Judi Pym & Joanne Lundy of Discover the World, Canadian
Reps for All Leisure
Colin Wilson of All Leisure Holidays
How civilized! A lovely spread of afternoon tea
If the
words “floating country house hotel" make you want to dash home and pack your
suitcase, I'm with you. Even the lavish charms of a pretty afternoon tea at
Toronto's famed Park Hyatt Hotel couldn't distract me from the totally entrancing-sounding
All Leisure Holidays cruises.
The
umbrella name for 6 U.K.-based wholesalers, All Leisure has three small ship
cruise lines: Voyages of Discovery, Swan Hellenic and Hebridean Island Cruises.
Colin Wilson, Group Sales Director, joined a group of travel agents last week
to spell out their respective features and sample itineraries.
All 3 lines
feature Phillipino crews with up to 1:1 passenger/crew ratio. And, all place
the emphasis on enrichment, experience and discovery – and not, as Wilson put
it, “getting a suntan".
Voyages of
Discovery invite clients to cruise with just 540 like-minded customers. Wilson
explained that Voyages is known for relaxed and friendly service and engaging
guest speakers who range from historians to academics, as well as creative
workshops and even a hugely-popular passenger choir program. (“The U.K. has
gone choir mad.") All onboard gratuities and service charges are
included. Itineraries include a best-selling cruise around Britain where every
port of call is an island, from the Hebrides to the Scilly Isles to the Channel
Islands.
Swan
Hellenic ships take just 350 passengers in floating country house ambience,
according to Wilson. “Within short order they'll know how many ice cubes you
take in your gin and tonic." Itineraries include the Greek Isles, Chilean
Fjords and another round-Britain cruise, this time stopping at mainland ports.
But truly
the most unusual and intriguing cruises are offered by Hebridean Island Cruises
in an ugly duckling car ferry which has been transformed, with a lot of
consideration and love, into a luxurious floating hotel. How fancy is it? Let's
just say that the Queen has chartered it twice; it boasts the ambience of a
private club. Inclusions range from a choice of 14 types of honey at breakfast,
to whatever you choose to drink when they stop at Britain's most remote pub, to
picnic baskets complete with champagne.
Activities
for the 50 lucky people who opt for these northern Scotland cruises include
walking, biking and fishing – and the crew will even cook your catch for
dinner. At as much as £800 per day per person (yes, that's pounds, not dollars)
it sounds unforgettable.
