【正文】 bergs. Those swimming suits we packed will be used after all. Each day, there is at least one lecture by 農(nóng)業(yè)與生物技術學院園藝專業(yè) 2022 屆本科生畢業(yè)論文 18 an expert－ a geologist, birder, Viking scholar, botanist, anthropologist or marine biologist. These informal talks are fortably spaced between gourmet meals and freeflowing wine and spirits, all of which can be enjoyed in the collegiality of the restaurant or in the cozy privacy of your cabin. The cabins are surprisingly spacious, and the butler assigned to my suite keeps the plimentary minibar stocked with my preferred beverages and snacks. He and the cabin valet will discreetly tidy up the room each day while I39。m dining or sightseeing onshore. My water bottle is always full. My shoes are always shined. Meals are fivestar hotel quality, which chef Pia－ a statuesque strawberryblonde from Germany－ somehow pulls off even when the ship is days away from a market that meets her exacting standards. The sitdown dinner service (there39。s no assigned seating, except at the wele and farewell dinners hosted by Croatian captain Denis Radja) features gourmet European fare. Lunches are expansive buffets in the restaurant－ though in good weather, many of us sit in the sun on the observation deck, where there is a small buffet as well as sandwiches and pastas made to order. I39。m slightly surprised to find that quite a few passengers have not only cruised with Silversea before, but rather often. At one reception, a Japanese lady gets applauded as the passenger aboard having the most cruise days with the line: 860! That39。s getting close to three years at sea. On this cruise, we are particularly pampered: There are only 56 passengers－ and 119 crewmembers. There are usually 120 to 150 passengers on board, and most cruises are fully booked－ popular destinations such as Antarctica and the Mediterranean as much as a year ahead. Late summer timing and the challenge of booking return flights after disembarking at Kangerlussuaq have kept our group on the small side. We39。ll all know each other pretty well at the end of our 12day cruise. Expedition leader Kredel observes that we39。ll be extrapampered with two crewmembers on board to every one passenger. But let39。s not have any talk of mutiny on this ship, he jokes. Always remember: You are outnumbered.They are safe, easy and family friendly, no wonder growing numbers of people are spending their vacations on a cruise ship. Zhou Wenting goes aboard. Imagine spending a holiday in a place where your every whim is catered for, where the sun and the ocean are on your doorstep and delicious food is served around the clock. You can go shopping in stores that have rock bottom prices, and if you grow tired of all the pampering, your bed is available anytime. You can travel with the whole family too, because there are activities tailored to suit all age groups. A vacation on an elegant cruise liner will meet the desire for an exotic experience, but will also be an enjoyable travel experience when acpanied by young children or elderly parents. Familyfriendly, safe and secure, cruise vacations have bee very popular in China. During the uping National Day Golden Week holiday, from Oct 1 to Oct 7, many families will board a ship to enjoy an exciting holiday at sea. The development of the cruise industry in recent years has been impressive. Statistics from the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association show Chinese residents made million trips on cruise liners last year, pared with nearly 10,000 in 2022. The association predicts the market will continue to boom in the next two years. Residents of Shanghai, the city th at boasts the largest cruise ports of the four on the Chinese mainland, are more likely to book cruises than people in other parts of the country, according to a report published by Baidu Inc39。s travel website last year. Tourists from Shanghai are also willing to spend more, many paying 4,000 yuan ($652) to 6,000 yuan, to take a cruise. Xue Yifan, who returned last week from a sixday cruise trip to Japan and South Korea with her 6yearold son and parents, paid 8,000 yuan for the trip per person. She says the itinerary arranged for the guests was amazing. Life39。s pretty easy at sea Beijing39。s first auto train ready to serve Life39。s pretty easy at sea Luxury hotel in an exwarship, Tianjin Children enjoy activities in the children39。s club from morning to evening and seniors have great fun in the karaoke bar and cinema. I saw some older people in wheelchairs on board. Cruise travel is fabulous for everybody, says Xue, a 35yearold from Shanghai. She says she is keen to try the Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship, the 18deck Quantum of the Seas that can carry 4,180 passengers, which is moving to Shanghai in May. Carnival, Royal Caribbean39。s parent pany, was the first cruise pany to sail from China in 2022. It also plans to debut its ship, Costa Serena in Shanghai in April 2022, to join the other three that are already based in Shanghai. The pany will offer the first aroundtheworld cruise departing from Shanghai next year, visiting 28 destinations in three months. Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal on the North Bund, which can hold three luxury cruises, is designed to be outperforming, says Zhu Guojian, a policy and regulation official at Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration. The increased investment of international cruise panies in Shanghai and the further explorations of the worldleading cruise operators in the market will bring more fabulous cruise ships and offer more varied routes and frequency of sailing, he says.