Entertainment cruises focus on the passenger. Cruise ships are full of amenities and entertainment to keep travellers in the lap of luxury, and elaborate day trips are often arranged in every port. Passengers on a freighter cruise are secondary to the ship's cargo, and the captain and crew are there to deliver that cargo rather than entertain the passengers. A freighter cruise often has no more than 12 passengers, and is often much longer than an entertainment cruise. Freighter cruises can be months long. Maris offers a variety of specialty freighter cruises that combine a few of the luxuries normally found on entertainment cruises with the length and peacefulness of a freighter cruise.
Maris offers a wide variety of cruises, from three-day tours of island chains on a mail ship, to one-way intercontinental voyages lasting 45 days or more, to around the world voyages of over 6,000 miles lasting several months. Examples of specialty cruises available include: a two-week tour of the Marquesas Islands featuring French and Polynesian cuisine, a tour through the fjords near Greenland and later around Newfoundland and Labrador, voyages around the Croatian and Norwegian coasts, a 6,000 nautical mile trip from Portland, U.K. to the tiny Island of St. Helena to deliver the Royal Mail, and a number of Mediterranean cruises.
The amenities available on Maris cruises vary greatly. Maris has a number of custom-built ships that deliver some luxuries not normally available on cargo freighter ships, such as on-deck swimming pools and gyms, but some cruises occur on ships (such as the Italian Grimaldi lines) where passenger amenities are at a minimum, and cabins may be made up infrequently if the crew has more pressing work to do. Passengers are largely expected to entertain themselves on freighter cruises, and many passengers engage in solo pastimes like reading or painting.
Since ships with fewer than 12 passengers do not require a medical doctor, the upper age limit for many Maris cruises is 79 or 80 years of age, although the limit in some cases is 75. Passengers are required to have a passport that will be valid for six months after the end date of the voyage, and must carry health insurance that is valid internationally. Travel insurance is not mandatory, but is strongly recommended in case a trip must be cancelled.
Prices for Maris specialty cruises vary, as the cruises all have different lengths, destinations, and levels of service. For example, some cruises offer two meals a day, where some offer three, with complimentary wine at lunch and dinner. Some cruises include guided excursions ashore while some do not. Some cruises are priced by the day, some by the week, and some extended voyages have a flat price for the trip. Some of the shorter trips start at 110 British pounds per day, and the two-week cruise through the Marquesas is just under 2,000 British pounds per person for the least expensive, dormitory-style accommodation. Maris offers a number of discounts if cruises are taken at certain times of the year, and these discounts can range from $50 for shorter trips to $500 for longer voyages. Joining the Maris Freighter Club costs $59 for a lifetime membership, and this qualifies a member for automatic discounts of up to $500 for every booking.
