Should you book a maiden voyage?

With two new ships currently under construction and due to sail from Southampton next year there is a lot of excitement in the UK cruise market at the moment and both Royal Caribbean and P&O are marketing their ships in advance of the on sale dates.  There is already a huge fight to get on board for the maiden voyages. However is a maiden a voyage such a great idea? I thought I’d outline the pros and cons for you.

Good reasons to avoid the maiden voyage include….

•  The maiden voyage is often not the maiden voyage – whilst the billed sailing is always the first revenue building sailing and open to the public, cruise lines often have mini press launches and trade events in which the ship may actually sail. You may think that you are the first person to use the nice crisp sheets, but often you’re not.
• The maiden voyage may change date – this has happened with the Regal Princess launching this year. She is due to be completed earlier than anticipated so Princess have added another sailing, customers who have already booked have been allowed to change cruises but customers who had already booked flights or are unable to change leave from work are now no longer on the maiden voyage.
• The maiden voyage is the first date that the Captain and crew have worked together and there are often teething problems. You can have a crew that do not know their way around a ship and are not yet experts and working together well. Quite frankly they can be chaotic.
• The ship may not be finished in time and you may have to share the decks with workmen. This has happened to me in the past.

Now having said all that there are some very good reasons to book a maiden voyage.

• As the eyes of the world are on a maiden voyage staff can actually be more accommodating and flexible as they are out to impress you and their managers. Things like menus and seating arrangements are often more flexible as the staff work out what is and isn’t possible.
• The ship is squeaky clean and brand new. You will be one of the first, if not the first to sleep in your bed, use the shower and relax in the hot tub. Carpets will be lush and dinner plates not scratched. A cruise should be a luxurious trip and the maiden voyage will be the most luxurious.
• Extras are often thrown in on a maiden voyage – the cruise lines want you to talk about how wonderful the ship is so are more likely to enhance menus, have celebrities on board and generally try and ‘wow’ you at every stage.
• Local ports also want you to talk about them and get very excited about new ships arriving. Often there are bands and fireworks to watch you leave a home port and music and dancers waiting to greet you at ports of call. This is more likely to happen in the Caribbean ports than Europe but the cruise lines themselves will offer a much better sail-away party from Southampton on the maiden voyage than on any of the subsequent cruises.

• Pricing can be keen for a maiden voyage – they do generally sell themselves but even so prices are generally good – P&O’s Britannia starts at just £1149pp for a 14 night Mediterranean sailing.
• Commemorative goodies will await you, Queen Mary 2 gave away all sorts of souvenirs including cups and keyrings, T-shirts and stamps. The MSC Poesia gave models of the ship and I received a polar jacket and rucksack when sailing on the Silversea Prince Albert II a few years ago.
• And finally, you will be a part of history. People like to be elitist and it will always give you something to talk about. It feels good to say ‘I was on her maiden voyage’

Personally, I would always book a cruise based upon the itinerary, the time of year and whether these things suit me. I would certainly want to sail on a ship in her maiden season and do want to boast that I have been on the latest vessel but I am not that fussed about being on the first voyage. Britannia is sailing the Med several times next summer and I would personally wait until the weather warms up rather than going in March.

What are your thoughts on the subject – have you sailed on a maiden voyage? Or are you considering one for next year? I’d love to hear your comments?