Ultra-Luxury Lines

The Lines

On these top-shelf cruises, guests don't line up for a look at an ice sculpture or a slice of pepperoni pizza en route to St. Thomas or Nassau. Instead, they sip a '98 Bordeaux with their filet de boeuf in truffle sauce while sailing to St. Barts. They order jumbo shrimp from the room-service menu and take indulgent baths in ritzy marble bathrooms. There are no midnight buffets, dancing waiters, belly-flop contests, or many of the other typical cruise ship trappings, but instead doting service, spacious suites with walk-in closets, and an overall feeling of calmness and elegance. Delicious French, Italian, and Asian cuisine often rivals that of respected shore-side restaurants, and even if it's not quite what you find at a three-star Michelin restaurant, it's pretty darn good and absolutely the best you'll find at sea, served in high style by gracious waiters who know their jobs. A full dinner can even be served to you in your cabin, if you like.

Ships in the luxury class come in three basic flavors: the enormous, 2,620-passenger Queen Mary 2 and Crystal's pair of 1,000-passenger vessels; the midsize vessels of Regent Seven Seas (formerly Radisson Seven Seas) and Silversea, which carry between 300 and 700 guests; and the small boutique ships of Seabourn and SeaDream, which serve only 110 to 208 passengers at a time. Whatever their size, they all cater to discerning travelers who don't blink at paying top dollar to be pampered. Service is very personal, and staff will get to know your likes and dislikes early on. The onboard atmosphere is much like a private club, with guests trading traveling tales and meeting for drinks or dinner.
Entertainment and organized activities are more dignified than on other ships, and are more limited as guests tend to amuse themselves, enjoying cocktails and conversation in a piano bar, or watching small-scale Broadway-inspired song-and-dance reviews.

While the high-end lines discount at times, they'll still cost two or three times as much as your typical mainstream cruise. Expect to pay at least $2,000 per person for a week in the Caribbean, and easily more if you opt for a large suite or choose to cruise during the busiest times of the year. Many extras are often included in the cruise rates. For instance, Silversea, Seabourn, and SeaDream include unlimited wine, liquor, and beverages, along with gratuities, a stocked minibar, and one complimentary shore excursion per cruise. Regent's rates include tips, unlimited wine, liquor, and beverages, plus one-time stocked minibar. Crystal includes all soft drinks in its rates. Many of these lines also include other free perks the mainstream lines don't, from Godiva chocolates on your pillow at night (Silversea) to cotton logo pj's (SeaDream), a CD of classic jazz (Seabourn), luggage tags and document portfolio (Seabourn offers Tumi versions), personalized stationery (Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent), and high-end bathroom amenities from names such as Bronnely, Molton Brown, and Acqua di Parma.

Most people attracted to these types of cruises are sophisticated, wealthy, relatively social, and used to the finer things in life. Most are well traveled though not necessarily adventurous, and tend to stick to five-star experiences. These ships are not geared to children, although aboard lines such as Crystal and especially Cunard you might see 100 or more during holidays or school vacation months. Babysitting can often be arranged privately with an off-duty crewmember.
Dress Codes -- With the exception of casual SeaDream, these are the most formal cruises out there: For the main dining rooms, you need to bring the tux and the sequined gown for the two or three formal nights scheduled each week. Informal nights call for suits and usually ties for men (though Seabourn, for instance, doesn't require ties except on formal nights) and smart dresses, skirts, or pantsuits for women. Sports jackets or nice shirts for men and casual dresses or pantsuits for women are the norm on casual nights. That said, like the rest of the industry, even the high-end lines are relaxing their dress codes, heading closer to SeaDream, which espouses a casual "no jackets required" policy during the entire cruise. All the ultraluxe lines now have casual dining venues, so if you just want to throw on a sundress (or polo shirt and chinos) and be done with it, you'll be fine.