Cruise Compass

By ISABEL C. DE LEON

Legend of the Seas exterior

MANILA, Philippines -- Imagine a huge world map with tiny lights marking the spots where cruise ships are located and there should be hundreds of them scattered all over bodies of water. Cruising, indeed, has become a global phenomenon.

Cruise specialist Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has readied its fleet of 22 for the start of the cruising season this October, with exotic destinations such as the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Holy Land, Caribbean, Middle East and India, Alaska and Canada, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Bahamas and Bermuda, South America and Ocean Crossings.

Joy Abrogar, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of RCI said it’s time to “Get Out There” on board RCI’s ships that have become destinations themselves.

“Cruising has become a popular option for travelers for a number of reasons, all 18 of them,” Abrogar added. And on board the Legend of the Seas for a four-night Isles of Southeast Asia cruise, she showed us why:

1. A cruise is a hassle-free vacation – On a cruise, you pack and unpack only once, your concerns are minimized, your stress melts away and your actual vacation time gets maximized.

2. A cruise takes you away from it all – traffic, pollution, smog, stress, alarm clocks, noisy neighbors, etc.

3. You’re pampered like nowhere else – Breakfast in bed, lounging on deck, champagne and caviar, name it.

4. You can do it all or nothing at all – you have the option to avail of the choices or pass them up, it’s all up to you.

5. You can sample a broad geographic area – there are destinations best visited via a ship like Alaska, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, the islands of Southeast Asia and the Fjords of Norway.

6. A cruise is something new.

7.Cruises offer a huge variety of events, activities and meals. Cruises, these days, it seems, are all about choices.

8. A cruise facilitates shopping.

9. It’s easy to make friends on a cruise – opportunities to socialize are endless and friendships formed on board may endure well beyond the cruise.

10. Cruises lend themselves to groups. A cruise vacation is where you will see old friends and meet new ones with the same interests as yours.

11. A cruise is a romantic experience – Movies, books, songs use cruises as the setting for romance. Cruises have a way of breathing new life into an old relationship or of setting the stage for a new one. According to a Cosmopolitan survey, 80 percent of cruisers feel more amorous at sea.

12. A cruise is a learning experience – you’re almost sure to learn something new about the ports you visit.

13. There’s a cruise that can satisfy virtually anyone – families, singles, couples, clubs, lovers of sports and just about everything.

14. It’s a great way to celebrate a special event – A number of Filipino families have gone onboard to celebrate wedding anniversaries and birthdays.

15. Everybody’s talking about how wonderful cruises are as they are so “in”.

16. Cruises represent a safe travel – the ship’s environment is highly managed and passage onto and off it is controlled.

17. It’s a fabulous value for money – A cruise is a remarkable bargain compared to any land-based vacation.

18. You know what you’re paying for in advance – a Cruise is generally an inclusive vacation.

How the legend came to be

The Legend of the Seas was built in Chantier De L’Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France and it set sail on its maiden voyage on May 16, 1995. It can accommodate 2076 persons and is manned by a crew of 750 on the average coming from 60 different countries.

Sverre Ryan, the ship’s Captain at the time of our sea voyage, and a veteran of 30 years, is on top of the happy and friendly crew that “makes all things possible at sea.”

“A vacation onboard is truly an experience without boundaries. Our fantastic crew is composed of nice people from all over the world. We are a city at sea,” he said.

Captain Ryan who is from Norway started his career from the very bottom – as an oiler in the boiler room. He moved on to the galley where he scrubbed pots and pans and cleaned toilets in the staterooms. “If I didn’t know all these things then I wouldn’t be much of a leader,” he said.

Captain Ryan takes pride in RCI’s very safe ships. “We can bring them to the most vicious of weathers and they will still be safe.”

He has led a number of sea rescues and even went through the eye of a hurricane to save a passenger who was having a medical emergency. “We decided to ride the storm rather than sit it out and we saved the person.”

Captain Ryan, who now calls Canada his home, is not about to take off his hat and leave the ship. “There will always be something spectacular to see, anywhere you are, at sea, and that’s the best part of my job,” he stressed.

What’s a Cruise Compass?

Everyday throughout our four-night Isles of Southeast Asia cruise, we were given a newsletter called the Cruise Compass that detailed the activities available, the options open to us, information tidbits and schedules. These served as our compass and helped us navigate our way throughout the 264-meters long ship.

Shore Excursions

On our second day, we arrived in Port Kelang, Malaysia and motored to Kuala Lumpur, the capital city for a day of fun and shopping. Day Three saw us disembarking from the ship to enjoy Phuket, Thailand. Day Four, we had an extra long break at sea where we had the opportunity to put our feet up and let our hair down.

To reserve of your cruise vacation, please visit Arpan Air, Inc. at Unit 2206 Cityland 10 Tower 2, 6817 Ayala Avenue North corner De La Costa St. Salcedo Village, Makati City, or call 892-2701 to 03, or log on to www.royalcaribbean.ph,www.royalcaribbean.com.