Top 10 Reasons to Upgrade to Luxury

Considering making the leap from a mega ship to a luxury vessel?

It may not exactly be an original thought, but here's a piece of advice for anybody planning a cruise vacation: Buy as much cruise as you can possibly afford.

Generally speaking, a cruise -- in any category of room -- tends to be a fairly hefty investment. So why not get the most bang for your buck, and the most satisfying vacation experience? In other words, why settle for the lowest-end inside stateroom if another couple of hundred dollars will get you outside accommodations? Don't take a standard outside room if a few more bucks will get you into a unit with a balcony and don't book a basic balcony room if you can make your budget stretch to a mini-suite or suite! It's that simple.

And finally: Why not consider traveling on a small luxury vessel rather than on a mainstream cruise line's massive mega ship? Many people never give the likes of Silversea, Seabourn, Crystal and others in that upscale niche a second thought when they get down to making their cruise plans. That could be a mistake. Sure, these companies charge more. But they tend to give a lot more as well.

Here, in no particular order (and with a nod to David Letterman) are 10 reasons why you might want to think about moving up to one of the luxury lines. It should be stressed that not all of these apply to all luxury lines. Policies, practices and ambiances differ from company to company. But they're the kind of things you are more likely to find on luxury ships.

Reason 1 -- Accommodations

Almost by definition, luxury ships (Silversea Cruises' Silver Shadow, Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Mariner, et al) are all-suite, no-inside-rooms vessels. How important is that? Very. It's especially important in a destination area such as, say, Alaska, where the weather is not always your friend and where shore excursions, however informative and exciting they are, can be tiring (try a half-day Chilkoot Trail hike out of Skagway, for instance, or a five-hour kayaking adventure in Prince William Sound and you'll know what we mean). It's so nice after outings like that to put your feet up in an airy, well-appointed, super-comfy suite. And the balcony that invariably comes with the suite makes wildlife and scenery viewing so much more enjoyable -- also, of course, of particular significance in places like Alaska, Hawaii, and the fjords of Chile and Norway. And for the most part, even standard cabins on luxury ships will be outfitted with luxurious appointments -- from high cotton thread count sheets to flat screen televisions.

Reason 2 -- Touches

There's no other way to put it. It's the little things -- the attention to design, detail and layout -- that make the difference between a luxury experience and "just another" cruise. Things like Bvlgari toiletries; twin sinks; separate bathtub and shower; terry robes; a well-lighted dressing table (is there a woman out there who doesn't appreciate that feature?). The stateroom drapes will form a real blackout over the windows, eliminating once and for all those annoying chinks of light that keep you awake at night and intrude on your early morning slumber. In Northern Europe and Alaska, where it's light most of the day in the summer, that is a real blessing.

Reason 3 -- Construction Materials

About those twin sinks we mentioned: The counter tops that enclose them are likely to be real marble. The faucets may be of absolutely top quality stainless steel. The soft furnishings will be plush and inviting, the carpets deep. On luxury ships, you won't find a lot of plastic or Formica coverings.

Reason 4 -- No Tipping

Most of the luxury lines do not encourage the practice. In fact, some make it very clear in pre-cruise literature that no gratuity is expected. And it appears that the crews have gotten the word. On two cruises in the last year -- on Seabourn Pride and the Silver Shadow -- our offers of a small gratuity for special services rendered were flatly (but politely) declined.

Reason 5 -- Free Beverages, Including Alcohol

On some of these ships, there is no charge for booze -- at the bar, in the restaurants and lounges, in the stateroom (your in-suite fridge will be stocked with a bottle of wine or champagne, some beer and soft drinks). The ships include wine -- on the whole excellent and thoughtfully chosen -- with lunch and dinner at no charge. It's true that if you have very expensive tastes (if the only thing you can drink is a Chateau Mouton Rothschild Premier Grand Cru Classe -- 2000, for example, or a 1998 Opus One), you'll pay extra. Maybe a lot extra. But most people don't have that problem. One passenger we met on a recent cruise on Silversea's Silver Shadow expressed a preference for Pinot Grigio rather than the Chardonnay that was being served that day. And he got it! The wait staff simply opened a bottle of Pinot Grigio from the complimentary wine list and … voila.

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