Atlantic Cruises Atlantic Cruises Introduction

1. Atlantic cruise guide

Due to the late start of the market, the current vision of the cruise companies that dominate Chinese tourists is not as colorful as the foreign cruise market. The mainstream ones are as follows:

1. Costa Cruise Line (the English name is Costa, which has the same name as a coffee brand but has no business relationship), its spokesperson is the otaku goddess Gao Yuanyuan. Currently, there are four ships in service in China, namely Atlantic, Victoria (this ship’s 2016 U.S. domestic sailing season has ended), Selina, and Lucky, which just arrived in Shanghai this year. Selena is the largest tonnage ship.

2. Royal Caribbean International Cruise Lines. Its Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, and Quantum of the Seas ships are currently operating in China, and the Quantum of the Seas is one of them (a sister ship of the Quantum of the Seas came to the Tianjin market in 2016, called the Ocean Lizan, The software and hardware are almost identical. Friends who are interested in Li Zan can refer to the review of Quantum.)

3. Princess Cruises (which, like Costa, belongs to the Carnival Group, a giant in the cruise industry). There are two cruise ships in the domestic home port, the Sapphire Princess in Shanghai and the Golden Princess in Tianjin.

4. Skysea Cruises (Ctrip and Royal Caribbean’s parent company *** share shares). Currently, she has only one ship, Tianhai New Century, which will make its maiden voyage in May 2015.

The author happens to have sat on the flagships of these four companies. Use your own experience to tell the difference between the four boats.

1. First impression

From the exterior decoration to the interior decoration of the ship, you can see the temperament of a ship.

Among the four ships, the 70,000-ton Tianhai New Century Cruise is the smallest. This ship originally belonged to a high-end brand, Celebrity Cruises, called Exquisite Century, focusing on high-end experiences. After Cruise Lines bought the ship, it was renamed New Century.

The exterior of the ship is renovated, mainly dark blue. Because the tonnage is not too high, there will be no pressure when approaching.

The interior style is restrained and there are no particularly eye-catching facilities. However, due to renovation this year, the whole place is clean and bright.

From the appearance and decoration point of view, the Tianhai cruise ship is quite satisfactory, neither outstanding nor inferior.

Selena is currently Costa's largest ship in China, with a tonnage of 115,000 tons, and it already has a sea castle.

It is positioned as ancient Rome on the sea. In addition to its nickname, the Ship of the Gods, there is a Pantheon Hall spanning 10 decks. Zeus, the King of Gods, brings many ancient Roman gods. (Although it is ancient Rome, ancient Roman mythology is not as influential as ancient Greek mythology, so the gods on this ship all have ancient Greek names)

The style of the entire ship is mainly yellow. Many of the venues in the hall draw on the essence of ancient Roman architecture. For example, the Zeus Theater where we watched the show was modeled after the Colosseum in Rome, which was very gimmicky.

As a representative of Italian style, Costa is very good at telling stories to its ships. The naming and decoration of various facilities give Selena space to imagine an ancient Roman ship.

The Sapphire Princess and the Selena have the same tonnage of 115,000 tons, but the passenger capacity is 1,000 less than the latter. With more than a thousand cabin crew at the same time, the passenger-to-cabinet ratio is as low as 2.5. It can be seen from this data that the positioning of Princess S is slightly higher than that of ordinary public cruise ships.

Princess's design There are basically no particularly eye-catching elements on the entire ship. The continuous colors are mainly light and elegant, striving to reflect elegance and tranquility.

My biggest feeling during these few days spent on the Princess is quietness and relaxation, which is also in line with the positioning of the ship.

Royal Caribbean Quantum has a tonnage of 168,000 tons, second to none in the world.

If Princess Sapphire’s temperament is restrained and steady, then Quantum’s label is high-profile. From a distance, the tonnage of 168,000 is already outstanding, but Quantum still placed a two-story pink giant bear on the deck to make the ship's shape even more unique.

In the interior decoration, you can Idon't see any classical elements similar to the Titanic period, only dazzling electronic screens and fiberglass reinforced plastics, which always remind you of a The arrival of a new era

First impressions, in personal order: Quantum Ocean Sapphire Princess Selena New Age

II Free Restaurant

Free restaurant on the cruise ship There are generally two types, one is the main restaurant (open during dinner time, you can order meals, in the form of three meals), and the other is the buffet restaurant (open at any time, buffet).

There are two main restaurants onboard the Starr Selena, connected to each other and offering the same menu. As an Italian-style cruise ship, continental food is the specialty of Selena, but in order to take care of Chinese guests, improved Chinese food will also be served on board, which tastes very good. Lobster will be served at the Captain's Dining Room. Dinner at the end of the cruise.

As for the buffet restaurant, its tiramisu, pizza, and pasta are all authentic Italian flavors, especially the pizza, which wins several blocks. The main restaurants on New Century cruise ships are also similar. The main restaurants rarely provide free juice; the food tastes stable and the ingredients are fresh. At the lobster dinner on each cruise, you can enjoy the lobster shucking service only available to Costas, royal families and princesses. This lobster is better than Selina's, but tastes better.

The canteen will provide Chinese cooking and staple food, as well as sushi, pizza, desserts, etc. In terms of taste of the main course, it is no less than Selena. There are many beverage options including regular milk, coffee, tea bags, juices, instant hot chocolate and more.

The Sapphire Princess is the most delicious ship in the minds of many cruise passengers. This not only refers to the careful selection and careful preparation of ingredients, but also to the elegant dining environment. Other ships require guests to dine in groups due to limited restaurant capacity, but the Sapphire Princess has five main restaurants where you can sit as you please during dinner time, which is very free. The most important thing in the main dining room is that the captain has his meal. Instead of just plain lobster, Princess serves a very fancy leader's dinner.

At least in the cafeteria, the princess believed there wasn't much variety in the food. There are only 1-2 choices of each type, but the ingredients are generous. Offer free desserts and even salmon sandwiches.

As a beloved ship, in addition to the main restaurant and buffet restaurant, the Sapphire Princess also has a free snack bar, pizza bar, ice cream bar, and popcorn. Although I haven’t dug enough to provide free Specialty drinks such as milk tea and milkshakes are available, but there is also a drink card for US$7/day, which is basically equivalent to the charity price (1/4 of the price of similar products on other ships). You can enjoy milkshakes, milk tea, juice and other non-alcoholic drinks.

Quantum of the Sea also has five main restaurants, each offering a different style of cuisine, including classic Western food, modern Western food, American Western food and Asian cuisine.

Among the ships mentioned above, Quantum S Restaurant is the largest and can accommodate more than a thousand people at the same time. All kinds of meat, vegetables, sushi, and salads are available. Dragon fruit and mangosteen are available every day, and the variety is extremely rich.

In addition to the main restaurant and buffet restaurant, the ship also has a free cafe, snack bar, pizza bar, hot dog house, and ice cream, which is no less than that of the Princess.

The quantity and quality of the free restaurants are actually reflected in the ticket price.

The ticket with the Quantum Princess is slightly more expensive, and the quantum free restaurant also has more food types than the princess. If it comes to taste, Princess is better.

Selena and Tianhai, because their pricing is lower, you can not compare the types of free meals with Princess and Quantum. But there are also people who are willing to get on the ship at a better price and then try the paid restaurants on the ship, which is also an idea.

Free restaurants, personal orders are as follows: Sapphire Princess, Quantum of the Seas, SkySea Cruise Ship Selena

Three specialty restaurants

Most of the specialty restaurants on board All are charged, this is a choice to change the taste and pursue a better dining environment.

There are two special restaurants on Star Selena, one is called Fishing in the Sea.

Although the taste is different from the Sichuan hot pot on the shore, the price of 25 US dollars (155 yuan) allows for unlimited servings, which is very conscientious. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most cost-effective hot pot on the sea.

Another restaurant that charges a fee is a Japanese restaurant. All kinds of sushi and sake are charged a la carte. You can also get a set menu that includes all dishes for $35. Although the taste is not without many highlights, eating too much Western food is a choice

Tianxin Century has three paid restaurants. The Paris restaurant offers top-notch French dinners for US$50 per person. Its lobster, steak, and French desserts are all excellent; if you stay in the PS/RS suite, you can also taste them for free.

Another specialty restaurant, Huaiyang Fu Cuisine, offers Jiangnan cuisine. The set menu is $25 per person and includes six dishes, among which the soup is very authentic. (Note in July 2016: This restaurant has been removed by Tianhai. The new restaurant will be notified to everyone after I try it on the ship)

Shengdi Restaurant can be used as a late-night snack option, serving Cantonese dim sum and Southeast Asian snacks Lord. The price is similar to that of Hong Kong-style tea restaurants on the shore, which is very affordable.

The Sapphire Princess Stoll Restaurant is a must-go place on board. The $25/person Italian restaurant in San Bartini is one of the symbols, allowing you to eat authentic Italian food on the shore starting from $200. The Italian waiters will also help you add dishes according to your mood, which is great value. (Starting from April 2016, the price in Saint-Bartini's restaurant has been adjusted to US$29 per person)

The lobster barbecue bar of US$15-25 per person provides fresh lobster and special cooking. Served with lobster fries and Kung Pao lobster rice, both are delicious. (Starting from April 2016, the price of the lobster barbecue bar will be adjusted to 18-22 US dollars per person)

In addition, the Sterling Steak House (Sterling Steak House), which costs 25 US dollars per person, provides steaks, beef bones and seafood. It’s awesome and equally amazing. (Starting from April 2016, the price of Sterling Steak House will be adjusted to US$29/person)

In contrast, the sea view hot pot at US$25/person is not so recommended. No matter in terms of ingredients or taste, it is far from the sea fishing Selena, and it has also lost the consistent level of the princess.

The most popular choice in Quantum of the Seas is Oliver’s Italian Restaurant, $25 per person. This restaurant also has branches in Hong Kong and is a well-known Italian restaurant in the UK. The price on board is J-price-effective compared to shore. The meat platter in the set meal is the most recommended.

Wonderland Plaza, which costs US$39 per person, imitates the artistic conception of "Alice in Wonderland" and provides molecular cuisine. From the cutlery to the environment, the food is forced.

In addition, there are single-charge Japanese cuisine, royal-style steak barbecue ($35/person), S restaurant with private chef experience ($85/person), and Jenoin, managed by an American celebrity chef. The beer house (single charge) has a good reputation. Although Kung Fu S Seafood Restaurant (a la carte fee) is not expensive, for Chinese people, the taste is not very authentic and can only be used as a recreational choice.

In terms of paid restaurants, my personal ranking is as follows: Sapphire Princess, Quantum of the Seas, SkySea Cruise Ship Selena

Four Accommodation Experience

As long as it is a regular cruise ship, LCD TVs, safes, refrigerators, showers, and hairdryers are all standard in the room. What needs to be compared is the service awareness and additional daily necessities provided by different ships.

Among the Selena’s cabin crew, a high proportion of them can speak Chinese, and daily communication is quite convenient, which provides convenience for middle-aged and elderly guests who are not good at foreign languages. However, there are too few domestic channels on the indoor TV, and the movie channel only has 2-3 movies, which is a big inconvenience.

In addition, if you are a non-suite guest, you need to bring your own slippers, which is another inconvenience.

As a former exquisite cruise ship, Sky Cruises New Century has inherited the design ingenuity of the Royal Caribbean series (Exquisite Cruise Lines is a high-end brand owned by the royal family) in the cabin. Even if you live in the smallest room, you won't have the embarrassment of insufficient storage space. You can watch domestic mainstream channels such as Hunan Satellite TV and Zhejiang Satellite TV in the room, or you can continue to watch dramas on the boat.

In addition, toothpaste, toothbrush and slippers are provided to every guest regardless of cabin class. Considering that its price is almost the lowest among Shanghai ships, this kind of treatment is simply touching (no, I don't wear black Costa).

Princess Sapphire has always claimed to provide princess treatment, and the person who proposed this gimmick has obviously heard the story of "The Princess and the Pea". All classes of cabins are equipped with a four-piece L'Occitane shower set; there is also a toiletry bag containing razors, cotton, cotton swabs, eye masks, etc. In addition, free mineral water, sweet sleep chocolate, and story cards are provided every day (Note: I bought Princess again in December 2016. Indeed, as some friends pointed out in the reviews, Princess’s service is already different, and the net content is L L’Occitane The suit has been reduced by half, and the eye mask and bathrobe are gone; mineral water is only provided once during the whole journey.)

In addition, the TV in the room can not only receive most of the domestic mainstream channels, but also has a powerful on-demand system. . There are nearly a hundred of the latest blockbusters from home and abroad, so it won't be boring if you don't. Don't go out.

The decoration of Ocean Quantum’s cabin is a highlight. As a new ship launched in the second half of 2014, the room design is stylish and beautiful, the facilities are very new, and there are many movie channels in the room.

The most surprising thing is the number of sockets in the room, plus five USB ports. No one traveling with their family will eventually have to endure the alternating charging of their electronic devices.

In terms of accommodation experience, my personal ranking is as follows: Sapphire Princess = Ocean Quantum Sky Sea New Century Selena

5. Entertainment Facilities

Water facilities on the Selena is a highlight. There are three swimming pools and a waterslide on board.

A cinema with a canopy on the deck, a jogging track and a sports field are also standard features, so you don’t have to worry about boring time on the deck. If the weather is bad, the swimming pool also has a sliding dome to protect it from wind and rain.

For young people who pursue novelty and excitement, there are F1 simulation racing, 4D cinema and electronic game center on board for entertainment. However, these facilities are chargeable and I have not tried them.

Skyscanner New Century is mainly equipped with swimming pools, offshore golf, basketball courts, and gyms, which are already standard facilities; in terms of on-board shopping stores, in addition to standard international big-name duty-free shops, there are also drug stores, tobacco hotels, Luggage store.

The most unique entertainment at sea was originally the deck trampoline, but it was under maintenance on the last few voyages. I could only look at the photos and missed an attempt.

The theme of Sapphire Princess is mainly about eating and relaxing, and there are not many novel facilities. There is a pool star theater on the deck with clear picture quality, excellent sound effects and free popcorn. Additionally, there are two indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a large fitness center. During the time on the ship, everyone basically gathered in the snack bar, buffet restaurant, deck ice cream shop and other places that provided free meals, so it was very convenient to eat and play.

If the ship mentioned above is a marine leisure center, then "Quantum of the Sea" must be a marine amusement park, so it is somewhat unfair to compare it with other ships. In addition to gyms and indoor and outdoor swimming pools, there are also bumper cars, XBOX, surfing, rock climbing, Polaris sightseeing car tours, wind tunnel experiences, skating, and robot bartending, and these facilities are free. (Note: Royal Caribbean issued a new policy on October 29, and the two facilities will start charging from December 30. The Polaris sightseeing car fee is 20 US dollars per person, and the deck skydiving fee is 26 US dollars per person).

In terms of entertainment facilities, my personal ranking is: Quantum Princess of the Seas cruise ship Tianhai cruise ship.

VI Activity Performance

As an Italian-style cruise ship, the Selena is a major selling point for beautiful Italian men and women. 755-79000 is a classic song on the ship. Although the cultural connotation of ancient Rome is not easy to understand, the sculpture-like handsome men and beautiful women are impressive.

There are also Costa-specific free performances on board. Tickets can be purchased starting on the first night of sailing. The earlier you buy your tickets, the better your spot will be.

Although it is a topless performance, it is by no means obscene and is still full of elegant artistic beauty (in consideration of relevant national laws and regulations, the picture is not shown).

As a cruise ship operating locally, SkyCruises New Century has many entertainment staff from China, and its activities are more down-to-earth. In addition to traditional singing and dancing, there are also acrobatics and other performances. Some program guests are invited from domestic variety shows

Supplement: In 2016, Tianhai will have people from "Myth" participating in singing.

The entertainment performances on the Sapphire Princess are mainly Broadway-style professional singing and dancing performances, and the sound effects are performed by a live orchestra, which is very shocking. There will also be a female band performance and kitchen tours. While in retrospect, none of the activities were particularly impressive, they were perfectly adequate as a leisure and entertainment option.

On the Quantum of the Seas, you can see the highest level of real-life performances in China, no one else. "China's Got Talent", "The Voice of China", "Music and Dance Odyssey", these programs will be packed with seats even in first-tier cities in China. The musicians plucked the huge strings hanging in the air, the dancers tapped the large and small clouds and drums in the air, the tall and beautiful dancers showed you the colorful secret underwear, and the 270-degree giant curtain wall rumbled and then shattered.

In terms of events and performances, my personal order is: Quantum Princess of the Seas Selena Cruises SkySea Cruises.

VII Summary

The tonnage, passenger capacity and reference prices of the four ships are as above (cruise prices fluctuate greatly in peak season, prices are for reference only).

In general, "Quantum of the Seas" is outstanding in all aspects, with almost no obvious disadvantages (if you have to choose, the 4,000-passenger capacity will make the entire ship noisy), but the price Much taller than other ships. If you want to be blown away and have a blast, this is the best boat in Asia.

The price of Sapphire Princess is second only to Ocean Quantum, and all the software and hardware on board are above average. Food is a highlight. Quiet atmosphere, highly qualified staff, this is a holiday oriented choice. (Note: I visited the princess again in December 2016 and found that the level of the princess has dropped a lot, and the attitude of the waiters is generally not as good as before; the main restaurant does not proactively provide dessert menus; non-suites no longer provide bathrobes. The Sapphire Princess will be in April 2017 After leaving China in July, Princess Shi Sheng will come to China in July. Looking forward to the surprise of Princess Shi Sheng)

The price of the Selena is very down-to-earth, but accordingly, the free facilities on the ship are not. Rich. Although there is no choice in hardware and the food and accommodation are at normal levels, the additional services are slightly worse (mainly reflected in the small variety of free drinks, no slippers in non-suites, etc.). However, if you have never been on a large foreign cruise ship, this is a great time The starting point of the cruise experience.

Skyliner New Century is the lowest price among the above four ships. Due to the limitation of tonnage, the hardware is slightly inferior to that of the Selena, and it does not have too fashionable facilities. The software is good, though. There will be musicians playing violin during the meal, the restaurant will provide free drinks such as juice and chocolate, and toiletries and slippers will be provided in the room. If you don’t have a big budget, you can try this local cruise ship that is a mix of Chinese and foreign.

2. Atlantic Cruise Lines

Royal Caribbean Cruises: Spectrum of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas. Among them, Ocean Spectrum will serve China’s year-round homeport.

Costa Cruises: Venice, Selena, Atlantic Ocean, New Romance. Venice serves China as a year-round homeport. Another new ship, the Florence, will arrive in December and its voyage has not yet been announced.

Princess Cruises: Sapphire Princess, mainly in the summer.

Star Cruises: World Dream and Discovery Dream. World Dream serves the South China market year-round.

MSC Cruises: Honor will leave China and be replaced by a larger and newer Honor.

Star Cruises: Gemini

Star Cruises: Gulangyu

Bohai Sea Cruise: Taishan, China

Let us first analyze each home port cruising situation.

East China Home Port:

The Shanghai American Home Port is still the most important home port in China, with cruise ships docking throughout the year, reaching its peak during the summer vacation in July and August. You can choose from Ocean Spectrum, Ocean Voyager, Sapphire Princess, MSC Glory, Atlantic and Discovery Dream. Among them, Ocean Spectrum and MSC Honor are both flagship new ships, and most of the others have been newly renovated. It can be seen that major cruise companies still regard Shanghai as their most important home port.

North China home port:

Tianjin’s home port is the most important departure city for the North China market. Next year there will be Selena, Quantum of the Sea, Dream of Discovery, MSC Glory, and Gulangyu to choose from. Among them, Selena serves the U.S. home port of Tianjin all year round, while other cruise schedules are mainly concentrated near the summer vacation.

South China home port:

The home port group in South China mainly includes Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Dream serves South China as the homeport of the United States, while Venice and Atlantic take turns serving the homeport of Shenzhen.

Cruise destinations:

Japan still occupies a dominant position in the home port cruise market destination, and most of the ports departing from East China and North China are Japan. Unlike previous years, this year there have been significantly more voyages to the United States so that we can explore Japan in greater depth.

Southern China has relatively many market choices. In addition to Japan, you can also choose to go to the Philippines and Vietnam.

3. Introduction to the Atlantic cruise ship

The cruise ship is one of the postal vehicles and also transports passengers. Most cruises are for sightseeing purposes.

In the early days of postal service, intercontinental mail relied on mail ships to carry letters and packages from coast to coast. These British ships often had to fly the Royal Mail signal flag.

After 1850, the Royal Mail allowed private shipping companies to help them deliver letters and parcels through contracts. The result of this change was that some ocean liners that originally belonged to passenger shipping companies became signal-flag ocean liners. The word ocean cruise was born.

Extended information:

Cruise ships have a history of more than 100 years abroad. In the early 19th century, due to immature aircraft technology, some people began to board cruise ships to travel across the ocean, and cruise tourism began to develop; but the most important function of cruise ships was to carry mail and immigrants.

As aircraft technology matures, wealthy and leisure aristocrats prefer fast air travel, while immigrants choose the fast, economical and comfortable way to cross the ocean. In 1985, the cruise ship France withdrew from the Atlantic route, and cruise ships withdrew from the stage of history, marking the end of a great era of navigation.

Strictly speaking, luxury passenger ships can be regarded as cruise ships. The last cruise ship in history was Queen Elizabeth II, and the other was Queen Mary II.

4. Complete Guide to Costa Cruises Atlantica

Foreign tourist groups are exempt from visa for 15 days.

Cruise entry and exit procedures support foreign tourist groups’ 15-day visa-free entry on cruise ships. Foreign tour groups of two or more people can be organized, received and arranged by legally registered travel agencies in China, and can enter the group without a visa from the Shanghai Cruise Port. The stay shall not exceed 15 days from the day after entry, and the scope of activities shall be limited.

On the day of boarding, the travel agency leader must bring the original valid departure list of the team and prepare the travel documents of all team members, including passports and air tickets, and then go to the ticket counter to handle relevant procedures. But not all cruises to Japan are visa-free. Visa exemption for Chinese cruise tourists requires each shipping company to apply to the Japanese authorities on a ship-by-ship basis, and it can be implemented only after approval.

It is reported that there are currently 11 cruise ships approved for visa-free entry, namely: China Taishan, Costa Victoria, Costa Atlantica, Costa Selena, Chu Diva , Millennium, Mariner of the Seas, Natica, MSALBATROS, Dream of the Sea, Star of Aquarius. Among them, the cruise ships departing from Shanghai this year mainly include China Taishan, Costa Victoria, Costa Atlantic, Costa Selena, Ocean Mariner, etc.

5. Atlantic Cruise Guide

The Mediterranean cruise route is roughly divided into two parts: the eastern route starts from Venice and passes through Croatia, the Greek Islands and Turkey, and some routes reach Egypt and Israel; The western route has many departure ports, generally passing through Rome, Savona, Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, ??Tunis, Sicily and Naples, some of which call at Cannes, Nice or the Canary Islands, which enter the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar.

6. Atlantic Cruise

No tickets, reservation is required.

Is the cruise ship Minghua 34 built by the French Atlantic Shipyard?

The entire cruise ship is quite large, with a total length of 168M, nine floors, and a displacement of 14,000 tons.

Now, it stays quietly in Shenzhen Bay and has become a scenery in Shekou, Shenzhen. It was once a luxury cruise ship and has now been converted into a restaurant and hotel.

：7. Oceania Cruises

1. Prelude Floating Ship/Prelude FLNG(488)

As a ship transporting natural gas processing plants, how does a floating ship process natural gas? of? In fact, the drilling platform sends the gas to the ship through pipelines, and then the ship removes impurities, separates qualified natural gas, then pressurizes and liquefies it, and finally connects to the LNG ship.

2. Knock on the Door (458.45 meters)

This world’s second longest super cruise ship is 126 meters longer than the largest aircraft carrier. Knocknevis's maritime history can be described as rough and tragic. It suffered from wars and sank at the bottom of the sea for eight years. After more than ten years of salvage and restoration, its sailing career ended and it is now used for natural history exhibitions.

3. Pierre Guillaume (414.23 meters)

A very large ship built in the 1970s, registered in France, with a maximum tonnage of more than 5 million tons.

4. Battle (length 414.22 meters)

Compared with previous superships, the battleship's sailing years were much shorter, and it was abandoned after less than ten years of operation.

5. Esso Atlantic (406.57 meters)

Another giant tanker stands out among the many tankers counted today. After all, the biggest feature of this ship is its long service life, up to 35 years.

6. Maersk McKinney Miller (399 meters)