Cruising: North Korean style or the world’s least luxurious

When a group of reporters and tour operators boarded a new (well, sort of) North Korean cruise boat, neither lavish nor luxurious were the words to describe it. It was more like the “world’s least luxurious cruise ship,” as one account put it.

As Reuters reported: “When you think of taking a cruise, usually it's the Bahamas, Fiji or the Maldives that generally come to mind. How about North Korea?”

Korean authorities seeking more tourists said the cruise is designed for those who want “something different.” And that’s what passengers got.

"A lot of people like going to obscure places. And this is the most obscure part of a very obscure country in tourism terms — the least visited part of the least visited country," Simon Cockerell head of the Koryo Group, a Beijing-based tour operator specializing in North Korea, told AFP.

In common with more luxurious trips, there was karaoke and a buffet. But there were also some distractions:

• Some cabins only had bunk beds
• Some cabins had only the floor to sleep on though there were mattresses
• Water in bathrooms was unreliable
• When water was available, it was often brown in color

About 130 passengers set sail from what was called the “rundown port” of Rajin, near the China- Russia border, for the more scenic Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea.

Wire reports said it was the country’s first ever cruise boat in a rusty, almost 40-year-old ship that used to be a cargo vessel.

The port city the ship sailed from is part of an effort by North Korea to attract more tourism. One incentive for North American tourists  —  who are among those being targeted  —  is that visitors can come visa-free. Tourists, however, must arrange their trips through designated tour companies.

North Korea has only been open to Western tourists since 1987. The country is generally described as “very poor.”  Its government has also long been secretive and its residents generally not on view to tourists, which was the case with the recent cruise.

The bizarre "test" sail took about 18 hours. A second trip is planned for businessmen sometime soon. And Korean officials say they hope for a newer ship in the future.

The cruise, which sails the length of North Korea's picturesque eastern coastline, will appeal not only to the adventurous seeking "something different," but also to gamblers wanting to try their luck at the North's casinos in Rason and Kumgang, Reuters speculated.

Whatever the inconveniences, the price of the cruise is likely to be considered a bargain by Western standards. One Chinese tour operator told London's Daily Mail he expected the cruise to cost about US$292 per passenger for a five-day, all inclusive trip.

How much complaining can cruisers do at that price?

By David Wilkening