whether you were allowed to
completely enjoy the treatment, or did it become
more of a session to sell you high-priced products.
This year’s winner in this category is Princess
Cruises’ Royal Princess Scores of the top 20 ships
ranged from 4.57 to 4.01. The top 20 ships in this
category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Royal Princess
Queen Mary 2
Queen Victoria
Crystal Serenity
Celebrity Silhouette
Seabourn Quest
Seven Seas Voyager
Regal Princess
Nieuw Amsterdam
Seven Seas Mariner
Oceania Marina
Queen Elizabeth
Crystal Symphony
Eurodam
Noordam
Oasis of the Seas
Celebrity Equinox
Norwegian Breakaway
Oceania Riviera
Norwegian Getaway
SHORE EXCURSIONS – Shore excursions are
one of the most difficult items for a cruise line to
control. The reason for this is pretty simple. Just
about everything that occurs during a cruise
happens in the controlled contained environment of
the ship, while these tours are generally run by
independent contractors and occur outside of that
controlled environment. An important aspect of the
Shore Excursion office is that they are
knowledgeable about the area and the tours they are
selling, and that they are upfront about the quality of
the tours and have a steady line of communication
with the operator. Some of the points influencing
your satisfaction include; did you spend most of
your time riding in a vehicle getting to or from the
main part of the tour? Was there enough time to see
the main points that sold you on the tour, or were
you hurried through the main parts so that there was
more time for shopping? Additional considerations
include the service aspects of the ship’s Shore
Excursion office – how easy was it to book the
tours, either on-board or prior to embarkation, and
how easy was it to cancel a tour and get a refund?
This year American Queen Steamboat Company’s
American Queen placed first in this category. Scores
of the top 20 ships ranged from 4.72 to 3.79. The top
20 ships in this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
American Queen
Queen Elizabeth
Crystal Symphony
Seven Seas Mariner
Crystal Serenity
Prinsendam
American Empress
Seven Seas Voyager
Seabourn Quest
Nieuw Amsterdam
Queen Victoria
Eurodam
Oceania Riviera
Seven Seas Navigator
Queen Mary 2
Oceania Marina
Noordam
Carnival Freedom
Rotterdam
Oceania Regatta
OVERALL – This category is a general
summation of your cruise experience and is not an
averaging of the categories you were previously
asked to grade. The purpose of this category is to
give balance to those particular categories that are
more important to you. In other words, while it’s
possible that you didn’t enjoy some aspects of the
cruise, the ones you didn’t enjoy might not have
adversely affected your overall enjoyment of the
cruise. By the same token, areas that are important
to you may have delivered such a wonderful
experience that you felt this was one of your
favorite cruises. It also allows for you to grade all
the intangibles that do not fit within our survey
categories but are so important in judging the
quality of the overall experience. We have all seen
news stories of less than perfect cruises where
passengers praise the crew or certain positives they
remember. Here is your chance to reward that extra
smile or assistance with a grade.
13
Our ‘Overall” category asks the all important
question; “How well did you enjoy your overall
cruise experience?” Because of this, it carries triple
weighting in averaging all the category scores to
determine our “Grand Winner” .
This year’s top ship in the category of “Overall”
is Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Mariner.
Scores of the top 20 ships ranged from 4.83 to 4.02.
The top 20 ships in this category are:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Seven Seas Mariner
Crystal Symphony
Oceania Riviera
Seabourn Quest
Seven Seas Voyager
Crystal Serenity
Nieuw Amsterdam
Oceania Marina
American Queen
Queen Mary 2
Royal Princess
Queen Victoria
Norwegian Breakaway
Queen Elizabeth
Oceania Regatta
Seven Seas Navigator
Noordam
Eurodam
Regal Princess
Celebrity Silhouette
GRAND WINNER – Our Grand Winner category
is not one of the categories we ask our readers to
grade, nor do we have any input into. The Grand
Winner category is simply the statistical averaging
of the thirteen categories, plus Overall that our
members graded on the Cruise Report Card forms,
taking into account the extra weighting given to
three categories, Food, Dining Service and Overall.
The ship receiving the highest average score for all
thirteen categories is awarded our “Ship of the
Year” honor.
In order for a ship to become our “Ship of the
Year” it takes an exceptional consistency of high
marks in each of the categories, because very often
the difference between the “top” and the “middle of
the pack” is decided by mere fractions of a point. A
ship need not place first in each category, but
usually must place within the top five or ten, in at
least most of the weighted categories in order to
win.
It is important to keep in mind that our “Ship of
the Year” award is based on passenger satisfaction
and is not the type of qualitative judgment which is
often the basis for other surveys or guidebooks.
Because it is a measure of satisfaction rather than a
cooperative or qualitative judgment, any ship in
any category has an equal chance to place high in
our survey.
Each cruise line promotes its ships in its own
way and to a particular segment of the population.
Passenger’s satisfaction is the pure assessment of
what an individual expected against what he
received. Other surveys and guides that judge ships
on a qualitative basis do not measure the individual
aspects of the cruises that are so important to
overall passenger satisfaction.
The “Grand Winner” and our 2015 “Ship of the
Year” honor is awarded to Regent Seven Seas
Mariner voted “Ship of the Year” by our members
for delivering the highest degree of overall
satisfaction to them during the 2014 cruise season.
Our congratulations to Regent Seven Seas
Cruises and the crew of the Seven Seas Mariner for
delivering the consistently highest degree of
passenger satisfaction to our members.
As you will see from the following results of
our “Grand Winner” category, this year’s survey
was extremely close. Here are the top 20 ships that
our readers judged as the ones that gave them the
highest degree of passenger satisfaction in 2014.
They are listed in order along with the averaged
scores that each achieved.
1. Seven Seas Mariner .............................4.8291
2. Oceania Riviera....................................4.7911
3. Crystal Symphony.................................4.7187
4. Seven Seas Voyager..............................4.6999
5. Seabourn Quest....................................4.6874
6. Queen Victoria......................................4.6121
7. Crystal Serenity.....................................4.5929
8. Nieuw Amsterdam................................4.5913
9. Oceania Marina...................................4.5167
10. American Queen.................................4.4962
14
11. Queen Mary 2.....................................4.4149
12. Eurodam.............................................4.3883
13. Queen Elizabeth.................................4.3331
14. Royal Princess...................................4.2764
15. Norwegian Breakaway.......................4.2266
16. Seven Seas Navigator.........................4.2111
17. Noordam.............................................4.1997
18. Rotterdam...........................................4.1877
19. Oceania Regatta.................................4.1722
20. Celebrity Silhouette............................4.1444
CONCLUSION - Each year when we look at
the individual tallies by category while tabulating
this survey, We often find ourselves asking “How
did a four star mass-market ship outscore a 5 or 6Star ship in this category”? It is then that we
remind ourselves of the true uniqueness of our
“Ship of the Year” survey. Every person departs for
their cruise with their own expectation as to what
lies ahead. Not every cruiser wants ultra-luxury and
some may feel more comfortable in a less than
ultra-luxury environment.
When a cruise line plans their product, part of
that process is to choose a target audience they wish
to attract. Once they have chosen their audience
they can determine what the expectations of that
audience will be and then set their sight on
developing a product that will attract them and
surpass their expectations. If they do, they are a
success. The overall success of the cruise industry,
proves that the executive teams leading today’s
cruise lines are very well in-tune with the
expectations of their target audience. The constant
improvements they offer to their on-board product
as they introduce new ships, is a direct result of
their success and the subsequent need to
continually raise the bar to stay ahead of guests
expectations.
While our survey is designed to look at the
performance of an individual ship, the data it
provides paints an interesting picture of the cruise
industry as a whole. In viewing this data there are a
remarkable number of ships, lines and cruises
where members rates their overall experience
consistently a 4 or better. This is a remarkable
achievement for the cruise industry as a whole. It
indicates that the lines are in most cases meeting,
and often exceeding. the expectations of their
guests. While there are lower scores which suggest
room for improvement, or at least more
“Ship of the Year” - Seven Seas Mariner
15
WORLD OCEAN & CRUISE
LINER SOCIETY
PAST “SHIP OF THE YEAR” WINNERS
Oceania Riviera...............................2014
Seven Seas Voyager.........................2013
Oceania Marina.................................2012
Nieuw Amsterdam ..............................2011
Celebrity Solstice...............................2010
Seven Seas Voyager ..........................2009
Crystal Serenity ................................2008
Seven Seas Voyager ..........................2007
Rotterdam VI .....................................2006
Seven Seas Voyager ..........................2005
Crystal Symphony ..............................2004
Seven Seas Mariner ...........................2003
Amsterdam .........................................2002
Crystal Symphony .............................2001
Rotterdam VI .....................................2000
Rotterdam VI......................................1999
Veendam ............................................1998
Crystal Harmony ...............................1997
Ryndam ..............................................1996
Statendam ..........................................1995
Rotterdam V .......................................1994
Noordam ............................................1993
Song of America.................................1992
Song of America.................................1991
Song of Norway .................................1990
Sagafjord ............................................1989
Nordic Prince.....................................1988
Royal Viking Sky ................................1987
Song of Norway .................................1986
Song of America.................................1985
Sagafjord ............................................1984
Sagafjord ...........................................1983
Sun Viking .........................................1982
consistency, in some areas on some ships, the overall
picture painted of today’s cruise industry is extremely
positive.
We hope our members will continue to share their
valuable insight with us as they set sail in 2015. For
members that have internet access and have already
cruised in 2015, you may begin filling out your 2015
report cards in the member’s area of our website at
www.wocls.org. We look forward to receiving your
report cards and hearing about all of your 2015 cruise
experiences in the months to come.
EURODAM PERFECT SCORE
On a recent surprise United States Public Health
inspection conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, ms Eurodam became the first
ship in Holland America Line’s history to achieve
eight consecutive perfect scores of 100. The ship was
inspected February 1 at Port Everglades in Fort
Lauderdale at the start of a seven-day Caribbean
cruise.
ACL ANNOUNCES NEW BOATS
American Cruise Lines has announced plans for
the construction of a new fleet of modern riverboats.
The concept for the new riverboats will differ from
that of the line’s existing paddle-wheelers and coastal
ships by offering a more contemporary approach to
their design.
Modern exteriors and spacious, elegant interiors
are planned. The new riverboats will feature open
deck plans to allow for maximum exposure of natural
light and unobstructed viewing for guests. Glassenclosed lounges with panoramic views, spacious,
well-appointed staterooms with large, furnished
balconies, and a variety of outdoor public spaces are
planned.
Additional details on the line’s future expansion,
including new designs and artists’ renderings of the
new riverboats, and newly-introduced itineraries in
additional regions of the U.S., will be announced in
Don’t delay. Start submitting your report
cards on your 2015 voyages today online at the coming months.
http://www.wocls.org
(Based on previous years voyages)
16
MONTHLY NOTES AND COMMENTS
The world’s most luxurious ship is already
surpassing expectations, as Regent Seven Seas
Cruises reported both single-day and first week
record bookings for the line’s new flagship Seven
Seas Explorer. The ship went on sale exclusively
to members of the line’s loyalty program, the
Seven Seas Society, on January 19 and
reservations made that day surpassed the line’s
previous single-day revenue record by nearly three
times
Seabourn has unveiled the names of its two
new ships. Announcing Seabourn Encore and
Seabourn Ovation, the first will launch in late 2016
and the second in spring 2018. The Seabourn
Encore and Seabourn Ovation will build on the
success of the Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn
Sojourn and Seabourn Quest.
The Carnival Vista will embark on its
inaugural cruise from Europe which will be a 13day voyage departing Trieste, Italy, May 1 and
arriving Barcelona on May 14, 2016. The voyage
is the first of 18 European departures from
Barcelona and Athens through October 21, 2016,
that will feature a number of new ports for
Carnival, including Crete (Heraklion), and Corfu,
Greece; Valletta, Malta; Palermo, Sicily; Cagliari,
Sardinia; and Gibraltar. Carnival Vista’s inaugural
European season will conclude with a 13-day
transatlantic crossing departing Barcelona October
21 and arriving New York November 3, 2016,
calling at Gibraltar, Ponta Delgada, and Bermuda
(overnight call), followed by a series of voyages
from the Big Apple.
A rare facsimile of one of the most important
documents in English history, the Magna Carta,
will be going on display onboard Cunard’s flagship
liner, Queen Mary 2 and sister ship Queen Victoria
between May and September 2015, as the ‘Great
Charter’ sealed by King John in 1215 celebrates its
800th anniversary year. Robert Key, Chairman of
the Salisbury Cathedral 2015 Magna Carta 800th
Anniversary Board, and a Member of the National
Magna Carta 800th Committee will be escorting
the copy of Salisbury’s Magna Carta during
crossings aboard Queen Mary 2 on 10-17 May
2015 and 4-11 September 2015, and aboard Queen
Victoria’s cruise on 22-28 May 2015. Robert will
hold two talks on each voyage about the legacy of
the Magna Carta, and the profound effect it had in
shaping the world as we know it today.
With 39 cruises throughout Canada and New
England in 2015, Holland America Line offers an
extensive array of cruises in the region that range
from seven to 15 days on the ms Eurodam, ms
Maasdam or ms Veendam. Scheduled May through
October, the cruises depart from Boston, Mass.;
Montréal and Québec City, Quebec, Canada; Fort
Lauderdale; and New York City.
All cruises of Deutschland, the luxury market
vessel operated by Peter Deilmann Reederei in
Germany, have been cancelled as the administrator
of the operator and the vessel’s owner has not been
able to conclude a sale of the vessel. The shore
based staff of Peter Deilmann will be laid off or
dismissed, while the 22,496 gross ton ship that was
built in 1998 will continue to maintain a 50 strong
staff on board to secure the vessel. Both the ship's
operator and a separate company that owns it filed
for bankruptcy at the start of the year.
Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and the
third Oasis-class ship will soon have a new sister to
welcome to the Oasis class family. This month
marked the steel cutting for a fourth Oasis ship,
scheduled to be delivered in 2018. The steel
cutting, marking the official start of construction,
took place at the STX France shipyard in SaintNazaire, France, where the third Oasis-class ship
also is being built.
Starting in March, passengers onboard
Norwegian Cruise Line will have to pay a little bit
more for the daily service charge, which the line is
raising by 95 cents for most cabin categories.
Previously $12 per person, per day, the new charge
will be $12.95 per person, per day in all cabin
categories up to and including a mini suite. Suite
guests, who receive the services of a concierge and
butler, will be charged $14.95 per person, per day
in gratuities. The new charges are effective
beginning with sailings departing on or after
March 1, 2015.