by It was a hot afternoon in Piraeus, the port of Athens, where huge white cruise ships lined the wharves, coaches and taxis jostled along the quayside, inhaling passengers boarding and depositing those was waiting to board. And next to them, sleek and elegant, were the superyachts.
Of course, there is much to be said for the joys of owning a large yacht: super-sporty accommodation, which surpasses or matches the best five-star hotels; the option to choose whatever food and drink you want at any time; privacy; exclusivity; and the ability to establish yourself wherever you want in the world.
But there are also many disadvantages – the most significant of which is only the annual costs associated with buying the thing (in extreme cases, hundreds of millions) to buy the thing. pretty penny as well. For an “average” supercar (if there is such a thing) – say, one around 150ft long, costing around £10 million – you’ll probably have to cough up around £1 million a year to pay for it . crew, fuel, insurance and so on. And then there are the mooring fees.
These certainly don’t come cheap – especially if you want to put your yacht somewhere suitably glitzy. Some of the most popular marinas (those in Monaco during the Grand Prix, Cannes when the film festival takes the stage, Dubai almost any time of the year, and various ports in the Caribbean in winter) are not only the charge of thousands of pounds a. night to make headlines, but it is also possible to book months or even years in advance.
But there’s a better way—or, at least, a more cost-effective way—to live the superyacht lifestyle without melting all your credit cards or selling your babies: book a week or two on a cruise over be luxury
And that’s exactly what I had done. The limo I picked up in Athens glided past the multi-storied megaliths, and came to a halt next to a fairly small, pretty cruise ship – one you might, at first, mistake for one of the superyachts: the bright Seabourn Encore -white.
Even before my driver had opened the door, several uniformed porters sprang into action to collect my bags, and white-uniformed crew members jumped forward to greet me, exchange my passport for my ship’s ID card, and escort me on the table.
There are only “cabins” on board the Seabourn Encore, I found out. My Veranda Suite, as the name suggests, was much more than a room with a balcony: in fact, it would have left many five-star hotel rooms in the shade. Not only was there a huge bed, bathroom, sofa and easy chair, but also a dining table, walk-in wardrobe and dressing room, and, of course, a fridge stocked with complimentary drinks.
A ring at the doorbell drew my attention: my personal butler came to introduce herself and ask if there was anything else I needed. I mentioned a bottle of gin and some lemons to go with the tonics in the fridge, and no sooner had I started unpacking than they arrived.
Not that you need your own free mini bar on this ship. During an exploratory stroll, I soon discovered that the moment you take a seat anywhere – by the pool, in any of the lounges or restaurants – a member of the smartly dressed crew seems to ask if they are nothing to you.
And just like on your own, it’s all part of the deal, with all food and drinks included in the price (unless you choose to splurge on “premium” brands – but I don’t see the need for that when the house. champagne, spirits and wine of the day as well).
There is also a great selection of restaurants and, with the exception of one, The Grill by Thomas Keller (something of a superstar on the culinary scene in the United States, and therefore particularly popular with American passengers), there is no need to enter certain.
Admittedly, there are more passengers here than you’d find on your own supercar – but they’re in the hundreds rather than the thousands. This means that you are rarely aware of them, and when you are, it is a great opportunity for people watchers.
Among the astute passengers on my sailings was one extended family group whose show of ever-increasing wealth showed that they might easily have been the inspiration for the Succession; an English couple from somewhere in Surrey who could often be heard lamenting what they were missing at the golf club; and a very delightful French couple put even the best among us to shame with their three or four daily changes of clothing.
Not surprisingly, standards remained as high on the ground as on board. I had chosen a seven-day sailing to the Greek islands of Spetses, Crete, Mykonos and Skiathos, with a stop at the Turkish island of Bozcaada before finishing in Istanbul. A wonderful roll call of places, but the highlight was the Turkish port of Kusadasi, where we spent an evening among the ancient ruins of Ephesus – empty of its daytime crowds – enjoying a private classical concert.
There is something magical about an endless parade of snacks and drinks while listening to a chamber orchestra play Bach, Vivaldi, Boccherini, Shostakovich, Mozart, Dvorak and Brahms against the backdrop of stunning ancient ruins. And I bet you don’t get that in bulk.
Fundamentals
Jeffrey Mills was a guest of Seabourn (0843 373 2000), which has a similar seven-day Greek Islands and Ephesus cruise aboard Seabourn Encore from £4,699 per person, based on two people sharing a Veranda Suite, visiting Piraeus, Gythion (for Sparta ), Chania, Mykonos, Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Cesme and Istanbul. Departs May 19, 2024.
