Seadream provides experiences of the highest category
upper-premium cruises
Upper-premium cruises are separated by a fine line from their bigger brothers, the luxury cruises, but there is usually a difference in price to consider. In this category we would have Azamara Club Cruises, Ponant, and Oceania.
the french company Ponant has small boats of between 64 and 264 passengers, to whom pamper yourself with the exquisite service and French gastronomy , while Azamara Y Oceania they have 700-passenger ships that are very similar to each other but differ in philosophy. **Azamara** schedules short 5, 6 and 7-day sailings, however **Oceania** rarely cruises under 12 days. This last company has launched a newly built ship, the Oceania Marina, baptized by the Duchess of Alba herself in Barcelona last year, that creates a new concept of upper-premium boat , since it has many of the positive characteristics of the lower categories such as alternative restaurants and original entertainment options, without her disadvantages, although she already carries 1,258 passengers.
Children are accepted but not highly valued in these companies and in the luxury ones, which do not offer them much specific fun either. They are cruises to enjoy the good life and romance , taking the children breaks all the charm.
The atmosphere on board is elegant casual during the day and elegant without reaching gala level at night, and it is that there are no gala nights on cruises in this category , because its passengers already “endure” many formal or etiquette events in their daily lives. Entrepreneurs, managers and senior officials are regular customers, which by the way, opens excellent socializing opportunities.
Excursions are not massive as they take place in places like St. Tropez, Cannes...
And now yes: luxury cruises
only the companies Seabourn, Seadream, Silversea and Crystal Cruises are considered luxury by experts, along with the service provided to passengers of the higher categories at Cunard.
They are companies whose fleet traditionally consisted of small boats with simple and timeless decoration, where service and details made the difference. However, both seabourne What Silversea new ships have been inaugurated in recent years somewhat larger and above all with more gastronomic and entertainment options on board , managing to lower the average age of passengers who are interested in this luxury product.
There are so many details that distinguish a luxury shipping company that we can only list some of them, such as, for example, that the crew addresses us by our last name and on the second day on board know what our preferences are for breakfast, serving us the coffee to our liking without even having to ask for it. Before the cruise, the shipping company will have asked about our tastes regarding drinks , which we will find available in the minibar upon arrival in the cabin, and where our cabin attendant will receive us with chocolates, champagne, and a selection of luxury soaps to choose from.
Life on board goes on calmly on deck , tasting caviar canapés, Epernay brut champagne , and receiving free little massages or iced towels to cool off from the heat in style. If the ship is anchored in a bay we can use the aft marina of the ships seabourne Y Seadream to practice windsurfing, kayaking or have fun with jet skis.
Seabourn offers all kinds of water activities
Excursions have little to do with mass tourism , starting from the fact that many of the stops are not made in big cities, but in small exclusive ports, such as Portofino, Mahón, Cannes, Sete, Saint Tropez, Sorrento, etc.
Seadream is a completely atypical shipping company , since its boats for 110 people can be considered a yacht more than a cruise, where you can sleep in a balinese bed under the stars . Exclusivity is more than assured in its two yachts served by 89 crew members each.
Just like on upper-premium cruise ships It is not recommended to travel with children in these companies , where the elegant casual atmosphere will allow us to socialize with high level passengers from all over the world. No worries about extra expenses , because tips are included, and even if we want to give a plus, they will not accept it. drinks are included , but all this should not worry us if we are a luxury cruise passenger, because money would not be an issue for us if we want to book a balloon ride over the canyons of Capadoccia, Turkey, or create our own perfume at La Maison Galimard during our stopover in Cannes.
There really is a whole range of cruises that are very different from each other, and if we add to this the variety of routes, which would deserve another article, the decision about which booking has some complexity , which I hope I have helped clarify with this overview summarized in three chapters.
_* Félix González Ramilo is editor of infocruceros.com _