Cruise Lines

Yesterday I made a great discovery on Queen Mary 2 - the Canyon Ranch Spa. It's the only Canyon Ranch spa at sea and there was a real friendliness and genuine helpfulness on the front deck that seems to be missing in the ubiquious Elemis spas. Put it another way, I felt like a customer rather than a moving dollar sign.

Actually I wasn't going to have a treatment as it is very expensive, especially with the poor £ to $ exchange rate (all prices on QM2 are charged in dollars), but I couldn't resist the Thai massage.

As it was, it turned out to be a good choice, first because it came up as one of yesterday's daily offers so I saved $36, second because the masseur, Jintana, who trained in Bangkok, was very good, bending my legs into positions I would never have thought possible.

"Your neck is in knots," Jintana told me. After bearing the pain of her pressure, all the time telling myself it was doing me good, I had worked that out. I did feel good afterwards though.

On the issue of cost, one thing that did impress me was that all prices include a 10% gratuity (although like all bills on here there is space to leave another tip, maybe hoping people won't have read that it is included).

It's far more honest than one cruiseline I know that lists one price but slaps on a mandatory gratuity (and nothing so reasonable or easy to calculate as 10%). As you have no choice but to pay, surely that is the price that should be in the brochure?

As I had bought a treatment, I was entitled to one day's free access to the aqua therapy pool and thermal suite, where I cooked nicely in the steam room, herbal sauna and ordinary sauna. There's also a quiet relaxation room with views out to sea - or there would have been except we were sailing in low mist the whole day.

"We did see some dolphins earlier," a couple I knew from dinner with the hotel manager a few nights ago told me. They had been looking for a quiet place with a view so they had paid $40 each for a day pass to the thermal suite (there's also a three-day pass for $75 and a five-day one for $95).

"It was free when we cruised on Celebrity," they added, a bit miffed at having to pay so much just for somewhere to sit away from the grey skies and wind (the indoor pool was packed, apparently). I tried to mollify them by telling them that most lines charge for the thermal suite these days as it's a nice little earner.

And judging by the number of people in there yesterday, they were earning very nicely. Miserable weather must be manna from heaven for them.