May 27, 2004 -- 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.
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 freight ships were made.
Freighters are one of the lifelines of the world economy, but of the 29,000-plus large oceangoing ships in the world, only about 1 percent carry both passengers and cargo. It's a special niche for travelers with the time and temperament to sail long itineraries -- anywhere from a few weeks to several months -- and who don't mind doing without the amenities of a modern cruise ship.
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 a maximum age limit on passengers -- typically around 80 though sometimes as young as 75 -- and passengers are required to present a doctor's note 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 four basic groups:
- Container ships, which carry shipping containers stacked like so many Legos, and which account for the bulk of oceangoing trade today;
- General cargo ships, which often transport large or unwieldy goods;
- Supply and mail ships, which run supply routes to isolated coastal communities and distant islands; and
- Tramp steamers, which are like the bicycle messengers of the world freight service, operating on short notice and going wherever their manifests take them.
Container ships and cargo ships generally carry 12 passengers or fewer and offer accommodations that are frequently 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 only once per 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 container ship Paul Rickmers, which sails every three weeks roundtrip from Jacksonville, Florida, making a 20-day loop through the Caribbean and along the coast of South America. She carries only four passengers at rates of $1,800 per person, double occupancy. At the more extreme end, the Rickmers Antwerp and her eight sister ships offer 124-day roundthe-world voyages for seven passengers, with rates starting around $11,200.
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 often sail for $50 per day -- about half a regularly scheduled container ship's rate.
Mail and supply ships generally cater to far more passengers than the cargo vessels.
The RMS St. Helena is one of the more famous 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 $6,575 and $8,165 per person.
In the South Seas, the cargo liner Aranui II sails a regular 16-night route roundtrip from Tahiti to the Marquesas Islands, with an operation heavily oriented toward its 140-some passengers. Sailings depart once of twice per month year-round, with fares starting at $3,500 per person for private (two person) accommodations. Bunks in a 30-person dormitory with shared facilities start at $1,980.
Also in the area occasionally is Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' old 94-passenger supply ship Amazing Grace, built as the Pharos in Dundee, Scotland, in 1955 and with a lot of character in her classic old lounges. Typically deployed on slow 13-night night itineraries through the Caribbean, supplying the line's sailing ships while giving 92 passengers a slow tour of the islands, the ship has lately been heading out farther afield. This year, she's offering 10-night Tahiti cruises roundtrip from Papeete at a bargain-basement sale price -- currently $999, a full $1,000 below published rates. If you've got a whole lot of time on your hands, you can also book aboard her 60-day repositioning cruise, halfway around the world from Tahiti to the Caribbean.
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 $2,300 per person, per week.
The ships and sailings above constitute only a small number of those bookable through Maris (tel. 800/99-MARIS, www.freightercruises.com), an independent freighter-cruise specialist that also operates the Freighter Travel Club. Club membership ($36 per year) gets you a monthly magazine and discounts on voyages. Other freighter-cruise sources include Freighter World Travel (tel. 800/531-7774, www.freighterworld.com) and TravLtips Cruise & Freighter Travel Association (tel. 800/872-8584, www.travltips.com).
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