Public Facilities on Board.
A freighter vessel is different from a cruise liner – there are no loud discos or highly populated casinos, but there are plenty of pleasant and comfortable arrangements there for you.
Every ship, besides having an officers' lounge room where as an honour you might be invited to share an evening with the officers, has a passenger lounge which is often located on the same deck as the passenger cabins and is fully equipped with, coffee making facilities and TV, VCR or DVD players and usually a small video library of assorted movies. In the passenger lounge you can also often find board and card games available. You are welcome to gather here at anytime to watch a movie with other passengers or simply for a social get together.
There is usually a small library on every vessel featuring a small private room with a desk and chair as well as a wall full of book shelf with a variety of book. You are always welcome to come read here or to borrow some books for reading in your own cabin.
The meals are served in the dining room or the officers' mess room and are shared with ship’s leading officers. The menu is set for all, but it changes from day to day and from morning to evening. On most ships you'll find a highly trained and qualified Frech Chef creating esquisite meals for you and the crew. Every meal is accompanied by a French cheese platter as well as some gorgeous French wine. Fresh fruit is offered on the menu at least once a day. You can see a sample of the menu here.
Breakfast is usually served from 7 till 8 a.m., lunch is from midday till 1p.m., and dinner from 7 to 8 p.m.
A small indoor or outdoor pool, or sometimes even both, is always available on board. This gives you an opportunity to dip in the fresh sea water too cool off when the climate gets too hot. On some very recently built ships the possibility of warmed up fresh water or a mixture of both inside the pool is available which allows for a dip even in cooler weather. On many ships there is also a shower within the pool area which you are welcome to use after a swim but before sunbathing .
There are also sun beds or deck chairs for your use which you are welcome to use around the pool. There is also a lot of space on the pilot deck which you are really welcome to use on agreement with the master or one of the officers.
There is a recreation or gym area which comprises of a ping-pong table and a number of gym machines which you can use at any time. There are windows all round the gym area and are perfect for viewing in wet weather. Sometimes this area can also be used for organizing small parties for the crew and passengers. Don’t expect too many of those, as member of the crew are actually on duty and cannot stay entertaining passengers around the clock.
There is a laundry room fully equipped with the washing machines, dryers, irons, etc. Usually it is shared with the crew and officers, on some vessels though passengers get their own small laundry room which is often situated on the same deck as the passengers' cabins. The laundry room can be used at any reasonable time. The towels and bed sheets are provided and cabins are cleaned on a weekly basis.
Passenger accommodation.
All passenger cabins are air-conditioned and carpeted. They all have their own small bathroom facilities. There is plenty of light during the day. All the cabins are airy, have very nice and new furniture which creates a very pleasant, warm and comfortable atmosphere inside. Often enough your cabin might have its own TV and/or DVD player. Also a CD and tape player together with the FM/AM radio are always present. The layouts of the cabins per se might change slightly from ship to ship but all share the same features and general size.
The two major types of cabins available are:
Double or “Owner’s” cabin:
It usually comprises a large lounge area which has a sofa, a coffee table as well as few arm chairs, a desk with a working chair, a wardrobe and a few extra hangers for outer garments, a number of cupboards and drawers, a large mirror and a refrigerator. There are two fitted beds measuring 110 cm on average each and, as said above, private lavatory facilities comprising of a shower/shower cabin, a wash basin and a WC. The total area of such type of cabin is 26m². It has 2 or 3 windows with a clear front view , though it might be obstructed at times.
Single cabin:
The typical size of this type of cabin is 22m². It usually would have two front facing windows, which are also subject to have obstructed view at times. The lounge area here occupies a slightly smaller area though still consists of a sofa with a coffee table and arm-chairs, a writing desk with a chair, a wardrobe as well as a number of drawers and cupboards together with hangers for use with wall hangers. A single cabin also features a small refrigerator and a shower/wash basin/ WC in a separate room. The bed here is a fitted double bed usually measuring about 140cm.
The prices differ from one type of cabin to the second one, as well as the price for the single occupation of a double cabin would be distinct (see the price list for more details).
There is also a possibility of arranging a separate accommodation for the children, if you wish to travel with a whole family. This option will remain to be a subject of availability though, as there are usually cadet’s cabins proposed for such purposes.
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