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Like a Hope & Crosby Picture Minus Dorothy Lamour By Matt Hannafin of frommers.com |
| Some people are hard to please. Opulent meals won't cut it. Movies out on deck with popcorn and a cocktail won't either. Nor will ships with ice-skating rinks, fourteen restaurants, eight different kinds of steam rooms, or thirty-one flavors of low-carb ice cream. |
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Maybe it's bragging rights they're after -- the trip nobody they know has taken. Or maybe cities at sea just remind them of cities at home, which is what they're looking to escape from. Or maybe they're just romantics. They've seen a lot of old movies. They're different. It's for people like this that cruises on freighter ships are made. The independent type of travelers who know how to spend time on their own, who like to organize their own shore visits and, although the new technologies that have been brought to bear on freighter travel resulted in more reliable schedules, who are flexible enough to accept possible last minute changes. Freighters are one of the lifelines of the world economy, but of the approx. 30,000 large oceangoing ships in the world, just about 0.5 percent carry both passengers and cargo. It's a special niche serving those travelers with the time and temperament to sail long itineraries -- anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Passengers tend to be retired and well-traveled, but owing to the trips' length and usual lack of an onboard physician (on ships carrying fewer than 12 passengers), many vessels set an upper limit on passengers’ ages -- typically 79 though sometimes as young as 75 -- and passengers are required to present a doctor's statement saying they're fit for this kind of travel. Shorter cruises and coastal routes dispense with an age limit. Ditto for ships that carry more than 12 passengers. Working ships that set aside cabins for passengers fall into these four basic groups: Container ships and cargo ships generally carry 12 passengers or fewer and, the World class - World wide humor aside, offer accommodations that are often larger if not quite as fancy as those on cruise ships. Passengers have the run of the vessel, dine with the ship's officers, and enjoy an experience that's somewhere between home and cruise, with TV lounges, libraries, exercise rooms, and even swimming pools. Bars and laundry are both self-serve, and cabin linens are usually changed once a week. In port, ships may stay for as little as a half-day or as much as several days, depending on loading times. Since many vessels offer shipping services on the same kind of a rigid, week-in and week-out schedule as commuter trains and cruise ships, schedules are tight. Their cargo -- whatever it is -- absolutely, positively has to be there on time. At the shorter end of the itinerary spectrum are vessels like the containership Cap Tapaga, which sails every four weeks roundtrip from Los Angeles making a loop through the South Pacific islands at rates of EUR 3,195 or USD 4,760 per person, and the CMA CGM Amber offering five-week roundtrip voyages between the US East Coast and Mediterranean at rates of EUR 3,960 or USD 5,900. |
| At the more extreme end, the Rickmers Antwerp and her eight sister ships offer 125-day round-the-world voyages for seven passengers, with rates starting from EUR 8,680 or USD 12,950. |
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Tramp steamers are a different matter, working from contract to contract for as long as the job takes, and thus not bookable far in advance. Some appreciate the romance of that all in itself, but there's another upside: If you're able to travel on short notice, you can sail for less than the regularly scheduled containership's rate. Mail and supply ships generally cater to more passengers than the cargo vessels. The RMS St. Helena is one of the more renowned of these, offering regular service for 128 guests from the UK to Cape Town, South Africa, with stops in the Canary and Ascension Islands and an extended stay in the British dependency of St. Helena, in the South Atlantic. The month-long journey costs between GBP 4,044 or USD 6,700 and GBP 5,117 or USD 8,500 per person for a standard double cabin. In the South Seas, the cargo liner Aranui 3 sails a regular 14-night route roundtrip from Tahiti to the Marquesas Islands, with an operation heavily oriented toward its 200-some passengers. Sailings depart once or twice a month year-round, with fares starting at USD 3,675 per person for private (two person) accommodations. Bunks in a 30-person dormitory with shared facilities start at USD 2,079. |
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In northern climes, the Patricia, flagship of a fleet that was constituted by Royal Charter in 1514, sails regular one- to three-week voyages around the coasts of England, Wales, and the Channel Islands, servicing lightships, lighthouses, and navigational buoys. Though there are few opportunities to go ashore, it's an amazing experience for real maritime enthusiasts, with pleasant accommodations for up to 12 guests. Prices start around GBP 1,570 or USD 2,600 per person, per week. The ships and sailings above constitute only a small number of those bookable through MARIS (tel. +1 203 222-1500, www.freightercruises.com), an independent freighter-cruise specialist that also operates the Freighter Travel Club. Club membership ($36 per year) gets you monthly news and discounts on voyages. “From frommers.com. Copyright © 2004 by Wiley Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduced here, with updated voyage and price details, by permission of Wiley Publishing Inc. Frommer’s® is a registered trademark of Arthur Frommer”. |
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“This kind of travel is for me, a mix of social time and solitude time - and as much of either as I choose. The staff and passengers are all here because they have chosen to be here and they care about each other’s experiences. There is warmth, laughter, and camaraderie among us all. The ship has excellent passenger facilities including three cabins, each of which is nicely appointed and with plenty of room for all my stuff. There is a large passenger’s lounge with tables, couches, refrigerator, DVD player including a fairly large supply of DVDs, and a TV. There are also games in the cupboards. There is a gymnasium room with books, ping-pong, a stationery bike and a rowing machine; there is an indoor swimming pool with three portal windows, so it is light and comfortable. The pool is quite adequate for short laps, pool aerobics, and just plain fooling around in the salt water which moves, rolls, and sloshes as the ship sails on it’s merry way. A ship store sells spirits, tobacco products and very basic toiletries. Meals are wonderful with both lunches and dinners being five courses each. There is a French Chef aboard and each meal is served in an impeccable style. Wine is gratis and available for both lunch and dinner. Breakfasts are buffet style so I am certainly being tested for my will power because it is easy to take a little of everything. If I continue to do so I will be much heavier after this three-month journey. I love both the time at sea and the time in these many ports. Generally we have a full day in a port; however in some ports we stay a little longer. There is always enough time to take a tour; visit the highlights of the area, sample the local culture and do a little shopping. If one finds a place they especially enjoy, it can be noted, and a return trip planned for another time. I have my laptop computer with me and it includes an encyclopedia, a world atlas, and a world book, so I am very much enjoying the opportunity to study up on the next place where we will be landing. I also have my digital camera with me which allows me to create instant slide shows of the ship and ports visited. I spend time on the bridge and on deck enjoying the scenery and watching our progress. Loading and unloading the containers is a little different in each port so I never get tired of watching. The sea also mesmerizes me; I sit or walk outdoors as often as I can and feel totally in tune with the world. For me there is something very natural and whole about being at sea. I am somehow in tune with the motion of the ship, even when we are in rolling waters. I sleep very deeply, almost as if I am in a cradle. There is an energy surrounding us in this great outdoors, and it is healing. I feel peaceful, healthy, safe, and joyful. Life is good. |
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I knew from the moment I was accepted as a passenger on this freighter for my round the world journey, I wanted to take this trip alone to test my ability to adapt to situations that I don’t encounter in my daily life. While there were requests from friends to join me, I always came back to the realization that I was meant to take this first freighter journey solo. I knew that if I came on this journey with a friend it would become a different sort of journey. It would be good and in many ways an easier journey, but it wouldn’t test me in the way in which I wanted to be tested. Preparing for the trip was fun. There were visas to apply for, vaccinations to be arranged, clothes and shoes to think about since I would be in both winter and tropical climates, a first aid kit, enough prescriptions and toiletries to last the three months, money for the various countries I would be visiting to be purchased, and my laptop computer readied for the trip. What may have actually consumed the most time was thinking about, and choosing, which projects to take with me for those many days at sea. It forced me to think about how I wanted to use that precious free time. I needed also to think about how I would manage with the language of the ship which for my journey was going to be French and the only language I speak is English. That idea also applied to the books that would be on the ship. Could I risk that there would be English books on board that I would want to read? I guessed not and, as it turned out, I guessed correctly, which meant also carrying with me the reading I would want to do. With all the planning behind me and with all decisions made, one last important decision I made was that everything needed to fit into two suitcases and that some items needed to be used up along the way so that any purchases I made would also fit into these same two suitcases. I was anxious to get started. I boarded my ship, the CMA-CGM Utrillo in New York City, full of curiosity, and the journey began. One passenger was already on board and two others boarded in Savannah. We were to be four passengers and 22 crew members on this 90 day around the world journey. Eleven of the crew are French and eleven are Romanian. We would be stopping in 24 different ports before we returned again to New York. (Editor’s note: The CMA-CGM Utrillo and her three sisterships, the Manet, Matisse and La Tour, now sail between Europe, North America and Australia, offering 84-day roundtrip voyages as well as one way voyages.) |
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The re-affirmation of the decision to travel alone would be tested many times, and it started right at the beginning of the journey. I knew before I left that the other passengers included a married couple and another single woman. I hadn’t given any consideration to the issue that the four of us would need to sort out our expectations of one- another for these next 90 days. |
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It was important because it was at the heart of how we would relate to one another. It didn’t all happen at once, but over the first days, and even into the first weeks, events occurred which for each of us raised the questions of what we wanted from this journey and from each other. There were questions of how we would interact as a group, and as individuals, who just happen to be sharing a journey. I think, in fact, each of us was forced to think through what it was that we wanted for ourselves and from each other. It was not always easy, but it could all be sorted out. Because there was another single woman on the trip, I soon realized that the staff and the other couple viewed she and I as a couple. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was not accepting of this perception. It didn’t fit for me. Once I made the decision that I didn’t want to be seen as her partner, and talked it over with her, it was simple. She accepted my decision and agreed that I had no responsibility for her. She had come on this journey as an independent traveler. It immediately cleared the air. It was clear that I was free to accept other invitations and I was free to be independent in the use of my time. The tensions are gone, the decisions are made and each of us is happy. As a group we eat together, enjoy happy hours with one another, occasionally play games or watch movies and sometimes share with one another our time on the deck. We also share our experiences with one another when it is needed, but it is never taken for granted that we function as a group. We discuss what we want from the port visits and how we will do them. Often we share a cab into town and then we separate. Sometimes we share the visit or tour, but there is never the expectation that we are responsible for one another. The other potential problem that was imagined on this trip was the language difficulty with a staff that does not speak English. The problem as it turns out is a non-problem. Two officers speak quite good English and they take responsibility to see that the passengers get the messages and information important for our comfort and our safety on the ship. Also, as time goes on I discover that many staff members speak some English and as we become comfortable with one another, each of us risks more in our attempts to speak the other’s language. We also try to decipher the daily menu and its various messages; with the little bit of French that each of us knows. When we can’t get it, I take it to my computer, which has in it a translation program, and make the translation for all of us. As time goes on, we are all gaining in vocabulary. Now that passengers and staff have decided how we relate to one another, I am at ease and living a life of luxury. My room is cleaned each day by the steward, new towels and linens supplied regularly and often, water is placed in my refrigerator, excellent meals are cooked and served and I have the full run of the ship. The entire staff smiles a lot and every attempt is made to make us comfortable. |
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If you look forward to more time for yourself and the many days at sea appeal to you; if you love spending time just ‘watching the world go by’; if you want solitude to think through a project and/or time to do the project, if you are a writer and want to write; if reading is a complete joy for you, you will love a freighter journey. If, on the other hand, you like planned activities, or you enjoy spending time visiting with others, or you expect the other passengers to be card or game players, or you want to learn this ‘sea going’ business through asking the crew questions, you could be very disappointed. It is important to remember that the crew and the other passengers are not there to entertain you. There is no one on the ship who will organize your time for you. The crew has their work assignments and they have no reason to teach you their business. Each of the passengers has their own unique reasons for signing on to this journey; and it most probably, will not coincide with yours. |
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Since there is no one to organize your activities while in port, you must be prepared to make these decisions yourself. The other passengers may have their own plans; they may not be interested in going ashore or in always spending their time with you, so if you are going to have fun in port you must be prepared to find your own way. I found the following resources to be helpful: · Other passengers may have ideas that have interest for you. · The crew will often have visited these ports and they can tell you what they have done. · I have an atlas and an encyclopedia program on my computer, which allows me to research the port in the privacy of my room and help me to form my ideas. · My first stop, when I don’t have a plan, is the local Tourist Office. I tell them how many hours I have in port and what interests I have and they usually have useful suggestions. · Sometimes I would ask the Captain the day before arrival to ask the agent if he could organize a tour of the area for me. I would specifically request a driver who could speak good English. · Reading the articles written by previous passengers. · Occasionally I would ask a crew member to ask the pilot about a certain idea I had discovered and his response was often quite helpful. The crew can help you with information on how to get to town. They will know if a taxi can be called for from the ship or if you must walk to the gate and ask the gate attendant to phone for you, and whether the taxi is allowed to come to the gangplank or whether you must meet it at the gate. You must also have your passport with you when you leave the ship, as well as a shore pass when it is required. Also note the name and location of the ship. This latter information is essential to give to the taxicab driver upon your return. My last question before leaving the ship always was, “what is our departure time?” It is proper procedure to return to the ship at least one hour before the designated departure time.” |
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MARIS of Westport, CT Freighter Travel Club Int'l (Since 1958) Freighter & Specialty Cruises (Since 1993) 1 800 99-Maris (-62747) & 1 203 222-1500 (-9191 fax) www.freightercruises.com
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