container ship travel

[pies]

Aileen,

Thanks for that link.

Zuiderdam was great. There were about 1800 passengers and we had a deluxe suite on the Rotterdam deck at the stern corner of the ship with a huge corner balcony. Yes we did all the dress up things for dinner and had a couple of functions on board with the captain and senior officers. But having said that I am really looking forward to a totally different experience on Matisse.

Jim

[pies]

Aileen,

Thanks for that link.

Zuiderdam was great. There were about 1800 passengers and we had a deluxe suite on the Rotterdam deck at the stern corner of the ship with a huge corner balcony. Yes we did all the dress up things for dinner and had a couple of functions on board with the captain and senior officers. But having said that I am really looking forward to a totally different experience on Matisse.

Jim

[pies]

Thanks Aileen, I've now had a chance to view that site and found it very interesting. I don't think they indicated which cabin they had for the voyage and didn't have any photos of it that I could see. One concern I had was getting off the ship when in port to sight see but they didn't seem to have too many problems.

[Abarb]

Hello Jim,

Glad you found Suzi and Ruedi's website of interest. Finding photo's taken on board isn't all that easy, mostly what I've read has been much more technical, whereas I want the nitty gritty of day to day happenings. Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait until I experience it all.

If I dig up anymore info I shall pass it on. I have good intentions of writing a report when we return at the end Oct/beg. Nov, but at this stage I won't promise.

Perhaps you would like to reply to me at landseer1@bigpond.com.au I am interested in who you used as an agent to book your journey.

Regards,

Aileen

[woody14h]

Have always been interested in freighter travel but my wife insists that cruise lines are as inexpensive and offer more amenities. What do I say to offset this mindset??

[Yarco]

Have always been interested in freighter travel but my wife insists that cruise lines are as inexpensive and offer more amenities. What do I say to offset this mindset??

 

I think you must first sell your wife, the idea of gains of travel aboard a freighter against that of a traditional cruise ship.

 

Such as observing a working ship in action, really getting to know the captain & officers and crew, i mean on how many cruise ships do you get to see, speak & shake hands every day with the captain ?.

 

Unlimited access to all areas of the ship including bridge, except the engine room. And as cargo ships carry a max 11 passengers, or you can be the only ones onboard you do feel like a part of the crew, you're even placed on the crew list.

 

As for amenities don't worry, although there is no west-end or Broadway type shows the last ship i was on, had a indoor pool, fully fitted gymnasium & passenger lounge, with games and dvd player tv and even a small library.

 

What you will also be getting is a unique experience, a true adventure of a lifetime. It really is something special, this year i will be making my maiden traditional cruise aboard P&O's Ventura, & all i will say is that she has a lot to live up to.

 

Mark :)

[Raskolnikov]

WOW! I just discovered this string.... I guess I don't get around much when it comes to cruising on-line! :cool:

 

I just booked a second crossing on the QM2 but my entire life I wanted to sail on a tanker! Now I see people are doing cargo ships regularly. So help me out here!

 

How do you find out about these? How much do they cost, relatively speaking (I just spent $2,000 for six days on the QM2). I realize there may not be many passengers, which wouldn't bother me a bit, but what kind of ships are these? Do the crew speak English at all? If I were alone, I would hope to be able to chat with the crew.

 

I am so excited to find this area of cruise critic. I really want to go to Antarctica, but I could only find something through Geoexpeditions, which started at about $10,000 (a cargo ship turned into 18 exclusive cabins)! Too rich for my blood!

 

I noticed a few links, but I couldn't access them. Does anyone have photos?

 

Thanks!

[lizbeth]

Hi -

I have not sailed on a freighter, altho' I would love to do so.

 

There is one organization that I'm aware of that specializes in freighter travel. They publish a newsletter 5 or 6 times a year and it costs $40 a year. Their website is www.travltips.com (there is NO "e" in their name!) Note: I find their prices for some cruises are more expensive than what you can purchase elsewhere.

 

However, we enjoy the 24-page magazine because it contains detailed itineraries and passenger reviews.

You might think about subscribing. (We are not affiliated in any way with Travltips.)

Hope this helps.

[Abarb]

Brian, You should contact Maris Travel at 1320 State Route 9, Champlain NY 12919 who publish a booklet each month on container ship travel, each month concentrating on a different area of the world. They seem to be a large company in USA who handle freighter and container ship bookings.

Perhaps if you google, "Maris" you will find the information you require.

[shubeteach]

What are the accomodations like and can one travel as a "single"? I'm 65, a widow, and retired. How about cost? Everything about the travel sounds grand. I'm ok with my own company, can read, etc. and am not dependent upon TV for entertainment. I'm living in "the States".

shubeteach@yahoo.com

[Abarb]

Hi Shubeteach..briefly in answer to your questions..our upcoming voyage on the Matisse (container ship) will be our first so I have yet to experience what is in store..but as both my Husband and I can enjoy our own company, separately or together...the lack of entertainment is not an issue to us.

Pricewise...the voyage from Tilbury (london) to Sydney is costing 5060 euros each..44 days all found and we have the twin bedded, ensuite, Owners cabin. Ours is a french owned ship and I have read some wonderful reports about the food served onboard.

I get the impression that most people who take this type of travel are either retired or close to it.

There are a number of companies who take passengers on their vessels. In our case the maximum number is 6, and I think there are single cabins on most ships.

I forgot to see where you live, but there are a number of specialist freighter travel companies around the world...I think if you google "container ship travel" some of them will come up on the screen. I get a monthly newsletter/magazine from Maris who are in the USA.

[pies]

Hi Shubeteach,Like Abarb I am also booked on Matisse for a voyage from Tilbury to Australia via Panama, but the voyage after theirs.I am travelling alone and have been allocated the cargo super cabin with double bed, lounge/desk area and ensuite of approx 22sq metres. As a single occupant my fare is about 10% more expensive than twin share which is considerably less than you would be charged on a conventional cruise ship.As well as relaxing and reading I will also take a laptop to record a journal with photos.If bored I am also taking a number of movies on disc which I can view on the laptop also.

[maztoz]

Greetings Aileen, Paul and Pies. And thank YOU Mark, for taking the time to post all this valuable information.

 

My husband and I are getting closer to retirement. We'd be thrilled to experience a freighter voyage, so it is with much delight that I discovered this thread!

 

Aileen, I'll be especially interested to hear your impressions from a woman's perspective, as my husband will probably be crawling around below collecting grease as well. Let me know if the laundry room is adequate ;)

 

 

As you sail away know that we'll be following along in spirit and eagerly await as much feedback as time allows. Wishing you all smooth seas, a safe journey and a wonderful experience.

[Abarb]

Hello Maztoz and welcome to this forum,

Are you still in the "thinking about it" phase or have you proceed further with your plans?

I do plan to write a report when we return home, and of course it will be from a woman's point of view. I will definately tell you about the laundry facilities! though I will not be posting anything until we return home at end of October so it will be sometime in November before I will get around to it. We dont leave Tilbury until about the 13th September and the voyage is 44 days long..

I think I am going to like the voyage as I am happy to read and crochet to pass the time, but am also looking forward to the experience of just being on a big ocean. I am unsure about sea sickness, but will buy a supply of anti sea sickness medication in London before we depart.

We plan to be up and on deck when we begin heading into a port and depart so not sure how many nights we are going to miss out on some sleep. Just cant wait to make our entry into the Port of New York!

We are also fortunate in that two of our fellow passengers are Australians with whom we have now made contact and I think we will be able to enjoy each others company.

Everything I have read about container ship travel appeals to me and it is a way of travel that both my husband and I have had at the back of our minds and now it is soon to be a reality.

Best regards

Aileen

[maztoz]

What a privilege Aileen, to fulfill such a grand desire! We too have talked about it for years, but have just barely begun the process of research and contemplation. We still have four years of hard labor in the mines ,

(not really :rolleyes: ) before we can even consider the Big Ocean.

I'm very interested in your 44 day journey, since that would be the length we would try before attempting three months around the world.

 

Surely we would love it. We are the most at peace when left to our own devices, no companions required, but it sounds like you've gotten lucky!

Enjoy your Australians, and don't worry about sea sickness. Just be prepared and you'll be fine.

I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any recommendations on what to read or who to contact, please send them my way.

Take good care.

Regards,

Mary

[Abarb]

Hi Mary,

Sorry I didnt get back to you straight away, I have been very busy over the last few days re-organising our itinerary because the "Matisse" schedule has changed and she is now leaving Tilbury 14 days earlier than expected. It seems another ship in the fleet had to be taken out of service and go into dry dock, so our ship was re-routed and on the journey back from Sydney before she starts our voyage there are a number of ports "deleted". So perhaps there are passengers on the Sydney Tilbury voyage who are feeling a bit disappointed at missing a number of Ports.

It really threw a spanner in the works, but we are lucky that we are retired and could leave Australia earlier than planned and transfer our bookings in Dubai, Scandinavia, etc. to other dates.

So to anyone contemplating container/freighter ship travel, here is a valuable lesson...one that I didnt fully comprehend myself, that there could be REALLY major changes to departure/arrival dates.

Another thing that I would recommend is find out how to watch the schedule of "your" ship (in our case I logged onto the CMA CGM website and followed the line schedule) and just as well that I did, as the Agent in Sydney had no idea that this big change had taken place, and if I had waited till closer to our departure date, it may have been too late to change many of our bookings.

There was a point when I thought we may have to cancel the voyage, and that would have been expensive, (we would have lost our deposit) as the terms and conditions of the ships owners are weighted very much in their favour. We found out that our travel insurance didnt cover early departures, so another thing to be sure of when taking out your insurance.

After all the trials this week, we are both still really looking forward to the experience of container ship travel.

I think I have said in previous posts that Maris is probably the best contact for people in USA (telephone 1 800 99-Maris / 1 203 222 1500)

and I did have initial contact with Strand Travel UK, who seemed very able to help with this type of voyage.

Maris send out a very interesting small magazine each month, concentrating in each issue on a different area of freighter cruises.

If you google container ship travel and freighter travel, you will probably find your way to other peoples reviews of their voyages.

Do let me know if you decide to "do" a freighter cruise.

Best regards

Aileen

[Annieeee]

Hi,

 

Has anyone done this type of travel lately? Please share your thoughts.

 

Annieeee

[DryCreek]

Hi,

 

Has anyone done this type of travel lately? Please share your thoughts.

 

Annieeee

 

Any info at all would be appreciated - such as cost and minimum at-sea times? I wonder if I could book a week long trip from, say, Galveston and hit the next US port - or would the Jones act prohibit this? Maybe if it went from Galveston to Central America and then to another U.S. Port?

[jcrandle]

Any info at all would be appreciated - such as cost and minimum at-sea times? I wonder if I could book a week long trip from, say, Galveston and hit the next US port - or would the Jones act prohibit this? Maybe if it went from Galveston to Central America and then to another U.S. Port?

 

At the risk of being technical, that would be the Passenger Vessel Services Act, also called the PVSA. The Jones act has more to do with protection of the merchant marine (crew) on US flagged vessels.

 

It (the PVSA) prohibits foreign flagged ships from transporting passengers between two different US ports without a stop at a "distant foreign port".

 

For all practical purposes, the only caribbean ports that qualify as distant are the ABC ports, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Otherwise, the cruise must stop in South America.

 

The cruise lines are VERY aware of these issues, and will only offer cruises that satisfy the PVSA requirements, as they are subject to fines if they violate it.

[DryCreek]

 

The cruise lines are VERY aware of these issues, and will only offer cruises that satisfy the PVSA requirements, as they are subject to fines if they violate it.

 

Do the container ships also fall under the PVSA regulations?

[jcrandle]

Do the container ships also fall under the PVSA regulations?

If they are foreign flagged, they most certainly do, and most container ships are foreign flagged.

[jcrandle]

Wikipedia has a brief synopsis of the PVSA at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Vessel_Services_Act_of_1886

[davidwilsoon]

I have 2 trans-alantic and agree with all of the above. You must remain loose with your time and your port time is VERY Short. I did these as an experiance at it certainly was. Enjoy

I just read someone review on his recent container ship travel. Imust say that while he says he had a great time, in his review it was obvious that his time in port was not as he had expected.

[Cactus Cruisers]

This is my first stop on this thread since I usually just do the Roll Call. It was interesting reading the posts but I was disappointed that Abarb never posted after her container voyage in 2008. This type of travel is something that my husband and I would like to try at least once after we retire. We have done small ship cruises and big ship cruises, so this is next in progression. Kathie

[Travelanni]

I just read someone review on his recent container ship travel. Imust say that while he says he had a great time, in his review it was obvious that his time in port was not as he had expected.

 

Container ships do have very short port times but there is an alternative. At least one company, Rickmers Linie, operate a Round the World service with large general cargo-heavy lift ships with purpose built passenger accommodation for 2 couples and three singles. Their port calls can be up to 4 days although the average is 2-3. There are at least three embarkation points in USA and round the World via Europe, Suez, Asia, the Pacific and Panama takes about 124 days with roughly 15 to 20 ports of call. Segments can also be booked.

As you can see from my signature I am a regular passenger. The standard of safety and comfort is very high and the officers and crew always friendly and helpful. I am a single lady, now 70 years old, and would not travel any other way although it is not for everyone. Next voyage is January 2011 on Rickmers Antwerp, Europe to Singapore.

I would be happy to give information and advice to anyone interested.

 

All the details, photos, ships plans etc. at www.mcc-marine.de