Cruise hack: 6 ways to turn a voyage on a mass-market ship into a luxury experience
Load Error
Luxury lovers have a lot of choices when it comes to cruise ships.
Nearly a half dozen so-called luxury lines such as Crystal Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea and Seabourn offer a travel experience at sea that is every bit as elegant, intimate and service-focused as what you’ll find at the top luxury hotels on land.
On Regent Seven Seas’ new Seven Seas Splendor, for instance, every cabin is a suite (with some as big as the average American home), the restaurants serve gourmet fare worthy of a Michelin star and the staff-to-passenger ratio is through the roof at nearly one-to-one.
But luxury ships, which tend to be relatively small, aren’t your only option for living large at sea.
You’ll also find a growing number of luxury experiences available on the giant mass-market ships operated by the likes of Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises — often as part of a package that’s significantly less expensive than what you’ll pay to be on a luxury ship.
Indeed, with a few “hacks,” it’s increasingly possible to turn a voyage on a big, bustling (and affordable) megaship designed for the masses into something almost akin to a luxury cruise.
This can be the perfect solution for luxury lovers who want to experience the world’s biggest floating megaresorts without giving up the luxury touches to which they are accustomed.
Just keep in mind that, even on a mass-market ship, you will pay more to live it up in high style. You just might have more flexibility in choosing the luxury experiences for which you do and don’t want to pay.
Here, six ways to turn a voyage on a mass-market ship into a luxury experience:
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Book into a private luxury enclave
On a growing number of the biggest mass-market vessels, such as Norwegian Cruise Line’s year-old Norwegian Encore, you’ll now find private “ship-within-a-ship” luxury enclaves with their own private pools, lounge areas and even restaurants.
You’ll often pay a big premium to get a room in one of these private enclaves. But the luxury perks can be well worth it.
Cruisers staying in the private luxury enclave on Norwegian Encore, known as The Haven, for instance, have access to a pre-cruise concierge who can handle all sorts of requests such as the delivery of special pillows to your room or the stocking of a particular type of chamomile tea. A pre-cruise concierge also will book your spa treatments, dining reservations and shore excursions long before you ever get on board.
The Haven passengers on Norwegian Encore also get access to a private check-in lounge upon arrival. They’re quickly whisked on board where they enjoy additional perks including butler service, special seating in theaters, priority disembarkation on port days and more.
The Haven complex itself is quite the luxury hideaway. Among its standout features is a stunning, two-deck-high lounge that overlooks the front of the vessel and offers the best views on the ship. There’s also a private restaurant where you’ll never have trouble getting a table, and a private courtyard area with its own pool, sundeck, hot tub and fitness area.
Similar The Haven complexes can be found on sister ships Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy. Several other Norwegian ships have different versions of the complexes.
You’ll also find “ship-within-a-ship” luxury enclaves on more than half of MSC Cruises ships, and Royal Caribbean recently said that its next giant ship, Wonder of the Seas, will have one, too.
The luxury complexes found on MSC Cruises ships, each of which is called the MSC Yacht Club, are located at the very top of the vessels and each come with a private lounge, pool, sunning areas and restaurant.
MSC Yacht Club accommodations also come with 24-hour butler service and a dedicated concierge.
Book a “concierge cabin”
In lieu of offering private luxury enclaves on their biggest ships, some mass-market lines offer “concierge cabins” on their vessels — cabins that come with special concierge service and, sometimes, an exclusive concierge lounge.
You’ll typically pay a premium to get into one of these rooms as compared to a similarly sized cabin that does not come with the concierge designation. But, again, this sort of premium cabin can be well worth the extra cost.
On Disney Cruise Line ships, for instance, booking a concierge cabin brings access to a concierge lounge with complimentary food and nonalcoholic beverages throughout the day; complimentary beer, wine and spirits in the evening (served by a bartender); access to an exclusive sun deck with lounge chairs via a private entrance; and a private Disney character meet-and-greet.
In addition, a concierge is on hand during the day to help make onboard dining reservations, book shore excursions and spa appointments, organize childcare services and arrange special occasions on board.
Similarly, on the two newest Oceania Cruises ships, Marina and Riviera, passengers staying in Concierge Veranda-category cabins get access to a private concierge lounge serving snacks and nonalcoholic drinks throughout the day.
In addition, a concierge is on hand during the day to help make onboard dining reservations, book shore excursions and spa appointments and answer questions about ports.
Upgrade your onboard dining
The world’s biggest mass-market cruise ships these days are loaded with an incredible range of restaurants, from cavernous, included-in-the-fare main dining rooms serving banquet-like dishes to much more intimate, high-end, extra-charge “specialty” restaurants. This offers luxury lovers a chance to upgrade their experience greatly simply by shunning the former and embracing the latter (a strategy that, of course, will cost you more).
On the biggest Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises ships, I’ll often skip the main restaurants entirely during cruises and book into a different small, extra-charge restaurant every night. This greatly changes the feel of cruising on these vessels, as dinnertime transforms from what is often a very mass-market-feeling experience to something much more alluring.
Norwegian’s newest ships offer such extra-charge options as Onda by Scarpetta, a high-end Italian restaurant from the creators of New York’s Scarpetta; and Food Republic, a casual tapas and sushi outlet created in partnership with Miami’s Pubbelly Boys.
Royal Caribbean’s biggest ships have extra-charge eateries designed by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, and MSC Cruises has restaurants created by celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi.
Reserve private deck space
One of the downsides of sailing on a big mass-market ship is that you’ll be sharing the ship’s deck-top pools, hot tubs and loungers with thousands of other passengers. But there increasingly are ways on the biggest ships to get away from the crowds — for an extra charge.
Some of Norwegian’s newest ships have exclusive, extra-charge deck-top retreats called Vibe Beach Clubs that will let you relax in the sun in style.
On Norwegian Encore, the Vibe Beach Club area spans both sides of the ship (instead of just one side on earlier vessels in the same series) and extends upward to a partial deck above. Priced at $99 per day, it’s a lovely hideaway with a full-service bar, cabanas and two hot tubs that just might make you think you’re on a small luxury ship.
If you want to upgrade even more, you can pay $278 for two to rent a cabana in Vibe Beach Club for the day.
Other big-ship lines with extra-charge upscale retreats on their top decks include Princess Cruises, which is known for its The Sanctuary zones.
On other ships, such as the Celebrity Cruises vessel Celebrity Equinox, you’ll find special private cabanas available at otherwise public top-deck venues that will give you an upgraded feel.
Make the spa your second home
One often-overlooked way to escape the masses on a mass-market ship — and get a taste of the fancy life — is to spend at least part of your days lounging in the ship’s spa.
Many of the world’s biggest cruise ships have spectacular spa zones that offer a lot more than just treatment rooms and salon services. You’ll often find huge “thermal suites” in them full of special pools, hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas and heated ceramic tile loungers.
You’ll usually get access to these thermal suites when you book a spa treatment. But, in some cases, you also can buy a day pass to these areas that are sold through the spa or the ship’s guest services desk. That means that you don’t even need to sign up for a spa treatment to spend a day escaping from the tourist hordes in your ship’s spa.
Just be warned that the number of such spa day passes available often is limited to keep the spa uncrowded, which is exactly how you want it to be if you are using it as an escape.
Note that some lines also offer access to spas to passengers who book special spa-class cabins. Celebrity Cruises, for instance, has spa-themed AquaClass cabins that come with special access to its shipboard spas.
You’ll pay a little more for an AquaClass cabin on a Celebrity ship than a similar cabin that isn’t part of the AquaClass. But, again, the extra charge can be well worth it.
Go swanky during port calls
There’s nothing that says “mass-market” quite like being stuck on a bus tour of a destination with 40-plus other fellow cruisers. But just because you’re on a mass-market ship doesn’t mean you have to sign up for a standard big-group tour.
For an extra charge — sometimes a quite hefty extra charge — many big cruise ships will arrange for you to have a private car and driver in a port to take you wherever you want to go.
In addition, many lines that operate private island destinations have been adding ever more upscale, exclusive options for passengers willing to pay up for a luxury experience.
Royal Caribbean, for instance, recently built elaborate floating cabanas at Perfect Day at CocoCay, its private island in the Bahamas. Costing as much as $1,500 per day during peak times, they come with space for up to eight people, a private attendant, an overwater hammock, a slide to the water and a shower.
The cabanas are part of a new, exclusive private corner of Perfect Day called Coco Beach Club that offers a ritzy private beach, infinity pool, upscale restaurant and al fresco bar. Passes to the Coco Beach Club start at $54 per person.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- 15 ways cruisers waste money
- 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up
- What to pack for your first cruise
Featured image courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line
SPONSORED: With states reopening, enjoying a meal from a restaurant no longer just means curbside pickup.
And when you do spend on dining, you should use a credit card that will maximize your rewards and potentially even score special discounts. Thanks to temporary card bonuses and changes due to coronavirus, you may even be able to score a meal at your favorite restaurant for free.
These are the best credit cards for dining out, taking out, and ordering in to maximize every meal purchase.
—
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: Read Full Article
