Cruising the Caribbean on the Club Med 1

Thanks for joining us. This is the first of our destination reviews on the Internet. Please keep in mind that they are totally candid reports and are presented from the travel writer's point of view.

I had the good fortune last month to be one of about 40 travel agents invited on the Club Med 1 to assess this unique Club Med product. I am writing this review as an honest account of the pluses and minuses of this ship, so that you can decide for yourself if it'll work for you.

I found the size of this ship to be perfect. It's large enough to feel roomy, yet intimate enough to see again the people you met at breakfast or around the pool. In fact, I met some wonderful people that I truly enjoyed spending a lot of time with. The public rooms are very comfortable, with a very large theater and nice-sized casino. Everything is tastefully decorated and comfortable, right down to the full-cushioned chaise lounges around the deck.

The ambience of the ship is very European. A large percentage of the passengers are from Europe and many speak very little English (this is great if you want to practice your French, like I did). The G.O.'s all speak at least some English, although many of them don't seem to speak it too well. However, there were some watersports G.O.'s from the U.S.. I must say, in general, that the G.O.'s were really very friendly and a delight to be around.

Most of the guests were between 40 and 60 years old with a few young couples in their 30's. But, there were only two people, not counting our travel agent group, that came onboard as singles - clearly the minority. Make no mistake, this is more of a cruise experience than a typical Club Med one! There's no "crazy signs" or "hands up" done after the shows here. But, it's by no means stuffy either - there's still a lot of fun and spirited liveliness - just a bit more refined. Even the typical G.O. shows were more polished than I've ever seen at any of their villages.

The cabins are far superior to the standard cabins found on most cruise ships. They are very spacious (188 square feet) with lots of closet and drawer space. I found those extra little touches that make you realize that you areon a luxury vessel - remote control TV, two complimentary bathrobes, a stocked mini refrigerator, a hair dryer in the bathroom, and a fruit basket in your room upon arrival. All of the cabins are outside with two good-size portholes (for those of you that are used to large picture windows, don't expect to see this on a sailing vessel).

Mealtimes, as usual with both cruises and Club Med, are a delight. The food is very good with a good variety from which to choose. Breakfast and lunch are very informal and served buffet-style in both specialty restaurants. They also provide you with the option of ordering off of a menu (for those of you who want cooked-to-order eggs or pancakes). For dinner, there's 3 options: the main dining room, a Steakhouse specialty restaurant, and a more formal dining room with small, intimate tables. In all cases, the dinners are full-service and you can order what you want from the menu. As typical Club Med style, they seat you with other guests. But, unlike typical cruise ships, and I do think this is a plus, you don't have to sit at the same table with the same people every night. The one thing I did see as bothersome though, is that the waiters, all French speaking from the island of Mauritius, had a lot of trouble with English. On several occasions, my order was not take correctly.

Cruising on the Club Med 1 is a very comfortable way to see some beautiful and remote islands. We were on the Southern 2 itinerary of the Grenadines (there's 4 Caribbean itineraries to choose from) which included these fabulous islands: St. Lucia, Tobago Cays, Bequia, Mayreau, Barbados, and Sandy Island. Some of these islands are so remote that only smaller cruise ships can visit. By the way, she sails the Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean in winter.

For those of you who have trouble sleeping at night on a regular cruise ship because of the engine noise, you'd enjoy this ship as an alternative. Two of the evenings we cruised exclusively on sails alone, and even when we used some of the engines to help, you could hardly hear them. But, I have to warn those of you sailors out there who think this might be similar to a true sailing experience, just on a larger scale. Except for the lack of engine noise, I really didn't feel like I was sailing. It felt just like being on any small ship.

It was a treat to see the Hall Nautique (fold-down watersports platform). This is a true watersports lover's dream come true! Waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing are all done right from the back of the ship. And they have a great selection of equipment (all seemed to be in great condition) available most of the day. Scuba divers and snorkelers take separate boats out to the betters spots, further away from the ship, and usually leave on smaller boat right from this platform.

There is a surprisingly large gym for such a small ship. It has a large variety of weight machines, free weights, and two exercise bicycles (although one was broken all week). The best part is the breathtaking view that you can experience while working out since the gym is located on the top deck and all-glass enclosed. If I could change two things about this gym it would be: 1. They should have at least one of the all-popular stairmasters; 2. The gym is clearly designed more for a man than a woman (free weights start at 10 pounds and some of the weight machines were too massive for a small-framed woman).

Another nice feature of the Club Med 1, which is often found on upscale cruises, is the no-tipping policy. It's nice not to feel pressured by the staff about this. In fact, I hardly ever saw my cabin steward, although anything I needed always seemed to be there.

STATISTICS:

GRT: 14,000; Length: 617': Width: 66'; Maximum cruising speed: 12 knots; Holds 400 passengers. Typical cruise price: about $2,000 for a 7 day cruise.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

Scuba divers and other watersports enthusiasts looking for an upscale environment.

Couples over 40 who enjoy an intenational experience.

I'd like to share some of my pictures with you. To see them, just click on the boxes below.

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