Pearl String, Around-the-World

Sailing every two weeks, offering 18-week around-the-world cruises, visiting approx. two dozen ports with an average port time of 2-3 days. These unique voyages combine the best of two worlds - the comfort of modern ships and the slow, relaxed pace of the past.       The following itinerary, including approx. number of voyage days indicated after each port, begins in Houston (Roundtrips and voyage segments are in fact available from and between three major ports, Houston, Hamburg and Singapore):

Houston, TX (Day 1); New Oleans, LA (5); Philadelphia, PA or Camden, NJ (12) and possibly another port or two on the US east coast, then Hamburg, Germany (24); Antwerp, Belgium (29); Genoa, Italy (37) and another call in Europe likely, transit the Suez Canal (40); possibly Chennai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia (54), Singapore (58); possibly one or two ports in Thailand; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (64); possibly Haiphong, Vietnam; Hong Kong (70), Kaohsiung, Taiwan (73); Shanghai (77), Quingdao (79) and Xingang (82), all in China; possibly Masan, Korea; Kobe (84) and Yokohama, Japan (88) and usually an additional port or two in the Far East before crossing the Pacific with a possible call in Los Angeles or San Diego, CA and through the Panama Canal (118); back to Houston in approx. 125 days.

Nine 30,000-ton multipurpose ships carrying both general cargo and containers: The Rickmers Antwerp, Dalian, Hamburg, Jakarta, New Orleans, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

Passengers: 7 Length: 193 m Speed: 19 knots Built: 2003/4 Owners/Managers: German/Rickmers Officers & Crew: Croatian, Polish & Filipino

Two double and three single cabins are available for passengers. All cabins have private facilities with shower, and all are equipped with a mini refrigerator, TV/DVD and stereo sets (except the Rickmers Hamburg, which has a TV/VCR set).

Three single cabins, #s 604, 611 and 612, also located on the Captain’s “D” deck, with unobstructed side and or aft views, consisting of a bedroom (bed size varying from 200 x 90 cm to 200 x 130 cm) with a sitting area, measuring approx. 15 sqm each.-       €80 per day, €9,920 roundtrip.       Double cabin # 513, located on “C” deck, one below the Captain’s, with an unobstructed aft view, consisting of a bedroom (bed size 200 x 150 cm) and a sitting area, measuring approx. 18 sqm. -       €70 pp double occupancy or €85 single per day, €8,680/€10,450 roundtrip.

Deck Plan ... ... 1 PDF page, 228 KB

The Owner’s suite # 602, located on the Captain’s “D” deck and facing forward (view might be partially obstructed by cargo stowed on deck), consisting of a bedroom with twin beds (200 x 90 cm each) and a separate sitting room, has a total area of approx. 30 sqm. -      €80 pp per day, €9,920 pp roundtrip.       There is an additional charge of €245 - €375 per person for port and vessel fees, depending on the voyage, a segment or roundtrip.

For a limited time only, Maris is pleased to offer its members a special discount on early reservations for roundtrip voyages:       6 months in advance, 5%; 12 months in advance, 10%, plus 5% on sailings in July and August.

General Information and Reservations       Passenger cabins and shared facilities, such as the dining room, lounges, exercise room and swimming pool are located on various decks. Passengers must be able to negotiate the stairs.       Self service laundry facilities are available. The electrical current is 220/50 AC. A two-prong round adapter and converter are needed for North American appliances. A small onboard shop provides a limited selection of beverages and cigarettes at duty free prices. Onboard expenses may be paid for with cash in US$/€.       The steward cleans the cabin and changes linen once per week, more often if required. Tipping is at passengers’ discretion; $3-$5 pp per day is recommended.

Due to the nature of cargo operations on these ships, the voyage often takes longer. At other times it may be shorter. There will be no fare adjustment in either case.

Dr. Hess and Vietnamese children Haiphong, March, 2004.

Reservations can be made by completing a Registration Form and providing a 25% deposit. The balance of the fare, plus port fees, are payable 65 days before departure.       The fare may be paid for by check or wire (by exception only, credit cards may be accepted) in either the basic tariff currency, as quoted by the steamship line, or any of the following major currencies, EUR, USD, CAD or GBP at the prevailing exchange rate, subject to a final adjustment at the time the ticket is issued, a few weeks before departure.       Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the anticipated return date. A Medical Statement of Good Health and International Health and Accident Insurance are required as is a vaccination or exemption certificate against yellow fever and cholera, and a visa for China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and the USA. Obviously, visa requirements will vary depending on the nationality, and passengers must check on this with the respective consulates. The age limit 75.       Cancellation fees are as follows: over 60 days, loss of deposit; 30-59 days, 50% of the fare. No refund will be made within 30 days of departure. To protect your investment, Cancellation and Interruption Insurance is highly recommended. Travelex Insurance packages, covering you from the moment you buy the policy - at no additional cost, are available to all Maris customers, worldwide, on our website page "Before You Sail". And if you buy the Travelex policy within three weeks of your initial trip deposit, pre-existing conditions are waived, with certain conditions.

“My husband and I have enjoyed two long freighter voyages in the past, and so when fate claimed him and left me alone, I knew that it would be cleansing for me to be at sea with no more to worry about than what to eat and how far to venture in port. When the hospital bills were cleared and the house fixed up, I signed on for the Rickmers Hamburg around-the-world voyage. It was the best decision I could have made.       The ship was designed and built in China and as this was her maiden voyage, she was formally welcomed in several ports. There was even a christening ceremony with champagne across the bow and many visitors eager to see the cabins and to hear what passengers had to say.       The voyage took us across the Atlantic to England, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Italy. Transiting the Suez Canal was very exciting as we were the lead ship in convoy and the Egyptians had a lot of military hardware at the ready. But, in a number of ways, I felt safer than in many places ashore.       Once into Asia, we were treated to one far away place after another. Each was like a gift waiting to be unwrapped. Wonderful calendar-type vistas were within reach. Vistas such as the King’s Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Great Wall of China. I had been to these places before, but seeing them again was just as much of a thrill as I could ever imagine, and the process of working out the details without the help of a travel agent added a good bit to the pleasure of it all as well.

The ship’s agent in each port can be of great assistance by setting up a car and driver and by acting as a middleman to exchange cash in dollars for whatever currency is needed. He also can see that everything is explained in the local language so that once the deal is set, you don’t have to worry about anything else. Not all agents will do this, but you can bet someone associated with the ship will. Just make sure that the money you agree upon is paid only when you are back on the ship and everybody will be happy.       I found the local people very helpful and friendly everywhere I went. People in Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan all went out of their way to show this tourist where to go to find whatever was written on my little notepad in their language. I asked the agent to do this for me, write the address of the port and the necessary pier as well as my destination in the city on separate pieces of paper. Then, a taxi driver or a pedestrian could read what I was asking for and they could point me in the right direction. Some people escorted me to my destination out of sheer kindness and one truck driver in Yokohama even picked me up as a hitchhiker and drove me an hour into town. He wouldn’t take a dime for his trouble either. I wouldn’t really recommend that, but in my case, it all turned out well.

Was the sea rough? Yes, sometimes it was! But oh, the sunsets and the beauty the sea presented at other times made up for it. Dolphins welcomed us into Panama, and Costa Rica was lush with vegetation. This was one place the crew invited me to fish with them off the back of the ship. We dangled our feet and pulled in fish biting on the squid we hadn’t eaten ourselves in the mess. Then ‘Cookie’ fried up our catch and we washed it all down with beer and laughter.

There were five passengers in all and we each had our own agenda. We entertained ourselves and, in port, we generally went our own separate ways. While on board, there were nights of marathon scrabble games and other celebrations for holidays and such when we all got together.       My single cabin, number 612, was generously spacious with more than enough storage space for my three suitcases full of clothes as well as all the trinkets I bought along the way for gifts including two large kites in China that looked like fishing poles once they were wrapped for transit. There were two windows in the cabin, one facing aft and the other facing port side. I felt as if I were wrapped in a cocoon, safe and snug, with views a penthouse would envy.       When in port, CDs for music are a real comfort and I find that cassettes are so much better for sea days because motion doesn’t affect the sound quality. No skips and such.       The Rickmers Line provides fine equipment in every cabin, although televisions have to be reprogrammed in each port which is an easy thing to learn to do. There are plenty of CD videos and DVDs from the ship’s library to enjoy at any time, so finding things to do was never a problem. Books for every taste are also available in the library, many left by passengers including us.

Shanghai, China

Freighter travel is for the unpretentious, the adventurous, and those who can be happy on their own. To go with a friend or a spouse is pure heaven, but I can honestly say that going alone is a delight as well. For me, it was salvation. If you are considering such a trip, I can recommend the Rickmers Line in every way. The officers were Polish and beautiful people to know, the crew was Filipino, and they were, to a man, so caring and pleasant, I wanted to adopt them all.       When we came into Houston, our starting point, I was sad to leave my new friends but felt so lucky to have had this once in a lifetime experience. I got on board wondering what life could possibly hold for me as a widow of 62, and I got off some 120 days later eager to see what might come next.”

“I did not get to take the bullet train, but the rapid line of JR, got us from Kobe to Kyoto in less then an hour. Trains here are the way to travel, first of all they are one tenth the cost of a taxi, and they are just as fast. Gerhard woke me at 8AM to go. It was rough but I made it considering I had been up with the captain until 3AM the night before.       We were in Kyoto by 10AM and, like I said, the train service is great here. The first thing you notice is all the Christmas decorations; the train station is also a department store! Across the street from the train station is the Kyoto tower, a hotel, department store and observatory all in one. We went to the hotel to get a map and ask which are the top sites to visit, so we were directed to go the Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist Temple first then the old Imperial Palace next. The taxi dropped us off about a kilometre from the temple.

Traffic was tight there, and the road up to the temple was full of students and tourists. They have stores here that proudly proclaim they have been in business since the 17th century.       So, lots of pictures of smiling school girls in uniforms making the peace sign with their fingers!

The temple is high up in the hills overlooking Kyoto. It has been built many times, but the present structure was completed in the 17 century. The wood looks to be over 300 years old as well. There are lots of shrines where people were praying. It’s a busy place here and there is a water fountain where people use small cups with long handles to taste a sample. They also had a few restaurants below the temple with no seats, only the traditional style on mats. On top you get an excellent view of the city, designated one of the UNESCO’s world historical sites.       We spent almost 2 hours here before walking back down to find a taxi to take us to the old Imperial Palace. Very impressive! The main entrance leading to the guard house is about 4 stories high and thick with huge stones, finely cut, forming the base. You then go to the main building, but no photographs are allowed inside. This Palace is also on the UNESCO protected list. They are currently attempting to preserve the walls, which are made of paper and wood. Remember these are sliding walls, and they have integrated carvings and painting, some drawings created with gold dust. The floors, called the Nightingaleare floors, are the main attraction. When you walk on them, they sound like so many nightingale birds singing. Their original purpose was for security, there being no way you could enter the Palace without someone hearing you. I could just imagine what it would sound like if the place was full of children. This was the original palace for the Shoguns - no chairs, only mats. The building is huge, but since Kyoto is also an earthquake zone, the building has been repaired many times.

You walk through the tea garden next; many different types of teas are grown here, with tea houses for the tea ceremony. The gardens are beautiful with many stones, banzai trees, all meticulously manicured and placed accordingly. It is a very nice place to rest and watch the birds fly by. I guess this is where parents all go after walking through the palace with their children! We headed back to the Kyoto tower, finding a restaurant where we proceeded to eat sushi and, for dessert, a grey pudding that tasted like peanuts!       On the train trip back we met a lady who heard us talking in English. She asked to follow us as well as whether this was the right train. We told her the truth, we didn’t know either! She was born in Shanghai, and is now a patent lawyer working for the US government in Washington DC. So it was a nice trip to Osaka with her.       We were back at the ship by supper; I joined the captain and chief officer after dinner where we headed to a bar in downtown Kobe. Happy times for the chief officer. His replacement had arrived so he was heading home to Poland tomorrow. We arrived back at the gate at 2:30, but since they lock the gates at 10 PM, we were supposed to wait. The chief officer was about to try and climb the fence when over the PA system you could hear loudly in English ‘An officer has been dispatched to open the gate, please be patient!’. We counted 3 cameras in our vicinity alone! What I understand from the captain is that all this security is new since 9/11. Many people don’t like it, but it is the new reality.”

Transiting the Suez Canal

We are most grateful for the support, including comments such as the following, which we have been receiving from our valued customers and club members as well as from the steamship lines and media over the years:

	"I have taken a number of trips on the lines listed and can say without hesitation they are all wonderful. I wish you much success in bringing together all the people who enjoy this type of travel." Carlita Malloch San Francisco, CA - Oct/93

	"Maris is sailing under fair skies with a following wind under your command." John Carrick Editorial writer Sydney, Australia - Sep/99

	"Dear Friends. Please find enclosed our U.S. cheque for a two-year renewal of our membership. We enjoy your style and information so very much and one day we hope to be on our way to some interesting destinations. With thanks." Nadine M. Beacock, Toronto, Canada - Apr/00

	"Q: It has always been my dream to take a long voyage on a cargo ship. Can you tell me if this is possible any more? - A: Maris in New York offers such voyages on a daily basis." Sunday Times London - July 1/01

	"Maris Freighter Cruises website, as well as monthly publication with its listings that include color photos of the ships and cabins, itineraries, prices etc., is a good place to learn about freighter travel." New York Times - May 18/03

	"We are very appreciative of the work you have undertaken on our behalf for many years and the effort you have put into making the passenger service a success ... Our sincere and grateful thanks." Richard Mellor P&O Nedlloyd London - Jan/05

	"As a faithful reader of your monthly publication, I wish to compliment you and your staff on the informativness and thoroughness, setting forth in honest and detailed manner descriptions of this means of travel by freighter." Martin Ems Retired Manager Passenger Services, American President Lines - Feb/07