Renaissance Line Is Reborn With Bigger R Ships

Until a few weeks ago, if you asked your travel agent to book you on a Renaissance cruise, the agent might have steered you to another line.

Today, although the final opinions aren’t tallied yet, that agent may or may not agree with your choice, depending on how annoyed he or she was by the line’s previous agent commission policy. Renaissance was capping commissions at $100 instead of the standard 10%, which, based on current prices, could be $500 or more.

The 3-year-old policy was publicly rescinded, with apologies for its “misguided, anti-agent path,” along with major management restructuring in mid-June, shortly after Renaissance introduced two more ships, bringing its fleet to eight.

In its zeal to make up for previous slights, the line also has taken out a million-dollar performance bond. It promises the agent trade group ASTA, the American Society of Travel Agents, to live up to its promises and practices for agents or forfeit the money, according to spokesman Brad Ball.

Renaissance Cruises, which debuted in 1990 with eight nearly identical small ships, Renaissance I through Renaissance VIII, carrying about 100 passengers each, is in the middle of introducing its new R class of eight larger, virtually identical ships carrying 684 passengers each. R1 through R6 are in service, with R7 due in October and R8 due in early 2001. The two other vessels still in service are from the original fleet, Renaissance VII and Renaissance VIII, cruising in East Africa, the Seychelles and Egypt.

The line’s repeat passengers are mostly middle-aged couples who select a cruise by its destinations and who like Renaissance’s no-smoking, no-children-under-18, no-formal-dress policies.

The weak link in the Renaissance air/sea package, most passengers agree, has been the air program. Under the recent restructuring, it has added more gateways, eliminated the obligatory air purchase and cut hotel stays. Now passengers go from the airport to the ship and sleep and eat aboard the vessel in the cities featured in pre- and post-cruise programs.

We sampled a Renaissance cruise in the Mediterranean last fall and also took a look at the two ships in Tahiti last winter. Our cabin on the R2, sailing in the western Mediterranean, was spacious and well planned, and the ship’s public areas were comfortable and attractive.

The food--by Apollo, the catering company that also prepares the food aboard Celebrity ships--was consistently good, with homemade breads, ice cream and plenty of fresh vegetables and herbs. We especially enjoyed the no-smoking aspect, at least in the public areas, although judicious sniffing suggested crew members sometimes smoke backstage.

Standard outside cabins without balconies measure 173 square feet, inside cabins 156 square feet. A few cabins with obstructed views are as small as 146 square feet. There are 10 owners’ suites and 52 balcony suites, and most of the cabins provide private balconies in a 216-square-foot space. Most have twin beds that convert to queen size, a desk dresser, a small sofa and a bathroom with shower. Only owners’ suites offer bathtubs.

The last three ships in the series have 15 fewer cabins but the same generous public areas.

The interiors, created by London-based designer John McNeece, are identical in each of the first five ships, down to the oil paintings of Scottish Highland cattle in the lobby.

The ships are dark, quiet and clubby, reminiscent of an elegant Scottish country inn. Meals are served at open seatings, meaning passengers can arrive when they wish within the given hours and sit where and with whom they please. Besides the main dining room, there are two alternatives, a grill and an Italian restaurant, which require only a reservation.

The entertainment is provided by a six-piece orchestra, a six-member company of singers and dancers who present three production shows, a variety entertainer such as a magician, and local performers who come aboard in port.

Public areas include a beautiful library, a sports bar, a fitness track, a large Steiner spa and exercise area, a medium-size casino, a deck barbecue and pizzeria, a computer room, a buffet restaurant, a card room and cabaret lounge, a small pool and whirlpools on deck.

R1, R2, R5 and R6 sail in Europe, the R3 and R4 in Tahiti. The R7 will debut in October with a new Istanbul-Elat, Israel, itinerary.

In the company brochure, a 10-day Tahiti cruise/tour is priced from $3,998 to $7,998 per person, double occupancy, including air fare, with some discounts for early booking; a 15-day sailing in Tahiti or Europe ranges from $4,998 to $11,998 per person, double. Your travel agent should be able to negotiate lower fares on cruise-only prices on lightly booked sailings.

To get a free brochure or more details about fares and sailing dates, ask your travel agent, call (800) 525-5350 or go to the Internet site https://www.renaissancecruises.com

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Shirley Slater and Harry Basch travel as guests of the cruise lines. Cruise Views appears the first and third week of every month.