Saga Rose Greenland Voyager August 2007

[franu]

[QUOTE]Have you made any decisions about your next cruise line after [I]Marco Polo[/I] changed hands, or do you think you might try her under the new owner?
[/QUOTE]
I was not finding anything that appealed to me so I was taking it slowly and awaiting my behemoth cruise. Now with Doug's post #1820, my world is changing.

[QUOTE][I]On another note[/I], I think many on this thread will be interested to see [URL="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=15184572"]this[/URL] if you haven't yet![/QUOTE]

Yes Ruby, I am looking forward to cruising on the new Orient Lines. I have been in touch with many MP friends and gathering e-mail addresses of former MP crew members so that they may be contacted by the new owners. I also encouraged them to sign up for the e-mail mailing list. This feels right for me so I will try it before I shop elsewhere .

From the sounds of it they intend to have more than one ship and this will enable them to cover more area, hopefully to areas of interest to me. I would love to do a southeast Asia cruise but I believe that it will take time.

In the meantime I am completing my body tune-up so that I will be more than ready. I am also planning to participate in the great Canadian sport, Cross-Border Shopping. I do it legally and declare it all but it is worth it and exhilarating too.
Fran

[Saga Ruby]

[quote name='Druke I']Did I tell you about the time, on SS Constitution in heavy Pacific seas, when the grand piano broke loose from the "guy wires", came off the stage, and went through the plate glass doors of the casino? (Of course,the doors shattered!)[/quote]

Michael, that is quite a story about the grand piano. I never thought to extend damage consideration to a piano getting loose! I don't understand about "guy wires." What is the normal procedure for securing an item as large and dangerous as a grand piano?

[quote name='franu']Yes Ruby, I am looking forward to cruising on the new Orient Lines. I have been in touch with many MP friends and gathering e-mail addresses of former MP crew members so that they may be contacted by the new owners. I also encouraged them to sign up for the e-mail mailing list. This feels right for me so I will try it before I shop elsewhere.

In the meantime I am completing my body tune-up so that I will be more than ready. I am also planning to participate in the great Canadian sport, Cross-Border Shopping. I do it legally and declare it all but it is worth it and exhilarating too. Fran[/quote]

After your 50,000-mile overhaul is complete, I hope you will find the perfect cruise on [I]Marco [/I]Polo to enjoy.

You have me laughing about Cross-Border shopping. I didn't realize that Canadians had perfected that sport. Back in the day, when my parents' best friends, a doctor and his wife from Mexico City, came up to visit us, they would go on huge shopping sprees in Fort Worth and, particularly, San Antonio. I secretly admired them because I knew the peso/dollar exchange was strongly against their country's currency. My, how times have changed.

About the currency exchanges - that is why I like traveling in Asia and the Middle East nowadays. Our dollar is still much sought-after in those countries.

Ruby

[Druke I]

The "guy wires" were designed to hold the piano in place. The pitching and rolling of the ship was too much for them, they snapped, and the piano moved!

Aside from shattering the doors, the piano also knocked over several slot machine (fruit machines to our British friends).

I don't recall any injuries caused by the piano - no one was in its path. There were of course injuries from people who fell during the rolling and picthing.

That ship was old enough that the dining room tables had lips on them, that could be put up in rough seas, in an often futile attempt to keep the plates from sliding off the table.

A very enjoyable trip (San Francisco to Honolulu via Los Angeles), even if we did encounter heavy seas.

[franu]

[QUOTE]I hope you will find the perfect cruise on [I]Marco [/I]Polo to enjoy.
[/QUOTE]
Sorry to correct you but it will not be the Marco Polo, but stranger things have happened, At this point we have a number of guesses as to which ship it will be. Hopefully it won't be long before we know.
Fran

[Saga Ruby]

[quote name='franu']Sorry to correct you but it will not be the Marco Polo, but stranger things have happened, At this point we have a number of guesses as to which ship it will be. Hopefully it won't be long before we know. Fran[/quote]

I went off wandering, making assumptions. To me, the "new" Orient Line meant that you might be returning to [I]Marco Polo. [/I]Keep us apprised of your choice of possibilities. It sounds like you and your friends are gathering together a nice group of passengers and staff. Perhaps one of these days you will enjoy a cruise to southeast Asia. Fingers crossed.

Ruby

[dougnewmanatsea]

It would be great to see MARCO POLO back with Orient Lines but as she has just started a five-year charter, that is not too likely... Especially as the company chartering her is about to go from three ships to two (including her).

If I had to guess, I would say Orient Lines' first ship will be COSTA MARINA.

[Saga Ruby]

Okay, now I get it. Orient Lines will return but [I]Marco Polo [/I]stays with Transocean. Whew!

Ruby

[dougnewmanatsea]

[quote name='Saga Ruby']Okay, now I get it. Orient Lines will return but [I]Marco Polo [/I]stays with Transocean. Whew![/quote]Exactly. Orient Lines ≠ MARCO POLO, necessarily, though Orient and MP are strongly associated with each other since MP was with Orient for its entire history until now.

Orient Lines also had CROWN ODYSSEY (now BALMORAL) for a while, and chartered... Er... A Greek ship for Greek Isles cruises, but I can't remember which at the moment!

[i]Edit: I'm thinking the Greek ship was OCEAN MAJESTY, but I'm not positive.[/i]

[franu]

[QUOTE][I]Edit: I'm thinking the Greek ship was OCEAN MAJESTY, but I'm not positive.[/I] [/QUOTE]

Yes! You are correct. The following is a direct quote from Sealetter.

"In August they announced that [I][B]Marco Polo[/B][/I] would concentrate on the Western Med in summer 1997, but that they would maintain their market presence in Greece by chartering in the Greek-flagged [I][B]M/V Ocean Majesty[/B][/I] (500 passengers) from May through October 1997."
Fran

[Druke I]

I failed to notice and comment yesterday that this thread now exceeds
2,000 posts.

Outstanding!

[dougnewmanatsea]

[quote name='franu']"In August they announced that [I][B]Marco Polo[/B][/I] would concentrate on the Western Med in summer 1997, but that they would maintain their market presence in Greece by chartering in the Greek-flagged [I][B]M/V Ocean Majesty[/B][/I] (500 passengers) from May through October 1997."[/quote]The real reason for this was that the Greek unions were not very happy about MARCO POLO operating from Piraeus to Greek ports. Traditionally the Greek unions, shipowners and state worked together to keep out foreign competition.

Somehow Orient Lines managed to get around the then-strict Greek cabotage laws, but the unions would not have it and picketed her when she called in Piraeus. My grandparents took a cruise from Istanbul to Piraeus in MARCO POLO in 1995 or 1996 and this was their experience.

Today the Greek cabotage laws have had to be harmonized with EU law, which means they can't discriminate against any EU-flag ships. Portugal maintains a low-tax register in Madeira, which is part of the EU, and it has become a very popular EU flag of convenience, used by a lot of Greek shipowners.

[Saga Ruby]

I was reading your extensive ships' list and was hoping that I could hold a candle to your voyages and cruises. And Eureka! I have actually sailed on [I]Cunard Countess[/I]! Huzzah! And you still have time to try that beautiful[I] Saga Ruby[/I].

I am fascinated by the names [I]Danau Prinzessin[/I] and [I]Sardegna[/I]. Do you have any personal experiences to pass along about these experiences? I freely confess that I have never heard of these ships.

I'm sure Doug could give us chapter and verse about "history of," but personal experiences can lend Technicolor to black-and-white statistics.

Ruby

[dougnewmanatsea]

DONAUPRINZESSIN was Peter Deilmann's first river cruise ship. She was sold a couple of years ago. I have no idea where she is now. In the US she was marketed as DANUBE PRINCESS.

I don't know what SARDEGNA is, other than that it means "Sardinia" in Italian.

[Saga Ruby]

You are probably so busy with your research materials that you must not have realized that my query was addressed directly to Conte. As I said, I was looking for his personal experiences on those ships.

Ruby

[Conte Di Savoia]

[quote name='Saga Ruby']
I am fascinated by the names [I]Danau Prinzessin[/I] and [I]Sardegna[/I]. Do you have any personal experiences to pass along about these experiences? I freely confess that I have never heard of these ships.

Ruby[/QUOTE]

Back in 1997 we decided to take a Danube River cruise and selected Peter Deilmann's [i]Danau Prinzessen[/i] and were not disappointed. It is a very leisurely form of travel through a spectacularly beautiful part of the world. We left from Passau, Germany and were suppose to get as far as Budapest by boat, however, we chose a year when there was biblical flooding of the Danube. We quickly left Passau as the water was creeping into the streets and threatening to carry our boat into the town square. When we reached Vienna, the boat could go no further because it simply couldn't sail under the bridges between the Austrian capital and Budapest. The Deilmann people, however, performed outstandingly. The line arranged at their own expense to bus us to Budapest from Vienna and put us up in a hotel, all at their expense to ensure that we would not miss one of the trip's highlights. The only port we missed out on was Bratislava. The ship itself was comfortable and served as an art gallery for Peter Deilmann's own art collection. The crowd was international, sophisticated and well-traveled. The cabins were small and the beds quite narrow. One couldn't roll over in them so much as just wiggle from side to side. By the way, Deilmann also sails a cruise ship, [i]Deutschland[/i] which is done in ersatz Edwardian style. It is very traditional in layout and small in size. The crowd is mostly, but not exclusively German and always gets high marks. It is a ship I would like to travel on some day. Small ship lovers, take note.
[i]Sicilia[/i] and [i]Sardegna[/i] were ships of Tirrenia Line, part of the Finmare group, the government-owned group responsible for the Italian Line, Adriatica and Lloyd Triestino. They provided ferry services around the Med. These two ships were built around 1953. They actually had three classes. We had used them to travel between mainland Italy and Sardinia and Sicily. They were actually lovely little (5400 ton) vessels. I remember elegant white glove service in the dining room but there were also sleeperette seats for those who didn't want a cabin for the overnight trip. I also remember the cabin steward loudly pounding on the cabin door in the morning rousing us with the cry of "Porto!" when we arrived at our destination. See [url=http://www.timetableimages.com/maritime/images/tirreni.htm] here [/url] for some pictures of this class of Tirrenia ships. They had that look typical of Italian passenger ships of the 1950's and 1960's. Tirrenia is still in existence and provides Mediterranean services on modern vessels.

[dougnewmanatsea]

[quote name='Saga Ruby']You are probably so busy with your research materials that you must not have realized that my query was addressed directly to Conte. As I said, I was looking for his personal experiences on those ships.[/quote]I didn't have any research materials out.

This is a public discussion forum. If you wish to carry on a private conversation, you might consider doing it privately.

[Saga Ruby]

[quote name='Conte Di Savoia'] . . . however, we chose a year when there was biblical flooding of the Danube. We quickly left Passau as the water was creeping into the streets and threatening to carry our boat into the town square. When we reached Vienna, the boat could go no further because it simply couldn't sail under the bridges between the Austrian capital and Budapest. [/quote]

Well, that's one way to see a city - a float-in!

I am struck by the difference in cruise line services. On other forums, there are many posts that talk about "drive-bys" of ports that have been cancelled with no reason stated. The standard excuse, security reasons, were not named and the mass market lines refused to respond to inquiries about the drive-by. One would assume that the cancelled port has to be a matter of money. I know that cruise ships leave ports at, say, 11:59pm, to avoid paying port taxes for the next day.

The fine reaction of Deilmann to assist their passengers in enjoying "a trip highlight" is impressive. And who knew that Peter D has his own art collection? Unfortunately, the concept of "wiggle room" in a "bed" is not appealing to me. Hmmmm, should I brush up on my nonexistent German?

[B]Michael[/B][I] -[/I] have you sailed on a Deilmann cruise? You have quite a long list of cruises on your own side of the street.

Ruby

[Druke I]

No, we have not yet sailed with Deillman - perhaps in the future.

Our only river cruise to date was with Grand Circle Travel, Budapest to Constanta, on the Danube, 7 nights. We did enjoy it very much - but certainly a much different experience than ocean cruising.

By-the-by, did you see the new "sticky" on the Oceania Forum page? Finally, some details on Oceania's new builds - but alas no deck plans yet.

I understand (from the radio) that you have been having some very hot weather down in your area.

[Saga Ruby]

[quote name='Druke I']By-the-by, did you see the new "sticky" on the Oceania Forum page? Finally, some details on Oceania's new builds - but alas no deck plans yet. I understand (from the radio) that you have been having some very hot weather down in your area.[/quote]

I missed the sticky on Oceania about the newbuilds; thanks, I'll follow thru. Tell me something - how will we resolve the "shower curtain adhering to wet skin" problem? Do you think FDR and his compadres have fixed that most annoying problem?

Hot weather in North Texas? The portals of hell, more likely. We used to think of this weather as an "Arizona summer" where those poor folks suffered and we just cussed. A friend of mine in Phoenix mentioned that most office buildings in that city have underground parking because no one can sit down on their car seats or touch the steering wheel in a car parked in an open lot. Unfortunately, North Texas is now at that point - 107* records each day. For our British friends, that is around 43*C.

Ross makes the excellent point that Texans are now like Up East with their snow - you have to stay in the house to survive. Everyone here is concerned about our electric bills but our greater fear is hearing silence from the a/c compressor.

Ruby

[dougnewmanatsea]

[quote name='Druke I']By-the-by, did you see the new "sticky" on the Oceania Forum page? Finally, some details on Oceania's new builds - but alas no deck plans yet.[/quote]The new ships will have a layout similar to the existing ones. Of course, the ships are much bigger and there will be lots of new features but the basic "shape" is the similar.

Essentially, all the favorites from the current ships are going to be there, along with new features and a lot more space all around.

[quote name='Saga Ruby']Tell me something - how will we resolve the "shower curtain adhering to wet skin" problem? Do you think FDR and his compadres have fixed that most annoying problem?[/quote]The standard bathrooms will have a shower stall with a glass door, and a separate tub. See [url=http://maritimematters.blogspot.com/2008/07/insignia-venice-to-barcelona-blog-part.html]here[/url] for mock-up photos... You can just make out the shower door in the standard bathroom photo.

The tub would be of no use to me but I do much prefer shower doors to shower curtains. I have been on some ships where the shower is large enough that the curtain doesn't intrude but I have also been in plenty of showers where the curtain and I have become very intimate.

When QE2's bathrooms were renovated in the 1990s the shower curtains were replaced with doors in the shower-only bathrooms, something I really appreciate especially as those are [i]tiny[/i] showers.

This past January my shower door did not move as smoothly as it normally would. Evidently something really was wrong as on a particularly rough day I returned to find it had fallen off! (These are not sliding doors, they are on a sort of scissors-type mechanism and have a gasket around them to keep the steam from the shower from escaping into the bathroom.) The cabin steward had it repaired before I could even ask him but it was rather amusing.

The oddest shower I have ever been in was at the Sheraton in Paris-CDG 2. This was built in, I guess, the 1990s and must have been very high-tech when new but certain elements got a dated very quickly, as faddish things often do. The bathroom was an enormous marble-lined space (I think I've had cabins on ships that are smaller) with a tub and a separate shower. This was round and had a very complicated two-part glass door that, as it was no longer new, leaked a bit. The shower itself was raised maybe six inches off the floor of the bathroom and it faced the mirrored wall above the vanity. The result is that one walked into the shower, switched on the tap, turned around and was immediately confronted with a full-length view of one's nude self. I have never watched myself showering before and frankly it was rather uncomfortable - I was very happy when the glass enclosure got steamed up after a minute!

[Saga Ruby]

What did you think about [I]Marina[/I]? Regardless of space ratio per passenger, I ain't interested in 65,000gt.

Ruby

[Druke I]

I think 65,000GRT is a very handy size. Small enough to fit through the current locks of the Panama Canal, which certainly increases flexibility of itineraries, and in many cases flexibility in docking areas, in contrast to post-panamax ships.

I still am interested in seeing deck plans. The artist's renderings lead me to believe that there will not be a full promenade on the "boat deck", but an abbreviated area much like that on Deck 5 of Nautica. Too bad - I do like full promenade decks.

The descriptions of the cabins on the Cruise Critic "sticky" do make the cabins and bathrooms sound better than the current Oceania ships, and you know I am a fan of Oceania.

Perhaps I am naive, but I think Frank Del Rio and his team are savvy enough to correct some of the perceived shortcomings of the R-class ships.

I'm looking forward to seeing the new ships, and perhaps sailing on one of them, depending on itinerary, etc.

[dougnewmanatsea]

[quote name='Druke I']I still am interested in seeing deck plans. The artist's renderings lead me to believe that there will not be a full promenade on the "boat deck", but an abbreviated area much like that on Deck 5 of Nautica. Too bad - I do like full promenade decks.[/quote]I agree. This is one thing I would have liked to see but I never really held out much hope for it, to be honest. I do not think it is really an effective use of space these days as most people just do not use these areas on most ships with lots of balconies.

[quote name='Druke I']The descriptions of the cabins on the Cruise Critic "sticky" do make the cabins and bathrooms sound better than the current Oceania ships, and you know I am a fan of Oceania.[/quote]They will be [i]way[/i] better. The number one complaint with the current ships is small cabins and bathrooms. Especially the bathrooms, which are really rather poor. I think this will be the most notable difference.

The standard balcony cabin on the new ships will be similar in size and features to a "penthouse" (which is really an over-the-top name for what is just a largish cabin) on the current ships, and the bathroom will be [i]better[/i].

The standard cabins will be the best ever on a "premium" cruise ship and better than what was expected of a "luxury" ship quite recently. Indeed, they will arguably be better than the cabins on CRYSTAL SERENITY.

[Saga Ruby]

[quote name='Druke I']I think 65,000GRT is a very handy size. Small enough to fit through the current locks of the Panama Canal, which certainly increases flexibility of itineraries, and in many cases flexibility in docking areas, in contrast to post-panamax ships.

The descriptions of the cabins on the Cruise Critic "sticky" do make the cabins and bathrooms sound better than the current Oceania ships, and you know I am a fan of Oceania.

Perhaps I am naive, but I think Frank Del Rio and his team are savvy enough to correct some of the perceived shortcomings of the R-class ships.[/quote]

What other ships the size of the Oceania newbuilds have you sailed on? There is a point of ship size where I require rollerblades to get from bow to stern and, on Celebrity Constellation which is about 92,000gt, I felt it was too large for me. If you go to Promenade Deck to read a book and forget something, it is quite a stroll to go downstairs and retrieve it.

I agree with you that FDR is a true maritime executive, open to input from his clients and a fair man. I would not accuse RCI or Carnival of those traits.

Ruby

[Conte Di Savoia]

HAL's [i]Rotterdam[/i] has returned to Rotterdam after her multimillion dollar refurbishment. [url=http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb213/Maasdam1993/tn_100_0745.jpg]This [/url] picture has appeared on another website. She looks glorious in her original livery.