Berlitz star ratings and expedition ships - do they fit the model?

Hapag-Lloyd's HANSEATIC - the only expedition ship rated five-star by Berlitz

The first thing anyone should know about ‘star ratings’ and expedition ships is that they don’t fit the model devised by Douglas Ward for ranking conventional cruise ships.

Instead of chandeliers and waist-coated service staff, investment goes directly into passenger enrichment. Knowledgeable and tertiary-qualified guides, expedition equipment (Zodiacs, diving kit etc) and the costs involved with operating small groups in remote and inhospitable environments with little or no infrastructure make small ship adventure cruising an expensive business. Passengers invariably come for the destination-focussed experience, not the all-night buffet or cabaret shows.

So when you see a lowly star-rating against any of these ships which are booked to near-capacity all year round, don’t equate this with the quality of expedition experience offered.

And if you want to toss around ‘five-star’ as some in the industry are prone to do, then you must be talking about Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic, far and away the world’s top expedition ship – as far as Berlitz is concerned at any rate – and the only one to achieve their five star rating.

Berlitz Rated Expedition and Adventure Cruise Ships

Vessel Hanseatic Silver Explorer Hebridean Princess Orion Caledonian Sky Bremen Corinthian II Le Boreal L’Austral Firty Years of Victory Tere Moana Celebrity Expedition Le Ponant Fram Clipper Odyssey Galapagos Explorer II Sea Spirit Ocean Diamond Akademik Ioffe Polar Pioneer Ortelius Clipper Adventurer Spirit of Enderby NG Endeavour Wilderness Adventurer NG Explorer NG Sea Bird/Sea Lion

Points   1746 1684 1680 1612 1601 1553 1546 1543 1543 1448 1415 1404 1385 1321 1245 1244 1222 1222 1065 996 963 948 947 945 908 856 743

Rating 5 Star 4.5 star 4.5 star 4.5 Star 4.5 star 4.5 star 4 star 4 Star 4 Star 4 star 4 star 4 star 3.5 star 3.5 star 3 star 3 star 3.5 star 3.5 star 2.5 star 2 star 2.5 star 2 star 2 star 2 star 2 star 2 star 1.5 star

Source: Ward, Douglas (2012-09-15). Berlitz: Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships 2013 (Berlitz Cruise Guide) (Kindle Location 28488). APA. Kindle Edition.