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The sun-drenched beaches and beautiful coral reefs of Isla Cozumel appeared off our starboard bow as the Veendam made landfall off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, some 330 nautical miles northwest of Grand Cayman.

Once a shrine to the Mayan moon goddess known as Exchel, this pretty island was visited by Spanish conquistadores en route to Mexico in 1519, and then forgotten until French ocenographer Jacques Cousteau arrived in 1959. Cousteau explored and then told the world about the beautiful Palancar coral reefs at the southern end of the island, which is the fifth longest reef in the world and one of the best preserved places anywhere for scuba diving and snorkeling.

As a result, Cozumel was never developed into a mainstream tourist destination like nearby Cancun, and was able to preserve more of its original flora, history, cuisine, and culture. In fact, the island has just one tiny city in San Miguel, offers many unspoiled beaches like Playa Palancar and Playa Caletita, and boasts several Mayan ruins including Aguada Grande and San Gervasio. In addition, just across the channel, there are the much better preserved ruins of Tulum, which can be reached by taxi or tour bus from Playa del Carmen after a short ferry ride from San Miguel.  

The Mayan civilization was one of the most advanced cultures of the pre-Colombian Period, and it flourished on the Yucantan Peninsula where it built several great cities including Chichen-Itza, Uxmal and Tulum.  While less well preserved than Chichen-Itza and Uxmal, Tulum is perched on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea and easily has the most beautiful location. 

Built in honour of the sun, the city has some 56 temples, shrines and platforms, many with carvings featuring the solstices, equinoxes and movements of the sun. The principal buildings include The Castle (a tower overlooking the Caribbean Sea used to safely guide Mayan boats through the dangerous reefs surrounding Tulum), the Temple of the Frescoes (an outstanding collection of Toltec wall paintings), and the Temple of the Wind (a small sanctuary overlooking the bay built in honour of Ehecatl, god of the wind).

While it took us the better part of a day to see Tulum, many of our shipmates remained in Cozumel where they went snorkeling, swam with dolphins, or simply browsed the many shops near the pier that offer local handicrafts including silver jewelry, colourful blankets, ceramics, pottery and Mayan artifacts.

As we boarded our tender to return to the Veendam, we felt regret that our time on this island paradise had been so short. But like the Mayans who had worshipped their gods on beautiful Isla Cozumel centuries before us, we had made a pilgrimage, seen what the island had to offer, and were now returning home. And like the ancient Mayans, we hoped the beauty and mystery of this marvelous, unspoiled island would bring us back again one day soon.

As the Veendam dropped her hook into the pretty turquoise waters of Grand Cayman’s West Bay, the bright Caribbean sun began peaking through the early morning clouds.  After a day at sea cruising from Tampa to the Western Caribbean, we had finally arrived in our first port of call and we were anxious to get ashore.

The largest of the Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman is famous for its crystal-clear waters, beautiful beaches, amazing marine life, and fabulous diving and snorkeling. It’s also one of the most relaxing ports in the Caribbean because there’s virtually none of the annoying panhandling, petty crime or aggressive street vendors found in a few of the larger islands like Jamaica.

The downside is that the Caymans haven’t been blessed with any of the gorgeous mountains, lush valleys and beautiful rivers found on most Caribbean islands. In fact, the islands are relatively flat, dusty and colourless except for the daily intrigue that takes place in the 500 or so private banks located in the capital of George Town.

There’s still a few interesting things to see on the island including turtle farms, botanic gardens, and the village of Hell where tourists line up at the tiny post office to get their letters and cards postmarked from Hell. But most of the island’s beauty can be found on or below the water, which is incredibly pristine because there are virtually no rivers or streams to darken the coastal waters with soil run-off.

As a result, most of the cruise ship excursions involve activities like snorkeling off a reef, scuba diving to one of several old wrecked ships, getting a close up look at the local marine life from the comfort of a mini-submarine, or just lying on the sand at Seven Mile Beach.  There’s also a wonderful underwater option called “Snuba Diving,” which involves walking on the ocean bottom some 15 ft below the surface in divers helmets connected to an air hose. Snuba is a great way for people comfortable with snorkeling, but not yet certified for scuba diving, to explore the undersea world.

And then there’s one of my favorite excursions of all time, the “Stingray City Boat and Snorkel Tour” – which I’ve now done twice. This excursion, which you can buy on the ship or privately right at the dock, takes you to a shallow sandbar inside the reef in North Sound where you get in the water with guides and help them feed the stingrays. As you walk in about 4 to 5 ft. of water, the friendly stingrays swim by, gently brushing up against anyone who offers to feed them. The tour concludes with some time for snorkeling at a nearby section of the reef.

However, if you want to skip the stingrays, there are lots of great places for snorkeling that are much closer to where the ship’s tenders drop passengers in George Town. For example, it’s just a $4 taxi drive (per person) out to Seven Mile Beach or Smith Cove. But if you don’t want to stray far from downtown, you can just walk a few minutes south to Paradise Restaurant where there’s snorkel gear for rent and plenty of colourful fish swimming nearby. After just a few minutes in the water, we had already spotted a turtle, a stingray, some parrot fish, and several large tarpon.

After an hour of snorkeling, we changed into our shorts and walked into town for lunch on the waterfront terrace at Guy Harvey’s where we met my old friend Captain Adam Morgan, and my niece, Frances. The restaurant provides a beautiful view of the southern end of West Bay where the cruise ships anchor, and it serves some of the best curried Mahi Mahi in Cayman. When not working, Captain Morgan told me he likes to hang out here and drink rum, or snorkel at either Governor’s Beach or Rum Point.

Guy Harvey’s is also right next to some of the best retail stores in George Town, so we concluded our afternoon by strolling along the waterfront in search of some bargain-priced jewelry, rum cake and souvenirs. We found some great items, but our favorite was an adorable silver stingray necklace, which we felt summed up what our day in Grand Cayman had been all about: discovering the fabulous marine life and spectacular beauty offered by this underworld jewel of the Caribbean.

I’ve often wondered whether short cruises (5 days or less) are a good representation of what cruising is all about. Furthermore, I’ve also questioned if short cruises can deliver the same quality of service, food and onboard experience that can usually be found on ships sailing longer itineraries of seven days or more.

In my opinion, the answer is “no.”  

Short cruises are a great way for newbies to discover if vacations at sea are to their liking. They get to discover what life at sea is all about, whether there’s enough to do, if the food is to their liking, and how convivial the staff and fellow passengers can be on a sea voyage. And the vast majority of newbies quickly become cruise aficionados as soon as they walk down the gangplank.

However, as good as short cruises may be, it’s hard to take them seriously once you’ve discovered how much better a longer cruise can be.  In fact, I find that ships sailing on itineraries of 7 days or more usually outperform vessels doing short cruises in almost every dimension.

 First of all, ships sailing regularly on short itineraries tend to be older vessels. As a result, they can sometimes look a bit worn around the edges or simply lack many of the modern amenities found on newer ships.

Second, the crew working on vessels sailing shorter itineraries seem to be less experienced or motivated than staff sailing longer voyages. It may be that they have less time to form a relationship with passengers, or that they can’t tell this week’s cruise from the last. Or maybe they just don’t have enough time to shine. But whatever the reason, they seem to be more harried and less experienced.

Third, passengers on shorter cruises miss out on some of the best sea-going traditions. For example, short cruises usually skip formal nights, Captain’s welcome cocktail parties, the champagne waterfall party, and other standard events found on longer cruises. 

Fourth, it’s harder to meet fellow passengers and form friendships with them. With just 3 to 5 days at sea, you may not even see your tablemates more than once, particularly if one or more passengers decide to try an alternative restaurant.

Fifth, the food on short cruises doesn’t always measure up to the standard found on vessels sailing longer itineraries. It may be that the galley crew is less experienced, or that there isn’t the same level of quality control on ships that have more transient passengers. But whatever the reason, I have never found the food on short cruises to be as good as I’ve had on longer voyages on the same cruise line.

Sixth, short cruises are very limited in terms of where the ship can sail to. As a result, itineraries tend to be pretty mundane or in some cases, include no ports at all as in “Cruises to Nowhere.”

Seven, it’s hard enough to relax and forget about work in 7 days of vacation, never mind just 3 or 5 days.

Eight, it’s much easier to justify the cost of a vacation when you can amortize the cost of the trip over 7 days as opposed to just half a week. That’s why short cruises tend to attract a lot of people from local markets who can drive to the port.

Nine, on short cruises you haven’t even found your way around the ship before it’s over.

And ten, on short cruises it seems you have no sooner unpacked your bags when the room steward starts handing out  instructions on how to disembark the ship at the end of the voyage.

So as I start my second day at sea on our 5-day cruise to the Western Caribbean aboard Holland America’s Veendam, I’ll be looking to see if anything has changed since our last short cruise three years ago. While short cruises are certainly better than no cruise at all, it’s going to take a lot to change my view that when it comes to vacations at sea, longer is better. After all, taking a cruise is like buying a sailboat – you always wish it was just a little bit longer.

Images and plans for Cunard’s newest ship – the Queen Elizabeth – were revealed this week at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping convention in Miami, Florida.

Cunard’s third new ship in the last six years, the Queen Elizabeth will enter service on October 12, 2010 and will feature unique  traditions linking her with sisters Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, and their predecessors. She will also debut some exciting features that will give the vessel her own style and personality.
The Queen Elizabeth will carry the name of its original predecessor, the famed Cunard ship which was launched in 1938 as the world’s largest liner. It will also reference the first QE in interior grandeur, décor and style, but with a modern twist.
The new Queen will feature elegant double and triple height public rooms on a grand scale, intricately detailed interiors replete with rich wood panelling, mosaics, gleaming chandeliers, and cool marbles. Art Deco features will pay homage to the original Queen Elizabeth, and will allow the new ship to reflect a more civilized era of travel.

As a successor to Queen Elizabeth 2, the ship will also reflect this great liner via artwork and memorabilia and will have its very own ‘Yacht Club,’ named after the lively aft lounge on QE2. Offering guests 270 degree views and the perfect setting for activities and gatherings during the day, it will also double as a dramatic evening venue for cocktails and dancing.
The ship’s distinctive public spaces include:
Queens Room - a new take on the traditional Cunard ballroom, with artwork depicting views from royal palaces, and photography of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal family, along with its 1000 square foot dance floor for Grand Balls and Tea Dances at sea.
Garden Lounge - with its magnificent vaulted glass ceiling creating a conservatory feel inspired by the glass houses of Kew Gardens, beneath where guests will enjoy Supper Clubs, and mix dining with dancing under the stars.
Games Deck - Named after the same deck on the original Queen Elizabeth, the Games Deck will offer paddle tennis, croquet and traditional British bowls.

Midships Bar - will pay homage to her namesake liner, the first Queen Elizabeth, with memorabilia displayed from that era.
The ship’s dining venues include:
Queens Grill and Princess Grill - The ship will also feature the line’s celebrated five-star Grills accommodation and dining, with its al fresco dining option on a private deck terrace - first introduced on Queen Victoria - beautiful restaurants, Grills Lounge and sunbathing deck.
The popular Britannia Club, having first debuted aboard Queen Mary 2, features a private dining room with single seating dining for those guests in the top Balcony staterooms.
Britannia Restaurant - Art Deco decorative flourishes create a dramatic backdrop for this two-tiered dining room featuring a sweeping staircase ideal for making a grand entrance.
Queen Elizabeth’s maiden 2010 season will consist of six voyages, calling on 32 distinct ports in 18 countries. Her Maiden Voyage will depart from Cunard’s homeport of Southampton on 12 October 2010, en route to the Atlantic Isles. The 13-night voyage will call at Vigo (for Santiago de Compostela), Lisbon, Seville (Cadiz), Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Tenerife (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), La Palma (Santa Cruz de La Palma) and Madeira (Funchal). Fares start from $2,995 per person.
The ship will then embark on five celebratory inaugural voyages:
Mediterranean Premiere - A 14-day voyage departing Southampton on 25 October 2010 with maiden calls to Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia), Naples (for Capri and Pompeii), Cartagena and Gibraltar. Fares start from $2,795 per person.
Aegean Introduction - An 18-day voyage departing Southampton on 8 November 2010 calling on Malaga (for Granada), Malta (Valletta), Venice, Dubrovnik, Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Athens (Piraeus) and Alicante. Fares from $3,295 per person.
Gallic Debut - A five-day voyage departing Southampton on 26 November 2010 with maiden calls to Rotterdam (for Amsterdam), Brussels/Bruges (for Zeebrugge) and Cherbourg. Fares start from $1,195 per person.
Iberian Discovery - A 13-day voyage departing Southampton on 1 December 2010 with calls to Vigo (for Santiago de Compostela), Lisbon, Seville (Cadiz), Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Tenerife (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), La Palma (Santa Cruz de La Palma) and Madeira. Fares start from $2,395 per person.
Festive Debut - A 22-day holiday voyage departing Southampton on 14 December 2010 with calls in the Caribbean, including Madeira (Funchal), Tortola, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and Azores Islands (Ponta Delgada). Fares start from $4,795 per person.
Reservations for Queen Elizabeth’s maiden voyages and inaugural season will be open for booking on April 2. The ship’s maiden voyage from England to the Canary Island is expected to sell out quickly.

 I get a lot of questions about various aspects of cruising, particularly from first-timers and newbies. So I thought I’d share a few of the recent questions that have crossed my desk, along with my answers.

Q: What’s the benefit of buying air transportation from the cruise line?

A: There are several advantages, including the option of being met at the airport and getting transported to and from the ship. But the most important benefit of buying the air package is that it’s the cruise line’s responsibility to get you to the ship on time. So if you’re running late, there’s a greater likelihood the ship will wait for you, and if it doesn’t, you can usually rely on the cruise line to get you to the ship’s next port. The downside is that the cruise line’s air package can be more expensive, and can sometimes involve a routing with one or more aircraft stops.

Q: Why do cruise ships have to visit a foreign port when running an otherwise completely American itinerary such as Los Angeles to Hawaii, or Seattle to Alaska?

A: Foreign-flagged vessels are prohibited from carrying cargo and passengers between two U.S. ports without visiting a foreign port. These rules date back to the Jones Act of 1917 which was created to ensure a healthy U.S-flagged fleet. The Jones Act requires that cargo moving between U.S. ports be carried in a vessel that was built in the United States and is owned (at least 75 percent) by American citizens or corporations. This concept is known as “cabotage” and applies not only to shipping, but to airlines and other forms of international transportation.  The cabotage statute that applies to passengers is known as the Passenger Services Act (PSA) and it became law in 1886.

Foreign-flagged cruise ships may carry passengers from a U.S. port as long as they return them to the same port (e.g. a “cruise to nowhere”). Foreign vessels may also call at intermediate U.S. ports as long as no passenger permanently leaves the vessel at those ports and the vessel makes at least one call at a foreign port.

Q: What time should I arrive at the cruise ship to check in for my voyage?

A: New rules came into effect in July of 2008 regarding check-in times for passengers taking a cruise from a U.S. port. These rules require that passengers be checked in for their cruise a full 90 minutes prior to the ship’s departure so the cruise line can send a list of everyone taking the cruise to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. As result, some cruise lines have begun to allow passengers to check in online prior to their departure to facilitate late arrivals. However, everyone should plan to arrive at the pier no later than 90 minutes before their scheduled departure. In fact, I recommend that passengers arrive at least two hours in advance of their ship’s scheduled departure. During inclement months, you might want to consider arriving a day early just to avoid the risk of bad weather and long flight delays.

Q: We’re a couple taking our first cruise, and would like to make new friends over dinner. What size of table should we request?

A: I find tables of six the best size for making new friends and enjoying good dinner conversation. The table is small enough that you can talk with everyone at the table, yet large enough to allow different combinations of seating arrangements each night. But what I like even more is the open-seating concept where you can have a different size table and different table mates each night. It’s nice to be able to arrange a dinner with the wonderful people you just met on a shore excursion or in the bar.

Q: What are my options to cancel without penalty after making a deposit on a future cruise?

A: It varies by cruise line, but the good news is that many lines have recently reduced deposit amounts and relaxed the penalty period for cancellation. In terms of cancelling a cruise, there is usually no penalty until final payment is due about 75 days prior to departure, which means you can get your full deposit back if you cancel before that date. After final payment is due, there’s usually a sliding scale of penalty that increases as the departure date nears. For example, 10% of the total up to 60 days in advance of departure, 60% up to 30 days in advance, 75% up to 14 days in advance, and then 100% of the total after that. Of course, you can avoid any cancellation penalty simply by purchasing cancellation protection insurance from the cruise line or via a travel insurance company.

That’s it for this installment of cruise questions and answers. I’ll start working on the next set as soon as I get some more questions.

Last week U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui and U.S. Senator John Kerry announced they are re-introducing the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. The bill was first proposed in 2008 but was never passed despite several hearings in the House and Senate about crimes aboard cruise ships.

So what would the Act mandate, and is this legislation really necessary?

The Act would supposedly provide a higher level of security on cruise ships that call at American ports. It comes in the wake of a handful of high profile incidents that occurred at sea over the past five years including the disappearance of several passengers and a handful of sexual assault allegations against crew members.

The legislation would formally require cruise ships to do what most now do voluntarily - report all allegations of crime aboard their vessel to the FBI and U.S. Coast Guard. Ships would also have to be capable of performing a medical examination to determine if a passenger had been raped. In addition, the Act would require that:

- All cabin doors come equipped with peep holes, security latches and time-sensitive key technology;

- Guard rails on balconies be increased by about 10 inches to a minimum height of 54 inches;

- Ships install technology that can detect a passenger going overboard into the water;

- Cruise lines develop procedures that determine which crew members can have access to passenger cabins and during which time periods;

- Ships keep log books where all deaths, missing people, and alleged crimes including complaints about theft, sexual harassment and assault are recorded. These logs would have to be made available to the FBI and U.S. Coast Guard, and the related statistical data would be made available to the public.

Are these enhanced safety and security standards necessary?

Not really. Compared to crime levels in major cities, cruise ships are one of the safest places to vacation in the world. In fact, there have only been a handful of missing people or sexual assault cases reported on cruise ships over the past five years while nearly 50 million North Americans have cruised over the same period. While even one case of a serious crime is one too many, the proposed changes seem to be just one more case of misguided politicians using a sledge hammer to kill a fly.

For example, do legislators really believe that raising a ship’s railings by nearly a foot will prevent anyone from going overboard? As it is, the only way someone can get over the top of a railing is by being very drunk, very stupid or very unpopular.  I guess we should be grateful that no one has thought of putting barbed wire on the tops of railings, or requiring passengers to wear bicycle helmets when they walk on the open deck.  

That doesn’t mean the entire legislation is useless. Some of the provisions make good sense, and could be easily implemented without much additional cost. However, since the cruise industry has done a very good job of voluntarily improving security and making its ships extremely safe, why do we need politicians to get into the act? And if they succeed, who do you think will ultimately bear the cost of implementing all their “great” ideas.

I’m afraid the proposed Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009 is simply a solution in search of a problem. And given the crime rate in our major cities (never mind the current economic crisis), it’s a piece of legislation that politicians should toss overboard so they can deal with more pressing matters.

This week Disney Cruise Line unveiled the names of its next two ships – the Fantasy and Dream. Nice names, except they already belong to ships owned by Carnival Cruises. Maybe Carnival should retaliate by naming its next ship the “Mouse”.

Does it matter? Not really, although it does demonstrate a lack of imagination from the people who coined the term “imagineering.”

It’s as though the people at Disney who dream up the names of ships left their creativity in dry dock. Or maybe they just took a cue from a gag on the old Bob Newhart Show – you know, the one when three guys walk into the Inn and one says, “Hi, I’m Larry. And this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl.”

Whatever the motivation, it seems that for the most part, the names given to cruise ships today have become repetitive, meaningless and commonplace. For example, we’ve got multiple ships bearing the names Splendor,  Pride, Spirit, Europa, Princess, Rhapsody, Voyager, Explorer, Sky, Sapphire, Diamond, and Majesty – and that’s just a small sample.

That’s a far cry from the pre-1970s era of ocean travel when most ships had names that meant something. In those days, many ships were given names that were part of a theme such as ending with “ic” at White Star Line (as in Oceanic) and ending with “ia” at Cunard Line (as in Carpathia). Some names evoked images of their country of registration – like the Constitution and Independence of the American Export Line, the Ile de France and Normandie of the French Line, and the Sagafjord and Vistafjord of Norwegian America Line.

Other ships were named in recognition of monarchs like the Queen Mary, or for ancient Roman provinces like the Lusitania and the Mauretania.  Some were named for cities like the Rotterdam. And many were named for famous citizens like Michelangelo and Raffaello of the Italian Line, or Greek gods like the Orpheus or Artemis.

But whatever the ship’s moniker, it meant something, it was part of a naming tradition, and it was rarely used by more than one ship at a time. Compare that system to today’s mishmash where the marketing departments dream up names that signify nothing and can be used by just about any ship in the world.

Now if coming across two or more ships with the same name sounds confusing to you, the cruise lines can explain why it shouldn’t be. Apparently, we’re supposed to put the name of the cruise line in front of the ship’s name as in “Disney Fantasy” or “Carnival Fantasy.”  Royal Caribbean has gone a step further: they add an extra “of the Seas” after the name of every ship as in “Voyager of the Seas.” I guess that would make it okay for them to christen their next ship “Queen Mary 2 of the Seas.”

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the old system of naming ships when only one vessel carried a name, and you instantly knew which cruise line it belonged to. That’s why I have to give a lot of credit to the folks at Holland America Line. All their ships end with the suffix “dam” as in Westerdam, Rotterdam, Veendam, etc., which has made it “dam” hard for anyone else to copy them.

However, at the end of the day, I suppose it no longer matters that lots of ships have the same meaningless names. After all, a ship by any other name would float as well, even if it lacks creativity.

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