Cunard - The Queen of Them All!
OVERALL: I've traveled 4 times on the QM 2. All transatlantic cruises. For crossing the Atlantic, nothing is better. She's smooth as silk even during gale force 7 winds. The food is good to very good, and the entertainment has been fantastic on all of my voyages - Carly Simon on one cruise and James Taylor on another!
FOOD: The food is good to occasionally great, especially if you opt to go to Todd English. Todd English costs an additional $40 at dinner and $30 at lunch and boy is it worth it. The "Love letters" yummy little ravioli's are to die for. They weren't on the menu one time and my husband and I were discussing how much we missed seeing them on the menu and "voila", the waitstaff appeared with an order of Love Letters! Seems that had overheard our conversation and they told the chef who whipped up an order for us to share. Now that's service! Others may complain that the QM2 is too big to give a true luxury experience, but I've had some of the best service of my life on the Queen.
DRESS: Okay, this is one ship where you can dress to the nines. The Brits do this soooo well and on a Transatlantic voyage most folks seem to enjoy "Puttin' on the Ritz". Beads, furs, hats, you name it and someone will be wearing it. Now if you don't like to dress for dinner, no worries, there are plenty of other options available for dining. But really, if you're going to sail on the Queen, why not do it up?
FOOD: The food is good to occasionally great, especially if you opt to go to Todd English. Todd English costs an additional $40 at dinner and $30 at lunch and boy is it worth it. The "Love letters" yummy little ravioli's are to die for. They weren't on the menu one time and my husband and I were discussing how much we missed seeing them on the menu and "voila", the waitstaff appeared with an order of Love Letters! Seems that had overheard our conversation and they told the chef who whipped up an order for us to share. Now that's service! Others may complain that the QM2 is too big to give a true luxury experience, but I've had some of the best service of my life on the Queen.
DRESS: Okay, this is one ship where you can dress to the nines. The Brits do this soooo well and on a Transatlantic voyage most folks seem to enjoy "Puttin' on the Ritz". Beads, furs, hats, you name it and someone will be wearing it. Now if you don't like to dress for dinner, no worries, there are plenty of other options available for dining. But really, if you're going to sail on the Queen, why not do it up?
Silversea - Deluxe!
OVERALL: Beautiful ships, huge staterooms, fantastic cuisine, impeccable service, and all-inclusive - first class all the way!
FOOD: Fantastic. I have to say this is the best food I've had at sea. The roast chicken is perfection! The Italian specialties are divine. The service is elegant and restrained. If you love the Ritz, you'll love Silversea.
DRESS: Refined elegance. No sequins and beads. No hot-pink bow ties. If you have designer clothes, bring them. Seriously.
FOOD: Fantastic. I have to say this is the best food I've had at sea. The roast chicken is perfection! The Italian specialties are divine. The service is elegant and restrained. If you love the Ritz, you'll love Silversea.
DRESS: Refined elegance. No sequins and beads. No hot-pink bow ties. If you have designer clothes, bring them. Seriously.
Sea Dream Yacht Club - Near Perfection!
OVERALL: Pampering and lots of it. That's the order of the day when you are onboard one of the Sea Dream yachts. Okay, so they didn't remember my name every time but they did remember that I liked Mimosa's in the morning and an umbrella next to my Balinese sunbed.
All inclusive means that you never have to pay for drinks, unlike other cruise lines. In fact, it's nearly impossible to run up a tab at all. Spa treatments are about the only thing you will pay for and since we had a $200 onboard credit from our travel agent, our bill and the end of the trip was only $35!
Be sure to try and book the GTY rate when you book. No cabin assignment until 3 days before sailing, but unbeatable prices. There are no balconies on the yachts and the rooms are identical except for 2 suites that you weren't going to spring for anyway, so who cares about cabin assignments?
FOOD: The food is divine and there's plenty of variety. There are no midnight buffets, and I for one do not miss them a bit. The emphasis is on quality, not quantity.
DRESS: Dress onboard is casually elegant. Men can skip the jackets and women can lose the beaded gowns. Most passengers dress in Tommy Bahama-like gear. My husband wears linen trousers and a long sleeved button down shirt. I find that a sun dress or light-weight pants and a cute top work for me. Don't get me wrong, if you want to wear a cocktail dress go-ahead and you won't be out of place. But if you want to pack light, you can easily skip anything formal. Same thing goes for shoes. While I love me some great heels, flats or a small heel will work best.
All inclusive means that you never have to pay for drinks, unlike other cruise lines. In fact, it's nearly impossible to run up a tab at all. Spa treatments are about the only thing you will pay for and since we had a $200 onboard credit from our travel agent, our bill and the end of the trip was only $35!
Be sure to try and book the GTY rate when you book. No cabin assignment until 3 days before sailing, but unbeatable prices. There are no balconies on the yachts and the rooms are identical except for 2 suites that you weren't going to spring for anyway, so who cares about cabin assignments?
FOOD: The food is divine and there's plenty of variety. There are no midnight buffets, and I for one do not miss them a bit. The emphasis is on quality, not quantity.
DRESS: Dress onboard is casually elegant. Men can skip the jackets and women can lose the beaded gowns. Most passengers dress in Tommy Bahama-like gear. My husband wears linen trousers and a long sleeved button down shirt. I find that a sun dress or light-weight pants and a cute top work for me. Don't get me wrong, if you want to wear a cocktail dress go-ahead and you won't be out of place. But if you want to pack light, you can easily skip anything formal. Same thing goes for shoes. While I love me some great heels, flats or a small heel will work best.