NICE, France — Windstar Cruises’ latest acquisition — the 9,975-gross ton, 212-guest Star Breeze — was christened on a brilliantly sunny day in a pier-side ceremony here on Wednesday.
After a blessing by a local priest, godmother Wendy Perrin, a well-known travel journalist, christened the ship by releasing a magnum of Veuve Clicquot champagne into the ship’s bow. It took three attempts to finally break the bottle, which oozed its bubbly contents over the word “Breeze.”
The 1989-built ship, which originally sailed for Seabourn Cruises as the Seabourn Spirit, just emerged from an $8.5 million, three-week refit at Genoa’s San Giorgio del Porto shipyard. The ship was delivered to its new owners on April 15.
The second of three former Seabourn ships to join the Windstar fleet, the Star Breeze follows last year’s addition of the Star Pride (the former Seabourn Pride) and will be followed in May by the Star Legend (the former Seabourn Legend). The expansion doubles the size of Windstar’s fleet from three deluxe, sail-augmented cruise ships to six vessels, bringing its total berths to 1,242.
The Star Breeze christening ceremony in Nice. Photo Credit: Peter Knego
Windstar has given the ship all new soft fittings in its suites and new soft fittings and furnishing in most public areas.
The Star Breeze also has gained expanded outdoor seating in its Veranda restaurant, expanded outdoor decking on Star Deck, and added the Star Screening Room, an intimate theater and games room, in lieu of a card room.
Immediately after the christening, Star Breeze commenced its first voyage, a four night cruise to Rome via Monaco, Portofino and Portoferrraio.
In a recent interview, I asked Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman Richard Fain what travel destination was on his bucket list, and after a moment’s thought he said, “the Maldives.”
The islands in the Indian Ocean are so remote that Fain felt like he could get away from everything by going there.
Indeed, the Indian Ocean may be the most out-of-the-way cruise destination you’d ever want to experience. With the rise in expedition cruises to the Antarctic, the Indian Ocean may be the last frontier.
Among the lines going to the Maldives are Costa Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises and Seabourn Cruises.
Seabourn describes the islands as “tiny specks in a vast expanse of ocean.” Male, the main inhabited city in the chain, is described by Conde Nast Traveler as “a combination of the Robinson Crusoe paradise of childhood dreams and a honeymoon destination fit for the Hollywood A-list.”
What is there to do there? “Absolutely nothing,” Fain said.
Most of these lines visit the Maldives on an itinerary from southern or eastern Africa to India or Southeast Asia. It is a long, thin route that involves lots of sea days, a long flight from North America — unless you’re on a world cruise — and a considerable expense.
Seabourn’s cruise next January sandwiches a visit to Male and Colombo, Sri Lanka, in the middle of eight long sea days on a voyage between South Africa and Singapore.
Princess has a 46-day journey on its schedule that takes visitors to the Maldives on an “odyssey” from Australia to South Africa.
Oceania Cruises plans to be there Dec. 3 and 4 on a 30-day cruise from Dubai to Cape Town, South Africa. In the next few years Silversea Cruises has four voyages with the Maldives on the itinerary, including a 17-day trip between Singapore and Mombasa, Kenya, next March.
In 2016, Silversea’s new expedition ship, the Silver Discoverer, will offer a 17-night cruise that starts in Phuket, Thailand and ends in Male, after stops in Myanmar, India’s Andaman Islands and Yala National Park in Sri Lanka.
So the next time a client says they’ve “been there done that” when you suggest an ocean cruise, you might respond with, “Have you thought about going to the Maldives?”
While virtually all seagoing ships have a selection of resistance and strength training stations that many landside gyms would envy, some have gone much further in offering travelers options to stay fit during their cruise.
In addition to the basics — treadmills, elliptical trainers, exercise bikes, free weights and more — many cruise lines provide passengers with cutting-edge fitness equipment that add opportunities for body makeovers to a cruise vacation. The newer ships in a cruise line’s fleet generally have the most unusual exercise facilities, though there are exceptions.
Here are our top picks for the most creative and forward-thinking onboard activity and fitness options offered at sea.
Royal Caribbean
Beyond the rock climbing walls and surfing simulators, the nearly 10,000-square-foot fitness centers on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom-class ships have full-size boxing rings; Pilates studios with six reformers and extensive mat work equipment; and first-generation Power Plate equipment that uses vibration to boost a workout, stimulate circulation and build bone density.
The Allure and Oasis of the Seas also have 12 gravity fitness machines each, plus Kinesis Walls that use a system of pulleys to help build total body strength and the longest jogging tracks at sea.
Princess Cruises
Princess offers popular Zumba classes at sea, TRX Suspension Training classes and Tour de Cycle, a three-part spinning program based on the Tour de France. The brand’s signature fitness classes focus on Pilates for core work, yoga for balance and cardio for overall strength and cardiovascular health. Larger vessels also offer swim-against-the-current pools with an adjustable current for endurance training.
Seabourn Cruises
Seabourn’s Odyssey-class ships have Kinesis Walls that can be used by four people at a time and stern marinas that give passengers access to snorkeling, kayaking, sailing and swimming. Seabourn Sojourn and Quest have Kneipp Walk Pools, which feature different sections of water at different temperatures designed to help walkers cleanse toxins from the body, increase circulation, balance hormones and reduce stress. And, at the end of a full workout, these two Seabourn ships offer passengers an “experience shower” featuring special lighting and a variety of sensory adjustment options.
Crystal Cruises
Crystal’s proprietary Walk-On-Water program isn’t aqua aerobics, as many passengers think. It’s a full fitness program, designed exclusively for Crystal, where participants walk with weighted vests on the ships’ promenades (the water part is the surrounding sea). Crystal also provides Nordic Walking Poles for a full-body workout, along with Pilates sessions featuring mat work and reformer equipment, yoga classes, Kinesis fitness equipment and golf instruction from PGA professionals. Both the Serenity and Symphony offer paddle tennis onboard, and new “Site Running” land excursions are available on all of Crystal’s itineraries. An outdoors fitness garden will be added to Crystal Symphony in September.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Magic and Breeze feature SportSquare, a large outdoor recreation area with a ropes course 150 feet above the water, an eight-mile jogging track and outdoor weightlifting and resistance machines, in addition to basketball, volleyball and soccer courts. There’s also a six-station Vita Course, which features workout stations with instructional signage and a miniature golf course. Indoor fitness options include yoga, Pilates and stretching classes and cardio equipment.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian has a range of unusual outdoor exercise facilities onboard Norwegian Epic, from full-sized basketball courts with spectator bleachers to a bungee trampoline and a 24-foot climbing cage known as the Spider Web. The Epic also features a rappelling wall, a rock climbing wall and TRX Suspension Training, a program used by the Navy Seals. Onboard Norwegian’s newest ship, Norwegian Breakaway, guests will find additional fitness options, such as Flywheel Fitness spinning classes and interactive Nexersys equipment featuring automated combat/boxing fitness technology.
Windstar Cruises
Windstar, which pioneered a revolutionary spa on the Wind Surf years ago, has its own stern marina and a variety of water sports equipment, including windsurfing boards, kayaks, inflatable boats, Topper and Rumba Escape sailboats, snorkeling equipment and waterskiing gear. Windstar also offers a two-hour diving course given by PADI-certified instructors on all ships. In addition, the Wind Surf offers guests an onboard trampoline and a Hobie Bravo catamaran for sailing excursions.
In a recent interview, I asked Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman Richard Fain what travel destination was on his bucket list, and after a moment’s thought he said, “the Maldives.”
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