Cruise ship tour gives students a taste of grandeur

Staterooms with floor-to-ceiling ocean views, ice shows, a poolside cinema and an array of fantastic restaurants – life on board a cruise ship has certainly evolved over the years.

And a group of BTEC Hospitality with Events students saw the stunning grandeur of one of the country’s favourite cruise ships for themselves when they toured Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas while the ship was moored at Southampton ahead of setting sail for a mini cruise to the Continent.

An entire new deck was added during a recent refurb and passengers now have the option to choose a different restaurant for each day of the week while they’re at sea.

Seven UCB students made the trip to the south coast and for many it was their first taste of cruise ship luxury.

Jack Humphries said: “When you are walking around it is easy to forget that you are on a ship. There are shops, loads of places to eat and a nightclub. There is plenty for children to do as well because it is tailored for the family market.”

Students Mia Ford, Jess Martin, George Hazard, Freya Powell, Kaleem Iqbal and Sophie Hill also took part in the trip which included a visit to the Titanic exhibition at Southampton’s SeaCity Museum.

Lecturer Jacqui Boyd said the museum visit just showed how much had changed since the most famous of maritime disasters.

“It was good to contrast the old with the new and it opened the eyes of the students seeing how much life on board has changed since the days of Titanic,” she explained.