BRITISH ENTERTAINMENT
Look for the onboard choice to include classic stage shows, distinctly British comedians and the occasional well- known performer from UK TV or theatre. Sports activities will be geared towards football, shuffleboard and darts, plus cribbage and bridge in the Card Room.
EUROPEAN
AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT
As big and glamorous as it gets, usually with a lot of live music around the ships and with high-powered song-and-dance shows in the main theatre each evening. The cirque-style acts have also become a prominent part of the acts for some lines, like celebrity and NCL. Don’t expect the comedians to be people you have seen on UK TV (unless they are imported TV shows!), but they will often be big names in places like Las Vegas and New York. Sports will revolve around basketball, volleyball and golf, and sports bar will show American sports almost exclusively.
ENTERTAINMENT CUISINE
While the likes of P&O have a distinctly international flavour to a lot of what they serve these days, you can still expect British staples like roast beef, Yorkshire pud, traditional vegetables and a hearty steamed sponge and custard. A good curry is never far away, but the advent of alternative dining options on the newer ships provides a much wider choice, including from the likes of celebrity chefs like Jamie Martin and Marco Pierre White.
With the language barrier (there may be upwards of four nationalities on some cruises), the main evening shows tend to be more homogenous in style, with more emphasis on the visuals and music than on dialogue. You can expect the staging to be dramatic and glamorous, though. The larger ships of Costa and MSC also offer plenty of variety.
CUISINE
Definitely a continental touch, with an Italian flair on the likes of Costa and MSC, French on Ponant Cruises, German-influenced food on board Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Norwegian on the expedition-style Hurtigruten.
CURRENCY
All these lines will use the Euro as their onboard coin for shore excursions, purchases, salon, etc. However, Costa and MSC both switch to the US dollar when sailing round-trip from American ports, while Hurtigruten use the Norwegian krone at all times.
OTHER CURRENCY
Everything on board will be firmly in pounds sterling (and with less of the higher ‘resort’ pricing on many American lines).
OTHER
Expect a slightly more traditional approach, even if the hardware is brand new. Deck games and activities are a touch more sedate; afternoon tea is still a staple; and there is likely to be a proper library and promenade deck.
CRUISE LINES
Cruise & Maritime Voyages, P&O Cruises, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Swan Hellenic, Thomson Cruises, Hebridean Island Cruises, Voyages of Discovery, Voyages to Antiquity.
Expect far more cultural variety on European-based ships, from the service to the ambience. Italian lines are far more casual (and loud!) than most, while German lines tend to be more formal and reserved. All should provide English-speaking staff, though, and strive to group English-speaking guests together at dinner.
CRUISE LINES
Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises (Italy); Hapag-Lloyd and Sea Cloud Cruises (Germany); Ponant Cruises (France); Hurtigruten (Norway); Louis Cruises (Greece); Classic International Cruises (Portugal). NB: Other lines like AIDA Cruises and Phoenix Reisen (Germany), and Pullmantur and Iberocruceros (Spain) cater almost exclusively to their domestic markets. Swedish-owned Star Clippers use the euro as their onboard currency but otherwise are more American in style.
CURRENCY Exclusively the US dollar.
OTHER
The big American lines have driven the cruise market in the past 30 years, even to the extent of the big Carnival Corporation buying up our own Cunard and P&O, while Royal Caribbean acquired the Greek-based Celebrity Cruises. Most of the big-ship developments have come from the US, while they are increasingly more informal and family-orientated.
CRUISE LINES
Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, NCL, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Windstar Cruises.
Next time: we look at the claims for ‘luxury’ cruising and reveal what REALLY makes a deluxe cruise – and who offers them.
Autumn 2011 I WORLD OF CRUISING 93 CUISINE
There used to be an almost universal blandness about American cruise cuisine of the 1980s and 90s but the use of celebrity chefs, more international influences, and the need to cater to ‘foreign’ markets (mainly the UK) mean there have been dramatic improvements in the overall standards of the main dining room offerings in the past 10 years. It may still be heavily steak and seafood-based, but there is always plenty to enjoy and portions are rarely small! And the variety of venues on offer with lines like NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and even Carnival is extremely impressive.
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