What makes this cruise ship so special ?
Could it be the gourmet meals every night ? Perhaps the fact that this baby is fully loaded: sauna, massage, aerobics, fitness room, a fold out sports platform… the list is endless. The secret ingredient on this cruise is the GO's. The same thing that makes each Club Med village special. The GO's who sail on the Club Med 2 eat, play, and tour the exotic lands all with the GM's. Absolutely life as it should be!
Life on the Club Med 2 has a definite European flair.
The majority of GOs chosen to work on the Club Med 2 are from Europe, the homeport of the boat. The GOs who work on the boat are also those who have worked several seasons in Club Med villages, and most of them have French as their first or second language.
What about that 'fold out sports platform'?
Well, the official name for that area is "Nautical Hall"-right, whatever, this super invention was probably
the best thing to happen to cruise ships. At the stern of the ship (stern = the very back) there is a section of the ship which opens up and folds down to create a platform. When the sports platform is opened the passengers can water-ski, windsurf, and SCUBA dive right off the back of
the boat. This floating village is totally self-sufficient! Can't decide if you want to cruise the Mediterranean or the Caribbean? Just hang out on the ship for a year, its location switches back and forth each summer and winter. If you've a love of Club Med life in the villages, "The Boat" won't disappoint you. The same fun shows and entertainment each night, the piano bar, and karaoke. What more could anyone ask for? There is one slight difference. You
can't wear your pareo to dinner, but who would want to with all that great food to eat all day and all night. Don't they say that wearing black makes you look five pounds thinner? Just bring your 'little black number'.
Club Med cruises are basically a French product, an all-inclusive vacation with a twist...the same informal, carefree ambience that Club Med veterans will recognize from stays at villages but in deluxe surroundings with
cruise ship amenities. They will also recognize the "CO's"...Gentils Organisateurs...who are unique to Club Med. They are the social hosts and hostesses who keep the action and smiles going day and night.
Club Med ships attract a range of passengers whose profiles change depending on the cruise, season, and location. Typiclly, passengers range from 30 to 60 years old. The majority are couples, but groups of singles, some seniors, and a few honeymooners are also aboard. The American contingents on Club Med 2 are mostly active, urban professionals from the northeast cities...doctors, lawyers, and executives ranging from 27 to 50 in age. They are porty and
travel-wise but not fussy.
ACTIVITIES:
On board activities include: 2 swimming pools, a golf simulator (at extra cost). Sun loungers and deck chairs are located on various decks, for a touch of "farniente."There are also sunbeds, massage, beauty consultation and a hairdressing salon at extra cost.
Scrabble, bridge, Trivial Pursuit, dance contests, and karaoke are some of the organized daytime diversions along with sightseeing and sports.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
The state rooms are all the same size regardless of deck. They are very spacious, measuring (18m2) and handsomely furnished. Each cabin has an ensuite bathroom/wc and is equipped with a television, mini-bar, telephone and radio with taped music. The cabins all look out to sea through twin portholes.
DINING:
It's not a perfect cruise without fine dining. The Chef will offer you French-inspired cuisine with a large choice of appetizers, main courses, desserts and salads, at both lunch and dinner, so as to be sure of never failing to please. But he will also take care to see that you discover some new flavors, or rediscover some long-forgotten ones. Lobster has a different
taste when you enjoy it on one of the beaches of Mayreau or Virgin Gorda. And he'll also help you to rediscover the taste of freedom, freedom to select your lunch at the buffet or have it served at your table; freedom to dine at the table of your choice, at either of the two restaurants on board, Le Deauville and Le Grand Bleu, where you are encouraged to linger as long as you like. On club Med 2 there is only one seating, so you will have no pressure
to finish your dinner in order to make way for someone else.
An open-air snack bar, self-serve restaurant for breakfast and lunch plus a full-service restaurant for lunch and dinner offer meal choices for French-accented cuisine. A complimentary table wine is served at both lunch and dinner in generous quantity.
ENTERTAINMENT:
As in the land Club Meds, the "GO's" perform a lot of the entertainment, lip-syncing to records and donning funny hats with the same enthusiasm Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney used to put into their shows in MGM movies. Sometimes a steel band from shore comes aboard.
SERVICE:
The Club Med stamp on the service is obvious.
There is a crew of 200 for only 392 passengers. The officers are French and the crew Filipino. The Mauritian staff, dressed in impeccable white shirts, shorts, and socks, handle the dining and hotel duties and continually hear praise for their friendly, professional service.
This floating palace offers truly personalized service and the passengers are just as much taken care of on board as during their stopovers. Because the Club Med touch means that Club Med 2 enables a cruise holiday that mixes sports and cultural activities, activity and non-activity, all for one all-inclusive price.
DRESS:
Daytime dress is casual aboard ship and on shore, and topless sunbathing is popular aboard with both passengers and female "GO's". Bathing suits and coverups are the most common daytime garb. "Stylish resort attire" is what is requested for evening, and a jacket without tie on men, a long skirt or silk slacks on women is about as dressy as it gets normally.
SPORTS FACILITIES:
Sports facilities include a nautical hall nautique that opens up at the stern of the boat creating your own private marina, from where you can enjoy waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing, kayak, snorkeling and scuba diving.
SUMMARY:
Most passengers like the informality and sociability of the "GO" concept, giving them a deeper sense of involvement in the cruise experience and leaving them with memories of people as much as places. The camaraderie also encourages some reluctant passengers to participate more in activities...to take a snorkeling lesson or blunder at learning to windsurf. On the other hand, the constant interaction between the young and bouncy "GO's" and passengers creates a summer camp atmosphere that is not for everyone and can easily annoy some who have paid several thousand dollars for the cruise.
