By Bernard Burt

Something special happens when you board a cruise ship. Away from pressures of job and family, suddenly it’s time to focus on you. The sea inspires instant relaxation. But first comes the task of choosing a ship. Consider the alternatives of big ships versus small liners. Do you crave a lot of entertainment and fitness options, or do you prefer quiet pleasures with a few like-minded passengers?

With more options than ever, cruise ships can be classified just like spas:

Small: Under 500 passengers

Medium: 500-1,500 passengers

Large: Over 1,500 passengers

Megaliner: Over 2,500 passengers

Look for more amenities and activity aboard large ships, but expect higher levels of personal service on small ships. Spa appointments are usually fully booked during days at sea, but when the ship visits a port, stay aboard and enjoy the spa, often at reduced prices.

Princess Cruises Caribbean Princess

Ambience: East meets West

Size: Megaliner

www.princess.com; (800) 774-6237

Launched in 2004, Lotus Spa marked the beginning of a new generation of spas at sea. Designed and operated by Princess Cruises, Lotus Spa is their first branded spa to incorporate both Eastern and Western concepts of well-being.

SPA FEATURES Go online for spa appointments prior to sailing. Princess’ website makes it easy. A printout of your personal schedule is ready when you check in at the spa reception desk. Set high atop the ship, with panoramic views, this new brand of sea spa provides LifeFitness treadmills, bikes, and several dozen pieces of cardio and strength-training equipment. Spa-goers have exclusive use of a “Thermal Suite” where heated ceramic lounges provide relaxing warmth. The sheltered lap pool and whirlpools reserved for adults are steps away from the spa.

THE TRIP Cruises weekly from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Constant action, family-oriented. They also offer movies under the stars on a big open-air screen, and popcorn is free. Cashless cruising lets you charge wine, bottled water, and spa services to your master account. Downside: kids monopolize pools.

ADVENTURES ASHORE Princess Cays, the company’s private island for beach massage, barbecue, and watersports.

Cunard Queen Mary 2

Ambience: Glamour for the masses

Size: Megaliner

www.cunard.com; (800) 728-6273

The largest, longest, tallest, widest, and most luxury laden cruise ship ever built, the QM2 features the first Canyon Ranch SpaClub at sea. Daily passport ($19 – $25) includes pool, gym, sauna, and steam.

SPA FEATURES Enjoy the Rasul chamber for a mud/steam cleansing ritual. The spa also offers Thai massage, a seawater hydrotherapy pool, shiatsu, and thalassotherapy tubs. Complimentary daily passport with spa service.

THE TRIP All summer, there are crossings between New York and Southampton, England. Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale. The ship features traditional shipboard entertainment plus lectures, computer learning center, planetarium, golf simulator, and children’s program.

ADVENTURES ASHORE Standard sightseeing, some sports-oriented excursions.

Holland America Line Westerdam

Ambience: Sophisticated

Size: Large

www.hollandamerica.com; (877) 724-5425

The Greenhouse Spa & Salon graces this brand new liner. Staterooms are extra-large, many with verandas. Innovations include a sidewalk cafe with music-listening kiosks, plasma-screen TVs in every cabin, and a culinary arts center where visiting chefs conduct cooking demonstrations.

SPA FEATURES The Greenhouse Spa features Elemis skincare products, facials, massage, hair and nail care. Free signature services for feet, hands, and eyes with selected Greenhouse body treatments. Enjoy therapeutic water treatments in the hydrotherapy pool, bathe in exotic herbs, or book a treatment in the thermal aromatherapy suite. Operated by Steiner Leisure, the spa is located on the Lido Deck adjoining the gymnasium. Because appointment space is limited, book spa treatments early upon boarding the ship. Packages available, day pass $15.

THE TRIP Weekly Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale.

ADVENTURES ASHORE Beach massage in cabana on Half Moon Cay, followed by barbecue.

Windstar Cruises Wind Surf

Ambience: Yacht-like informality

Size: Small

www.windstarcruises.com; (800) 258-7245

Sailing to off-the-beaten-track Caribbean ports and Riviera glamour spots, this is the ship for people who hate megaliners. Capacity is 308 passengers. There is a special watersports platform for scheduled free windsurfing and water skiing while at anchor. (SCUBA diving is available for an additional fee.)

SPA FEATURES Windspa by Steiner features Elemis skincare, Ionithermie cellulite reduction, Indian scalp massage, and hydrotherapy tub. There is also a small aerobics studio and on-deck swimming pool.

THE TRIP Round-trip sailings from Cozumel, Mexico, weekly through April 13, offer option of adding island stay or Cancun fling. Summer cruises on French and Italian rivieras. Crew is exceptionally attentive, tips not expected. Cabins compact, recently refurbished.

ADVENTURES ASHORE Rainforest hikes, trail rides, cultural excursions.

Serenity at Sea

By Laurel W. House<![CDATA[

Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity is more than a boat or a floating spa. It is a lavish world unto itself, where luxury has no bounds and extravagance is exponential. After eleven days aboard this playground for the rich, I find myself reluctantly re-acclimating to my daily life.

Upon entering my Penthouse Suite, I was informed that my each and every whim would be fulfilled by my butler – George, who, I might add, used to serve the Queen of England. As I awaited the arrival of George, I ruffled through the room, relishing in each perfectly appointed detail: the Reidel glasses, frette robe, Aveda bathroom products, Jacuzzi spa tub, flat screen TV, DVD player, Yamaha CD player and, of course, the butler button. Yes, life was good, very good. After enjoying the view from my large private verandah, I headed to the spa.

Spas on ships are certainly not what they used to be. I remember when they were tiny, window-less rooms buried deep within the ship’s bowels beside the cubicle of a gym filled with two cardio machines and a few dusty free-weights. Finally, spas and gyms, the raison d’&ecirc;tre of my existence, are seeing the light as they are situated atop the entire ship in all their glory.

The dining aboard the Crystal Serenity was outstanding. The high-class clientele is used to a certain standard; settling for mediocrity is simply not an option. Besides, what would Wolfgang Puck think when he comes aboard for one of his special guest-chef appearances?

As the ship took to sea, the guests lined along the upper tiers of the ship, champagne in hand, while the song “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong came over the speakers.

After an absolutely superb dinner of oysters Rockefeller, lobster tails, beef Wellington and cherries jubilee for dessert, we played the slots and a few hands of blackjack at the ship’s Caesars Palace casino; then, we were off to a Broadway-style show. Nothing on this ship was less than first-rate.

During the eleven-day adventure, we soaked in the water-filled grottos at the “baths of Virgin Gorda,” saw Antigua from the sky during a helicopter tour that circled the nearby island of Montserrat, shopped in St. Lucia, sunbathed in St. Maarten and St Thomas, and before we knew it, we found ourselves back in Ft. Lauderdale as though the entire trip had been a dream. When I think back on those two weeks of perfection aboard the Crystal Serenity, there is an underlying theme song that repeats in my mind, “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

For more information visit www.crystalcruises.com or ask your travel agent for more information.

January/February 2005