A Tale of Two Cruises: From Canada to Cozumel, One Family's Adventure On Two Very Different Ships
by Teresa Thompson

I love to travel—anytime, anywhere—but I’ve never been a big fan of cruising. It all began when my parents took me on my first cruise during my senior year of college. My whole family was going, a short five day jaunt to the beautiful island of Bermuda, leaving from the New York Pier. A half an hour from New York, I discovered it. I suffered from mal de mer, yes, seasickness. So severe I couldn’t even walk. For four days, nothing could stop the dizziness, the nausea, the headache. I grew to hate the constant movement of the boat, the waves, and the sea in general. “Oooh, I just love the way the boat rocks me to sleep at night,” cooed my cousin, “I feel like a baby in a cradle.” I wanted to kill her. When we finally docked in Bermuda, I kissed the ground.

So, what on earth would make me want to cruise again? Well…that was sixteen years ago, and although I had never cruised again, I did keep my finger at the pulse of the cruise industry. In that time, like everything else, newer, larger and more technologically advanced ships have been built. These “floating cities” now come with very adept stabilizers that enable them to sail smoother than ever before.

For my re-entry into the cruising field, I chose to go with Carnival, the biggest and also one the least expensive cruise lines out there today. With 21 “fun ships” in their fleet, they must be doing something right. So, off we went:  myself, my husband, our two children (ages 6 and 3), and several members of our extended family. We are a multi-aged, diversified group, and that’s what Carnival does best—a cruise for all people. We took four cabins total, all on deck seven and all mid-ship. If you’re prone to seasickness, your best bet is to be on a lower deck with your cabin as close to the middle of the ship as possible. Reasoning: think about how a teeter-totter works—the most stable position is the middle, same rings true for a cruise ship.

Our Summer 2005 itinerary would be a five day/four night excursion from New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Perfect. I needed to test out my newfound courage on the high seas with a short cruise. The ship I had chosen was the 102,000-ton Carnival Triumph, one of the largest ships at sea today. Bigger is better when it comes to motion, I figured. For the last bit of good measure, I went to Rite Aid and purchased Sea-Bands. These little scientific wonders are elastic bands that you strategically place on your wrists to prevent motion sickness. We’ll see.

At first look, the Carnival Triumph is a very nice ship. Although it’s seven years old, she is still in good shape. When we arrive at the terminal, our 2,750 other shipmates are there as well, all ready to check-in at the same time. It’s a long, lengthy, sweaty event, but obviously, it takes that long to process all these people, half of whom are children. The minute we board and arrive in the ship’s atrium, I feel like I’ve entered a whole new world. The seven story atrium is huge, glitzy, and very Vegas-like. With tons of lighting and neon, you can tell Carnival wants to overwhelm at first sight. When we arrive at our cabins, they are surprisingly spacious. As compared with cabins on other mass-market cruise lines, Carnival has more square footage than most. That’s good if you’re sharing a room with four people, as we are.

After checking out our cabins, we quickly change and go up to where the main action is—the pool deck. There are thousands of people here—sunning in lounge chairs, swimming in the pool, sliding down the corkscrew-shaped water slide, dancing to the band, and generally enjoying themselves before we set sail. I try to find a lounge chair to sit in while my husband and kids are in the pool, but to no avail. I quickly realize that this will probably be a constant theme throughout our cruise—so many people, so little space. Not that the ship is small, it’s not. It’s just that, there are only so many places 2,750 people (plus a crew of about 1100) can be.

The ship is moving, and so far, I’m OK. Can these hokey Sea-Bands really be working? We all dress and go to dinner. We are assigned to eat at 8:00pm in the Paris Dining Room in the aft (rear) portion of the ship, as opposed to the London Dining Room, which is located in the forward section. The Carnival Triumph’s “theme” (and all their ships have one) is based on cities of the world. Hence, everything on the ship is named accordingly. We are seated at a nicely set table, and given menus, which look very appealing. In addition, our servers are really friendly, and are willing to put up with the antics of the four children seated at our table. There are choices for appetizer, which include items like chilled strawberry soup or shrimp cocktail, then choice of salad, and entrees such as filet of beef, sweet and sour roast duck or grilled tilapia. They have several children’s selections and, good thing for my husband, numerous vegetarian options. On the Captain’s night, one of the ship’s “formal” nights, we were served lobster and Baked Alaska, and one other evening I had the greatest Grand Mariner Soufflé for dessert. Pretty fancy for an economy cruise line. Overall, I found all the food to be quite good. Even the Room Service, which is available 24 hours, so if you want cookies and milk or a sandwich or burrito at 4am, no problem! And, we all loved the self-serve ice cream machines on the pool deck. As with all cruises, food was readily accessible everywhere, day or night.

On almost all cruise lines, after dinner, there is a show, of some sort. On the Carnival Triumph, one of the big stage productions was “Wonderful World”, which featured live music and dancers in elaborate costume. If you don’t want to go to the show, you can go to the casino, or the dance club or the sports bar or the library, or, heaven forbid, back to your room to sleep! There is an abundance of nightlife, that’s for sure.

There was always something to do on the Carnival Triumph, as I soon found out. Every night, a newsletter was placed on our neatly turned-down bed, next to our towel animal, which was lovingly made for us by our cabin stewardess. This newsletter, called the “Carnival Caper”, listed all the activities one could partake in on the following day. Here’s a partial list: Balloon Bingo, Perfume Seminar, Champagne Art Auction, Hairy Chest Contest, Body Cycling Class, Slot Tournament, Funship Survivor, just to name a few, and I do mean a few. There were literally four or five activities every hour on the hour all day and night long! My mother, aunt and uncle, tried to attend as many activities as possible, but they eventually pooped out and needed a nap by 3pm. Sitting in the sun and reading (my preferred activity while on vacation) was not on the list. I guess that seems a little boring to the Carnival people.   

In addition to all the scheduled activities, the Triumph has a great fitness center, spa and best of all, a children’s club, called Camp Carnival. By day two, all of the ship’s children were corralled together at Camp Carnival. It’s absolutely free, the kids love it, and it gives us parents some well-deserved “quiet time.” The Camp Counselors are all college students (many pursuing early education degrees, I learned), and the children are broken up into age groups, with age-appropriate activities provided. On one day, our children came back wearing Carnival T-shirts that they had “painted”. I was surprised, because the very same T-shirt my son was wearing cost $20.00 in the ship’s gift shop. Go figure! You can send your children to Camp Carnival for an hour or for the entire day, it’s up to you.

By the time we arrived in Halifax on day three of the cruise, I realized I didn’t have to kiss the ground when I disembarked. I was so thrilled! Somehow, miraculously, the Sea-Bands had worked. I will admit, I did feel the motion of the boat at some points, but I was not nauseous, nor did I have any headaches. My aunt, who is also prone to seasickness, was wearing them too, and she reported similar results. Maybe I can go on another cruise! Yes, I can do this! 

We spent an entire fun-filled day in Halifax, Canada, exploring the city and visiting the Titanic Museum, before heading home to New York. Plain and simple, the Carnival Cruise was fun. We all had a great time, and that’s because Carnival has that niche with families. We were a multi-generational group and everyone always found something they wanted to do. The ship’s staff are a hardworking crew, and service was always friendly and polite. Yes, the ship was crowded, and it isn’t always relaxing fighting for a deck chair by the pool or having to wait in a long line for the buffet, but I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for”. The cruise, overall, didn’t cost us a fortune. We paid, for a family of four, in a balcony cabin about $1500. And you can do it much cheaper than that. Balcony cabins are at a premium, you can save a bundle by staying in an inside or oceanview cabin. Our cost included all meals and activities (except shore excursions), but did not include any beverages (except for the water, juices, lemonade, iced-tea, coffee and teas with your meals). If you drink alcohol, definitely budget that into your vacation cost. Tips are not included on Carnival, and they will directly bill them to your “Sign and Sail” account, so familiarize yourself with tipping policies before you board.

After my Carnival experience, and my newfound “sea legs”, I decided it was time to garner one more cruise experience, this time on a luxury cruise ship, something spectacular, and so I got to work researching my next destination.

Five months later, armed with my Sea-Bands, I am stepping onto another, very different, cruise ship, without my children. I decide that my husband and myself need to enjoy a different level of cruising, and on this next ship, children are virtually nonexistent. Through my research, I am now entering another realm of cruising—the luxury cruise. I’ve discovered there are two different segments of the cruise industry—the first being the “mass market”, which are cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess, that cater to, well, the mass market. Their ships are generally larger, with many more passengers. The second class of cruising contains what I’ve come to call the “Big Four”, the luxury cruise lines of Silversea, Seabourn, Radisson Seven Seas and Crystal. These ships tend to be smaller and carry less passengers. They are also very expensive, this won’t be a $1500 cruise, that’s for sure.

I’m a little scared when I book a six day/five night itinerary on the Seven Seas Voyager, part of the Radisson Seven Seas cruise line. The ship is only 49,000 tons—half the size of the Carnival Triumph. Would a smaller ship mean more motion, more seasickness? I guess I would find out.

The Voyager is an all-suite, all-balcony ship, so every cabin (they call them “suites” on this ship) is going to be above-average. I decide to go “all-out” and book a Penthouse Suite, larger than the norm, which comes with Butler Service. Our itinerary will take us from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico, then onto Key West and back. Perfect for a pre-holiday, December vacation!

We fly to Fort Lauderdale on Jet Blue, my new favorite airline. Lots of legroom, leather seats and cheap prices. $190 round trip, this will offset some of the cost of my expensive cruise! We go to Port Everglades cruise ship terminal, and I’m surprised by the lack of crowds. The Voyager is half the size of Carnival’s Triumph, so one would presume it would hold half of its passenger load. Not exactly. While the Triumph carries 2750, the Voyager’s capacity is a mere 700. This translates into more space per person on board. No more lines or crowds!

We board our ship, and while I’m handed a glass of champagne, I’m taken aback by this elite vessel’s understated elegance. No big glitz here. Simple, muted colors, beautiful floral arrangements and everything polished to a high-gloss sheen. We make our way to the pool deck for our pre-sail lunch buffet. I load up my plate, and then someone takes it from me! A waiter says, “Madame, I have found you a table right over here,” and he gently puts my plate down and unfolds my linen napkin. I am beginning to relax and enjoy this way of life.

Our cabin, excuse me, “suite”, is ready at 3pm. It is, of course, beautiful. Radisson has the largest standard suites in the industry, with a whopping 356 sq.ft. My Penthouse Suite is just slightly larger, at 370 sq.ft. The suite’s bathroom is nicer than the one in my home—marble everywhere, separate tub with glass enclosed shower, his-and-her sinks, Aveda toiletries, a phone. A knock at the door, it’s our butler Sayid. He has come to unpack our bags. I tell him it’s not necessary, as I prefer to put away my own underwear, thank you. He informs us that he will press our clothes, free of charge, and also will bring us a tray of pre-dinner hors d’ouvres every evening at 5:00pm. He further informs us that we are entitled to a full liquor set-up in our room, 4 bottles of liquor, wine or champagne. We’re not big drinkers, but my husband and I choose two bottles of Grey Goose Vodka and two bottles of Absolut. I probably won’t even open them, but I’ll definitely be dragging these huge, complimentary bottles home to give to someone as a Christmas present, that’s for sure!

The Voyager leaves port, and I am happy as a clam. We have a huge balcony, it is warm, I’m drinking Chateau d’Avrille champagne and Sayid will bring me anything my heart desires (he did say this, by the way). What more could anyone ask for? I love cruising!

We dress and go to dinner at the Compass Rose, the ship’s main restaurant. On Radisson, their policy is “open seating”. You eat where and at what time you’d like—there are no table assignments or specific dinner times. Once inside, we request a table and the maitre’d takes my arm and personally escorts me to it. My husband is trailing behind us, looking a little lost. The tables are set elegantly, with fine china and crystal. The menu is incredible, listing many courses—appetizer, soup, salad, pasta, entrée, dessert, and a cheese course, if wanted. I’m hungry and order everything, and eat everything. The funny thing is that I’m satisfied, but not stuffed. All of the courses are small, in the European tradition. I was able to taste a little bit of everything, without going overboard with one, huge course. It was perfect. The quality of the food, the presentation, the service was top-notch. Dinners aboard the Voyager are pure pageantry. Each night was an hours-long event, something to be savored and not rushed. The menus were huge, with low-carb, vegetarian and low-salt options always offered. Food, as expected on a luxury cruise, was of high caliber and gourmet quality—caviar, beef Wellington, Dover sole (which was expertly filleted at our table), foie gras. After dinner, you are given a dessert menu and a small, silver tray of petit fours, truffles and other sweets. If you want to request a special meal, just inform the chef, twenty-four hours later, you can have it, provided the ingredients are on board. The Voyager has three other restaurants, and on a ship of this small size, it is incredible to have so many varied dining establishments. One restaurant, “Signatures”, is directed under the auspices of Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris. The food, including the 24-hour room service, was simply outstanding, everywhere.

After dinner, we check out the show, which I feel, are just about the same on every ship. Nice costumes, good choreography, talented young performers. It’s a nice way to round out the evening. We then make our way back to our suite, which Sayid has nicely turned-down, complete with Godiva chocolates on our pillows. On the bed, I spot Radisson’s newsletter, called “Passages”, and it lists the next day’s activities. I read through it, but not too many activities are listed. There’s a couple of exercise classes in the morning, a popcorn movie matinee after lunch, an art program, and an enrichment lecture entitled, “What You Should Know About The IRS But Were Afraid To Ask,” with a retired IRS executive as the guest speaker. This gives me all the more reason to go lay out by the pool with my book! As I glance around the pool deck, I notice two things. First, I am no more seasick than I was on the big Carnival ship (thank you, someone, for creating these Sea-Bands), and two, there aren’t any children here. I think I saw four of them total, on the whole ship. Since this is a December cruise, most children are in school, so that makes sense. But then I wonder, would I even bring my children here? There is no “Camp Carnival” or any other “Camp” for them to enjoy, plus I literally cringe at the thought of spending a fortune on another cabin for them (this cruise line doesn’t allow four per cabin, even in our “Penthouse Suite”), in addition, what would they eat? I definitely did not see a chicken nugget anywhere in sight. No, I sat back and selfishly thought, this cruise is for me and my husband, not them. Then I fall asleep, and nobody bothers me for an entire afternoon.

Radisson Seven Seas Cruises has won many awards over the years, several  from prestigious travel magazines like Conde Nast, Travel and Leisure and Porthole. They pride themselves on service, and on this ship, employ a well-trained staff of 447. With this amount of staff, service is outstanding.  I inquired about wanting to tour the ship’s galley, and was taken on a personal tour by the executive chef himself, complete with champagne. Radisson goes above and beyond, and they have to. When you are serving a well-heeled niche market such as this, repeat business is your livelihood.

And so the cruise went. In the mornings I dined on Swedish pancakes with ligonberries, I partook of afternoon tea (complete with white-glove service and piano player), I was massaged in the La Carita of Paris spa, my butler brought the aforementioned canapés, I lost money in the casino. Cozumel, despite being recently devastated by Hurricane Wilma, was beautiful, and quickly regaining its composure. Key West was an eccentric’s paradise. Everything went without a hitch, and I was dreaming about my next cruise, just as we pulled back into Port Everglades.

The Radisson Cruise set us back $4500. A far cry from Carnival’s $1500 tab. Just to compare apples to apples, we could have taken a regular “suite” on Radisson for $3600. All tips are included in your Radisson fare, plus all non-alcoholic beverages; alcoholic beverages and wines are included with dinner only. Was it worth it? It all goes back to the motto, “You get what you pay for”. Both cruise lines do what they do, and they do it well, but they definitely do it differently. You can’t possibly go on a Carnival cruise expecting the food and service you receive on Radisson. If you do, you won’t have a good cruise experience. It’s clearly a quantity versus quality issue. On Carnival, they will overwhelm you with abundance—of food, of activity, of glamour. Everything seems to be larger than life on a Carnival cruise. On Radisson, it’s the exact opposite, they thrill you the subtle details. It’s a calmer, more relaxed style of cruising. Radisson wants you to be the master of your own cruise vacation—it is the cruiser who delegates where and when to eat, and their own level of activity. Cruising, like anything else, is about personal choice. I, personally, would do both cruises again, in a heartbeat.

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