Letter of the month

摘要

I would like to offer my thoughts on the points raised in the recent Editorial (SM, Jan). These are that Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas has been 'designed for those who have never cruised before', and the question 'what next for the cruising ships?' On Quantum, or any other modern cruise ship, passengers do not'cruise'. In the 1960s I went cruising on quite small ships (16,000grt, speed 18 knots), which gave me the chance to visit, in a short time, many places comparatively far from one another. These were the 'vintage' days of cruising. On board was a cinema, a seawater swimming pool, and the chance to sunbathe on the upper decks. Amusements were deck quoits, bingo, dancing in the evening, or simply looking at the sea, passing ships, or at the coast.