LETTERS
STAR LETTER STAR LETTER
THE EUROPA EFFECT Dear WoC
My family and I have recently returned from our second cruise aboard Hapag-Lloyd’s MS Europa and I thought your readers might be interested to read a brief summary of our contrasting experiences. Europa was, of course, awarded ‘Best Cruise Ship in the World’ for the 11th time by the Berlitz Guide to Cruising, so our expectations were naturally high. First, the similarities. Both were port intensive “family cruises” with an added classical music theme. Captain Akkermann was in command, spoke excellent English and made us most welcome. He maximised the itineraries with occasional overnight stays in port.
IN THE WAKE OF THE BOUNTY Dear WoC
In 2008, I took a cruise in the South Pacific, from Tahiti to Valparaiso. The ports of call included such far-flung places as Bora Bora, Easter Island and ‘Robinson Crusoe’ Island. But, for me, the most remote and most intriguing was Pitcairn Island. Like many, I had read all about the Mutiny on the Bounty and had been enthralled by the film starring Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian and Trevor Howard as Captain Bligh. I had also read ‘Coconut Chaos,’ an interesting account of life on the island by Diana Souhami. I was disappointed it wasn’t possible to dock and go
ashore, but we anchored offshore and watched excitedly as the islanders rowed across. They brought with them their locally-made products and set up a market in the lounge. The mayor, Tom Christian, gave a lecture on the history of the island and the visit concluded with a concert of traditional songs beneath the setting sun.
I chatted with a lovely young woman, Jacqui Christian (all the islanders are descendants of the original mutineers from 1789, by the way, so they share a few surnames between them). Jacqui and I kept in touch but, as their current shipping service is only four times a year (
www.visitpitcairn. pn), it hasn’t been possible for me to re-visit. However, Jacqui has now arranged a deal with experienced Australian skipper Tony Mowbray to run a fortnightly service with his ocean- going yacht Commitment, giving the opportunity to spend 10 days on Pitcairn and I would strongly urge World of Cruising visitors to check it out online at
www.pitcairntravel.pn. To create a future for Pitcairn, they need tourism. It is such a beautiful place with a unique culture, and it will be sad to see it die if they can’t achieve this. I look forward to returning, and seeing it for myself in the future. Trudi-Joy Levy, via email
Europa’s size meant we could even dock just minutes from St Mark’s Square in Venice. Europa is very spacious with open seating dining and all-suite accommodation. Cuisine is top notch and service very good, though not seamless. Nice touches included a complimentary in suite e-mail address, mini-bar, baby- listening video phone (a first for us on cruises), fresh flowers and a welcoming post-cruise lounge, to name but a few. Now for the differences. Our first cruise was ‘bilingual,’ even though we were the only English-speaking guests. The atmosphere was most congenial. Our fellow guests were unfailingly polite. Sadly, on our second cruise, the ambience could not have been more different. Some of our fellow guests were arrogant and did their best to make us feel inferior. The professional crew compensated for this but it still proved impossible to obtain a reservation for the speciality Italian restaurant. In summary, Europa is still a very good product, but standards seem to be on the decline. My advice to British passengers wishing to sample the ship would be to opt for a Bilingual cruise. This should ensure good diplomatic relations with your fellow German guests. Colin Bell, Scotland
8 WORLD OF CRUISING I Winter 2010 / 2011
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