I am wondering who here has sailed on her (not toured her) - we know sailing and touring a very different - and what your experience has been. I am especialy curious about the experience of English speaking passengers.

So far - I can't wait to add this to my list of things to do!

[ 03-21-2007: Message edited by: Jekyll ]

She is of course very different and more intimate than the Deutschland - but therfore original.

So why do I mention her in this context?

Watch this clip on the Promenade deck (there are two more)...

...or this clip showing the cabin corridor or...

..this clip on the navigational bridge of Sea Cloud - mind the original, functional and still used engine telegraph.

IMHO she would be sensational even without masts and a sailing rig. (Don't get me wrong - the fact that she is a sailing ship is fantastic! - just look at the 'Sails Up!' and 'Sails Down!' clips!)

[ 03-21-2007: Message edited by: Ernst ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jekyll:
this ship appears to be the CLOSEST thing to old world liner travel that we currently have...i say this with due respect to QM2 - as Deutschland has that small ship ambiance...

[ 03-21-2007: Message edited by: Jekyll ]

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jekyll:
.... also throwing in the NAC and RVL ships...very "original cruising days'...

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...as you threw them in I may shamelssly post the follwoing two links :

Royal Viking Sky

Black Watch - ex Royal Viking Star

To come back to the topic:

I openly admit that the Deutschland is not my favourite.

I am not a big fan of this imitation interior - but this is less of an issue for me in her case - it might be nice for a limited time. The major flaw is the cabin size and the lack of balconies - not at all acceptable for a ship built for this price category in 1998 - especially as this is NOT manifesting itself in a handsome exterior appearance or nicer open deck space like found on older vessels without balconies. (keyword: promenade deck )
I am nevertheless sure that she is a well run ship of the 'right size' - and she certainly offers nice itineraries.

[ 03-21-2007: Message edited by: Ernst ]

quote:

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Originally posted by 6263866:
[...] and Majestic America line, with the exception of Delta Queen which actually was built in 1926.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jekyll:
..this ship appears to be the CLOSEST thing to old world liner travel that we currently have...i say this with due respect to QM2 - as Deutschland has that small ship ambiance...

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The Deutschland does indeed have beautiful interiors although during a ‘tour’ they did feel a little ‘imitation’ to me. Also her exterior is very plain in my opinion, being more like a small ferry.

The QM2 is equally ‘retro-Ocean Liner- imitation’ I suppose, but she does not feel as such to me becuse shs is an 'Ocean Liner', all be it with many cruise ship features. However, I accept that this is just personal taste.

The Deutschland does of course have a ‘small ship’ feel, but the great Ocean Liners were relatively large ships, being three or four times bigger in terms of gross tonnage that the Deutschland.

As ‘English’ is the second langue onboard the ‘Deutschland’, I’m sure that she does provide a refined and quality cruise experience for us non-German's.

[ 03-26-2007: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

As far as her interiors are concerned, let's not forget that ships like Olympic, Imperator, Aquitania, etc. were all fitted with period decor. And while I am not comparing those ships to Deutschland, I will say that it's nice to have a vessel whose designers didn't stick to the typical walls of green-blue glass, coral blue furniture, and endless miles of neon.

The Oceania ships are also fine examples of, well,..let's just call them "traditional", interiors.

And while I will always argue that QM2 is indeed an ocean liner, I do agree that there's really nothing period about her decor. She's about as modern as it gets and her interiors are exactly what a modern day ocean liner's interiors should look like...with a few possible exceptions.